forum Floating Cities Are All The Rage (OxO//Closed//Dystopian)

Started April 05, 2019 by @Toxic_Persephone group

tune

The tension fell on the whole group as the two who were most acquainted with the building seemed to grow weary of its sight. Even Atlas had to admit he was thrown off guard by the tension in the air. It filled him with dread beyond anything he had ever known.
He knew all too well how cruel the government and its leading laboratories could be. He had experienced it rather… first hand.
Stephan stared up at the building with a hardened look, his eyes never leaving the door of the place.
“Then let’s get this over with.” He muttered under his breath, turning to give Juniper a soft pat on the head. “Keep those two safe, okay?” He told her with a small, forced smile before joining Roger and Eddie at their sides.
Juniper only nodded curtly, looking at Astrid with a worried expression. Atlas was too busy staring down the building to really notice anything else going on, but even he gave Stephan a warning to be safe ‘or else I’ll resurrect you and kill you all over again’. The phrase made Stephan laugh. Atlas didn’t seem too pleased with the response.

Astrid winced at Roger as she watched him walk away. She would have had another breakdown if Juniper didn't stay with her to comfort her; this was the first time in a while that Astrid had been away from home without the security of a brother nearby. She closed her eyes and reassured herself that Roger will be back, no matter what.
As Eddie, Roger and Stephan approached the building, Eddie positioned himself behind the other two and gripped their arms tightly, shoving them forward.
"I apologize in advance for whatever I say about you two in there."
He utters half under his breath as they enter the building. Luckily, they managed to get about halfway through the main floor without any question, but Roger soon noticed the intense shock and stares he was receiving, and understandably so.
After trying to ignore the stares, the trio was finally approached by a young man with a buzzcut and a hardened expression.
"Edward, it's been a few days, where the fuck have you been?"
Though his words contained question, the boy spoke with barely a tone, his brows furrowed.
"What does it look like?" Eddie began, kicking Roger's shin as he sizes him up and down, "I've been searching for this piece of shit, and I found him with this fucker working on a plan against us."
The boy with a buzzcut squinted his eyes as he studied Eddie, the silence almost uncomfortably long before he breaks eye contact to glare at Roger.
"I can't wait to see Captain beat your ass before killing you. I hope it's slow, you fucking defective."
Roger returned with a sarcastic grin.
"It's good to see you too, Will."
The boy scoffed and walked away, allowing Eddie to exhale the stress he'd held during the conversation.
"Alright, we're almost there."
As Eddie opens the door, allowing Stephan and Roger to step in, something grabs Eddie by the wrist. When he turns his head, he locks eyes with the Captain. In a moment of panic, Roger pushes Stephan further inside until they're both out of sight.
"Sir." Eddie spoke, trying to sound professional and hide the fear in his voice. When Captain spoke, even Roger's heart dropped into his stomach. This is it, isn't it? Roger thought, we've been made.
"Edward, I need you to come with me. Dr. Rose said he hasn't had any communication with you for the past 48 hours."
Roger's exhaled in relief as he realized that the Captain didn't see Stephan or himself.
There was a moment of silence as Roger held his breath, waiting for Eddie's response. How is he going to get out of this? What is he going to do?
"Of course, sir. I'm sure everything's under control."
Eddie raised his voice at the last sentence, as if he wanted Roger and Stephan to hear it.

Juniper stepped in to reassure Astrid that everything would be okay, that Roger and Eddie had it all under control.
Stephan couldn’t help the scowl that came to his face as they entered the building. It felt all too much like the place he used to work for right down to the people around.
He gave the buzzcut man a snarl, about ready to step between him and Roger before Roger spoke.
If he had a choice, Stephan would have gladly sucker punched buzzcut.
He gave Will a casual crude gesture as they passed, hissing something about ‘taking you bastards down regardless of what happens to me’.
Relief flooded his system when the storage room came into view. It was quickly replaced with panic when another voice spoke.
Stephan turned to look at Roger, tugging on his sleeve.
“You two don’t have chips… I removed them! They’ll know that the second they look over Eddie!” He whispered harshly to Roger, though the louder words were not missed by Stephan. He heard them clear and they filled him with dread.

