It was a bright day, she noted, and even after being outside in the crisp air for an hour, she had just noticed how pure and empty the sky looked. It was a shame it was spring, she would've loved to walk these sidewalks in October instead. The sound of leaves dancing over the white cracked stone at the command of the wind pleased her. But it was spring, the leaves had yet to bud on the trees, and winter's last grasp was holding onto the Midwest as it usually did. Snow in April wasn't far from impossible. But the brashness of the sun was starting to give her a headache; she wanted to hide indoors, and she had just arrived too. Without even thinking she had gotten onto the first bus and was now walking downtown St. Paul. The river dazzled below between a valley of trees, and the skyscrapers towered behind her. It felt like home, and yet it had been so long since she had spent any significant time here it felt like a lost world entirely. It made her think of Minneapolis on the other side; it made her think of that fateful day, when everything had begun. The boulder began to roll, the picture was in motion, everything she had done over the last five years... it was that time when she felt great sadness.
As she moved through the festive streets the memory naturally bubbled to the surface.
The world felt silent, and strangely so. The sound of the city bus continued to roar in a plume of black smoke; the inpatient cars rolled haphazardly down the street; people coughed at the brisk intake of air; but it still all felt silent to her. Even Minneapolis could look like a backwater small town, she thought, thinking of grabbing a cigarette for the first time in two years since she quit. The buildings looked shabby and weathered. She was still young by all means, hardly twenty two years old; black haired, copper skinned with deep brown eyes full of quiet understanding. She had been well on her way to making it in the world, soon to be freed from bondage as a student. But that was all changed now. How could it be that the vast majority of her family was ill? Not just her sisters, but her aunts, and uncle, and cousins, and second cousins; they were all taking up ward in the various hospitals spread across the state. It was as if a sudden epidemic had struck her family, and only her family. Yet even months after their hospitalization she remained unharmed.
Adjusting her coat, she made her way towards the nearest gas station. When shit hit the fan, who cared about health? The stress was killing her regardless. It was still a few blocks away though; she had time to think about it. It began just a few months ago. She remembered the ominous warnings her cousin had given her, and the rest of her family about the underground uprising that was building beneath them. He was always unnecessarily cryptic, and even now he remained enigmatic in his refusal to visit his relatives in the hospital. She was beginning to harbor bad thoughts of him. For someone who had once preached the importance of familial love; he had grown more withdrawn throughout the years. It was like the very shops she passed without a second thought. Ragtag, slapdash, out of order places that only old men visited because it was in their blood to do so. Tradition that was ages past. It didn't seem like anyone was willing to forge a new tradition.
What of her cousin? That quiet young man had nearly lost his mind a year ago; some members of the family had thought him gone crazy, but he seemed to turn out, but perhaps he didn't? Just as those thoughts came and went through her head she caught a glimpse of him, amid the crowd of people walking towards her. His eyes were downcast, and his hands shoved into his deep pockets, and he looked all out of sorts.
They stopped, almost simultaneously, as if they had sensed each other’s presence, and he glanced upwards for a moment and he saw her there and suddenly his expression darkened. It struck her as odd, he looked as if he was facing a potential adversary, as if she was his enemy. After his moment of hesitation he seemed to relax and he greeted her shyly as he usually did. “Hey…” It felt awkward. “Hey.” She returned. “We should catch up, if you’re not busy.” He seemed rather evasive. He was rarely direct, always beating around the bush or hinting at things and he never clarified unless repeatedly pressed. “Sure, where should we go?” She asked. “I don’t know, wherever you think is good.” He said vaguely, as was commonplace given his demeanor.
They decided upon a restaurant that would offer some level of privacy, where the waiters weren’t too noisy and the music was near nonexistent. As he sulked along beside her, she noticed that he was very much pale; he had a sick, sleep deprived look in his eyes and his hair was abnormally long. Unlike her, he was as white as a sheet, and his eyes were light gray. But even so, tired had always been his middle name.
