The Color of Steel

Part B, Chapter 4

Judging by the reactions of most of the group 224 found herself in, they didn't exactly feel threatened here in the poorer locales of Traethpont. If anything, it was the reverse. Walking further into the area visibly made them relax, at least until Ice spoke up. "The king has eyes everywhere. The visible threat is gone, but the invisible remains." She punctuated the words with a stare that swept out across the rebel fighters before it came to rest on 224 once more.

Salem didn't seem reassured to begin with. The woman wasn't exactly easy to hide - probably why she had been noted to rarely make public appearances despite being an activist. Raven-dark hair and strikingly white skin combined with red eyes to give her a mysterious and incredibly conspicuous appearance, no matter how much she tried to slouch or dress down. Tanya Arthurson's appearance was a mass of contradictions; even her accent didn't match her status.

The blend of emotions on her face was difficult to read. She seemed relieved, but also sad, of all things. Glancing around at the polluted neighborhoods seemed to weigh on her heavily. It wasn't difficult to piece together why, even for someone like 224: this was her legacy. Her political campaigns had largely centered around increasing oversight and changing the exploitative zoning practices that ended with neighborhoods being used as a dumping ground for airborne waste that the chemical companies didn't want to deal with. Her focus had shifted over time to focusing on the central government, of course, which was why she was currently slinking through back alleys surrounded by disillusioned arena fighters and one government reject rather than having her campaigns for office quietly sabotaged.

"I think I know somewhere we can stay for a night," one of the fighters volunteered. She was on the taller side, dressed in clothes that had probably been nice on the people who had owned them before their latest purchase from a local thrift store. The daylight was indeed fading, but the group seemed reluctant to stop. "We'll attract all sorts of attention if we keep wandering around like this. It's not a safehouse, but I know they're sympathetic, at least."

Ice shifted her gaze to the woman momentarily. The combination of her gaze with 224s, which had moved over as well, was enough to get her to physically shrink back ever so slightly. "I dunno about it. . ." Salem murmured, but she seemed unwilling to make the decision in this case. 224 glanced in Ice's direction, searching for any sign of a response. The battle doll would normally have spoken up in favor of the approach, but she suspected that it would arouse suspicion in the bodyguard.

"We will stop," Ice declared after a moment. The reactions of the group were mixed: some seemed anxious as Salem did, others murmured in agreement, and the remaining few just seemed happy to be finding a place to rest. Ice gestured forwards, and the tall woman gave one sharp nod of her head before leading the way. The buildings slowly became shorter as they traversed another few blocks. It made 224 nervous, if the term could apply to the diminutive soldier. It meant that anyone on the roofs had an easy way to maintain sightlines on them.

No assassins were in evidence for the time being, and the only suspicious looks the party got seemed to be from two groups of people: citizens that were worried about the wounded state of several members, and gangsters who puffed themselves up at the approach of potential challengers until they realized they had no intentions of staking out a claim on their territory. They eventually came to a humble-looking building that contained a few services such as a laundromat and a convenience store, with what looked like small apartments atop it.

The group filtered in through the entrance, coming into a lobby that was surprisingly pristine, save for the unavoidable staining near the doorway. An elderly man seemed to be waiting for someone or something there, though the procession drew his attention. He didn't speak, but he seemed irritated by their presence, until Ice brought up the rear and closed the door behind her. At that point, he looked back down to an older-style cellphone - a rarity in these days, given the ubiquity and convenience of augmentation - grumbling something about letting out all the good air.