Lyna Clifford sat across from her grandfather, Linus, in the red leather back seats of one of their private limousines, heading towards the Freederts facility to choose her first Kindler, which would solidify her status in society. The tires rolled along an old desert road and Lyna's stomach lurched with every bump. She focused on the scraping sound of sand as it ricocheted off the windows to keep her nausea at bay. There was no other vehicle for a few hundred miles, and the nearest town was just as far out. Nothing but a dry, dusty wasteland with the sun at its peak in the sky, its rays mercilessly beating down on the landscape.
They sat in silence. Lyna was darting her glances back and forth from the windows to her grandfather and from the floor to her over the shoulder bag that was resting on her lap. The thoughts swirling inside her brain were making her jittery. Who was she going to choose? Would they be like how she was hoping? Strong and stubborn? Considerate and cunning? Or was she going to mess up on what might be the most important day of her life? Thinking these things made her all frazzled as much as she was nervous. She wouldn't admit it, but the anticipation was killing her, and despite the storm of feelings going on inside, she refused to let them show. If she expressed too much emotion, she feared being looked down upon. As a Spur living a lavish life, she had a respected reputation to uphold.
Linus had his eyes closed, but they suddenly jerked open and stared at Lyna with a serious intent. "Oh, I almost forgot," he dug into his inside jacket pocket as he spoke and then pulled out an object wrapped in a white-laced handkerchief, "To give this to you before you begin the selection process." He held it out with his shaky hand that was covered in wrinkles and liver spots. "This belonged to me when I was a few years older than you are, and it served me well. Now I want you to have it."
Lyna took the offering, and it was heavy as soon as she was holding it. She unwrapped the handkerchief and inside was a .22 semi-automatic pistol. Pure-blooded steel and equipped with a laser pointer atop the barrel for targeting, a custom design since Lyna knew she had shot a gun only a few times in her whole life. It had an extra cartridge of bullets infused with Nexus Cells accompanying it, adding to the weight. On one side, the initials "L.C." were engraved into the pistol in black bold letters. Lyna studied the weapon, turning it over and over in her hands. Then she realized what it was for. She might need it today.
"Is this really necessary, Grandpa?" she asked.
"For protection, yes," he replied to his granddaughter. He reached over the middle seat to touch Lyna's arm lightly. She shivered as his quiet strength transferred up her arm.
Not only was he the family's head of their household, but her grandfather was also recently retired as the most eminent and distinguished Spurs of the era. As the family's last living specimen of exaltation in the Spur world, it was also Linus's duty to teach Lyna everything he knew so that one day she would be able to take up the mantle. Now the wheels of fate have already begun to turn towards that kind of future for her.
"You should know by now all records show that the Freederts research facilities and housing projects are a dangerous place, even for its inhabitants. And can be especially so for Spurs such as us," Linus continued. "Some cases have shown that most will attack any newcomers on sight, such as yourself, my dear. You are this family's only living heir to our legacy, after all. You need to try to think of your own well-being."
"I suppose so," Lyna responded with a sigh, feeling somewhat relieved, still looking down at the gun in her hands. The responsibility was weighing but rewarding. It was only natural for a Spur to be used to violence and conflict, but confrontation had always been a challenging spot for her.
Linus smiled, noticing his granddaughter's concern. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I have the utmost faith in you always. You'll be just fine, as long as you properly utilize what you've learned. Remember now: make fast decisions while inside the Freederts, move things along swiftly with the officials and technologists there, and try to stay out of trouble. I know how you have the tendency to dive headfirst into unnecessary action, and the last thing I want is to see you hurt."
"I know, Grandpa." Lyna looked up at last, feeling that any excitement she'd felt before was zapped from her. This was supposed to be her choice, though. Her big moment. Not his. She met the gaze of her grandfather with a sparkle in her eyes, and then she gave a newly determined smile to show that she understood and was ready. "Alright then! I'll give it my best!" she exclaimed.
She'll do anything he asked of her, no matter what it was. If she wasn't ambitious about being a Spur: at best, she'd get lectured by her only blood family out of disappointment, which already gives her the despair she never wanted; and at worst, she'd be kicked out of her own home and have nowhere to go.
"Sir, we've just arrived at the Freederts' checkpoint," the driver said to Linus upon rolling down the divider glass, fixing his gaze into the rear-view mirror for a moment before staring back at the road ahead, "We should be inside the facility's main lobby shortly."
