//------------------------------// // Act I Part III // Story: De_Termination// // by WindigogoGadget //------------------------------// Aiden woke up tiredly with a groan. Today marked the third day of his short time in this... Psychedelic knockoff. At first, he might have been just a little startled, confused, frightened. But of course, nobody has time for that. Especially if you can think about not having time for panicking. He let the thoughts scatter for a moment as he etched in a mark in the bark of an oak tree using one of his clawed hands. That had taken a while to get used to, and he still wasn't used to it either. The last time he had to pull his personality and life up by the roots was when he first started being called the Fox. And part of him was sour on how exactly he managed to wind up in a forest of all places after a heart attack. His main theory was he was probably stuck in a haywire digital trip until the effects wore off, and time was speeding up because of how "trips" would always be as long as you wanted to be, they worked partially by affecting the dream state. And by knocking you unconscious. But that was sketchy, and iffy at best, too many illogical holes in that. The second answer was he died, and this was heaven. But he certainly didn't feel worthy of anything like this, and his transformation into a bipedal version of his moniker wasn't helping at all. Unless this was hell and was about to make itself look and feel a lot more like what it should look like. If he died though, he was going to be annoyed that a heart attack had done him in and not the various bullets that had been thrown at him or shrapnel from IEDs thrown at him and by him. Always the littlest things that do us in, ain't it? Having to think illogical when handling topics and code that worked on logic wasn't doing it for him, so instead he thought of the next best thing, ditching any pre-existing notions of this world and starting from the ground up. There had to be a method to the madness, he just had to find it. He was currently living underneath the roots of an oak tree, out in some plains. Body-type? Built lean, gray pelt, white-tipped tail, green eyes. Fox ears, head, paws, claws. Fortunately, the ability to grab objects and opposable thumbs, and all the scientific knowledge he needs to get back on his feet. Which, were annoyingly not familiar to humans, and almost exactly to that of a real fox. (That had cost him a whole day of learning how to walk again) The only thing that had brightened up his past three days here was that his jacket had come with him too, fitted for his new form. The gray trenchcoat with an orange highlight on the insight was a mild comfort, no matter how many more questions it raised on how it came to be. He was simply grateful he had something to wear and pockets to hold things with. One of many in a long list of things was an apple for today. Not the most exciting breakfast, but probably healthier than what he's had in a while. Beats going hungry, but the lack of a gun, or phone, wallet, tools, having none of that at his disposal was a huge issue he was going to correct as soon as possible. He could speak, and other animals he'd spotted seemed non-sentient, which made him unique and the exception from the rabbits and bears. This raised another question, what kinds can speak back? Were there societies in this world? Likely yes, and as soon as he found a town it was off to stealing all the tools he needed. Yes there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head that it was morally wrong, but the reality to that was that he'd done worse before, and he was flat broke with nothing to trade with aside from food he needed, if he ever found a town, and a job might raise some questions that he couldn't answer. A name for example. Yes, he could keep his birth-name Aiden Pearce in this strange place but it was a chance he could stand out. Old habits die hard, much like him. Planning. Breakfast was done, now usually comes planning. He'd learned how to walk, and that he was an omnivore so apples were fine for now. He had no plans, except maybe that thought about a town. It wouldn't have been the worst idea he's had. Either he found something worthwhile or he'd set up a new campsite right wherever he was when it was dark, or just keep moving. The night vision was a nice bonus that could keep him moving around in the dark for longer. High reward, low risk. Never that easy, but in this situation, it would be. It was morning light now, he'd always woke seemingly a few dozen minutes before daylight, so he always watched the sunrise. It was just a coincidence though, and now that light was coming up, he had to find civilization. If there is one. The worst thing that happens is his camp abruptly moving, and him being discovered as something abnormal Unlikely, but... The Fox calmly took the leaves of a fern and a vine, and calmly worked on producing a hood. It had been three hours since his trek away from his camp, which he wasn't concerned about in all reality. Everything he actually needed was on him, since he had nothing of value to him in his hideout aside from shelter compared to the various others he'd been in over the years. The motel would be