The 2nd Step- Part 3
I walked among the skyscrapers, reminiscing about the lush greenery that had once bordered this avenue. As I moved towards the centre, each skyscraper towered over the last. But even as the skyscrapers became grander, the cracks in the earth became more prominent. I finally reached the edge of the Aeon, and stared into the Abyss. "We meet again, old friend," I said, staring deep into its shadowy depths. No one knew what existed down there. I wasn't going to find out any time soon either.
I readied my grappler, checking my visor to see if the boots were fully charged again. The boots were an older piece of technology than most, running on a solar battery rather than those newer ones that recharged on kinetic energy. The visor was somewhat newer, but still not as accurate as even the cheaper range of the new generation ones. My grappler had seen its fair share of wear and tear too, but I diligently maintained it after every run. For an Edgerunner, these three pieces are what their livelihood depends on. I had the means and the money to buy the top of the line models, but I just couldn't bring myself to. These three pieces were part of my body at this point.
And suddenly, I was off. My grappler caught a ledge and pulled me off the ground fast, and I unattached it to immediately reattach it to another handhold. Grappling is an exquisite art-form, one which every Edgerunner should master. I swung like this a few times, feeling the wind on my face. The adrenaline was pumping throughout my body as I finally twisted towards the edge of the Aeon, and headed for the skyscrapers there. They most probably wouldn't have been ransacked as of yet. Practically a gold mine for a Vanguard like me.
Each home in the skyscraper expanded across two or three floors. It was a lavish lifestyle, a man-made utopia. After checking the first few homes at random, I found nothing much of value. However, then it struck me. The higher the floor, the richer the person. I flashed my feral smile once more as I jumped out of the window of the current house I was in, twisting and reaching for the clouds.
I broke through the cloud cover and reached the very top of the skyscrapers. This was where the various influential aristocrats lived. I grappled a balcony and struck the wall feet first, my gravity boots automatically activating. Not wanting to waste much charge, I unattached my grappler and ran along the side of the building, parallel to the ground. I kept an eye on my visor as it gave me the optimum route to reach the balcony. After this, I forced open the door with my knife and stepped inside. Bingo.
I had entered a seating area of sorts. All around me, the sense of lavishness and luxury increased hundredfold from what I had seen before. This was probably the house of a high ranking noble. Using my visor, I found the various safes deposited throughout the house and started to check each one. Two out of the six were empty, but the others were piled with money. After collecting it all, I checked the bedrooms. I found a bit more money here and there, and decided to take my leave.
I leapt out of the window, manoeuvred myself and managed to grapple the next building that I could see. But as I swung towards it, my grapple suddenly unattached itself and I started falling. As I broke through the cloud cover, panic entering my mind for the first time in a while, I heard a low rumble coming from below. That's when I knew- a Tremor had hit the Aeon.
I readied my grappler, checking my visor to see if the boots were fully charged again. The boots were an older piece of technology than most, running on a solar battery rather than those newer ones that recharged on kinetic energy. The visor was somewhat newer, but still not as accurate as even the cheaper range of the new generation ones. My grappler had seen its fair share of wear and tear too, but I diligently maintained it after every run. For an Edgerunner, these three pieces are what their livelihood depends on. I had the means and the money to buy the top of the line models, but I just couldn't bring myself to. These three pieces were part of my body at this point.
And suddenly, I was off. My grappler caught a ledge and pulled me off the ground fast, and I unattached it to immediately reattach it to another handhold. Grappling is an exquisite art-form, one which every Edgerunner should master. I swung like this a few times, feeling the wind on my face. The adrenaline was pumping throughout my body as I finally twisted towards the edge of the Aeon, and headed for the skyscrapers there. They most probably wouldn't have been ransacked as of yet. Practically a gold mine for a Vanguard like me.
Each home in the skyscraper expanded across two or three floors. It was a lavish lifestyle, a man-made utopia. After checking the first few homes at random, I found nothing much of value. However, then it struck me. The higher the floor, the richer the person. I flashed my feral smile once more as I jumped out of the window of the current house I was in, twisting and reaching for the clouds.
I broke through the cloud cover and reached the very top of the skyscrapers. This was where the various influential aristocrats lived. I grappled a balcony and struck the wall feet first, my gravity boots automatically activating. Not wanting to waste much charge, I unattached my grappler and ran along the side of the building, parallel to the ground. I kept an eye on my visor as it gave me the optimum route to reach the balcony. After this, I forced open the door with my knife and stepped inside. Bingo.
I had entered a seating area of sorts. All around me, the sense of lavishness and luxury increased hundredfold from what I had seen before. This was probably the house of a high ranking noble. Using my visor, I found the various safes deposited throughout the house and started to check each one. Two out of the six were empty, but the others were piled with money. After collecting it all, I checked the bedrooms. I found a bit more money here and there, and decided to take my leave.
I leapt out of the window, manoeuvred myself and managed to grapple the next building that I could see. But as I swung towards it, my grapple suddenly unattached itself and I started falling. As I broke through the cloud cover, panic entering my mind for the first time in a while, I heard a low rumble coming from below. That's when I knew- a Tremor had hit the Aeon.
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