"Ah, very good!" Linus proclaimed and tapped the bottom of his cane twice on the carpeted floor of the limousine. "Go ahead, Lyna. Roll down your window and take a gander at this privileged sight. They don't allow just anyone to visit the Freederts, after all."
With the obedience of a well-trained dog, Lyna nodded and did as she was advised. Once the window was down, she poked her head out, feeling the blistering gusts against her skin as it blew back her bright pink hair. And what she saw was far beyond what she had previously expected.
"Oh, wow!"
The building itself was a colossal hub of iron and rock that glistened in the afternoon sunlight, glowing most likely from the Nexus Cells scientifically infused into them. It was about fifty stories tall and as wide as twenty sports stadiums combined into one. Gargantuan walls stacked into the sandy grounds surrounded it on the perimeter, creating boundaries between what belonged to the Freederts and what remained in the rest of the desert. There also sat a clear dome-like structure covering the iron beast, most likely to block off blazing heat from the baking source of the sun. The facility that they were visiting was located on the outskirts of the western deserts, known merely as Storage Unit B03-AS. The significance of the numbering was to separate and easily identify each and every different Freederts facility around the world.
Yet still, Lyna found it hard to believe how many Kindlers there could really be living inside. As well as how many of the world's best scientists were occupying its laboratories while studying the ways and behaviors of each and every Kindler, from veteran to amateur. Even the functions and structure of the state-of-the-art Nexus Cells that are constantly being absorbed and regenerated within those walls were of knowledge beyond normal comprehension, and certainly a factor she could never truly grasp around. It strained Lyna's brain just thinking about it. The world she'd known her whole life seemed too small. But she wanted to learn more. Her whole body itched with eagerness, and an excited smile crossed her face.
Their limousine soon drove through the front gates of the innermost building after verifying its identity, and then parked in the middle of a huge, spacious room shortly afterward. The doors were opened by gracious gentlemen in black suits who were patiently awaiting their arrival, and out stepped both Lyna and Linus onto the smooth white marble floors that reflected their figures and forms like mirrors from the ground up. The entrance's high ceilings left behind an echo in each of their footsteps.
In a moment's notice, Lyna quickly decided to put her newly acquired gun in her shoulder strap bag, wrapping it back up in its handkerchief and tucking it away safely between some books and the lunch that her favored maid Riley made and packed for her earlier that morning. Soon enough, she found herself in awe once again by the foundation and the interior structures, seeing it all as a fascinating new discovery. She planned to make a special indication of this place inside her mind so that she wouldn't soon forget it.
"Hello there!" a masculine voice spoke up suddenly, and it made Lyna jump a little bit.
She had been so tranced by the very foundation of the Freederts that she didn't even notice a young male scientist had already approached them, shook hands with her grandfather, and tried to introduce himself to her. Getting distracted so easily was not a good sign. She'd have to be more careful from here on in.
In her own opinion, she found it rather hard to believe that someone one so young-looking could be an elite worker and researcher for the Freederts. He seemed to be no older than his mid-twenties. Standing tall and firm, his dark indigo hair almost shimmering beneath the artificial light, and he had dimples on his cheeks as he smiled gently at his guests. He also was wearing a pair of thin glasses, which made him look even more professional.
Someone of this young man's nature and impression would be a perfect future husband for her, Linus thought to himself. But he knew better than anybody else that his little granddaughter still has long ways to go before considering something like that.
Lyna did an extravagant gesture of lifting one side on the hem of her blazer jacket with one hand and placing the other over her heart while simultaneously giving a slight bow, closing her eyes and smiling nervously, "Greetings. Thank you for taking your time to welcome us into your facilities." From a tender age, she's been tutored to speak very formal, almost elegiac, when outside the home. Otherwise, she's sure to come off as unbearably vulgar around people. At least, that's what she was taught.
"Likewise," the scientist chuckled, "You seem to be a very well-mannered young woman."
"I appreciate the kind compliment," Lyna continued, "I'm very excited to meet my Kindler."
"Well, you must know that you'll be picking them out yourself, then."
"Yes, of course, Doctor…um…" Lyna stumbled along her trail of thought as she had totally missed the scientist's name. She was embarrassed.
He let out a bark of laughter, "Ha! It's Smith, my dear. My name is Dr. Titus Smith."
