Rogue. (IN REVISION)

13

They drove past the gate and entered Derelict. The surroundings were silent, and the land was painted with every shade of grey. Fallon's reasoning set in, finding her parents wouldn't be so easy. Derelict was at least one third larger than Desolate, where would they start? Derelict was the farmland of Elysium, a little more than half of the fresh produce was grown in the nation.

Every country had its main exports and imports five years ago. She had remembered the lush green grass, the Harvester Ships that hovered over the fields, taking in as much food as it could. The sky was always blue, the clouds were always bright. The trees were always tall and towered over the land like living skyscrapers. The nights in Derelict were enchanting, nature showed her beautiful face any time of day but...oh the nights.

Every star was visible, fireflies danced in the air and the smell of the trees was fragrant and calming. Everyone seemed to be cheerful after the sun set, work was finally finished for the day and now they could enjoy themselves. Laughter filled the homes of every Derelictonian as they ate at the family table. Anyone who said that there was nothing to do in Derelict was a liar, for the nation was filled with plenty of places to eat and be entertained. Countless boxing rings and casinos dotted the capital of Kare. There was always something going on in this self-sustaining city.

Looking at it now, there was nothing but grey dirt and sky, the Harvester Ships lay dead in the fields. The trees that once stood tall either fell to their death or slumped over like a weeping willow, still clinging to the small amount of life it had. Buildings were abandoned and old, falling apart from nature taking over.

Fallon's face fell, finding her parents would be a challenge. The ghost town looked like a grey desert, rusted gates and chalky buildings that looked like they were on the verge of deterioration.

Hawk turned on the radio and Anastasia Mori could be heard on the crackling speakers, "Good Morning, Elysium, it is seven o' clock in the morning and partly sunny. still a little bit chilly though, better bring a jacket. Elate sales have dropped immensely in the past few months, the police state has been cracking down on the contraband drug to keep control over the countries of Elysium. Desolate ranks first in the lowest Elate sales rate along with Tazmire, Cinders and Zion."

"How does she get all of this information?" Fallon said listening to her favorite radio host.

"She still has the interweb." Hawk replied to her. "She has to."

"My advice is to quit the drug while you're ahead. Elate won't last forever and even though the side effects are almost impossible to overcome, there's still the possibility you might pull through." Mori stated.

"Might? I'd say that it is impossible." Hawk spoke up.

"You remember that rogue robot that was exiled from the Tomper fleet? I've been getting tips all day that he has been sighted in Derelict. Keep your eyes peeled folks."

"That's all we need, a rogue bot looking for trouble." Venner sat back, crossing his arms.

"What are you talking about? We are the trouble." Fallon told him. "Let that thing come near me, I'll make it into modifications for the Dune." She spoke.

Both Venner and Hawk shook their heads in reply to her words. Fallon put on her mask and goggles, reluctant to breathe in the dusty air. Hawk drove ever so slowly into the town not wanting to startle anyone that came past.

Venner looked about the open town, there wasn't any soul that inhabited the area. Were they hiding? Did they see them coming? Venner wondered if they were so injected with fear, that they hesitated to leave their homes.