The Shadow of Avalon

Night drew closer as the sun began its descent to meet the horizon. The clouds cherished the warmth like the embrace of a lover, allowing the deep orange light to illuminate them with a beautiful centre of fire. It was nice to watch from any of the decks that afforded a view but 23968 (or Tu for short) always preferred to watch from the highest point in the city. Sure it was also home to a sprawling network of satellites and antenna but if you knew where to sit, you wouldn't get prodded too much. For someone who felt trapped in a manmade heaven, the open air and the sky was the true Nirvana.

When the moon replaced the sun, Tu shuffled and slid down the dome shaped roof he was sat upon. He outstretched his hands and caught onto the many grooves that lined it to slow his fall. The grooves were the very same that he used to make this perilous climb day after day, because being out of Avalon's bounds wasn't technically allowed, but the real crime would be to waste the view! He hung over the metal precipice and when his feet touched the guard rail, he let go and hopped onto the safety of the deck. It was ill advised to peer over the rails but since Tu had a fear of heights, that wasn't a problem for him anyway. If one did however make the decision, they'd see a near endless plummet down to Earth, or the dirt as it was now called. See when the old world collapsed what rose from that was the new world, Avalon, The city in the clouds, the final civilisation, the manmade heaven. Avalon, where we look forwards, not downwards!

For most Avalonians the day had now ended, but for Tu, it was just beginning. He worked on the flight crew of the titanic metropolis where they plotted courses to scenic, placid views for the citizens to enjoy. Albeit the citizens were often more focused on the cigars in their mouths and the cards in their hands, along with the fine jewellery that adorned every inch of space their lavish garments didn't cover. It was very important to remember that the end of the world did not heed the end of high society!

Tu navigated the thousands of walkways outside of the residential areas that allowed staff to reach nearly any point on Avalon. It was like the backstage of a play, at precisely the right moment someone would magically appear bearing food, entertainment or perhaps a wrench if you were someone like Tu. His path to work took him to the lowest levels of Avalon where the flight deck was. The city was built with thousands of multi-directional propulsors underneath the landmass, therefore the engine and core of Avalan was at the bottom, conveniently tucked away from the Avalonians. The areas where the average resident could be found were all contained within a colossal dome leading some to say that the city looked like a turtle with a fiesta in its shell.

He approached a set of hefty metal doors and swiped his keycard in the nearby pad. It chirruped brightly and slid open, revealing his 'office'. Rows upon rows of terminals lined the room and at the very front before a giant wall to wall window were two pilot seats. This was where he worked, the night co-pilot of Avalon. It was a title he wore with pride and every time he slipped behind the controls, he felt a near uncontainable lust for adventure in his bones. Of course, he just stuck to the plotted routes, doing otherwise would be treason and he'd lose his job. Still, the horizon was calling to be claimed, calling his name. He looked across to the primary pilot 15622, or Pigeon if you were his friend on account of the awful squawking singing he did when he flew. Pigeon looked every bit the part of a pilot, his flight helmet with goggles always pulled down and a big, thick silver moustache that looked almost like a set of wings of his own.

"Hey Pige, how long did you say you've been on Avalon?" Tu called over the thundering engines.

"Hrmph," Pige grumbled thoughtfully, "I think somewhere around...yes, that's it! 25 years! Been here since-"

"The start of Avalon." Tu finished. Pigeon 'hrpmh'd again, "If you know the story so well, why do you keep asking?"

"To make sure you don't forget, old timer!" Tu replied with a grin.

"HAH!" scoffed Pigeon, "My minds as sharp as a bird's beak, my boy. The day I forget a single thing is the day I'll stop calling myself Pigeon, because I'll have probably forgotten that too! HAH!" he chuckled boisterously, clearly pleased with himself.

"I've only been here 5 years, Pige, Who'd you fly with before me?"

Pigeon fell deadly silent. His leather gloves squeaked as he gripped the controls tighter. Tu stared with bated breath, had he said something wrong?

But as quickly as it came, the moment was gone and Pigeon lovingly slapped the steering wheel, "Well the old bird practically flies herself, they just brought you on to keep my mind sharp and sing shanties with me!"

"Yay..." Tu pumped his fists in the air sarcastically. The moment was quickly overlooked by Pige but Tu couldn't stop replaying it. Was Pigeon hiding something? Tu didn't remember a life before Avalon and a disturbing feeling in his stomach told him the two things were connected somehow. The night dragged on in the typical uneventful manner. Avalon sailed gracefully through the sky like a comet and drawing closer was a vast lake as big as an old-world stadium. In the darkness, it was almost pitch black but the gentle ripples on the water's surface caught the moonlight and shimmer from the stars and lit up with a magnificent display of luminescent beauty. "Hey Pige look at that. What do you think it's like down there?"

"Wet, I would imagine."