“I bet, you have a lot to ask me, huh?” He began and she nodded slowly. “Where have you been? Everyone’s asking for you.” She stated, but she didn’t press him or emphasize the need of his presence. He nodded slowly. “I’ve been…working hard.” He reached into his pocket and placed a tiny black case on the middle of the table. She reached out and opened the case up and noticed a fine array of pill capsules, twelve in all she counted. A look of concern crossed her face. Drugs, She thought, though he would never resort to such things. Her cousin had been adamantly anti-drug his entire life; anything that altered the mind was evil to him. Yet he never was bothered by other people's use; he had surprisingly made a point of that many, many times. “What is this?” She asked withholding her judgments. He leaned in close. “An antidote…” he whispered. She became even more puzzled, but suddenly interested, unless of course her cousin, unimaginable as it may be, had become extremely intoxicated with a new drug he had cooked up to escape reality. “What’s it for exactly?” She asked, purposefully ignoring the fact that her cousin was nowhere near a medical expert. He wasn’t even fond of science, or even relatively savvy with medicines. If it was as he said, then how could it be that he of all people had made such a thing? Still she reserved some faith for him. Though it was at that moment she realized how little she really knew him.
“I know, it’s the most farfetched thing I’ve even done or said.” His voice strangely quavered as he spoke. “I’ve always been a maniac, but, please, at least you need to listen. What’s happening to our family is not coincidence!” He had suddenly grown cold and determined, speaking with conviction. “What do you mean?” She asked, for this time he would have to elaborate-- the sickness that ailed their family was something she took quite seriously. “It may be hard to explain, but I will try. If it’ll get you to believe me and help me…” He trailed off. “Continue.” He let out a deep sigh before launching into his story.
“Okay, so there’s this girl who I went to school with. A real academic, but with the social capability of rallying people…the wrong kind of people a sort of 'dark charisma'…these liberal assholes who feel like the government is their enemy or something. The kind of people who have crummy upbringings so they have to preach baseless politics just because they are angry and feel repressed; simply put, your average rebellious teenager. So, it turns out that she uncovers this breakthrough in science, but instead of going public she starts to squander it, and apply her morals to it, and getting the people around her to follow her. A real revolution, just so suddenly out of the blue…it was if some god cheated and gave her that gift that strange idea…and what does it do? What is its purpose? It controls people and the people she can’t control just get sick, real sick and they don’t recover. She’s testing her product out every day on normal people…normal people who don’t believe in her ideals. Her first targets were those she claimed to be bigots or racists…the world doesn’t need hate right? Just take them over and make them think like her, like the system. I don’t know how it works, but…I had to find a way to stop her, because I knew. She tried to use it on me! For god’s sake, she came close to. But I got one over her. Yes…that is what this is. The prototype for the antidote that negates her evil schemes! I know it works, I tried it myself…the only thing is…it doesn’t work on those who can’t be controlled...As much as I worked, and worked..." He seemed deeply wounded and paused, but then he continued on. "Our family is…different. Our bodies fight it naturally. That's why everyone's getting sick.” He paused for a moment to indulge in his food and drink and then he began again. She listened quietly.
“Especially you, I don’t know why, but you…you’re practically immune.” She was taken aback by his statement. She was immune? What was that supposed to mean? His entire story lacked any evidence or proof to his claims, but what he had produced here seemed to be of high quality. He couldn’t just be bluffing, there had to be more to it. There had to be a more detailed explanation. At her change of expression he shied away. “Go into detail, how did you make this?” She asked picking one of the capsules from the case and examining it. “I can’t tell you—not in till you’ve had one. Even if you are immune…I have to make sure…her system is growing stronger…but I understand if you don’t, believe me, I can tell it’s hard to take in.” Then, without warning she popped it into her mouth and drank it down with her water. For a moment she paused, her body quivered and tingled with a strange sensation but then a sense of rejuvenation overcame her, a new life, springing from the depths of her core. This feeling is amazing! Her cousin on the other hand was looking rather aghast, or surprised that she had done so without hesitation. This...enlightenment, he created something like this? She could not believe what she was feeling; nor could she wrap her mind about her cousins story which she now took as the truth.
