Crow (NoochZahHutt)

Part Nineteen

Dear Brandon, I'm sure you're aware of how rapidly the fever is spreading. Due to my connections with the government, I happen to know that they plan on blaming a certain rebel organization. If you have any friends that belong to Crow, please warn them. Hide them. Help them run away, even. The spread of the fever is no one's fault but mine.

On another note, however, you tried to call me a few days ago and didn't leave a message. It's my fault for not picking up, sorry about that! Anyway, I'd still like to talk to you, but I think it would work better if we did so in person. My current place of residence is a few towns over from where you are, but it's only a short train ride. The address is on the back of the paper.

I hope you realize that I'm on your side.

-V

~~~

Throughout the past few days, the spread of the fever had increased dramatically. Wherever you went in the city, there were dead bodies on the ground, unclaimed and unwanted. I didn't leave HQ very frequently. Neither did Lachlan, or Preston, or Rob. It was too upsetting.

I'd given Choco his hoodie back, and he had gone back to Balamb, as he had been concerned for "his children". His words, not mine. With the latest letter I'd gotten from V, I was worried for him, and for Kenny, and Ashley, and all the other members of Crow. But I had no real way to contact them and warn them.

Lachlan had essentially become a shut-in. I wasn't sure what happened to trigger this, but I had a feeling it had something to do with him wanting to shut Five Seasons down. (I still hadn't gotten clarity on that, by the way). I knocked on his office door one day, hoping to talk to him, but I hadn't gotten a response.

Preston and Rob were as gay as ever. As far as I knew, they weren't "official" yet, but one morning I caught them making out in the kitchen and that was all the evidence I needed to start calling them boyfriends.

And then there was me, still upset that my plan to revive Nooch had failed.

The letter from V perplexed me, though. "The fever is no one's fault but mine." What did they have to do with the fever? And they said that they're on my side. I don't even know what side I'm on!

I sat on the basement stairs, with the letter in one hand and my chin in the other. My next move would have to be carefully calculated. I had several options: journey to Balamb, meet V, stay here, or do something else entirely. My instincts were screaming at me to go to Balamb, but I knew that there were too many risks I'd have to take in order to do that. My second choice was meeting V.

I shoved the letter in the back pocket of my jeans and sprinted up the stairs, requiring an affirmation in my choice. Preston and Rob were eating lunch at the kitchen table.

"How long is a train ride from here to Guardian Beach?" I asked, without so much as a hello to preface it.

"Three or four hours, I'd guess," Rob responded, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Why?"

I slapped the letter on the table in front of them. They both leaned over to read it.

Rob's face became confused, and Preston looked concerned. "Who the hell is 'V'?" Preston asked.

"I don't know. I want to find out," I replied, taking a seat at the table. "This isn't the first letter they've sent me. The previous one regarded Nooch."

"So," Rob began, pointing a finger at me. "You're saying you're going to take a four-hour train ride to a city you've never been to to meet a guy you don't know all because he apparently knows something about your robot boyfriend?"

"He's...he's not my boyfriend..." I said. "But yes. That's what I plan on doing."

Without hesitation, Preston reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. He handed it to me. "Here's money for the train. Good luck, dude. Next train departs in about a half hour so you might wanna hurry."

He was very nonchalant about it. Rob looked at him like he was crazy.

"Dude, thanks!" I exclaimed. I swiped the letter off the table and returned it to my pocket, along with the money.

"Don't eat any food strangers offer you! Don't kiss anyone either!" Rob exclaimed as I left. "I don't want to see your body in the street."

"Don't worry about me," I said, lingering in the doorway. "I'll be fine."

~~~

The train was unpleasant and filled with sweaty, dead-eyed, twitching victims of the fever. I sat in a corner seat, away from most of them, but the more stops we passed, the more people crowded around me. The air smelled like death.

It felt like days, but the train finally arrived at Guardian Beach. I stumbled out the doors of the train and into the semi-fresh air of the subway station, gulping it in like I'd been drowning.

I looked at the address on the back of the paper, and at a map in the station. Seemed like I had a long walk ahead of me.

Guardian Beach was a beautiful city. The buildings were made of a shimmering, blue-green rock, and there was a wonderful view of the ocean no matter where you were. The air smelled like salt water, which was a wonderful break from the smog of Genesis.

There were shops that sold fish and fishing rods, bakeries, clothing stores, grocery stores that sold exotic foods, and all sorts of interesting places. I almost wished the train I'd woken up on had stopped here rather than Genesis.

The calming sounds of the ocean grew louder as I got closer to SOUL Laboratories. The building loomed into view: modern in style and slightly out of place. Smoke was coming out of a chimney on the top. But the whole place was surrounded in a tall fence and I had a feeling it wouldn't be easy to get in.

My fears turned out to be true when I approached the front gate and there was a guard out front. Unfortunately, I recognized him - his evil smirk, the diamond sword at his side...

"Hey there, Pete," he cracked his knuckles. "It's been a while, huh?"

It was Mitch. Mitchell Hughes. And he didn't look happy to see me.

~~~

For all you Undertale fans: Nooch = Mettaton; V = Alphys. Make of that what you will.

:3c

Ciao!