Oath of the Survivor

Kyle’s shuttle touched down several kilometers from Nierburg.  The landscape around the city had changed dramatically from when Kyle had first arrived nearly two years ago.  The forest that once surrounded the city had been razed to the ground.  The remains of spiked fortifications and earthworks dotted the approach towards the walls.  Kyle could still see smoldering mounds where the ant corpses had been piled up and burned.  His heart sank as he took in the sight.  The attack was worse than I imagined. 

He could have had the shuttle drop him off closer, but Kyle wanted to see the damage.  He wanted to better understand what the pocket of Earth’s survivors had been through.  Solemnly, he walked across the ruined battlefield.  Every crater, every scorch mark told a story of a life-or-death struggle.  Even C.H.A.D.D. seemed to recognize the gravity of the situation, remaining uncharacteristically quiet as they made their way towards the city. 

As he approached the outer wall, Kyle remembered the greeting he’d been given the first two times he’d been to the city.  The lack of lightning flashing down at him was a welcome change, and a figure atop the wall signaled for the gate to be opened.  He was met by two uniformed, armed men on the other side.  One of the men stepped forward, hand tightening around his spear.

“State your business, stranger.”

“I’m here to visit Garth Boltsbury and a few others in the city.  Corthian Mining should have sent word that I was set to arrive today.”

“Aye, that they did.” The other man spoke, venom in his voice clear through his thick accent.  “Nice of you to finally show up, now that the fightin’s over.  Did’ja bring any friends with you this time to break more of our wall?”

Despite the verbal jabs, neither man barred his path.  He was disappointed by the reaction, if not entirely surprised.  Had he been informed of the situation by Chester, he would have been here to help.  The reality was, he hadn’t been told, and he’d been working tirelessly to help secure a future for these people.  The promise of a far-off reward paled in comparison to the losses they’d suffered in the moment.  Kyle understood that.  He met each man’s eyes in turn, his piercing green gaze causing them to look away.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that I wasn’t here.  I’m sorry for the people you lost.”

With that, he strode past the group and into the city.  He wasn’t going to belabor the point, or offer more than he had.  Kyle felt their eyes linger on him as he moved deeper into the city.  This entrance was a good distance away from the section Chester rebuilt, and while the streets were relatively free from debris, he could still see the scars from the battle that took place.  People were still bustling, patching damaged sections of homes and businesses.

This area, much like all of the residential districts near the wall, consisted of mostly unawakened.  The buildings were more worn-down, and he felt as much as saw the attention of the residents as he wound through the streets.  Grumblings and discontented murmurs were common as he made his way through the winding streets.  Word of his arrival seemed to have traveled fast. 

A flash of orange light was the only warning Kyle had, and he instinctively ducked as a rock sailed past where his head had been.  Baton in hand, he spun in the direction of the attack, only to see a child no older than ten standing in the street behind him.  There were tears in the young boy’s face, cutting through the dirt and grime on his cheeks.

“You should have been here!” the boy sobbed.  “My daddy died, because you weren’t here!  You left us!  Why did you leave us?” 

A group of adults ran over to the child, a woman taking him protectively in her arms while several men stood between Kyle and the boy.  He saw a hint of fear in their eyes, and a lot of anger.  Damn.  The resentment that these people held ran deep, and there wasn’t much Kyle could do about it.  A darker, colder part of him though it was almost funny that the same people who thought he was powerful enough to have fought off the ant swarm were equally confident they could direct their frustration at him without consequences. 

Kyle pushed that thought down as he took a stabilizing breath.  The time he’d spent alone in the wild had stirred up some bitterness that he’d need to work through as well.  Returning the baton to the loop on his belt, Kyle continued to walk towards the center of town without saying a word. 

As he moved towards the center of the city, the damage to the city began to progressively lessen, though the looks he received grew more numerous.  The people were better dressed, but their attitudes were the same.  At this point, Kyle was irritated.  He didn’t expect to be welcomed as a hero, or even get a particularly warm reception.  He understood that some people may have held expectations of him that were unrealistic.  But the whole damn city? 

An hour later, Kyle finally made it to the front steps of Central Administration.  He was trying to hide the frustration he was feeling, though he suspected it wasn’t going as well as he’d hoped given people were now giving him a wide berth.  His anger faded as he walked in the front door, when he saw Thomas waiting to greet him.  The man with sandy blonde hair offered a grin, and shook Kyle’s hand.

“Took you long enough!  What, did you get lost on the way in?”

“Something like that.  If I knew that Nierburg hated me so much, I would have met you outside the city.”

Thomas’ eyes looked tired at the comment, and he looked around the lobby at the other people casting sideways glances.  “Come with me to Garth’s office.  We can talk about it there.  By the way, it’s good to see you, Kyle.”

The two chatted amicably as they wound their way through the labyrinthine building.  Thomas was excitedly asking about the experience in space and the different places Kyle visited, while also sharing stories about the goings on in Nierburg in the past year.  C.H.A.D.D. in turn shared its highlight reels as they walked, which were met with even more excitement from Thomas.  Kyle basked in the feeling of just being treated like anybody else.  For the duration of their walk, he wasn’t the ‘Onyx Warrior.’  He wasn’t a monster, he wasn’t a hero.  He was simply a friend. 

They finally arrived at Garth’s office, and the door was open.  The grizzled warrior sat inside, poring over a veritable mountain of paperwork.  He looked up with bleary eyes, and offered a tired smile as he gestured for Kyle to come in. 

