Floating Cities Are All The Rage (OxO//Closed//Dystopian)

(I willllll)

“I-I’m not sure I can do this…”Juniper whimpered, collapsing against the couch. She was paled and terrified, not at all the strong and confident girl she had seemed to always have been around Astrid and Roger.

“I’m in. I’ll take them down with you guys. Besides, you might need someone who can care for wounds…” Stephan mumbled gently. Juniper shot him a shocked expression.

“How can you- you’ve seen what they’ve done!!”

(Wowzers a whole month!!! I'm so sorry i pretty much turned into a workaholic during the holidays. I've barely been spending any time at home so i havent had much off time to either be active or even think too creatively as well. Anyway I hope you're doing well! I've got some creative juices flowing so I should be good for a bit.)

"I appreciate your help." Roger began, standing up. "But we're gonna need a lot more than an unstable group of bandits. No offense." He uttered, mostly to Stephan, and a little bit at himself.
"They're strong. And the-"
Just then there was a knock at the door. Roger's stomach dropped as he recognized the metronomic, almost perfect four knocks.
"Were we…followed?"

(Hiii! I’m glad to see you’re back!! We missed you a lot!! Try and take it easy, get some rest. Make sure you aren’t overworking yourself.)

“You aren’t going to get anything better. Welcome to the Undercities, kid. None of us are anything more than unstable bandits. You’re lucky I’m even willing to join. Folks around here won’t be so willing.” Stephan replied cooly.

Juniper looked absolutely stricken with grief and doubt. The last time she had gone out had not gone well. The pile of bodies that served as a wall around the cities edge kept off the large predators that roamed in the dark. It was hard to get over, and even harder to make it to a safe base to wait out the night.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the knocking at the door. Stephan immediately went into action. He launched himself into the kitchen area and pulled his medical bag from its place. He nearly threw a large backpack at Juniper, who caught it with ease despite her disorganized emotions. Atlas had pulled a gun from some place and was glaring at the door.

“Get to the back exit. Go, now.” Stephan barked.

(Thank u hello! Unfortunately I am abt to do some more work but luckily I took a fat nap beforehand! Love u !)

Roger couldn't peel his eyes away from the door as Astrid started to follow Stephan's instructions. She took several quiet steps away before she realized that Roger hadn't moved. Worried, she turned to see Roger's expression.
"Roger!" She whispered, "Let's go!"
"But…why would they send him?" He uttered, not even noticing that he was inching towards the door.

(Heck yeah. Fat naps are good. I just took one. Be safe kk?? Love u too!)

It was Atlas who stepped between Roger and the door. “Listen, we need to go. Don’t worry about who’s behind that door.” For the first time since they had been around, Atlas seemed serious.

Juniper shrugged the backpack on, glancing back at Astrid and the others. She moved to tug on Astrid’s arm. “We need to go!” She whispered harshly.

(Thanks I survived ! We straight up vibing now :') got a day off work so I'm playing minecraft and chillin)

Roger blinked when Atlas broke his gaze, but he kept glancing back at the door as he leaned back, turning to the others.
"Yeah…let's go…" he starts.
The door knocks again, but this time there was no metronomic beat to it. It was like a regular knock.
Roger, frustrated and dying of curiosity, turned back to the door.
"No, that's not right. Something's going on. I know who's behind that door, and he shouldn't be here." He turned to Astrid and Juniper.
"Which means if he is here, then I don't think he has malicious intent. I think he wants to talk to me."

(Oof big mood. Except I have a class soon that I don’t want to go to.)

Atlas bared his teeth, standing firmly between Roger and the mystery man. “If it’s any of those laboratory bastards then they don’t want to ‘just talk.’ They never just want to talk! Everything they do is malicious!” He snarled.

But Juniper seemed to understand in that moment. She moved to the boarded up window and pried one of the wooden planks from its place. She glanced out at the doorway, narrowing her eyes.

(Rip rip:') )

Strangely enough, as Juniper peered through the window, the man barely managed to hold himself up. He held an arm over his abdomen as he inhaled aggressively with each breath. His other hand held his head as he visibly considered knocking one more time.
Roger reached the door and opened it, only slightly so that the man could only see Roger.
"What are you doing here?"
The boy's eyes widened as he looked up at Roger. "Roger! I…" the boy let out a horrendous cough, covering his mouth with his hand. When he finished, he lowered his hand to show blood.
"I need your help."
Before Roger could process the impossibility of what just happened, the boy collapsed into Roger.

