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. ~

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