"You know what I mean, I know we can't go to the dirt but... it doesn't look that bad does it?"

"Ain't nothing down there my boy. We wouldn't be up here otherwise. The water'll melt ya like an ice cream in the boiler room and I been told the grounds all kaput, can't grow nothing in it." Pigeon explained matter of factly.

"That's ridiculous! There's grass right there!" Tu protested. Pigeon looked over to him, "Look Tu, we got it good up here. Just enjoy what we got." There was a firmness in his voice that Tu had never heard from Pigeon before, what was going on with him today?

Wait...

Something caught Tu's attention in his peripherals. He left his seat and pressed himself to the window for a better look. Amongst the lights on the lake there was one unlike the others. It was small, orange and moving along the water's edge. His heart was beating so fast it could've exploded, that was a torch! "PIGE, SOMEONE'S DOWN THERE!" it came out much louder than Tu intended and it caused quite the stir among the flight crew, whispering and daring each other to go look. Pigeon tried in vain to usher Tu back to his seat but Tu couldn't think about anything else right now.

"TU!" Pigeon whispered desperately, "Shut up and get back to your seat. Please!"

"Don't you get it? There's a survivor, we could-" A sudden jolt flung Tu to the floor and the propulsors bellowed so loudly it drowned out any other noise on deck. Tu scrambled back to the window to see the torch getting smaller and smaller. He spun to face Pigeon who with gritted teeth and trembling hands, pulled back on the controls, lifting Avalon higher into the heavens.

"What are you doing?" Tu shot back to his seat, "Stop, we'll lose them!"

"Please Tu this is for your own good." Pige pleaded. A fire ignited in Tu's belly and that lust for adventure felt stronger than ever. He grasped his own set of controls and thrust them forward, tipping the entire city downward. Everyone on the flight deck lurched forward and it was presumably worse on the residential levels. Pigeon fought to regain control which resulted in the city making sickening swinging motions, causing untold damage from falling things and falling people.

"STOP IT, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND" Pigeon sounded panicked, upset even. Tu was close to something; he could feel it. "WHY CAN'T WE KNOW?" he bellowed back, fighting to be heard over the surrounding chaos.

"THEY'LL KILL YOU BOY; I'M TRYING TO SAVE YOUR LI-" An iron grip suddenly locked itself onto Tu's shoulder and he yelped in pain as he was jettisoned from his seat and collided into a metal girder with a sickening thunk. A group of four in matching uniforms and yellow and black helmets surrounded the controls. One placed a gun to Pigeon's head and commanded he stabilised Avalon. He hurriedly obeyed while two others scooped up Tu and dragged him from the room. His vision was foggy, he was probably concussed but he saw one other giving commands to the gun wielder before following Tu. He slipped in and out of consciousness as he was dragged through the back walkways for what felt like an hour. He felt a cold breeze on the nape of his neck that brought him to. He was on a thin walkway outside with flimsy looking guardrails. The three, who he could now see wore Avalon security uniforms, stood in front of him. Tu looked behind him and saw that infamous endless drop and he clung with trembling fear to the rail. The fourth guard hurried over carrying a box and passed it to the presumed leader, who stepped forward.

"Right, 23968,"

"Tu, my name is Tu." He interrupted tearfully.

"23968," the leader reiterated, "You're charged with dangerous conduct, disturbing the peace and being a nuisance to customer service for the mess you just caused. You're sentenced to death. We'll now return the items you had when you were taken into employment." He opened the box and pulled out a heart shaped locket. It was gold with a core of amethyst cut to fit the shape. He slipped it over Tu's head who felt a familiar warmth when it was against his chest. There was a pressing feeling in his head, clawing its way out. He took the locket in clammy hands and like a floodgate had been opened, a tsunami of memory flooded through his brain. Childhood, birthdays, playing. Screaming, chaos, someone calling for him as he was swept away in a panic.

"Mum." he gasped to himself. The leader brought his foot to Tu's chest, "Thank you for your service." he recited and pushed Tu overboard. Tu tried to scream but the wind stole it from his lips. He flailed his arms desperately trying to catch something but as Avalon got further and further away, Tu realised it was hopeless. He was done. The impact tore across his back like a whip but he could open his eyes. It was dark and... wet? He was alive, he must have landed in the lake! He kicked with what little strength he had left and broke the surface of the water, hungrily sucking in air. He cried tears of joy when he dragged himself to shore and felt the cool grass against his fingers. He was right, it was real.

"You alright?" a new voice called tentatively. He rolled over to see a woman crouched next to him wearing some sort of leaf poncho and bearing a torch. "I ain't ever seen someone from up top, alive that is."

Back on Avalon, Pigeon sat in an all-grey room, cuffed to a table with a security officer opposite him. "Why don't you tell us about 23968?" they asked. Pigeon thought for a moment, "Hm, can't say I remember a 23968, sorry."