Innate Talents (2)

Supplies were something that needed to be distributed throughout the Pillar City. It was essential to bring food, water and other necessities up the tower so that the upper floors wouldn't simply run out every day. With the amount of people that needed to be seen to on a daily basis, elevators themselves would only bring up so much.

While there were special elevators that brought up carriages of materials, they needed more elevators to simply transport people through the Pillar. To not weaken the integrity of the entire Pillar too much, they had to not dig out too many holes for elevators to pass through. The whole idea led to the creation of what were essentially "zip-lines" that connected the ground or different floors as a way to funnel materials up the Pillar.

Those "zip-lines" were then connected to the airlock docks that were on each floor. An area Jason didn't frequent as much as he could have.

Surprisingly, the docks were pretty easy to get into. The entrance to them was just a series of doors that continuously opened up into larger and larger rooms. Each room seemed to be segmented where locked crates were actively being screened and moved into other rooms. Several men in thick overalls looked in Jason and his dad's direction, but they simply moved aside with a silent nod after his dad said a few words.

Eventually, they reached what seemed to be the final door. Final in the fact that it was massive. Jason had seen his fair share of grandiosity and huge things, but this door was the largest mechanism he had seen to the day. It was a circular door that stretched at least five stories tall and doubled that in width. Like everything else in the Pillar, it was a sheen of gunmetal gray except that the massive gears that made up its inner workings were on display, letting Jason take a glimpse at how complex most of the mechanisms in the Pillar were.

"What're you looking at?" Jason turned to find his dad next to a normal sized door. It was open, letting in whistling winds that echoed in Jason's ears. The air seemed to chill as the air outside rushed in. "Come on, its getting cold. Unless you want to wait for that door to open, but let me tell you, son, that thing only opens in the morning or night. And anyone inside here will be sucked out like– schwip!"

Jason shrugged, taking the man's words for it. He followed his dad through the door, and was finally met with the outside of an airlock dock.

Immediately, Jason stopped. He stared out at the scene in front of him, sucking in a deep breath of the chilly, thin air.

"Always forget how pretty it is this high up."

The brown-haired teen could only nod blankly as he took in the scene. They were high up; that much should have been fairly apparent given their floor. However, it never really stuck when they didn't look out a window to actually see it.

Emerald green pastures spread out before his eyes, and he could almost smell the fresh dewdrops that stained the air in the mornings. His eyes could make out the distant forms of the Hunting Grounds as well as the Chrome Corridor he had been on. They looked like metal gilded roads, sparkling in the artificial sun. It was a shame that the sight was broken up by black lines that went up and down the entire outside of the docks, like the bars of some massive prison.

This high up, he could fully see the World Cage above his head. And subsequently, the Abyss that boiled constantly against it. The World Cage was made up of thousands of hexagonal panels. His eyesight could barely make out the near-invisible seams that separated the panels, but the fake sky and sun, created with lights built into the panels, could not hide the Abyss that the cage was made for.

It was like an ocean of stars moved behind the cage. A dam that held back the forces of nature.

Slowly, Jason pulled himself back from the scenes around him. He always felt a sort of pull towards the Abyss, but knew that almost every Delver felt the same. A calling that dragged every Delver to explore and grow within an environment that was lethal to any normal human.

Finally looking around, the teen found himself atop a large platform that protruded from the side of the Pillar. Nearby, Jason could see that there were other platforms that were positioned in a spiral down the side of the Pillar's walls. From what he could see, they were primarily flat with sections marked out in lines that glowed in different colors. Jason had seen pictures of how megaboats in the oceans of his planet looked; their topsides were artificially flat, and wide enough that it seemed like they could fit an entire city atop them. He couldn't help but feel that the airlock docks were built with a similar scope in mind. They were not large enough to fit a city, but Jason felt they wouldn't have problems with thousands of people.

