Chapter 1 - Building a City

The energy of a bunch of sleepy teenagers filled the air of the poorly lit classroom. Wind howled as it crashed upon the metal walls making the small building occasionally shutter stirring even the most tired students awake.

Fade was not one of those tired students. In fact, she was almost out of breath. It had only been two minutes before class when she exited the train station. The fact that she made it before the teacher started talking non-stop was a miracle.

Her feet sat upon the ancient wooden desk with the hard heel of her boot slowly grinding away the already scratched surface. She couldn’t sit still. After all that running her feet needed to keep moving.

The window next to her showed the red-hued sky promising that the sun would once again rise to fill the room with light. The tops of some mountains were barely visible from the window when a cloud wasn’t passing by. She longed to explore 4000 feet down to the great valley below where supposed terrible beasts lay waiting to strike anyone stupid enough to clamber down to the ground. Of course, that was the tale. If her suspicions were correct, all that fear mongering is for a completely different purpose than protecting the “poor unintelligent people” from their own curiosity.

“Attention class!” professor Fog commanded up at the front of the room. He had already uncapped a marker ready to write on the metallic board. Not a single student moved. Fog sighed while waving his hands emphatically. “Alright, I get it. Folks your age aren’t supposed to be up this early. Let’s get up! You know what to do.”

Slowly, like zombies, each student rose from their desk and started dragging it towards the edges of room leaving a nice clearing. Professor Fog always liked to have a stage. Anyone accidentally walking into the classroom could easily be forgiven for thinking they had walked into a theater class. Somehow, through the appreciation of most students, it was a history class. Every part of history taught through role-playing rather than dry text on an even drier page.

Fade hardly had to move. Her desk was already in the corner. After saying goodbye to the fantastic view she lazily got up and hopped across the top of each desk to the center. When the scrambling around was finished, each student took their seat.

“Much appreciated students,” Fog yelled over the sound of shuffling as everyone got situated. “Now we can get on to today’s lesson. Does anyone remember what we talked about last time?” No one moved. “Really folks?” One student looked like she wanted to raise her hand but resisted the urge. Fog did not notice. “Okay now this is really bumming me out. Are my lessons that unbearable?”

As Fog turned his attention to Fade, she pointed at the small student just about ready to burst with the answer. He turned around and laughed. “Gil! Sorry, I didn’t see you there. Please do tell us what we did.”

With all the force in her lungs she spat out at light speed, “we talked about some of the first construction of the Great Gate and the five pillars and all the materials used to hold the structure completely still so it wouldn’t topple over like all the great engineers could have sworn-“ Gil took a quick breath to keep going, “was going to happen and how the Leaders of Steel decided to go ahead with the plans and how nothing terrible has happened ever since!” The stupidest grin appeared on her face. She was by far the youngest in the class, about twelve, so anytime she could outdo her peers was a fantastic prospect for her.

Most of the class stayed unphased by the usual burst of energy that is Gil. Professor Fog laughed yet again matching her energy. “See class,” Fog continued, “there is such a thing as enthusiasm. Don’t get old and forgot that!” Playing on their fears, most students became more attentive almost immediately. “Now who would like to explore history today?”

Fade’s hands started to sweat. While she did enjoy class, she hated the spotlight. Somehow, role-playing in front of the whole class was not a very enticing prospect.

“Anyone want to volunteer?” Fog asked. Gil raised her hand with her usual levels of freak enthusiasm. Fog noticed. “Sorry Gil, someone else needs to come up on stage every once in a while.”

When no one else volunteered Fog took out a piece of paper from the front pocket of his collared shirt. A twenty sided dice was retrieved from his pants pocket. Rolling the dice onto the floor across the stage, the number on top showed 15. “Let me see now,” Fog grumbled to himself. “Ah, Gil’s number. Sorry! Let’s try again.”

Gil looked absolutely destroyed from the second rejection in a row. Fade would have felt bad if she wasn’t so focused on the second roll. It landed on a 1. Of course. Why wouldn’t it land on her number?

Fog muttered to himself as he went down the sheet of paper. Fade already knew her fate. She briefly considered jumping off the desk and straight to the open hatch at the top of the classroom. No one would be able to catch her, although her parents would be quite upset to learn she immediately deserted the classroom because she was called upon in class.

“Fade!” Fog announced excitedly. “It looks like it is your turn today!” Folding the paper back into his front pocket he grabbed the marker completely forgetting to retrieve the die. Fade looked at the dice desperately hoping she wouldn’t trip on it making herself look like an even bigger fool than she felt she was.

Turning her attention to the front of the classroom, Fog had already drawn a rather detailed depiction of their part of the city. A massive, singular pillar held up an unbelievably wide platform that was the Fifth Division. Tall skyscrapers crowded the middle as buildings slowly shrunk until they reached the edge, where fields and trees bordered the edge of the plate.

“Does this look familiar?” Fog asked with a rather stupid grin.

Fade took a deep breath. “That’s the Fifth Division, where we currently are standing.”

