Metro City had always been a bustling place to live. Towards the centre of the city there were the more important buildings, like Metro Tower, City hall, Museums and other such buildings of significance. The kind that teachers took their students to on field trips, and where visitors would visit to pick up tacky memorabilia to remember their trip to Metro City. Of course there were office buildings all around as well, storey's tall, all of them as important as the rest. Accountants, law firms, work cover, health care, and the like. It was much like many other large cities dotting the country of America, but this one held a secret not everyone was privy to. Deep underground Metro City, in fact built underneath the ocean floor itself, was a facility. Only a select few knew of how to enter the underground area without being seen, and those would gladly took the secret to the grave.
How sad it was that a majority of them, that day, lived up to that premise.
The docklands lived up to their names; it was where large and small boats would dock after a hard days work. Fishermen walked the planks day in, day out, and little old men would throw their fishing lines into the water in hopes of catching a fish to make their friends envious and their wives annoyed. It was relatively peaceful, outside of a few muggings that took place down there since the docklands weren't particularly known to be crime free areas. Next to the docks was a car yard, old and abandoned. People had long since given up their fight to have the old cars removed and replaced with something handy, like say a place to rent boats on in order to take a quick sail around the harbour of the city or at least a fish and chips shop. Little did they know that was in here that a secret entrance existed.
Tonight, a black cat was dozing on the roof of an old dented, rust encrusted white car when its fur suddenly stood on end, and it leapt away while yowling in annoyance that its nap had been interrupted. The hood of the car suddenly slammed open with such a force it went flying through the air before crashing on the ground, underneath where the hood once resided was no dead battery but an escalator. It seemed to vanish down into the middle of the earth, small lights the only way of seeing where you were going, and when to lower your head so not to bump it on the ceiling.
The cat watched cautiously from its safe haven across the way, and heard footsteps fast approaching from within the car. A second later a blue skinned boy with a large head erupted out of the car. He held in his hands two guns, one that was large black and sleek, obviously of the highest quality and bullets that probably cost a few hundred thousand dollars to fire. In his other appeared a homemade gun, apparently made from bits and pieces found in a kitchen and bathroom. You could clearly see a hair dryer, a few kitchen utensils, and black tape used to hold it all together. However at its barrel end was a blue glowing ring. And under the arm that held the homemade gun was a round glass ball, with a dead little fish inside.
His once white outfit was now stained with water, smoke, blood, and grease. Panting wildly, Six continued running refusing to look back. A moment later the ground itself seemed to tremble and quake, only to fall silent... then plumes of smoke began to emerge from not only that old rusted car but many cars, some from even large abandoned factories on the docks whose windows were already smashed. It sent shockwaves, causing waves to arch and crash into one another on the ocean, also causing old cars to topple and smash against one another inside the fake junkyard. It even sent some toppling onto the rusting white car, destroying the exit in its entirety.
The sky was pitch dark, stars incapable of piercing through the brightness and pollution caused by the city, but young Six didn't have time to stop and observe the world outside. He had to put as much distance between him and the facility as possible, no doubt there would be other exits for people to take. They might have radioed in for help, what if the government was looking for him now? The police? He dare not risk it and hang around to look at the world he had long since wanted to experience.
The stillness of the night didn't help to deafen the sounds of his footfalls on the dry concrete, or the panting of the young boy.
"We did it Sir, we did it!" Minion declared as he floated after his master.
"Yes, I did it!" Six grinned widely, despite his aching lungs and legs, continuing his marathon across the empty docks.
He turned a corner and stopped short in his tracks for not too far from him stood a man. He wore a long over coat and scarf, and from the looks of him he looked pretty intoxicated, the way he was swaying to and fro like that.
Six looked at the big coat, and suddenly realized how cold it was out here. It was freezing, and he was only wearing his white pants and shirt, along with his shoes. It being nighttime didn't help either. He straightened his back and marched towards the man, despite Minion squealing at him to stop and to not approach him.
