A Spark in the Dark Chapter 1: Setting Out "Thanks again for tuning in my fellow Wilds Wanderers! Now for what many of you have been waiting for, the August 3rd, 2541 Locksmouth Wilds Weather Report!" The elderly gecko man cheerfully proclaimed, speaking with the authority of an official weather reporter despite the reality of his morning show being very much a public-access broadcast. Jess Gabel looked up from her backpack to the screen on the wall of her warmly lit, if cluttered, apartment, giving the gecko her full attention. "Meteorological studies from the nearby outpost say it will be a refreshing couple of days ahead of us. Lots of sun, hot days, and cool nights! Looks like there is a cold front passing by but the storm it might kick up should just miss us." The gecko was about to proceed with the next section of his show when he stopped and briefly looked off to the side at some unseen individual. Giving a patient smile he looked back towards the camera. "But, ahem, 'Remember to do like Dásos' and be prepared! So pack wet weather gear. Now on to our featured guest, Head Ranger Maris, who is here to-" The screen switched off with a snap of Jess' fingers, much to her satisfaction. "Last person I want to hear from today is Maris," The oriole girl huffed as she resumed packing her bag and going through her gear checklist. She had everything neatly packed except her portable heating unit… Jess looked over at the items beside her. A compact travel heating unit provided by the Wilds Service and...the oriole stared for a few seconds at what was next to it. A gift from her brother: a steel capped rod of flint, steel wool, and a knife. A flip out pocket knife to be exact, an heirloom of a time long past. The red plastic of its handle bore the faded white etching of an eagle. Jess smiled a little and sighed, Miles would never let her hear the end of it if she didn't bring it along. "Okay Rom, Keep an eye on the place for me." Jess bent over to give the circular cleaning robot she salvaged and repaired a pat on the top of its casing, prompting a happy beep. In doing so, the oriole's substantial butt, held tight by her cargo pants, knocked over a half assembled duplicate of the machine she was petting off a table and onto the couch. [a] "Oop! Sorry about your brother, Rom. I'll get him up and running when I get back. I promise." The machine gave another affirmative beep as it sped away to resume its cleaning patrol of the room. Jess shook her head knowing the machine did not understand what she just said. Regardless, she picked up Rom’s brother from the couch and moved it over to her workbench before she left for the subtram. ________________ The subtram ride from the residential sector was pleasant and smooth. Jess idly stared forward gazing at her reflection in the glass. Despite the many benefits of the subtram, it was severely lacking in scenery; at this time there weren't that many people onboard. The fox man passenger seated nearby certainly was enjoying the view, as her tight fitted top made her ample bust wobble a bit just from shifting her weight and did little to hide her athletic figure. Adjusting her glasses and giving a stern look towards the man, she began to turn to strike up conversation when her PET buzzed. [ 2541/08/03 10:15 am BinaryBird: Jess! please tell me you actually have your PET on today… TrailZapper: Yes miles. I was just about to let you know I was riding over to the Wilds Gate Station. BinaryBird: Okay good. But you did remember to pack food and your thermal suit and water pack and --] Jess rolled her eyes and looked up from her screen, tabbing down through the ever growing list of items her brother was asking her about. Looking back at her temporary fox travel companion whose eyes were still squarely on her bust. Pretending not to notice and keeping a neutral expression, she stretched a bit to give him a better view. Satisfied with her efforts to tease her fellow subtram passenger, Jess looked back to her PET and the wall of text displayed on it. [ --And a spare oxygen tank?? TrailZapper: Miles, I am going on a short camping trip in the forest. Not the moon. I have everything I actually need. BinaryBird: Okay okay. Just be safe. TrailZapper: I will, you dork. I'll send you an update message each day like I promised. BinaryBird: You better! Or I’ll be leading the search party myself!!] Taking a seat, Jess sighed. Her brother’s anxiety was not getting any better. At this rate her next vacation will be spent visiting him in Anchorsway for a week to help calm him down. Her PET felt heavier than usual as she closed out her chat with Miles, knowing who she should message next. Jess hesitated, her finger hovering above the screen for a moment before opening a second group chat titled, “The Elementals!” [TrailZapper: Hey folks, I am heading over to the Gate for my trip. I asked a week back but wanted to double check. Anyone planning to join me this time? ] She looked at the four other profiles listed in the chat. These were her packmates, even if they felt less and less like an actual pack these days. SplashMaster, GroundPounder, and SkyDiverGirl were online. SpitFire…Jess’ now ex-girlfriend and packleader, was still inactive for over a year. Her mind wondered where on Earth Spitfire, Ember, had vanished to. Didn’t even have the courtesy to tell anyone why. Jess' eyes lit up seeing someone was typing. [SplashMaster: Sorry Jess! Can't make it. Busy. Send lots of pics though!] Jess waited for a few minutes and slouched back into her seat [b]when no one else responded… and closed her PET. The PA system of the tram happily announced with a hiss of the tramcar doors that they had arrived at the Wilds Gate Station. ________________ Hefting up her bag, Jess disembarked and was greeted by a holographically generated swirl of leaves that solidified into a new shape. With a puff effect that probably took a month to program right, a humanoid figure composed of living wood and leaves wearing a ranger jacket and hat stood before her. "Welcome visitor! I am Dásos, your dryad guide to the lands outside the dome!" The figure spread out its arms wide with a flurry of hologram leaf and wind effects. Dásos held this position for a second as the local sensors registered her PET profile. "Ah, welcome back Jess Gabel! It is so good to see you once again!" It always