LOST

"Attention all passengers, Floor 45 - 16 train is arriving on platform number 14 shortly," the overhead speakers cut through the murmur of the bustling crowd.

Will sat on a bench, watching the slow trickle of passengers crowd onto the platform as the next train approached. Nearby, more vert-trains zipped past at high speeds, rattling his bench. Floor 50 was as congested as ever during the prime commuting hour. Office workers and faceless commuters streamed in and out, each lost in their own routine.

Out of the corner of his eye, Will caught fleeting shapes—shadows melding with figures that seemed more creature than human, their many legs flitting in and out of his vision. It had been two days since his last visit to the Doctor following his stint in Derbent, and his condition was steadily deteriorating. Sweat beaded on his brow as he felt the ethereal psion threads reaching out, tugging at him. The call from his shard was rising, and he teetered on the edge, stubbornly holding on.

"Two weeks..." Will muttered to himself.

The Doctor's warning had haunted him these past few days.

Two weeks.

It was not like he could forget—with the constant pull from the shard.

Only two more weeks—a steady deterioration until his condition became untenable, until his senses would betray him, and his signature fail him. Until he was blinded by an endless expanse of yellow.

The writing shadows continued to shift at the edge of his vision, taunting him when a pair of vivid orange eyes flashed through the dark.

Heart thudding violently, Will exhaled sharply, his eyes darting about the station. The shadows melted away as if they were never there.

Breathing rapidly, Will slumped back into his seat, trying to steady himself.

"Dunn?" A gruff voice snapped him out of his daze.

Will looked up to see Rowan Kade standing next to the bench, eyeing him with suspicion. The burly boy gave Will a once-over before declaring, "You look like shit."

Will groaned inwardly; he didn't need this irritation, not now. Though their frosty rivalry had thawed after their reluctant team-up during their piloting exam, Will was in no mood to interact with the boy.

"What are you doing here?" Will asked, more out of habit than genuine interest.

"Remedial classes," Rowan replied, his tone tinged with displeasure. With a grunt, he took the seat beside Will.

Will recalled that Kade had always struggled with tronics—his weakest subject. "And you?" Rowan pressed.

"I just finished a meeting with my scholarship sponsor," Will replied, exhaling slowly.

"Scholarship?" Rowan raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Will said calmly. "How else do you think I could afford to be here?"

Rowan remained unperturbed, unbothered by the jab. "How did it go?"

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"Not well," Will breathed out. They had stalled him by citing regulations. Delay, delay, delay. Just as he had predicted, they planned to string him along until the next O.A.T. If he failed again, they'd wash their hands of him.

A deep weariness tugged at him. His limited supply of medication had long since run out, and he'd been going cold turkey ever since his first meeting with the Doctor. Occasional tremors were now a stark reality, and it was small luck that he hadn't had a full-blown seizure yet.

Rowan studied him for a moment—a flicker of emotion passing through him. "Tough luck," he said gruffly.

Will shrugged. As grating as Kade was, he didn't want to cavalierly wave off his false sympathy. He needed all the luck he could get. His petty irritations with Kade now seemed trivial compared to the looming threat before him—the Bishop hovering like a naked blade, ready to take his head off at any moment.

Kade shifted in his seat, rifling through his pockets. Will watched as the larger boy fumbled about, trying to let go of his anger. With everything that had been going on, was there even a need for this? Perhaps it was time to bury old grievances.

"You want one?" Rowan asked, offering a piece of chewing gum with a flash of purple between his teeth. He casually tossed the gum wrapper to the floor, bits of gum clinging to it. Will's eyelids twitched. Perhaps he'd spoken too soon.

Kade's hand lingered, waiting for Will to accept the gesture. Grimacing, Will took the gum. Popping it into his mouth, Will chewed.

A fresh fruit flavor burst forth from the bubble gum.

"Grape?" asked Will.

Rowan nodded. For a long while, the two sat in silence, watching the trains pass by. Gradually, Will's annoyance melted away. The quiet murmur of the passing crowd washed over them, and Will came to a decision. Fishing out his slate, he began rifling through his files.

"I know I have it here somewhere..." he mumbled, scouring through different folders. With a tap, he opened up his academic notes and found what he was looking for.

There was a soft ding from Rowan's phone. The bigger boy raised an eyebrow, glancing over Will's files.

"Solved problem sets from previous exams. You might find them helpful," said Will.

"Oh... wow," Kade responded awkwardly. "Thanks."

"No problem," Will replied.

The train announcer's call for the next arrival blared through the overhead speakers. Kade stood, gave Will a brief nod, and moved toward the oncoming train. Will watched Rowan follow the crowd into the vert-train. The sliding doors clanged shut, and the train sped away. A small smile tugged at his lips—until a flicker at the edge of his vision revealed a shadow with a spindly leg darting out of sight.

Will's jaw tightened as he blinked the vision away. It looked like this would be the norm now. Will got to his feet, flinging his bag over his shoulder, and made his way away from the platform. Weaving through the crowd, he headed for the employee access door.

Five minutes later, Will found himself in a narrow utility passage, navigating the labyrinthine service tunnels. Delivery drones scattered at the sight of his flashing jacket as he swept past the storage warehouse, heading toward the awaiting goods train. The drones, having completed their tasks, streamed out of the train, and Will stepped past them, navigating his way to the produce section.

As he settled down, a series of clangs reverberated through the train as it undocked. A rumbling filled the compartment as the engines came to life and the train lurched to a start before gradually picking up speed.

Will exhaled deeply, running his hand over the sacks of produce. Ignoring the powdered nutripaste, he searched for the fruits. His fingers eventually grazed a large box, and he fished out an apple.

A smell of fresh spring filled the compartment. Under the glow of his jacket's lights, the fruit gleamed—a glossy, vivid red.

Memories of Remy surged unbidden. How many times had the two of them snuck away in the goods train? In this half-addled state, he could almost see the grinning brunet in front of him.

"This is going to be great!" said Remy, tossing an apple up and down. "I got a feeling—this year is our year!"

Will blinked, and just like that, Remy's form dissipated like smoke, leaving only the apple behind. A dull ache filled his chest as he carefully returned the apple to its box.

There was no news on Remy's condition; communication outside the tower was intermittent at best, and now with the riots going on, it had been a while since he heard anything from the Doctor. Meanwhile, Becca had disappeared, leaving only a cryptic note behind asking him to wait for her.

Will slumped back into the sack of flour. Only two more weeks. What were they supposed to do now?

The soft buzz of his slate broke Will out of his fugue. He brought out his slate, surprised. Accepting the call, on the other end, Becca's voice broke through the static. "Where are you right now?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.