RP Pocket Watch (Chapter 5: Latin Love)

"I'm sorry, I don't know what amazon is, but yes, that is how Trifarious-Tech started. They create their own goods and ship across their seas." He emphasizes *their* strangely while maintaining a straight face.

"Oh another guest! If I could just ask your names before we leave sir." He asked. It was strange to see such a sort man leading a tall crowd.

 

"My name is Shodano Mardo."

 

"Nice to meet you then. Now we will go outside and show you around Trifaria." He opens the door and the group walks out. The sun was hot and the grass was barely green, the sun has soaked all the color out. The sun also took the color out of the posters hung on the nearby buildings. A distinct feature to trifaria is that every street looked like an alley, except for the main street which the group walked on. Around every corner was a guard equipped with a gun and a pocket watch on their neck. The symbol, "T-T" were plastered every where. There was even propaganda posters trying to recruit people to Trfarious-Tech.

Few people walked the streets. Those that did either looked deprived or wore fancy colored clothing. (Or was a guard...) The group pressed inward. They might have even felt eyes on their backs that glazed over them with each step.

The streets were clean except for a few blood stains and crumpled up posters.

He walked into an alley an the group felt a little more safe there. Slayde looked a little less nervous.

"Questions?" He said one last time.

 

"I have one. Where are we? It is like this everywhere in Trifaria?" With the towering buildings and diverse groups of people walking about, Elise couldn't tell anything apart. This place was not the same as the bunker from 1000 years ago. The abundance of guards was imposing rather than comforting. While trying to stay inconspicuous, Elise checked the alleyway for cameras.

 

"They call this part of Trifaria the gardens. Most people in the city call this the slums. Cameras everywhere, guards everywhere controlling your every move. You pick your nose the wrong way they will have you shot." He runs his finger along the wall. "No, the only area that is not like this is the supply district and the inner sanctum. Here are some maps." He hands maps to them.

"I know this is hard on you guys but this earth didn't change like you wanted it too and I'm sorry." His lips turned downwards.

 

Nova's excited smile slowly disappears as she sees the guards... the desaturated landscape... and finally, hears these words. She's silent for a while, until...
"Dang. Okay... then how do we get to the supply districts? And what in the heck is the 'inner sanctum?'" She scans her map, trying to determine the answer to these questions for herself.

 

"We shouldn't think about the supply districts yet. The supply districts are where all the jobs lie. The inner sanctum is where the rich or average citizens go. Here, we are all poor. There is hope though. A rebellion. Unless you guys want to be controlled by a bunch of scum would you just tell me if your with me?" He pleaded.

Do you want to join the rebellion?

 

Elise's eyes go wide at the mention of a rebellion. She shakes her head and takes a step back from Slayde. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa. We wake up from a thousand year nap and you ask us to join your rebellion against the city? Oh man, this is like the plot of any scif-fi book ever. Excuse me if that sounds a little crazy. I mean, we just woke up from an experiment that had an iffy chance at success. Why is there not celebration? A 'welcome to the future' party? You came to greet us, but what about the other groups? Did all of your buddies come to recruit them too?" She turns to the other two people in her group, light purple and jumpsuit. "What do you two think? This is nuts, right?"

 

"Very nuts." Light purple shakes her head. "I mean, I don't even frickin' know what's going on yet, and this guy's trying to ask me to join a rebellion? I don't even know what I'm rebelling against! I'd like to see what's out there for myself before I make a decision."

 

"I may have been a little bit forward. If you would like I can take you back to the warehouse where they congratulate you by putting a tracking device on you." He laughed. "Oh silly me, I forgot you voluntarily chose to partake in an experiment without any idea of the outcome." He then grew serious. "This is the outcome. I have to be quick, I can't stand around waiting while eyes are aimed at us."

