Old Lady Veena began rummaging through the piles of objects scattered around her house. Boxes were stacked everywhere—so wooden, so tal, so made of cracked plastic that had long since lost its original color.
She pulled one box free and opened it.
Inside lay a red helt identical to those worn by the Capital guards.
"Not here," she muttered, tossing it aside carelessly.
She moved to another pile, pushing aside broken lamps, old cables, and pieces of machinery that clattered loudly as they hit the floor.
"Not here..."
She opened another crate.
"Not here either..."
Her voice grew louder as her search intensified.
"Where the hell did I put it?"
Tyler and the frozen projection light flickered quietly behind her while she dug deeper into her chaotic collection.
Boxes were opened, objects thrown aside, drawers yanked loose.
Then suddenly—
"Found it!"
She let out a triumphant laugh.
From a narrow container wedged beneath a table, she pulled out a long shield-shaped object. The surface was scratched and faded, like sothing salvaged from a wreck.
But Veena wasn’t interested in the object itself.
Instead, she grabbed a knife and ripped off the yellow fabric stretched across it. The rest of the object clattered uselessly to the floor as she tossed it aside.
She held the cloth up between her fingers and examined it proudly.
"This," she said, presenting it to Tyler, "is the sa material used in that laboratory."
The fabric looked ordinary at first glance—soft, flexible, almost like a lightweight tarp. But when Tyler touched it, he could feel the density beneath the threads. It was far stronger than it appeared.
"It blocks radiation from Carbonyx ore," Veena continued. "Looks delicate, but it’s extrely durable."
Tyler reached forward to take it.
But Veena suddenly pulled it back.
"Ah, ah," she said, wagging a finger. "This alone won’t be enough."
"You have more?" Tyler asked.
Veena shook her head slowly.
"No. That’s all I managed to get."
Her gaze drifted toward the ceiling as she rembered.
She had once sneaked into that facility during her investigation. Hidden in the shadows, she had used a knife to carefully cut pieces of the protective cloth from discarded equipnt. It had been a reckless risk, but curiosity had always ruled her life.
"I love collecting things," she said quietly, almost to herself. "Discovering new truths... recording everything."
For a mont she looked completely absorbed in her mories.
Then she felt a gentle tug on the cloth.
Her eyes refocused.
Tyler was holding the other end of the fabric.
For a second they both stood there silently.
Then Veena released her grip.
"I don’t know why," she said slowly, studying his face, "but you feel like soone who doesn’t belong to this country."
Her eyes drifted again, her thoughts wandering back into that hazy space where past and present blurred together.
Tyler folded the cloth and stepped toward the door.
Outside, Tansy was waiting.
She stood a short distance away, staring at the ground with unfocused eyes, her mind clearly sowhere else. The images from Veena’s recordings still clung to her.
Tyler walked closer.
Seeing her dazed expression, he let out a small sigh and gently patted her on the back.
That was a mistake.
Tansy reacted instantly.
Her body moved on instinct.
In a single fluid motion, she grabbed Tyler’s wrist, pivoted her stance, and pulled him forward over her shoulder.
The world flipped.
Tyler slamd into the ground with a heavy thud.
A perfect shoulder throw.
Now Tyler was the one staring blankly at the sky.
"AH—!" Tansy gasped in horror. "I’m so sorry!"
She imdiately crouched beside him and grabbed his arm, pulling him back to his feet in a panic.
"I didn’t an to—my body just reacted!"
---
A short while later, Tyler returned to the rooftop.
The morning sun had climbed higher, spreading pale light across the dull gray buildings of Sector 11. The wind carried the usual scent of coal dust and smoke, but the rooftop itself was quiet.
Tansy had already left to gather herbs from the nearby forest. Rose remained inside the house, helping their mother with chores.
Their father had not gone to the mines that morning.
He had suddenly grown dizzy after breakfast and fallen into a deep sleep.
That was probably because of the mushroom Rose had "accidentally" added to his soup.
Of course, it was only an accident. Definitely not because he stubbornly insisted on returning to the mines despite both daughters begging him to rest.
Tyler sat cross-legged near the edge of the rooftop.
After making sure the neighboring houses were quiet and no one was watching, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small copper pot no bigger than a baseball.
It looked ordinary— plain tal, slightly worn, nothing remarkable.
He placed it on the rooftop tiles.
"Big," Tyler said quietly.
The copper pot imdiately began to expand. The tal stretched smoothly until the pot was roughly the size of a basketball.
Tyler glanced around again, confirming the street below remained empty and no one is coming here.
Satisfied, he folded the yellow protective fabric he had taken from Veena’s house and dropped it inside the pot.
Then Tyler took out One piece of fabric
Then another.
Then another.
Soon several identical sheets were lined neatly beside him.
He continued repeating the process patiently.
The rooftop slowly filled with copies of the protective material.
By the ti nearly an hour had passed, there was a small stack of cloth waiting to be used.
Just then, Tansy returned.
She climbed onto the rooftop carrying a bundle of herbs. Rose followed close behind, sneaking sothing into Tansy’s hands before quickly running back down the ladder.
Tansy opened her palm.
A sewing kit.
Their mother’s.
She looked up at Tyler— and froze.
"Where did you get all this?" she asked, staring at the pile of yellow fabric.
Tyler shrugged casually.
"I went back to Veena’s place and got more," he said, the lie delivered smoothly. Then he quickly changed the subject.
"This cloth is the sa material used in the laboratory," he explained. "It protects people from Carbonyx radiation affecting their skin."
The mont he said that, Tansy’s eyes lit up.
She understood imdiately.
That was why he had asked for the sewing kit.
"Now we make protective clothing," Tyler said.
Tansy slowly nodded.
Her expression sharpened with determination as she knelt beside the fabric.
"For my father," she said quietly.
The rooftop wind rustled the cloth between them.
User Comments
0 comments from readers