The only problems would be the cold air that whipped across the platform, seeking to drag anyone unprepared off the City Pillar. Though, Jason largely ignored it. He shot a glance to his dad, seeing the man fiercely rubbing his arms in an attempt to stay warm as he waved over at someone in the distance.

Jason narrowed his eyes, looking for who they needed to talk to. Dockworkers milled about in thick clothes and masks that were connected to a tube that ran to a tank on their back. At their waists were a heavy-duty clip that attached a thick cord to a section of railing hidden within the floor. Jason took a look around and found small slits within the platform that seemed to line up with the cord every dockworker wore.

Finally, Jason found a dock worker who made his way toward them. They were dressed in a similar fashion to the rest, but an orange sash around their upper arm denoted a different rank. When they got close to the father and son, they removed their mask with a hiss of air, revealing an unamused frown to his dad's cocksure grin.

"Christopher… must I ask you why you decided to show your face here?" The man spoke brusquely, drawing out his dad's name. He didn't seem that old; odd for someone who was around his dad's age to hold a managing position of any kind. He sent a look over in Jason's direction before he scoffed. "Great. You managed to have a kid. Don't tell me you're trying to show him your little suicide act again?"

"Glad you still have that sense of humor, my friend." Jason's dad smiled, acting as if the man's discontent were normal. He gestured between the two of them. "Let me introduce you to my son, Jason. Jason, this is my good friend Marshall Fisher. He's a little shy nowadays, but back when I was running around the Pillar, he was the one to show us how to Line Dive."

Marshall huffed, glaring at both of them. "I already know where this conversation is leading. My answer is no."

"Marsh, my man, hear me out."

"Do you not see this?" Marshall pointed at the orange band on his upper arm. "This means I have to manage this whole dock; which means that I need to make sure all the shipments are on time so that no one on this floor goes hungry, or runs out of drinking water, or anything else like lack of toilet paper. I have a responsibility, Christopher, I cannot let an idiot and his son go out on a joyride just to satisfy your need–"

"Did I mention my son is a Delver." Marshall pursed his lips at his friend's words.

Jason shook his head. Things would have been too convenient if that excuse worked everywhere-

"Okay, I can let you borrow one magnet handle."

Jason clicked his mouth shut. He spoke too soon. Inwardly, he felt that the identity of a Delver seemed like a good card to use pretty much everywhere.

"However," Marshall stressed, eyeing the two of them. "I need a good excuse. Most of the docks are being recorded, so there's a possibility that the one manning the cameras is actually paying attention when you set off."

Jason's dad waved the man's worries off. He pushed Jason forwards as if to show him off. "Let me tell you, my friend, my son isn't only a Delver, he's going to be accepted to one of the Origin Planet's four great Delver colleges."

"Oh? No wait- going to be? Not that he has been accepted?"

"Well," his dad rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "We might need to go down a few floors to get to the appointment."

"Go down a few– you are late for it, aren't you?"

The black and white haired man coughed, feigning ignorance. "The elevators were full. You know how it is."

Marshall rubbed his brow, staring up at the World Cage above. "You do know that there is no way to stop accurately while in motion? Line Diving is not something that is ever controlled; its why we… well, you do know what I mean, Christopher."

"Yeah…" Jason paused as he looked over his dad's smile. The man always seemed so easygoing, but now, there was something fragile about that smile. Almost as quickly as it came, it disappeared as if it were just an illusion. "Anyways, I have a great idea. Delvers have great reaction speed, see–"

Jason blankly caught a small scrap of metal, no bigger than a bolt, that had been suddenly thrown his way. He gave his dad an unimpressed glare as the man gestured to him with a smile as if the teen's actions were proof itself.

"...it is dangerous." Marshall said, looking around for anyone who could listen in. Finally, his shoulders sagged and he sighed. "I suppose this is a big deal. Fine, give me a second."

"Thanks, Marsh, I knew you wouldn't let us down!"

