The Flats Chapter Three

This guy’s tower is far. Much further then I first thought and further then I’ve ever traveled from the Bastion. We’ve been walking for six days now and we only just saw the spot yesterday. The place is a huge structure jutting from the ground. It’s the first intact building I’ve seen besides home. Everyone’s a little tired from the walk. There was no action, which I guess could be good, but our food supply has also been running out much faster then anticipated. Some of the dried goods that Claire had in her pack disappeared over night and we found the footprints of some tiny animal or something around the camp. It was creepy, it’s the first sign of life besides humans I’ve ever seen. Well…except that head.1

The tower grows closer every minute. It’s the only thing to look at besides my comrades, my pack, the family. I really hope that this guy has some answers. The fact that Gygin didn’t know is surprising in and of itself but the fact that he refused to answer any questions about having met this guy before kinda ticks me off. Our leader didn’t often hide things from the hunt packs, after all we were
the ones who brought in food and kept away the Brigands. 2

You can start to see characteristics of the building. There are no windows, just smooth metal going up…and up…and up. The top of the place looks to be completely flat. There’s really not much to look at, the place resembles a giant steel pipe with no visible entrances or exits anywhere. I glance over at Wren and see that he looks a little concerned too. How do you get into a place with no doors? Claire doesn’t look concerned so I assume that Gygin told her how to get in or that she knows there’s an entrance on the other side…I hope.
Within a few hours we are standing only a few furlongs from the tower and we are halted. 3

Claire steps forward and scans the horizon, upon seeing nothing she calls out some strange word. It sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard of before and I look around at the other packmates. Everyone looks a little confused, what was she doing? What had she said? Claire turns around and looks at us and shrugs her shoulders. 4

“Gygin said to say that when we get close. He wouldn’t tell us why. Shall we find an entrance now?” As she finished speaking she turned on her heel and stomped over to the building. We followed suit and spread out, walking around it to search. I scanned the tower’s surface, but saw nothing. There wasn’t even any texture to it, at least not that I could see. I extend my arm out and reach out to touch it to test this.5

As my hand touches the cold, metallic smooth surface of the building a ripple runs through my arm and into my body. I shout and jump back surprised. Vigorously rubbing at my arms, I realize that the slight electric charge that had hit me had come from the building! It must have some type of defense mechanism.6

Two more ripples in quick succession run through the building and I hear two shouts, probably Vincent and Robin from the sound of it. It looks like the defense system isn’t that powerful, either that or its been weakened by time. This has got to be the most advanced bit of tech I’ve ever seen. I quickly walk around the circumference and meet up with the team on the other side. 7

I look at Vinent’s scowl and stifle a laugh. “Looks like the thing blasted you too. Lucky for us, it doesn’t seem all that strong. Anyway, did anyone find an entrance?” I look around, hopeful that someone will say something. However, everyone just looks around and shakes their heads. Damn.8

Claire steps toward the tower and looks the tower up and down. She seems puzzled. None of us speak, waiting to see if she has some master scheme in mind that will solve this dilemma. So we wait, and think. 9

After three tedious minutes of complete silence Vincent approaches the tower and places both hands on it. I’m a bit shocked, Vincent is usually level-headed and not hasty at all. He didn’t even tell us what he was doing!
Twin ripples flow up the tower’s surface and you can see the pain in the idiot’s face as its defenses send shocks through both of his arms; I hope he doesn’t die…Suddenly the ripples stop flowing up the tower’s surface and the expression on Vincent’s face turns into one of relief.
“What the hell did you do, Vincent? Next time you want to pull some half-assed stunt you better ask me. As pack leader you shouldn’t do something that is potentially harmful or fatal, I mean how the fuck did you know that it wouldn’t like… shoot us all or something? Oh yea, and—“ Claire’s angry rant halts abruptly as a circular opening appears right in front of Vincent. He turns around and looks at us, and shrugs.10

