Chapitre 26: [XXVI] — All hopes lost
My hopes were high up for actually thinking this could be some hidden entrance to the MIES headquarters. But… wouldn't everything I've seen until now add up? The quote, that I think I've seen already, and the location.
But having such a reachable entrance in the underground, from a large net of corridors hidden deep inside the ground. Either the good or bad guys could use this knowledge to their advantage. However I still couldn't distinguish, which are using it right now. Either way, this path will get me near my objective. And I'm not going anywhere until I make sure that at least Icto is safe. And maybe someone in RR will actually lend me a helpful hand in how to detach the tail of people pursuing me.
I got myself up the ladder, with the trapdoor being surprisingly easy to open, ending in a dark, but clear corridor. Both the floor and the walls were in a light gray shades, surprisingly clear and empty, so I could distinguish the shapes of the environment despite the lack of lightning. Nothing out of ordinary, just an empty space filled with some carton boxes.
Before any clingy parasites could reach me again, I slammed the trapdoor with a metallic echo, and moved some nearby boxes onto it. Sighing the relief of just escaping from another mysterious person, I looked at the covered entrance.
Heavy enough, I don't think anyone could open it so easily.
Going into some unknown organization? I haven't lost all of my neurons yet. If I'm so important to them, let them have a little more struggle.
I feel so wrong being seen as someone essential, just because some unknown powers have raised inside of me. Why does that make me special, above all people that have probably achieved something more than me?
I want to prove myself in other way. In a way that gives other an easier life, and a way where I show what I can do with my actions, not something that just boils deep inside of me.
With a temporary easiness, I looked around, trying to determine which way I should go next.
The MIES headquarters, as I remember, I've only been once here, after the unfortunate incident in the past…
And I don't even remember in what way I've gotten here, that's why it was such a struggle to find this place afterwards. And the insides of the place… Looked very similarly to these corridors I'm walking past right now. But they were lighted up properly, with dozens of people marching in every direction, each of them holding something precious with them. And a Grand Controlling hall, the center of the grandiose plans and thinking.
Hidden in the depths of the concrete walls, a place just right in the corner of the district, where nobody particular passes by, covered from two sides by 100 meters tall and 25 meters thick walls…
Inside a building no one could think anything happens… An organization working on abolishing the system imprisoning the freedom of lower districts.
That's what it has always been described as, but when I always came by the thought place from the outside, the streets seemed dead and unimportant, as if nothing at all was happening near it at all. That's why I doubted it's actually there… If that's what it was supposed to be like, undetectable by the blank eye, then they've made hiding it an excellent job.
Yet something was worrying about that street… As if some inquisitive eyes have observed you despite the dullness of this place. And once again, you didn't know if they were the eyes of the good or the bad…
Passing through the long and empty corridors, I was looking for some familiar elements when I was last in the RR. I think this is the place. Otherwise some greedy office workers or other unsupervised people would already have crossed their paths with me. In such a place with limited space as this metropolis, no places would have been left unused by some businessmen.
After taking some turns, stumbling upon closed doors, and going up a few staircases, I've finally found something that could be a trace of life.
I carefully followed the light at the end of the corridor, a faint white glowing element in the distance of my view.
On the one side, I was relieved that there was something else other than dark corridors filled with empty boxes and nothing else. But on the other side, what could I meet on the end of this path…
The place before me has become bright and lightened properly. Yet what has worried me, waking up the fear hidden inside of my head, were weird noises coming from somewhere near…
Are those people? Could they be helpful to me? Could these be the members of the MIES? Who else other than trusted people could be roaming in here?
I proceeded further with caution, looking around when taking every step. I… I… Did I have any weapons on me? I doubted it, touching every one of my pockets. Only some useless items, nothing sharp or shootable. Damn… I could have at least asked the girl for a knife or a dagger…
Passing by a fork linking four different routes, I noticed with the corner of my eye, that on my left, a huge room could be seen.
Interested in the fact, that this could be the grand aula of the place, I turned into the corridor, that darkened a bit, and slowly followed the way until the end.
…
And indeed, this was the magnificent place of all gathering of people with alike goals like me.
But I came here just to see the great room being all devastated behind the shattered glass.
…
What… How… Did this place become like… that?
All of the hopes accumulated in my body just left it immediately. A hard stone has been planted in my heart, as I watched the place of terror with my itchy eyes.
I tried reaching the view with my hand, touching the leftover glass panels sticking out from the frames of the "balcony" like window. But as I touched it softly, the glass creacked soundly and shattered to the floor.
Everything I touch crumbles.
I remembered the aula quite well. Wide screens on all four of the tall walls. In the middle of the floor, all kinds of devices piled up and set up working, computers, radars, radios, detectors. This facility has been monitoring all of the southern districts. Filled with busy people, each of them having an ambitious goal in their mind. A truly working organism which functioned well within itself, waiting for a right moment to come to take the initiative and awaken the rest "outside". To is, to show the real brutality of the forces to all, and motivate them for a riot. To finally get what we deserve. Food, feeling of safety, and human rights. Everything with the help of each other. Everyone speaking their words out, and being listened to.
But all of it, right now, was crushed, shattered, broken, destroyed to bits. Colorful wires glass scrambled all upon the place. Monitors tossed in a messy pattern, lights flicking annoyingly, maybe because they were shining in a chaotic frequency, or just that they gave this devastated place a more sorrowful atmosphere.
The glass shards lying under my feet were quietly cracking, as I moved back from the remorse that grew inside me.
This place… has it long been like that…
Has this happened because of…
Me?
Surely not… R-right…?
