Awesome!

-Darian- 

A few sharp pains in my side were the first things that jolted me to consiousness. The stones on the rock hard ground had foundtheir way under me. Again. The whir of machines and the buzz of humans filled my ears, slowly helping to rouse me awake. I listened groggily for a few minutes before blinking my eyes open. Disty sulight filtered through the slats of the orange crates that I had arranged to look like a pile of junk, but still gave me enough room to sleep under. It wasn't so bad really - street urchins were usually older or on the brink of dath or both. I had it easy. Fifteen years young, and I was fit and healthy. 

Finally, I crawled out of my crate shack, glancing around sharply. No one was around, nothing looked wrong. Good. The alley looked deserted - a long row of the back of buildings and junk. Broken machine parts, boxes, crates, scraps of food fit for a pig, stones, scraps of clothes, more machine parts. The classic back alley. A good hideout.  

I walked out to the road, kicking up the dust with my boots. The town was bustling, veryone going about their own buisness. For now, I had one order of buisness to deal with - eating. 

There was a reason that most of the street urchins were dying or older men. Older men could steal food from younger men and boys, causing them to starve and either die or get hauled off fortrying to get their own food to eat. Something called stealing. Whaever that was, people needed to eat. Just like they needed to breathe. That wasn't costing anyone any money, but they're using the same air. So, why should this necessity of life cost money? It didn't have to - and for me, it generally didn't. IT was my secret, my means of survival. It was also my burden and curse. 

Scanning the store windows, I spotted a small meat pie sitting on the shelf with a lot of other pies and breads. THey would never miss it. Ducking into another alley, I looked around furtively, making sure no one was watcing. then I closed my eyes and concentrated for a second, pouring all of my energy into mentally calling that meat pie. A flash of cold whipped over me and I opened my eyes, to find the pie sitting in its tin on the ground in front of me. I piked it up and examined it - it looked perfect. Breakfast was served. 

Markus~

"Oh, hi."  l say, some what startled and rather sleepy as Avalon enters the room. l'd forgotten that she was coming today and l had stayed up all night working on a robot.  

Avalon picks her way around half-finished projects and tools. "Glad you're here. You wouldn't belive what l found."  l try not to yawn. l'm still wearing yesterday's rumpled jeans and t-shirt. 

"What?"

l push my glasses up my nose, nervously and stand up to show Avalon. "Well, you see, l don't know quite what it is. l've never seen anything like it before."

Laid across my workbench is a small, humanoid, robot. Part of it's metal  covering is opened, revaling a mess of copper gears and cogs and things that l have no idea what they are. 

"It looks pretty ordinary. Except for the size."  Says Avalon.  "Most  humanoid robots are life-size." 

"Right."  l sweep some odd metal parts off the workbench and invite Avalon to look closer.  "l thought that, too. But look here." l point to a set of gears. "They don't make any sense being there. l can't figure out what in  the world they do. Then l looked at the other ones and found out the same thing. All of the mechanism doesn't seem to aid in doing anything." 

l pause to take a breath, l've been talking so fast.  "None of it's broken or missing, as far as l can tell, but it's compleaty useless." 

l watch the late mouring sun dance though the dusty window and onto the chipped, bronze paint.  Avalon examens the robot. 

"Any idea what it is?" l ask her after a few mintues of silence. She shrugs. "Maybe.....But l'm not sure. Where did you get it?"

"Oh, round and about here." l say, vaugely. l really don't want to tell her where l found it.  

She signs.  "l don't know any more than you do. Maybe we could ask someone  with a knowldge of history, this thing looks old."

"l guess. The libeury would  be thr best place to go."  

~Avalon~

As Markus wraps up the robot in thick brown paper, I let my eyes wander around the little room. There are tangled wires and piles of little cogs, folded paper covered in notes and strings of mechanical script to hack into robots using, half-built robots, shattered skulls, cpus and engines... I spot something half buried in the mess. It's a box out of bronze, an engine box I believe. It has a small symbol on it, a stylized flame. Where have I seen that before? I turn it over and tug on it, but it won't open. "What's this?" I ask Markus.

"Oh, it was stuck in the robot... I thought it might have jammed up the cogs and things, so I took it out."

