003 Those Who Watch the Sky - 03
03 – Children Who Watch the Sky 3
Link, Elliot, and Squawk stared
on in utter disbelief as the Foreigner city plowed its way to the town blind to
its demise in the cliff encircled forest the three had grown up in. That the
massive ancient structure had not yet actually devastated the entire cliff face
and forest filled valley it cradled dawned on Link first and she struggled to
get off of Elliot’s back.
“Snap out of it you two! It’s
not too late! If we use the communication equipment in the lookout station
everyone can still escape to the plant!”
“Are you serious you idiot?!”
“Of course I am Squawk!
Elliot, put me down and get us
back inside.”
Elliot did not seem to hear Link’s
words and his eyes remained transfixed on approaching cataclysm. Not having the
patience to try and talk sense back into Elliot with their homes seemingly
doomed Link scrunched up her face and leaned back as far as she could without
tipping Elliot over and on top of her. Then, with a mighty heave Link smashed
her forehead into the back of Elliot’s head and he promptly dropped as he
clutched at the back of his suddenly throbbing head.
“Pull yourself together Elliot!
You’re the mayor’s son so you have to act at times like this!”
Link’s eyes were watering over
and her forehead was practically glowing red but still she yelled at Elliot and
hobbled her way back to the door of the lookout station. Pulled back to his
immediate surroundings by Link’s voice Elliot peaked up from he had doubled
over clutching the back of his head to see her fighting with the control panel
to get back inside. Naturally Squawk was yelling at her
“What is taking you so long”!
Aren’t you supposed to be the heir to the plant and everything connected to
it?!”
“I’m learning how to fix it, not
work it! And even then Elliot’s better at both than I am!”
“I don’t care! If you don’t do
something everyone including me is going to die!”
“Shut up Squawk! I’m trying”
“You really should pay better
attention to your lessons Link.”
“Elliot!”
Link looked up as Elliot
appeared beside her and offered her a smile as he slipped his key into the
keyhole on the control panel. With a turn the control panel lit up with a green
light and the lookout door slid open.
“About time!”
Screaming in delight Squawk
rushed in ahead of them and hurried towards the elevator door.
“I’m heading down now since I
won’t be any use here but you two better save everyone.”
Not waiting a breath more,
Squawk fell into the elevator as it opened and a disappeared behind the sliding
doors. Neither Link nor Elliot paid him any heed however as they rushed to a
control panel with a propped up mouthpiece. Elliot naturally beat the limping
Link to the console and quickly inserted his key and brought life to it with a
turn. Falling in behind him Link braced herself against the counter with her
left hand and grabbed the mouth piece with her right.
“Mayor Cross! Please tell me you
can hear me! You have to get everyone down into the plant!”
Link’s whole face trembled as
she waited to hear a response but when a voice did crackle across the
communication console it did not bring her any relief.
-- Is that
Sycamore’s girl? What are you doing up at the lookout at a time like this? You
need to get down from their now! It’s not safe; we’re having an earthquake! --
“It’s not an earthquake Mayor
Cross but there’s no time to explain! Please, you have to tell everyone to hide
in the plant!”
-- Go
underground during an earthquake? Have you lost it girl?! –
“Father, please!”
Grabbing the mouth piece Elliot
pushed Link to the side and addressed his father with an urgent tone. The mayor
seemed more annoyed hearing Elliot’s voice than he did Link’s and laid into the
young man.
-- Elliot?!
Don’t tell me that you’re enabling Sycamore’s girl at a time like this! Get
down from there now! –
“We have every intention to
father, but this is not an earthquake. If you don’t issue the order to evacuate
then everyone in town will die!”
-- What is going
on Elliot? –
“Father, there’s no time!
… Father?”
Elliot’s face paled as no voice
responded to his own from over the console. Breaking into a cold sweat he tried
tapping a button on the console a number of times and called out on the edge of
panic.
“…Father…?”
Again no response was forth
coming from the console but the lookout station began to tremble violently. The
external overgrowth was shaken loose and the windows and glass within began to
crack before shattering plunging the lookout into the near darkness as a massive
dust cloud washed over it. Elliot did not seem to notice however as his eyes widened
and his voice cracked and he called again into the mouthpiece of the communication
console.
“Father, please answer me! You
have to order the retreat… …Father…?”
Still no reply came from the
console and with the howling of the wind it was unlikely had one come that
Elliot would have even heard it. Even within the lookout Link was failing to be
heard over the roaring dust storm that drowned out even the creaking of the lookout
as the floor, walls, and ceiling all buckled. Giving up on screaming at him
Link took her fist in her right hand and then smashed her elbow into Elliot’s
stomach. Doubling over against the blow Elliot lowered his head so that it was
level with Link’s and she took it firmly in her hands and locked eyes with him.”
“THERE’S NO TIME! WE HAVE TO AT
LEAST SAVE OURSELVES!”
Elliot just stared at Link
dumbstruck and her face scrunched up in anger and desperation. Leaning back to
build up energy Link again smashed her forehead into Elliot’s head and near
knocked him senseless. Releasing his head and grabbing his flailing arm she
turned to drag him towards a staircase hidden in the floor beyond the consoles.
Turning is all that she accomplished as a boulder suddenly tore through the back
wall of the lookout and took most of it with it as it passed.
“No…”
Link breathed out the word into the
raging storm of dust and thrown cliff side as her escape route had been taken
from her. Turning to look back into the valley that was soon to be no more
beyond the wall she stood at the top of she could no longer even see the
Foreigner city. Helpless to do much more though Link still looked in the
direction that she had last seen it in before the entire lookout station and the
tower and wall it was a part of collapsed from the force of the ancient, aerial
city tearing its way through the face of Icarus.
~ Five
hundred years ago mankind tempted fate and the Foreigners.
The reward for their hubris was the face of Icarus being razed by the light rays of the Foreigner cities.
For the last ten years I have watched those cities occasionally drift across the sky.
I would dream of the lands that they under the gaze of the Eyes of Icarus had seen.
I would dream of one day finding adventure while watching the sky.
I would dream of the adventures the Foreigner city I followed would lead me to.
Never did I have the nightmare that one would force me into the world, destroying all I held dear. ~
The reward for their hubris was the face of Icarus being razed by the light rays of the Foreigner cities.
For the last ten years I have watched those cities occasionally drift across the sky.
I would dream of the lands that they under the gaze of the Eyes of Icarus had seen.
I would dream of one day finding adventure while watching the sky.
I would dream of the adventures the Foreigner city I followed would lead me to.
Never did I have the nightmare that one would force me into the world, destroying all I held dear. ~
Copyright © 2019 Joshua D Tarwater
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