Courier Six liked to know more about the world in general. His world, as battered and bruised as the dirt beneath him, was beautiful. He knew about the cruelties of the world he inhabited. The bloodshed, the betrayals and most of all, the previous generations' failure of maintaining the hegemonic structure of the Earth. But he still saw the good in the world.
The Courier had great conversations about this concept to many people in the recent past. Many of these people were people just like him. Members of the Greatest Generation to grace the American continent. This generation, after the Great War picked up the pieces to great something greater than themselves.
Some were deceased now, but others such as the Burned Man were still alive. The average man doesn't tend to realize that they are standing on the shoulders of long deceased giants.
People such as President Tandi of the NCR had created a society modeled off of the Old Eagle's ways. Which paved the way for the world's largest nation on the earth. Although her achievements were largely undone by her predecessors after her death, the influence of her actions can still be felt to this very day.
On the other side of the spectrum, a younger nation to the east of Vegas was formed. A great warrior society bloomed out of the savagery and barbarism of New Mexico and Arizona. One man formed a razor sharp scythe to which he would cut down his enemies with. Edward Sallow, the despot known as Caesar, was also a great man of history. With the help of Joshua and Calhoun, he brought civility to the wastes under his iron fist.
However due to unforeseen circumstances, he would perish before the Second Battle of the Hoover Dam. Much like President Tandi, much of his progress was lost after the death of successor, Legate Lanius.
Although he wasn't born after the Great War, Mr House was also a worthwhile mention. The man was a true visionary in every sense of the word, a head of industry and a secretive, ominous leader of Vegas. He saw the city of sin as the remedy for mankind's derailment after the war. Although the Courier disagreed with his methods. House would argue that the ends justify the means if it means that humanity reaches the stars again and comes out of its fallen state. But he was gone now too, buried in the Lucky 38 itself, an unlikely tomb for the significant man.
But with these great minds in his mind, where would that leave himself? A successor to the CEO of Robco Industries? A man with the violent tendencies of the East but the diplomacy of the West? He didn't know why he survived those gunshots to the head by Benny in that graveyard, but there was a reason behind it.
The Courier sighed and took another puff from his cigarette, blowing the smoke out of the window, which trailed into the dark sky. It was more lit up than the Mojave's sky due the massive buildings and street lights below them. He couldn't even imagine how this New World compared to the Old World. Not the Old World that was covered in ash or blood, but rather the one that reached the stars and the depths of the sea.
He pondered a bit more before puffing on his cigarette one more time before flicking it outside the window onto the streets below. He shut the window and made his way to the bed in the room.
He found himself looking at the scientist sleeping soundly on the right side of the bed, clinging to a pillow in a hug. She wasn't snoring or making much noise, even her breathing was rather quiet.
Dala wore the bare essentials to bed since she didn't have any pajamas. The Courier being the shy guy he was, covered her with the blanket. He then went to his side of the bed and laid down, sinking into the soft bed.
He stares at the ceiling for a bit before his eyes start to flicker. Eventually everything went to black for him. Although that didn't last long, he found himself standing in a stream on clean and clean water surrounded by beautiful rocks painted with tribal symbols.
He wasn't wearing his undershirt and underwear to bed, but was in fact wearing the full armor set of the old Survivalist of Zion Canyon. He knew by extension that this battered and the old Survivalist's rifle was on his back.
In front of him was a scene he remembers in great detail. It was the last part of the White Legs camp that wasn't cleared by the combined forces of the Sorrows and Dead Horses. The camp itself only had two tents and a fire kept alive with two logs.
But that wasn't the important part. The more dominant matter at hand was the four White Legs with their hands bound by rope on their knees. With one of them being their exalted war chief, Salt-Upon-Wounds. A person could tell it was him due to his unique helmet with dreadlocks in the back of it, with White Leg markings seen all over.
The man holding these tribals in this state was a man covered head to toe in bandages. He wore a simple pair of jeans and white shirt with his sleeves rolled up. He also had an old police vest on his chest. He was the legendary Burned Man, Joshua Graham. His piercing blue eyes portrayed malice towards the four on the ground.
He took his .45 pistol out of his holster and aimed at three of the four men. He shot dead three of them, their bodies slumping onto the floor face first. He then started speaking to the war chief.
"You chased our people out of New Canaan and killed those who couldn't defend themselves. Women, children, the elderly and sick. Now you come to Zion to pollute this holy land. Even the man you deified looks at you in disgust and horror. Now you will get put down like the dog you are for Caesar." Joshua sneered, with his heart hardened by the White Legs actions towards him and the tribes of Zion. Salt-Upon-Wounds turned to the Courier before pleading.
"Kuma-man gone mad! He kill all the White Legs! You talk! You stop!"
"Never thought I would agree with the raider here. But yes you deserve something more." The Courier stated coldly, his hand reaching for the belt of the ranger armor he was currently wearing, and took out a simple machete. He turned to Joshua who understood what he was referring to.
The Burned Man then went behind Salt-Upon-Wounds and cut the rob that binded the man's hands. He looked at his hands in confusion at the bloodlusted man's merciful act. Before his personal power fist was thrown to the floor right in front of him by Joshua himself.
"Stand up and fight for your tribe's right for survival, Salt-Upon-Wounds." The Courier demanded, entering a defensive stance. Salt-Upon-Wounds put on his power fist and stood up. He looked at the Burned Man for a second before realizing that he could kill him at any moment. The only way that the chief could win was if he won his duel against the Courier.
