Creative Chaos
NoriWasHere
Atrophyπ½π¦π₯ππππ₯πͺ: πππ πΎπ£ππt πΎπππ
πππ βπππ ππ₯π π‘, βπ πππππ ππ₯ππ₯ππ π
βπ π§πππππ£ π π₯π, ππππ ππ‘:ππ
[π»πππ ππ£πππͺ & π»π¦ππππ₯πͺ], ππ πππππ...
The arrival of Taryn's vehicle was the only noise that dared disturb the quiet of the Old Rail Stop. For a while, even Mackwell's Prism helmet maintained its static silence that signified Delilah's immediate dropping of the connection. It resounded well with that omnipresent thrum of mechanical energy that kept the lights, the heat, and the net connections alive. That hum of human civilization seemed to coarse through the veins of the Reclaim Zone as if it were the very life essence of the city. Delilah returned soon, though, evident by the momentary screech of static signifying that she had reestablished her connection to Labyrinth.
"Okay, so... Remember when I said there were three machines in there? The connection in this part of Labyrinth must be faulty. There's only two. I'm not crazy, I swear." If that wasn't enough of an omen of what lie within, a subtle bang sound as though something had been dropped echoed through the Rail Stop. Under ordinary circumstances, the noise could have been assumed to be just another of the city's buzz, but it didn't fit in here. The Old Rail Stop's silence was too sinister. Any disturbance was immediately obvious. The origin of the noise became very clear from the moment Taryn and Mackwell stepped beyond the doorless entrance into the Rail Stop. Standing over one of the two remaining voting kiosks that glowed against the wall was a man struggling to tilt the machine onto a wheeled hand truck.
The moment the figure caught sight of Mackwell and Taryn, he flinched, sending the machine down onto the dolly with a hard crash. Bits of the cracked screen scattered across the cement, glinting in the dim yellow light that enveloped the Rail Stop's interior. Even his augmented arm tensed up as it shot for the weapon at his hip. Amongst the flash of metallic grey, there was a black insignia emblazoned on the side of the cybernetic limb. The logo was easily recognized, for it was used both informally as the symbol of membership to the Knights as well as the gang's symbol when incorporating. "Hey! There'sβ" The man called out to no one in particular, but the latter half of his words were unintelligibleβ drowned out by a resounding gunshot. Another. And another. None of them, however, came from his weapon. That is, until he managed to draw the pistol and aim towards the pair before him.
As the sounds of war continued in the background, it wasn't long before another pair of Knights emerged from the back of the Rail Stop. They swiftly ducked behind the pillar supports of the open room. Another shout conveyed orders in between the shots. "Get the last one to the truck. Let's go!" That was all the man offered before his colleague skidded across the room to topple the final working machine.
Of course, three men trying to kill you is no small task to surmount, but that didn't seem to be their primary goal. Whatever was going on behind the Rail Stop was another story entirely. What remained an enigma was where the rest of the voting machines were and what they were being used for. The two Knights that didn't occupy themselves struggling with the final machine instead occupied themselves with brandishing their weapons and shouting words of warning towards the two campaign team members. It seemed they were aiming more for covering fire to protect the third Knight aiming to extract the machine. There wasn't much cover in the Rail Stop save for the scattered concrete pillars that seemed to be placed haphazardly as demanded by the toll of time on the building and the bulky voting machine still laying busted on the cart.
The goal of the campaign team had been clear, but securing the safety of the voting machines had suddenly become a game of life and death. The choice was in their hands...