“Great!” He kept drawing. “Good to know my work is recognizable. Would have killed me if I couldn’t draw our own home.” The marker flew from building to building, down to the pillar, and back up. “Now tell me when this is,” he commanded.

Scanning the board, it was clear he had added some hints. There was only one gondola connecting the Fifth Division to the Fourth Division. It was the only way to travel from one plate to another without an airship. More gondola’s had been added within the first decade of the Fifth’s Division’s opening when the First Division’s council realized commute times were detrimentally slow.

“Fifth Era, obviously,” Fade started. Each era was marked by the finished construction of a new division. Their division was the latest completed construction. “Around Year 5?” she asked.

“Ding ding ding!” Fog chanted. He was obviously excited to see something that was close to a right answer. Fade sighed with relief. “Fifth Era, Year 7. You can tell this by the newly constructed scaffolding all across the Fifth Division’s pillar.”

New scaffolding? Fade’s face was riddled with confusion. Once pillar’s were constructed, they never needed repairs. The combination of materials was impossibly strong. “What was with the scaffolding?” Fade asked. “I thought main construction was done once the Fifth Era started…”

Classmates started muttering to each other with curiosity. Fog had grabbed their attention, and he knew it. The implications of his drawing were heresy. A Third Division council member would have a heart attack at the implication that construction wasn’t completed at the beginning of an era.

“I cannot confirm nor deny if the construction was done,” Fog continued. “All I can say for certain is that scaffolding was on the pillar. What would you like to do?”

“Let’s get closer,” Fade requested. Curiosity took over her anxiety. This lesson, like so many often did, led her to an unexpected place.

Another pillar appeared on the metal board as the marker squeaked away in Fog’s hand. This time it was a close up image. Graffiti covered the pillar, various small cracks were distributed throughout giving the seven year old pillar the look of a five hundred year old pillar. It wasn’t what Fade was expecting at all.

“Why did you draw it like that?” Fade asked.

Fog chuckled. “That is the way it looks. Why would I draw it any differently?”

It made no sense. There was graffiti on the pillar, which was also illegal. The object that held up the city, the literal foundation of society, was supposed to be worshiped. At least, the First Division council stated that it was supposed to be worshiped. Fade was sure the Fifth Division council couldn’t care less.

“If we learned last lesson that these pillars were made by an impossibly strong material that defied the expectations of the great engineers who constructed each division of the city of Steel, then why are there cracks? Why is there graffiti?” Fade’s mind wandered for a moment before returning back to class. “Are you implying that the last lesson was a lie?”

The tiniest grin was visible on Fog’s face. “Under the law of Steel I can never say this city was not built by the most impossibly strong material.” He paused as his face focused. “Nor can I imply any deviations of that idea. No one ever said I can’t be a fantastic artist drawing a very realistic image of the holy great pillar that stands below our feet.”

Before the class knew it, the hour had finished and a red light lit up the sun-bathed room. Unlike the beginning of class, Fade was fraught with curiosity. Her previous anxiety of roll-playing was completely taken over by the strange hints their professor was giving. Why would he imply such contradictory ideas within the span of two lessons?

“Don’t forgot your homework!” Fog barked as students started to leave. “Re-familiarize yourselves with the construction of the Fourth Division! We will be reviewing it next class!”

Naturally, since Fade’s desk was in the corner she was one of the last ones to shift her desk back to a normal position and grab her tiny bag. Slinging both straps over her shoulders and tying the front strap tight, she stepped out the classroom door one moment too late.

“Fade!” Fog called after her before she could reasonably pretend she didn’t hear him. “Can I speak with you?”

Sighing, Fade reluctantly stepped back. “What?”

“It’ll be just a moment. I just wanted to ask you a question.” He beckoned her over to his desk.

She hated being alone in the same room as a teacher. Although Fog had never been reported by her peers for being a creep, there were far too many accounts of old men hitting on students. Suddenly her hands started getting clammy as she approached his desk.

“Is it okay when I act as the manipulator,” he paused really awkwardly almost as if he lost his breath. The creep factor was rising and Fade was not having it. “For the conversation,” he finally finished his sentence.

Casually glancing behind her, she saw the rooftop hatch was still open. With a quick jump off a desk she could be out of the room before the man got near her.

“Yeah, sure.” Her response was half hearted and completely unsure of whether or not it was the right answer.

For another awkward moment he stared into her eyes. Add yet another level to the creep factor. “Good to know. That will be all.” Slowly he moved towards the door of the classroom.

Not wanting to find out whether or not he planned on locking her in the room, Fade laughed nervously and ran ahead and out the door closing it behind her. Wind blasted her face nearly knocking her over. She forgot how harsh the weather was today. Across the field the edge of the Fifth Division plate showed a vast and lush landscape as far as the eye could see.

While she wished she could gaze out into the distance all day, Fade knew it was time to go. Her next class would start soon; she could feel it. Taking out her pocket watch it read 9:03AM. As usual, she had a solid two minutes to get to her next class. Racing across the street she headed straight towards the side of a house ready to scale it and take the most direct route to her next class.