Chapter 5 - Lessons

He shivered as he looked down over the edge of the Globe. The metal walls curving off far below him. He shivered and looked around the lookout position. Since the attack, defenses had been set up around the globe. Everything from solo gliders circling the globe, watching for any groups of spiders trying to enter, to lookouts stationed around the edges of the globe to watch for any large groups of Cognit forces.

He shivered and looked through the spyglass again. The vast world had mostly recovered from man's prohibitive reign, now reclaiming the quarry lands and smashing through the cities. The Cognits seemed to do little messing with the status quo, staying well within the safety of their cities.

Sometimes he thought he saw large beasts rippling the leaves as the passed under the leafy forest roofs. For the next week he was stationed up her from dawn 'till lunch. Then he was free to do anything else. He had had several more lessons down in the Felics new home.

And he had found that their were a myriad of ways to get down there. He had to be more careful though, as their were now patrols running through the belly of the globe. Most of the Felic's Passageways were completely outside of the humans knowledge, But they had found one or two already.

He glanced up at the sun and cricked his neck. His replacement should be getting here anytime. He looked down at the world through the spyglass and watched as the leaves continued to ripple as if large beasts traversed beneath them.

He felt the pleasant side to side rocking, and his ducts flooded releasing his eyes from the grip of the irritant solvent. He turned around in confusion as he found that he was lying on a large black beast. He shivered and slowly brought himself to his feet.

"Child! Lie down!" An unfamiliar voice cried out. "You will spook the brute!" Obediently he returned to a resting position, glancing around he saw several other spiders. But he felt none of them. He probed towards them and a couple of them shifted uneasily, but none reciprocated his approach.

He drew back as he felt a huge presence fill his mind. 'Young one? You are not Cognit! From whence you come?' Startled he returned the only answer he had.

'The sky!'

'You fell from the heavens?'

"No, I flew." He sent imagery of the gliders carrying him down to safety.

"You must be careful, The Cognit like none apart from themselves." It intoned.

"You mean you don't carry us of your own free will?"

"I carry you because if I don't then my corpse will be cast into a part of the quarry land to serve as a new patch of ground for plants and trees. Survival is key young one. The Cognit believe themselves supreme, But you have secrets they cannot imagine!"

"I do?"

"Yes and for survival, remember that me and my kind work for survival as well, do not show us pity, for your sake and ours."

A Cognit slowly crept over to Him, "Child, You act as if you have not ridden on a brute before?"

"Careful" The brute whispered into his mind before withdrawing.

"I just have Never woken on one." He said with a breeze as he pressed at the Cognit to leave him be.

The Cognit reared back, "We will be approaching the city of Vengeance soon. You slept long, now you will live in our small but grand city."

He leaned back as the Cognit slunk back to the other side and watched as the trees thinned. This world had nothing on him. He would overtake them all, then he would smash any and all who would dare get in the way of his revenge.

A thin form finally appeared on the edge of the globe and headed towards him. He stood up from his post and stretched. The form slowly drifted along the metallic surface of the globe. Finally he could make out who it was. "Charlie? Thought you were off work duty?" The form shook his head as he drew closer.

"Fred fell off of the globe. He just respawned and has to take a while to recover."

"Fred fell off, served him right. Just couldn't stop goofing off near the edge." He stretched again and yawned. "Tell me if you see any more of those land-whales." He said as he walked away. "I was following three or four of them."

Charlie nodded in assent, and turned towards the spyglass. He shook his head as he walked over to the side of the globe and peered down. The ground was hundreds of blocks down, but he had always wondered what the globe looked like from below. He would have to catch up with Fred and ask him about the view.

He turned and headed towards the woods instead of the residential complex. It was his free time so he would be going to fly one of those gliders finally. He wandered through the woods then dropped down into a pool of water. He swam down, took hold of a switch, yanked it upwards. Then disappeared into the small doorway that appeared.

He shook himself off as he descended a ladder down into the bowl of the globe. The felics had apparently relocated themselves to the older engines. They kept them well maintained, so no one would head down into the engines to fix them. He shivered as a gust of air swept past his mind. The Warrior children now kept careful tabs on the whereabouts of their people.

He broadcasted that he was a friend, They took little heed of him and he continued on his way.

He walked down the last of the stairs and walked through the wall. The city loomed in front of him, large and phosphorent. He walked through the midst of the city and soon arrived at a large fountain. Nest Leader sat in front of the fountain and a large glider circled around him.

Flinching at the familiar presence tapping into his mind, he sat cross-legged in front of Nest leader. He closed his eyes and reached out to locate the glider on the floor near them. After a moment it linked to him and he saw from its viewpoint.

It raised from the floor and spun in a tight circle for a moment, before a loud crash echoed through his mind and he found himself staring into Nest leader's eyes.

"Better," He broadcasted. "Much better. Soon you will be able to fly one of these by yourself."

He stood up shakily, and held onto his legs. "I think I am going to puke." The Nest father's presence fell from his mind, and his equilibrium returned.

"You need practice away from here," One of the Nest fathers appendages reached out and passed a small bug-like object into his hand. "This is a children's toy, It can walk, fly and travel for 5 consecutive hours before it has to recharge itself. Use this in your time above."

He turned around and held the bug up to the light. He felt for it for a second and linked to it, its wings flared up and it took a couple of tentative steps forward. He bounced back to his body and felt the bug on his hand.

He looked up at the Nest father, "Thanks." He followed as the Nest father began to walk further into the city. "Would flying with this be safe?"

"After you manage to understand the way the wings work, yes. The gliders will be playthings for simple flight when you have finished learning to control the bug."

He linked with the bug again and felt as he moved the wings from the stepped forward and tottered on the edge of his hand for a moment then turned around and crawled up his arm.

TheUltiStar Thanks, for the comments. :D