Welcome to Gaia! ::

Annie eyes were sunken in and her skin was more pale than usual. Her vision blurred in and out of focus, but never did she complain once to the general since he had enough on his shoulder literally. They stopped at a bolted entrance and he lifted Luna off his shoulders, placing her onto the dried vegetation below. This area looked abandoned mostly because of the untrimmed grass and the rust encrusted on the metal lid. Turning the valve onto of the dome submarine looking lid, it opened with a screech of bending metal. The hinders loosened immense from the sheer weight of the iron being strained on them. Another lip barracked their way in and this time Uriel had to pull out a key to unlock it. The color of the key blended in with his attire and what was more intriguing was that it conceived the same symbol on it like the lid did.

The sword imprinted on the manhole cover had to be the legendary sword, Excalibur. She had seen a picture of it in one of the wrecked fantasy books at the public library. If only she would have kept the piece of literature instead of seeing it be reduced to a pile of ash by the director's command. Having the public's intelligence expand would mean that they as a colony would turn against him. The cogs surrounding the sword stood for industrialization or manics to empower the weapon. Lastly, the only allegory she could think of that stood for wings was freedom. She tried to cluster the emblem together to create one meaning for it, but the grogginess was starting to take affect. Her physical predicament she was in made her act like an empty shell, even the grind of the mechanism before didn't appeal to her. If the child was more energetic, she wouldn't stop bombarding him with questions like: How does the lid operate?

Once it opened, she obey automatically and climbed down the ladder into the serene bunker. The commissar descended the iron bars as well and then stepped lightly onto the carpeted floor. He cared Luna over to the comfortable looking bunk beds and laid her down. Annie examined the furnished room as Uriel insisted she relax. He strolled over to the table, and removed the top hat to reveal short brown hair. Hair grew on his scalp, but she didn't give up the assumption that he was an android. Her stomach grumbled and her legs wobbled, but if she stayed she would become to attached. The orphan liked being the man's alley and companion, however, she knew what must be done. Their was no other way to get an antidote and Luna time was about to expire.

"I can't stay. Uriel you don't understand the terms of obtaining a cure do you? Luna kidnapped me so she could trade me for one. I don't get to come back with you. I have to remain in the underground and fight to the death against other children." She began to back away towards the ladder knowing he would retaliate like he did when the teenage arose. Her head became heavy with grief and her body began to go numb, but she still moved.

The sad thing was is that she wanted him to stop her and hold her close in his fatherly embrace. She loved being around him even if his actions were unorthodox and he had strange supernatural abilities. Around him, she felt safe there was nothing else in this world that she wanted more. She couldn't detect his facial expressions behind his mask, his voice though was sympathetic as he invited her to stay for one last meal. She couldn't deny this banquet even if she wanted to, and without hesitation she walked back over to the table and sat down. Her neck bare chest bare extended over the edge of the surface because the furniture must be fit to his measurements. The two naked birds in the box looked delicious and Annie licked her chapped lips impatiently. "I'm glad you said something. I hope I'll make good company." She exclaimed as enthusiastically as she could, however, she was on the verge of fainting.

He whispered something and she tried to decipher it, but couldn't and felt terrible about it. So instead she tried to lighten the conversation by asking more about his past incite or general information. "I know this is a sensitive subject, but where is your family?"

His swift movements indicted that he wanted to get the meal as quickly to her as he could. His knife glided through the aluminum can as if it wasn't there and some of the beans even splattered onto the counter top. Igniting the burner, he placed the raw bird into a rusted pan, de-boned it of course before he did. Uriel plopped down on the chair across from her and the metal of his exterior scraped against the furniture's metal. Solemnly, he replied that his family died ages ago and she regretted ever asking the question. Two hundred years of solitude sounded unbearable to the point where she would be begging for death. The orphan didn't understand how he could keep living after all this time with his heart full of sadness. That organ had to be really and not something fabricated out of spare parts. She took a deep breath before responding back to him, but she had the feeling he already knew the answer. As if he malnourished complexion and disregard of clothing wasn't apparent.

"No. I believe they left me one the orphanage door step when I was born. I think they couldn't take care of me and wanted a better future for me by leaving me there. If they didn't I wouldn't have met you, right?" She smiled and wanted to see him smile at least once before they parted ways. Gradually, she inched herself off the chair and onto the floor and grabbed a hold of the table's edge for support. Annie advanced towards him and when she was to him, she lifted her hands up to his mask to accommodate him from taking it off himself.

The male's gloved hands wrapped around hers when his mask was half lifted. She could see his scars and brunt crisp skin obscured from the world. Wires ran from his neck to under his chin confirming that he wasn't human even though she didn't need physical evidence. He had the face of a hero and she never once thought that it was disgusting to view. "It's what counts on the inside...not the outside..." Annie was glad to see what little she could before her body finally gave into unconsciousness. Her raccoon eyes closed and she feel back with Uriel holding her hands to keep her from crashing to the ground. The orphan was just to weak to stay awake for much long even with the foods aroma beckoning her.