“I trust you, for what it’s worth. We’re family.” She said, not once did she smile in their meeting. Like him, she was quiet and reserved. But he smiled, while she didn’t, it wasn’t one of those touching familial moments where everyone gets emotional. He smiled because things were going according to plan; she was grim because she would have to accept his horrible truth. “So what happens now?” She asked and he laughed to himself for a moment, he had suddenly transformed, he was no longer as shy, or reversed. He had evolved I realize. “I’m going to be leaving the country.” He stated quickly standing up. “We must walk and talk, time is important.” At this point, to her, it felt as if he had intended to run into her at that particular spot. As if everything he had done so far had been according to his plan and now that she had trusted him things were all back on schedule. It was bizarre, but then again, almost anything concerning him was bizarre. “Where are you going exactly?” She asked him and he looked up at the gray barren sky. “Hungary.” His one word answer brought even more surprise to her. “Why Hungary, of all places?” She asked, they were getting onto a bus, which he paid their fare. “An ally is there, waiting for me, an ace I’ve been hiding up my sleeve. But that is not important, you must stay here, and your name will be Nadia, do you understand?” He asked her and she didn’t, but nodded anyway. “Here are your papers. I need you to contact this man once I’ve left the airport, he’ll be expecting you somewhat and from there proceed as he instructs in till I return.” He was awfully proactive for someone who was notorious shy and introverted. “So, you were just waiting for me to walk down that way and…hopefully you could convince me to join you and all of this is your giant plan?” She asked and he had a distant expression of his face that didn’t tell her much, as if he was perplexed as she was.
“It’s not so much that I knew this would all happen but rather, I thought of an idea…and I began to assemble it piece by piece. There is no order…no method to my madness. But I am confronted with what I believe is the greatest evil humanity has faced. I hate those stories were there are underdogs or losers who win through miracles. I’m not a thorn in their side, I’m their superior. My enemies will fear me at every turn, wishing, praying that I disappear forever…this strange forwardness I have shown you today is my motivation to crush them entirely.” The bus stopped, and they got off at the airport. The terminal was busy and crowded and full of noise.
They stopped near the boarding gate for a moment. So much had happened and he had moved too quickly for her to grasp what was happening. “They will come for you…once they realize an antidote has been made, they will surely become afraid. I…I hate to leave like this, but I must, and so if you are willing, play your part well. Don’t let anyone know you are related to me. I will return, I most definitely will.” He embraced her quickly before rushing off to the airport. No bags, no suitcase, it was whatever he had in his pockets. She watched him go, vanish, just like that. But Nadia, as she was now, held onto her composure. His activity inspired her in a way.
The memory ended there. Too much had happened after that. In hindsight it was after that point that she wanted to forget. The four...five years she had spent running around at Cylinder's bidding had her confused and hurt, though like him, she wasn't going to give in and become a slave. Her being here was proof of that. Nobody had told her to come here, there was nobody left. All the fake Cylinders had vanished. Her tired legs had taken her all the way from St. Paul to dreary Minneapolis. As she passed by the same weathered buildings; their hand painted advertisements warn, their regular guests sat near the window with gray beards and aging faces. She saw the poor huddle together on the side of the street, no longer holding signs, no longer yelling at passersby. She knew all to well why that was. The cafe she had dined at was still in business. The birthplace of Cylinder. She thought with a light smile. Thirteen members in all, she guessed. The sky was actually darkening as she walked. Her designated hotel wasn't too far from the hospital, and she had the mindset of visiting her mother at least; maybe her sister though she had heard they were doing well.
The hotel room was shabby, as most of her rooms these days had been. But the mirror in the bathroom did well to show her face. It looked very much the same as it did five years ago. She had remained unchanged in the years that past after he had gone. Indeed his premonitions had all come to pass except for his promise to return. She hadn’t seen head or tail of him since he left and there was a chance he never made it or simply wouldn't return. The things she had done for the world-- she wondered if they would always go unnoticed. The scars on her back; the memories of that pain, the weakness she endured, the humiliation she faced. Would she ever be recognized as a heroine, fighting for peace? Nobody here knew of her significance. She may be acting as a member of cylinder, but her true loyalties belonged to the schemes of her cousin who hadn’t sent a single order since he departed, and her source of information hadn’t heard of anything either.