With a prideful, animalistic roar, Salt-Upon-Wounds charged at the Courier with a wild right hook. The Courier dodged it, making the water beneath him splash roughly.
The Courier swung his machete at the war chief but he blocked it with his power fist and countered with his other fist, although it was rather ineffective. Although this led to Salt-Upon-Wounds following up with his other hand with the power fist to collide with the Courier's helmet, which caused him to stagger.
Pressing his advantage, the chief pushed forward with more tactical punches like jabs, trying to set up a combo that would land the Courier on his rear end in the stream. Courier Six dodged and blocked until he found an opening in Salt-Upon-Wounds fighting style.
The Courier then did an upward slash towards the chest of the war chief which connected. His blood mixing with his recently painted on war paint. He cursed him to his pagan Gods before wiping his chest to check the wound.
"Outlander! You're dead now! Now man will walk with spirits!" He roared while throwing another punch at the Courier's hand with the machete, which connected, making him drop it into the stream of water.
Salt-Upon-Wounds tried to get his killing blow on the Courier while he could, but unfortunately for him, his opponent blocked it with great pain to himself.
Grunting, the Courier started to go on the offensive and started punching at the tribal leader which connected due to his sluggishness. This was probably due to Salt-Upon-Wounds' wound on his chest.
But then the Courier threw an uppercut that sent the tribal onto his rear end, making a huge splash in the water. Pressuring the advantage for hopefully the last time, the Courier got on top of him and started to choke the man out while holding his head under the water.
Salt-Upon-Wounds knew what the Courier was doing so he started to throw punches from his power fist at the Courier's helmet that protected his head. But through sheer determination to kill the tribal, Courier Six ignored the pain and continued on.
Slowly but surely, the man's fruitless attacks became slower and slower, and less frequent. Until finally he stopped entirely, with his head bobbing up and down gently in the stream of water.
The water, once pure and clear, was now stained with blood and murky. Courier Six stood up and walked back to Joshua and breathed heavily due to the recent duel.
Joshua's eyes softened at the sight of the corpse of Salt-Upon-Wounds' in the stream, and did a cross sign over his chest.
"May God have mercy on his soul." He softly stated. The Courier didn't reply back to Joshua Graham. As Joshua started to walk back to Dead Horse Point, the Courier's vision turned pitch black.
He woke up in the bed as quietly as he went to sleep in it. He looked out the window and saw that it was still night out. He sighed at the memory but saw no use reminiscing over the destruction of a backwards tribe that needed to be exterminated.
He got out of the bed to see that Dala was still asleep, which was good for him. He walked to the closet and changed into the Omerta suit given to him. He left the bedroom and checked the time on the television set which read four forty one.
If that didn't wake him up immediately, he didn't know what would. With that information the Courier would take the spare key to the apartment that was in the kitchen and put it in his pocket. He would then would unlock the door to the general apartment complex and leave his apartment, locking the door behind him to keep undesirables out.
He then left the apartment complex, and started to head for the laundromat that the man told him to meet if he wanted to join the State Security Service. He quietly walked the eerily quiet streets at a moderate pace. The moon was still in the sky, with its shape still in its crescent form.
The Courier had always felt a strange connection to the moon. Other people were fascinated by it, or hated that it signaled the end of the day. But he was truly connected to the moon. When the moon was out in stronger phases other than the crescent, he had felt goosebumps and the need to hide from the moon's sight.
He didn't know the cause of such a strong emotional reaction, but it was probably linked to his past that he didn't understand. He had deduced through his travels in the Divide that he wasn't a native to the Mojave, but rather the West. Although he didn't know the exact location in the NCR he came from.
He saw only one person with the same skin tone as him and that person was a ranger at the Mojave Outpost. He didn't know if she had the same eye condition as him due to her aviator sunglasses she wore, but it's the closest he was probably going to get to seeing someone just like him.
The Courier crossed the street to the laundromat and saw that the lights were off and that there seemed to be nobody in there currently. He tried to open the doors that he went through earlier, but they were locked, and he couldn't pick the lock due to him not having a bobby pin on him.
So he did the best thing and looked into the inside through the large glass windows, but he didn't see anything of note or importance. Although it was safe to assume that there was a back entrance to the building, the Courier couldn't really see inside where a backdoor would put him inside the building.
So he continued on with his search until he saw an alleyway between the laundromat and the other buildings beside it. It was probably one of the more clean alleyways the Courier had seen in his life. There was little grime and dirt in it, and there were no homeless people inhabiting it.
So he decided to walk through it, where it was almost deadly quiet. There wasn't a sound of crickets chirping or any other nightly sounds. It was too quiet for his liking.
But then he heard it. The most faint sound of footsteps. Somebody was tailing him, although they didn't dare to approach him. He kept his ear open as he turned the corner to leave the alley.
Now he was behind the laundromat itself to see nothing special. Just a rather perfect dumpster behind the laundromat. He walked up to the back door and held his hand on the knob. He felt the doorknob reveal to him that it was unlocked.
The Courier's eyes narrowed at revelation. Why would the man from yesterday leave his store vulnerable like this? He got robbed the day before, why would he leave the backdoor unlocked?
But then he made a rather obvious observation. He was going to apply for a secretive government agency that specializes in covert operations, if he had to go off of the agency logo's design.