amazed Jess how much the Wilds Service had spiced up this station. The Wilds Gate Station was originally just another emergency exit gate. Over time the city learned that certain Locksmouth denizens wanted to explore the forests around the dome, but didn't want to take the intercity subtran to do so at designated camping sites. Instead, these individuals began using this emergency exit to get out into the wilds their own way. Many of which had to be later rescued when they discovered that stubbornness and acting tough did not help much when they got lost and became severely dehydrated. After several years and numerous failed attempts to tighten security around the emergency gate, the city council relented and shifted their efforts to the creation of a more dedicated Wilds Service compared to the programs of other cities. The subtran lines were expanded to connect both the intra and intercity lines to the gate turning it into a junction station. The station was then redesigned and expanded to serve as a hub for most out-of-the-dome activities and related services. The previous concrete and steel emergency exit now sported simulated canopies, foliage, a dedicated wilds safety education center, an outdoors focused goods store, and a Ranger's Outpost. It could do without that last addition in Jess’ opinion. Jess gave Dásos a little smile as she walked forward, moving to the exit doors, hoping to get out of this center as soon as possible. "Before you head out on your trip, be sure to stop by the supply dispensary for any of those last minute goods!" The hologram continued saying. However, their usual chipper expression became more serious as they stood in front of Jess between her and the passage to the exit doorways. "I am sorry, Jess Gabel, but if you want to take this exit out of the station you must first stop by the station’s Ranger Outpost and speak with Head Ranger Maris!” The usual green glowing sign above the exit doors turned a vibrant red indicating they were sealed. “Have a safe trip and remember to do like Dásos!" "Dammit." Jess turned around. She looked to the other side of the station where an intercity subtran had just pulled up. It was a thirty minute ride to one of the many campsites, and she wouldn’t have to see Maris’ face if she took it instead of her preferred exit. “If I wanted to sleep outside on easy mode, I’d just sleep in the park next to my apartment.” Jess muttered to herself as she walked into the Ranger's Outpost. Jess disliked this part of the station for many reasons. The most prominent and petty reason of them all was that the outpost had a sleek professional look that stood in stark contrast with the natural aesthetic of the rest of the station. Walking up to the front desk she leaned forward, pressing her bust against the counter, as she addressed the deer woman receptionist as friendly as she could. “Heya, please tell me Anthony is in, I really want to get out ASAP.” “Morning Ms. Gabel. Head Ranger Maris is in his office, I’m sure you know the way.” The deer smiled, gesturing to the hallway behind her. Jess’ warm demeanor quickly shifted to one of tired annoyance as she walked past the front desk and towards Maris’ office. The Oriole walked in bracing for what came next, "Good morning Anthony. What's up?" "That's Head Ranger Maris to you, Ms. Gabel. Just because you end up here so often does not make us friends." The mature wolverine man adjusted his glasses as he picked up an information tablet from his desk. "I'll keep this short and simple so even you can understand. You will be keeping your PET on for the duration of your time out in the forests. I and the rest of the service are tired of sending Rescue Rangers teams out to find you because you," He shot her a look of annoyance before looking back at his tablet, "and I quote, 'Didn't want your tech to get in the way of nature.'” Head Ranger Maris set the tablet down slowly and took off his glasses, looking Jess directly in the eye. “To show you I mean business this time, if your PET goes offline at all while in the Wilds the system here will blacklist your profile. Meaning: If anything goes wrong, you're on your own!" He leaned in, "Am I understood?" Jess pulled up her PET showing Ranger Maris it was on and fully charged. "Crystal clear, Head Ranger Maris," she responded with a hard tone. The tension between the two grew with each passing second as neither wanted to break eye contact. The moment Maris opened his mouth to say something else, Jess turned sharply and walked out the door, her butt nearly knocking over the chair in front of Maris' desk. ________________ Despite the lackluster start, Jess was already starting to feel better as she left the Station and walked down the foot worn trails through the woods. Jess felt a bit of pride about these trails. She and those like her worked together to create and maintain these unmapped foot trails. To her, they showed humanity’s adventurous spirit just as much as any spaceship or deep sea probe. The oriole stopped for a moment and took a long deep breath. There was a gentle breeze that flowed through her feathers just right and added a peaceful rustling of leaves to the sounds of the forest. Looking up, the sun was now high in the sky and its light was being scattered beautifully through the trees. Jess continued her hike up a particularly steep hill as she took in the nature around her. Turning around a bend, Jess walked into a small clearing with a Wild Service Checkpoint kiosk. What brought her here was not the kiosk but what was just to the left of it. There was a natural parting in the trees here that gave a perfect view of the city of Locksmouth, making it her favorite place to stop on her wilderness trips. Staring at the city from here, all of her worries and concerns seemed so simple and small. The serenity of the location was shattered in an instant when Jess saw what looked like explosions and clouds of smoke erupt from buildings around the city. Jess felt her stomach drop and she hurriedly pulled out a pair of binoculars from her pack. "No no no no, I must be seeing things." She lifted the lenses to her eyes and activated the binoculars’ extended zoomed function. This wasn't a trick of the eye or some other illusion. Locksmouth was under attack. [a]An instant kinship with another Locksmouth based protagonist. XD [b]Aww.