That man had left abruptly to search for Sen and Tama. That overly curious scientist and his slacker friend had caused them a great deal of trouble after the stunt they had pulled in Stadweld. The man... Sen had shown far too much interest in Maki. That poor girl, Nadia had heard of her and of the exploding dome after she escaped the hospital. She wondered from time to time if the girl really was a demon. Or maybe she was just a poor, misunderstood girl who had yet to find her place in the world. She detested them for jumping to fantastic conclusions like that. Just how she had been forced to play the role of master infiltrator, only to find that a better candidate could be used. That bastard Trey. She knew all to well what he was about. But she had to pretend not to know. If the two most dangerous people in Stadweld had gone head to head it would've left them both with nothing. What pissed her off the most was that she ended up with the scars, and he was the one who used her.
But revenge was a luxury she couldn't afford. In the field of not drawing attention to herself, she was a master. Even the so-called underground would have trouble pinning her down. It was all in the execution. Who was Nadia? A weak victim of the Stadweld domes. She had been tested on for months by Hive with no results. Everything failed to work against Nadia. But what happened to that precious test subject?
She gritted her teeth and let her mind stop. At least she had managed to escape before Hiro noticed. If there was anyone she regret lying to it was him. That young man who had the mind to comfort her. It was...somewhat true she decided. Even she, and the conditioning she had gone through, couldn't have prepared her for the torture. Her acting wasn't that great after all. She let out a heavy sigh.
Those empty days in Minneapolis were gone, and she missed them. Watching them drop one by one, it had chilled her, and from there she had even grown to distrust her own friends. All for what? Her cousin? For the sake of the world? For her family? It wasn't for herself! Why was she so unhappy? She stopped herself. She was not as driven as she had thought. She could only go as far as she could. This is my limit; I’m not a loyal dog or trying serve a greater purpose. I played more than my part; it’s time for a vacation. A much needed vacation.
She hadn’t planned on abandoning them, but there was something about Nadia that made her different, and there weren’t very many people out there like that. Some called it an innate sense. Her cousin had something along those lines, but it wasn’t really his. That was the best way she could describe his strangeness. It was uncanny enough that he anticipated the downfall of humanity as he did, and that he had worked to save it. In all honesty she would’ve pegged him as an antagonist of humanity, not its savior.
I took a beating for you…I trusted you for a while, and then some. But you wouldn’t have wanted that, would you? If you were here, you wouldn't have made me do that. I know because I am one of the twelve who took the real pill. You were never one for large groups were you?
That was the one thought that comforted her. She knew. She knew how she was different from the others she had worked with. But her mind was beginning to antagonize people, and even though her legs were sore, she thought it was time to leave again. The night was oddly cold. It was dark out already, she had lost track of time again. There was a residential neighborhood between the cheap motel and the hospital. Visiting hours were over, but she had figured it didn’t matter, the doctors wouldn’t notice her. Feeling the brisk air around her felt annoying, she had had enough cold. It was time for something a little warmer.
She exited the building, walking down the sidewalk. There was the slightest bit of snowfall hovering around her like a mosquito net. It was agitating, but at the same time it felt like a moist towel had been pressed against her face. It was a sensation that washed away the negativity of her mind. It was silent. But it was a rich silence, one you can drink from the very air and feel alive. That precious time when the moment is your own. The stars gleam through the breaks in the clouded sky, the moon is a faded bulb among the colossal sky sea. The only annoyance left was the bleak yellow coming from the homes and street lamps. People, all ignorant of the beehive they slept on. The poison was in the air, she could feel it. A car had stopped suddenly, a ways ahead of her and a girl had emerged from it. It was still a ways off but Nadia slowed her pace, if for any reason to avoid a confrontation.
The girl entered a particular house after an exchange of words and there didn't seem to be anything significant about it. Still, Nadia stopped dead in her tracks. The air had shifted, and in a strange way. A few houses head of her she could see, emerging from side yard a figure cloaked in a silver robe. Instantly, without thinking she darted into the nearest yard and out of sight. She pressed her body against the plastic siding and listened intently for any sound or indication of movement. A chime sounded in the wind, a soft wind blew and the chorus continued. Ding...ding...ding... Nadia moved around to the back of the house.
