HUMAN SPIRIT

HUMAN SPIRIT; Ch. 19

/Author's Note: I just have to say, DAMN this one night is really eventful! Let me just revel, okay? First Veronica and Smoke escape, and then that whole spiel with Huck, Tina and Claudius, and now we get accounts from Finn, Leonard, and Varian. I'm just as avid about founding out what happens as you guys (hopefully) are. This multi-faceted jungle gym is becoming a workout~/

At the rise of dawn, Leonard rolled over in bed with a groan, covering his eyes with the blanket. One of the biggest disadvantages with having windows for walls was the fact that they offered little protection against the sunrise. So he squirmed comfortably between the sheets, trying to extend his sleep.  But the sun didn’t back down, and eventually, the inevitable came to fruition: Leonard got up. And it wasn’t very happily, either. The only thing that really steadied him was the affirmation of a plan, in which he would carry out that day. He was going to travel to Seattle to contact Claudius.

The thought of seeing Claudius again was a little intimidating. Thinking upon it, he considered the possibility that Claudius thought Leonard was dead, just as Mariana did. But the idea was kicked out of the water, because he knew Claudius harbored Julius, who would no doubt reveal this fact. It only made sense. So as he pushed himself to the bed’s end, he sat with elbows to bent knees, rubbing his eyes.

Because nothing existed between Abstract super cities, clever in-between devices were constructed into long-distance portals. Corridors, namely. The alleyways between skyscrapers. Each one led to a different Abstract city or country, and was labeled simply by a silver-plated sign on the wall beside the Corridor. But it was unconventional, and gave Leonard experience extreme vertigo, so that was a possibility thrown out of the window. So, trudging out of bed, he walked over to his duffel bag, which had been packed in the trunk of his car, and pulled out some respectable attire. He tiredly put it on before walking into the den, sock-less. Varian was found in his usual place on the couch by the unlit fireplace.

“You get up awful early for a man who comes home so late,” Leonard said with a grumble. Varian embraced Leonard’s less-than-kindly ‘good morning’s, and replied with a smile, failing to look up from his newspaper.

“Good morning to you, too,” Varian greeted. Leonard sauntered into the kitchen and found the hotter-than-hell coffee waiting on the stove as usual. He poured himself a cup and acquainted himself with the cereal and milk, preparing a bowl. He practically dragged it all out to the dining room table, which seemed to be defaced of it’s title, as Leonard barely 'dined.' After a few minutes of leisurely, comfortable silence, Leonard swallowed a mouthful of cereal and looked out into the silhouette of the city. Yellow sun seemed to gleam off their roofs.

“I’m going out today,” he announced. Varian didn’t seem effected by this, but bought into the conversation anyway.

“Where to?” he asked.

“Seattle.” Varian half-folded the paper down and turned his head back, wearing a bemused-yet-concerned expression.

“Seattle? I hope you don’t intend on driving there,” Varian admitted.

“It's my only choice,” Leonard replied plainly. A pause ensued as he consulted his cereal, stirring it with his spoon. “But yeah. I have to go up there and meet someone.” Varian, taking kindly to the situation, didn’t bother feeling nosey about prodding Leonard.

“For what?” he asked casually, resuming his focus on the paper. Leonard’s stirring ceased as he considered revealing this new information to Varian. There was no reason to hide it, but no reason to tell. He warily informed Varian of his findings.

“I found out that Julius isn’t dead,” he explained. Again, the paper half-folded, Varian took an extra step in not facing Leonard. He was focused.