Roger held a rough hand against his mouth and nose as he tried to calm his breathing, his eyes shut tight. After Stephan reminded him about the chips, Roger only furrowed his brows and shook his head.
Finally, he dropped his hand and began moving.
"We can't do anything right now. Let's just find the stuff and wait for Eddie."
Eddie himself followed closely behind the Captain as he focused his expression on hiding his internal planning. There was no way he was going to see Dr. Rose. That man manipulated Eddie enough, he might manage to convince Eddie to stay, and he didn't want to risk that. In a moment of self-assurance and panic, Eddie shoved the Captain into the wall and began running. He couldn't run to the storage room, though, because that would lead them right to Roger and Stephan, and by extension, Atlas, Juniper and Astrid. Eddie wasn't about to jeopardize the whole plan. Instead, he started running to the stair hallway; he planned to bring everyone to the top of the building.

“Do you think he’ll make it out?” Stephan asked quietly as he slid further into the room, looking around at the items and other tools for the ones he needed.
Every now and then he would grab a device and study it before tucking it away into his bag. He even grabbed a few bottles labeled with strange chemicals and random files he would scan through.
In the meantime, Atlas led Juniper and Astrid around to the back as Eddie and Roger had instructed, looking around nervously.
Juniper was the most on edge, her entire body tense and her head swiveling to search for anyone who could potentially see them.

Roger remained deadly silent, barely even paying attention to what he was doing as he'd run his finger absentmindedly across the shelves. The more his eyes glazed over, the further into thought he'd bury himself.
Though he didn't have his chip, Eddie began recording his vision, running up the stairs as fast as he could, which luckily was faster than the army of guards that Captain gathered to help him.
As he reaches the final floor, Eddie grabs a fire extinguisher and throws it down the stairs at the others before bursting through the door, finding himself on the roof.
Astrid noticed Juniper's anxiety and inched to her side, leaning against Juniper in silence in hopes to comfort her. Astrid herself wasn't good with words, but she tried what she could to help calm her friend down.

Stephan glanced up at Roger, his eyes softening. He moved to gently set a hand on Roger’s shoulder.
“Hey, Eddie is a smart kid…” he murmured softly, gently pulling on Roger’s arm to get him to follow. “He’ll get through it. For now, let’s find the others. There’s good items here: medicines, advanced technologies, information that could put these evil people out of business.”
Juniper gave her a weak smile, leaning back against Astrid and shuddering at the slight chill of dread. She hated it here. Hated seeing even just the outside of a building she knew held all sorts of unholy happenings.
Human experiments. Cyborg warriors created through awful means. Lives taken all in the name of ‘a better future.’

Roger could feel his heart racing, the tension rising quickly in his blood as Stephan goes to comfort him. He blinks, swiping Stephan's hand away and snapping,
"Don't fucking touch me."
Roger took a few steps away, sniffing a stiff sigh through his nose as he furrows his expression.
"I'm sorry, this fucking place has me on edge. I have a bad feeling."
Roger sighed again, the stress evident in his exhale as he refuses to make eye contact with Stephan, grabbing some supplies off the shelves.
The door to the roof burst open as Eddie remained hidden behind the wooden boxes he sat behind. The sound of Captain's voice ringing around the area.
"Edward, you and I both know your best option is to show yourself now and don't waste either of our time."
Eddie closed his eyes, hoping to any deity that, even without his chip, he could finish his plan.

Stephan immediately goes into a defensive position, a habit most survivors gain. He drops it almost immediately, shaking his head and sighing.
“I understand, Roger. It has me on edge as well. Best we can do is keep moving.” He murmurs, opening what looked like a small case before taking it as well. He stayed silent for a long time, his eyes searching through more files including digital data he brought up using a small device connected to his hip. It seemed Stephan had more experience then he was letting on.
“How much have you seen?” He asked suddenly, letting Roger have his space. “Have you ever seen any experiments here? Humans who have sanity left?”