He pressed his ear to the door and heard a very, quiet breathing coming from the other side. He smirked at the sound. Courier Six then backed away from the door and ran towards it at full speed. With a simple running kick, the door flew open upon his foot making an impact.
He then entered the building itself. It was just as dark as it was from the outside looking in. Before he could even think further a fist flew into his direction from the right of him. He dodged it by moving his head out of the way.
The Courier knew that he couldn't just kill these people attacking him, due to them being opponents meant to test him to see if he had the qualities to join the group. He sidestepped the man and punched him in his throat, making the man in the darkness stagger with a gurgle.
He then heard the cacophony of footsteps in the building and outside of it. The Courier then took the man he punched in the throat and threw him at the wall, making him unconscious. Courier Six then looked behind him to see two more people, both men, standing outside of the door he kicked in.
The two men wore matching clothes. A black ski mask with a plain black shirt with loose fitting jeans with plain shoes. The two attackers charged at him, running into the building. It seemed like the one on the right had a switchblade in his left hand, the Courier had to be careful now.
Courier Six held his hands out in a taunt to the two approaching him. The pair didn't react to his taunt but tried to press their numbers advantage. But the Courier was used to being outnumbered and fought defensively against the pair, dodging their attacks with very little grace. Bumping into various objects within the laundromat.
Grabbing one of these objects that the Courier would presume was on a table was a vase. He grabbed it and slammed it over the head of the man without the knife, making the vase shatter into pieces upon impact. Making the man tumble into his arms.
Picking up the man, the Courier used the semi-conscious man as a meat shield to protect himself from the incoming stab from the other attacker. The knife wielding man cursed himself as his knife connected to his almost conscious friend.
Courier Six then threw his meat shield at the knife wielder, making him fall to the ground. Due to this disadvantage, the armed attacker couldn't get up too easily due to his friend's weight on top of him. Then the Courier stomped his head in for a solid minute until he heard his nose cracking and his body stopped moving. However he was still alive because he was still breathing, indicated by his chest moving up and down.
The Courier picked up the knife from the floor and gently brushed the blade against his hand. He was expecting a metallic feel and sharpened edge. However all he felt was elastic rubber, with the blade bending comically and snapping back with a cartoonish noise.
That's why there wasn't any blood from the alleged stab wound from one of the men. Although there was a small trickle of blood coming from the formerly armed attacker's nose.
Courier Six's eyes at this point had gotten used to the dark and saw rough outlines of the various objects surrounding him. They weren't things of any use to him currently so he walked further into the laundromat.
Until he felt a cold plastic barrel pointed at the back of his head. It was most likely a fake gun, since they were using a fake knife from earlier.
Before the man with the gun could make his own move. The Courier flicked his head back harshly, making a connection to the man's head, making him snarl in pain.
Courier Six then turned to the man and grabbed his hand with the gun and harshly tugged him forward, making him lose his grip on the gun. The Courier then forced his elbow into the face, making him tumble to the ground and drop the gun.
The man did get up rather quickly after the elbow strike to his face, but once he was back on his feet, he was face to face with the gun he used. He froze in place, making him easy pickings for the Courier.
"Bang! You're dead." The Courier exclaimed jokingly, squeezing the trigger of the gun, causing little pellets to come out of the weapon. Causing minor danger to the man. Who scowled at the man's actions.
The lights were turned on rapidly, with the Courier hearing a light golf clapping behind him. He turned around and saw the scarred man from yesterday. He seemed to have switched into a formal uniform. It reminded the Courier of the dress uniform General Oliver wore but green and more classical.
"It seems like you nearly aced the test given," The scarred man complimented, before continuing. "You were aware of your surroundings, and knew how to fight in various circumstances. Although I must deduct some points due to your appearance, it makes you stand out too much."
The scarred man reached into his pocket to bring out a leather wallet and flicked it open, revealing his badge to the Courier. It was made out of some mixture of nickel and silver, and was just the logo of the SSS.
"In a logical sense you probably have the most potential I have seen in a recruit since the second lieutenant joined us three years ago. Although it seems like you have more experience in fighting on all fronts, no?" He asked, folding his arms.in a serious fashion. The Courier just shrugged off his interrogative question.
"When you fight in war, you tend to gain experience." He explained. The SSS officer looked at him for any signs that the Courier may be lying. Body movement, a waving voice or his eyes to portray differently from what he was saying. But that even came.
"You do understand what you are getting yourself into? You cannot under any circumstances tell anyone about this job if you are accepted. You will not get any praise for your work as an agent and you risk death daily through our line of work." He explained, giving the Courier an easy out if he wanted to not work at the SSS.
However Courier Six wasn't an easily swayed man. He held his head high and raised a fist in determination.
"I will serve this country well! I already heeded the call once, and I will do it again."
The scarred man, for merely a second, held a very small smirk before going back to his stoic nature. He turned his back on the Courier before picking up a moving box and handed it to the Courier.
"That's all you will need for the SSS for now. You will be assigned under the second lieutenant and will report to him tomorrow at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on the East side of Berlint. At nine in the morning." He informed the Courier, before going to turn the lights off again.
The Courier nodded in response and headed out the back door with the rather large box in his hands. He went through the alleyway and made his way back to his apartment in a short time. Unlocking the door with his spare key and placing down his moving box on the kitchen table. He then shut the door and locked it again.
