The City of Above

03:32

"When I entered to the enemy base without anybody sensing my presence, I simply ran everywhere I looked. I didn't know exactly what to do since I've never rescued someone before from the actual M soldiers. Not to mention that the North Base, which specialises in these missions, was only my second option in case the Central Base didn't work out. So I didn't pay much attention to that detail. All I knew was that usually the executions are taken in a basement. 

It is said that in the culture of the above, the "sinners" don't deserve to have any type of connection to the sky, so they are put to die underground. As to where those basements are... I had no clue. But it's actually pretty cool to think that even with the explosion caused by the executions, our city is still in no danger from the above. Apparently, it is so deep underground that it is almost impossible for the abovers to reach it so easily. Even the tunnels are in the same position of protection. As for how I actually managed to know what to do... I will just say that I had a very lucky day back then. Can't say the same for the person I bumped into again, though."

When N04H bumped into the weird man again, he dropped the tiny sphere on the ground and almost fell just like the last time, causing him to become visible again. He didn't fall this time, but he was rather confused since he couldn't see the man at all. He was also invisible, but his device didn't deactivate without his own command. He disabled the device only when he looked back and noticed N04H being right there, behind him. What was strange though is the fact that the man no longer had the regular clothes he used to wear. Instead, he had an advanced full body armour that covered even his face. N04H couldn't even see his expression and wasn't even sure if this man was the same as the one he met, nor did he have the time to see the face either.

In just a few seconds, the man looked towards a corner and noticed someone coming their way, which made him act quickly. He took N04H by an arm, pulled him right in front of his body, put his left hand on N04H's mouth and the right hand around N04H's body in a way of pulling him as much as he can towards his own. As for the device dropped, he moved it towards a wall to put his foot right above it but making sure to not damage it in any way. And after that, both of them vanished. They waited until the person left the hallway they were in completely before finally disabling the device again and the man letting go of N04H. When he made sure nobody comes here again, he also disabled the armour around his head and looked at the teen pretty confused, but also a bit mad. Still, all he could do is to whisper angrily to not draw too much unwanted attention.

[LUK3]-...What the hell are you doing here??

[N04H]-I'm here to help you!

[LUK3]-ARE YOU SERIO... Dammit! Who was responsible for taking care of the kid??

[/KYR4]-So I suppose you found him.

[LUK3]-Yeah... Great... You know, I'm starting to suspect why Boss didn't want these devices to be out to the public! We're lucky there are no cameras on this hallway!

[/C0NNER]-You better hurry and complain later, LUK3. There is someone moving on the cameras near your position.

[LUK3]-Listen kid! Take the device from the ground, keep it tight and come with me! Do not let go of my arm! I don't want to lose you in this building now, understood!?

[N04H]-Understood!

[LUK3]-Good, now move!

Then, N04H quickly grabbed the sphere from the ground and kept holding it as tight as he could, took the man by an arm and finally activated his device at the same time as the man. But while he was following him everywhere he went, N04H noticed that the man doesn't go to the lowest level as he should. So, a bit perplexed, he tried to whisper to him when he made sure no one is around.

[N04H]-...Where are we going though? Don't we need to go to the lowest level?

[LUK3]-Yes, but we need to find a way to make these guys leave the area of the execution room and then somehow lead your friends out in a way so that if the enemies are after us, they won't find the way to our city.

[N04H]-And how do we do that?

[LUK3]-We do a bit of sabotage.

[N04H]-And... what's the plan?

[LUK3]-See those red light bulbs on the walls?

[N04H]-...Yeah, what's up with them?

[LUK3]-Those are alarms that announce the soldiers to present themselves outside for a mission or an emergency. If KYR4 manages to get into their system and activate the alarms, we won't have to worry about them. But I need to put a small device in their control panel in order for her to have access.

[N04H]-Why don't you activate them yourself?

[LUK3]-Shh... Keep your mouth shut for a bit...

The stopped at an intersection between corridors which made N04H a bit confused. He couldn't see what the man was doing. In fact, none of them could see what the other does. N04H examined a bit the area to see what's going on, but all he could see is a camera that watches this intersection. He knew why he couldn't speak, but he still didn't know why they stopped. As for what the man wanted, he waited for some directions which couldn't be heard by the little guy that follows him, leaving him confused on the matter anyway.

[/C0NNER]-Take the right way. It's shorter than the other ones.

Once they started moving again and got out of the camera's range of sound, they got back to whispering to each other about the plan.