He cleared his throat. "To put this simply. Trifarious-Tech is a controlling and terrible company who only think of those in the inner sanctum. They never want them to see beyond these walls." He then points to walls around the city the group may not have noticed earlier. "They don't want us to know something. That something is beyond those walls. Once we find this out we must show those loyal to Trifarious-Tech so we can over power them. We have almost no time!" He starts to whine like a child. "If you come with me I'm sure my boss will tell you better! I don't want anymore people to be hurt!" He cried. It was evident in his voice that he had been significantly hurt in some way by Trifarious-Tech.

 

Dark purple cups her face with her hands. This was not what the future was supposed to be. Stepping between the others, Elise walks towards the entrance of the alleyway. "I'm sorry, I just need some air." Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Elise takes a few deep breaths. She looks out into the sea of people milling back and forth, as if at the mercy of an invisible tide. And she picks out the soldiers in their uniforms, sweeping the crowd, on the look out for dissidents. She thinks over what Slayde has told her. Was it all true? It seemed too textbook to be real life. Elise couldn't remember much of her sleep in the pod, but this didn't feel like a dream. But then a little voice crept up inside her head. If this is a story, why not be the hero?

 

Slayde walked up to Elise. He puts his hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry." He said. "I just can't stand to see you guys live a bad life seeing as none of this was up to you. So i decided to do something."

 

Elise barely registers Slayde's words as a mental argument plays out in her head. There's not way I'm going to act like a hero, as much as this world may seem like a book, it's reality. Exactly: you're natural genre savviness will keep you ahead of the game! It's not a game! So what are you going to do otherwise? I-I was thinking I could look up some sort of registry? Assuming my little brother had kids wow that's weird to imagine I might have family in this city. Yes, I'm very sure that your distant great-great-great-great-grandnephews and nieces will welcome you with open arms. Hey, I had documents about the experiment that made sure my family would know the day I left that pod, alright? What identification do you have to prove to them it's you? My ID is still in my pocket, I think. Elise reaches into her pocket, removing a now ancient smartphone. Sliding the cover off of the back of the casing, Elise removes her drivers license, looking at it in the shade cast by the flanking buildings. I wonder if they still take this as a form of identification? Your guess is as good as mine. Elise turns around and starts slightly when she sees Slayde standing right behind her. "Oh! I-uh, is the Internet still a thing? I-I need to look something up. If we do this, I'll go to your rebellion."

 

"Oh, uh, Internet. We do, but it only exist for research and documentation. Why do you ask?" It was a strange question. He wondered what Elise was looking for.

 

"You are asking someone who has spent most of his life in some weird lab and has no experience in anything except parkour to help you in something like that?'

 

Nova has been thinking things over, herself. Sure, she wants to explore, see what's out there, but is it worth the risk of being... trapped, Slayde said... in this place? She doesn't know, and despite Slayde's warnings against it, she wants to find out for herself, not just take someone's word for it.
"I appreciate your offer, man," she tells the short man, "and I get that you're concerned but, what if you're wrong? Why should I take the word of a random guy I meet, who's not even supposed to be the one meeting us here, just because you got to us first? It just seems a little fishy is all that I'm saying. You could be a nutcase for all I know."

 

"Well you se-" A Trifarious-Tech guard enters the alley. The guard pushes their gun to their hands from where it was on his back. " What's going on here." The female guard says. She notices the strange look of the three she then stands to Slayde and looks down. "Dwarf, why are these people not back at the warehouse getting surgery. Did you not tell them the protocol?" Slayde froze. "I, uh, um.."

 

Shodano chooses to stay silent.

 

Confronted by the rifle directly in her face, Elise takes a step backward into the shadow of the alley. Seeing Slayde at a loss for words, Elise thought about running away. No way, that would lead to me being chased, or worse, shot. Looks like it's time to be the hero! No, I decided against that! Well you can't smooth-talk your way out of this one, not that you have the skill for it anyway. She whispers to the other girl with light purple hair, Nova or something. She seemed to be the most comfortable, or at least the most confidant in this little group. "Hey, what should we do?"

 

"Looks like guns still aint enough to scare me." He whispers to himself