"Hmmm, out of the city…" Roger furrowed a brow as he started to think. Astrid picked up a half burnt blanket from the ground as she tried to catch her breath. There was a family in this house, too. What happened to them? And how did Roger know of this place? What is he still keeping from her?
"I know a little bit about their defense system, but I'm sure Eddie is still considered an ally to them. We could use him to cause chaos from the inside out."
As she looked up at Roger, she notices Edward shifting. Her eyes widened as she awaited him to do something, but he returned to stillness. Was he…?
Astrid knew there was no way it could work, but her curiosity got the best of her. She approached the unconscious android and, just like Roger did, she closed her eyes and placed a finger on his temple.
She didn't expect to see anything. She didn't expect to feel anything.
It all happened so fast. She saw an old man, with a sad face. He sat on his bed. Astrid looked from the doorway.
She gazed down to notice the gun in his hand.
At this point, Roger turned around to see Astrid in the middle of this.
"Astrid, no, don't do tha-"
The man lifted the gun to his head, and as he pulled the trigger, everything blasted into Astrid's minds. Earliest memories and most painful experiences, the explosion resonated in her mind.
Juniper blinked her eyes open wide at Astrid, watching her move. She leaned herself against Stephan, looking up at him when he said something quiet enough only she could hear.
The two were discussing their families. They had both been left.
And then Roger spoke, causing Juniper to jump. “What’s going on???”
Boots crunched under the snow. Astrid looked around, confused. Where is she? It wasn't snowing earlier.
"I'm gonna get you!"
The sound of two small footsteps rushed past her, followed by laughter. Astrid turned her head to the sound. Though the bark of trees surrounded her, a single opening spread in front of her large enough to hold a cabin. An orange hue glowed from the windows, and smoke peacefully floated from the chimney.
Snow floated into Astrid's hair, freckling her golden locks with white stars. She felt like crying.
Her feet moved without her noticing. Within seconds, she was peaking through the door. A young boy and a little girl, both about the same age, sat at the table. A middle aged man placed two cups onto the table.
"Alright, Uncle John's famous hot chocolate is finished! First one to burn their tongue gets whipped cream to the face."
The two kids giggled, but the boy seemed a bit distracted.
"Hey, Uncle John? Why hasn't my dad come back from work? I thought he said he'd be gone for three days, but it's been five."
Astrid could hear distant yelling, but she wasn't sure where it was coming from.
On the outside, chaos ensued. Roger was just far enough from Edward and Astrid that when she touched him, Roger couldn't stop Edward from reacting. Within seconds, Edward leapt to his feet, swinging his foot around to trip Astrid and pinning her to the ground. The impact sent Astrid back to reality. She and Eddie both had tears in their eyes.
"What did you just do to me?" Eddie choked out, his voice cracking as he glared Astrid down.
Juniper was up in a flash. A knife had appeared in her hands and was pointed directly at Edward’s face. “Let her go.” She growled lowly, her eyes dark.
Stephan held Atlas back, knowing the other still wasn’t sober enough to get involved. Atlas was a violent drunk. “Roger, kindly let your friend know that if he harms Astrid in anyway, I won’t stop Juniper from doing anything and neither will you.”
Roger started to grab Eddie, but something stopped him when he saw Eddie's tears. Astrid was forced to look into Eddie's eyes as he crouched over her.
"What did you do?" Eddie cried.
Roger furrowed a brow as he gazed at Astrid's expression. The realization was evident in her eyes.
"She's never gone through a cyborg's memories before, so whatever she hit was closer to human than it was to robot."
Eddie's eyes dropped down when Roger spoke. Confusion filled his face as he looked back at Astrid.
"She saw Eddie's last purely happy memory."
"Who was the girl? The man, he looked familiar, where is he now?"
Astrid's tears fell as she shook her head.
"I don't know…I don't know…she was pretty."
Juniper still wasn’t happy about any of it. She growled, shook her head, moved to turn away, then growled again.
Nothing was making sense anymore. Nothing was going right. Someone had died already. And now there were two androids in their group running from the entire government.
She hadn’t signed up for this.
Even if the broken look on Eddie’s face hurt her.
Even if Astrid’s tears made her want to save the small family Astrid had.
Roger lifted Eddie up off of Astrid, using his other hand to offer to Astrid. Astrid hesitated to take it as she stood to her feet.
"Now that you're awake, it's time to explain yourself," Roger muttered coldly to Eddie.
Eddie blinked as he inhaled, trying to collect his thoughts.
"That man you saw in my memories, John, he's…" Eddie gulped. "He's my uncle. I was assigned to follow him around, and masquerade it as a partnership. I think it only made his drinking problem worse, considering he thought I was dead, and then showed up again out of nowhere with no memory of him."
Roger exhaled heavily.
Juniper went to grab Astrid’s arm, pulling her away for a little bit. She didn’t say anything, however, wanting to hear what Eddie would say.
She would bring up her concerns later.