My hand started trembling. There is no way that this all entangles itself. Me witnessing that massacre, hasn't possibly led to this place being destroyed, or my home being demolished… Everyone and everything being gone just because I found myself at a bad place in a bad time…
There are no more places that I can go to. Truly, no more.
I looked down, into the floor made of crushed pieces of a window, and watched my crystal tears fall down to them. Holding my heavy head filled with depressive thoughts… My hands were trembling like an earthquake.
What am I going to do now? Surely, not surrender myself into the hands of an unfamiliar group of people, with unclear intentions… I…
I just can't lose to anyone right now… Giving myself after running away successfully so many times… It will show that after all, I'm just a loser, that won't achieve anything without the aid of others. I… I need to find a way to become undependable…
Should I… Just join the Bats, the shady folks from the back of the dark streets… I can be fully working alone, I just need a place to stay… And… And… But what they are doing, will just bring more attention upon me, and possibly harm to them too…
I… I don't know… I…
Where is Icto? He would definitely know what to do right now. Where is everybody? Why are all the people I have even a little trust of, just disappearing from my reach?
Why has everyone abandoned me?
I couldn't stand this anymore.
A quiet howl was let out of my mouth, holding every grudge that I had in my heart. Devastated. Alone. My body felt like crumbling down.
Backing myself slowly from this mind wobbling view… I wanted to lean against a wall and slowly emerge into a world of despair, admiring the dilapidated view of the once beautiful hall.
But instead of searching for a cold wall in the far distance behind me…
I bumped into something.
I didn't except a wall being right there behind me. But what was even more weird, is that the wall was somewhat warm, and it suddenly caught my waist from the back in a tight grip.
"Waaaaaah!!" — I let a loud scream come out, as I didn't hear anyone coming behind me.
What on earth?! Who?! WHAT?!
I yelled and struggled to get out of the strong grip, shaking my body right and left. Using all of the strength I had, I wanted to turn myself with my back towards the shattered window, possibly trying to hurt my assailant with the sharp leftover pieces. But weirdly, I just couldn't let out my power free, and just acted like a person with a seizure, attempting to get the person off me.
"Get… the hell… away from me!" — Exhaling loudly, I was letting out the muffled screams.
But the person grabbed me even more tightly, and moved one of his hands to my mouth, trying to shut me up. Why couldn't I break away from his embrace?
"Shhhh… Calm- Down. Quiet." — I heard a gentle, but struggling voice just behind my ear.
But why would I listen to anyone? I shook my head, trying to get his hand off my mouth, but in vain. This person attempted to calm me down a few times, but failed, as it fueled me even more.
I wanted to let so many words out of me, but I just couldn't.
"Just calm down! I won't do anything to you, I promise! You don't want anyone unnecessary to hear you, right? So just feel easy and calm down… Yes… Just like this…"
With some internal struggles, I intentionally calmed down, with an idea that came to my mind, that when everything settles down, I will knock this unaware person off, and run away. The further, the better. But…
Let's maybe hear off first, what does he have to say. Surely by being here, he knows something? Maybe… he is someone from the MIES?
He lightened his grip, but still didn't let me go. Holding my waist so close to his body, I felt weird, being touched like that by an unknown man. His head was just behind mine. I could sense every of his breath in the silence that just grew.
A slim hand slowly came off my lips, and I could finally get a solid breath of air, from being struggled.
"Who… Who are you? Could you let me go?" — I asked, scared of this man's unknown intentions.
Instead of an answer, I only felt his head getting closer to mine, and a loud inhale just right next to my ear. His grip suddenly became so much unbearable, that I felt like suffocating.
Using the moment of uncautioness, I turned my body around, and pushed this man away as strongly as I could, to get away from his overwhelming person.
I succeeded, hearing his surprised noise, but made us both fall down on the ground with an impact.
But when he reached the ground, the cracks of the shattered glass creaked in my ears.
A loud groan came from his tall body, that I saw clearly for the first time.
A slim man, with long and sleek, shining blonde hair, looking like the strings of a spiderweb covered in sunlight. Wearing a long, black coat, his arms were outstretched. His slim face was crumbling in pain, as he landed directly in the spot where the glass shards were scattered. With his shaking hands, this person supported himself against the floor, and sent me a longing gaze with his sharp, red eyes, while I was observing him with my face covered with my hands from the shock.
"This is… how you end trying to… help someone…" — He gave me the most cracked smirk I've ever seen, while swiping his silky hair off this forehead.
"Help?!? By approaching that person out of nowhere and catching them like if they were an easy prey? Who catches a person like that anyway? Pervert!" — I got up, and glanced at him accusingly, trying to blame him for what has happened.
Yet, the moving emotion that beamed from his scarlet eyes. He gave me a gaze full of pity and pain, as he tried to move his body from the field of sharp pieces. Sad groans of sore came from him.
"It hurts so much… Look at what have you done… Won't you help me?"
He looked at me once again.
His melting eyes… I can't differentiate if what he is showing is real or just a really well-made up cover from fake emotions.
This man genuinely looked hurt, and who wouldn't be if they landed on a floor full of skin-cutting glass shards. But… I sense something dangerous in him…
I'm the one who pushed him there… But! He assaulted me first!
Yet… I… I don't know anymore.
He was sitting still, appearing to have no strength to stand up in all of this growing pain, with his arms and legs bleeding dark.
Ugh…. Okay, I'm going to help him because I must inquire about what happened here! And I'm not a person to leave anyone in need! Especially when this person is giving me the most sorrowful look ever.
I went up to him, and reached out my hand towards him, showing that there is still some hospitality left in me and I won't leave anyone injured to the point of their death.
But what he did wasn't standing up with my help.
What he did, was getting up swiftly, as if the pain never existed in the first place, pushing me towards the big empty space in the air, that was above the grand hall.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone