Zone C -- Megacity One

[Strazio Rockwell]

As Strazio entered the safehouse his body entered a fugue state that precipitated a wicked downfall. Adrenaline mixed with the pink leaf remnants and formed a stomach churning cocktail. A day’s worth of hiking, running, and starvation drained the poor prime and left him delirious. The edges of his vision blurred and his entire body trembled as it fought to stay standing. His eyes fell upon the grey-skinned troll and a chuckle escaped his lips. Of all the things to hallucinate his mind chose to construct the joker. And upon that realization Strazio collapsed, falling to the floor. Even narcoleptics struggled to sleep as sound as the exhausted mage.

--

“Heyyy, wakey wakey ragey magey,” Gamzee sung as his shook his mentor.

The troll’s sing-song was cut short as Strazio bolted upright. In a fit of unconscious aggression, Strazio’s hand found its way to Gamzee’s neck. He clutched the troll’s windpipe and pushed upwards, flipped the high blood onto his back. In less than a second the Avatar of Rage had his student pinned to the ground, trying to snuff the life out of him.

“Uhhh,” Gamzee said, forcing the words out, “bro, need air.”

Strazio’s grip loosened as his mind came back online.

“Fuck you’re hard to choke, your neck is like a fuckin’ steel pipe,” he said, “what’re you doing here?”

“Same as you I s’pose just takin’ in the wicked miracles of this island,” Gamzee answered.

Strazio stood up and offered a hand to his apprentice. Battered and beaten the two still managed to share a smile. If only for a second that is, Strazio’s smile quickly disintegrated in a scowl.

“This place sucks, I’m wet, burned, hungry, and bleeding,” Strazio said, “I don’t know if you got my message, but a lightning werewolf beat the crap outta me.”

“Woah, that sounds badass.”

“Yeah it wasn’t, I threw him off a cliff though, dude’s gotta be fucked by now,” Strazio said.

For a long while the two just sat on the safehouse floor and talked. They talked about their time on the island and the trials they had endured. More accurately, Strazio complained and Gamzee reminisced.

“We should team up,” Strazio finally said.

Gamzee nodded his head, but asked, “what happened to flyin’ solo?”

“As much as I’d like to, I’ve got a feeling people are rolling in packs,” he said, “besides how else am I supposed to make sure you stay out of trouble?”

With their alliance forged and daylight burning they stepped out into the world, ready to face the horrors of the Abyss.

Gamzee and Straz moving from safehouse c to C21