The door of the truck was opened into a bleak, monotone world. In the middle of everything stood an obelisk-shaped tower piercing into the dark clouds. The whole city itself was built around this tower and the buildings looked cleaner and better kept the closer they were to it. The ones closer to the wall had little to no one with masks. The ones with one wore fancy clothing.
The city was segmented into two groups: the inner circle and the outer circle. The only thing that didn't discriminate was the smog and fumes. It was dark everywhere. The only thing that was kept clean was the streets. To their credit, nobody littered. I can only imagine what the smell was like. I was suddenly grateful for these masks.
The power structure didn't surprise me; it was like the outside world. The strong ruled the weak. That rule seemed to be universal inside or out.
The soldiers started unloading the boxes. When we were finished, the officer told me to pick up the order of weapons from a shop called "Summers' Tech and Arms." They used to be a private business until they almost became bankrupt and Ark bought them to produce weapons for Verdant Canis.
I get the sneaking suspicion that Ark and its civilians don't get along well.
We were given the card, which had the address we needed to go to.
"Noah," I called through the mask's intercom system.
"Yeah?" He answered his eyes, not leaving the slums and his inhabitants.
"Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" He said, his shoulders tensed.
"Look, I think we got some time so we can go find your pare-"
"I'm fine, Jake. Let's just focus on the mission for now, alright?"
"Alright," I said as I turned off the intercom system.
We walked deeper and deeper into the street. Countless people were coughing, and their faces were pale. The clattering of footsteps was all I heard for a while. There were stalls everywhere we turned. Most of them sold coal, while some sold machine parts and some even sold fully functioning machines. Not a single food vendor was seen for miles.
Everybody except for the ones wearing masks roaming the streets was malnourished. They looked worse than the outsiders or drifters like me.
We kept walking until we passed a bright neon sign that said "Downtown," and the street became more and more cluttered with people. There were some sickly leaning against a wall while some shady people in masks hung around the dark alleyway.
I turned on the intercom and asked.
"Was it always like this?"
Noah responded.
"No, this is recent."
"Why?"
Noah breathed in deeply before saying.
"You should know that different bastions serve different functions. For example, this one mainly served as a power plant. It's the main one in region G."
"Right, the G represents the region, and the number represents the chronological order in which they are built, right?"
"Yeah," he said before continuing. "The bastion that produced food for every bastion in region G suddenly stopped sending us food."
"Any theories as to why?"
"No." He responded coldly.
Our conversation was cut short as someone started yelling down the street.
"Someone get that hoodlum!"
A boy ran through the streets, nearly crashing into the stores as he maneuvered his way. From the brief glimpse I caught of him, I could have sworn he was wearing a mask. It wasn't like our mask; it wasn't like the ones people from the inner circle were wearing either. It looked like it was made from trash.
"You!" The old man called out.
"Aren't ye one of Verdant Canis?" He asked, his eyes squinting almost to a close.
"Yeah but…"
"Then what ye waiting for? Go after em." He yelled at the top of his lungs.
When I turned my head, Noah wasn't there anymore. I had already lost him somehow. I didn't think twice. I bolted without a general aim in mind. I just didn't want to be in the streets with a stranger I barely knew yelling at me.
As I ran, I began to notice the effects of the mask. The air filtration system fed me clean air, and I felt my body becoming stronger as pure oxygen went down my lungs. This surplus of air made me run faster, and I barely felt any fatigue in my body. I felt like I could do anything.
I sprinted down the street until the buildings started to blur in my peripheral vision. Soon, I could see the boy from before, clutching a box of something that clanked as he ran. When he realized I was gaining on him, he ran into the alleyway while I remained right on his trail.
He then climbed up the building using the jagged bricks that jutted out as footholds. Blood pumping in my ears, I jumped, reaching halfway, and climbed like a madman.
'What is happening to me'
The chase continued on the rooftops. With him trying to lose me at every twist and turn. Every step I took felt like I was riding on the wind. My body was as light as a feather and my eyes as sharp as a falcon's. I was locked on to him like a predator to a prey.
"Jake?" Noah called out through the intercom.
"A little busy here," I yelled into my mask.
"Why do I hear so much wind on your side? Where are you?"
"Rooftops," I replied quickly.
"What are you doing on rooftops?"
"Chasing a thief. Where were you?"
"I uh… Never mind that; find your way to Summers' tech and arms somehow, alright?"
"Alright," I said before running into a clothesline, tumbling down the low-hanging roof tiles, and falling face-first onto the pavement.
The adrenaline rush relieved most of the pain I should have felt, and most of all, I was thankful that my mask didn't break.
I untangled myself and stood in awe at the neon signs blaring in my face. Some stores had holographic images advertising what they sold. Everywhere I turned, there was a store. I knew that I wasn't in the slums anymore, but.
'Where am I?'