CUBE CAPITAL, CITY
After running some errands and delivery services. Saturday night was one of his busy days. He was tired due to his hectic schedule. Raj was going home to his compartment bodega where he was staying.
From the dark alley where he was walking patiently, five men emerged from the shadows and cornered him a block away towards his destination.
"You," pointing his hands towards Raj as they approached him.
"Do you have anything in there?" one of them shouldered him. Then he already realized at this point that he was surrounded. They all laughed at him. He was speaking at the back of his mind, "I thought it is safe when there are no sounds of sirens at night?"
Raj was perplexed. His muscles were trembling and moving on their own. Recklessly he attempted to run wildly because he was feeling terrified. He did not have anything to bring to the table. Yet, he was up to speed before these individuals jumped like rabbits and frogs bouncing off the nearby walls and buildings that surrounded him. They caught him, gathered around him these individuals beat him up so gravely.
Axel witnessed everything from the beginning at a distance. He was on duty and was chilling his way up these parking lots inside the buildings. Astonished by the men that sparked its fist as they were beating him. It glowed like a light bulb and buzzed like a razor.
Working on reporting his updates. He reported the incident to his teammates, "targets approaching west," and he followed the group muted with his actions. Raj was still half conscious. Feeling the cut and swelling of his eyes he could not move. His lungs were like punctured balloons as he breathed heavily gasping for air.
Axel's subordinates were advanced and ahead. The five men did not have the chance to defend themselves even when they were equipped with loaded weapons. Helpless as they were chained and tossed inside the car.
The men clenched and charged their fists. A charge of surging energy traveled towards trying to resist, Axel appeared swiftly behind him breaking his neck. "is this all we got?" wiping his hands. "there was nothing else," Lee replied taking the front seat of the car.
Sirens are wailing. Before he lost consciousness Raj saw a man approaching him. "why did the sirens coming from- "he passed out with the series of colors blue and red fading before his eyes. When he woke up, he realized he was already in his bodega room. Raj was still adjusting to the city life. Knowing he had to be careful he never came late because he thought "I might get beaten up so badly again."
The next night he went home early, losing his composure. Every time Mr. Mario requested of him to run errands and twilight approaches his body would be under tremor like there was an earthquake happening inside his skin. "It is a delicate hour for me, and I might get tripped again."
Coming home late at night for the last Saturday of the month. It came to his notice someone was stalking him. He doubled his walking speed but suddenly he bumped into a solid strange-like wall. It was the person that was stalking him.
"I'm sorry sir" Keeping his head down he walked straight but the person behind him seemed badly disappointed. "Apology not accepted, boy," you need to pay for that. These men are one of those city thugs who wander the city at night. Upon checking that he has nothing in him, no cash, no jewelry. The man pounded his heavy fist toward him.
It was almost near the same spot where he was ganged up the last time. Axel was inspecting the place, observing the same spot on the roof. "Disoriented if will he be helping Raj this time."
Driven around the corner the shadow hid them from the shining lamp. Axel's view was still vivid. The wall caught his back as he accepted the jabs offered to him.
Incapacitated now. A snap of memory from his grandmother flashed through his mind. Fainting but he still managed to gather his last strength. "STOOP!" he exclaimed. The man that tripped him flung and fainted towards the opposite wall.
Axel immediately called his subordinates. Arriving at the scene, both are unconscious. Axel jumped in rescue "Oh boy, tsk what clumsy you are." while Axel was observing at a distance, he finally saw what he wanted to expect. He brought Raj to Mr. Mario and left it in his hands, like the last time. Mr. Mario dragged him up toward his room.
Axel visits him in the store. There were still no signs of him and he waited patiently "Ouch..." Raj went back to his consciousness as he was getting up and preparing for work. "Stay low boy." He rests him around the corner. "Axel?"
"Go home already, you should practice at least a little self-defense." He was thinking he might as well offer some help to him. But he knew with what he observed he could manage himself sooner. "I can defend myself I'm just afraid I might hurt and harm these people." Raj was always soft.