"So then what's the problem?" Roger uttered, impatient. He already was frustrated with Eddie for that stunt with Astrid, but he knew it wasn't entirely Eddie's fault. Roger knows what it's like to get hit with lost memories out of the blue like that. Eddie's voice cracked as he spoke.
"I went to check on my uncle this morning and…"
Astrid covered her mouth with her hand, showing how much she was shaking as she looked at Roger.
"I saw it. Right before the happiest memory, I saw his uncle."
It hadn't registered what Astrid had seen for that split second until just now, and her eyes held intense fear and shock.
“I’m not following here. Why would they assign you to your uncle if they didn’t want you to remember your past life?” Stephan asked, folding his arms and chewing on the inside of his cheek. “What were they planning?”
(AAAA IM AWFUL AT BEING ACTIVE WORK HAS ABSOLUTELY BEEN KICKING MY ASS LATELY even one of my managers got on to me for not being caught up on an anime THAT'S how procrastinating I am rn LMFAO anyway I'm gonna try to be fairly active today because today is Jesse's birthday !!! I made a drawing of him so I can post that as soon as I finish this post !!!! Wow!! )
Roger slowly arched his eyebrows up as he listened to Eddie.
"My uncle had started showing real evidence of the organization's malicious intent, and getting people to support him. So they sent me to mess with his head. To hault him in his tracks. Once he returned to spewing accusations, people stopped listening."
Astrid furrowed a brow, listening as she stared at the floor.
"But that wasn't enough for them."
She murmured as Eddie nodded.
"It wasn't. They wanted him to be so wracked with heartache that he'd take his own life. They didn't want his blood on their hands, so they manipulated him to do it himself."
(And here is The Boi™ !!)
(EYYYY welcome back!! It’s okay! You’re busy! That’s alright! I’m glad you’re being more active today! I may or may not have just kinda died today but that’s alright. 😂 I LOVE THE BOI BTW. HAPPY BIRFDAY TO HIM!!!!!!!!)
Juniper’s eyes went wide. She had seen this before… with the genetic laboratories run by the Genetic Innovations company.
Someone had seen something they had done - a policeman well respected in the community - they didn’t believe him. The other officers at the scene had been blown back by an explosion caused by a faulty experiment on what they thought was a cure to the many new diseases that had come with the fallout.
But this officer had been the first. He had seen what they were doing. They were experimenting on humans. On people. He was ridiculed. They told him he had suffered a little brain damage and had gone into a short coma - which he had - but he knew what was real and what wasn’t.
They found his body at the base of a building down an alley way. They said he had jumped, a suicide. But some people wondered if that was what had actually happened. He was blindfolded, and on top of the building was cut rope…
“This has happened before hasn’t it? They make it look like an accident or suicide… or cause an actual suicide…” Juniper murmured.
Stephan glanced at Juniper, his eyes narrowed. “The state of our world has brought out a lot of corrupted people’s, hasn’t it?” He said slyly, looking back at Eddie. “What did they do to him?”
(I'm such a disappointment I really started typing a response and then someone walked in and then I had to drive and then my Car Broke Down and ohmygod I'm so sorry :') No excuse could take that back I genuinely dont know how I managed ,,,, anyway, )
Eddie's eyes glazed over as the memories returned to him.
"Uncle John, he…" The sound of the gunshot resonated in Eddie's mind as he shakes his head.
"No, I don't remember what happened. I just remember he pointed a gun at…me? I think? And then, he fired the gun. But I don't remember what happened after that."
Confusion sets in as Roger states at the ground, hoping that the dust and ash will present an answer to his endless questions.
(Hey! Don’t put yourself down! You’re not awful or disappointing in anyway! Life happens. It may seem like it’s all you and your fault but it isn’t. Life is uncontrollable. I’m just glad you’re well and here and trying! I hope life gets better soon and that you’ll be able to relax!)
Dust and ash… cloudy things that obscured memories. Juniper and Stephan both understood to a degree what Eddie was feeling. But the place remained silent.
“The past is the past. We can’t change it. No matter how much we want to, we can’t change it.” Stephan replied with a loud sigh as he stood up straighter. “Our goal now is to survive for a future that may save us - or our next generations.”
Juniper’s eyes widened, her head swaying to look up at her cousin. She had always admired him… he was like an older brother, but she didn’t think he would say such words after everything that had happened to him and his family.
“The next generations…” June echoed. I don’t think there will be next generations…
Eddie listened carefully to Stephan before nodding at the end of his declaration.
"You're right. Let's just hope we live long enough to see the next generations."
The last part he mostly muttered to himself, but Roger placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Nevertheless, we can't stay here. Does anyone else know of a place we can lie low until we have a game plan?" Roger announced, returning to Astrid's side to ensure she's still doing okay.
Juniper shuffled nervously. Sure she had a place. It wasn’t pleasant but it was a place nonetheless. “Depends if you have a strong stomach for smells.” She picked up a fragment of the old stone brick that once held the house up, her eyes trailing carefully over its cracks and worn surface. “And for the dead.”