(Big Rip. Also, I'm very sorry for low quality responses, I'm exhausted but I still have one more class for today so I'm kinda just vibing and I don't want to leave you waiting for a long time cuz I've already taken a few days off this site and dang I'm just exhausted XD XD All I need is an hour or two long nap and I'll be fine.)

Atlas glanced at Astrid and huffed. "Is this robotic man always opening doors for whoever the hell he wants?" He asked, his tone oddly soft. The cough drew attention from even Stephan, who had wandered into the next room seeking out the rest of his equipment.

The dark eyed cousin of Juniper poked his head out of the room, his eyes widening at the sight of the bloody boy. "Who's this? Why is he here? And why is he bleeding?" He demanded, rushing over to the two males at the door. "Bring him in. Lay him down. I'll look at him."

Juniper watched the whole thing from under the window, where she had sunken down. She had to admit, she admired Stephan's willingness to help anyone who showed up to his doorstep. Stephan blamed that on his experience as a doctor before his hospital lost all its funding.

( You: sorry for low quality response!
Also you: *posts high quality response
Me, who's posted much worse: haha yeah

Anyway don't even worry abt it and take care of urself ! Ur doing amazing sweetie)

Astrid leaned next to Roged, peering around his large shoulder as she exchanges glances between him and the strange man.
"Roger, who is he? How do you know him?"
Roger gazed intently at him, almost spacing out as he sighs.
"This is Eddie. Well, okay, he prefers Edward, but I called him Eddie. Sounded more friendly, but he said it wasn't intimidating enough."
Roger stepped closer to Edward.
"We had a sort of rivalry for a while. I think Eddie felt threatened by me because I wasn't supposed to make it past the surgery, and his title of "First Successful Android" was challenged by me."
Roger pointed to the number on his jacket.
"I'm 002. Eddie is 001."

(Pfft. Nah man. some of mine haven't been the best and I'm sorry for that. I'm trying tho!! Also, thanksssss. You're doing amazing toooo!)

Stephan stared at the other Android, chewing on his lip. "Does he have a chip too? If so, we might have to remove it without consent and as much as I hate that, the safety of my family and friends is more important. I can't have anyone barging in here to arrest me." He glanced over at Juniper, sighing deeply as she stood to joint the rest of the group.

"Eddie? Is he alright?" She asked, glancing at the male. "He looks like death. but so do I so I guess I can't complain."

( uwu ur so amazing tho love u :')
Also ! I hope u dont mind imma go ahead and do some of Eddie's perspective as well. He's the other character I was excited to bring in! )

"What would happen if I shot you? Hm?" He wasn't talking to me, but he was speaking to me. Rather, he was looking at my face when he spoke.
"Nothing? Blackness? Some sort of heaven?"
The last word hit me different, and I couldn't get it out of my mind. Heaven?
"I don't think there's a heaven waiting for me. I don't have a soul. I'm not who you think I am, General."
"Stop calling me that. That was a long time ago."
I can't help but blame myself, even still.

(Ok back 2 the Bois™)

Roger shook his head. "He's far from alright. The last thing Eddie would do is admit he needs help. And the last thing after that is ask me for help."
Roger took Edward's hand.
"Something's definitely wrong for him to go completely against his character like that."
He looked up at Stephan and nodded solemnly.
"That organization values Eddie for many reasons. If he goes missing, they're going to come looking for him. You need to disable the chip before his whereabouts become suspicious."
Roger flinched as he looked back at Edward's face. His freckles were more visible when his already pale skin struggled to hold color.
"Even then, after we disable it, we can't stay here. The organization will go to the last updated location that the chip sent to them."

(Thaankkksss luv you tooo you’re amazing!!!)
(Ooooo I like Edward already)

Stephan at out a long strand of curses, rubbing his face before he turned to a disgruntled Atlas. “Get the stuff together, we knew we’d have to leave eventually so don’t give me any crap.” He growled before pulling his medical bag closer to him. “Alright. Let’s fix him up first. I don’t want to kill him. Any idea what might have happened?” The doctor glanced at Roger before kneeling next to Edward and examining him.

Juniper bit her lip, curious but also fearful. She had seen awful things beyond the city of Sire - murders, scorched earth, bodies ripped to shreds by the creatures with large teeth.

She had seen what government officials do to those who don’t obey.

Juniper shot to her feet and was at the sink before she could process what was happening, throwing up the contents of her lunch. Atlas grimaced as he watched her. “The hell got into you?” He growled, acting like he hadn’t tried flirting with her for the last hour.

