1 The Surface

"Since the very beginning, this was our story."

My eyes shot open, my entire body screamed in pain, yet no sound would escape my mouth. I gripped at the bedsheets desperately, trying to ease the aching throughout. My twitching body lay to rest as the pain slowly subsided and I was able to take in my surroundings.

The room was cylindrical with a pillar in the center. The floor bore wooden planks and the room was a blinding white. Blue and yellow light blinked in unison. On the walls, there was a continuous strip of a transparent material, a translucent blue screen hovered on the material.

Through the windows, you could see a large view of other skyscrapers poking through the layer of clouds. I was definitely very high up.

"Aimer!" I shouted almost instinctively, my gaze flipped around. I was searching for something... what was I searching for? "Wーwho is Aimer?" I asked myself. I settled my gaze onto a mirror. I could see someone; reddish-brown hair, sky-blue eyes. Who? Who is that?

A light blinked red and a door slid open. Someone in maid clothing bolted through the door at lightning speed and yelled out a name. "Isabel!" I looked around. "Isabel?" I tilted my head. The maid held her head. "Oh god, you must have hit your head when you fainted... the madam is going to kill me!" The maid paced about. "You remember me? My name?" She grabbed my shoulders, her eyes seemed to tear up. "I... do not know you..." I scratched my head, trying to remember anything to satisfy her.

The maid bit her lip and her fingers began poking at my stomach. I felt a sudden rush of sensation and a laugh flew out of my mouth. "Wーwait!" I cried and tried to roll away. The finger decided to start poking and her hands started to knead my stomach. I couldn't escape and fell victim to her prying, tickling hands.

"Remmie! We didn't hire you to abuse me if I recall correctly!" I pushed against her body. She suddenly stopped and her face broke into a grin. "Finally!" I tried to push her away as her arms embraced my tiny body. "Ugh, I really hit my head hard..." She rubbed my temples and laid me back down.

Remmie headed out of the room. "I'll make you some stew. Make sure not to strain yourself, and no going to the surface!" I began to complain until she stopped me. "Knowing you, you won't listen to me, just don't hurt yourself." Remmie rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. I chuckled to myself. I whistled a small melody. Silence. Then, a skittering sound grew louder and louder until a large bulldog leaped onto my stomach and licked my face. "Suzu!" I laughed as I hugged the panting mess.

I lightly pushed against her head. The link activated and the communication device connected.

< Isabel! Are you alright? >

"Suzu! Yes! I'm fine!"

< You just fainted and I had to alert Remmie immediately! >

"Good girl!" I ruffled her fur and massaged her belly.

"Shoo! Shoo!" Remmie entered the room with a cart of stew. Suzu leaped away and the connection broke. I took the bowl of steaming stew with my hands and the smell wafted into my nose. I slowly sipped the stew which soothed my throat.

Remmie patted my hair before returning back outside. I quickly gulped the stew down until the bowl was completely desolate. I forced myself out of bed. The soles of my feet brushed against the cold floor.

I placed my hand on a glowing sensor and a set of clothes popped out of the wall. I fitted myself into a long black coat and slipped my legs through a set of tight jeans. I buttoned my clothes up, struggling because I was trying to go as fast as I could. I reached under my bed and pulled a large object and grasped it to my chest. A 『UN-SPR16』. A true beauty. This son of a bitch was a light-weight rifle that used solar power called the 『United Nations ー Solar Powered Rifle 16』. It stored solar energy, as suggested by the name, and could power all of your equipment, and maintain itself.

It was developed during the Second Cold War, and the amount of shit I went through to get this into my hands is insane! I fitted black sneakers onto my feet and shot my way through the door and threw myself into an elevator. I tapped the screen of the elevator. "Ground Floor."

< Floor 356 to Ground Floor >

A mechanical female voice spouted back at me. The elevator began to move and some ancient age 2050 music began playing. I slightly cringed at the choice of song. "It's the 22nd century, what is with this choice of music!" I yelled at seemingly no one. The elevator started slowing down to a complete halt.

< Ground Floor >

The door opened with a hissing sound.

< Please equip your Toxicity Gear >

I strapped a mask around my face and slid gloves onto my hands. I entered an empty lobby with only a hologram as the desk attendant. I pushed open a glass door to enter a small room. The room led to a large sealed door. I placed my finger on a scanner.

< Confirming Identity... >

< Confirmed. Isabel Taylor, thank you for your stay at Hilton Suites. >

The sealed door opened to another small room. This room was completely gray. I entered the next room and the door behind me shut. I tapped a button and the room scanned my body.

< Confirming Toxicity Gear... >

< Confirmed. Thank you for your contribution to safety. >

The sealed door in front of me opened to a completely different world compared to the building behind me. Trash littered the streets and a musky green mist replaced the clean air. As I walked out I looked up and saw the skyscrapers disappear into the clouds above. I looked around to see people sitting on the curbs and even sleeping. Someone looked at me and then spit in my direction, clearly envying me. My hand flew to the gun I was holding. He flipped his head in another direction and whistled like it was any other day.

This was just everyday life on 『The Surface Layer』

I walked through to streets to see a starving population, deprived of basic necessities. Thus was the life in a militarized nation in Europe. At least the guys in the American Union have it better. I made my way into a small alley with a garbage dumpster. I lightly tapped on the dumpster a few times until a door that was camouflaged as bricks swayed open.

"Come in."