"I'm looking for your son, Kaz." The girl was saying in a loud voice, and there was a tremendous thumping sound, followed by a pleading whimper. What the hell are you doing? Nadia cursed in her mind. Ding...dong...ding... The chimes were just on the other side of the house, the figure was moving. Nadia turned around the next corner, now, behind the silver figure. There's no doubt about it. A Cylinder, but...this feeling. It can't be a Cylinder. Only the true Cylinder have robes like that... She clenched her fist inside her coat pocket. The figure was standing just outside of the doorway, halfway up the garage. Nadia watched from the safety of a bush. Ding...dong...The wind stopped, the chimes continued to dingle against each other, lining the headdress.
The girl who had entered the house seemed to be done. It had been a violent encounter. The girl exited the house. No, you fool, what are you doing? Nadia could hardly watch as the girl emerged from the home, holding onto a package and then suddenly catching sight of the silver robed figured before her. She stopped, and dropped the package onto the stone step. She seemed paralyzed. The figure approached. Ding...
Shit! She can't move? That can't be! The figure took another step, and then another step and finally it was within arm's reach of the girl.
Nadia sprang into action. She dove from behind the safety of the bush and she raised her hand quickly. A series of shimmer white strings emerged from the sleeve of her coat and snaked through the air, entangling her opponent in an intricate netted web. The strings hissed as the figure flailed about wildly, forcing it's body into the girls. "Shit! Get away!" Nadia cursed under her breath, running forward and with the brunt of her hand she struck the robed figure in the stomach, and then once more in the chin. It fell back onto the lawn, motionless. The girl lay a few feet away, staring up at the sky with a vacant expression in her eyes. "God damn...here I was on my way over to the hospital, and I end up having to play baby sitter?" She complained out loud checking the girl's pulse before moving onto the robed figure. "Well miss Spider Woman, if you don't want to take care of her, I can take her off your hands." A slick amorous reply came and Nadia looked up slowly at a boy who was standing at the end of the drive with his arms crossed. "I saw the whole thing, you sure got some cool moves lady." The visage looked familiar to her and then she laughed softly to herself. "Ha! Theo's boy?" She scoffed, and his expression changed. "Oh, don't have a comeback for that one do you Klyde." Nadia stood up then staring the young man down.
"Who are you then if you know my pops huh? He's got a lot of enemies you know, and I've been meaning to look after that girl." He said pointing to the crumpled figure on the lawn. "So, who is she? Your girlfriend?" Nadia asked. "If it means anything to you, she's Rey Pichanto, ring any bells?" So that's it. A look of understanding came to Nadia. This is the very same Rey who was in Stadweld, yes I've heard of her, but why did she come here? She took note of the package on the driveway. I heard her mention Kaz inside...but...no I shouldn't dig too deep, but still...leaving them like this isn't really my intention either. Damn it. She moved over to the silver figure once more. She undressed him as the webs had come undone by her touch. He was an unknown. No ID, but still an enigma. "So who are you? You didn't answer me." Klyde said menacingly coming up from behind. "Let's not play dirty now, you wouldn't like that." Nadia retorted turning to face him. "Here's the deal. Help me get these two back to my place. If you do that, I'll explain everything to you, and I mean everything." His brow furrowed and he looked from Rey to the unconscious man. "Either way I'm screwed. Fine, I'll take the bait, what the hell."
Setting back down the road, Nadia glanced back just once at the hospital looming in the distance. I'm sorry...but it looks like I'm not done yet saving the world...please wait for me.
/End
A lot was revealed in this chapter, I wonder how much you can piece together. Now I understand, there might be some holes since this is somewhat different from what I originally planned to do with Nadia...at least somewhat. A bit of Cylinder was explained...
Next time on Scratch [The world]
Hiro and Norie have returned to Stadweld...in an attempt to make things right! But... who is there to greet them? Who is it that Micheal Reder trusts to get the job done? Find out in the next chapter of Scratch! Dun, dun dun!
[Forgive me if the quality is less than what you expect, I've had plenty of time to write this, but then again I never said I was publish worthy.]
