2067.
October 27th, 4:20PM.
More hours pass by. Everyone wakes up. No one feels refreshed.
Zephyr and Riley are tired, not quite sleeping and stuck on writing for the whole night. Alister, still trapped in Amy's giant hand, is beyond exhausted. His demeanor shows a lack of willpower. The total sum of last week's journey drained him. Every revelation has grown to be a burden he carries on his back. Eylventh casts itself away from them, at the side of Amy.
The mystique woman stands out as she's the only one who lacks fatigue. She looks at her captives the same way a zookeeper watches their attractions die in cages. The atmosphere feels wrong. She seems ready to talk about something serious, and she can't decipher that it will take a while for them to process what she's about to ask.
"Alright. Alister Crow, Zephyr Yundath, Riley J. Smith. Since you lot have awakened, you have answers to provide to my questions."
Silence.
The waterfall behind has stopped "functioning" and the fire was extinguished, so there is a period of very brief but deafening quiet.
" For starters, I will need you to give me your purpose for being here."
The scientist grunts.
"What in the world is that question. Don't you already know that since you have acquired our data?" Asks the scientist.
"That ability is limited. The pillars only process data about individuals on a third-person level. I have access to superficial information about anyone the second they jump in the Bottomless Pit, like a first check-up. Your emotions, what you hold as valuable, the thousands of thoughts that run in your head every day, the pillars don't touch that. It is a complete mystery to me."
"Which is why you ended up following our movements, to see what we would do and get more of that da-."
"Wrong. I was hunting you, to kill you myself." Corrects the android.
"Oh..."
"Enough about me. I'll need to know your purpose now that you've reached the bottom."
"Now... that we've reached the bottom." Whispers Zephyr to himself, as he starts to think for an answer.
Everyone is hesitant to talk. This question holds weight, and no one is sure on what to answer. Moreover, no one would like to share such weighted answers to anybody here.
The way Riley J. Smith has treated the death of Urth has been poorly received by Alister, who checked out of the last-minute bond he shared with the scientist. From a mere bounty hunter, to a friend made from the trials and tribulations of the pit, to a bitter and repulsed man.
The way Zephyr announced that he murdered Nataniel Crow crumbled the assassin's persona and his whole life. He checked out of the bond he shared with the blacksmith too. From another troublemaker, to what could be an older brother figure, to a savage waiting for his vengeance.
Between Zephyr and Riley, it isn't so much hatred anymore. It borders on neutrality.
Zephyr saw the doctor in a light that he never expected to see. He understands why Lathe was able to let go of the scientist and his grudge. Although Catherine's whereabouts are unconfirmed and it remains an enigma to see if she's even in North America, Zephyr's optimistic attitude about the one he once considered a monster prevails. He disagreed with not reviving Urth, but gets where Riley comes from, hence why he decided to not intervene.
Riley on the other hand has seen the blacksmith he feared for what he truly is: a boy seeking his lost mother. De-glamourizing the nightmare and humanizing someone he barely saw when he was a child exposed Riley to how much his obsession has turned bystanders into enemies. Zephyr is one of the lucky youngsters to not have been caught in the worst of the scientist's experiments. To think children only 2 or 3 years younger than him have been turned into creatures is still something Riley struggles with. The cargo is his to carry, but now he has a chance to help a young man transition into adult life, instead of encapsuling another in a body he never asked for.
They are not friends, but they are no longer on bad terms.
This does leave a sense of awkwardness, for they both wronged the assassin to some regards, and Alister is far less forgiving. He was not born to forgive, nor did he choose a path that eased any kind of letting go.
This lack of response from the three captives drives Amy's impatience, no matter how good she is at masking her true colors.
"Don't waste my time" Drops coldly the robot. "You lot are the only 3 humans I have let live in this place, the animals excluded. You should feel honored, and maybe start talking before I change my mind.
"Amy, unlike you who has the body to withstand fatigue, we do not have your reservoir of energy. We went through a lot in the last few days-.
"Then move on faster."
The scientist gulps. This woman is strict, her presence chocking the dialogue. She commands the 3 of them in the style of a dictatorship. She holds them on a leash.