Axel anticipated a little of this. He knew it even from the very simplest. But still, he knew he needed at least to remind him "and get beaten up? The city is different man." He tries to ease himself up it already came at the back of his mind that he was too soft "Lose that compassionate self of yours."
"I'll get going now. Take care from here and take care of your injuries" he wanted to say something, but his thought was still dubious.
Another day off came. Raj went to the city's capital and searched if he could learn something. Hoping for a sign, or a person that has some information about his father. He asked every person he met. The malodorous odor almost stopped him from going to possible places he could search. He brought with him his chest some fliers from his job and another one that he just picked up on some street.
"This one's the same in my chest, huh?" his eyes widened when he saw the same picture. "I wonder where I could find these," Raj went to proceed with his data gathering. He met Axel along his way "There you are! Where are you going?" unknown with his intent. "nowhere really," Axel thought his grumpy tone was already part of his usual tone. "just finishing some businesses." pursuing his steps. "So, before you came here, where are you from? Before really like from before?" Raj nodded as he listened "Uh huh."
"I came from the province of a village A Hundred-Acre Woods just ten miles from the south and decided to dwell here after my grandma died. There is nothing I can do in that place anymore we lived together for years and..." Raj raised his shoulders. He sighs. "So, why the city? You can just also live there peacefully."
"Of course, I do but I came in search of this". Showing Axel, the flier that he just found some part of the city that flew in front of him. "This one? Why is the hell interested in such a delicate corporation…organization…something?
"Perhaps what I know is that they already closed down, after that incident 17 years ago that blew up their whole research lab… was that or their office building or lab?" he questions himself.
"I'm not sure, I was not yet born that moment" his tone suddenly changed to sentimental "I was just raised in an orphan you see and I'm also working under some organization. I started working early to support myself."
Axel is a city boy raised in an orphan, as a child he does not know where he belongs or who his real parents are. The typical orphanage usually releases children like animals from the wild, in their case to the corporate world, when they reach the legal age which is twelve by law. The orphanage that nursed him said that he was left out by the benches in the park, and a stranger brought him to that place.
"History is somewhat confusing. You cannot just listen to the talks. Nobody knows what had happened, you are not present at that moment so you cannot tell properly." Axel sighs.
"Why? What is with that story? It seems intriguing." Raj suddenly became attentive.
"It is, that organization's building just blew suddenly, according to stories they had some badass studies and experiments. Ten years ago, but up until now it still has its remnants everywhere out of nowhere. They have what they call these-it was on the tip of his tongue- Zodiac thing. Like what you saw in the store. Such power. It was said that the organization blew up a whole bunch of those shiny-like things and the explosion traveled around the world."
"There was this fallen star event that had happened where they got the ingots for their experiment. It was just a myth. History when passed became myths." He stopped and peered intently.
"Oh, was that it? That thing? How do you even describe that?" Raj became even more curious. "So, you don't know anything about those?" Axel looks around and grabs a seat. "There was what they call Zodiac, I call it the same thing. It enhances the individual's strength and can produce…or convert that energy into much more something useful like electricity or flames…but…of course, you cannot use this electricity to power your lightbulb. Certain laws surround them that nobody knows."
In response Raj shared some of his experience from his province "In the province it is different, no problems that much only physical pains from my grandma. Well at least before, while she was still living." His sorrowful face replaced his neutral-looking face.
Inside Axel's mind "If he doesn't know anything about those then why is it that I sensed it," he became even confused more.
The zodiac is what they call the detritus that bears a certain amount of energy that tags along the remnants. A huge number of the population suffered from the explosion years ago. A huge cloud covered the city. You would be forced to tilt your head upwards as the air continues to spread the fog of overpowering smoke. No number of firefighters would be enough to turn down the fire. They waited for days for the fire to reside and for the skies to reveal themselves. It was extreme terror. Ten years had passed, and the country still hadn't gone back up.