Marshall shook his head. "Don't start with me. I just know how much Delver stuff is nowadays. I get a bunch of them around here, so a lot of them complain about going to a company college instead of having the talent or money to go to one of the four big ones."

"In any case, thanks."

Marshall huffed, but Jason could hear the slight mumble of, "anytime, my friend."

"Well, what did I say, told you it would be easy." Jason's dad smiled, patting himself on the back. He moved over to put Jason in the way of the wind.

"Can we get one of those suits for you?" Jason asked, concern dripping from his tone.

The man waved his hands dismissively. "Nah, that would be too much trouble. We would go from having a joyride to actually stealing something."

"Uhh," Jason pointed over to the large device that Marshall had slung over his shoulder. The device looked like someone had precariously mixed a toaster and a clothing iron, and seemed to be heavier than both combined based on how Marshall's steps sounded. "Aren't we stealing that?"

"He'll be fine." Marshall chimed in as he carried the magnet handle past them. Jason and his dad followed him, and the teen felt a pit in his stomach lurch as they got closer to the edge of the platform. "It's easier to leave the handle when you arrive than it is to take off our suits. Just make sure you don't hit any crates coming up."

"What do you mean–"

Jason was answered almost the second he arrived at the edge. Wind whipped his face fast enough to draw tears from his eyes, and he reflexively crouched, shielding his head and vitals. The roar of engines and screeching gears blasted against his ears as he looked up at the black silhouette that just passed him.

It was a massive crate. The crate moved rapidly upwards, shooting up along a steel-threaded wire as thick as his head. His eyes caught the crate as it slowed down and was brought onto an airlock dock higher up.

Jason quickly recognized what he had seen earlier. The black lines that had obscured his sight of the horizon were simply massive cables that attached to each of the airlock docks. From the back of the platform, he had simply assumed they were a way to prevent workers from falling off, but now that he drew closer, he could see what they actually were.

Some cables vibrated and shook, signaling that something was coming up fast. That was all the warning before a crate larger than his housing complex shot up faster than anything he had ever seen. It was beyond anything the young Delver had seen yet, and he grew a little pensive as he leaned over the edge of the platform to get a better look. As far as the eye could see Jason found crates along the cables in an unending stream of metal.

"This is… crazy." Jason's heart started to beat wildly, pumping adrenaline into his veins as a grin began to wheel its way onto his face.

"Don't tell me you are getting cold feet, son."

Jason hurriedly shook his head. This was exactly what his mom wanted them not to do. However, that fact only made it more exciting for the teen.

Still, he couldn't help but look over at his dad. The muscular hunter had been chatting with Marshall while Jason took in the sheer insanity of what they were about to do. Jason could see the trembles going up and down his dad's arms and legs; not out of fear –for he had never seen his dad afraid of anything, but the man was clearly cold. As a Delver, Jason was fine with the chill. He was fine with risking his life since it was his decision in the first place. His dad on the other hand…

"Are you okay?" Jason asked carefully.

His dad gave him a wide-eyed look as if he had just heard the World Cages had failed. Then, he smiled. "Don't worry about me. It shouldn't take more than a minute to drop down to uh… what floor is the appointment on?"

"Its forty floors down… how long will that be?"

"You'll have to go counterclockwise, then. And fast, too." Marshall said, looking at Jason's dad. The older Argo sighed, nodding his head. "Think your son can do all the maneuvering, Christopher?"

"Wait, what?" Jason cut in. He had been fine with the two of them discussing something he didn't know, but now he had been pulled to the front. "Why am I doing… whatever that means? I've never done this before."

The two men looked at him in sync before they nodded. His dad reached out to pat his shoulder. "Well, if you mess up, it won't hurt at all. We will just instantly die."

Jason blinked. "What?"

