{"sf1_id":877055,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Victernus - Chapter 4","author":"Nazca","words":1148,"posted_at":"2015-06-23T11:24:00.000Z","tags":["Cybernetics","Mind uploading","Science","War","Wolf","corruption","dystopia","implants"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/877055-victernus-chapter-4","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/877055","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=877055\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\n            Namara felt Hector's hands trying to\nshake him awake. Sitting up, he yawned and saw that they had stopped. It was\nmidday, and they were sitting in the truck outside of a train station. One of\nthe pressure trains was docked, waiting to shoot through the long glass tube\nthat went on for countless miles. Beige concrete supports surrounded it in\ncertain sections, holding the massive structure up in the air.\n            Hector held up a ticket, \"I got a\nticket for the train already. I'm assuming you're going to be coming on, but\ninvisible?\"\n            He nodded.\n            \"Alright, come on out my door. I\ndon't want anyone to see you, but make sure you stay right beside me.\"\nNodding again, Namara cloaked himself and followed\nwhen Hector stepped out. He yelped when he jumped down, running to the sidewalk\nbecause the hot asphalt was burning his paws. When he was sure he was fine, he\nwaited for Hector and made sure to stay by him. \nTreading up the steps to the station with his ticket\nand bag in hand, Hector glanced around in a nervous manner. He gave his ticket\nand his keys to the robotic teller in one of the booths beside the train, who\nproceeded to scan the ticket and mark it as used. He looked back at his truck\nwhile adjusting his hat.\nNamara sat beside him. He's probably uncomfortable because he can't see me... \n            The robot handed the ticket back to\nHector and dropped the keys in a hole, sending them to one of the valets.\n            Hector paused to take a breath and\nthen walked towards the silver train. The wind that held it up poured into the\nstation from the tube that it was in. He held his hat and his bag tightly while\ncrossing the threshold and stepping in.\n            Namara was reluctant to follow. The\nwind strained his eyes and pushed him against him a great deal, making it difficult\nfor him to advance. But, he had no choice. Stepping back, he prepared to pounce\nthrough the wall of wind in front of him. A warning signal blared from above,\nand the doors began to close. He took one more breath and then charged through,\navoiding the doors. His wind-blown body landed beside Hector's feet.\n            Standing up on all fours again, he\nscanned the room for a place to sit. There were many tables, cushioned seats,\nand television screens positioned neatly throughout the cabin. It was\nsurprisingly empty. A richly-dressed black woman who seemed to be in her\nforties fumbled with an electronic tablet device at one end while a couple of\nwhite men in suits sitting on the other side discussed a business venture that\nthey were going into together. Wait... I\ncan hear them! Ah... He smiled at the notion of having superior hearing.\n            Hector sat on the woman's side of\nthe cabin, but closer to the center than to her. He rested his bag down on the\nfloor beside him and sat back, relaxing. He whispered, \"You know, it's been a\nwhile since I've ever been on one of these. They're quite nice.\"\n            Namara jumped onto one of the seats.\nFeeling that the cabin was safe, he uncloaked himself. He nodded, but because\nhe wasn't able to speak, he ended up staring down at the floor beneath the\ntable that separated the two.\n            Hector sighed and pulled out his\ncell phone to check on some things. He dialed a number and held the phone to\nhis ear. But, he was met with an answering machine a few seconds later. He\nsighed again and put the phone down. Looking across, he saw that Namara was\nstill deep in thought. Resting his face in his hands, he decided to gaze out of\nthe window to watch the many trees and fields they were passing. He hadn't even\nfelt the train take off.\n            Unable to keep focused and still\nfeeling groggy from the nap, Namara lied across the two chairs and decided to\nrest a while. Hector's legs were visible under the table, and he could see the\ntwo businessmen arguing over something. Another thought entered his mind at the\nsight. I wonder how long this will last...\nthis philosophy of materialism... capitalism. I thought it would have died many\nyears ago, but something seems to keep pushing it. Someone or something is\nmaking it tick. Perhaps that is what I will chase after... If there's anything I\nhate more than people like Lynn, it's that thing that they hold so dear to\nthemselves that makes them be that way.\n            After a few minutes, when Namara had\nbegun to fall asleep, he heard a voice sound over him. His ears raised and he\nlooked up to see the black woman standing beside their seats. She seemed so\nexcited; Namara could hear her heartbeat rise as she spoke.\n            \"Your dog is beautiful! What kind of\nbreed is it?\"\n            He heard Hector respond tiredly,\n\"Uh... I'm not quite sure exactly. I think he's a mix between a German shepherd\nand something else, but I've never gone to get his DNA analyzed. I've never\nfelt it necessary.\"\n            Namara felt a sudden exhilaration\ncourse through him as the woman bent down and rubbed him, petting his back and\nscratching behind his ears. He couldn't help but smile.\n            \"Well, he seems pretty strong to me!\nHe's big too! What's his name?\"\n            Hector struggled again. \"Well... The\nkids back at home call him 'Bowie,' so we just go with that.\"\n            Namara stared into her eyes while\nshe continued to pet him. You don't\nseriously believe that, do you?\n            She softened her gaze on him,\n\"Bowie... That's a nice name.\"\n            Oh,\nwhat the hell... He closed his eyes to enjoy the last of her pleasant touch.\n            The lady ruffled the fur on his head\nand stood up. \"Well, I have to go now. I get off at the next stop, and it's\ncoming up soon. See ya!\"\n            Hector smiled and waved, letting her\nleave for the door.\n            Namara lifted himself up a bit and\nthen peeked over the top of the table, narrowing his eyes at Hector. Bowie?\n            Raising his hands in defense, Hector\ncountered, \"What?\"\n            He shook his head, rolled his eyes\nand then lowered himself again. But, his friend's voice still boomed over him.\n            \"Why don't you sit on my side, next\nto the window, Bowie? Some new people are probably going to be coming on, and\nwe don't know them yet.\"\n            Namara's back was still tingling\nfrom his encounter. He sighed at first but ultimately decided to follow his\nfriend's advice. Jumping down from the seat, he switched to the other side and\nhid himself with his wristband again.\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/877054-victernus-chapter-3.json"}