Waywalker

Chapter 2

He saw his face everywhere. Up in the air, Will sat captive in the transport ship. Hands restrained behind his back with a front row seat of every billboard sign in sight. A few minutes airborne, Will saw where they were headed. He looked out the small window next to him, dreading the following events. At the same time, he couldn't help the curiosity that lingered amidst the fear. The rumbling of the transport ship's engine was deafening upon their arrival.

The Imperial's Base.

The engine shut off and a blast of hot air was released, engulfing anyone within its radius. Big hands pushed Will forward. He recalled walking through a retro-styled metropolis of sloped-curved buildings and high walls. The modified technology and architectural designs around him told of a long-time struggle between the past and the future, what could be considered an upgrade of Will's industrialised city back home.

As they neared the colossal, narrow, steel gateway of abstract architecture, Will caught sight of a modular runway expanding from the landing pad behind him connecting the retro, streamline city in which he had woken up in. Separating those in power from those classified as lower-class civilians. Will already disliked this place, having connected the tropes of a world he didn't want to be a part of.

He received a much harder shove, the impact causing him to stumble over the steps leading up to the Imperial's fortress. A fwoosh of air sounded as the synthesized, pneumatic hydraulics of the steel gateway slid open and Will snapped back into awareness, brutal reality taking over. An endless corridor appeared, its glass wall panels extending as high as the colossal gateway, retained by alloy wall joints. Energy strips ran vertically along the glazed tiled floor, illuminating the way ahead.

It was a long walk through the meandering concourse. Will vaguely took note of where he was going. Time became non-existent until he found himself seated in the centre of an interrogation chamber.

Alone.

That was the first thing he noticed. Then the harrowing silence as he sat there struggling to come to terms with the horrible truth of his brother's demise. He couldn't accept what the Imperial Commander had told him. It didn't make any sense. There had to be a misunderstanding. 

Will looked up to lock eyes with the man himself. He stood three feet away from him and now that they were out of the rain, Will could make out his features. A dictator. Powerful in both position and demeanor. His square jawline and high cheekbones insinuated an ego of self-confidence. Long grey, tinted black hair had been tied back behind his ears. He wore a black Imperial Commander uniform over matching synthetic fiber pants and black, leather boots. Will kept silent, having nothing to say to him. He cleared his throat.

"You claim you don't know me," he started. "Yet you've lived here your whole life." If Will thought he was confused, he had just reached another level of confusion. He pulled out the Hologram Projector beacon again and switched it on. Will's face appeared. "Are you telling me this isn't you?"

"I'm not who you think I am," Will answered.

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that, Will, if you want me to believe you-"

"But it's the truth-"

"Why did you kill Victor-"

"I didn't kill him!"

The man released a sigh of frustration, clearly not making any leeway with Will. "Stop making this harder for yourself, Will. Your uprising has caused enough panic in the citadel as it is. Disrupting the peace we've spent years cultivating. Only for you to release the evils of mankind on this world we've worked so long to keep imprisoned-"

"Imprisoned?" Will asked. "What do you mean?"

He was answered with another question, voiced in a gentler tone of concern. "You really don't remember me?"