A table surrounded by children just around my ripe age of thirteen had slight frowns on their faces. As soon as they saw the goodie I was clenching, their faces broke into wide grins. "Christmas came early!" I laid the rifle on the table. "I'm expecting you guys to be groveling to me, it was a pain trying to get this." As I bore a slight smirk. "Oh, your highness, we are grateful for your sacrifice~!" A boy in a green jacket stuck his tongue out at me. "Zane, knowing that this is the most gratitude anyone could ever get out of your thick ass, you are welcome." I shot back. He chuckled and reached for the majestic item on the table.

As they fidgeted with the item on the table, I shifted myself over to the sink. I removed my gloves and rinsed my hands with the water. "You finally got the pipes working, Kyle?" Kyle stood up from his place and tossed his hands into the air. "Yes! Indeed I did! I got that piece of shit fixed just last night." His eyes twinkled and I began to groan. "Oh god." Zane's eyes shot up and his expression changed to extreme fear. "Kyle's starting his bloody rant!" He cried out. Kyle pushed his glasses up and opened his mouth.

"'It's our damn luck we got born in the United Kingdom.' I'm so tired of people saying that! If the government can't even fix our pipes then how the heck can they manage a war? The Americas can do it, why can't we? Hell, even the Philippines became an economical powerhouse, but the United Kingdom? A nation that prospered as an empire for centuries? No? Seriously?" Kyle spit.

Zane massaged his forehead as a girl in a red hoodie comforted him. Kyle continued his rant.

"And those bastards up in the skies! They can afford to keep building skyscraper after skyscraper, and sending satellite after satellite into orbit, but they can't afford to feed the population? Nothing more than pigs they are!" His eyes bore immense terror as he looked up at me. "Of course, not you, Isabel, you're different!" "No, no! You're right! They're just a bunch of cunts." I rolled my eyes, thinking of my family.

Kyle smiled and continued. "They're spending trillions literally colonizing the Martian Expanse just to spend MORE money to fight wars on that floating piece of iron. No offense to you, Brody." Brody had a black shirt with the words, "Take Mars!" and an image of the Martian colony, Imperia. Brody just waved it off. "Just finish... whatever you do... already."

"You know what's hilarious? They are pouring billions into LGBTQ+ support groups and I haven't seen a transphobic since... I was born!"

"Well, that's a new line." A girl named Ava laughed. "It would be more worth it if they could spend those 'investments' into making gender-change surgery cheaper or even free."

Kyle pointed at her and grinned. "Damn straight." He fell back into his chair. "Done!" He announced. Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, at least this rant wasn't as idiotic as the past few." A guy in a white shirt blurted. The room was filled with laughter at his sudden remark. Kyle raised his eyebrow, "Luka, what do you mean by that?" Luka stuck his tongue out but didn't respond. "Oi!ー" "That's enough out of you." The girl who was comforting Zane got to her feet.

"Alright, let's get back to what we were discussing before Isabel came in with her beautiful present." She nodded. "Thank you, Elda." Zane sat further back in his chair. "Yes, as we've all probably heard by now, the Eastern Federation just blamed that plane crash on Germany."

"Yeah, they accused Germany of shooting it down or something, I didn't read the article." Ava brushed her hair. Someone with scarlet hair stood up, unironically named Scarlett. "Doesn't that mean that the Feds have a reason to declare war?" She shouted. Kyle shook his head. "Yes, that's exactly why we brought it up. In the past few meetings, we tracked the Federation's movements and pieced them together. The Federation wants war. Anyday now." Brody cracked his neck. "Well, that's a pain." Scarlett sat back down in her chair, her face twisted in anger.

"I heard you're dad's coming back from France?" Zane switched up the conversation. I nodded. "Yeah, he's most likely returning since the Federation and you know. My mother's forcing us to have dinner." "That bloody golddigger." Elda coughed. I laughed at her nickname. "Truly a golddigger. Acting like she loves us and everything. I bet she loves that prized jewel of hers more than me." I hissed at the thought of it.

"I wish I was like her." Ava tapped her fingers on the table. "I remember she was randomly picked out of a bunch of surface dwellers just because your father needed to marry someone." "Right on." I clapped my hands together.

"Anyways, meeting dismissed. And can someone give Isabel a handgun? She needs some protection since she's leaving the rifle here. Oh and Ava, can you find a place to hide the rifle?"

I expected Ava to whine but she lit up at the thought of managing the rifle. Brody gave me a pistol. I examined it for a bit. "Some UN-issued pistol? You have bad taste." I teased Brody and he wrinkled his nose. "You don't want it?" "Sorry." We shuffled outside of the hideout and saw a few familiar faces outside. "Meeting dismissed, eh?" Old man John inquired. "Yup! Oh, and I brought a sandwich for you!" Scarlett reached into her pocket.

"A sandwich! Many thanks!" John took the sandwich and began to dig in. "Now I won't tell the authorities!" We laughed at his joke but knew it was borderline truth. Believe it or not, guns are still illegal in civilian hands, of course, no one on The Surface Layer listens to that bullshit. Even so, if the authorities catch you with a firearm, they will confiscate it with no hesitation and fine you upwards of thousands of credits. The officers on the surface tend to ignore that law though but will enact it if it is reported.

We split up and made our way back to our respective shelters. I was going back to the suite when I encountered a man in a full suit in front of the sealed door. I retracted myself. My eyes widened.

"Fー"

"Father!"

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