“I apologize, Claire. For some reason I knew to do that, it’s very strange. Is anyone else getting a sense of déjà vu? I feel as if I have been to this place before.”
Vincent’s speech attracted my attention, for what he said hit home. Yea, I don’t know why but somehow I know that I had also been to this place before. But it’s strange, I also know that I had never been out this far from the Bastion.11

“Vincent, you’re right…I recall having been here before, but this is the furthest from the Bastion I’ve ever been.”12

“Same here. Although I might have passed this place with my parents before they came to the Bastion…that was a long time ago.”13

“I also feel it,” Robin says in a slow, halting voice, “It almost feels like I should remember why also. Like something very important occurred here.”14

Claire looked at us all and shook her head, “I don’t feel anything. Maybe you all are just crazy. Anyway, let’s head inside. Vincent, you and me will take the lead, everyone else just fall in line. Lights on boys and girls, this looks like an expedition. Anyone else feel like an adventurer yet?” Claire lets out a little snicker and steps into the dark opening in the tower. 15

Somehow the comment she added on the end lay heavy like a fog, adventure hmm? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word before but now was not the time to ask what she had meant. 16

After Wren passed into the dark citadel, the portal closed. In a panic he turned around and pressed both palms against the wall like Vincent had, and the door opened again. Well at least we now knew we weren’t trapped. That was a relief.17

There was a dim illumination in the place, but I couldn’t tell where it was originating from. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. The room we had entered looked like a small, bare entrance room to some type of palace. There were ornate, yet faded, tiles lining the floor, and despite the fact that this was the only type of decoration I saw there was also a sense of royalty here.18

“So where do we go from here? I don’t see anything, doors or otherwise.” I knew I shouldn’t have spoken when everyone looked at me with wide eyes. It was then that I realized there was an…aura around this room. There is no other way to describe how it felt. I felt as if impending doom was being pressed down upon me. By now we had spread out, looking around for anything, anything at all when a glowing sphere passed into the room from the ceiling above us. I shouted and jumped back from the illuminating shape. As one we raised our guns and aimed the cruel, relentless points at it. When the edge of the shape touched the floor, the glow dississapated and a short, bent old man stood before us.19

He looked at us and glared, his speech had a strange, metallic accent to it that suggested irritation and confusion. “Who are you and how did you know how to get in?”20

“We come from Gygin, he told us that you were a wise man and could answer some important questions for us.” Claire stepped forward as our representative and the old man looked her in the eyes. 21

He nodded slowly before speaking, “Gygin eh? Well I haven’t heard from him in awhile. You must tell me how he is doing. Follow me; I will answer your questions in a room that is much more inviting.” After this he turns to one of the walls and touches it with both palms extended outward, it seems that is how one makes doors in this strange place because another portal opened that led into a well-lit room that smelled of food.22

As we walked into the room I was shocked by the scene before me. An array of entrées was spread before us on a lengthy table with elaborate plates, utensils, decorations and tablecloth. It was beautiful, and I don’t mean the fancy decoration. I have never seen so much food in one place much less fresh and cooked. There were platters of fruits and various mixes of vegetables that had the aroma of spices. Spices! Several silver plates of some type of flesh that smelled delicious lay on the table. I was suspicious of these, but something inside of me told me that this was normal. And yet…I had never seen any type of flesh except the dried stuff one finds in the huge, hidden containers we occasionally find. I didn’t even know that other animals still existed.23

Despite the strangeness of the vista before us, not a one hesitated to sit down and immediately begin tasting the feast laid out before us. The old man sat down at the head of the illustrious table and waited on us to finish our meal. All of us eat to the point of sickness and then choose to lounge in our chairs, no one really knowing what to do now. Maybe ten minutes, fifteen at most, pass when this man we had come to see begins to question us.24

“So, how did you get past the exterior defenses? It requires a password, at least it did last time I ran a check on them. Actually, nevermind that, if Gygin sent you of course he told you how to get by those. Rather I should ask you how you figured out how to get into my castle. Gygin never had to deal with that problem since I was the one that brought him to me, but you five, well…”25

