Episode Natalie: Chapter 2: Abandoned

Chapter 2 of Natalie's story.

Two Weeks after the Fall of Aequo

The Slums of Statera

 

 

 

 

            Natalie shivered a little bit as the nightly winds picked up yet again.  The winter was far off, but being this close to the mountains meant that the weather sometimes had a habit of creating surges of cold air and winds.  And to top it off, because of Nathan’s vigor and refusal to stop, she hadn’t changed clothes since the incident and they had started to become torn and dirty due to having to camp in the wilderness or in the slums every night.  Ever since Aequo had fallen, she and her brother had been moving at a breakneck speed.  Nathan was determined to find the man who killed everyone, and he figured that someone who would kill an entire village must have come from Statera given its growing criminal reputation.  So, they had made their way there, and Natalie was now sleeping in an alley next to an electronics shop in the slums while Nathan was going through town asking random people questions in his search for information.  Natalie looked up and saw the large skyscrapers that lit up the night sky.  The city itself was tall, but several smaller houses had been built further up along the river by the city to allow people to live in more affordable housing.  The issue was that those houses were not maintained properly and were constantly raided by the crime families, leaving next to nothing for the people living there save their roofs, which sometimes had gaping holes if somebody tried to be brave or stupid.  And for those who had nothing at all, they could either stay out of the weather and risk being attacked at random living in the streets of the city where the skyscrapers deterred some of the winds, or chance their own body’s limits by braving the weather in the slums.  Vale was too far a trek for most folks to risk the journey, but those who managed to scrape enough money together usually took the bus as far as they could before getting kicked off.  Natalie kept watching as the night sky rolled above her and began to turn to dawn when Nathan returned with a small bag.

            “Lost a little bit on my way back,” he said as he started pulling packaged food out of the bag, “but managed to save the ones that probably won’t spoil for a few more weeks.”

            “Nathan, where did you get this?”

            “That doesn’t matter” he said giving her an energy bar.  “Here, you need to eat.”

            “Did you steal this?”

            “Unless you managed to save some of your allowance from the fire, this is the best we can do.”

            “Nathan, back home when somebody was caught for stealing, they would just get a slap on the wrist and be sent to work for the person they stole the thing from for a few weeks as atonement.  Here, they’ll shoot you ten times, stomp your face in, dump your lifeless body in the river, and THEN tell you to stop running.”

            “That’s why I made sure they didn’t catch me.  And if you would just learn how to use your Semblance on command like I keep telling you to, they wouldn’t even know you were there in the first place!”

            “I don’t like stealing Nathan!  Mom or dad wouldn’t like it!”

            “Well, they’re not here now.  And neither is home.  So if you don’t want your stomach to hate you, I suggest you eat up.”  Natalie crossed her arms in defiance, but after a few moments, eventually caved and took the bar of food that Nathan offered her.  As she chowed down, some of the televisions in the store next to them started to come to life.

            “Looks like the first workers have arrived” Nathan said as he slowly stood up.  “We should get moving in case that cranky manager come around again.”  Natalie nodded her head and finished up her food.  As she stood up, the speakers on the outside came to life and started playing what was on the television sets.

            “….and that is the latest from the Huntsmen groups patrolling the Western Wall as they continue to push back against the growing Grimm horde.  In other news, it has been two weeks since the small village of Aequo far to the west of our fair city of Statera was destroyed in one night.  No official word has come in as to who was responsible for the attack, but early reports point towards the now extremist Faunus rights group The White Fang as being involved in some way in the attack.  The World Council today said in a statement….”  Nathan groaned and marched away from the store as the news droned on.

            “Maybe if those stupid people at the top actually did something instead of sitting around all day discussing what they’re going to waste their money on next maybe we would be sleeping back at home instead of out in the cold.”

            “You weren’t there for all of it Nathan” Natalie said with an exhausted sigh.  “The attack happened in the blink of an eye.  Even if the nearest settlement knew about what was happening back at Aequo, there’s no way that they could have….”

            “I don’t care” Nathan said with a growl.  “They should have done better.  I should have done better.”

            “Well, all we can do now is just do what we can.  And if I’m being totally honest, I get why you want to go on this crusade of yours, but why didn’t we go to the authorities?  Or maybe trying to find one of our extended relatives?”

            “If we did any of that, they would just lock us away in some prison or home or something to keep us from moving forward.  But if I’m going to catch Ember’s killer, then we need to keep moving forward and look for answers.”

            “Again, why aren’t we going to the authorities about this?”

            “This might sound crazy, but it all seems like a big conspiracy.  Why was Aequo attacked and no other village?  Why was it burned to the ground?  Why didn’t the alarms alerting the nearby villages go off?”  Why didn’t….”