The assassin lifts his head up.
"Beats me."
Amy looks at Alister.
This answer is blunt.
"Clarify", demands Amy.
Alister breathes in and out, reeking of apathy.
"My goal was to murder Riley J. Smith, get a paycheck, and run about my business. I ended up falling here out of desperation. In return, desperation took everything away from me."
The hunter says that last part while staring at Zephyr. The young man doesn't look back, knowing exactly what is being implied here. Alister keeps talking while looking at the blacksmith.
"I wanted to make my father proud. I did everything for him to notice me. Some of the crimes I committed were meant for him to look at my direction and acknowledge me.
When I got to the Bottomless Pit, a part of me believed I would find him half-dead here and that I, his son, would save him and he would give me the love I deserved, after all those decades of abandonment. Another part… had a feeling about why he didn't come back to his people."
His look of depressed anger turns to sorrow, as he shifts his gaze to the ground.
"Him being dead means that nothing else matters. Even killing you, doc... And... Killing Zephyr too."
Alister starts laughing to himself. Zephyr, taken aback, looks at Alister, confused.
"From the guy that said he didn't want to kill anymore, to now, I sure dropped the ball. The money, the security, the weapon, this armor, the connections. All of this is futile."
The assassin doesn't smile, nor does he give any sign of negativity. It's indifference, as if he couldn't be bothered to hate.
"I have no purpose, no drive, nothing to strive for. I'm a nobody now."
There is a moment of silence. Amy simply nods at the answer and releases him slowly of the hand.
"I can tell that was genuine." Says Amy.
Her shot at a compliment was met with Alister getting up and sitting closer to the wall, his head down, in the hopes of taking a nap.
The self-titled "nobody" opening his wounds to them breaks the ice.
"I… guess I'll go second." Follows Riley. "Well, the truth is, I thought I would discover the reason behind the pit's creation. That was my goal. I needed to know what happened and report that back to my fellow surface dwellers. The reporting back part, let's be honest, was to make my crimes semi-justifiable, and my punishment less severe. It was also to let go of all the trauma, inflicted on others, and to myself.
Now, I… I am left with more questions than answers. Plus, it sounds like you've got information to let us on the know about, so... I'd say my job is not done. I need to know what the hell is going on here."
Amy nods at that as well.
"Interesting."
She looks at Zephyr.
The young boy slowly looks at her direction and gets up.
"I… I decided to follow my gut feeling per request of my father. My instincts told me that answers I were looking for would be in the Bottomless Pit. I've got some of them. Not all. It's nothing grand like Riley's I know, but I too have questions that needs answers. They can be answered now though.
"Then shoot." States Amy.
The young blacksmith stares at Amy intensely.
"Don't get mad at me for starting a rabbit hole here." Warns the blacksmith.
"Like I care, ask before I change my mind."
"O-Okay… Dragonite. Where can I find more Dragonite?"
Alister was barely following the conversation after his speech, but this peaked is interest a bit.
"You mean, that mineral in your dad's schematics for the torch blade?" Adds the hunter to the conversation.
"Y-Yes. Exactly that! My mother brought this from here, that's what father told me! But in our travels, I didn't found anything related to that! So Amy, you have to know right?"
Amy sighs in disbelief. Her face unwillingly shifts, showcasing a bit more emotions than she's comfortable with.
"So, it's true. There are some people who went passed the barricade already…"
They all look at her with concern, like she just opened Pandora's box.
"I'm sorry, a barrier ??" Throws a confused Scientist.
"Alright, Zephyr Yundath." Confronts Amy. "Dragonite can be found in a forest called Panoplite Altitude, near Yen'delver in the Sacred Thomb."
Everyone looks at her like, then at each other. For them, she's talking nonsense and blue balling them into some elaborate joke. It's all about her tone and facial expression, however. It conveys that this is far from a joke.
"Yen del what now!?" Throws the scientist, again."
"You heard me scientist. Yen'delver. It's a city in the Sacred Thombs.
"Right... And what is the Sacred Thombs, exactly?" Asks Alister.
Amy sighs in disbelief, again.
