Canary Cry

Chapter 14: Bereft

BIALYA

September 4, 00:14 EEST

Kate groaned as her eyes slowly opened, her throat burning at the noise it produced. The blonde slowly sitting up, her hands sinking into the ground around her. Looking down she saw it was sand, her eyes took in her surroundings fully, she was surrounded by the stuff. As far as the eye could see.

What the...

Kate coughed, immediately jerking as her ears rung. Her fingers finding plastic on the back side of her ears. She pulled them, or tried but another loud ring, like a high pitched church bell stopped her. Her mouth was dry as cotton, her throat protesting every little sound just like her ears were. Where am I?

Getting to her feet slowly, the dim moonlight being the only thing allowing her to see anything right now.

Making her way up a hill of sand, to hopefully see civilization off in the distance. The blonde running a hand down her face when she didn't see the familiar Star City skyline, a strange leather-like material around her eyes making her recoil and take in what she was wearing. Ripping off the offending.... Mask?

What the actual fuck? None of this was right. She tried to remember how she got here, where here was, only to receive a harsh ache behind her eyes. She ran her hands over the crop top she was wearing, over her belt and the buckle insignia before starting to mess with the tactical gloves she had on. Hitting something and yelping when blue light flooded her vision.

Once her eyes adjusted her jaw dropped at what she was seeing. This... glove-computer? She guessed, looked more sophisticated than Wayne Tech equipment. A red dot blinked on a map, was that her?

Bialya? Where even is that?

Kate cautiously zoomed in on the map. Seeing multiple other red dots, all with strange variations of letters and numbers above them. RB-01, SB-05, AR-08, AL-02, KF-03, and MM-06. And then a different blinking green dot, simply titled "Base".

Kate had no idea where she was, well, in Bialya apparently. But why the fuck was she in Bialya? How did she get here? Why was she here in the first place? What the hell was she wearing? And who the hell were the other dots on the map?

How is she gonna get home?

Base was safe right? She asked herself, feeling panic start to take over.

Kate grabbed the sides of her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Breathing in through her nose and huffing out through her mouth, her once scared, confused expression being covered by a stone wall as she hit her glove again and the map popped back up. Coming up with a plan quickly and sliding her way down the sand hill.

She knew full well that no one was going to look for her, she was a nobody foster kid who had run away more times than she could count and basically lived on the street between crashing with people she barely knew so she could use their water.

She was on her own. As usual. And she had to figure this shit out. Hopefully this "base" had answers. And a way home.

~~*~~

Kate had been following the map, slowly making her way to the "Base" while dying under the bright sun and steaming sand. She thought summer in Star was hot, but this was a whole different level and her all black outfit didn't help.

She was hungry (Which wasn't a new feeling to her) and dehydrated. Which was not good since she, according to the map, still had a way to go. So, when she came across a large rock formation protruding from the sand, she thought it would be a good idea to just take a quick break, hide in the minimal shade the rock offered. Feeling herself start to burn already for all her time out in the sun.