2 ~2~

I lift my head the instant a familiar sound rings. The annoying alarm I set for Saturdays at 9 am, my day off. I sigh the paper stuck to my cheek slowly peels off and flutters back down to the desk. I can't remember what time I eventually fell asleep but I must have been too tired to move to my bed. I looked behind me to find Pio in sleep mode on my shelf of knickknacks. A soft smile swept across my face at the sight.

I turn the alarm off as it grew on my nerves and started my day. "Ok, I've finished my paperwork so I have a bit of free time~," I mumble to myself, as it is a rare occasion that I have suck time on my hands. I decide to throw on my black T-shirt with the main characters of my favorite story on it, which has faded over time, and a pair of light blue jeans with a couple of stylish rips in the thighs. After brushing the heap of black wavy hair on my head and putting it in the usual ponytail, I grab the finished documents and my bag of essentials and make my way for the kitchen.

Heading down the stairs, I can already tell that mom and Dylon have been up all night since they're sprawled out over the couch in a deep sleep. I tip-toe the rest of the way to the kitchen and write a note that says "I'll be out for the day running errands, be back tonight. Love Dakota". I grab an apple out of the fruit bowl on the dining room table and leave without a sound. A sigh of relief calms over me, I didn't wake them up. I take a bite of the yellowish-pink apple in my hand and glance at the time on my wristwatch. It reads [9:28 am].

My first stop is to see if Clive is still up for some handy work. I wouldn't mind making a few extra bucks, and If I'm honest -the works fairly easy.

Within three knocks, Clive answers. The familiar dirty blonde hair and baby blue eyes meet me at the entrance. The oil on his face is revealed as he lifts the welding mask. The way half of his hair is shaved gives off the air of bad boy, but he's a real clutz. "Hey! Dakota~" He tries to say smoothly, but comes off more like a dork as the welding mask that was on his head falls back to his face. "Ha~... I just spoke with Dylon yesterday, what brings you by?" he gives a nervous chuckle as he shuffles his weight to look steady. He's charming, I'll give him that. "He said you might need some help in the shop, I thought I'd swing by."

He pulls the door open more, making room for me to get past "I sure do! Come on in." The door is pretty heavy, as it is made of pure, bulletproof, steel so I don't give it a second thought as I rush past. "So, what are you working on today?" I ask, curious about all the scraps of metal laying around. The room grows dark as the door slams shut and it takes a minute for my eyes to adjust. The only light in the room we're in is the lamp that sits in the corner of the work area, which only emits so much light. "My latest invention!" Clive answers enthusiastically as he strides over to the work desk I'm standing in front of. He grabs the roll of blue paper laying on top of the pile of screws and bolts and unravels it, revealing the blueprints for a new weapon.

"I call it, the 'Bubble Gusher'!" He says excitedly, turning the paper towards my direction so I can get a clear view. It looks kind of like you would expect a regular laser pistol to look, except it has a few modifications to the barrel and ammo. "This isn't your ordinary laser pistol, as you might be able to tell~" Clive explains. I hold the corners of the blueprint paper down while Clive walks towards the corner of the workroom. "It doesn't shoot your cell energy, no. This little guy shoots plasma in the form of a solid! I've got some kinks to work out with the science behind the ammo and what-not, but I've built a model" he then pulls out a box with red warning tape on it. At first glance, it's just a shoebox with a warning label on it, then he places it on the work desk. "I haven't had the chance to test it out on anything, so I don't know how strong of an impact my experiment is just yet.."

I pull the box towards me to take a closer look at the contents, and suddenly it hits me "This is amazing Clive! You might have just invented the first step to securing our planet!" The sight of the funny looking gun is one thing, but the thought of the power it could have gives me a little hope. No one in this city has ever tried experimenting with different energy sources, so this is quite the discovery! This information is just what I needed. "So, what can I help with?" I ask, eager to begin. Clive smiles from ear to ear "You're good at science aren't you?" I give a nod and smile, knowing exactly where this is going.

He hands me a notebook filled with notes and pictures of different types of matter formula. "I'll leave the rest of the science up to you. I have to open up shop, so let me know when you've got a breakthrough." He says, turning to leave. "Oh! Also, try not to tell anyone about this, since it might not be entirely legal... I think?" He waves goodbye and heads to the front of the shop, leaving me with a shoebox that contains a prototype gun, and the notebook to create the ammo. I'm not gonna lie, messing with matter such as plasma is very dangerous. Which is why it may be illegal to mess with its form. Especially if you're not licensed to do so. Either way, this is a scientific discovery that I can't pass up! I don't think I could even if I tried, the curiosity of success is eating me.

I put the notebook in my bag careful not to bend the pages, then take my leave. "This is not what I expected to be helping Clive with" I chuckle under my breath. Anyway, now I have to deliver the documents I slaved away on. I give a sigh and head to the city guard station. I don't mind stopping by on my days off, but the head guard can be a bit much when he's not in a good mood. In which case, he usually isn't. I don't know if he only has one side of the bed to wake upon, or if he just has a large, pointy stick up his a- "Dakota! Lucky seeing you here!" a rough voice interrupts my thoughts as the arm of a giant is slung over my shoulder. However, I'm pleasantly surprised by this oddly muscular girl. "Cat!" I spit out, recoiling from the mass of arm lugged at my neck. She pulls me in for a hug, and I can feel the life drain from my body. "It's so good to see you!" Cat exclaims as she suffocates me with her love.