FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Location: New Vega, Eastern Section, District 14.

Time: 09:10am.

Year: 2180, March 7th.

After my quick descent into the city, I landed in one of the small alleyways that surrounded the clubs exterior. They were all clean, though not surprising considering that the district was surrounded by office buildings, and not anything too dirty; not including the club, of course. Though I didn't think of it as 'dirty', I just thought of it as just another kind of job.

Unfortunately, I had stepped out of the alley and into the streets, which were now bustling with citizens. I cursed quietly under my breath and proceeded into the crowds, trying to blend in as neatly as possible. I had to bow my head slightly and take shuffling steps to try and make myself look like I was religious. It wasn't too hard since the crowds were going at shuffling pace anyway; as if someone was deliberately going slowly just to create this imagery.

There were around twenty districts in each section of the city; each section being North, North-East, North-West, and so on. Overall, that meant there were around one hundred and sixty districts in all. I was lucky though; I only had to go through this and at least half of the south-eastern district. I just focused on that to keep me from complaining.

Though I noticed something; for such crowds, everyone was surprisingly quiet. It was as if everyone kept to themselves, or was afraid of each other.

Above me, I could see a few signs attached to the sides of buildings. They all directed people to different areas; so many, in fact, that someone would have to read them and keep shuffling so they aren't knocked over by the crowds. It was confusing and unsettling at the same time. It felt so...unorganized. I was born with the addiction for being organized, otherwise no one could find anything, and they'd keep turning back and getting lost.

I noticed a sign that read out: NEW VEGA STATION.

That was perfect! I just remembered the New Vega Train Station. Not many Seekers used it, but it was perfect if we wanted to get anywhere fast. We even made a few deliveries in the stations every now and again. There were multiple trains; each one went in a single circuit around each section. It was much more organized compared to the rest of the city.

I shuffled along in the direction of the station. I had some money with me, so it'd be easy to get as far as the platform linking the East to the South-East stations. Unfortunately, the sign had something else under it.

It read out: ONE HOUR WALK.

I groaned inside, and brought my head back down. The only way that I would be able to keep my patience and get to the station is by losing focus again. By now, I was partly in control. I could lose focus, but not get back to the real world. I decided to take that chance and just think about something. No one would care to bother me, and I'd just be left with my thoughts.

I thought about how there were almost no females in the crowds. In fact, over my life, I had mostly been in the company of males. I rarely saw anything other than Canines, Lupines, Vulpines and Dragons. Not many Reptiles or Felines about; though there weren't many reptiles left in the world anyway. Dragons just managed to hang on by breeding like rabbits, though they bred rather fast anyway. It was hard to see how they became an endangered species in the first place.

What was even more unsettling was that everyone was wearing the same color clothes; light grey. It felt so...boring. I felt like throwing up; maybe I would have if I didn't have to blend in to the crowds. It was as if someone wanted people to look similar, and live identical lives.

Lives without excitement or color...

Location: New Vega, Eastern Section, Station.

Time: 10:20am.

Year: 2180, March 7th.

I had lost focus for too long. I was now sitting in a train cart, looking out of the window and at the train platform. All platforms were like tall buildings, which led up to the actual train, which was suspended by a single track held up by tall metal pillars. It was hard to think that those were the only things stopping the train from falling onto the city.

I turned my head around and faced the interior of the train. It was almost completely empty. The only people inside were me and a single female Wolf, dressed in what looked like a thick, red and black cloak that blended in with her fur and went all the way down to her feet. I noticed that her shoes looked more like boots with a bit of metal lining, and her arms were tucked into her cloak, as if she was hiding something. She returned my glance and smiled under her drawn hood.

"Are you done looking?" The Red Wolf laughed quietly. "You're a little young to be traveling alone, aren't you?"

"The same applies to you, doesn't it?" I accused, picking up on her voice. It had a slightly dreamy tone to it, and sounded as if she was the same age as me. The Wolf got up and stepped over to my side, sitting next to me.

"You don't look like you're from any religion that I've ever heard of." The Wolf said, looking out of the window with half closed eyes, with no emotion on her face.