"You!" Six declared, stopping in front of the drunken man.
"...hhnnffhhhg?" the man asked, breath reeking like something had crawled in and died.
"Give me your jacket and scarf." the alien ordered.
The drunkard swayed in response.
"Give them to me, now, Alfred." Six hissed, his name appearing as clear as day to the young alien as if he had known him his entire life.
Alfred blinked, and seemed to realize the importance of this especially when he suddenly found a gun pointed at his face. He shed his jacket, and scarf and handed them over. Six quickly pulled it on, and laughed at how the jacket was down to his ankles. Doing it up, he slipped the guns into the overly large pockets, and used the scarf to create a means of carrying the glass orb without incident. He looped it over his front, before stepping back and eyeing the jacketless man.
"Thank you. Now hold still." he aimed the more home made gun and fired; the next second instead of a man standing there... a small blue glowing cube sat there. "A-hah! It DOES work!" he cheered.
"Excellent work, Sir." Minion complimented.
"I know right? A de-hydration gun. And to think, they would have wanted me to make this for THEM to use!" Six snorted as he put the gun into his pocket and began to hurry along still, fastening the coat shut around him. There was little he could do about his oversized head, but if he hurried quick enough he should be all right at least until he got his hands on some means of transportation. He had to put as much distance between himself and the facility as quickly as possible.
They ran along in silence, using shadows as frequently as possible, and ducking out of view whenever a car would happen to roll by. Six had read about the things, he had even commented on some modifications on the fuel consumption of them in a way to improve them, but he had never seen one in person. They were like monsters, and their design fascinated him. Remaining behind a trashcan the young alien watched as a car, big, black and old, parked near by and half on the sidewalk. The driver seemed tipsy too since he staggered out, and wandered into a near by bar.
"Sir, what are you doing? Sir!" Minion gasped as Six got out from his hiding spot and approached the car. Cautiously he reached out and touched the door, it was smooth, and reflected his distorted image back at him. He slid his hand, now with the other, along all the way to the hood where he felt the metal was still warm from the ride. The front was a little dirty though, mud, sticks, and leaves stuck to the front. The alien frowned at seeing such a fine piece of machinery in a state of filth, before he glanced up into the drivers seat.
His hearts stopped.
The keys were still in there. If this wasn't fate lending him a hand then he just escaped from certain death for nothing. Much to Minion's dismay Six climbed in and strapped in after doing the same to the orb holding Minion's body. The fish joined him, frowning at Six. "You shouldn't steal, Sir!"
"It's my only chance of putting space between us and them. Do you want me to go back there, Minion? Do you?" he asked, eyes narrowed at the fish. Minion looked sheepish, and looked at the floor. "Exactly. Now..." he turned the keys and the engine rumbled to life. The next second the car knew it was hurtling down the street being driven by a run away alien teenager who was beginning to smell of blood. As he drove, the radio flicked itself on and a tsunami of music hit his ears. Now, back in the facility, he heard music of course. Most if it written by men who had died over four hundred years ago. This music though, was loud, electric, it had a beat to which he could smack his hand against the wheel with.
Then it reached the chorus.
I'm on a highway to Hell! On the highway to Hell! Highway to Hell! I'm on a highway to Hell!It was like hearing the voice of angels, each one speaking words which Six had never heard before. They brought such clarity, such promise, it was like an internal explosion, which didn't bring any destruction and devastation but music and celebration. He found the volume knob and turned it louder still as the guitar began to play its riff, and that wonderful singer began singing the chorus again. Guitars squealing, drums beating, it was absolutely amazing.
"Sir, please pay attention to the road!" Minion squeaked as they just avoided driving into a taxi.
