The sun appeared in the sky the next day, warming the air somewhat. It was still cold, even though the wind had gone down, but that was the nature of this world.
Hagusa got out of bed at around 0600 hours. The soup kitchen opened in an hour, and she had to be there on time. Fortunately, she needed no time to choose something to wear or to get dressed.
Her breakfast consisted of a glass of juice and two nutrition tablets. She wasn't very hungry, and in fact found she could subsist on less food than before. Considering the area she lived in, that was not a bad thing. Her salary from the soup kitchen didn't buy much more than the bare essentials. She looked out the window at the sunshine, and even found herself able to smile a little, something she hadn't done much in the past 10 years.
After packing a lunch and watching the news for a few minutes, Hagusa left for the soup kitchen. It was about two blocks away from her apartment, in a building that was about as run down as the others in this area. But it was run by a lady with a heart of gold, someone who would never let the bleak conditions get her down. Hagusa admired her, and thought sometimes that even her own problems weren't that bad, if she could have a similar outlook.
"Good morning, Hagusa." said Mrs. Stonefeather, smiling and cheerful as always. Hagusa nodded a greeting in return. Still shy around people, even ones she liked like Mrs. Stonefeather, Hagusa spoke very little and kept her feelings to herself as much as possible.
The morning went by. People came in, got thier food, sat down, ate and left. There was very little conversation. People were more interested in filling their bellies than socializing. Some stared at Hagusa, but not for too long. Anyone who visited the kitchen regularly was used to her appearance. So was Mrs. Stonefeather, although it took some time for her to feel comfortable around Hagusa.
Noon time rolled around. "I'll take over for now, why don't you get some lunch?" asked Mrs. Stonefeather. "Okay." replied Hagusa in her husky voice. Once her voice had been high and melodious, and some even remarked she'd make a good singer. But of course, that like everything else had changed forever.
Stepping into the alley, Hagusa sat on the bench there and started eating. The sun was beaming down and it felt warm and pleasant. Looking at Hagusa's heavy overcoat and bandaged hands and feet, one wouldn't think that she would enjoy sunlight, but she certainly did. The sun shone on everyone, it didn't care what you looked like or how you dressed.
She stared into the sun for a moment. Her shining eyes seemed to be unaffected by doing this, although she didn't know exactly why. After looking for a minute or so, she got up. Her lunch was finished, and more people would be coming in for thier lunch. She looked at the street outside, watching cars go by and people walking back and forth. She looked up into the blue sky one more time.
And then everything changed.
The sky was suddenly filled with points of light. They looked like stars-but that was impossible. Hagusa watched them grow brighter for a second-and then she was slammed to the ground by a powerful shock wave.
Explosions ripped through the air, mingled with shouts and screams of panic and the crashing of vehicles colliding. Broken glass and pieces of metal and wood flew everywhere. Clouds of smoke and steam boiled up from collapsing buildings and make both seeing and breathing difficult.
Hagusa could barely think straight, but she threw her arms protectively over her head. She could feel glass and debris showering down on her, and was dimly aware that her coat and bandages were protecting her from it.
Following the overwhelming bombardment, hordes of drones arrived, firing and destroying everything in sight. They also fired beams that paralyzed the panicked citizens, making it easy to capture them. The battle was really over as soon as it had begun.
Hagusa heard a voice cry out, "The Saurians are attacking!" But that couldn't be, thought the Outcast. They were imprisoned centuries ago. Like every child on her world, Hagusa had been told stories of Drake DuCaine and his heroic fight against them.
She stared through the haze of smoke at the ruins that were her workplace. "Mrs. Stonefeather!" she cried out, raising her voice for the first time since the virus. But nothing. She couldn't even go inside, everything was burning. She felt rage and anguish boiling inside her, and her eyes gleamed brilliantly in response. Then she spotted a drong at then end of the alley and suppressed the urge to attack it barehanded. That wouldn't work, she'd just be made a prisoner. To take revenge for Mrs. Stonefeather and her world, she had to escape. She had to hide.
Hagusa ran down the alley in the opposite direction. It wasn't easy, what with the smoke and debris blocking her path. But grim determination kept her going. Then she saw it-a manhole cover in the street. She also spotted drones holding entire groups of people prisoner, and even a few Saurians themselves, manhandling them. She gritted her teeth, dug her bandaged fingers into the edge of the cover and lifted it, and disappeared under the streets.
In the sewers, the Outcast ran blindly, her only thought was to get away. Eventually, she was forced to stop and sit down, too tired to run further. And only then did the shock and horror of the past hour or so hit her as she buried her face in her arms and, alone in the sewer, gave vent to her feelings. Her eyes no longer shed tears, but she sobbed loudly and cried out in pain and anguish as she hadn't done since the virus had invaded her body.
Minutes passed. Gradually, she stopped crying, and her rage diminished, replaced by cold blooded determination. She looked up at the streets, her eyes glowing like two points of fire. The Outcast made a silent vow to fight the Saurians with everything in her being. How, she didn't yet know. But she would get revenge, or die trying.
To be continued...