ATLAS

ATLASThe Apex

I opened my journal and began to write...

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‘Twilight’s journal...’

‘Apex is quite a marvel, isn’t it? I’ve been there, and my neck ended up hurting from looking up at all the wonders. You could say that the entire city is human-sized, except for the occasional building.’

“Welcome to Apex, citizen,” a female, cybernetic voice rang out. “Enjoy your stay.”

‘He had no real purpose in mind, even though he hadn’t stepped into the city for years. It was practically the same style as one from the original USC... ’

Stars, their brightness overwhelmed by that of the artificial lightning coming from what remained of the city’s old lights. Luna’s legacy, at the mercy of mankind’s own magnificence. Buildings that grazed the sky, yet never threatened to fall. Broad metallic streets, exclusive for the inhabitants and visitors of the great metropolis of steel. A multitude of civilian craft soared overhead, cutting through the clean air and the labyrinth of metal canyons that the city had become. Crowds of all species gathered throughout the streets, chatting, walking and enjoying the night. He examined the utopia from the checkpoint into the city proper, curious of how much it had changed over the course of the years. Set all around, holoscreens displayed advertisements from all sorts of corporations, leaving no room for any simple occupation.

‘Humans always refer to it as a shard of their history.’

“Come on big guy, keep moving!”

Atlas was brought out of his musing as a small pony stallion nudged his leg. He looked over his shoulder to see a large crowd forming up behind him, eyeing him with curious and worried faces. Sighing, he continued walking while gazing up at the buildings that surrounded him.

“Remember to join the Clan of Mankind, led by Iron Will!”

“Meet a marelingtoday!”

“The Colonial Guard is always there for you.”

“Hmph.” The titanic man decided to pay no heed to the advertisements at the time, instead focusing on his task to explore Apex: once a military colony, now the center of the USC. He couldn’t help but remember how it had once looked.

‘What really piques my interest is just how diverse the city is...’

Higher Apex, the area for big time corporations and high-end civilian housing. Not the place he was looking for by any means, and his pocket fell short for the sort of things it offered. His sights were set on Lower Apex, where the true nightlife took place. Clubs, low-end housing, and shady business. Crime was pervasive, but it wasn't anything the titan couldn't handle.

‘Just what he wanted.’

He walked into a small building, then into an elevator placed inside. Cramped with ponies, changelings, gryphons, and a few minotaurs. They each looked up at him curiously and distanced themselves as the metallic box began its descent.

The giant closed his eyes for a moment, several different images fluttering through his mind, reviving old times.

‘Just as me, he found it hard to believe that so many years had already passed... ’

“Mah name’s Apple Bloom!”

‘The ghosts of war still haunted his waking thoughts...’

“Get down!”

“I’m not dead yet!”

He shook his head, sighing, old times now past. Life, always playing tricks. He looked at his left arm, Syntex fibers for skin and muscle, metal for bone, cables for nerves. A second chance was given to both him and his friend, a chance he would not waste. “How many friends do I have now?” he asked himself. His friends were mostly gone, either dead or missing. Twilight, perhaps. The little pony that still seemed to show companionship towards him, at least.

‘I do feel affection towards him, and I feel that many do. It’sjust hard to get him to trust you.’

The elevator finally passed through the bowels of Higher Apex, allowing those inside to peer out from the closure of the windowed elevator. Atlas leaned down to gaze through, into the mass of Lower Apex. Endless expanses of underground caves, buildings that rose from the water below, streets that were purely bridges above. Few craft floated slowly nearby as the elevator lowered itself, gently touching the end of its course. The giant walked out, and following was the rest of the crowd, only to be replaced by those who sought to reach the almost autonomous upper city.

‘However, I've never been to Lower Apex, nor do I want to. It’s not exactly one of the safest places to be in...’

He took a deep breath of the sector’s cold, damp air. Tightening his cooling vest, he continued onwards, no specific direction in mind. Neon signs hung from the buildings, serving as reminders for both the new and the old. One grabbed his attention, reading “Hatcha’s Crashing Place Hotel!”

‘He had to find a place to stay at. What better than a half-decent hotel? He never asked for much, and knew that he had to save as many credits as he could.’

The door slid open, hydraulics whirred to life. Inside, a rustic room greeted him. He didn’t care for anything other than the small counter. He walked over to it, almost having to crouch in order to avoid hitting the ceiling.

‘A single, elderly changeling greeted him. Hatcha, just as the name of the hotel. Quite a good person, as far as I can tell, and didn’t seem to be scared of Atlas.’

“Hey there, stranger!” the old changeling exclaimed. “What’cha need?”

‘Needless to say, Atlas didn’t match up to Hatcha’s personality...’

He looked at the elevator over at the other side of the hotel, muttering, “Room.”

‘Simple... Particularly when talking to people he had never met before.’

“Oh!” Hatcha said, placing his hooves on the counter and smiling up at the giant. “How many da-”

‘Straight to the point...’

“Week.”

Hatcha craned his neck backwards, looking at Atlas with an inquisitive expression. “OOookay...” He pointed at a small console set on the counter. “It’s fourteen thousand creds, friend. Just scan yourself with that doo-weeckle over there to confirm the transaction.”

Wasting no time, Atlas moved over to the console and leaned closer to it, prompting it to scan his eyes.

‘He knew that I would follow him, since he used my own account to make it easier for me...Or just wanted to save credits.’

“Alright, stranger. You’re in room twenty, enjoy your stay!” Hatcha waved at Atlas as he made his way over to the elevator.

‘I think the elevator broke while he was in it, since it was gone when I got there.’

Atlas sighed, looking at the burned out panel that controlled the elevator. He crouched out of the metallic box and looked at the awestruck changeling. “Sorry, I’ll just use the stairs.”

‘I also remember the bent stairs...”

“Sorry!” he exclaimed, glancing at the damaged metal stairs that led to the second floor. He silently chuckled and moved on.

‘Second floor, end of the hallway... Room twenty.’

The door slid open automatically as he reached the end of the hallway. Crouching through it, he sighed, looking around the room.

‘Just the basics... A bed, a small kitchen, bathroom, closet, desk...’

He calmly made his way over to the desk and sat down on the floor. Pulling a holopad out of his pocket, he tapped it with his large fingers a couple of times, bringing up a small photo album.

‘Torres...’

He gazed longingly at the picture. In it were his last true friends. Becker, Mac, and of course Torres. He sighed as the pain of his lost comrades hit particularly hard.

‘He missed them... Becker had died, the others just disappeared some years later.’

Atlas stared at the picture, smiling. “Guess we all parted ways, then...” He zoomed in on Torres’ face, huffing. “You wanted to see my face one last time... Thought you’d at least return the favor...”

‘None of them had reallysaid anything when they left... All of that just added to his already deteriorating state.’

He sighed, shaking his head while flicking the photos away. “What now?” he said to no one in particular, leaning down to look through the window, overlooking the vast underworld of Lower Apex.

‘As he continued to gaze over the undercity, something caught his eye... Club Damnation.’

Atlas smiled and chuckled. For the first time in years, he had a direction to follow.