Chapter 15 - Never Give Up

10.05.1642

The Underground City

14:29

Another day around the Underground City. This time though, we seem to be in another apartment, but it is not KYR4's place like the last time. It seems as it is more like... C0NNER's apartment, where he is now sleeping, until his alarm goes on, waking him up. He gets up and stops the alarm, wiping a bit his face to wake up properly and looking around his room, before starting his day as usual.

He cleans himself up first, then does his bed and then he seems to be looking at some kind of board attached to one of his walls, on which are written by him all kinds of things that he will have to do, something like a time schedule, where next to it is a calendar with every passed day cut. He takes some minutes to analyse the board, before he starts removing things and adding new ones from what he knows it is planned around the base. So from this point of view, even if he used to be a kid that depended only on the surviving rules, now he seems to be pretty organised in everything he does.

After all of these things are done, he takes a small break and goes to his tiny balcony, watching the city. The city seems as it is just waking up as well, from few people walking around, to the merchants opening their business, to even kids starting to play around the streets. It doesn't take long before he takes a small pack of cigarette and his lighter, taking the last one he has and lighting it up to relax for a while.

Then, minutes pass and he leaves his apartment to go around the merchants area to buy some things before he goes to his work place. First thing he buys is, of course, a new pack of cigarettes, then some new clothes like a shirt or a jacket which he puts them in a backpack he brought with him along, and then a weak drink to start his day with some energy. So it doesn't really take long before he finishes everything and goes towards his apartment to leave what he bought there and then go to the base.

But when he goes back, he notices a small problem at one of the merchants nearby. It seems to be a kid who annoys one of people working there for a reason. As to the reason itself... is that the kid doesn't have the money to buy himself something from that merchant, like a small toy, and the man doesn't want to give it to him. In the end, the kid seems to leave disappointed, yet C0NNER seems interested in the subject that happened there for a reason or another.

The kid stands now on a bench, sad, looking down. It does seem as he is one of the people from the shelters, which will explain why he doesn't have money in the first place. The shelters only guarantee the bare necessities, like basic clothes and a place where you sleep, nothing more. Since they do not need to eat either, that's not even something that they should think of. Yet after some minutes, C0NNER comes to the kid that was standing alone and just looks at him. None of them say a word though, and the kid even seems confused. But C0NNER finally decides to do the first move, and gives him something which... looks to be the toy the boy wanted. So of course the boy now is so joyful and looks with such a huge smile to him, before he leaves him alone.

As to the reason behind C0NNER's action, it is maybe only because he was one of the "Lost Children of Heaven" after all. His childhood wasn't easy, and things like toys or games aren't something that cross into these people's minds at all. They focus on survival only, but maybe seeing an unhappy child just brings him unpleasant memories. It's not easy to be the only survivor of a group in which you grew up once, and even harder to know how people around you lived and in which horror you had to survive.

In the end, all he does is to see the kid leave and remember these horrible memories. Maybe it is a small reminder of who he used to be, an innocent child with a desire of being joyful and live a happy life.

"...We will always be together, Six. I promise."

The Southeast Military Base

16:13

And now, C0NNER seems to have arrived at his work place, more exactly at the training room where it doesn't seem as anybody is around yet. So he takes this opportunity of training in peace, closing the door and getting his bow ready for some practice. Well... to get his bow though, he takes a simple stick looking device from one of his pockets and actives it, making this weapon of his take its true form. After all, all of the weapons are designed to look like this at first.

Then, he finally begins his training, taking a few arrows and aiming with them at a training dummy. But after some minutes of doing so, he seems to lose his focus for some reason, as when he shoots with his bow, he barely manages to get the arrow in the center of the target, where he aims at.

He misses the center again and again, and stops a bit from shooting for a small break. He draws a small breath of disappointment and looks down, but then he looks at his left arm out of nowhere. In the right one he has his weapon, but the left one is empty. And then... he starts forcing it a bit for a reason only he knows, and tries now to focus on something else.