Stephan made a face, shaking his head. “The Wall is a dangerous place, Juniper. If we don’t die of disease we’ll definitely be picked off by the Creatures.”
Astrid's eyes fell as Roger watched her carefully.
"We can stomach the dead." Roger began, "And I'm sort of a walking weapon. I was built to fight." As he explains, Roger raises his hand to show the built-in weapons on the palm of his hand. "I'm sure we could last a bit there. Astrid, what do you think?"
Astrid simply nodded, not looking up from the ground.
It was Atlas’s turn to scrunch up his nose. “God, the Wall?! I don’t want to have to watch maggots eat some poor saps eyes while we plan.”
“No one likes to get near it unless they’re adding another body to it. No soldier, policeman, or law enforcement of any type would dare go near it just because of the stink. We’ll be fine.” Juniper shot back, waving for the others to follow her out the door. Stephan looked pale, and like he was going to be sick.
The Wall wasn’t any structure made from steel or brick or any stone on earth or in any skies. The Wall was a mass of the dead. It circled the core and safest area of Sire, warding off those who wanted to move in and keep whoever was inside the city there forever.
It served another more ghastly purpose, however, as the Creatures with their twisted bodies and eyeless heads often preyed upon any living thing they could find - including their own. The easiest way to keep the beasts at bay, was to give them a literal buffet.
The dead got no funerals or burials. Not in Sire. The dead were given to the Creatures to ensure the safety of the corrupted city within the Wall.
"You don't have to watch," Roger grumbled under his breath. "Besides, we'll be busy discussing our next move."
Eddie straightened up. "That's right. You can face away from them, anyway."
Astrid found herself next to Juniper, but still hesitant to get too close. Nevertheless, she felt comfortable in Juniper's presence.
"If it's really too much for you, Atlas," Astrid began, eyeing him. "I can stand in the way between you and the bodies. Don't worry about me, I can handle it."
Astrid, much smarter than she leads on, was still oblivious to her snarky remark she just laid onto Atlas. Fortunately, Eddie didn't notice either.
Atlas sneered at them respectively, flashing his yellowed teeth. But he didn't argue on the topic, instead glancing at Juniper with a distressed sigh. She only took a step closer to Astrid, feeling much better next to the one she considered her friend. "Smart asses…" Atlas mumbled under his breath, turning away to look out into the street. Juniper giggled.
"Don't worry about him," she started, offering that tired smile of her's. "He likes to complain. Let's head out."
"Alright," Roger began, asserting himself in the middle of the group as he places his hands on his hips. Eddie hesitantly stands next to him and does the same. "Juniper and Astrid will walk behind Stephan and Eddie. Atlas will lead and I'll guard our backs. Sound good?"
Astrid nodded, not really caring how they got there, just wishing it was all over and things could settle down. As much as she wished her life could return to normal, a gap too large was present in her life to ever return to what she considered 'normal'. She clenched her fist, looking to the ground.
The group nodded in unison. Stephan smiled at Eddie, waving at him as he moved to the other’s side.
Juniper offered her hand to Astrid, her eyes sad and understanding. “It’ll be better when we get out there, okay?” She promised, knowing that they could possibly die outside of the city.
“The Wall only protects the core of this city. Once we’re beyond that, we are in the outside world despite the fact that it’ll look like a city still.” Atlas spoke up suddenly. “We have a few miles from the wall until we reach the open. Out there we can be seen by practically anything for miles, and there is little cover from the sun and the cold.”
(and that's on only playing minecraft during quarantine hELLO i AM in fact still alive and hope ur still up for rping even though i might mysteriously disappear for another 2 months i apologize LMFAO i haven't been writing much at all these past few months but i'm hoping to get back into it because i reallllllyyyy need to for my own sake anyway time 2 rp)
"Alright, sounds good," Roger began. "If you can find any, grab some blankets for when it does get cold. Eddie and I are already trained in combat, so we should be able to do most of the protecting."
Astrid gingerly takes Juniper's hand and nods affirmatively to her comfort. As she listens to Roger, she perks up.
"Have you ever fought one of the creatures at night?"
The question silenced Roger, but Eddie smirked.
"I have. Though to be fair, I had a gun specifically designed to take them out, which I don't have now, but I've seen them firsthand."
(Hellloo!! I’m glad to hear you’re alive!! You’re alright and of course I still wanna rp with you! It’s fun! Take your time for anything you need)
Atlas huffed, pointing at Juniper and then to himself. “We’ve seen them first hand too. They’re hard to kill if you take them on one-on-one. They’re usually blind but those bastard things don’t need eyes to see you especially if you’re alone. If you have two people you’ve got a decent chance against them.”
Juniper nodded her approval, looking at Roger and Eddie and smiling weakly. “Thank you, you two. Astrid and I can help carry the items we need, but if you need help we’re both able to handle ourselves well.”