Courier Six then opened the box to find that Vera's dress was neatly folded in it, at the top of it. He took it out and placed it out on the kitchen table. He would have to make sure to thank the scarred man for kindness later. But for now he had some investigating to do first.
After lifting the dress out of the box, it revealed a simple beige file. He took it into his right hand and opened it. It revealed many important factors about his new job, although it seemed like the scarred man went over most of it with him already.
But the Courier eyes would maniacally read over the second to last page in the file in disbelief. He looked at the second lieutenant's picture with shock. He looked too young for the job, like a puppy. The Courier would have to take orders from a man with a baby face.
But it couldn't get any worse for him right now, right? This thought of the Couriers would be proven wrong when he turned to the last page. Where he couldn't even believe what he was reading.
You are to take the job of an average government worker working under the second lieutenant in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Due to this, you will not be needed often for your real job as you need to keep the facade of a patriotic office worker.
The Courier's eyes widened at the job description. Even if his superior was on his real job he couldn't aid him and or join up with him. Was this the status quo in the frumentarii of the Mojave? Even back home all of their agents were doing some act of espionage to benefit the Legion.
Courier Six swore that he heard an out of tune recorder being played at his misfortune of signing up for the most boring, specialized job in this country. His eyes and body felt heavy, due to the early use of energy in the morning. He felt his body start falling backwards before darkness consumed his mind again.
But he sleeps more peacefully than before.
XxX
Dala woke up to the unusual sight of the Courier not across from her in the bed. Could he have left for the couch? She stretched her arms, making her bones pop and crack, which made her smile.
It was different from her actual body from before the Great Static. Of course there was the technical aspect of her having an artificial body. Her bones weren't truly like the bones of other people. It was more of an imitation of organic matter within the human body.
Then there were the more cosmetic changes Dala insisted Borous and Zero add to the synthetic body. Like convincing the pair of oblivious scientists to make the breast size bigger than before. She also asked the two to make the hair longer on the synthetic body.
For science of course.
She got out of bed, and went to the bathroom rather quickly before leaving it and heading into the living room to see that the man wasn't on the couch, but rather on the floor sleeping next to the kitchen counter. He was on his back, wearing some suit he owned, and was drooling lightly.
Dala tried to pick up the sleeping man and move him to either the couch or the bed. However, the Courier was rather heavy and Dala knew that she couldn't truly carry him due to her lack of strength.
So she did the next best thing, which was drag him across the floor to the living room and prop him up on the couch. Dala then tried to lift the Courier onto the couch, which failed and ended up with him falling to the floor.
However, Courier Six didn't wake up when fell, he just continued to sleep. Dala grimaced at the potential damage her teddy bear could have gotten, and started to check for any bruises or cuts.
The two's relationship with each other was rather distinctive and unique compared to the other Big Mountain scientists. The other scientists like Klein, Zero or Borous saw him as more an acquaintance than anything else. A man needed them to understand the outside world and get ideas for inventions or experiments.
Doctor Mobius and Doctor 8 saw the lobotomite as a friend, a trusted companion. Which made sense to her since the Courier helped mend the broken relationship Mobius had with the rest of the Think Tank. He also helped Doctor 8 communicate with the other scientists more clearly and maintain his human characteristics.
But the lobotomite's relationship with her was always the odd one out. She was always the one most fascinated with him. All the other lobotomites were merely reduced to vapid animals with basic motor functions. But he remained sane and human throughout his time at Big Mountain.
But then the Courier talked to her for the first time and helped her open up more about her interests. The type of interests that the other scientists abhorred and hated for being unscientific and too hormonal in their eyes.
They were wrong of course. Learning human anatomy through a physical experiment of one's self is a great experience for a scientist to have. It had nothing to do with hormones at all.
The Courier had indulged her little experiments with the human body and even encouraged her to do so. He didn't look down on her for her personal interest. So where did that leave her and the Courier's relationship?
It wasn't romantic, that was for certain. She didn't even believe in love as a concept. It wasn't scientific and was only anecdotal in its existence. The human brain produces chemicals that make the opposite sexes reproduce offspring to carry on their genes and diversify the overall gene pool.
He wasn't just an acquaintance either though. Since he helped her find her last bit of humanity within her more robotic state. Which would make him more of a friend that does certain things for her others wouldn't.
A friend with certain benefits one could say. She kept her little inspection of the Courier going until she concluded he didn't receive any significant or minor damage from the little tumble. Dala gave a very faint smile at the inspection's findings before trying to lift the Courier onto the couch again.
This time it succeeded, with the man now seated onto the furniture. But he was still asleep around soundly, but now looked like he fell asleep watching TV rather than on the floor which was beforehand.
Dala then turned to the kitchen counter which held two items of interest. One was the dress the Courier gave her on the second day they were here so that she could blend in more. The second was a cardboard box which sat on the counter.
She walked over to it to find nothing in it that she could have seen. Then Dala looked around to see if she could find the contents of the box. She found it on the floor, a simple beige file with some paper peeking out of it. She picked it up and started to skim through the contents of the file.
It wasn't anything too shocking to her if she had to be honest to herself. The Courier got a job as a secret policeman by the Ostanian government. Dala knew that he could have gotten a job like that since he did play two governments to leave the Mojave region to form its own nation.
Dala then organized the file and put it back into the box. She then picked it up and placed it within a kitchen cabinet near the refrigerator. She then went to grab her dress and put it on to cover up her body and undergarments.
