Time for a reboot

Sweetinmoor was once a town before the events of the Hollow Zone. You could still see the effects of the blast where now crumbled buildings lay to ruins. But there were a few that had been, rather crudely, rebuilt from the people who now took refuge here. Although there were still a surprising amount that were still left standing intact.

Many creatures alike were roaming the streets. They all seemed like they were going about their day, without a care in the world, almost as if they didn't realize what was happening on the outside world. As if there weren't others out there fighting for the lives. It was almost, eerily, like nothing had changed. But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows here. Even a town like this couldn't avoid the effects of the downfall. There was only so much you could ignore before you experience some kind of hell that everyone, everywhere, was living through.

Meredith and Sky continued to walk down the cobbled streets. They, or more specifically Meredith, had been given directions to find which specific house this man was squatting in. Apparently he had been told to expect them but he was very distrustful of everybody, so Meredith was required to give a very specific knock followed by a password.

By what Abby had mention in her note, this mechanic wasn't quite all there. Abby wouldn't elaborate why but he was one of the best in his field and the only one who was willing, and crazy enough, to help them. Even on such short notice too.

After going down many more windy paths they came across a house tucked away in an obscure part of town. House number 46. As instructed Meredith repeated the sequence of knocks that Abby had shown her in the note, then waited. In a matter of moments, there was the sound of shuffling and quiet muttering coming from the other side of the door.

"What does this woman want with this human?" A raspy voice made its way from behind the door.

"Quick as a house, quiet as a mouse. I'll hide like an ox, then run like a fox. I'll count to four before sitting on a thorn."

A few seconds went by in silence, the awkwardness and tension made it feel like an eternity. That was before it was finally broken by the sound of a click as the door was unlocked. It slowly creaked open before revealing the scraggly looking man behind it. Well, what was once left of one. His hair was a mess and it was peppered with the odd grey hair. The same could be said about his unkempt beard.

As more light shone through the door the metal patches that scatted all over his body became more noticeable. If it wasn't for the fact that this man didn't entirely look human enough with his robot infused skin, it was his completely grey eyes. Although the iris could still be made out as it was a slightly darker shade of grey.

"Stop your staring before I start swearing! You must get inside or you will be denied!" The man's eyes were darting everywhere, as if checking behind the two visitors, making sure that the two of them hadn't been followed. He quickly stepped aside to allow enough room for the two guests to enter through.

The door was quickly shut behind them as they entered. The man just as quickly locked it. Before them was a dimly lit hallway. The once blue wallpaper had nearly all fallen off. Down the hallway were four doors. The first one on the left looked like it once housed a room that they called a "living room". Most of the old furniture that once sat in this room were badly damaged. Couches were all torn up and stained. Cupboards were all tipped over, their contents all spilled on the floor, some of them looked like they had been torn apart. If there were once any tables in here they were taken a long time ago.

The next closest door was on the right. This one led to a kitchen. It was, surprisingly, still intact. The oven, stove and a few other cooking items looked like they were still in working order. It also looked like they had been used recently. Although the same could not be said about the cupboards in here. They looked just as bad as the ones from the previous room. As for the fridge, there appeared to be some sort of foul odor protruding from it. So it was probably for the best that is stayed closed.

Heading further down the hallway, and again on the left, was the third door This room looked to a dining room of sorts. The wallpaper was peeling and faded, just like in the hallway. Although it was hard to tell what was once on it. But there was something out of place about this room. It possibly could've been that, apart from the wallpaper, everything in this room was in pristine condition. As though none of it had been touched. Like some family from long ago were about to sit down and have a meal.

But none of these rooms were the ones that the man was leading them to. The final door was facing them at the opposite end of the hallway. Unlike the others this one was closed. As the man shuffled down the hallway he put his hand in one of his pockets of his very old and tattered coat. A set of keys jingled as he hastily took them out, all the while hunching over in front of the door. He began muttering something as he went through all the, very similarly looking, keys.

It took a couple of awkward minutes the man finally found the right key. As he turned the key there was another click and the door squeaked as he hastily pushed it open. Through the dim light from the hallway, the two guests could see an old rickety staircase leading down. The man turned back and waved his hand, beckoning the two of them to follow him down into the, not so creepy, basement.

As they walked down the stairs a light flickered on from a single light bulb. It did very little to light the room as there weren't any other light sources to fill the room. The moment they made it a few steps down the strange man moved swiftly passed them to shut the door, making sure to lock it in the process. As he turned back to his two guests he noticed how uncomfortable the elf had become.

"This place is safe, have some faith. I'm just a friend for those who the fairy send. Those who enter without permission will be met with aggression. The floor above is trapped so the will be zapped!"

That didn't really work but Meredith trusted Jay and Abby with her whole life. So if they could put their trust in this guy with their plan, then the least she could do is put a little faith in this so called mechanic.

"I believe an acquaintance of mine by the name of Abby sent forward a message saying to expect us?"

"Indeed a message was retrieved, with what was contained I shall achieve!"

"So, when can you start?"

"Don't want to delay, but can't start today. Will need more parts if I am to start. You will find them in town, just look around. Here is a list, so please be brisk!"

"Is there a reason you didn't do all of this before our arrival?" Meredith was a little annoyed as she was hoping to get this all over and done quickly.

"The people I do not trust, and we must keep this hushed. As you can see I stand out like a tree. The locals and you can get along as your kind has always belonged."