"Oh yes, right... c'mon Minion, keep your scales on." Six smirked in amusement as they continued to drive, thankfully slowing the speed so he wouldn't be spotted due to speeding. It didn't help that it was pitch black outside, and when he was driving nobody really gave him much of a second glance because if you were outside at this time of night you were only out for trouble. He couldn't help but peer at a group of women wearing clothes he had NEVER seen before loitering at a corner. It showed curves and bared legs, and just how log cut their tops were! It was alarming to think such people would dress like that, since Lens DEFINETELY never wore clothes like that.
Six started to take the roads that led up through the town. He avoided places with well-lit areas, and soon found himself at a large sign reading 'Observatory : Under Construction' but was covered up with another sign reading 'Condemned'. Finding this curious, Six found a shaded place to park the car and pocketed the keys and grabbed Minion's orb. Carefully he walked up to the sign and squeezed easily beneath the fence before continuing forward.
Once the canopy trees got out of his way he saw what was quite possibly one of the most beautiful architectural wonders he had ever seen. A large dome shaped building, white as his old cell but showing signs of the weather as well as wear and tear. It showed why it was abandoned, the driveway leading up to it had broken away and obviously the city felt it wasn't worth fixing.
"What a waste..." Six said aloud, before looking to Minion. "What do you think Minion? Think this will suit us?"
"Suit us, Sir?" the fish queried, tilting his body to the side.
"Yes! A hide out! A place to live!" he explained, and looked back to the observatory. "It's absolutely perfect! Rooted in science and mathematics, plus it's connected to the stars! I can't imagine any better place to live." Six grinned, before he approached the edge of where the road stopped. While he had just managed to save himself at the last second in the elevator shaft, this time he was far surer of himself. Concentrating on his whole body and where he wanted to go. As before, he shut his eyes, too scared to open them and look down in case seeing how high he was would stop his newly formed ability and plummet to his death. Again.
"You did it Sir!" Minion's cheery voice pulled his eyes open, and discovered the fish was right. He was on the correct side of the broken road, and the observatory stood before him, inviting him in its silent aura.
Six smiled proudly, pleased by his accomplishment, before he began to march up to the observatory. Pushing the door opened he walked in, and discovered just how empty it was. The entrance lobby was completely deserted, with large white sheets covering everything. Dust was everywhere, and he could clearly see bird nests scattered on any place high. In fact there were sleeping birds in a fair few of them, and one large, old looking owl looked at him in a curious manner but did not take flight.
"It's perfect." Six whispered, amazed at the birds and how small they were. He had never seen a bird before either, only those in books but that was merely in order to see how their body shapes pertained to how well they went in flight. Seeing them curled up against one another in a nest, sleeping peacefully, made his hearts do something funny. They felt warm. "Absolutely perfect." he echoed. "Come Minion, I want to see if the telescope is still operating!"
They found the stairs, since all power to the plant was cut by the electric company years ago, and made their way up the winding staircase. Passing through another doorway they entered in the observation room and Six let out a loud gasp. The telescope was absolutely huge, taking up practically every inch of the space above them. It was silver, and showed its age, no doubt made at least forty years ago but to Six it was as if it was fresh out of the box. Putting the orb of Minion down he rushed over to the chair in which a scientist no doubt would have spent hours at.
Then he saw that the observatory gates were shut. Frustrated, he smacked his fists against the chair. "Damnit!" he swore, "God damnit! Where's the power in this dreadful place..." he said as he got out of his chair and began following the large cables.
"Sir, if you return power here, won't people notice if this observatory begins to suck power again?" Minion asked as he followed Six.
"I won't use THEIR power, Minion." Six replied and held up the blue binkey in his hand. "I'll use this. I'll simply place it in the correct place, reconnect the flow of power and boom! We'll have lights, electricity, warmth, and a telescope to watch the skies. Course, I won't use it all the time. I don't want to attract attention..." he said as he opened a door labelled 'Maintenance Entrance - Warning! High voltage!' and found the monster of an engine which kept this place running.