Yet all of a sudden, LUK3 and N04H enter the training ground, opening the door, which seems to have scared C0NNER a bit and dropped his weapon down, stopping whatever he was doing. He looks at the door afraid, then bends to take his weapon back. LUK3 and N04H seem to have seen him and go towards his location in order to greet him.

[LUK3]-Morning, C0NNER! It seems that you came before us all, huh? You sure woke up early today, man...

[C0NNER]-...I just wanted to train a bit. I thought that I could use some of my time here until I leave to go around the city later on for a while.

[LUK3]-Oh, leave? Leave where? Are you really going in the city without us? *gasp* You traitor! I thought we are pals!

[C0NNER]-I have something to do, LUK3. It's not like I'm going out because I like it. I programmed to meet up with someone in some hours regarding a small problem that I have to take care of. Nothing more.

[LUK3]-Oh, can I come? Can I come?? Pleaseee!!

[C0NNER]-No.

[LUK3]-Why not??

[C0NNER]-Because I don't want you present, LUK3. It's my business alone what I'm going to do around the city, not yours! What's so hard to understand?

[LUK3]-Oh, for the gods' sake! Why does nobody want to let me come with them!? I just want to take part of the events as well!

[C0NNER]-I simply have something to solve. Alone. There is no need of anybody to come with me, especially you. But N04H here doesn't seem to mind your presence anyway. You can stay with him.

[LUK3]-Ninini ninini... What's with these excuses, damn... I don't want to stay only with N04H all the time! Yeah, I enjoy staying with him, but I have other colleagues too, right? What's the problem if I stay with you as well?

[C0NNER]-Don't you have Miss MY4 and Miss KYR4 for that?

[LUK3]-Yeaah, because they are my best friends! But maybe I want to stay with the others too! You are a part of our group as well, C0NNER! I just want to have some time with you too!!

[C0NNER]-Well, maybe I don't want to stay with anybody. Did you think of that?

[LUK3]-Well, that's simply bullshit, okay!? Dammit, C0NNER! If you were my disciple, we could have been best pals! Why did you choose Him from all of us??

[C0NNER]-So what if I chose Him? It's not my fault N04H was obligated to be stuck with you 'cause you implored the Great Leader to get His approval on you being his master! From all of us, he is the only one unfortunate enough to not have the right to choose his teacher!

[LUK3]-So what? At least I'm teaching him something! You see me lazing around??

[C0NNER]-Yeah, pretty much. You invite us out despite the responsibilities you have with the recruit now, not to mention how much you stay just talking to the others around the base.

[LUK3]-Well, at least I'm talking to someone! I didn't see you talk with anybody ever since you joined us despite Boss!

[C0NNER]-...

[N04H]-Okay, okay! I don't want you to jump at each other's throats! I will not able to stop you!

[LUK3]-Well, you can try! Think it as a part of your training!

[N04H]-But I'm not stronger than any of you!

[LUK3]-Doesn't matter that! It's worth a try!

[C0NNER]-Yeah, I see what you are teaching him, "Teacher"...

[LUK3]-But it's effective!!

[C0NNER]-Yeah right... You just don't know what to teach him to begin with.

[LUK3]-Then why don't YOU stay with us and help me with his training if you like to criticise my work so much?

[C0NNER]-Maybe because I'm not obligated to do so.

[LUK3]-But you said you want to kill time anyway, so you have no excuses, rascal!

[C0NNER]-Even so...

[LUK3]-Come oooon! Just a bit? You are not doing it for me! You are doing it for him! Please??

[C0NNER]-...

He looks a bit at the recruit before he takes any decision. In the end, his visions of the past won't let him go that easily. It's not his fault that N04H looks like one of his old friends from his group, haunting him that moment he lost everything till this very day.

[C0NNER]-*sigh* Alright... But just a bit!

[LUK3]-Heheh! Alright, alright! Just "a bit"!

[C0NNER]-What am I suppose to do anyway? Nothing comes to my mind of a way that I could be helpful. I'm used to training alone, not to help others train.

[LUK3]-We will find something, don't worry! What do you think, N04H? Are you ready?