Ruination

Pierce knew they would find the market; it wasn’t too difficult to follow the sound of a small army constantly marching. No he was more worried about finding his dad. But it was the droids that caused the most of the concern. So far the market had more droids than Mooney Court, the actually amount was disturbing. It was like the main concentration of droid was there.

“Now what?” August asked saying what everyone else refused to say. It was a daunting task to figure out how to get past the droids. They hunched over of the rooftop lip and watched the tin cans march in groups of three. The building they were on was cast in shadows giving them enough cover.

“There’s no pattern to their patrols.” Gency spat out tugging a bit at his bag. Pierce beckoned for Gency to hand it over, but Gency refused. When Gency continued to adjust his satchel, Pierce tried to take it off his shoulder, but his hand was just swatted away.

“We need a distraction,” Madison said scanning the rooftop for something that would be useful. There was a pile of junk in the center of the roof. She was on it in a second rummaging through it. August picked through it daintily. It was moments like that that made August being gay so believable.

“Have any ideas? Anything in your satchel that could help?” Pierce asked trying yet again to tug it off Gency’s shoulder.

“Doubt it. Now will you stop trying my bag? It’s not that heavy.” Pierce snorted in disbelief. He watched Gency curiously as he hiked the strap back up his shoulder and held it possessively. That wasn’t like Gency. Pierce opened his mouth to comment about it, but suddenly silence fell over the street.

August and Madison were suddenly by their side. On the street below were two citizens walking towards the market boarder with their hands up in universal peace. They were surrounded by droids in seconds, but all they did was form a loose circle around them. A droid with a star etched on it back stepped forward, and circled the two like they were two pieces of meat.

“What’s going on?” Madison asked. Gency shrugged his shoulders but Pierce was still. He rubbed his eyes, making sure what he was seeing was real. He would know that female form from anywhere. The way her hair fell over her shoulder in a blond cascade and the swell of her chest. It was Jennifer. That meant her male companion was Tyson.

“It can’t be. How did they get here?” Pierce watched in a daze as the star droid bowed to Jennifer and Tyson.

“Pierce?” Gency looked back and forth from Pierce and the street, trying to figure out why Pierce was so tense. Pierce waited for the shoe to drop. Gency froze and that was all it took for Pierce to know that Gency had finally figured it out.

“Is that Tyson and Jennifer?” Gency said in complete shock.

“Interesting. They must’ve followed us.” August had a very serious look in his eyes. It made him look mature, but Pierce knew it wouldn’t last.

“Whatever is going on, we’ll deal with later. They are leaving let’s use this as a distraction.” Madison quickly made her way over to the fire escape moving with the ease of a snake. Gency was hot on her heels moving like a skittish squirrel.
A smile tried to break through Pierce’s concerned face, but no matter how silly his brother could be or how righteously sweet Madison was, he knew they had been lucky so far. It was only a matter of time, before their luck ran out.

“You look worried.” August pointed out like they were talking about the weather. He had a knowing gleam in his eyes.

“My girlfriend and Tyson are being greeted by droids like they are royalty, while we have been chased across Arkana by droids and random creatures. How would you feel?” Peirce barked. He maneuvered down the fire escape slowly wanting to hear August’s answer.

“Well it sounds like a shitty day personally. And what I’m going to say isn’t going to make you feel any better, but maybe help get your priorities in check. Rule one, never take break. You are either together or you are not. Nothing in between. There are so many better people out there, take Madison.” August tripped and fell the last few feet to the street.

He was quite startled by that admission. Pierce knew Madison was better than Jennifer. She was funny and smart, maybe a little headstrong, but it was endearing. Pierce blinked as August crouched in front of him with a knowing smile.

“Don’t think to hard it makes you look constipated. Second and most important never, ever and I mean never date a clone.” August was suddenly serious, deadly so. Then he was on the move, crossing the street.

Pierce quickly hauled himself to his feet and dashed after August’s disappearing form. Pierce slinked his way between two stalls and stopped behind August. They stood at the end of the stall, scanning the crowd of people.

“Did you lose sight of Madison and Gin?” August jumped as Pierce’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Jumpy much?” Pierce teased but frowned as August tensed and through a scowl over his shoulder. Pierce was excepting him to harass him not become a stick in the mud.

“You would be to, if…” August stopped talking as if realizing who he was talking to.

Pierce was getting the feeling that August knew more than he was letting on. But Pierce didn’t know how to tackle that topic without August giving a chancellor response of beating around the bush. Maybe Madison would be able to get it out of him, but not Pierce. But maybe he could answer another question.

“Why wouldn’t you date a clone?” August turned towards him with a grim smile.

“I just wouldn’t.”

“Seriously?” Pierce was surprised. August reminded him of someone that got around.

“Yep.” August quickly turned around and darted through the crowd.

There were times Pierce wished he wasn’t so big. As he followed August he bumped into people who were huddled around talking anxiously while others were looking for loved ones.

“There are a lot of confused people here.” Pierce heard Gency speaking as he finally found them huddled by a Danish stall.

“For a second a thought a droid may had gotten you,” Madison teased lightly. Maybe it was August and his talk early, but it was easy to love Madison’s smile. She only had one dimple.

“No I’m just not used to such a crowed place. Mooney court may be busy but never like this.” Truth be told Pierce normally stayed in his workshop, while Gency and their dad ran the shop.