It too, looked very old. Six made a wistful sighing noise and hurried down the steel steps and touched the large circular dials, buttons, and switches. "Oh Minion... the things this machine must have seen in the past years...! We're in history, Minion. We ARE a part of history...!"
Minion simply smiled, and hovered close as his master began fussing and fiddling with the power core of the machine. "What happens if somebody does find us, sir? You can't use your hydration gun without the binkey."
"You raise a valid question Minion," Six replied as he squeezed the small device into the heart of the machine. "But you forget I am a genius. I already know a way to harness the power for myself. I just need a few things that I can surely find in this place, and unlimited power from my binkey shall be at my disposal!"
"Oh Sir you truly are a genius." gushed the fish, to which Six simply snorted and blushed.
After a few more moments Six withdrew and shut the door on the engine shut, and then found the means in which turning on the power... a big green button. He hit it, and waited. For a moment it almost seemed as though it hadn't worked but suddenly all the lights powered on. The quiet hum of an air conditioner reached his ears, and the most wonderful sound of all... a telescope powering up... met his ears. Six dashed from the maintenance room and flew up the stairs (practically) to the telescope. All ready the large doors were beginning to ease open after years of neglect. Twigs and leaves tumbled inside, as did the cool night air.
Climbing into the seat, Six put his eye to the large eyepiece and watched.
The night sky was so much clearer up here, above the city and its bright lights. Above him the black sky opened its secrets to him, and the stars felt so close he could reach out and touch them. To think he had come from out there, somewhere... in fact, he might even be able to calculate just where he had come from. Naturally he wouldn't find a planet there, only an empty black hole sucking in anything that got too close but... it was important for him to see it. To find his home out there even if it was lost to him forever. Tonight it wouldn't work though, that much he knew. It was too early, and he had to prepare a bed for himself and find the closest place where he could get some food.
Not legally, of course. He had no means of obtaining legal tender. On top of that he had to make his hydration gun fully functional, so it was no time to sleep yet.
The night wore on, and the observatory saw more action then it had done in over twenty years. Rooms were cleared; toolboxes were located and used to the best of their abilities and conversation echoed in the large, empty dome. By the time the sun was just beginning to peek out over the horizon of mountains and farms to the East Six was almost ready to fall asleep at his table when Minion suddenly jostled him awake.
"Sir, Sir! It's the morning! The morning!" he insisted.
Six's green eyes were wide and alert seconds later, and he ran up to the large gates and stared out, shadowed only by the giant telescope held high above him. He watched as the dark skies slowly began to lighten. An orange hue meshed with the blue, and the thin white clouds stretched out across the morning skies. Finally the sun freed of its restraints by gravity and seemingly set the sky on fire itself. The blue alien, who had never witnessed a sun coming up in the mornings, could only stare in wonder at the majesty of it all. Already he could feel the warmth touching his cheeks and forehead, and within the lobby of the observatory he heard the rustling of the birds and early morning tweeting and singing. Moments later they erupted from a broken window, the sky filling with little birds that went off in search of food.
Six smiled and slowly moved away from the large doors of the observatory, and shut a button. Loudly the gates shut, and anybody outside would have no knowledge of the observatory being functioning. Making his way to the power room he switched it all off, and retrieved his binkey. The teenager still needed to divide the energy of his binkey so he could power other goods, but that could wait till later. Glancing around, as if suspecting he was being watched, he put the pacifier into his mouth and went to the bed he had located.
It had once been a sick bay, and it was full of beds. Six found the more comfortable one, with a thicker mattress, and peeled off his dirty clothes and deposited them all on the floor. He would worry about needing a new change of clothes later for right now, he was exhausted and needed all the sleep he could get. Tugging the blankets up to his shoulder, he rolled onto his side and allowed his eyes to shut. The only light in the room was that of the faint glow given off by his binkey, and it brought on a comforting feeling he had never truly experienced before.
