Futurism logo

The Runner

Beginnings

By Nicole BrownPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
Like

The Runner

That locket was the key to everything, but no one paid noticed it because it was sitting in a trash heap by the border in Astoria. This locket was on an exceptionally long chain that looked like intertwined leaves. The locket itself was a heart-shaped rose complete with a stem and thorns. Made of a pinkish gold, the metal was almost dull looking because of all the dirt. If you opened the locket, you would see a picture of a young girl no more than 5 with brown curly hair decorated with pink clips; a butterscotch complexion with the biggest brown eyes and dimples you have ever seen. On the other side of the locket, a set of letters and numbers etched into the metal: A538G2-64. What this all means right now is nothing because it is not time yet. Right now, this locket is just another piece of garbage sitting in a trash heap. What is more important is how it was found…

It was a cloudy day in the town of Astoria. The air was thick with smog and the smell of burnt things. Such was a typical day in Astoria, the sun never shined but it never got dark, the machines at the edge of the town were responsible for cycling the air and maintaining a consistent temp of twenty-five degrees Celsius. They were not without their problems though as the machines were in constant need of fixing and always giving off the smell of burnt rubber. The truth is the machines like others that the townspeople relied on to keep Astoria running were in severe need of new parts. These parts were scarce due to poor trade with the neighboring town of Devon whose main commodity was machining parts and manufacturing all things machine related. The council of Astorians were always trying to come up with ways to increase trade with the Devonian council. It sounded like a good compromise, Astoria’s agricultural advances in exchange for a consistent supply of parts from Devon. The problem was the bad blood between Astorians and Devonians. Two hundred years ago during the Great War, the people of Devon made a choice to advance and become more machine than man in order to survive the chemical warfare that was being inflicted during the Old Days. Back then countries were going to war over resources, everything from water to oil. There was no safety, no peace until a small group of people realized that technological advancements meant a chance to survive. By adapting the tech, these people were able to enhance their senses, bodies and even minds. Through the years, the tech somehow evolved enough to meld with the human bodies eventually altering their whole DNA. The Devonians eventually realized that the tech was their only hope for a future. No one could foresee the aftermath of the Great War; people were just trying to survive any way possible. The Astorians however, rejected the tech implants as they would come to be known and promised themselves that they would do everything they could to preserve a simpler way of life. This ideal primarily consisted of living off the land no matter what was provided. Over time, the Astorians found ways to adapt to the harsher climate, finding new ways to harvest, discovering new fruit and plants with various uses.

In the aftermath of the Great War, only Astoria and Devon remained. They eventually came to rebuild their communities and established a truce of sorts. Some time later, a council of representatives formed and came up with a trade agreement. The consensus was that in order to ensure their survival and not repeat the mistakes of the Old Days, both the Astorians and Devonians would have to share resources. The people tasked with bringing supplies, trading for metal parts and agro (slang used for earth grown things) were known on both sides of the border as runners. They were often young kids looking for any work they could find, and trading was big business for certain kinds of folks. One day by the Devon border crossing, a runner was checking out a job posting, she had long brown curly hair with big brown eyes, dimples and a butterscotch complexion. There was no mistaking her for anything other than a Devonian due to all the tech implants she had in her hands and the side of her neck. Airdnax was not a fan of all the tech she had acquired over her short 20 years, but she thought they would help her be a better runner which meant more pay. She had a simple plan: borrow funds to get tech, use tech to get better jobs, make enough money to buy a long enough stay in Astoria. Airdnax was trying to find her people, her tribe.

Rebels from Astoria had been causing problems for a long time, their whole motivation was to get rid of the tech implants as they believed that mankind was on the brink of being completely wiped out. It was one thing to use tech to survive but now having grown dependent on it, the Devonians were corrupting themselves. It was up to the Rebels to get humanity back. It was 15 years ago when Airdnax’s parents were killed in a bombing outside the council home in Devon, a lot of lives were lost. From then on, Airdnax had been on her own until she decided that being a runner was the only way she would find the answers she was looking for. The plan she made up for herself was all to get enough money to find her parents killer and bring them to justice. In order to do that, she would need time in Astoria.

As Airdnax looked at the job posting requesting a runner for agro things, she contemplated taking the job but then saw that it was a weeklong job. The posting asked for someone who could gather some scare herbs for medicinal use which could only be found at the edge of the borderlands in Astoria. The borderlands were a place few travelled to for fear of bandits, dark creatures and the Rebels. Airdnax realized that this posting might be her only chance to figure out who was behind her parents’ death, so she decided to take the job.

The next morning with her hut packed up of her most precious and few belongings, Airdnax ventured out to the border. Once she got there, she was asked to present her work order as was procedure for runners. After a moment, she was allowed to cross over what was known as the Dead Zone. This area between Devon and Astoria was known as neutral territory and used as a rest stop of sorts for runners; this is where a runner could rest before heading to or from home after a job, could gather supplies and even take in local eats. As Airdnax continued, she noticed the landscape of Astoria and saw that it was very flat compared to the rougher terrain of Devon. She was so focused on the ground and comparing the differences between towns that she almost knocked over a cart filled with melons that had been left unattended. She took a moment to gather herself, check out her surroundings and then carried on. Time seemed to drag and Airdnax started to wonder if she would happen upon some sort of civilization at some point. She looked around till she realized that she had made it to the base of a mountain. This mountain happened to be the starting point of the borderlands and seems to go on for as far as the eye could see. Airdnax was trying to find a way to climb the mountain or go around it when she noticed a trash heap to her left. The trash heap seemed out of place in an otherwise pristine setting. Everything by the base of the mountain looked wild and overgrown with bushes and flowers so it made sense that the garbage did not belong.

Airdnax walked over to the heap looking for anything salvageable, parts and scraps of cloth she could trade. As she came to the top of the heap, something metallic caught her eye. Airdnax bent down to dig up the metal and found a locket covered in dirt. It took some work, but she managed to free a chain made of leaves, at its end was a heart-shaped rose complete with a stem and thorns. She cleaned off a bit more of the dirt and pried open the locket. In it she found a picture of a little girl no more than 5 or 6 who had curly brown hair, big brown eyes and dimples. She instantly recognized herself but then wondered what a picture of her was doing in a locket buried in a trash heap. As questions formed in her mind, she noticed the other side of the locket with some sort of etching, upon closer inspection she noticed A538G2-64 and instantly recognized this as a file number.

body modifications
Like

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.