Astrid stepped over to Juniper to comfort her, trying to hold herself together as well.
"I'm sorry we're pulling you and your friends into our lives."
She whispered.
Meanwhile, Roger studied Edward. He leaned closer to the unconscious kid and pressed his finger against Edward's left temple. A beep resonated from Edward, and Roger closed his eyes.
"Hold on, who's this?"
Images flashed in Roger's mind. Memories that he didn't own played like a projector on the screen of Roger's eyelids. Roger narrated them for everyone else.
"This is within the past week. There's a man, but I don't recognize him from the organization. He looks…tired. He looks sad. Hang on, I need to go back further. I don't know who he is, but it looks like Eddie recognizes him."
The boots crunched on the leaves. Lights flashed around him. He looked up.
"Listen, John, this is a crime scene. Only officers are allowed past this point. Journalists do not count, and it's not like anyone would listen to a drunkard like you anyway."
"What's going on?"
"Ah, 001, finally you're here. Escort this alcoholic off the premises."
"Right away, sir."
He held a hand agaisnt the man's back. That's it, that's the man from Eddie's more recent memories.
Roger scrunched his nose, eyes still closed as he continued going through the memories.
"Wait a minute, hold up."
He turned to face the man.
"Eddie, is that you? You're alive?"

Juniper shook her head, looking fearfully up at Astrid. “I don’t care. We’re all in too deep now. But we can’t stay here, Astrid. They do horrible things to people who don’t listen…” she turned back to the sink, ready for another wave of nausea. The memory was too sharp in her mind.

The smell of the chemicals, the pulsing heap of flesh and blood, the broken bones pieced back together so carefully, and the men in the flashy suits laughing at those still struggling to live. It made her sick.

Stephan knew of Juniper’s mental trauma but it was the least of their problems at the moment. He listened to Roger narrate, taking Edward’s vitals.

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. I'm 001, E-Life's First Successful Android. I don't know who Eddie is."
Roger raised his eyebrows.
"Wow, this is way earlier, before we were given our names back."
"No, I know my nephew when I see him. Hey, officer! You know this robot, right?"
"Any similarities of faces that we Androids possess with real people is purely coincidental. I am 001, and that's all that I am."
Roger sighed.
"Maybe I should skip ahead. Why is he still interacting with this man?"
The leaves danced their way to the grass as he walked. His eyes focused on the door of a run-down bar. He stepped in to see the man, who's name appears to be John.
"Oh. It's you again. What is a robot doing in a bar?"
He stiffened, inhaling before speaking.
"E-Life has an offer for you. If you write a positive article about them and their androids, E-Life will raise your credibility and reputation higher than you can imagine."
John looked at him.
"Tempting, but why did they send you?"
"I've been assigned to help you with your research."

Stephan’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Before…?” He asked gently, more to himself than to Roger. “Yes, please skip ahead… I need to remove this chip quickly. And heal him if he needs it.”

Atlas grunted at that, nearly glaring at Stephan. He himself had taken up post next to the door, gun still in hand. “If we get arrested or killed for this, I’m going to strangle you Stephan.”

Roger skipped ahead some more.
John was drinking again. He approached him on the bench.
"You said you wanted to speak to me?" Eddie started.
"I don't think I can write the article."
His eyes widened. "But we've gotten so far with our research. You've made so much progress, and you just want to throw it all away? Why?"
He took another swig of his cheap beer.
"I had a brother. He had a nice job with a nice pay, and he had a son. Usually once you have kids you grow apart from your family, but my brother and I stayed close."
Eddie took a seat next to John, looking out at the city. Leaves fell over the sunset and the wind would occasionally blow.
"Then, my brother was killed. It was ruled as a suicide, but I know the truth. Anyway, I took his son under my wing, and I raised him."
He moved his head to look at John. John was holding back tears.
"A few months ago my nephew went missing."
Roger's hand started to shake, but his curiosity kept his finger on Edward's head.

"Go on." Stephan encouraged, placing a gently hand on Roger's arm. He was determined to save not only Roger but the other android in his presence. No one deserved to live a life so cruel and dull as their lives had been. It reminded him of his old friend, Talia.

