KickStarts

KickStarts: Chapter 3

Caibidil a Trí

            Celeste had two problems:

Number One: She was on her own in the big wide world, not knowing anything about her current identity, only her new first name. She had no paperwork, credit cards or licenses. She didn’t even know what age she was set to be.

Number 2: The Lab had tried to kill her. That means, if they had already figured out she was still alive, they would hunt her down. Knowing them, they probably had an entire army of those pesky little robots, and plenty of the giant ones, with their meat cleavers.

            Celeste shuddered. She had gotten herself in a boatload of crap. But she had already jumped on board this crazy train, so she was forced to ride it out, wherever it was going to take her. But she didn’t know whether she was going to arrive dead, or alive.

So, without any other options, Celeste continued to walk, finding the carnage of the bombed building, and picking through it carefully. She came across a few charred bodies, some without certain appendages. She had to suck in her tears, and the pain and sorrow built up inside of her.

            She delved deeper into the wreckage, finding some canvas and wire, which she made into a makeshift knapsack, with the survival skills she mysteriously began to remember. With newfound strength, she carefully peeled away crumbling walls, to reveal things that would help her later on, like a broken fridge with two bottles of water, a jar of pickles and a package of dried apricots. She found it strange that these things weren’t perishable. Had the Lab intended for the explosion? Or was everything just a coincidence?

Celeste pondered these questions when she came across an enormous crater before her, about thirty feet in diameter. It stretched into blackness, running down at least thirty yards deep. Strangely, Celeste could figure out these lengths in her mind, adding to her confusion. Somewhere off to her left, she heard a moan. She turned slowly, moving towards the sound. It was coming from under a fallen generator, which had since shut off. A man was trapped beneath it, with only his torso exposed from under the heavy device. He moaned again, softer this time, obviously losing his energy. Celeste took a sudden breath of air, catching his attention. His cloudy blue eyes swept over her, and he smiled slightly.

            “Its you.” He stated simply.

Celeste was too shocked to speak. She recognized this man, from a single memory that had not crossed her mind until know.

            “I’m sorry this happened.” The man said. “I shouldn’t have let it go this far. I took too many risks, and this is my punishment. I guess your mother was right about karma.”

This time Celeste spoke.

            “What are you doing here? I mean, how did you survive?” she asked, looking at him incredulously.

            “Ah. As you can see, this is where I detonated the bomb. I don’t know how I survived, a miracle most likely, or else it was fate for you to meet me here.” He stared at her, a blank expression on his face, but there was a twinkle in his eyes.

            “I mean, why are you here? I thought you were dead! You mean you’ve let these freaks steal my life each year?” Celeste screamed.

            “No, no! I’ve been protecting you. See, the only way to hide from your enemies is to be in plain sight. So I’ve changed your name to hide you from the Lab, but labeling you as an experiment, so they wouldn’t discover that you’re my daughter.”