CyberAttack 2

2. ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ?

(Third Person POV)
-
The Resistance's Hideout.
-

Up, down, up, down. Second's arms ached, but lifting weights was still familiar to him as before. It had been 2 months since _nala was defeated, and so far, he showed no signs of returning. However, Second was constantly restless and waiting. They were just so unoccupied now, and so unprepared. He felt they had gotten weaker just because they were living a normal life.

"So, Sec, are you gonna do that all day or are you gonna take some time off like the rest of us? We're playing video games right now, and we're gonna go out later for food, they really want you to join us."

Green peeked in the door. It was so unusual to see everyone without armor or weapons, even if they were still there and in storage, ready to use at any time. Second still wore his all the time.

"Maybe. I need to be prepared for anything."

Green crossed his arms with a disappointed sigh.

"Second, come onnn! You've been like this since we came back home! We're retired, dude. _nala is gone."

"My gut tells me otherwise."

"Screw your gut!"

Green walked over, snatching the weight out of his hands and putting it on the floor.

"Come on dude, relax for a while, spend some time with us. After so many years, we get a break. Rest up! Relax! We've all earned it, you included, mister."

They stared at each other for a moment.

"So take off the armor and come with us, please."

Rubbing his eyes, Second hesitantly took off his armor and laid it aside.

"There, now come on! We're just about to go out."

...

-
Stick City
-

Even strolling down the street felt so uncomfortable. Sticks passed by with smiles on their faces, children and adults alike. Second still felt uneasy, even with his friends at his side, chatting away without a care. He looked at the places that he had seen only a few times while flying through the city. He never had the time to stop and get a good look at them, but now that he did, it would all just feel odd.

"So where should we stop?" Red looked over at everyone.

"How about that new cafe? It's just a block away." Blue suggested.

"Hmm.. I was thinking something more filling. There's a small pizza place close by." Green entered.

"Sounds good to me. We can stop by the pizza place first, then hit the cafe for drinks, and then, I heard there's an arcade close to that cafe. It's big, and from what I saw, there's a whole lot of games."

"Yeah!" Everyone agreed with Yellow's compromise, except for Second, who was staring off.

"Second?"

He snapped back to the discussion.

"Oh. Yeah, that's good."

"Good, let's go!"

The group arrived at their first stop, but as they walked through the doors, people turned up their heads to look at them one by one. It would be weird to see the sticks that had saved you so many times suddenly turn up in such a casual place. Second shifted a bit. Noticing he wasn't feeling the best, Green wrapped an arm around Second.

"Just ignore 'em."

They chose a table and sat down. Slowly, people lowered their heads and turned back to their tables, but excited yet nervous murmurs rose among them.

After a minute, a waitress nervously stumbled over to their table.

"I'm.. um.. Hello! I'll be your waitress today! Uh.."

She fumbled with her words and looked around at the table.

"Sorry! Um.. could I get you guys started with drinks?"

They all ordered drinks. The waitress nervously and quickly wrote down orders.

"Also, I think we already know what food we'll order too." Blue calmly remarked and smiled.

"Oh! Of course, of course!"

More people stared again, occasionally looking back to their own table. Most of the sticks didn't care, but Second and Red started to feel uncomfortable. Green ordered a pizza and bread for the group, and asked if they had any other more closed off rooms. Unfortunately, they didn't, so the three just had to comfort their other two friends a bit.

Once the waitress left, the restaurant was uncomfortably quiet.

"What's up with these guys?" Green whispered.

"I think they're just nervous about seeing us around. I mean, we did save their lives for 8 years." Blue whispered back.

But while the others chatted, Second noticed someone looking at him non-stop. They didn't turn away like the others or chat with their friend. No, they stared at him intensely. He was hidden under a hood and seemed to be examining Second. They ignored the waiters, ordered nothing, just stared at him.

Second's train of thought about this stick was cut off when the waitress came back and placed their food on the table. However, when the waitress left, that stick was gone.