ONN ENTERTAINMENT: The Wastelander™ - Episode 3: Regret
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First Broadcast on August 26th, 2493
ONN Entertainment/The Wastelander™ is a Production of Orbital Content Programming and House Storm.
[The credits start after a short recap of the previous episode, once the recap ends, the theme song kicks in.]
After the song ends, the pilot is seen sitting outside the hut, he was pensive. The sounds of footsteps behind him don't even phase him.]
"Skyman, why don't you eat? You will need strength if you want to go to Ha-Ven"
[Nalta had good intentions, but for the past three days, the pilot had been trying to come to terms with his new reality. 2493. Almost three hundred years since he peered at the departing Haven, since he thought he was going to sacrifice himself for them, for her. His mind was in turmoil, he didn't want to accept it, but that revelation would explain his diminished physique. His fighter was equipped with life support systems in case they were downed, giving the pilots a greater chance of survival and rescue. But no one came for him.]
"Nalta, is it?"
"Yes, that is my name, Skyman"
"I will need your help"
"Whatever you ask, Skyman, I will help"
[The pilot struggles but he finally stands up, looking at the huntress.]
"I need to go back to my ship, I need to understand what happened"
[Nalta looked confused, much to the pilot's irritation, but after a brief seconds, she nods.]
"I will help. You will need gear, the fevers are dangerous and the sun scorches all, even the Gored Mother"
[The pilot rises his eyebrow at the last part.]
"The Gored Mother?"
"Yes, it's what we call the world. Mother Gaia is dying, gored by the spears of the war"
[As intriguing as the new identity sounded, he was uneasy and he couldn't afford to converse, he simply nods.]
"Let's get me geared up then"
[Nalta smiled, it was almost childlike innocence, as if she was guiding a friend to her favorite playground. The pilot was surprised to see that most of the gear he was being equipped with, was a mix of both old equipment, and tribal ornaments. Now with Nalta joining him, he was ready.]
"Now we go, Skyman"
[The duo walked for a few hours, the pilot noticed he was getting tired faster than he used to. The gear wasn't even that heavy, and the heat wasn't as strong either. Nalta seemed to have noticed his difficulty and she, gratefully, slowed her pace to allow him to keep up.]
"We rescue you near here, past ruins"
[Nalta points out to the distance, the pilot recognizes the landscape, and even the ruins she pointed out. After a few moments, he noticed the body of the monster that almost killed him. Part of its flesh had been harvested.]
"What was that thing?"
"That a Chimera, new children of the Gored Mother. Name is Vorador"
"Vorador... Are there more like it?"
"Many more, different too. Some more aggressive than others, you are some kind of lucky, Voradors can eat a man whole in minutes"
[He went quiet after that reply, not only he had to worry about radiation, and the aftermath of the war, but also about mutated beasts roaming the wastes. He stops when Nalta makes a sign, they both move to hide behind some of the ruins.]
"What is it?"
[Nalta points ahead. An even bigger monster seemed to be looking for something. It had two sets of arms, ending in powerful talons, its legs were muscular too. It looked like a combination between a bear and a shark, but he couldn't be sure, not with that monster.]
"Rexos. Very big, very fast. More dangerous than Vorador"
"How do we kill it?"
"We don't, we wait"
"What?"
[Nalta and the pilot move to a better hiding spot after that.]
"Took ten men to kill Vorador, many parties go after Rexos, no one ever returns. We wait for it to leave, then we go"
[He hated the idea of waiting when they were so close to his ship, but he realized this wasn't his world anymore, he barely recognized it. Nalta kept watch, it was then that he noticed that Nalta had avian features, though not that obvious at first glance. After an hour, Nalta motions at him.]
"We go. Rexos gone, we go now!" [It wasn't long until they reached the crash site. Now that he could see clearly, the pilot realized the ship was almost completely buried. Nalta scanned the area and let him know it was safe. The man didn't take long to get into the fighter. Most of its systems were off, the life support systems had gone offline too. Probably shortly after he woke up. Checking further, he came across stored messages.]
"Silver One, we're sending you the coordinates to the rendezvous, they'll wait for an hour, maybe two, you've got to hurry!"
"Silver One, I-I'm sorry, we can't wait any longer, the AI's are realigning the satellites, we can't risk it. I'm sorry"
[The more he went through the messages, the more he realized they weren't even aware he had been shot down, most of the messages were similar in nature until he got to the last.]
"John? Please... If you're there... John, listen... I know things weren't the best before all this. I know you didn't want any of it, you were supposed to have done your duty and that was the end of it. I didn't want any of this either. They tell me they can't find you, they tell me you missed the rendezvous. They aren't even sure you got the messages, they can't even tell me if you're alive. Maybe they don't know, or they think I can't take it. I know you and I had a strong disagreement before the Haven took off, I wish I could take back what I said, I wish... It doesn't even matter now, does it? They haven't even told me where are we taking the Haven, but once I find out, I promise I will send you the coordinates, we'll be together again I---What's that? T-they followed us? Oh God, oh God... John---!"
[The message cuts off, static filling the cockpit. The man tries to operate the console, getting more and more frantic by the second, but all the systems were down. Unleashing a pained roar, he hunches over the console. The Wastelander™ is a Production of Orbital Content Programming and House Storm. All Rights Reserved 2493-2494.]