However before she could put on her pearl necklace or anything else that was a part of the outfit, she heard a simple knock at the door. She went to the door and unlocked it, opening the door to reveal a mailman. Not the one that survived two bullets to the head, but rather an actual postman.
"Is this the Van Graff residency?" He asked, having his right hand hover over his little pouch filled with various letters of all kinds of sizes. Dala simply nodded in response. The postman then searched in his pouch and handed her a rather elegant looking letter.
"Have a nice day, miss." He said, tipping the rim of his hat before leaving to deliver more mail to other people within the apartment complex. She thanked him and shut the door behind her.
Dala went on to open the letter and take the paper out. She then started to read the letter itself.
We at Eden Academy are thankful and blessed to have someone like you apply for such a prestigious position at our school as a professor. The school would like to hold an interview today or tomorrow at noon when possible.
Dala was somewhat happy that the school was putting her application under review. She knew that her expertise in the field of science helped her get considered for the job in the academy. Although her thoughts would be interrupted by her colleagues.
'DALA, WHY IS THE LOBOTOMITE DEAD ON THE COUCH? DO WE NEED TO SEND THE CYBERDOG DOGS IN WITH THE ROBO SCORPIONS?' Klein asked with some worry in his voice.
'It looks like the Lobomite was ASSASSINATED by COMMUNIST forces in his sleep. Today is a sad day for America.' Borous stated with some twinge of sadness in his voice.
'He isn't dead, you two, he's just sleeping. A little anticlimactic I know, but it's the truth.' Zero stated with certainty.
"He is asleep right now, you can tell by his chest moving up and down. Slowly and methodically." Dala insisted, seemingly talking to herself to anyone that could have seen her. However she was confirming the scientist's hypothesis.
'Well it seems like you are getting a job at school. What's the raisin for it?' Mobius asked in his usual over the top tone.
"I said to the neighbors next door that I would look for a job as an educator at a school." She explained simply enough to the gasps of her coworkers.
'As a former high school principal myself Dala, I should tell you that the little children are little TERRORS. Why would you want to work with them?' Borous asked incredulously.
'Borous' is right about that. Can you even handle a few dozen children at a time? They're very delicate and needy creatures.' Zero said, backing up Borous' point about children.
'THOSE LITTLE DEMONS ONLY KNOW HOW TO EXCRETE AND DROOL. THEY HOLD NO TRUE INTELLIGENCE TO TEACH THEM ANYTHING OF WORTH. DID THE BIOGEL IN YOUR TANK ROT YOUR BRAIN?' Klein asked, partly ranting about the mental capacity of kids.
"It's a little late to reconsider now, I have to go to an interview later today." Dala informed the rest of the Big Mountain scientists. She then went to the bedroom to retrieve her pearl necklace gifted to her by the Courier. She found it by her bedside and put it on. She then left the bedroom and went to where she placed her heels, which was near the door that led to the outside.
She then puts on the heels and goes to open the door and leaves the apartment. She shuts the door behind her and enters into the hallway. But then she realized something rather important.
She didn't know where she was going. Dala knew that her teddy bear probably didn't know either. So she did the next best thing in her eyes. She walked to her neighbors door and knocked on the door politely.
Dala was expecting the father or mother to answer the door. However, their daughter Anya answered the door. Opening it, and looking up at her new neighbor across the hallway from her.
"Hey, uh, can you get your parents real quick? I need to talk to them about something." Dala explained politely to the child. Anya just looked at her like she said something crazy.
"Anya could help you!" She exclaimed, with her holding her hands up in an excited manner.
"If you insist. I don't know the directions to a school called Eden Academy. Can you tell me if you can?" Dala asked, in the softest tone she could muster.
'LOOK AT THE CHILD DALA, SHE WOULDN'T EVEN HOW TO SPARK A NUCLEAR REACTION IF SHE HAD THE CAPABILITIES TO DO SO. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK SHE CAN TELL YOU BASIC DIRECTIONS.' Klein commented insultingly.
'Oh shush Klein. She is just a little girl, of course she wooden know about all of that advanced scientific knowledge we know. Give her time Dala, she will tell you what you need to know.' Mobius urged, rebuking Klein's claims.
'@#$$#(())/$%#@@!!*%#@.' Doctor 8 urged as well, supporting Mobius' claims about the child.
Before Dala could react or respond, she felt a small hand pat her leg. She looked down to find Anya looking at her sympathetically for some reason before she stopped. The little girl had a look of determination in her eye before she gave Dala an answer.
"Just take the bus to the school, that is what Anya does every day." She informed Dala, with a small smirk. Dala just deadpanned at the child.
"I am not a student of the school, so I can't take the bus." Dala explained. Anya just looked up at her with her own deadpan stare back to the scientist. It was silent for a few seconds before Anya replied back.
"Oh."
"It was nice of you to try Anya, but can I please talk to your mother or father please." Dala asked again, softly as to not scare the kid. Anya nodded, and slightly shut the door, leaving it slightly open. Dala could hear her little feet scampering across the floor to get one of her parents.
'I TOLD YOU, SHE DOESN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE ASKING. IT IS PROBABLE THAT SHE HAS LESS INTELLECT THAN THE AVERAGE LOBOTOMITE!' Klein spouted, happy that his hypothesis was technically correct.