Roger never appeared to relax, eyes glazing over as Stephan inquired. After a few moments of rough silence, Roger spoke.
"I've seen more than they want me to. Some of the experiments they tried weren't successful. I was almost one of them. What you get is a human with too many nuts and bolts in their system. Their emotions override the computer system those bastards tried to install into their minds."
Roger's gaze transfixed on the ground, the clear trauma evident in his eyes.
"When they're conscious, all they're capable of doing is screaming and writhing in pain. It's like trying to stuff divinity down a human's throat. They're just not designed for that kind of power."
Roger's eyes closed as he clenched his fist.
"That's why Eddie was so hindered when he first came to us. His soul was battling a computer."
Uploading…
Eddie inhaled and exhaled quickly, stalling his situation with Captain as long as he can.
"You're not gonna shoot me. I'm Dr. Rose's favorite. You can't kill me."
He called out, shifting hiding spots as Captain turned every which way in an attempt to find him.
"Do you still think that? Dr. Rose has moved on. He's created something better; I think you already know what I'm talking about."
Eddie closed his eyes, biting his lip in frustration as he shook his head. His silent response led Captain to continue speaking.
"You were just the beginning of his rise to power. A test subject. Face it, Edward. You've become obsolete."
Furious, Eddie revealed himself, stepping toward Captain threateningly.
"That's not true!"
Immediately realizing his mistake, he paused, noticing all the guns pointed directly at him.

Stephan listened quietly as Roger spoke, tilting his head to stare at the door for a moment. He understood the pain and the trauma Roger was describing. He understood all too much…
"You two are still young, Roger. You and Eddie. I know you two have been through a lot but you still have a long life ahead of you. Don't let any of these people get you or Eddie." He turned to Roger this time, staring a hole into Roger's figure. "You all have a good chance of living. Take it. Live. Escape. There's an entire world out there that the government hasn't touched." Stephan then gestured towards the back door, satisfied with his haul.
"We need to group up and figure out how to find Eddie. Cause a distraction so he can escape or something of the sort. We'll get him back Roger. I can't let them have any of you. I won't let you fall victim again. None of you."

Roger exhaled, his muscles finally relieving the tension they held ever since they first laid eyes on the building.
"You're right. We can esca-"
Roger paused, eyes blinking emptily as he stands to attention for a moment.
"What the hell? I just got a file uploaded to my system-I thought you removed our chips?"
Roger furrowed his brow, his fingers twitching in direction.
"It's Eddie. He's on the roof of the building. He sent me a video."
Upload Successful.
Eddie gazed at Captain, his heart racing.
"You just lied to get me to come out."
Captain maintained his offensive stance as he responded.
"Not all of it. But you're still a valuable asset to us, Edward. Dr. Rose can make you so much more stronger than you already are. You can become invincible. You would have authority over people, too. You won't just take orders, you'll get your own rule. People will fear you."
Eddie closed his eyes in disappointment. Even now, they still try to manipulate him to come back; the worst part is, for a split second, deep down in the back of his mind, Eddie considered taking him up on the offer.
In that moment, Eddie realized there was no way he could ever escape Dr. Rose, even if he managed to escape. The organization has gotten under his skin, and inside his head. They've broken him. At least the file sucessfully sent to Roger containing enough evidence to rile up a riot against them.
"I'm afraid you're out of options, Edward." Captain broke the moment of silence as Eddie took a few steps back, the other guards closing in on him slowly. He felt the ledge against his back as his heart skipped a beat.
"That's where you're wrong."