            “Nathan, when was the last time you slept?” Natalie said with both a twinge of anger and worry in her voice.

            “That doesn’t matter.” Nathan said punching a wall with his fist.  “I won’t sleep until we find the killers and bring them to justice ourselves.”

            “We’re still just kids.   You have basic training from combat school, and I had mom’s lessons back home.  We aren’t anywhere near prepared to take on an army!”

            “I am more than prepared to take on an army!”  Nathan snapped back at her.  “I have enough rage coursing through my veins that I could probably take on all four kingdoms if I had to avenge Ember!”

            “Our entire family was also killed in that attack you jerk” Natalie whispered under her breath.

            “You say something?”  Nathan asked as he turned to continue down the sidewalk.

            “Nothing that you would have listened to” Natalie said with a sigh as she followed right behind her brother.

 

 

 

            The two of them proceeded to move deeper and deeper into the slums of the city.  As they kept moving forward, the mighty skyscrapers behind them grew smaller and smaller with each passing moment.  And the further along they went, the hills grew even larger.  To a point as they approached a small commune of shops and restaurants, there was a giant hill with houses built alongside it and at the top, was a giant facility next to a reservoir that collected water atop the hill.  All the while, Natalie noticed as they got further and further away from the skyscrapers, the more and more people they ended up having to wade through to keep moving forward.

            “I can’t believe this many people choose to live like this instead of going to one of the many kingdoms” Natalie said as she saw the continuing decay of their surroundings.  “Or that they wouldn’t try to find another small village to live in.”

            “And how well do those village plans work out I wonder?” Nathan said with a scoff.  Natalie lowered her head in sadness and continued along the way until Nathan stopped in front of a building with a sign that said “The Proud Bull” over the doorway.

            “Took long enough holy smokes” Nathan said with a smile.

            “And this place is?” Natalie asked a bit confused.

            “One of the few places in all of Statera that serves Faunus and humans.  Ember told me about how she and some of the members of the Violet Troupe would frequent here whenever they did charity work for people living in this area.”

            “And that helps us because?”

            “Even though Ember tried her best to help everybody, there were a few places that were a bit seedier than others.  And given this city’s reputation, what better place to try and find Faunus criminals in this town than in the one place where they would likely gather.”

            “Nathan, I’ve read kids books with more solid plans than yours.”

            “You just haven’t had proper combat and strategy training yet.”

            “And you barely started without throwing a fit.”

            “Are you coming in or what?”

            “Do I have much of a choice?” Natalie asked rolling her eyes.  The two of them stepped into the bar and started coughing due to the smoke emanating from throughout the room.  The bar itself was not too big, about ten small tables and three big booths with the bar itself stretching across the entire left wall and almost reaching the kitchen.  Most of the clientele were Faunus like Nathan surmised.  There were a few who were wearing mining equipment sitting in one of the booths, a couple of dog Faunus sitting at one of the smaller tables, and a few rabbit Faunus sitting at the bar itself, with a snake Faunus serving as the bartender, cleaning a few glasses and preparing a few drinks.  And every single one of them had either a cigarette or a cigar that they were smoking, with even more stubs smoldering in ash trays around the entire bar.  Nobody seemed to really react to the two children entering the establishment, they just continued on with whatever they were already doing.  Nathan coughed a little bit more, then made his way to the bar, undeterred by the air destroying his lungs.  Natalie looked around, found a discarded yet somehow still clean cloth sitting by the entrance and used it to cover her nose and mouth.  Nathan sat down at knocked on the bar to get the bartenders attention.

            “Strawberry sunrise” he said with a sly smirk.  “No ice.”  The bartender nodded his head almost robotically and started mixing the drink.  But as he was about to place it in front of Nathan, he got a good look at him and tilted his head in confusion.

            “Excuse me, how old are you again?”

            “That doesn’t matter” Nathan said as he tried reaching for the glass.  The bartender pulled it away as Nathan attempted to reach for it.

            “It matters if I get the people up top coming down on me for why I severed a kid alcohol.

            “I’m in combat school, I can do what I want.”

            “Yeah well, you look like you just graduated kindergarten” the bartender said with a laugh.  Nathan’s face flushed with embarrassment, but he tried to keep his cool.

            “I’m looking for someone” he said with a stern voice.

            “Who, your math teacher?”  This joke got the rest of the bar to laugh with him.  Nathan started growing more and more upset, and pulled out his two clubs.

            “These were given to me by a woman who helped you lot when you were struggling.  Well I say it’s time for you to pay off that debt.”

            “Look kid, this is cute and all, but if this keeps up I’ll have to call the cops on you and….”

