#15

You gets in Your airboat and begins to travel downriver. As the prison fades away into the background, You reaches inside Your pockets and again and feels for the flash drive taken from the computer area. It's a strange thing, certainly, and You still doesn't know what it does. But mysteries don't matter for now. You does need to find Susie, and fast. You trusts the Brotherhood enough to suspect that they were telling the truth when they said they didn't have her. And even if they did, she's smarter than You, and would've escaped, just as You had.

And theoretically, You has no reason to trust a group of mutated and maddened antisocial cultists—but the APPLE allowed You to study their grammar. Though of course their speech was fractured, they spoke with clarity in regards to truthfulness. The APPLE really does let You have a built-in lie detector, which is incredibly useful in pinches. It's let You worm Your way out of grounding before, by being able to sense the motives of Your parents and trick them in turn, even though honestly grounding wouldn't mean much to You anyway. Aside from the market, and the Brotherhood's prison, there's nothing really within a decent walking distance.

You remembers also that Your parents are in this too. You hasn't really thought about them that much in contrast to Susie, but honestly, the idea of them being lost is even more unfathomable than losing Your one and only friend. So You tries not to focus on it too much.

The homesickness kicks in further.

Judging from the sun, it looks to be around noon. This is good—You can get in a few good hours' travel before You'll have to rest. Even You even chooses to rest. You hopes that a city is within a few hours' travel—just as You hopes that the car battery will have enough fuel to take You as far as You needs to go.

You won't get distracted this time, either. One mistake was enough.

You sails on uneventfully for several hours. This leads You to worry, as You's probably far off the intended trail for now. But You's gonna stick to the plan. Find a town, get directions. Maybe get a car if at all possible. You'll figure it out on the fly if You has to. It won't be easy, but You knows that You will get it done.

Eventually, it turns out that once again, You's in luck! The outline of a cityscape appears on the horizon. The tall buildings are even taller than the prison, and that prison was probably the tallest thing You'd ever seen in Your life. It's a marvel to Your eyes, and You briefly loses control of the boat in Your shakeup. (Though not enough to cause another accident. You's not stupid enough to repeat that twice.) You pulls the boat into a canal that runs through the city (actually just a continuation of the river), and people stop to gawk at Your strange mode of transport. You ignores them. You then pulls up to an official-looking man standing at a dock in the canal, and ask where You can park the boat. He gestures lazily over to a decrepit-looking platform where several other poor-appearing or makeshift sea vessels have been tied. With no other choice, You maneuvers over there and docks. It doesn't look likely that anyone will try to make off with the ship, but nonetheless You takes the car battery and, despite its weight, tries to conceal it on Your person.

Now it's just a matter of finding someone willing to help You. You has no money, but there has to be someone around here who would be charitable enough to give You aid without pay. You decides to look around, but the impressiveness of the city causes You to walk rather slowly.

Everything in town is carved out of massive blocks of cream-colored stone. The streets are paved, and it looks like the ground has been cut open to allow the river to complete several canals, which are sailed in a way that looks rather casual, rather than livelihood-based. The entire town seems prosperous and happy, at least to someone like You. Massive towers that be parts of churches loom over everything, and unknown flags billow everywhere in the wind. The air seems clean even as the canal boats consume fuel, and there's a smell of fruit (something You's rarely ever eaten) all around. There are children playing, the first children You's seen since You was a boy. The sun is shining, and You feels a relaxing flow of happiness drain onto Your bones.

You begins to walk around, regretting the lack of money; You's seemed to have docked in the merchant district, and what they sell here is much more exquisite-looking than whatever they had at the markets back home. You's seen a few images of these things in books, things like pears, bananas, and strawberries. You has to restrain Yourself by using the knowledge that someday, You could return and buy these things.

As You continues walking, You begins to notice several oddly-garbed men and women patrolling the area. Wearing some sort of armor, which is covered with fuel-tubules (indicating that some aspect of the armor is powered), they appear to be soldiers or guards. Their armor is in the same colors—maroon, cerulean, and gray—as the flags flapping overhead. It is not particularly practical looking or even ornate; though it does look protective, and it does settle the dispute of allegiance to this city or region. They are carrying large guns, which make them pretty extraordinary. They must be the law enforcement of this area—You makes sure not to tangle with them.

You then notices something else—a woman is managing a stall which seems to be selling none other than foosball figurines! Evidently, You isn't the only one to find them so fascinating. The one in Your pocket has haunted You all this time, for some reason, and perhaps it means something for You to have found this stall.

You approaches the booth, and the lady smiles pleasantly at You. “How can I help You today?”

You decides to gather some quick information about the area before trying to figure out the silly matter of Your fascination. You clears Your throat and says, “What town am I in?”

Her smile widens. “Why, You is in the city of New Cenabum. You's got to be new around here.” Then she blinks, but her smile doesn't fade. “Oh, You must have an APPLE. I'm so sorry, darling.”

You is pleased that she's trying to be friendly. “It's no trouble. Um, I'm currently lost, however. I'm trying to relocate a road close to an old prison. I, uh, realize that's vague as hell, but do you know of anything like that?”

“The old prison? No, I'm afraid I don't know anything about that. The only thing I really know about is these old dolls. Unless we're talking about dolls, I don't think I can help You much.” She winks at You, but not in a way that makes You feel uncomfortable.

“Well, actually, I was going to ask about the dolls. You see, I have one myself...” You pulls out the figurine from Your pocket. “I, uh, got it from a foosball table, though. Do you know anything about it?”

She looks at it for a little bit, at first with a touch of indifference. Then, her face shifts into curiosity, and then into surprise.

“This...” she whispers. “This is important. Very important. I...” She seems overwhelmed with a number of feelings before pulling You in closer.

“You has to come visit me to talk about this in private. You can find me by night in an old hairdresser's office. 'Madame Levingt's Boutique' is the name. We have to talk beyond the reach of the guards—the Empire isn't going to...” Then she looks behind You. One of the guards is approaching the stall.

“Go.”

You does, hiding the doll on Your person as You does so. This does seem important, and You doesn't want to get caught if there's something illegal about all this. You's no stranger to defying authority, having done so against your parents' wishes. You feels an urge to solve the mystery of this doll at all costs, and if this guard is going to stop You from doing that, You doesn't want to deal with him.

The guard talks briefly to the woman—presumably Madame Levingt—but leaves without incident when she tries to sell him a doll. She then winks at You again when she sees You looking, and then begins to ignore You entirely.