Stephan froze, his eyes wide at the new information. "I did. I know I did…" He suddenly pulled out the files he had stuffed in his bags and files, searching through them with a furrowed brow. "I don't… on the roof? Is he okay?" He asked softly, mind whirling at the information he had just been given.
"I don't understand, Roger… How did he give you…?" Despite the situation at hand, Stephan was completely bewildered at the idea that two cyborg-type soldiers could still pass information along without a chip. It worried him. Did that mean the government that created Eddie and Roger could still track them? Was it simply a matter of software? Like sending a message to someone who's contact you had?
He bit into his lip, putting away the files and notes to instead look up at Roger, a worried expression across his face.
"Eddie on the roof… there's not really an escape up there…" he muttered to himself.

( Omg i have had a WEEK. i got a second job so i'mma start getting realllllll busy but i finally got myself a desk so finally i can stop sitting in bed on the computer every single time :') I had to build it too which was intense but i'm v proud of myself uwu )

Roger's eyes widened as his mouth stood agape.
"Holy shit, he sent me footage of all the horrible experiments on humans this organization has done. This is enough evidence to completely destroy this place's image and finally bring them down. There's even footage of all the people they killed or tried to kill that wanted to expose them."
Roger shook his head in confusion.
"I mean, it makes sense that he has this footage, but I can't believe he put it together so quickly."
Eddie stared Captain down, squinting his eyes at the several men pointing guns at him. Getting a better grip on the ledge, Eddie climbed up without breaking eye contact with Captain.
"Don't you fucking move." Captain threatened, but Eddie didn't care anymore.
The realization spread slowly over Captain's face as his heart stopped, watching Eddie get a good balance on the ledge before raising his arms at shoulder height.
"Edwar-Eddie!"
Captain leaned forward and began sprinting to the ledge as Eddie closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and leaned backward. Captain's torso slammed against the ledge as he reached for any grip he could get on Eddie, but it was too late.
Roger jumped backward in shock, his back slamming against a shelf and knocking several things over.
"We need to get out, now!" Roger quickly grabbed as many supplies as he could before rushing to the back door.

(Daaanng you’ve done a lot!! I hope it all goes well!! And man, I can’t believe you built a desk. Those are so hard to put together)

Stephan looked delighted at the new information. With all of that, it was enough to take them down. They’d do far more damage then just presenting Roger, Eddie, and Stephan’s life stories.
He was about to speak when Roger suddenly jumped. Stephan shoved the last bit of items in his bag before he bolted towards the back door.
“What’s going on?”

( Thanks! I'm hoping to paint it at some point,,,,,,it was probably better to paint it before i built it but i was too excited to use the desk LMFAO so it was all a blur as i built the whole thing in like an hour and a half but i'll probably paint designs on it! anyway wheeeeeeee Adult Stuff,,,,,,hahha,,,,,)

Roger didn't answer as he rushed Stephan out the door, where the other three were waiting. Astrid yelped as Roger burst through, emptiness accompanied by panic in his eyes.
"Where's Eddie?" Astrid started as Roger tried to gently but hurriedly urge her to follow.
"He told us to get out as quick as possible, let's go."
Roger led the team in any direction he could that could get them as far away from the building as possible.

(Let’s goooo! Yes paint it! It’ll look really good! Honestly I do the same thing where I’m too excited to do something and then I end up doing it too quickly 😂 adulting is fun when you get to do the things you want/like)

Stephan joined Juniper and Atlas, ushering them after Roger and Astrid. He wasn’t sure what was going on but he knew it to be a serious matter if it had to do with Eddie and Roger.
Juniper glanced back at the building, her brows furrowing.
“What about Eddie? We can’t just leave him…”

(Also: EDDIIIEEEEE NOOOOOOOOOOO :[)

( Yesss!! i'm so excited hehe also ((i'm s,s,oo,,,sorrr,y,y,,,,a,bt ,eddie,d,,,,,,buT i did come up w a parting paragraph to help soften the blow bc i been so busy and my coping mechanism for never getting a break is writing scenes in my head to pass the time so nany,a,yywayyy,,,,here's some more angst :) )))

