- April 21st, 2004 -
(Two separate cards and a slice of toast on the dinner table. At 5:45 AM.)
Happy Birthday, Cupcake!
Happy Birthday, Allison.
It didn't feel as depressing as it should have been, it had been a few months now since they told her of the planned 'mutual separation'. That feeling of crushing shock had taken a while to soften over the past months, but she had plenty to do and so much to focus on; living in Paragon City was like living in the fastest of lanes, and the level of competition was insane.
Within five minutes, she was running towards the blue glow that dominated the horizon in the distance. The downhill slope of the street carried her momentum down a suburban block that had seen better days. Rebuilding projects were forever left halfway finished, most of the neighbors had moved to 'safer' areas.
The buses and city shuttles were a thing of the past, evidenced by one of the abandoned stops that still had a pre-war advertisement behind it's severely cracked display. It was the Statesman, forever pointing towards the reader.
"Statesman Sez: See Something? Say Something! Report suspicious activity!"
Looking down below, most of the surrounding neighborhood of Sherrod Hills was a model of desolation until a couple of blocks before the great War Wall - a massive barricade that produced an incredible blue glow around what was Paragon Heights.
Everyone wanted to live inside 'Galaxy City', one of the new centers of Paragon City that had survived the Rikti War and other attacks mostly intact. There was simply not enough room for everyone, however - and there were huge, thriving areas of civilization that persisted outside the walls, damaged skyscrapers almost cramming up against the barriers.
Today, just like every other day - she would catch a small silver car on it's way to a controlled-access tunnel that came into Galaxy City, often coming within a minute or less of missing it. It was almost to the intersection, and she knew it wouldn't stop very long for her.
"Almost there! Wait.. w-wait up!", she stumbled on a risen slab of sidewalk and caught the fall on her palms and bare knees. She felt a damp trickle run down her leg as she rolled over - sat up, and looked over her injury.
"Marasel, you're holding us up! Get in and don't bleed over the suede!", the rear door of the compact opened up to reveal a girl who was Allison's age, wearing the same green skirt, and uniform that she did. The only thing 'off' was that she had perfectly silver hair and golden eyes. She also wore large metallic hoops around her sleeves and neck.
"Just a sec, Presh. I..", and she felt her nerves freeze the moment she heard the overwhelming, sudden hum of several black spacecraft that suddenly appeared around Galaxy City. The great barrier ahead of them immediately powered down, as did the other 'Protected Zones' in the distance, and the ships slowly began their advance - firing powerful beams into the streets and buildings.