"You do have a point. I also remember Abby mention that you are a highly sort after man."

Meredith took the list and quickly scanned through everything that had been written down. The man's handwriting was a little hard to decipher but Meredith didn't have too much of a problem with it. She had seen worse.

"Well these shouldn't be too hard to find. Most of the merchants in town are probably selling most of these. If not, they will surely know where to find them. We should be able to find them within the next couple of days or so." As Meredith went to leave, Sky went to follow her but was abruptly stopped by the man. His grip on its arm was surprisingly strong for such a feeble man such as himself.

"The robot must stay so you don't stray. Also to be sure that Elite won't use it as a lure. It would be best if I powered it down so the Elite's won't make us drown."

Meredith didn't very much like the idea of leaving Sky here, but she didn't have much of a choice. They had come this far, and they might not have much time to continue on with their plan. Plus, she wouldn't be too far from them. Most of the items listed could easily be brought in town. But there were a couple of items that she had never heard of before. So Meredith hoped to, at least very discreetly, to ask the locals where she could find them.

The first stop was the main square. This place was one of the many towns you could trade, buy or sell items of any kind. These types of markets were held sporadically as to not draw the attention of the Elite's. It was only ever spread by word of mouth. And, for many years, it had worked. Thankfully, mostly to Abby, Meredith had some money on her.

As Meredith walked along looking at all the stalls, she found the people attending them were very talkative. So, because of that, it took her some time to buy what she needed. But it was nice to catch up on some of the gossip. Once she got through all the stalls, and was done talking to the sellers and any of the locals, it had soon become nightfall. Unfortunately Meredith had only a little over half of the items on the list.

So, for now, all Meredith could do was head back, drop of what she currently had and wait till morning. Back at the hideout she had to do the same knock and password before entering. The man took his sweet time letting Meredith in as she struggled to hold all the heavy items in her tired arms. But the moment she got into the basement she sighed in relief as she dumped everything she was holding onto the workbench at the back of the room.

"May I inquire when the rest of the items you'll acquire?" The man asked tentatively.

" I did tell you that I would take me a couple of days. And, from what some of the store holders told me, there will be new people coming in tomorrow. So I should be able to the find the rest of what you need then."

The man nodded and went back to the workbench to sort out the mess of parts and tools that Meredith had brought back. In the corner of the room stood Sky, who was now powered down. It unsettled Meredith a little bit. Meredith turned her attention back to the mechanic. She stood there, watching him. At that moment she knew she wouldn't be getting much sleep that night. So what better thing to do when passing time than to strike up a conversation!

"I know I might not get an answer to this but I would like to know the name of the man who is helping us." Meredith made an attempt at small talk while the man prepared his work bench. After a brief pause the man answered.

"I go by many names but to hide is the aim. Although it's not meta you may call me Zetta."

Awkward silence filled the room as Meredith racked her brain for any topic she could think of to keep what little conversation that had flowing.

"So what made you become a mechanic?"

"I once worked for the Elite's so I could keep my family off the streets." Zetta said bluntly. This was surprising to Meredith. But it did make sense as to why he was constantly on the run.

"Oh? So what made you stop working for them? If you don't mind me asking, that is." Meredith thought there was no harm in asking as he had trusted her enough to let her know about working for the Elite's. There was a very long pause as Zetta thought about what to say before he finally gave an answer.

"They took more power than they could devour. That's when I refused to be continuously be abused. They did not like this and wanted me to submiss. So the killed my daughter to punish me for being a traitor. There was no reason for me to be there anymore so I became a coward and ran forevermore. I was only able to make it out because others there mad a sacrifice." There was a moment of silence as several tears ran down Zetta's face. What had transpired upset him greatly, not to mention a tremendous amount of guilt. But he still continued to tell his story.

"After running far from that place I fell flat on my face. By the time I awoke I was surrounded by kinfolk. I was treated with a grin and then taken therein. I have long since forgotten this place that I had trodden. But one day I found a way to unbound. A way to hide from those who spied. To become a form of a cyborg with my previous knowledge and guide board. It has worked for some time but at the cost of my mind. I can do my job in moderation just occasionally I'll need to take my medication." He gestured to a make shift bed over to the right. Next to it lay many small bottles. And then, with that, Zetta fell silent once more.

It stayed like that for the rest of the night as Zetta didn't seem responsive to any other questions Meredith had. Although she did not blame him. While she sat on the stairs she watched the mechanic get to work with the few things that she had brought him. She became so mesmerized by his work ethic that, in no time, the sun and risen and the chatter from those who had arisen early could be heard outside.

Meredith needed the fresh air as being cooped up in that small basement, even for a few hours, was not good for her well being. The stalls hadn't quite opened yet as it was still quite early, so Meredith took it upon herself to stretch her legs and do some sightseeing of the town. She had remembered this place fondly as her father brought her here a few times when she was a child.

As much as she wanted to continue going down memory lane she had a something much more important to take care of. And, by this point. Meredith had being wandering long enough that at least a few of the sellers should've finished setting up by now. So off she twaddled to grab the last few things from the list.

Again, like the day before, it was going on dusk before she got arrived back at the hideout. Zetta was very pleased when she returned with everything he had asked for. With everything set out on the workbench Zetta began his work. As with the night before Meredith couldn't keep her eyes off him as he did his thing. He seemed to do it so effortlessly, almost like it was magic.