Boots crunched under the snow. Gentle, freezing winds occasionally made their presence known. It was so cold, I could see my own breath, and yet…
Where am I? It wasn't snowing earlier.
I looked around, gazing at the darkened trees layered in snow. The faded morning sky, with no sun but still bright. I felt comfortable; I felt safe.
A voice echoes behind me. A voice I never thought I'd hear again.
"Don't tell me you did something stupid, Ed."
My heart skipped as I turned around, eyes wide with excitement. He held his baseball bat with confidence, letting it rest on his right shoulder as he leaned against a tree, a toothpick sticking from his grinning mouth. The gaze from his green eyes sent me through several experiences in the span of a few seconds.
I exhaled, realizing I've never been happier to see his face.
"Jesse!" He swaggers over to me, sizing me up and down, placing his bat against the snow and leaning against it.
"Did you fuck them over?" His eyes now serious as he looks into me, somehow reading right through me. I nod affirmatively.
"Roger has exactly what he needs. That organization is history. He and Astrid are safe."
Jesse nods, looking to the ground as he rubs the back of his neck.
"And uh…what about the girl? Juniper? Is she okay?"
I nod, trying my best to contain my joy. Before I can give in, Jesse leans in and wraps his arms around me.
"You're a good person, Ed. You're a hero."

Roger shook his head silently in response, not breaking his stride in the slightest.
"Stop thinking about Eddie long enough to get us out of here!" He demanded, his voice breaking just barely in the middle of his sentence. He clenched his jaw and continued running, closing his eyes in a desperate attempt to halt any tears.
Astrid bit her lip, able to tell by Roger's body language what happened. Unfortunately, Roger was right. If she started crying for Eddie now, it would slow her down.

(T^T Eddie, I luv youuuu. He will be remembered. T^T but thank you for the parting. Wonderful writing. I’m crying but it’s beautiful.)

Juniper slowed her pace when Roger’s voice cracked.
No.
Not again.
No, no!
This wasn’t supposed to happen! They were supposed to all get out! They shouldn’t have even come! They should have given her up… should have left her behind…
Stephan grabbed her wrist a little too tightly, yanking on her to get her to move faster but she couldn’t make her legs work any more. He scooped her up, not caring for the objections that tumbled from her mouth.

They all slowed to a stop a good distance away, Atlas having been the one to zone in on a stable-looking building ahead.
Stephan stared out at the buildings, noting where they ended abruptly only a few rows ahead. Beyond that was a land of practically nothing.
It was oddly fitting for the emotions welling up inside of him.

“I think… we should take a moment. Get Juniper healed and check on everyone. What do you think Roger?” Atlas asked, placing a hand on Stephan’s shoulder. The small action seemed to comfort the other male.
Juniper didn’t say anything from her spot in Stephan’s arms. She didn’t even try to fight. She only stared at Astrid and thought over her options.
She was too big of a hassle, a weight. The others were fit for survival or had some redeeming qualities. She wasn’t. Juniper couldn’t contribute anything to them. Astrid was bright, hopeful. Roger was a strong leader, and held knowledge to take down the enemies. Stephan could heal, and he understood how the systems worked as he had been a part of them. Atlas was tough, good with weapons and chemicals.
Juniper was small. Weak. Injured.
And she had caused the death of both Jesse and Eddie.

( Thank yououuuu I always love writing things like that it's just so therapeutic also i just finished my first day (off training) at my new job and ho boi! that is certainly. work,,,,,,)

As they found a place to rest, Roger sat on whatever surface he could find, staring blankly toward the ground in silence. Often times Roger felt overwhelmed with thoughts; when it came to experiencing emotions for the first time again, he found himself struggling to keep his mind from overworking itself.
Right now, it was empty. His eyes were vacant, his expression a void, completely unresponsive.
Astrid approached Roger and attempted to comfort him, placing a hand on his shoulder, which he absentmindedly brushed away, still barely even responding to Astrid's voice.
Astrid gazed over to see Juniper's expression, to which she shook her head and approached her friend.
"I know that look in your eyes. It's not your fault."
She sat down next to Juniper, posture slightly stiff due to she herself struggling to understand everything.
"You didn't pull the trigger. You weren't holding the gun. It's not your fault."