'She technically did help in her own way Klein. She just didn't memorize the address.' Zero said, defending the child slightly.
'I EXPECTED A BETTER ARGUMENT THAN THAT DOCTOR ZERO. BUT IN ALL HONESTY WHAT ELSE WOULD I EXPECT FROM THE ROBOTICS SCIENTIST WITH NO IDEA OF WHAT HE IS DOING.' Klein shouted at Zero.
'That's an unfounded claim Klein. You just hate me for moronic reasons! This is getting out of hand and quite rude!' Zero accused with annoyance plating his voice.
Although listening to their argument was quite entertaining, she had to focus on the more important issue at hand. However, she wouldn't have to wait much longer for her answer. As the Forger family door would open and reveal the wife of the household, Yor.
Yor was wearing a simple red sweater with a matching red skirt. Beneath the red skirt she was wearing black tights with simple white shoes. She looked rather normal to Dala, but for a certain scientist, she was rather odd looking.
'Dala that lady right there is a communist spy. Her eye color shares a similarity with the CHINESE COMMUNIST parties' own colors. Not even an alternative dimension is safe from the RED menace.' Borous rattled on with an unhealthy amount of paranoia.
'...that's the most insane theory I have ever heard in my life. This girl can just have red eyes you know? It's not the most common color, I give you that but a CCP spy? Really?' Zero doubted, voicing his dissent. Klein scoffed before replying to either man.
'BOROUS…THAT WAS THE MOST INTELLIGENT OBSERVATION YOU HAVE EVER MADE. DALA, YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE YOUR OWN LIFE FOR THE GREATER GOOD HERE. WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME, YOU HAVE TO ACT QUICK!' Klein urged, his voice somehow getting louder.
"I am surrounded by idiots." Dala whispered to herself. Yor somehow heard this, and tilted her head in response.
"What did you say Maria?" Yor asked kindly enough. Dala looked shocked when she heard what she said, scratching the back of neck in nervousness.
"Oh! It's just that I don't know where I am going when it comes to Eden Academy. I have a job interview there today but I don't know where I am going." Dala explained, hoping that Yor didn't realize what she actually said and misconstrue it.
"That's really impressive! Eden is a very hard school to get into," Yor complimented, moving one her hands onto her hips, while the other was pointed into the roof. Like she was educating a child on something. "Anya had to fight tooth and nail to get into Eden since she wasn't rich or well connected. She just had to rely on her strengths."
"Thank you, but I still need to know where I am going." Dala informed again, with one of her hands running through her hair. Yor blinked in response before replying back.
"Oh right! I could just drive you there right now," Yor offered before walking out of Dala's sight before coming back with a pair of car keys in her right hand. The scientist waved both of her hands back and forth in an awkward fashion.
"I don't mean to be a nuisance! I could just walk there by myself." She insisted, before putting her hands back to her sides.
"The school is across the city, it would be way quicker just for me to drive you there." Yor explained in a good natured way. Dala realized then it was probably the better option to accept Yor's rather kind offer. She gave Yor her most convincing smile before responding.
"Oh okay! If you insist." Dala accepted. She then moved out of the way to let Yor out of her house in a more dignified and open manner. Yor shut the door behind her and started to walk towards the staircase that led out to the streets below. Dala followed close behind her, with her trying to strike up a conversation with the other wife.
"How did you and your husband meet?" Dala asked innocently enough. Yor stopped by the stairwell and turned to scientists.
"Loid and I met in a tailor shop where Loid had a favorable impression of my face," She said, recalling the event, before acting like lightning struck her and changed the story. "We met at a Tailor shop but we struck up a conversation where I realized that I like him!"
"That's pretty sweet. Much better than how me and Marshall met for the first time." Dala complimented slightly before pivoting the conversation. They walked down the staircase to the lobby room of the apartment complex before Yor got curious enough to ask.
"You told us a little bit about how you two met each other yesterday. It was during the war, right?" Yor asked, politely opening up the door that led out to the city. Both then would walk out of the apartment complex and into the city itself. Dala would then respond once the door to the apartment complex closed by itself.
"Me and Marshall met after he was wounded during the offensive. I sewed him up like a teddy bear and helped him recover. It was something out of those war movies about the time period." Dala lied somewhat, mixing the truth with a vignette of a lie.
Yor gave a small chuckle at Dala's short story. They both made their way to the parking garage where the Forger family car was. As they were walking to the parking garage, they passed by a laundromat that was closed for the day while the stores nearby were open.
"That does sound like a movie plot from some writer trying to make it big. It's good that you two worked it out to make it official." Yor commended, while she and Dala made it to the parking garage itself.
The parking garage itself was nothing really special compared to the rest of the city's architecture and style. It had a small toll booth loosely guarding the entrance to the concrete building. It had two floors in total, both filled nearly to the brim with the cars with nearby residents.
The two ladies walked into the parking garage unbothered by the teenager within the toll booth. They kept walking and chatting about various small subjects before they finally reached the car.
The car itself was rather well made and beautiful. From Dala's fragmented memories of her past, she remembered the old American cars which were powered by an atomic engine. They were rather bulky and excessive in appearance. Of course they would slim down due to the Resource Wars, but they still held the old Americana nostalgic aesthetic to them.
