*
They continued down their unseen path, towards the acrid smoke at the end of the valley. They were closer now, close enough to see that the fumes were coming from a rather oddly shaped hill, which had a large chimney-like structure at its zenith. However, they were still several hours away from the foreboding place, which gave Kingston some respite from his worries.
After only thirty minutes of fast-paced walking, the mismatched group came upon the edge of a large, flowery meadow. At its centre, just as out of place as the strangely-shaped hill, lay a solitary tree. It's leaves were greener than green, and a multitude of purple flowers covered it's vibrant exterior. The tree was not the only out-of-place thing in the meadow, as Kingston soon discovered. Lying on the emerald grass, almost out of sight, was a bangle. It was white, with a line of gold running through the middle. On the inner surface of the inch-wide ring, a word was engraved. A word which made Kingston's heart skip a beat.
“What is it?” asked Barsch, curiously peering over the old hermit's shoulder. Alza was walking through the meadow with a look of confusion painted on her porcelain face, bothered by something that only she could see. As she wandered closer, Barsch and Kingston drew back, hiding the bangle behind their backs.
“This place feels... familiar...” Alza's words were soft, and lacked their usual cold tone. The look on her face was one that Barsch had never seen before: amazement. She drew close, letting her hands brush the violet flowers which covered the meadow, as her ghost-like hair danced in the breeze. She looked like a girl who had returned home, after a long time spent abroad, and who was taking her time to see what had changed.
However, as Barsch would soon point out, there was a very good reason why she was feeling this way. “Um... Alza? I think you should see this...” With a gentle application of pressure, Barsch got Kingston to release the white-gold circlet, before proffering it to the absent-minded Alza. She took it without question, her wandering eyes brushing over the inscribed word three times before the realisation sunk in.
The word on the bangle was “ALZA00971”.
“I've been here before.”
What more could she say? It was the only thing that made sense, when one combined the bracelet and the sense of familiarity. Barsch could almost see the cogs turning in her brain, as her memories of the meadow rushed back in a torrent of recollection. “I passed through here, soon after I awoke. I drank at that lake, and I walked through this very meadow. Back then, the flowers had not yet bloomed, but the tree was still covered in flowers. Back then, I thought that that was very strange. And there was something else... a feeling I had, until I left the valley... a feeling of being... watched.”
Kingston, acting on a hunch, walked towards the flowering tree and began ripping out the violet blossoms. They fragmented in his hands, falling to the grass in plastic shards. “It's fake,” he explained, as he continued destroying the tree with his bare hands, “It's all fake.”
Less than a minute later, there was a sizeable mound of broken 'flowers' around Kingston's feet, and in his hands was the thing he had been searching for. It looked like a black and white cube, roughly five inches across, with a tiny aerial on the top and a lens on each of the remaining sides.
“What is it?” asked Barsch again, although this time he already knew the answer.
“A camera, no, a video recorder, probably just a small part of a valley-wide surveillance system. He's known we were here ever since we stepped out of the cave. Additionally, I've only ever seen tech this advanced in the Stations, so whoever this madman is, we can assume he had access to advanced weapons and technology.”
Kingston sighed, looking at the camera, and then up towards the smoke. “Not even my most foolhardy friends from the war would walk into a trap this obvious. It would be better to retreat now, and return once we've had time to prepare.”
Alza opened her mouth to voice her retort, but Barsch spoke first, surprising her. “So what, we're just going to turn around and leave? After coming so far? Look, Kingston, I know that you're just trying to keep us safe, but I think that that's a bit selfish. This guy, this madman, is trying to wipe out all of humanity, remember? So the longer we wait, the more time he has to complete his goals!”
Barsch had not realized he had been shouting until after he heard his own words. For several heartbeats, nobody spoke, as every living thing in the meadow looked at Barsch with new eyes.
Finally, as the silence receded and normality returned, Kingston replied, in a very quiet, very apologetic voice. “I'm sorry m'boy. I guess I just lost track of the reason why we're here in the first place. We're on a mission to save the world, after all, and if that means that sacrifices must be made and caution be thrown to the wind, then that is what I'll do. And if the madman really is expecting us, then I suppose we shouldn't disappoint him!”
With that, Kingston turned towards the odd hill and began walking. Alza, after slipping her bangle into her pocket, followed after him, alongside a mystified Maloch.
Barsch, however, lingered for a moment. Kneeling down, he picked up the discarded cube, into which he spoke five simple words, “We are coming for you.”
After which, he took the vile object and flung it as far away as possible. Without wasting another breath, he turned and hurried after his departing friends. He caught up to them quickly, and together, they travelled towards the ominous plume of smoke.
Awakening Page 214