[LUK3]-...I don't activate the alarm myself because I can't activate it. Those special buttons are well hidden in these buildings so that only their soldiers know the locations. Our only way is to get into their system. If we stood to find them, we wouldn't have time to save your friends. Besides, we have more than just a few alarms to activate here, don't we? How do you think we can open the room's door without destroying it and attracting too much unwanted attention?

When N04H heard the explanation, he shut his mouth and felt a bit dumb for even asking.

[LUK3]-The cameras in any area of the city are easy for KYR4 to control, they don't need anything special. But the control panel itself is usually harder to get into, depending on which building you go. So, she sometimes needs to put someone to connect a small helping device into it in order for her to take full control. In this case, I'm that person.

"During the whole rescue, they actually managed to show pretty clearly how much knowledge they got about this type of missions. And the more I observed them, the more I believed they are from the North Base. But something about them simply felt like this wasn't as simple to guess as it seamed. Their behaviour didn't match the north soldiers' at all. But I couldn't go with any conclusions just yet."

[LUK3]-Okay, KYR4! I'm here! Just tell me what to do to get this shit done already!

[/KYR4]-Just put what I gave you into the third entry and it should be fine from now on. You can go to the room after that.

He then connected the device as the woman commanded, waited a few moments to get an approval to know everything is alright and finally left the room while N04H continued to follow him blindly.

[LUK3]-Let's go, kiddo! It's time to meet your little friends!

03:50

When the alarms started, both of them were already near the door of the room. But while they were going towards the room, every soldier that was guarding it was running towards the exit, right the opposite way. When they arrived, there was no one left at the entrance of the room. The door got unlocked and they could enter to take everyone out. And for everyone to see them, they disabled their devices, before finally starting the rescue itself.

[LUK3]-Everyone! This is an evacuation! Follow me if you want to live!

"But what I expected the least in that whole chaos was for me to see someone that I thought to be the very betrayer behind this whole thing. Or at least... the snitch behind our fall. I can't really call him a betrayer since he was never by our side to begin with. Because the moment I looked inside the execution room..."

[N04H]-You...

"...the barman was there, present among my group."

[N04H]-Why are YOU here?

[Barman]-...

[N04H]-YOU told them about us! Why did you come here? To see them die so you can satisfy yourself!?

[Barman]-...And who told you that lie?

[N04H]-Lie!?? YOU are the one who brought the soldiers to us! YOU ARE THE GUILTY ONE IN THIS WHOLE SITUATION!

[Barman]-Did you think that maybe you brought them to me?

[N04H]-...What are you talking about?

[Barman]-I say that you are the ones who exposed themselves by coming in a large number in our roads while there are always guards that watch them. I didn't say a word to them. That's why they punish me as well.

Something inside N04H just snapped that moment. He didn't know whether to trust what the barman just said or to consider it a lie. But if it was true, then what the Officer said that time wasn't addressed to a C born at all. "You know you have to pay for the sins you've committed, for everything that you've done!"

[LUK3]-Kiddo! We have to go! Take your friend already and let's get out of here!

"...Something about this didn't feel right at all. Even if he did sell us to the soldiers, why was he inside the execution room as well? And if he actually did try to protect us... wouldn't that mean the M soldiers execute even their own kind? Just because of the "sins" they commit?"

[LUK3]-Come on! We have to hurry!

[N04H]-...You heard him, let's go!

[Barman]-Didn't you want me dead anyway? If you leave me here, you will get what you wished.

[N04H]-That... doesn't matter now. Let's go!

When they got out of the room, they started following the weird man in armour around the hallways of the building. Except, they didn't have a clear exit. The actual exit was now full of soldiers, so they couldn't just go there and be captured all over again. Instead, the man went to a specific hallway and a specific wall present in it, guided by his small team, and destroyed the wall in order to create a whole new exit on his own. One by one, he let everyone get through the hole and made himself be the last to exit. By the time the M soldiers found them, he was the only one left to leave the building.

Instead of leaving though, the man put a small device on the floor, inside the building and right next to the hole, and looked back at the soldiers that were coming his way. Even though most of them already started shooting after him, he took his armour around the head anyway and smirked as a taunt. As for whether he got hurt or not, these beings are unable to be physically wounded unless in contact with a specific gas used during the executions. Since the gas didn't manage to be spread when the evacuation happened, none of those beings could've actually been hurt. And he knew that well. That is why, before he left the building himself, he showed the middle finger to the soldiers that were shooting after him, finally taking his leave. And right after he left, the device left on the ground made an explosion that covered the entire hole, making the soldiers unable to follow them.

