City of Rain Revisited
The sound of rain fall is a constant traveling companion, along with the whirl of gears and wheels as her little walker tank travels across the Junkyard.
She can almost understand why Gale and the other Embryon came back here.
Almost. She can't spot the remnants of her memories anymore. No beached ships, wrecked amusement parks, or old mansions. In some ways it's a relief that she doesn't have to face them, even if she can't quite grasp why. But their absence also makes the landscape more unfamiliar and sinister.
Sera feels a little safer since she's traveling the landscape via Tachikoma. If there are any soldiers in the program, none of them have attacked her or the tank yet. That doesn't keep her from scanning the area, rain tarp draped over her like a shawl or poncho and keeping the worst of the rain off. The last time she came here, it was only as a data projection. This time she's physically here, and she can feel her fatigue as strongly as ever, along with the cold chill from the damp air. They're both like the rain, slowly soaking into her and weighing her down.
It would only be expected that she feels hungry along with all of that. Fortunately, she's got her own type of rations. One thermos of tea that she's managed to keep sheltered from the cold, water bottles, a bag full of fresh fruit, and leftovers in Tupperware containers that taste just as good unheated.
She almost drops her snack when they go over a bump in the sort-of-a-road. Luckily for the apple, she manages to catch it before it falls overboard and gets lost in the mud. They wouldn't be able to go back for it; the Tachikoma has been going non stop for what feels like nearly a day, ever since they teleported into the Junkyard. She'd had it filled up to maximum fuel before girl and machine set out. So far it's been holding up well, with no sign of running short on power.
Which is good, since she can see the tower more clearly then ever. Their goal is well in sight, almost to the point where she could reach out to it. All they need to do is reach the Karma Temple; she'll be able to find help in there for her friends once she gets inside.
She drops down inside the pod section of the robot, looks over the control panel. It's slowly starting to resolve itself into things that make sense; speedometer, some sort of area map, and most importantly, a fuel gauge. Which is still running a little over half full. She gives the console a reassuring pat before going back up.
They can make it. They can do this.
She can almost understand why Gale and the other Embryon came back here.
Almost. She can't spot the remnants of her memories anymore. No beached ships, wrecked amusement parks, or old mansions. In some ways it's a relief that she doesn't have to face them, even if she can't quite grasp why. But their absence also makes the landscape more unfamiliar and sinister.
Sera feels a little safer since she's traveling the landscape via Tachikoma. If there are any soldiers in the program, none of them have attacked her or the tank yet. That doesn't keep her from scanning the area, rain tarp draped over her like a shawl or poncho and keeping the worst of the rain off. The last time she came here, it was only as a data projection. This time she's physically here, and she can feel her fatigue as strongly as ever, along with the cold chill from the damp air. They're both like the rain, slowly soaking into her and weighing her down.
It would only be expected that she feels hungry along with all of that. Fortunately, she's got her own type of rations. One thermos of tea that she's managed to keep sheltered from the cold, water bottles, a bag full of fresh fruit, and leftovers in Tupperware containers that taste just as good unheated.
She almost drops her snack when they go over a bump in the sort-of-a-road. Luckily for the apple, she manages to catch it before it falls overboard and gets lost in the mud. They wouldn't be able to go back for it; the Tachikoma has been going non stop for what feels like nearly a day, ever since they teleported into the Junkyard. She'd had it filled up to maximum fuel before girl and machine set out. So far it's been holding up well, with no sign of running short on power.
Which is good, since she can see the tower more clearly then ever. Their goal is well in sight, almost to the point where she could reach out to it. All they need to do is reach the Karma Temple; she'll be able to find help in there for her friends once she gets inside.
She drops down inside the pod section of the robot, looks over the control panel. It's slowly starting to resolve itself into things that make sense; speedometer, some sort of area map, and most importantly, a fuel gauge. Which is still running a little over half full. She gives the console a reassuring pat before going back up.
They can make it. They can do this.