            “We’re from Aequo” Natalie said piping up.  This caused the bartender to pause and look back at her.  “We survived the attack from a few weeks ago, and now we are looking for information.  There was a Faunus with bull horns and a big red sword who was behind the attacks and killed our friends and family.  And now we’re looking for him.  Any information at all would be helpful.”  The bartender pondered this for a second, then put the drink away and pulled out two small bags of fruit from a small refrigerator below the bar.

            “I normally use these for drinks, but I think you kids could use the food.  Look, I’ve got an informant who could possibly help you.  I’ll let him know you’re here.  Just meet him at the top of the reservoir at midnight on one of the peninsulas at the very top.  He’ll be wearing a big black hat and carries a cane.  And he’ll take good care of you kids.”

            “I appreciate it” Nathan said as he chowed down on the fruit and walked out the door in a rush.  Natalie took a few bites of the fruit and placed the cloth on the bar.

            “Thank you sir” she said with a bow.  She quickly ran out the door to catch up with her brother.  The bartender sighed, then walked into the kitchen and into an office.  He started pressing buttons on an old landline phone.  After a few rings, somebody picked up on the other end.

            “Yeah, I’ve got a few more stragglers from Aequo that are poking their noses in places they shouldn’t be.  No, I’m not sure if they’re the ones that are exempt from the bounty.  They’re kids!  There’s no way that whoever put the hit out on survivors of that place would put a limiter on kids.  Especially in this town!  Yes, it’s two, a boy and a girl.  I’ll take my normal cut once you profit.  They’ll be on the peninsula at midnight.  Of course, Mr. Torchwick.  I aim to please.”

 

 

 

            Nathan and Natalie sat on a park bench next to the pump house overlooking the massive reservoir at the top of the hill.  The basin itself didn’t have much water in it, and what little water there was in there was not very clean.  The setting sun hit the water just enough to highlight all the trash that was sitting in the water.  The entire reservoir itself was surrounded by a simple chain link fence with poles built into the concrete.  There were a few houses and shops to the left of where they were sitting, to their right was a small group of trees and gardens that formed a small park on the other side of the hill, and the nature of the entire space was very calming.  But while Natalie kept herself busy by watching the evening breeze cause the trees to sway, Nathan got up off the bench and started pacing back and forth.

            “Will you calm down bro?”  Natalie said with a sigh.  “This isn’t going to do anything except wear down your shoes even more.  And unless you plan on stealing a new pair alongside our meals, I don’t think destroying your shoes is a good idea.”

            “I can’t help it!”  Nathan groaned back.  “This is the biggest lead I’ve had on finding Ember’s killer, and I refuse to wait any longer until she is avenged!”  Natalie sighed, then stood up and marched over to Nathan.

            “Okay, I have put up with this for long enough.  Doing all of this?  Chasing after somebody who could kill us at the drop of a hat?  This is not going to go the way you think Nathan.”  Nathan took a step back in surprise as Natalie said this.

            “Look, we can talk about this later sis….”

            “No, we are talking about this now.  You didn’t have to watch our younger brother go up in flames.  You didn’t have to see people you love get killed in the blink of an eye or have to listen to them say goodbye to you knowing full well that it was the last time.  And you didn’t have to stare death in the face and watch your home burn!  And to top it all off, ever since that day, you have dragged me arcross the middle of nowhere seeking vengeance for one person!  I haven’t even heard you once mention mom or dad or even Matthew as somebody you want to do this for!  And remember that moment a few weeks ago when we were at that roadside store and some random jerk started mocking Aequo and you went on a rampage so bad you not only destroyed the store but also ran back to our old house and threw a hissy fit like a baby that I had to drag you out of, only for you to turn around and continue to drag me across the middle of nowhere focused solely on your revenge instead of your last remaining family member?!  I’m done Nathan!  We are going to…..”  Suddenly, before Natalie could finish, a shot rang out that caused both of them to jump up and turn towards where the sound originated.  As they looked over, they saw a man with a white jacket and a black bowler hat with a small red feather in it carrying a cane with smoke coming out the end of it, as the shot that was fired had clearly come from there.

            “Man, I hate stupid family squabbles” the stranger said stepping forward, “but so long as it gets me paid I suppose it can work out.”  Nathan and Natalie took a few steps away from the approaching stranger.

            “Who are you?” Nathan asked.  The stranger smiled and twirled his cane around.

            “Kid, I am one of the most powerful people in this town and you can’t recognize me?  I guess it makes sense that coming from a backwater town like Aequo, a few people aren’t really going to recognize me right off the bat.  But for formal introductions, my name is Roman Torchwick, and you my two friends, are my next paycheck.”

            “I’m sorry, but we are already meeting with somebody else tonight” Nathan said with a slight shiver in his voice.