"Zeph, this was unnecessary. Was the point of this to make me talk sooner?"
A woman calling him Zeph makes the young blacksmith blush red like a strawberry. He suppresses that and moves on.
"N-not necessarily, but considering my mother brought that Dragonite from... somewhere, there are 90% chances that she's from whatever city you just mentioned." Akwardly responds Zephyr.
"I see. And your father used this material to create that torch blade, right?" Inquires Amy.
"Yes! And, what about the two of you? Have you guys met any people that you suspect could be from that city or the Sacred Thombs?
"No, dipshit. Pretty sure my family is clean from the superpower disease, but what do I know? Maybe my grandad was from Dreamland, my mother from Nowhereville and Riley from fucking Belgium."
"Hum, Switzerland, actually." Adds Riley.
"I'm going to cry myself to sleep, again." Exasperates the hunter.
"Speaking of Switzerland, my mother, Brand Smith, turned crazy and destroyed the whole town of Dal Hallas by herself so... Perhaps?"
Amy looks back at Riley with what could only be describe as her eyes turning bigger than her stomach.
"Not perhaps. She is from the Sacred Thombs. Correction, she is from well before the Sacred Thombs."
"I really don't understand where this is going!" Admits the scientist, worried by what he's about to know.
"Your mother, Branda Smith, is actually one of the Six thombs-."
The scientist places his hands in front of him to signal Amy to stop talking. All of this information thrown at them is an emotional whiplash for the doctor. Her mother being strong enough to decimate an army was too much from the onset. Now there's the possibility that she's from another world, and that the explanation from her powers lies somewhere beyond the scope of what he dreamed of. After a deep breath, the scientist rekindles the conversation.
"This has to be a farce! What do you mean!? What in the world are the Sacred Thomb!? Next thing you're going to mention is that those six thombs people were originally from that Contraband place I keep hearing in my damned nightmares!?"
Amy looks bewildered. Seems like they had some connections to whatever is beyond that barrier she's talking about. This situation complicates itself the more they peel back the layers. They are left dizzy by the pack of revelations Amy holds for them.
She steps to the side and points towards where the waterfall should be.
There are no lights around and with only the campfire on the ground, it's not enough to light where she's exactly pointing towards...
But the confidence on her face sparks their curiosity. Even Alister and Eylventh gets up, unsure as to what is going on.
"Alright, you'll get plenty of sleep later. Beyond the waterfall, there is another world very similar to your own, called Terra Nova. In this land, centuries ago, a similar catastrophe to your Manhattan befell a city named Contraband."
Riley's body trembles. The confirmation that all these terrifying nightmares were not hallucinations is a daunting reality to accept. He whispers "There's no way…" under his breath.
"This catastrophe created a massive hole only a hundred feet deep, compared to the thousands you deal with. If yours is called the Bottomless pit, ours is called the Sacred Thombs. For the purpose of this expedition, you do not need I tell you more. Follow me."
She starts to walk in the lake towards the darkness where she pointed.
"No no no hold the phone for a second!" Stops Alister. "You! You tried to have us squashed from start to finish, and now you wanna pretend we can just be friendly all of the sudden!? The fuck has changed exactly!? Did pops finally start pumping empathy into your bloodstream, while telepathically lifted in the air like a-!?"
"The mission changed." She interrupts.
"Oh, wow the mi... Wait... The mission?"
"Yes... My mission, or my purpose if you want, is to make sure none of you surface dwellers goes to the other side, that no one from earth traverses to Terra Nova..."
She clenches her fist. This is a sign that she would have rather followed that mission. They look at her, worried.
"My Father. I have eyes that traces back to him. He saw you three. Father spoke to me. He told me my feelings against you, they don't matter. I have to bring you all to him."
"A-And who... Exactly is your father... Amy?" Asks Zephyr
She looks at them as if she's naked, exposed, humiliated. This only adds to the stupefaction of the moment. When she finally speaks up, their hearts race in their chest. The tension gets to a boiling point, as if she's taking control of their emotions. It takes all her strength to say the name of this man that is apparently her father.
"Samael... Doctor Samael Daigo."