"We managed in the end to save everyone present in the execution room, including the barman. So while I could get my chance of answering some questions, I also knew that I was in a huge debt to the people that just helped me."

The Underground Tunnels

04:12

[N04H]-...31 ...32 ...33 ...34! Yep, they are all here!

[LUK3]-Phew... I'm not doing this thing alone usually, and especially in such numbers! I thought I lost one back there by mistake!

[N04H]-Thank you... for everything that you guys did!

[KYR4]-It was nothing, Green Head. Just doing our jobs. But if we are on this topic...

[N04H]-Hm?

[KYR4]-...I would like to take the device you found at your school. Thank you.

[N04H]-O-Oh, right...

N04H took out the device from his pockets and gave it to the woman. She didn't say anything back, just looked a bit... irritated at him before she put it in a safer pocket.

[C0NNER]-I have one question to ask you, though...

[N04H]-What is it?

[C0NNER]-...What's up with the big guy over there? Was he also a part of your group, or just an execution victim?

The younger guy pointed at the bartender, who was standing alone on the ground, staring at the ceiling. N04H didn't really respond, he just went and sat by his side. Maybe this time he will answer his questions.

[Barman]-...So?

[N04H]-Hm?

[Barman]-Why did you decide to save me?

[N04H]-...You told me you didn't tell them anything about us. Why didn't you?

[Barman]-...

Before he could respond, he took a huge breath and looked down.

[Barman]-*sigh* Maybe because I know the feeling of wanting to be free.

[N04H]-How so...?

[Barman]-...'Cause, believe it or not, I had a daughter of your kind once.

[N04H]-...What do you mean you had a daughter of my kind?

[Barman]-I mean that my daughter was a C born, just like you.

[N04H]-B-But I thought that all C borns are executed by the M military, no matter their age!

[Barman]-Well, she somehow survived. And I never left her to be executed. It just happened for fate to not be by her side.

"When I did manage to get an answer from the barman, I was actually left even more confused than I was before..."

[Barman]-I... found her when I was trying to put my mind at ease after work and went on a small walk on the empty streets. She was a newborn back then, lost somewhere in a dead corner of the city where nobody could've found her. I'm amazed I even found her myself. I didn't understand how she got there, so I took her home and raised her as my own child. I knew a rumour about people who take newborns and hide them around the city so they can be found by others, and I thought that maybe someone wanted to help her. I... used to get her some of the drinks from the bar when I got home from work too, when she grew a bit more and woke up from the newborn state. But because she was from your kind and I couldn't help her understand her powers, they were unstable and I couldn't let her go out at any cost. As she got even older... she started dreaming of seeing the outside world and was mad at me every time I told her that she couldn't go out. One day, I went to work and she ran away from home... and got caught by the guards because of her unstable powers. By the time I found out... she was already dead.

"...Not only that his small story meant I was wrong about the M borns of the above my entire life, but it also made me realise that the whole city we fear is full of people that just try to survive, no matter their race. A whole city... that is afraid of their own ruler."

[Barman]-Not... all the people from the City of Perfection are evil as you may think. Many of us struggle to have a normal life or even survive as well. The military is cruel to their own people. But I understand the hatred against us all.

[N04H]-...And what will you do now?

[Barman]-Who knows... I can't go back there anymore. I'm just like you now, a convicted one. At least until they find me and put me to my execution.

[LUK3]-Oh, I can find you a place to work!

The strange guy seemed to have listened for a while to their conversation and came to them.

[Barman]-You can?

[LUK3]-Yeah! You are a bartender, right? I know a guy who looks for employees, so I can have a small chat with him! Though I think I should've put you to swear on your life on a promise before we entered the tunnels, just so that Boss won't say I didn't do anything stupid again... But who cares anymore! It's too late for that! Might as well just get you to our place anyway!

[Barman]-How can you trust me so easily?

[LUK3]-Oh, come ooon! Don't be like that! You are not the first M born from the above that I've saved in my life! Our place has a lot of your people too! So it isn't THAT hard to trust an innocent of your kind!

[Barman]-Thank you, Mister...?

[LUK3]-LUK3! Just LUK3!

[Barman]-....Thank you, LUK3.

"But once everything was settled, we all got back to the Underground City and minded our own business from then on. It was a chaotic day, actually. I remember I was very tired once I managed to relax for a bit. But before I parted ways with the barman, I heard his last words spoken before redemption that I still remember to this very day."

[Barman]-Oh, and kid...

[N04H]-Hm?

[Barman]-...My name is D4N7E.