"Relax. I was just kidding. First time I went Line Diving, none of us were Delvers and we still made it out fine. I've seen you out in the field, son, your reaction speed is leagues ahead of any of us. Here," he reached out and took the magnet handle from Marshall, presenting it to Jason. He pointed to a trigger on the handle of the device. "You press this to activate the magnet. Release it to deactivate it. Simple, right?"

Marshall snorted to the side. "Yeah, simple alright." The man then turned to look over Jason again. "You'll be in the air for roughly a minute or so. Once you jump, immediately try to cycle to the leftmost cable. Your dad should be able to direct you. More importantly, if the cable starts to vibrate, immediately switch. No hesitating or the both of you could get seriously injured."

Jason looked over the edge again just as another crate shot up and over their current platform. He looked to the left, trying to count the number of docks to see where he needed to end up.

"Don't worry, I'll focus on where we need to go." Jason turned to his dad as the older Argo handed him the magnet handle. "You focus on keeping us on track."

"Fine, but we can miss the appointment if things don't work out." Jason said, stressing his point. "I can miss the appointment in any case. Its not like I really care to get into a Delver college too much anyways."

"No matter what. I believe in you, son."

The young Delver clicked his mouth shut, taking the magnet handle from his dad. Before he could ask where his dad's own handle was, Jason felt a sudden weight jump onto his back. It wasn't too hard to handle, but he felt the need to send his dad a glare.

"You got this!" The older man grinned widely.

Marshall sighed in exasperation. The dock worker waved at the duo before he walked away to get back to whatever he had been doing before. "Just jump when you are ready. I have to get back to work."

Jason nodded to himself, feeling the weight of his dad on his back. Another crate shot up a nearby cable, and he stood unblinking against the harsh wind that came in its wake, threatening to yank him over the edge.

His heart slammed within his chest. The teen could feel the mana in his body stir in anticipation for whatever crazy stunt he wanted to pull. Just like when he fought the Lyonire, mana filled his limbs, wrapping them in a strength that negated his nerves. The weight of his dad on his back barely registered to him, and it was only the presence of the older man that actively stopped the young Delver from taking the leap.

"I might not even be able to make the cut, you know." Jason said, feeling the channels near his heart twitch with every breath. His body was already primed to move, and all he needed was one step.

"Son, if you want to stop, then I can't stop you. You make whatever decision you feel is right. However, if your only apprehension is that you won't make it, then I think you should jump. You are my son. You can make it."

Jason felt his lips pull into a wild grin. The next moment, he jumped off the ledge.

Cold wind hit Jason's face like a sledgehammer of ice. He tumbled in the air for what felt like a few seconds, flipping head over heels several times before he evened out. His arms and legs stretched out wide, and he could barely hear his dad's counts of what floor they had passed already over the roar of the wind.

"Magnet! Magnet!"

Jason blinked the tears out of his eyes as he looked around in a flurry. His hand that held the magnet handle waved around in a slight panic as he reached for the nearest cable.

He pulled the trigger on the handle, aiming the flat end at the cable. The Delver immediately felt his momentum halt. His shoulder was almost yanked from his shoulder as his feet swung around the large cable. Jason pushed his shoes against the cable, attempting to slow down even more as his dad's arms wrapped tight against his chest.

"Don't slow down! I am fine!"

Jason nodded, hearing his dad over the roaring winds. He stopped putting strength into his feet and let gravity pull them down. Quickly, they began to pick up speed again as the wind whipped against them, causing the duo to wildly sway against the cable. The teen kept his finger held against the trigger of the magnet handle, knowing the second he let go would cause the two to fly off track.

A tremble ran along the cable not a second later, and Jason immediately released his hold on the trigger. In the moment, he pushed against the cable, leaping in the direction of the next one. The roar of wind drowned out everything else as a crate several times the size of his apartment barreled up the cable they were just one.

Wind and noise blew off Jason's path, causing them to flip end over end again. This time, the teen already had the experience from his first freefall, and he had deftly oriented himself where they needed to go.