"Yes! Dr. Smith, of course! So, shall we get to it?"
It seemed a little bit impolite to have asked that. She didn't mean it in a demanding way, and she never did like bossing others around, regardless of the fact she comes from an extremely sophisticated and high-class household equipped with loyal servants. It clenched at her from inside her chest, but it was too late to take it back now.
Titus didn't mind it, though. He simply gestured one hand to have her follow him into the nearby corridors through a doorway that had opened up for them as the walls began to rumble and shake slightly and then reveal a passageway hidden behind them. Lyna took a glance over her shoulder to see her grandfather standing beside the limousine, and he stared back at her with a smile, trying to reassure her that she can be capable.
The walls closed back up as soon as she and the scientist entered into the secret corridor, but Lyna kept her eyes fixated on her grandfather even while walking forward until he was inevitably cut off by the wall. Their footsteps tapped loudly on smooth glass-like floor and the noise ricocheted off the walls and ceiling into Lyna's head, ringing in her ears.
"Do you mind if I ask where it is you're leading me to?" she asked out of inquisitiveness.
Dr. Smith didn't respond. He didn't even acknowledge her question. This made Lyna feel like she was coming on too strong. She knew nothing about this place's interior, but supposedly that mean she had to suddenly badger the man for all of the answers. So she decided it'd be best to stay quiet.
After several minutes of walking, the corridor seemed to be sprawling in length. This is what Lyna began to think was happening here because they have yet to reach their designated checkpoint, little that she knew of. The awkward silence between them was eating her alive.
She opened her mouth to say something, though she didn't know which words she should choose, but as she did, she heard an unexpected thumping noise coming from above the ceiling. Each thump vibrated down the walls and into Lyna's feet as they touched the floor. She looked up toward the sheets of stainless steel over her head while she continued to stroll forward, wondering what could possibly be up there.
The thumps got louder as if they were following them down the lengthways of the corridor. It made Lyna's fear spark up high. Her heart pounded inside her chest and she couldn't look away from the ceiling.
Only a few minutes later, she abruptly bumped into the back of Dr. Titus Smith's white lab coat, causing her to stumble and regain focus to her preferable vision ahead of her. He faced her with a grin that ensured everything will be alright.
Lyna pondered on what was going to happen next when the floor at their feet began to rumble and shake. Lyna nearly lost her balance, grabbing onto Dr. Smith's arms to steady herself as the floor started to move upward. Then the ceiling, just as the walls before it, opened up like a vault, sliding to the sides and exposing the darkness above and into it.
The floor took them up and up and up more, with floodlights turning on with motion sensors as they passed each section. Lyna knew not of where this elevator would take them, but all she could do was trust the scientist. Just as she was told to do so many times by her house's residentials before she arrived at the Freederts.
Lyna shut her eyes tightly more from the surprise than the actual rapid force sending her and Dr. Smith upward. She gripped his arm to the point that it hurt him, but he didn't complain. She was afraid, never having experienced anything like this before.
"Excuse me, you can open your eyes now."
She did so with hesitation. It was only then she realized the floor had already stopped moving, locked in place, and it was much brighter than it had been previously. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the strong illumination surrounding them both, and she raised one hand to her face to block the direct light shining into her pupils.
Squinting hard at first, but a few minutes in time went by quickly, and her vision finally regulated to everything around her. Her first intake of her surroundings was a clear glass tube-like cylinder, one large enough to fit them both inside as they stood over a city.
Wait…what?!
Lyna blinked her eyelids several times as if waking from a dream and still trying to process reality. Then she stared into the vast distance where she could make out a tall wall. It went all the way up to a high ceiling that was like ginormous flood lights shining radiance onto what was below, like in place of the sun.
She almost lost her sight when she looked up at the light, but soon shifted her gaze back towards the ground. This was definitely a lost city. At the center of the entire facility is where this metropolis sat.
"What I am showing you here," he began, "Is technically not meant for the eyes of most, the public per se, even Spurs. "I have decided to make an exception for you."
Lyna didn't look at him when he said this. She was in awe, pressing the palms of her hands and even her face up against the inside of the glass cylinder to get a better look. She scanned up and down every street, every walkway, and every rooftop, pondering as to what use the Freederts had a dirty, crumbling city for. Then it hit her.
