Felwinter straightened then, but otherwise did not speak.
A giant library stands around him, one he does not recognize. Its ceilings are tall, giving the space an open feeling. He can barely make out the ancient frescos above, cracked, faded. He stands, stiff, dazed. He can't remember anything.
A silver, starlike drone flits around him, insistent. "Listen to me very carefully. They're coming for you. They'll ask you for a name. Your name is Felwinter."
"I don't think that's my name," he says carefully, still taking things in, still trying in vain to make anything of this place. Large, gilded shelves surround him, mostly broken, their contents long spilled to the floor, much the same view within the immediate vicinity, tattered books and broken cases. He barely notices the spine of a book give beneath his feet as he starts to walk around.
"I know you don't trust me," the drone says as it follows him. "But you have no choice. Who else have you got?"
His steps slow to a stop. "I don't know," Felwinter says. There's a disturbing blankness beyond his awakening. "I don't know anything."
The little drone slips in front of him. "Exactly. So you should listen to me. You're stubborn, obviously. But if we stay here long enough, you're gonna die."
How is this little thing so certain? Felwinter tries to ignore it- her, as he tries to in vain to remember something, anything. Why was he here? What had happened? His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of an explosion, its reverberation causing dust to shake loose from the ceiling. He looks up, anxious.
"See?" The drone again. "This is what I mean. We have to go. A place like this isn't safe."
As if underlining what she says, the library around them begins to respond. An old computer terminal nearby flickers to life as the building trembles around them again. 'Site-wide lockdown, initiated,' comes the distorted recording of a female voice over a PA system that likely hasn't been active in years. The first message is followed by a second, a male voice calmly reassuring the impossible. 'All library patrons please report to the nearest emergency station. If you require assistance, an attendant can help you at the reception de—'
Everything cuts out at another, stronger impact. Straining metal sounds as old armored shutters begin to lower over exposed windows, ancient joints trying to remember how to function. Debris rains down as something else hits the library. Felwinter ducks, looking around in alarm, and this time he has no objection when the drone suggests, "We should hide."
They make their escape, dodging cascades of falling books and rubble, not stopping until well away from the doomed library. Crouching in the ruins of another building, they watch as it looks like stars have been hurled down to earth, thoroughly obliterating what's left of the library.
no subject
A giant library stands around him, one he does not recognize. Its ceilings are tall, giving the space an open feeling. He can barely make out the ancient frescos above, cracked, faded. He stands, stiff, dazed. He can't remember anything.
A silver, starlike drone flits around him, insistent. "Listen to me very carefully. They're coming for you. They'll ask you for a name. Your name is Felwinter."
"I don't think that's my name," he says carefully, still taking things in, still trying in vain to make anything of this place. Large, gilded shelves surround him, mostly broken, their contents long spilled to the floor, much the same view within the immediate vicinity, tattered books and broken cases. He barely notices the spine of a book give beneath his feet as he starts to walk around.
"I know you don't trust me," the drone says as it follows him. "But you have no choice. Who else have you got?"
His steps slow to a stop. "I don't know," Felwinter says. There's a disturbing blankness beyond his awakening. "I don't know anything."
The little drone slips in front of him. "Exactly. So you should listen to me. You're stubborn, obviously. But if we stay here long enough, you're gonna die."
How is this little thing so certain? Felwinter tries to ignore it- her, as he tries to in vain to remember something, anything. Why was he here? What had happened? His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of an explosion, its reverberation causing dust to shake loose from the ceiling. He looks up, anxious.
"See?" The drone again. "This is what I mean. We have to go. A place like this isn't safe."
As if underlining what she says, the library around them begins to respond. An old computer terminal nearby flickers to life as the building trembles around them again. 'Site-wide lockdown, initiated,' comes the distorted recording of a female voice over a PA system that likely hasn't been active in years. The first message is followed by a second, a male voice calmly reassuring the impossible. 'All library patrons please report to the nearest emergency station. If you require assistance, an attendant can help you at the reception de—'
Everything cuts out at another, stronger impact. Straining metal sounds as old armored shutters begin to lower over exposed windows, ancient joints trying to remember how to function. Debris rains down as something else hits the library. Felwinter ducks, looking around in alarm, and this time he has no objection when the drone suggests, "We should hide."
They make their escape, dodging cascades of falling books and rubble, not stopping until well away from the doomed library. Crouching in the ruins of another building, they watch as it looks like stars have been hurled down to earth, thoroughly obliterating what's left of the library.
"See," his new companion says.