He was free. While he doubted he could live here for the rest of his life, he was finally out of the facility. There would no longer be needles, tests, reports, or anything. The alien wouldn't be killed and cut open, studied, then put on display amongst the other aliens. Now, their remains lay buried under ground where they belonged. They deserved peace, just as any being had a right to have in their death.
Six sighed contentedly and slipped into a dreamless state, too exhausted to dream, or be bothered by what he had witnessed that night.
The following days the news was an interesting affair to read about. The earthquake, which had rocked the docks, was reportedly caused by the continental shift, or something along those lines. Underground fires had apparently revealed a long forgotten mine, made back in the early settler days when Metro City was a simple little ocean port town when people believed gold to be hidden beneath. There were no reports of death, or explosions, or an escaped alien on the loose. What kind of city government would allow such a cover up to be revealed to the public? Yet meanwhile in the five-cent newspapers that detailed Bigfoot's latest sighting, there was news of an alien stealing a man's jacket, and then his car.
Course since the men had been very much drunk, one of them ended up being apprehended for drinking while driving, nobody took the stories seriously. The car, and the 'alien', was never found though. Probably because Six had moved the car from one side of the bushes to the side with the observatory, actually parked inside.
There was even news of a mugger making his way around the city. Always in darkened places, the mugger would appear with a gun and demanding whatever it was the person had just bought at the local store. Even demanding a watch off of one person and a leather jacket off of another. He had tried to attack and had ended up with a bullet wound to the leg, just to be sure no blood got on the leather. People shopping from local music stores were also accosted, always the ones wearing AC/DC clothing, or appeared like heavy rock fans. Their music was snatched away, never to be seen again.
Yet despite multiple sightings, the police had no leads. There were no fingerprints, no foot prints, no DNA, nothing. They were at a loss, so across the city there were 'Wanted' posters showing details as to their height, stature, and weapon used. Subject was armed, and dangerous, and gripped the city in fear.
"This is just horrible..." sighed a man reading a newspaper while sat at his breakfast table. Across from him sat his fourteen year old daughter, "What's the city coming to?" he asked.
"Is it that mugger again?" his daughter asked, sitting straighter in hopes of peering over the newspaper to see the page her father was reading.
"Roxy I wish you didn't insist on walking to school these days." she heard her father said as she spotted the artists sketch on the assailant. He looked fairly young, but always dressed in large, baggy clothes and a hood with a scarf. "Just look at this guy, what if he jumps you and shoots you like he did that other guy?"
"Daddy please." Roxanne rolled her eyes, snatching the newspaper off of her father to properly read the article. "He only attacks at night time and never in this part of town you know that!"
"Yes but what if he starts to shake things up a bit?" he asked, "You can't trust criminals Roxy, never turn your back on one if you meet one."
"I never would, Daddy." she replied with a smirk.
"Are you letting our daughter read that depressing news again?" it was her mother, walking in with some toast and eggs on a plate. She set one in front of her husband, and her daughter. "It's no good for her!"
"Moooooommmmm." Roxanne whined, "You know I wanna become a journalist! It's important for me to read up on local events, plus I'm thinking of doing an article on him for the school newspaper about the importance of safety when out at night." she pointed out, reading over the news paper.
Her mother huffed and rolled her eyes in a way similar to her daughter, before going back to the kitchen to clean up the mess she made. Roxanne read over the article, apparently the police estimated that the mugger had been responsible for over thirty counts of armed robbery but never from companies, but individual people. There was always a claim on a car being stolen, but through their guess the person shouldn't even know HOW to drive to begin with, so another person must have stolen the car.
The whole thing fascinated her, those inner reporter feelings buzzing at the prospect of running into the person. Course, she knew she never would. What would she do, exactly? This person had a weapon, all she had was mace. That might be enough to stun the person but little to nothing else. Still, she made a note to always carry a camera in her bag in case her father was right and the mugger would attempt to rob somebody in board daylight, and in his or her area.
Man, that would be so awesome.
To be continued