really nice about now, that was one of his more pleasant ones, it was a shame it had been blown right to pieces that night. The warming sunlight told him he might have been walking around for a few hours more though, possibly around mid-day. There still wasn't any evidence of a town, but he could search for a river and follow it downstream instead of wandering in one direction until he hit one. Any fledgling settlement would have started near water first, at least in an age where freshwater would be hard to come by. He closed his eyes, letting the shadows drape over his eyes and block out the colorfully bright world around him and focus on the sounds. The hum of tinnitus from previous gunfights hadn't followed him here, just peace and the sound of wind rustling through leaves carrying some moisture as he heard the faint sound of running water. Guess I'm stuck walking. It'd been some time since he'd seen this much green on a consistent, day-to-day basis. Chicago was fairly drab, but there were trees and patches of grass, but not much to admire or time to enjoy it as a result of his job. London was even worse, with metal screens and holograms, concrete buildings everywhere, several stories high, complicated roads, buzzing drones. Just about every place he went it was metal and dim, so actually being out in the sunlight with nothing but the forest was a change of pace, a surprise for sure for the retired Fixer (1) but a welcome one. Certainly beats having to squint in a dark nightclub with nothing but neon lights to light your way, which Aiden Pearce noticed that he was actually squinting a little bit still, sure this body and its fresh new eyes were long used to the light by now but it was still a subconscious force of habit to squint a little. It's what gave him an intimidating glow whenever his bandana was on during jobs. Guess that was one little bit to be thankful for here, not being stuck in an old body. God knows he wouldn't have been walking this far out anywhere in his old age, especially not for almost half a day unless he had absolutely no other way to it and no cars to use. He felt like he was back in the prime of his life, twenty, with about the same wisdom and just a slightly less darker outlook on life as a whole compared to back then. Now that he thought about it, there was a lack of noise now in the forest, aside from the river he'd come to find. The trees had thinned out significantly near it, and it was clear, clean and just faintly blue as it reflected in the mid-day sun. Good thing he'd fashioned a bottle out of wood to store it in. The lid was kept in place by slamming it on and tying it to the bottle with vines. He took a drink from the streams edge and thought about what to do next. Yes, civilization took priority, but then again he'd need to find a place to set up camp if he didn't find anything at all and it turned out to be a waste of time and nothing more. Nothing more than a complete, utter waste of his valuable time, an absolute, disappointing failure. Sighing, he didn't notice the faint arcs of electricity that sparked from his finger tips that withered away along with his anger and frustration. Stay focused. Refilling the bottle and sealing it, he got up and started walking, following the river downstream. Keeping his head for the most part clear. Maybe he'd find a town before nightfall if he hurried up, but he'd be exhausted afterwards. Running through the forest and fields, tearing up grass underfoot and breathing hard, The Fox was a reminder that older did not mean wiser. Dark. Darker, yet darker. The shadows cutting deeper. Night-time had arrived, and the fox came just a few minutes before the twilight faded and blanketed Ponyville in darkness, the moon covered up with clouds as a result of the weather management pegasi. Aiden Pearce, exhausted, rested in a tree top at the towns outskirts observing the town as the ponies seemed to start heading home for the night and what few that had forgotten about the time were already finishing up their idle talks and cheerful discussions for the day, waiting for activity to die down as he fought the need to sleep, blinking, before he entered the town through a bridge crossing, hardly anyone walked the streets, which were almost entirely empty. He stayed out of the way for the most part, skulking and observing in the shadows. Everything seemed familiar, but it felt like he was pulled into something from the old ages with the white, claystone walls and thatch roofing, no humans to speak of, just the technicolor horses that roamed around that he could understand. Nothing here made sense, and he was growing more confused by the second. Electricity, but no houses that resembled anything modern, with some buildings clashing heavily in style, the purple coloured tower of patterned cloth and simple yet ornate decorations was one that stood out. But what drew his interest was the stocky tree in the middle of nowhere in the town, he was almost about the pass it off it weren't for the fact it had windows, and more interestingly a sign of an open book on it. Library. I can find some answers here. It was closed, probably. So... Maybe a little bit of a break in. It would seem he'd have a personal job to do soon.