The two fell for a second before Jason activated the magnet handle, moving his mana to his arms and shoulders compensate for the sudden jolt. He grinned wildly as he allowed his momentum to swing both of them around the cable. When he got to the other side, Jason looked over at the next cable, planted his feet and jumped again.

He couldn't help but laugh at how easily he got a hang of it, reveling in the wind that whipped against his face.

After they made a couple more jumps, easily dodging any crates they got in the path of, Jason heard his dad's voice over the windshear. A finger came out of his peripheral and pointed at an airlock dock a little ways away. "There! Two floors down!"

Jason sucked in a breath, filling up his mana reserves as the four channels near his heart twitched. They needed to cross five whole cables to make it. His jaw clenched hard, gritting his teeth against each other. They fell too fast to make it, and Jason knew that they couldn't waste any more time to get an elevator up to the correct floor.

"We can make it!" Jason heard his dad, but knew it as empty encouragement. They both knew it.

Jason felt the cable they were on vibrate again, and he hurriedly leaped to their next one. The disorientation of the crate's passing flipped him twice before he successfully landed on the next one, digging his feet into the cable to slow down. He stopped a couple seconds after the smell of burning rubber became too much for his nose, and he knew that he'd lose his shoes and maybe feet long before he could slow down enough.

Wind buffeted his face, stinging his skin with the chill. The nearby cable rocked back and forth wildly like an angry serpent as the crate shot up above. Jason's features lit up as he stared at the crate.

"Hold on tight, dad."

"Wha– aaat!?"

The teen felt his dad's arms pull around his neck and chest as they plummeted right next to the nearby cable. Wind screamed against his ears and whipped violently against his clothes. His dad's screams and warnings were at the back of his mind. The sting of the wind didn't matter. All of his focus was gathered on the rapidly approaching speck that was attached to the cable they were next to.

Both his hands gripped the magnet handle hard as mana flooded his body. His breaths came out in quick gasps, trying to fuel him as much as possible. Nearby, the cable began to shake violently.

Jason didn't even have a second to react.

He moved based on instinct. All the crates moved at the same speed; it was a ridiculous, blinding pace that made them seem almost like silhouettes. You either got out of the way or were pulped by sheer inertia. Despite that, they moved all the same. In a straight line.

Jason leaned out of the path of the crate, and immediately swung the magnet handle in the area the crate would be. If he timed it wrong, he knew that the strong magnet would pull them to the cable, right into the path of the crate.

He didn't miss.

The young Delver pulled the trigger, and not even a second later, a metal blur passed them. Jason felt his arms were almost pulled out of his sockets as the magnet attached him to the side of the crate. He groaned in pain as his feet slammed into the side of the crate so hard the metal caved in around his shoes.

Then, he let go. They were only attached to the crate for a second or so, but it was enough. The sudden acceleration shot them directly at the airlock dock they were aiming for, and Jason hurriedly adjusted their path so they would stick the landing.

The father and son duo tumbled over the side of the dock's ledge, bleeding off the momentum in a series of wild somersaults. After he finally came to a stop, Jason stood up on shaky legs, trying to stop his vision from swimming. He felt light as if he should have still been falling.

In a slight panic, the teen looked around and found his dad propped up against a crate that had been on the dock. His feet were in the air while his head was on the ground with his back against the crate. A wide grin was smeared across the man's face as he began to laugh loudly.

Jason couldn't help but join in. He moved to help his dad up, looking over the man for any injuries. Inwardly, the teen breathed a sigh of relief as he found nothing other than trembling legs.

"Hey! Who the hell are you two!?"

The two of them turned to see an angry dock worker with an orange armband stomp towards them. Jason offered his dad a look, hoping for the man to clear them like he had done before.

"What are you looking at me for? I have no idea who that is."

"Then, how are we going to get out of here?"

His dad grinned, and suddenly, Jason realized just how alike they were. "We run, obviously!"