"Um, do you…" she looked back at Dr. Smith, trying to formulate the question on her lips as her whole body shook with anticipation, "I mean, do all the Freederts, like, actually have all their Kindlers, uh…living in this city?"
He didn't respond right away. He just smiled. Nothing intimidating, of course, it was more of a reassuring smile if not anything else.
In any case, he eventually said, "I'm afraid I cannot release any verbal details about this or answer any question you may have. But all of this you are seeing is, in fact, confidential data, information that you must, here and now, swear on your life that you will never tell a soul." As he spoke, he walked up to her and leaned his face into hers to show he was serious. Lyna felt uncomfortable but quickly complied with a nod. "So, what kind of Kindler are you looking for?" he abruptly asked.
"Well, shouldn't I find someone who is strong and can fight?" Lyna questioned.
"No, no, what I mean is are there any certain traits in your Kindler you'd like them to have?"
"Oh, right!" Lyna realized her mistake on the matter, "I was actually hoping for one who is strong-willed and innovative, someone who'd be willing to be…my friend," she spoke too quietly in the last few words.
"Pardon?" Titus inquired.
"You see, the truth is the only people I've ever genuinely interacted with are my grandfather and my servants in my estate. Outside of that, for me, it's nothing but constantly studying the family business. So, yeah, I've never had a true friend before. I thought that if I became a Spur, I'd have more than enough opportunities to meet new people, and I can eventually find my friend group."
Dr. Smith tried to stifle his laughter but quickly couldn't contain himself. "Hahaha! That certainly is quite the dream you've got there! Does your grandfather know you are looking for a friend in your Kindler?"
"Nope," she fidgeted with her fingers, twiddling her thumbs, "As a matter of fact, you're the only person I've told this to."
"Well then, I assure you your secret is safe with me."
Lyna smiled, "Okay, good. But um, the thing is…I just don't understand it."
"Don't understand what?" he smirked.
"I mean, why did you bring me here when you say this isn't part of the normal initiation for new Spurs?"
"Well…"
But Dr. Smith never answered, for there was an ear splitting crash coming from one far end of the city below them. A firefly-green tornado swirled into view and was approaching the glass cylinder protecting both Lyna and Dr. Smith. Lyna looked in the direction of the approaching storm and her jaw dropped. Within the blasts of wind, there were speckles of bright blue flames sparking and burning their way into the green tornado. no matter how many times they were getting extinguished.
"Ah! Looks like he's at it again." Dr. Smith stated.
Lyna turned back to him and tilted her head, "Wait, who's he?"
"Someone very special, of course. You'll find out soon…" he said ambiguously.
With a jolt, the green tornado collided into the platform glass cylinder. The blue fire embedded into the winds blasted alongside the glass and heated it up to the point of melting. An explosion of dust and smoke rose into the air as a result. It shook the glass cylinder and Lyna lost her balance.
In a split second, a large piece of debris from the residential area's ground level flew through the air and smashed against the outside of the cylinder, right behind where Lyna was standing. Particles of wreckage broke open and the glass shattered into a million pieces. Lyna tried to regain her footing, but everything was shaking too much.
Soon enough, the whole world was moving backwards, slowly at first, but then gradually got quicker in pace due to the forces of gravity. Shards of broken glass flew into midair and then began to plummet, following after her. The balcony was getting smaller and smaller, only for her to eventually comprehend that it was getting further and further away. She reached out one hand as if to grasp onto something to try and delay or even avoid the inevitable, but it was futile. And just like that, Lyna realized she was falling.
Yet the strangest thing, while it may have just been a brief delirious hallucination brought on by the shock, she could have sworn a malicious smile crossed Dr. Smith's face, like he wanted this to happen and knew it would, as he looked down upon her as he began to get smaller and smaller, becoming no more than a speck in her peripheral view. That's when he shouted to her as his voice began to fade, "Find the blue-haired boy! He'll help you!" and then he was out of sight.
She wanted to scream, but all that escaped her lips when she tried to let her voice ring out was a soft and simple, "Ah…Huh?!"
Her heart pounded like it was about to burst out of her chest. With her back still facing the ground below, her whole body went numb. She couldn't find her voice to scream, but her mouth hung wide open. The bangs and fringes of her hair were sent into her eyes, obscuring her vision and all she could see was a swaying pink. As soon as she met the earth again, she hit the back of her head. A sharp pain resonated within her brain and then the last thing she saw was blackness.