“Got your delivery, boss!  One D Grade superhero, as requested.”  Thomas patted Kyle’s shoulder, before he continued.  “I’m going to head back downstairs and keep this place running.  It was great talking with you, Kyle.”

Kyle smiled as he shook the other man’s hand once again, before sitting in the chair opposite Garth.  Without thinking, Kyle activated IDENTIFY, looking around the room for surveillance.  It was a habit he’d gotten into when he entered every room on the flagship, and one that he intended to keep.  Satisfied there were no prying eyes, he relaxed.

“It’s good to see you, Garth.”

“Good to see you too, kid.  C.H.A.D.D., still working on that onboarding paperwork.”

[MR. BOLTSBURY, IT HAS BEEN WELL OVER A YEAR.  I HARBOR DOUBTS THAT IT’S NEAR THE TOP OF YOUR PRIORITY LIST.]

That earned a smile from both men, though Kyle’s expression soon grew serious. 

“The attack was a lot worse than I heard, and people really seem to hate me for it.  What happened, Garth?”

“DeRosa happened.  If it isn’t one thing, it’s another with him.  If he wasn’t so damn useful, I’d have asked you to kill him already.”

“Has he really contributed that much?”

“And more.  The man’s a bureaucratic genius.  If he hadn’t designed the infrastructure for vertical farms inside the city, we might have starved when the ants came.  His priorities are upside-down, but he’s also done a lot of good.”

Kyle folded his arms over his chest.  “He tried to have me killed.”

“And I’m not excusing that.  At this point, a lot of the damage is done.  I’m more interested in talking about where we go from here.”

“From Corthian Mining’s side, the expedition was sloppy but profitable.  What I can gather, Nierburg is going to be the staging ground for evacuation. Shuttles should start arriving in about a month, each should be able to transport roughly ten thousand people.”

Garth jotted down a note.  “My understanding is the shuttles will be coming in waves, do you know anything about potential differences between them?”

“Nothing that I’m aware of.  It should be the same types of ships, same drop off location, the works.  Are you planning on going with the first wave?”

“No, I’ll plan on going with the final wave of shuttles.  I’m sending most of the members of my squad on the first to get things prepared, but I want to make sure that everything on this end runs smoothly.”

Seeing how much influence DeRosa has, that’s probably a good idea, Kyle thought. 

Garth continued.  “There’s also a good number of people that don’t intend to leave.  Some think it’s a hoax, others don’t trust that the mining company from outer space has our interests in mind.  Speaking of, do you have any idea what quality of life will look like when the first groups arrive?”

Kyle shook his head.  “None at all.”  He paused for a moment, then continued.  “Corthian Mining has some openings for awakened, and it seems like they’re interested in hiring from Earth.  If there are people interested, it might not hurt.”

A shadow fell over Garth’s face.  “So they’re extorting us.  Give them labor, after they stripped our planet for resources, otherwise we might not get a fair shake?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.  Just that there can be opportunities out there.  For some of us, anyway.”

Garth met Kyle’s eyes, a serious expression on his face.  “And what kind of opportunities do you think are waiting for you?”

Kyle exhaled slowly.  “I’m really not sure.  I think I understood it before, but coming here, seeing how people feel about me… I don’t belong here.  I haven’t belonged here for a long time.”

“Really?  You’re ok leaving your fellow Earthlings, fellow humans?”

“Am I still human, Garth?”

The room was silent for a moment as the two men sat.  Finally, Garth nodded, a sad smile on his face.  “There’s a lot out there for you to see, Kyle.  I hope you know you still have friends here, no matter what other people might say.”

The two men spoke a while longer, until Kyle got an alert on his nav bracelet.  His pickup was scheduled to depart at nightfall, which was just a few hours away.  He stood, and shook Garth’s hand.  “Take care of your people here, Garth.  They’re going to need you more than ever.”

Garth nodded solemnly.  “And whether they appreciate it or not, they needed you, too.  Hell, they still might.”  He gripped Kyle’s hand firmly.  “It’s been an honor, kid.  Best of luck.”

With that, Kyle left Central Administration and made his way towards the earthwork wall Chester built.  As he approached the neighborhood where the Santos family lived, the glares and looks began to fade.  Many of the refugees he’d saved had settled in this part of the city. 

“Uncle Kyle!  You’re late.”

He smiled as he saw Amalia, the young girl standing with hands on her hips.  “Come on!  Grandpa is almost done making dinner.” 

Kyle followed her, listening to her chat about her friends, school, and any other topic that crossed her mind.  He waved at familiar faces, trading greetings with laborers going about their business.  As before, this area was more run-down than the heart of the city, with damage from the attack still clear on the buildings. 

They reached the Santos household, where Frank was chopping vegetables.  He greeted Kyle with a broad smile, putting down the knife and wrapping the younger man in a bear hug.  “Thank you for coming to see us before you go.”

Kyle felt his gut clench, and he held back tears.  He spent the next two hours with the family, laughing, talking, and sharing stories of his adventures.  Amalia was enraptured by the projections C.H.A.D.D. showed, and before he knew it, it was time to go.  He bid them farewell, stomach full, and left the city through the gate.  He was cutting the timing close, though a quick activation of IGNITION allowed him to cover much of the distance quickly.  He looked back at the city once more, before stepping onto the shuttle.  Goodbye.  It was the last time he would set foot on planet Earth.