Roger wasn't sure he liked the implications of the dialogue he was hearing.
"You look like him, you sound like him, but who are you, really?"
He scowled at Edward, eyes drooping down to size him up.
"I'm a machine," Edward began, standing up with John. They faced each other. "I am not your nephew. Maybe if you stopped drinking, your delusions would go away as well."
He frowned. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Roger looked down to see words on the bottom right of the scene that played in his head.
"Wait a minute, these aren't his memories. This is a third party memory bank. But, that's Eddie's face that John's talking to."
Roger shook his head. "Something's not right."
Roger focused back on the video feed, only to see John holding a gun at "Eddie's" face.
"What would happen if I shot you? Hm? Nothing? Blackness? Some sort of heaven?"
Roger scrunched his face up, not enjoying looking down the barrel of a gun.
"I don't think there's a heaven waiting for me. I don't have a soul. I'm not who you think I am, General."
"Stop calling me that. That was a long time ago."
"Now if you're finished, we have more errands to run if we want to finish our research in time for-"
BANG!
Roger jumped back, falling to the ground, eyes glazed over and dilated. He breathed quickly and heavily.
"Remove the chip. Now, do it!"

Stephan leaped into action the moment Roger spoke. Edward was carefully moved and the strange machine was brought out once again to detect the location of said chip.

It was removed quickly, and destroyed instantly by an angry Atlas. Juniper watched as Stephan quickly stitched up the other android. He looked strangely calm for such a tense situation. She vaguely remembered the kid who would act so tough and yet breakdown when he thought no one was looking. He hadn't changed much at all. It almost hurt her. She had changed so much, done so much, seen so much…

"Grab the stuff. It should already be packed. There is food in the kitchen, remember to bring that with us. We're leaving Sire." Stephan said cooly, looking at Juniper specifically.

As soon as Stephan finished the extraction, there was another knock on the door. It was identical to Edward's. Roger's eyes widened as he stood up and tried to hoist an unconscious Edward up over his shoulders.
"We need to get leave, now. Astrid, Juniper, how fast can you run?"

“Be careful not to rip your stitches, Roger.” Stephan warned, pulling the bag he held over his shoulders.

Juniper shuddered, biting her lip. “My best attribute is my ability to run. All we have to do is get over the walls and we’ll be fine…” The walls, a mass of corpses piled up to keep the Creatures from picking off the living, weren’t the issue. The issue to Juniper was the outside world. She didn’t like the idea of leaving, but she had no choice in the matter.

"I'll be fine," Roger began, huffing as he tried to ignore the weight of Edward slowing him down, "it's Eddie I'm worried about."
Roger knew what was going to happen to Edward's mental state when he starts feeling emotions for the first time again; Roger himself went through it. Only benefit Roger had was that he was closer to human than Edward, so how much of a hit is it going to be for him?
As much as Astrid wanted to run as fast as she can, she felt like she had to stay close to Roger. Either way, as they made their way outside, Astrid found herself staying at Juniper's heels.

Stephan carried a large amount of their gear, leaving nothing behind except an empty place and fresh bloodstains from the surgeries.

It was Atlas who led them, taking a strange path through broken streets and rubble until they came into the disease riddled streets of the East side of Sire. “Which way do we need to go, Roger?”

(Bruh I JUST logged on and saw that u posted I'm YEETING I swear I wasnt constantly refreshing LMFAO)

Roger looked around, forced to turn his entire torso with Edward on his shoulders as he scans the streets.
"Wait a minute, I know of a building nearby that we can lay low for a bit. It's practically all burnt down, but it's enough for us to hide, at least until all of us can pull our own weight."
Roger uttered, eyeing Edward as he spoke the last part.
"Follow me."
Roger took a few twists and turns, diving behind buildings and around crawling people as he finally starts to slow down, huffing as he looks up.
In front of him was the rubble of an old building. Though it wasn't much, the fire managed to be put out before it completely destroyed the building, leaving a functional shelter at best.
"Let's go."

Atlas gestures for the android to lead, scowling at a few of the people affected by the new plagues that appeared after the nuclear war.

However, they all followed Roger closely, Juniper the closest with Astrid. June kept looking at Astrid, almost as if making sure her friend was still keeping up. She wasn’t going to lose Astrid. She couldn’t lose another friend.

(Ahaha I believe you bro. That’s great though)

When they reach shelter, Roger sets Edward down. He's exceeded this much exertion before, so he's not too bothered by it. He looks down at Edward's face, concern filling his own.
"What are they doing to you?" He whispered before turning to the rest of the group.
"Okay, right now we're hidden and no one's able to track us. We have some time to come up with a full fledged plan."

Juniper found herself a place to sit down and was soon joined by a concerned Stephan. He looked over her face for a moment or two before he turned to Roger and nodded. “Our first plan is to get out of this city. What’s our second course of action? Shelter? Weapons? We can’t just run Headfirst into this.”