The Modern Plague

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                                 (not)IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Berrycloth is an actual name, with less than 20 holders alive currently.

This is a dystopian universe, and the place the characters live in is based off of the place Anita lives in in the movie Anita:Battle Angel(Very good movie btw!)

Fiction including a dystopian universe is not my cup of tea, and i am simply experimenting.

And yes, their colors of the masks or the materials of the masks determine their nicknames.

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Dear Aubrey,

                 I  am sorry we were not able to stabilize your mother. Seeing her pass away was truly a shock, and it was painful to watch with you as well.  I presume you and your remaining family are fully healthy?  If not, please call one of our operatives at  ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇. The number is on posters everywhere, if you must know. It's quite easy to find. If anyone tells me, i shall hurry there. Greiving is nothing but the worship of a loved one, and I hope you move past and care for any new patients for us in the case we cannot help.

Are your dogs doing all right?  They did seem quite cute when I came through the door to assist you. They could be great therapy items. I am hoping that you can get through this pain, and kudos to you for suffering through it. I am busy currently, and I am hoping I can get this to you on time. 

Sincerely,

                 Doctor Bronze.

Bronze slipped the short letter into a packet and handed it to the small robot, it's hand outstretched. They gripped it and ran away, an umbrella blocking the rain from rusting and breaking them. The modern Plague Doctor stared longingly as the small machine made its way down the street and behind a corner. In the dark alley, his trenchcoat flowed in the wind that blowed through the cavern. 

"Mister Berrycloth!" A cheery male shouted from farther inside the house behind him. With a groan, Bronze headed in, locking the door behind him. The house was dimly lit with warm lanterns and candles. a hazard, sure, but it was necessary for them, in order to preserve any electricity left in the place. As he went up the stairs, his bronze mask glinted, and he narrowed his eyes. He took off the mask and smelled something pleasant. Some sort of flower....rose? Perhaps so, but no matter, it smelled amazing.

"What now, Silver?" Bronze murmured, coming up to someone with a silver variant of his own mask who was hunched over a table, elixirs and poisons strewn and leaking everywhere. Silver was oozing with excitement. It was almost like a blinding light just radiated from him. 

"Animals can catch the disease! I can test my solutions without risking any actual worthy life!" Silver started to laugh after he said that, gazing around and trying to spot a rat that may be scurrying around. Silver had never been very compassionate towards much of human or animal life, but his worst crimes were against animals. They had to throw out several bags just last week because of testing. 

"Ah, well, good luck with that." Bronze exited the room, leaving Silver to his own euphoria. He made his way down the dark hall to his room, which had a soft glow to it. The cramped room was one of the only warm areas in the entire house, and as he stripped off his dress shirt under his trenchcoat,  he sighed in relief when the heat washed over his skin. Once he had pulled on a shirt and sweatpants, an unsual sight for most, he climbed into bed, pulling a blanket over his body to rest. Loud teenagers ran by, and he heard the loud explosion of illegal fireworks. 

"God damn it..." Bronze huffed, trying to drown out the noises and staring at the shiny mask sitting on his bedside table. From all the noise, he had no idea how he fell asleep that night. Drifting into a heavy and peaceful sleep was difficult to achieve for him, and yet he found that peace, but only for a short time. He felt his matress sink only a tiny bit, and a small, brown-haired child climbed onto the bed. His bed was quite low to the ground, so there was no wonder he could have gotten up on the bed. 

"Oh, hello Michael." He said, letting the child under the blankets to rest against his chest comfortably. Michael had been found near the house just six months ago, and the four year old kid had become extremely aquainted with Bronze. It almost seemed like Bronze was his father at this point. Bronze drifted back into sleep once more, and woke up at only five a.m. to see his door wide open; a familiar tall man in his doorway. His face was a soft triangle shape and his shoulders were broad, and a menacing glare was blocked by golden goggles. Michael held onto the man's pant leg, staring up at him, then averting his gaze to Bronze. 

"Good morning, Berrycloth." The man said, letting Bronze get up before he spoke again. "Gained a little weight, I presume?" Bronze scowled menacingly. He may have been a bit of

"The opposite. I'm slightly underweight for my stature, if you must know. One hundred and ten pounds, for a 5 feet and five inches male.  Doesn't help that the Modern Plague is killing off several people in the past few seconds and the food may be poisoned, but what do I know about this?" Bronze spat back, stealing a sharp kick at the man. Gold rested his hand on Bronze's shoulder. "Gold..." he murmured.

"Head downstairs and eat something. I'll tend to the child." Gold said, picking Michael up, who didn't fight back or struggle. Bronze hurried down the stairs, wanting to return to Michael as quickly as possible. He took a swig of some aged wine stashed in a cupboard and a piece of bread before running back to Michael, who was being entertained by a smiling Gold. Even as a four year old, he was still as childish as a baby(which had concerned Diamond and Emerald quite a bit, as they were as close as experts on these stuff). Gold glanced up at Bronze and his smile vanished. 

"Well, you were back quick..." Gold huffed, pressing the goggles closer to his face, his eyes hidden from sight. 

"I was just concerned for Michael was all, really!" Bronze huffed, sitting down in front of the two. His shoulders were tensed and his arms were crossed as he watched them giggle together and his heart sank. Bronze had cared for Michael for six months and Gold was able to get to him in minutes! It really ticked him off, but he had to let it go, for Michael's sake. Emerald came out from her room, a box in her arms. Bronze looked back at her, suspicious and confused.

"What's up with that box?" He asked Emerald, taking a second to try and read the faded label on the box. 

"It's medicine. If you'd like, I have like, eight other boxes that I need help carrying." She responded, walking off to go downstairs. Bronze nodded and headed to her room, opening the door to try and find some boxes. His eyes were greeted with a colorful, loud, poster-filled room. They never intruded eachother's rooms most of the time, so this really shocked him. He noticed the eight boxes next to the doorframe and he picked up two to carry. 

He was halfway down the stairs when the door burst open and Diamond, along with three other members, ran in laughing and carrying bags. Of course, confusion arose. "Woah! What are you guys doing?" Emerald barked, in the middle of unpacking her box. 

"A whole buncha beakers and poison we found in an empty store!" Diamond shrieked, dashing up the stairs. Bronze groaned. She had another one of her delusions again, thinking a place is devoid of people and whatnot, he thought. He was able to get the name of the place and he went to apologize and payed back in worth what was stolen. He was lucky the storekeeper was a very nice person and was sympthetic with them, trying to stabilize and help people. 

He was walking down the street, and it was fading into dusk. As he passed by a house, he heard cries and wailing. Either someone in pain, or another life lost to the plague. He kept walking, feeling passerby stare and some children gawk at his mask. They all knew who he was, and who his group was. 

Plague doctors aren't out of date in this world anymore, and they all made sure people knew it.