"Maybe I'm not." I hinted, kicking myself for saying so. "But if I wasn't, I'd be wearing something else, wouldn't I?"

"Maybe you just want to blend in." The young Wolf replied, turning to face me. "If that were the case, I would have gone for a plain grey shirt and pair of trousers."

"So what kind of religion are you?" I asked, trying not to fall into another hole again. "Just out of curiosity, of course."

"I'm just a Theist." She replied bluntly. "I believe in a God, but I don't belong to any specific religion. They don't own me."

Her last few words were said with a hint of rebellion in them. I could also tell that her accent had a hint of Irish to it. I didn't think that many Irish had survived the whole 'Nuclear Apocalypse" thing back in the twenty-first century.

"I never asked where you're heading." She continued. "Do you mind if I asked? If you want, I'll tell you where I'm going, too."

"I'm going to the South-East section of the city." I gave in, not looking at her. "I'm visiting...family there; so what about you?"

"I'm going there too." The Wolf replied, pulling her arms out and running her hands through her long, black hair. "I'm expecting some company. It's a shame that I can't join you."

I sighed quietly and leant back. We both stayed silent for the duration of the trip, not looking at one another until the train finally stopped. The Wolf got up and stretched for a few seconds, looking back at me.

"My name's Elise, by the way." The Wolf said. "Oh, one more thing; that baton of yours won't really be of much use where you're going."

At first I ignored her last comment, and just muttered my name back to her, watching her step out of the train cart. I rose up a few seconds later and left as well, just remembering what she had just said. She knew that I was carrying a baton! I growled and continued on through the station, angry at myself for making myself obvious to her.

Location: New Vega, South-East Section, District 09.

Time: 11:20am.

Year: 2180, March 7th.

I had ended up walking through the districts for longer than I thought. The streets and roads were dusty, and most people wore face masks and goggles to protect their faces. I had ended up pulling up my cloak to cover my mouth, and I bowed my head to prevent any dust from getting into my eyes. I figured that all the dust was caused by the many construction areas around the section. The South-East must have been one of the main areas in the city for construction work.

I partly felt sorry for Enhime. He was taking the open and clear route, meaning more dust would be sent his way. Unfortunately, I didn't have any idea of where this 'Rover Factory' was; it was like looking for something you don't know by appearance, and could be almost anywhere.

I stepped into an alleyway for a short while to take a break. I had to ask for directions, but not many people were around to ask. The only people I had spotted were a few Felines down the same alley as me. They were brandishing knives and were approaching me with twisted smiles on their faces.

"Showtime, boys." One of the cats said to the other three, starting to lunge at me. Unfortunately, before he could land a hit on me, I drew my baton and swung it upwards, knocking the leader back.

I held the baton in my left hand, and so that the longest side was running down my wrist, and a small stub was sticking out to strike my targets. I raised my arm and blocked the few knives that struck me using the length that ran down my wrist. Once they were open, I rammed the baton into one Feline's underbelly, and into another's skull, knocking both to the ground. I swung my baton around into the last one's hand, disarming him. After all of them were disarmed, I pushed one of them up against the wall and started to interrogate them.

"I should kill you where you stand." I growled, gripping the Feline's neck. "But it just so happens that I need a few directions around town."

"S-s-sure, I can help with that." The cat stammered, breathless. "Where do you need to go?"

"I'm looking for the Enforcer's Rover factory." I said. "There are around sixty buildings around that area. Do you know it?"

"Sure we do." One of the Felines said from behind me. "Just follow the road to the very south until you reach a large metal fence. That separates the abandoned area and the town. But why would you want to go there?"

I ignored the comment and let go of the Feline that was against the wall. I pulled out my wallet slowly and pulled four notes from that, giving one to each cat. I had plenty of money to spare, and I was feeling in a good mood, so I decided to forgive and forget; but that meeting had left a bad taste in my mouth; either way, I sped off down south and looked out for the large fence.

With any luck, I would get to the abandoned construction site in no time.