The Forger's family car was clearly not powered by nuclear energy, but rather it was powered by fossil fuels. It had a black paint job done almost perfectly and recently done. It wasn't the longest car in length, nor was it the shortest, it struck a middle ground. It did remind Dala of those foreign cars Zero used to ogle at before he dismantled them.
Yor unlocked the door and opened it, entering into the car. She then started the engine with her keys and motioned Dala to join her in the automobile. Dala did join her, deciding to sit in the passenger seat right beside Yor. Then Yor would pulled out of the parking spot and slowly drove to the toll booth and paid for the day at the toll booth. She then drove out of the parking garage and started the drive to Eden Academy.
"What made you want to get a teaching job? Since you had a job previously as a scientist wouldn't it be easier to get another job in a different science field?" Yor asked as her hair blew in the wind due to the window. Dala turned to Yor, with her own synthetic hair waving in the wind, although way less than Yor's longer hair.
"I have the qualifications for teaching. I know much about the various sciences and I have the ability to teach people about them." Dala explained, before turning her eye back to the road in front of her.
"What time do you have to be there today?" Yor asked Dala while keeping her eyes on the road, stopping at a redlight.
"At noon today." Dala answered, with her eyes watching the buildings, people and other people pass by quickly through the slightly ajar window.
The light on the traffic light turned green, but the car didn't move. The other lines beside them moved, but not Yor. This eventually led to the cars behind her to start honking their horns to get her to start driving.
Yor's eyes hardened, her gentle red eyes almost turning a blood red crimson. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, almost bending the leather on the steering wheel. She turned her head to Dala, which made her flinch slightly.
"You can't be late to an Eden interview Maria I am sorry but we have to go fast to get there quicker!" Yor blurted out at lighting speed, going back to her gentle caring nature and flooring it. Making the car's two wheels in the back spin in place before making the car shoot out of its previously unmoving state.
This made Dala sink back into her seat unwillingly due to the speed at which the car moved. Although it seemed like Yor was unaffected by the change in pace, and had a look of determination in her eyes to achieve her goal.
The objects outside of the car seemingly turned into blurs of white light. Dala couldn't even turn her head back to face the windshield, since the wind was pushing her back into her seat. This continued for a few minutes, which was a pain for Dala mostly due to the panicked pleas of the other Think Tank scientists.
'Dala, I told you that this COMMIE was no good! Now it seems like you two BROKE the sound barrier!' Borous stated, thinking himself to be vindicated on Yor's political allegiances.
'@%*@%*()@!!$!' Doctor 8 spouted quickly about the dangers of the speeds she was traveling at. Zero injected 8's claims.
'Well it seems like she hasn't gone splat onto the windshield yet, so maybe there is hope for Dala so far.'
'The sound berries haven't broken yet since we can still hear the wind going onto Dala's body and seat.' Mobius claimed, using real evidence to support his claims about the situation Dala found herself in.
'DALA WE WILL REMEMBER YOU FONDLY. ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO INFORM YOU BEFORE YOUR UNTIMELY DEATH THAT MOBIUS WOULD GET YOUR OLD LAB ROOM.' Klein stated clearly, not believing in the survivability of Dala in this situation to be very high.
Dala didn't like the fact that many of her colleagues didn't believe in her surviving a harsh car ride. But they have doubted various things in the past and have been wrong. Such as intelligent lobotomites and Mobius becoming a member of the Think Tank again.
However, her untimely death wouldn't come. As the car suddenly stopped in front of some sort of old timely gate leading into some college of sorts. She turned to Yor who simply smiled at her.
"We made it a little bit early, but that's probably for the better," Yor said, taking the keys out of the ignition. "Eden is about status and proper manners. Maintaining a person's intellectual or physical strength. It's one of, if not the most prestigious school in Ostania."
Dala unbuckled her seat belt and unlocked the door on her side of the car.
"Thanks for the car ride and the tips for my interview. I know you have a family to get back to so I won't keep you away from them much longer." Dala said, wanting to get away from the death trap that was the car she was currently in. She opened the door and was in the middle of getting out when Yor spoke.
"Well I can always pick you up after the interview right-"
"NO!" Dala shouted, to the confusion of Yor. Dala cleared her throat before building on her previous statement.
"No, I believe that Marshall will be picking me up after my interview with Eden. Thank you for your offer though." Dala remarked nervously at her horrible, bold lie. But it seemed like Yor didn't pick up on it, since she waved her goodbye with a smile, rolled up the passenger seat window before driving off.
Dala took a sigh of relief at the sight of the automobile driving off. She didn't know cars that ran on gas based fuel mechanisms could even go that fast. But she couldn't think about her near death experience forever, so she turned to the gates of Eden Academy.
The gate itself and the buildings beyond it were very well maintained. The sun's light almost beamed its reflection off perfectly on the metal and windows of each building. In what looked like the gymnasium building, stained windows adorned the walls. It signified the wealth and prestige of the school she was about to enter into.
"May I ask what are you doing loitering in front of my school's front gate?" An old man asked politely. The old man wore a neatly put together tracksuit with a monocle on his right eye. His white hair was perfectly groomed and brushed into an imperial style mustache. His head hair was brushed back into a ponytail.
"I have an interview today to apply for this school as a science teacher at noon today." Dala explained, subconsciously brushing her hair with her left hand to make it look more presentable.
"You came thirty minutes early," The old man informed, making Dala almost go slack jawed. "Although it is good that you came earlier than everyone else. It means that we can spend more time reviewing your application."
