Dreams Come True

Crack In The System

I immediately regretted having us take this elevator. It was so slow that after a minute I wondered if we even were down a floor yet. I groaned and started banging my head against the smudgy metal wall. Amy sighed and pulled me away from the wall, spinning me around to glare at me.

"Maybe don't do that, because Maria was worried enough after you left the medical bay", Mrs.Pond explained. "So I'd rather you not bruise like a peach so she comes after me."

I stared at her blankly, before bursting out into uproarious laughter. Amy snorted and started to snicker quietly as the others joined in. I don't know why it was so funny, maybe I was just going insane because of the elevator's speed.

After calming down, I took a deep breath and smiled. "Well, since we're gonna be stuck in here for a while..." I leaned against the wall. "We could kill time by chatting. Just so I don't lose my mind out of boredom."

"Good call..." Gretchen began. She faced me with crossed arms and a pointed look. "So, what was your life like before getting sucked up on this adventure."

I flinched at the look, with Gladius, Amy and Rory wincing.

"Well, it was... meh." I looked off to the side. "My home life wasn't the best, so I left when I was... 11. Went to a foster shelter for a bit before I decided to just wander around. By the time I became 14, I had found a place of my own. It was a house in the woods, originally belonging to some family, and I lived there. Two years later, after getting my licence so I could be more free, I was driving home when the portal that sent me to the Capital opened right in front of me. The rest is history..."

Amy and Rory gave me a sad look, with Mr.Pond putting a hand on my shoulder. I leaned into the touch as the two campers shared a look.

"Did your parents look for you?" McGee asked.

"I didn't want to be found by them..." I grumbled something under my breath that only Gladius picked up on. He tilted ever so slightly, clearly out of concern.

"Did you have any siblings?" Baby asked. "You had to have someone."

I remained silent, staring blankly at a wall. My heart rate was starting to pick up.

"Caleb, is everything-" Amy began.

"I didn't have any siblings." I interrupted bluntly, body tense.

A tense silence filled the room, with Scrap Baby shifting slightly. Amy and Rory shared a look, while McGee and Gretchen eyes widened. I simply stared at the wall, trying my best to calm the inner turmoil bubbling writhing my heart and mind. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Sorry", I said mid-sigh. "That stuff is just... a really sensitive topic to me. I'd rather talk about some other time."

"That's cool", Baby said. "I'm sorry about bringing that up."

"It's fine, Baby", I waved off her apology, before breathing out again and leaning against her. "Can we talk about something else, now?"

Everyone nodded except the robot, who looked at the wall opposite the lift's door. "Woah", she whispered out in awe.

We all looked at what was so impressive, and we all widened our eyes at the sight of the ruined city beyond a window. A saw a distant chunk fall into the abyss below, but that didn't take away from the oddly serene sight before us.

"Okay, one, that's one heck of a view", Gretchen said. "Two, how is there a window here?"

"Special paint that can make any surface a one-way window", Gladius explained. "It's a simple but effective invention."