09-25-2016, 07:07 PM
The group made it back to Cinnabar in short time, with no further incident. Everyone was thankful for that, including Coal. The adrenaline had worn out and the four had given into exhaustion. Coal had slept below deck the entire time, while Syril sat near the back, gazing out at the ocean in silent meditation. AndrAIa sat absentmindedly in the seat that allowed her to operate the boat, while Matrix sat in the matching passenger seat near her the whole way. AndrAIa sensed that what happened with Syril and his once friend needed to be addressed, but it could certainly wait.
Eventually, the journey ended and they docked their boat. A crowd had gathered upon seeing them on the horizon. The first thing they did was reunite Vulcan with Coal, who was relieved beyond words. Matrix couldn’t help but smile as he saw Coal’s friends Kero and Zlick celebrate alongside him as well. He looked to AndrAIa and saw a matching smile, but looking past her, he could only see Syril’s scowl.
“You alright?” Matrix questioned with genuine concern as he looked to the Yoshi.
“There’s a lot more to worry about,” Syril commented, never taking his eyes off Vulcan and Coal. “The Liberation Front will continue to be aggressive towards us. It’s just another threat to our lives.”
“Why wouldn’t we strike back?” AndrAIa asked. "Take the initiative."
“I don’t know,” Syril admitted. He then shook his head. “I’m going to speak with some of our leaders, then I’m going home to rest. Thank you for your help.”
“And you for yours,” Matrix replied. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I feel it is only a matter of time before we have to do such a thing again,” Syril solemnly lamented. “Farewell.”
AndrAIa looked away from Syril as he departed, and back to Matrix. Syril was right. This was a victory, but anyone looking at the bigger picture would see the real issue. They both turned away from the impromptu celebration, simply too tired from everything to partake in the revelry. Matrix was especially feeling the burn, as he had been moving nonstop since before he was whisked out of the Dataverse by the Spirit.
“You said ‘we’,” Matrix suddenly said as they walked through the town.
“What’s that?” AndrAIa asked as she furrowed an eyebrow.
“Why don’t ‘we’ strike the Liberation Front,” Matrix clarified. “We’ve traveled a lot, and seen plenty of systems, but we’ve never counted ourselves as one of them before.”
“It feels different this time, though, doesn’t it?” AndrAIa said, beyond ready for this discussion. “We can’t just leave the Omniverse like we left systems before. I think it’s time to start thinking about the possibility of us never getting out of here.”
“I think so, too,” Matrix agreed. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it. It sounded kind of nice, to be honest.”
“We won’t give up, but in the meantime, it’s nice to have another place to call home,” AndrAIa said.
"Yea, it is," Matrix softly commented. "So, let's just go home and worry about the rest tomorrow."
Matrix smiled as they exited the city limits and began their short trek down the dirt trail that led to their house. He found himself increasingly eager to get back there, with just the same feeling that he’d felt when they were searching for Mainframe. This really was their home, and the reality was that it might always be. He realized that was the reason he took the Liberation Front so seriously, and the Empire, as well. They were a threat to his new society, and he would defend them just the same way he’d fought viruses back in Mainframe.
AndrAIa held his arm as they walked, and he continued to smile. Admittedly, he’d been doing a lot more of that lately, as well. Even with this resolve, surely they would need to night to rest and relax.
Eventually, the journey ended and they docked their boat. A crowd had gathered upon seeing them on the horizon. The first thing they did was reunite Vulcan with Coal, who was relieved beyond words. Matrix couldn’t help but smile as he saw Coal’s friends Kero and Zlick celebrate alongside him as well. He looked to AndrAIa and saw a matching smile, but looking past her, he could only see Syril’s scowl.
“You alright?” Matrix questioned with genuine concern as he looked to the Yoshi.
“There’s a lot more to worry about,” Syril commented, never taking his eyes off Vulcan and Coal. “The Liberation Front will continue to be aggressive towards us. It’s just another threat to our lives.”
“Why wouldn’t we strike back?” AndrAIa asked. "Take the initiative."
“I don’t know,” Syril admitted. He then shook his head. “I’m going to speak with some of our leaders, then I’m going home to rest. Thank you for your help.”
“And you for yours,” Matrix replied. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I feel it is only a matter of time before we have to do such a thing again,” Syril solemnly lamented. “Farewell.”
AndrAIa looked away from Syril as he departed, and back to Matrix. Syril was right. This was a victory, but anyone looking at the bigger picture would see the real issue. They both turned away from the impromptu celebration, simply too tired from everything to partake in the revelry. Matrix was especially feeling the burn, as he had been moving nonstop since before he was whisked out of the Dataverse by the Spirit.
“You said ‘we’,” Matrix suddenly said as they walked through the town.
“What’s that?” AndrAIa asked as she furrowed an eyebrow.
“Why don’t ‘we’ strike the Liberation Front,” Matrix clarified. “We’ve traveled a lot, and seen plenty of systems, but we’ve never counted ourselves as one of them before.”
“It feels different this time, though, doesn’t it?” AndrAIa said, beyond ready for this discussion. “We can’t just leave the Omniverse like we left systems before. I think it’s time to start thinking about the possibility of us never getting out of here.”
“I think so, too,” Matrix agreed. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it. It sounded kind of nice, to be honest.”
“We won’t give up, but in the meantime, it’s nice to have another place to call home,” AndrAIa said.
"Yea, it is," Matrix softly commented. "So, let's just go home and worry about the rest tomorrow."
Matrix smiled as they exited the city limits and began their short trek down the dirt trail that led to their house. He found himself increasingly eager to get back there, with just the same feeling that he’d felt when they were searching for Mainframe. This really was their home, and the reality was that it might always be. He realized that was the reason he took the Liberation Front so seriously, and the Empire, as well. They were a threat to his new society, and he would defend them just the same way he’d fought viruses back in Mainframe.
AndrAIa held his arm as they walked, and he continued to smile. Admittedly, he’d been doing a lot more of that lately, as well. Even with this resolve, surely they would need to night to rest and relax.