With three coordinated claps from the old man, the gates to the school opened up slowly and systematically. Dala then entered the school itself where she could see the campus in its full glory.
Everything about the campus was perfect in every sense of the word. Local Pravda news networks wouldn't even need to lie about the true beauty of the area. The grass was even, and greener than fresh vegetables from an old grandmother's garden. The stone pathways that connected the areas of the campus had no cracks, and were perfectly even and rectangular.
'This school here reminds me of my days in American HIGH…and Richie Marcus.' Borous said with contempt near the end of his statement.
'Borous this isn't the time for your nostalgic trips! Dala needs to focus so she could blend into this society.' Mobius stated, wanting Borous to not let his old grudges get in the way of Dala. Borous huffed in response and became silent.
"We at Eden Academy take great pride in our elegance and status we have obtained over the years. Through our work ethic we have maintained our top spot over all other schools." The old man said, before turning his back on Dala. He then began to walk in a direction towards one of the bigger buildings on the campus, so Dala followed him closely.
"But recently, we found out through rigorous research that our previous science teacher wasn't the person we thought he was. A complete fraud, he lacked any of the qualities of a good teacher or the qualifications for teaching science." He continued, before stopping to salute a statue of a bald man holding an open book. Dala followed in his footsteps, and saluted the statue.
The old man then turned to the scientist to ask a simple question.
"Oh? Do you know of our founder's accomplishments?"
"Of course I do. I would be foolish not to. The man laid down the foundations of this great institution. The man that understood that greatness was a choice, and made a school that would act as a channel for bright minds to be sharpened into something greater." Dala lied through her teeth, not knowing who the man was talking about.
The old man hummed in response, not in a positive or negative manner. Which worried Dala slightly.
The small talk ended there, with the two of them reaching one of the main buildings where classes were held, although they both weren't there for that. The pair entered the building, where the old man guided Dala to a room where it seemed like her interview would take place.
The room itself was rather roomy and open. The flooring was wooden and the furniture in the room reminded Dala of her old home at Higgs Village. She sat down on one of the plush chairs across from the rather large leather one. Dala bit the inside of her cheek to not show her deviant delight at the sensation the chair she was sitting brought her.
The old man sat down in the leather seat, still in his tracksuit. He adjusted his tracksuit before starting the interview.
"Firstly before I start the interview process, I would like to apologize for not being in proper uniform."
Dala waved off his apology with her right hand. She then reeled it back on to the armrest.
"It's fine, I came too early for you to even prepare in the first place." The old man's eyebrow cocked at her statement.
"It seems a little unfair to me that you know the strict dress code of our establishment and adhered to it while I was caught not wearing proper attire. But I understand your thought process." He remarked, before continuing.
"My name is Henry Henderson, history teacher and headmaster of Cecile Hall here at Eden. Me and two others usually go through this process together," He said, before he sighed. "However, due to both of them having personal issues, they couldn't attend today's interview."
"Now then, what makes you think that you are fit for a teaching role here at Eden Academy?" Mr. Henderson asked politely as ever.
"I have the knowledge needed to teach people and I have taught my own scientifically inclined colleagues about my field of study." She explained, looking Henderson in the eye while stating what she said.
"And what field of science do you participate in?" He asked, folding his hands perfectly symmetric. Each finger aligned with the opposite flawlessly.
"Chemistry, human anatomy and various other life sciences." Dala revealed, keeping her eye contact with the old man in front of her.
"If I may ask, why choose those specific fields?" The man pushed further, hoping to find an infraction or even a compliment to her resume to potentially work at his academy.
"Chemistry is the science of change," Dala stated, making sure Henderson was listening. "When I was younger I wanted to prevent a war between the East and West through the works and wonders of science. All the other fields relate to that ideal."
Henderson nodded silently before asking another question.
"Did you have any careers after your work in science?"
"I was a nurse during the war. I helped the wounded when I could. I even met my husband through my second job." Dala explained, building on her previous lie. Henderson had a look of intrigue on his face.
"Why hasn't your husband decided to come along with you to this interview? It's standard for married applicants to bring along their spouses as a sign of faith in each other." Henderson explained while asking a simple question.
Dala knew that her teddy bear was probably still out like a light on the couch, but she couldn't just say that to her potential coworker.
"His work as a government employee for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs isn't the easiest or less stressful job for a man to take. He has to translate and relay new political policies to parliament or guide ambassadors to and from embassies in this country." She lied, knowing his actual job probably wouldn't earn her any favors with the old man.
Henry Henderson stood up and gave a long winded sigh. Although it wasn't one out of negativity but of what he was probably about to say next.
"You passed the interview, so you have my congratulations." He said nonchalantly, which made Dala rise out of her own seat and extend her hand out for him to shake. To seal the deal for her employment. However Henderson wasn't done with what he was going to say.
"Tomorrow, before classes start at eight in the morning, come to Eden. You are going to be a student teacher for a day, shadowing me. If I find that your conduct to be inelegant or unbecoming of our school, you will not be an employee here at our establishment. If you pass, you become a teacher with me and the rest of the staff." Henderson explained, shaking Dala's hand out of respect.
Dala shook his hand before saying her more formal goodbye to the old man. Before she would almost fall to ground due to the obscene amount of curses and complaints from the various Big Mountain scientists.
If she had to deal with them for nearly two hundred and twenty-seven years, how bad can kids be?