"Can I keep it?" I ask. He hesitates for a moment, then nods. "Ok, I have the robot wrapped up, let's go." I nod, tucking the bronze box away. 

We exit his little room. He pulls the door shut as we leave. Silence reigns as we walk down the hall towards the exit. Reaching the exit door I pull it open. We're in the back of a tiny broken down apartment with a locked door in a section of the city that got burned down. The door to the underground is camoflauged well. 

We leave the apartment, locking the door behind us again. We pick our way through the rubble, following the unknown-to-anyone-except-the-Underground path to the rest of the city. I can smell the ash in the air. All is quiet as we clamber over chunks of stone, brick shards and mauled, scavenger-picked furniture. A light wind blows ash into against my skin. The ash sticks to  my skin for a moment then blows away. 

We reach the wall. The wall is supposed to keep scavengers out of the fire burnt part of the city, but it doesn't work so well. I crouch and peer out of the peephole, checking both ways. No one there. I quickly clamber up and twist over so I'm hanging onto the wall on the other side. Markus follows, having some trouble because he needs to carry the robot.

We start walking down the street. We pass a cart with a grubby-looking girl with wine-coloured hair selling cogs, tangled wires and scrap metal. I expect Markus to stop, but he doesn't. "I already have everything they do." We pass a store selling silk top hats, and then one selling spectacles on gold frames, googles and some sunglasses. This part of town is very steampunky, and I feel conspicous with my jeans and turtleneck. We turn the corner. I see a shop that seems to be half robot things, and half tavern. I point it out to Markus. "I haven't had breakfast. We should get something to eat."

"I don't have any money on me," Markus says.

"I do." I pull out a small bag from my back pocket and check inside. I have about two handfuls of units, from my last sale. I'd stolen a bottle of gasoline, and gasoline is so expensive now a days... 

I shove the door open and step inside.  

Ack! Sorry! I will quickly read all of this before I post. I need to understand what has happened.

Tris~

I put away one of my projects and look the window. It's starting to turn into light. I've been working all night, so I'm pretty tired. But none the less, I have responsibilities in the base too. I'm still in my pajamas, so I go to my closet. I don't have many clothing items, so most of my closet consists of crazy gadgets and stuff. I pull out a white T-shirt, jeans, a jacket, and my goggles. I pull on my clothes, pull my messy red hair into a ponytail, and pull my goggles on my head like a headband. After pulling on some boots, I head outside and head to my station. 

HERE IS MY PICTURE:

So I finally found a way to do it, yay!!

Markus~

The tarven smells musty and old. Sunlight streams onto wood panleing on the walls. Tables are clustered around the edges, a few people sitting here and there, talking, and eating. 

The cook turns from talking with one of the customers to us. "Can l help you with anything?"  l suddenly feel very shy. Like l want to disapper. 

Avalon nudges me. "What do you want?"  

"Um, t-today's speical-"

Avalon frowns at me. "What just happened?"

"What? Nothing happened."

"It looked like you just disappered. Like a lightbulb flickering. l couldn't see you for one second. Then l could." 

"But l'm standing right next to you. How could've l disappered for a second?"  

Tris~

I enter the weapons workshop, where my brother and I help out the blacksmith. "There you are," a low, scratchy voice says. "Come in and get to work. I have a broken burner that needs fixing." I enter the small shack where my brother is working. He looks up from his work at me, his blonde and blue hair falling in his face. "Oh, so you've finally emerged from your hole." I role my eyes. "I've been busy. Besides, doesn't training start in 10 minutes?" "Well, at least I'm taking on a respectable career. Being in the army is much more respectable than a technichan." "Well at least I have a brain." "A very loopy brain. You're just an oddball. No wonder you have no friends." "I don't need friends." "ENOUGH FIGHTING YOU TWO!" Our father walks in, a stern look on his face. My younger brother trails in after him, notepad in hand. "You two must learn to get along. Especially you, Lucas. Being in the military requires toleration." Lucas looks sullen. I slightly smile. "The same goes for you, Tristen. Just because your job allows you to be alone, it doesn't mean this can be excused." "Yes father." "Now, Lucas, you need to be on the training grounds in 5 minutes. Tristen, you need to get back to work. Your younger brother will be with me." "Yes father," we say in unison.