“Then you should be glad that dad never sent you to the Gore Acres. You would hate Arkana in the middle of the day. That’s when all the snobs come out and get in the way.” Gency glanced pointedly at August.

“I have you know I would rather get my beauty sleep than have to deal with you peasant types any day.” August shot back with a cocky grin. Pierce could imagine those two sticking their tongues out at each other.

“Okay that’s enough all of you.” Pierce pointed to himself. He was innocent. He wasn’t a part of their teasing fest. “Yes you to. You’re all as bad as the idea of my parents using pigs for a circus performance.” Silence descended among the three males as they all stared at Madison oddly. Only she was say something like that at a time like this. “We’re here for your dad. So lead the way.” Pierce had a clueless look on his face, Gency’s mirrored his.

“Lovely you two don’t know where he is. Or if he is even here?” August leaned against the pole that was supporting the Danish shop.

“Yes he’s here. Just we never come with him on his supply runs…” Pierce tapered off from the Madison’s dangerous look.

“We are usually stuck running the shop.” Gency finished.

Both Madison and August looked rather put out and even a little annoyed. “We’ll split up. One of us will find him. We’ll meet at that stall.” Pierce pointed to a stall with purple cloth draped around the poles hiding the inside. The smoke of incense drifted out of the folds. It was easy to tell it was a stall for pleasure, but it would give them privacy from prying eyes.

“Lovely choice, I can just imagine what we will do in there.” August wiggled his brows. Gency blushed brightly making August smile like the cat that got the cream.

“Don’t even think about it.” Pierce tried to grab August by the front of his shirt. Pierce knew his brother dated, but August wasn’t going to get his paws on him, even if he was joking around. The blush on Gency’s face relieved too much of his feelings.

“Stop! Enough. Dear dome there is too much testosterone flying about.” Madison pushed August back and put her palm on Pierce’s chest. “What does your father look like?” She peeled her hand back at Pierce’s lack of movement and response.

“Like them of course.” Suddenly August looked between Pierce and Gency then back and forth. A look of confusion crossed his face as if he was really taking in what the two looked like for the first time. “Umm.”

“He looks more like me with salt and pepper hair. He wears spectacles and goes by Daniel Gore. If you guys find him first, bring him back to the stall if not we will meet you two back here in a couple hours.” Pierce said in a rush and pulled Gency away before August could ask any more questions or point out how different Gency looked from him. He didn’t need his brother asking whether he looked more like their mom. It wasn’t his place to tell him.



“What are you two doing here?” Daniel demanded, gripping both his sons in a bone wrenching hug. “I was so worried about you two. There have been so many rumors going about.” Pierce gripped their dad fiercely glad to know he was still alive and didn’t fall to the hands of the droids.

“We meet two people that are heading to sector 30 and we decided to tag along. We worked together to get to you.” Pierce pulled Gency in between them, making sure he wasn’t left out.

“Are you two going with them?” Daniel pulled away, fixing his glasses and looking all business.

“No, but I promised them the Dark Spectacles. That is if you can fix them.” Gency dug around his bag making sure nobody could see what was inside and handed a box to Daniel. “Madison led us through an unground system, but we encountered some interesting creatures and had to ditch our light source. So…” Gency gestured to the box.

Daniel opened it rummaging through its contents. “I can repair two of them, but the other four I don’t have the time or the materials at hand to repair them.” He closed the box and looked at both his son straight in the eye. “I will only fix them on one condition.”

Pierce gave Gency a worried look. Madison, as much as it hurt to admit it, and August deserved those Spectacles for guiding them through the underground and helping them stay alive.

“You two will travel with them to sector 30 and go to the Gore Acres.” Gency stood stock still shocked and utterly surprised, while Pierce was shaking his head.

“No. We will deliver the Spectacles to them and come back here. You need us.”

“You will go. There is something odd going on here. All the clones are being rounded up. And I know for a fact that some of the western wall has collapsed and most of the northern gates have been breach. Every couple of hours the droid bring more citizens to the market and lead the clones off to another location. Something is going on, and I would rather have you two at the Acres. That’s our land. We know it better than anyone else. It will keep us Gores safe.” Daniel used all his parental power he could muster to make them understand.

Pierce was dazed with all the information, it made him feel unsafe in Arkana. “Have there been creature sightings?” he asked. Daniel nodded.

“Some of the creatures were bold enough to try and swap a few citizens, but the droids stepped in. They’re doing their job. We are safer here; I just know there is more going on and that what makes it unsafe.” Daniel looked around as if people were listening. “I want you two to leave. I will see about getting ahold of something else to use for the darkness that won’t put out light. But I want you to leave with Madison and her friend.” The urgency in his voice, told Pierce everything he needed to know and he wanted to fight it.

“Dad come with you us.” Gency asked. He sounded so much like a little boy. It made Pierce wish for better times. Wished that the sirens had never gone off. Wished that he was still ignorant that there was life beyond Jennifer. Wished he had met someone like Madison before all of Arkana went to hell. Most of all he wished that their dad would come with them, but he knew better. His father knew what he was doing. He was putting them first like he always had.

“I would just slow you down. I will be fine. Just get out of here as soon as possible.” Daniel gave them a bittersweet smile and started repairing the Spectacles.