Vincent speaks up, interrupting anything that Claire or any of the rest of us might have said, “I figured it out. It was a memory of some kind, something that this tower brought out of my mind, something I didn’t even know I had in me. Do you by any chance have an answer to this? As for why we came…I am sure that Claire can ask you those questions.” Vincent had realized his mistake and thankfully hands off the conversation to Claire.26

The man pauses. If I judge him correctly he is calculating his answer. I can tell that he knows more then he is willing to tell us, I just hope that what he does tell us answers the reasons why we came here. The image of the strange Vitra and the possibilities that it presents confuse me and I quickly suppress the thoughts. I’m no scientist and I merely want a plain answer. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s what I’m about to get.27

The silence is broken as the center of our attention clears his throught and begins what is possibly the most shocking information we have ever heard, or will ever hear. “First, I shall introduce myself. I am _____. Who I am will be explained another day. Your leader, Gygin knows me from a long time ago when I saved his life, but that story will also be told at another time.” At this point he pauses, looking concerned with a slight frown and downturned eyes. “You say that you recall this place,” he looks straight at Vincent as he says this, “well that would be because you have been here before. Although not exactly you, but rather your essence, what makes you human.” This world sufferrred an atrocious fate long ago and has been dying since that time. For some reason that I do not understand our ability to reproduce has been irrevocably altered and destroyed. Of course the entire physical creation you see as reproducing still works much the same way it used to, but no new people are created. Have you ever seen a blank child?” The strange term he uses is unknown to me, however I believe I know what he means. Every once in awhile and in increasing numbers children are born that are without something, something human. These children can move, but they lack personality, the ability to speak or interact with others and any type of actual intellect. They behave almost like a human without an operable brain does, but they can still manage to keep themselves alive by seeking food and the like. I’ve never seen any of these kids use any type of tool or learn how to dress themselves though. We all look around at one another, curious as to what this man is going to tell us and about what he has already revealed.28

“I can see from your expressions that you know what I mean. Tese are children without the human essence, or soul as it can be crudely put. This world no longer produces this essence and even those souls that have existed since the time of the Rising are slowly disappearing. The afterlife that Christians speak about, this is the place where the essence of mankind resides not as individual entities but as a single whole. It seems that after the human body dies their essence divides to rejoin this whole, however, when a new person is born an essence that once lived will coalesce and enter that person’s body. Before the Rising, before all the great cities fell to ruin a this whole, which calls itself the Deeps of Life, would create a new essence to visit upon the corporeal body. But this no longer occurs.. 29

Essentially I mean that you have lived before, and will in all likelihood live again. I am sure that occasionally you will experience memories you cannot comprehend and you have never actually experience, these are flashes from previous lives. These memories can manifest in the forms of skills you once knew to recognizing certain objects, places or even people to strange dreams that are broken memories. 30

The news of what this crazy old man was telling us couldn’t possibly be true, “You’re crazy man, I…” I was about to degrade him and call him a few more unsavory terms then ‘crazy,’ but then I remembered the strange dream I had had. What he said sounded ridiculous, but I believed him! 31

I looked around me at my fellow hunting pack, at the scavengers that I had fought and lived besides for the past year. Wren and Robin both had their mouthes open as if to say something similar to what my outburst, but like me they had stopped. Everyone sitting at the table knew the old man was no falsifier. 32

After my outburst, Claire took over, “ I for one feel you are telling the truth, but what can we do? Why do you tell us this? And how do you know all of this?”
The old man looks sad and his face is buried into his hands, “I tell you this because I am old and because I am desperate. You are the only ones to have come here in twenty years and I had feared that Gygin had forgotten me. It seems that he has changed and is now much too busy to deal with the planet. This is a mess we were all born into and now must deal with, at least if you five choose to. Now I shall tell you a story…”
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