            “Kid, I am your contact” Roman said with a laugh.  “I’m the person you want to talk to about stuff related to Aequo.  Unfortunately for you, I’m not here to help you on your precious puberty-fueled revenge quest.  There’s a bounty on the heads of survivors from Aequo.  And from what I’ve heard from some of the top brass in the underworld, you two could fetch me quite a bit of dough!”

            “Maybe next time” Nathan said as he ran towards Torchwick pulling out his clubs.  Roman smiled and didn’t even move from his spot as Nathan ran straight towards him.  Nathan didn’t deter his attack however, and leapt up into the air to attack Roman, but as soon as he left the ground, Roman snapped his fingers and nets suddenly shot out of some of the fence poles that caught Nathan in an instant.  He struggled to break free, but a moment later, an electric shock went coursing through the entirety of the net, causing Nathan to scream in pain then pass out.  Roman laughed while Natalie started to run forward and try to help him, but then stopped herself when she realized there could be more traps just waiting for her to spring them.  Roman chuckled and stated slowly walking towards her, stepping over Nathan’s limp body in the process.

            “Now then, I promise if you come quietly, you won’t be hurt as much as your brother.”  Natalie slowly backed away in response to Roman’s actions as he continued to laugh.  But then, his laughing cut short and he started looking around as if he had lost sight of her.

            “Excuse me?” he said starting to become frustrated.  “I don’t think I drank cactus juice this morning.  Where’d you go you stupid kid?”  Natalie looked straight at Roman slightly confused, but then looked down at her hands and realized she had activated her Semblance yet again.  She was completely invisible.  Roman couldn’t see her.  She used this opportunity to slowly sneak past him and tiptoe towards where Nathan was still unconscious on the ground.  Natalie tried to untangle the net containing her brother, but as soon as she touched it, another electric shock went through the ropes and she yelped in pain.  Roman noticed this and fired a shot towards the ground right by Nathan, which cause Natalie to jump backwards and pop back into visibility.

            “Very clever little Miss Disappear” Roman said with a slight chuckle.  “But I don’t think you’re going to get away anytime…oh come on!”  Natalie looked down and saw that she had turned herself invisible again.  She didn’t question how she pulled it off so easily, but she also didn’t shocked again, so she started running as fast as she could.  She made a beeline for the trees that bordered the park, and quickly ran into the gardens.

“Somebody kill her please?” Roman yelled at the top of his lungs.  As soon as he said that, several men wearing ski masks and goggles ran out of the pump house next and started spreading out across the reservoir with guns and clubs.  The sun had now set and there was very little light from the few lampposts scattered across the park, and Natalie kept tripping over herself trying to run.  Every time she tripped, she checked her hands to see if she was visible or invisible, and after a few more stumbles she was completely visible again.  Then, suddenly, she felt a hand grab her shoulder and pull her aside.  Natalie tried to fight back, but the stranger simply picked her up like a football and started running straight towards a big tunnel leading into the side of a hill that was completely boarded up.

“Open up!” the stranger yelled at the tunnel without slowing down.  Then, the boards on the tunnel opened up and the stranger ran right inside.  The tunnel was dark, and Natalie couldn’t see anything.  She could tell the stranger was still carrying her running at full speed, but that was the only thing her senses could tell her.  Suddenly, they came to a complete stop, and Natalie was set down softly on the ground.

“All clear” the stranger yelled out.  And as soon as that was said, lights started coming on in the tunnel leading a curving path deeper inside the hill.  Natalie looked up at her apparent abductor and saw a woman no bigger than five-foot-two with black skin and curly brown hair standing above her.  She had a tattered green winter coat with a pair of blue jeans with holsters on them each of them carrying different pistols and a pair of black running shoes.  On her face she wore a green headband and black sunglasses.  She didn’t take the sunglasses off, but did offer Natalie a hand up.

“Sorry, but I didn’t really have time to explain” the stranger said with a smile.  Natalie hesitated for a moment, but accepted the hand to stand back up.  “Especially with Torchwick on your tail.  How you two managed to get tangled up with him is beyond me.”

“Thanks for the help” Natalie said cracking her back.  “But who are you?”

“Fair question kid” the stranger said with a laugh.  “Name’s Caer Uleum.  I’m one of the protectors of this community.”

“Community?” Natalie asked with confusion.  Caer motioned for Natalie to follow and lead her further down the path the lights illuminated.  After a few moments, they arrived on a catwalk overlooking a giant aircraft hangar sized bunker filled with what could only be described as a small village.  Small shack shops made up streets, while tents and canopies were filled with people sleeping in beds and cots.  And across from that on the far wall was a small stream of water being feed by a crack in the wall.  Caer smiled and waved her hands to show it all to Natalie exclaiming,

“Welcome to the Underground.”

Author's Note

Please read/review/enjoy!