The more aware denizens of the outer city had long since realized that they were the overflow of humanity. Sacrificed upon the altar of improved logistics in order to sustain the life of those who remained within the city's walls.
But that was about as far as common knowledge of the current day went.
The "new dark age of humanity" as it was commonly referred to had been ongoing for generations now. Unable to fully cleanse the world of the poison their ancestors had unleashed so willingly, the residue of a previously prosperous civilization was all that remained.
Cassian had heard the story more than once about this so-called 'eternity war'. Unlike modern politics that was hidden behind the wall- the tales of stupidity shown by the leaders of humanity's final golden age were widely known.
Likely this was a targeted decision from those in the cities cradle, aiming to transfer the boundless resentment felt by the populace to figures who could no longer be held responsible.
A war fought by old men, who were never going to see itsconsequences.
He silently cursed the names he could remember. Hoping that wherever those souls had ended up was nice and warm.
Centuries have passed since the cataclysmic war that poisoned the world, and somewhere along the way a final bastion was created in the form of the city currently passing by the window. Initially formed from a coalition of skilled workers found amongst the survivors of humanity.
How they went from forming humanity's final act of defiance, to ushering in a dystopian dichotomy of those who get to live- and those who have to die Cassian did not know. The gates of the city were truly closed to those of the outside after all, most information being censored behind its ancient walls.
All the more reason why the events of the last hour were completely insane to think about.
Coming back to reality, Cassian continued to watch the towering skyline of the inner city go idly by. Each grandiose building boasting a unique design, all intricately connected together. It was opulent to the point of seeming alien.
Dawn, focused on driving the vehicle along the widened streets locked eyes with him through a small glass mirror hanging up beside his head.
"My, you are deep in thought" he jested, one eyebrow shooting up in a comical crescent far above his eye. "No need to think so deeply about things, we will help you!"
The young captain laughed to himself, hearing this- Cassian couldn't help but agree.
What was there to think so deeply about?
Smiling to himself while leaning further back into the seating, he continued to appreciate the passing skyline.
"I've been meaning to ask Cass. Which zone were you from?" his voice carrying that same melodic hum "Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, im just curious.. for small talks sake"
"I was something of a vagrant, with no ties to one specific place" .
"Is that so? You must have some stories to tell!"
Chuckling, Dawn proceeded to turn the vehicle into a smaller side road- approaching a grand looking structure with an ornate depiction of the half moon he had seen earlier carved into its side. Leading to the elaborate building was an array of pale white stairs spread out into a crescent.
The road seemed to give way to these steps, causing Dawn to bring them to a stop. A relieved sigh sounded from the engine as it ceased to run.
"Alright- Out we get then!"
With a chipper stride, the captain jumped out of the vehicle. Walking round to open the door for Cassian with an exaggerated gesture.
Smiling softly he hopped out- joining him in climbing the flamboyant stairs.
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Just like the display of opulence showcased in the exterior design of the building, the interior boasted an almost pretentious level of grandeur. Everything he looked at was lined with gold- even the walls themselves weren't safe from it. An array of luminescent glass panels ran across the ceiling, forming an intricate mural of a crystalline gateway. A crescent half moon shone through its exposed center.
Glancing around, Cassian comically noticed that the waiting room he was in was also built in the shape of the half moon.
Some pretentious designer really wanted to stick this motif in your face as much as possible huh?
Sitting idly on a red velvet seat sinking back into the soft cushions, he once again ran his mind to the dichotomy of luxury the inside boasted compared to what was commonplace outside the walls.
An almost unholy level of greed!
Cassian was no money expert by any means, but he didn't think that letting go of even 5% of the resources used to create grandiose monstrosities such as the one surrounding him would hurt these people.
However It would most certainly transform the actively decaying population on the other side of the gate.
Allowing his eyes to once again wonder, he sat up and glanced in the direction that Dawn had left him. It had been what, 15 minutes?
The young captain had told him to wait as he needed to sort "certain things", before heading into a discreet doorway in the back corner of the crescent room.
The strangest thing was that the door did not conform to the glutenous opulence of the rest of the environment. It was just a simple metal doorway.
Trust him, he is helping you.
A single thought spoke to him. Why should he doubt the captain? He's been nothing but helpful. Thinking of the sonorous voice that had asked him to wait patiently caused him to slouch back into the embrace of the seat.
Once again- the shadows of doubt that had started to advance into his brain were repelled.
Something he did not notice, or had unconsciously chosen not to notice due to his strange state was the gradual filtering of people leaving the room. One by one the ratio of human to chair slowly changed, until eventually- only Cassian was left.
*click*
The sound of a mechanical door lock caused him to jump up sharply- causing him to momentarily shake off whatever foreign influence was causing his stupor. Glancing around him he finally felt that something was extremely off. The pit of his stomach had long since dropped, but he was only now noticing it.
"Hello?" he called out faintly.
His mind had begun to obscure the doubt again, filling itself with thoughts of dawn is my friend and trust him, he's done nothing wrong. This time however, Cassian desperately held on to the uneasiness he felt in that moment- praying his grip didn't let it go.
This internal struggle kept him in place for an inordinate amount of time. Cassian was able to hold on to the fact that these feelings- these emotions were not his.
"I thought I told you to wait patiently, what's going on?"
The sonorous voice emerged from the silence of the shadows once again, discretely renewing the assault on Cassian's mind. However- this time he was aware of it happening.
Nonetheless, he was powerless to stop it.
Dawn smiled cheerfully at him, but the smile did not touch any of his features. The previously animated face sagged limply like a puppet with its strings cut- his eyes remaining stone cold.
What am I thinking about?
Cassian no longer knew.
What am I thinking about?
There's nothing to think about.
What am i-
A now familiar soft blue luminescence shone from his arm, slowly increasing in intensity. With this, Cassian felt a rage that wasn't his. But this rage acted as a lantern- lighting up the shadow of the mental plague evidently caused by the captains words.
But this rage was also a foreign emotion.
It.. was not his.
Or was it his?
There was no longer an easy distinction between what emotions he owned. However this felt different entirely- a third type of influence he had not experienced yet. It was alien, yes. But simultaneously it felt… warm?
That being said, this mysterious state had struck him too late and taken too long. By the time he reclaimed sovereignty over his own mind Dawn had disappeared again.
"What the hell just ha-"
Before he even finished his thought, there was a flurry of footsteps from behind him. Attempting to face the source of the noise Cassian turned around- but it was too late.
Everything went black.