(It is very therapeutic. And dang man! I hope it’s at least good work!!! Proud of you for going through it!!)

Juniper didn’t look Astrid in the eyes. She couldn’t.
“I might as well have given the gun to them… I don’t understand why I’m still sticking around. There’s hardly any worth in an injured, malnourished girl with no survival skills. Not to mention I’ve gotten two of our own killed already…”
She took a deep, shaky breath to steady herself. Crying would only make things worse and she didn’t feel like showing all of her emotions to Astrid quite yet. So she silently dealt with the pain, sighing deeply.
“I just you all get out of this hell soon… god knows you deserve it.”

(Thank you!! It's been getting slightly easier as it goes on, at least when it comes to my confidence in being able to do it in the first place. I still make mistakes but they're mostly understandable mistakes.)

Astrid hadn't even noticed Roger suddenly standing over her and Juniper. His face was still dark, but there was something new in his eyes. Something even Astrid hadn't seen before.
"Hey." He utters, just barely stiff in his stance, "shut the fuck up. There is not a single thing that can make you worthless. You can be weak, you can be sad, you can have absolutely nothing to contribute. That doesn't matter, because that is so much more temporary than you think."
He bends over slightly to be closer to Juniper.
"Listen to me. I was a failed goddamn experiment. They were going to literally throw me away. I felt worthless, Juniper. I felt like I was suffering a fate worse than death. I felt like I was dead but forced to live. But I fucking fought to stay alive."
He straightens back up and crosses his arms.
"How are you supposed to see how far you've come if you don't live to get there?"

(Thats good! I'm glad you're adjusting! Mistakes will be made, it happens. You're just starting out, don't be too hard on yourself either, got it? But I feel you!)

Juniper jumped out of her skin when she realized he was standing over them. She tensed up as he spoke, avoiding his eye contact completely even as he bent slightly closer to her. She felt guilty all of the sudden, biting her lip and shrugging slightly at his question.
"I've never wanted to see…" She admitted, finally looking up at him and wincing. "I'm afraid… What if I've always been the same? What if I'm still selfish and wrong…? What if I'm not human anymore? I'm scared. You've been through so much, Roger and you're so real and human and I haven't even been through a quarter of what you've been through. I still want to leave down here and go up to the cities. I want to be considered a higher up…"

( That's trueeee :') gonna be exhausted a lot sighhh )

"So you're just gonna fucking give up?!" Roger snapped, causing Astrid to wince.
"Roger…" She murmured, eyebrows twitched up inward. She agreed with Roger, but he seemed to be getting worked up. Why was he so concerned?
"You make a goddamn difference. I would still be a fucking machine under their control if you hadn't led Astrid back to me. You're a fucking warrior. You're still fighting for your cause even after all you've been through."
Astrid curls her fingers into a fist, trying to hide her shaking.
"Eddie did what he had to so that you can keep fighting. Jesse would want you to fight. Don't you dare do what that sickened government wants and give up."
Roger barely spoke with this much emotion; there was a lot more behind these words than he was letting on.

(I feel ya, I feel ya. Get some good rest, drink water, and eat good. It’ll help. If you ever need anything let me know.)

Juniper recoiled from the words, her body suddenly very tense.
He was right.
She she was still fighting. She wanted to live. She wanted to be something to do something.
And she felt that emotion behind his words. It struck a chord with her in a way she wasnt quite sure how to process.
“No! I don’t want to give up! I don’t want what happened to Jesse and Eddie to be for nothing… but I’m scared Roger. I feel like the helpless little girl who watched her parents board a ship and never return. I feel like I’m stuck back in that white awful room with aching burns and electronic parts. And I don’t know how to deal with it… I don’t know what to do…” she whispered, looking him right in the face. Her expression was almost pleading.
I need direction. She wanted to say.
“I’m scared.” Is what came out.
Stephan set a gentle hand on Astrid’s shoulder, prompting her to loosen her fist and calm down. He understood how she was possibly feeling.