Veeyel had been watching from the shadows for about twenty minutes now, as three armoured vehicles were lined up in front of the Astynom station. Armed soldiers made a line between the entrance and the vehicles, one hand on their gunstaff, the other on their electric stun-tasers. They were shepherding three beings into the vehicles, one per truck.
Finally though, they were beginning to move. The armoured vehicles all revved their engines and slowly began to drive away, accompanied by three standard Astynom vehicles.
Veeyel waited until the coast was clear before making his way towards the station. He hadn’t noticed until now, but his skin was a lot darker than he remembered. He must have looked almost black when not under the yellow street lights.
But as he got closer, he realised the office was actually rather empty. A lone Astynom officer sat at the desk in the front. Veeyel gently pushed the door open, not wanting to scare the officer, but they jumped in surprise anyway.
“Uh, sorry…” Veeyel muttered.
“Are you lost?” the officer asked, looking vaguely annoyed that he’d been caught unaware.
“I am! I am lost!” Veeyel exclaimed, again shocking the officer. “Sorry… I’m… I’m rather dazed and confused.”
“Are you drunk? Have you taken anything I should know about?”
Veeyel could tell that the officer was reaching for their weapon, just in case. They may have been completely alone here. Or maybe they’d had trouble earlier and that was why they were on edge.
“No! Please, don’t. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I’m just lost. Have no idea how I got here. And apparently there are rogue Ksa running around and I didn’t want to cause any confusion…”
“We just sent the last three Ksa off. They are all accounted for. Are you a Ksa as well?”
Veeyel nodded. “I lost my wristbands though. They’re locked so that’s not a problem, but I’m just… I’m confused. Last thing I remember was being in a hospital outside Portalia City and here I am, in Hertany.”
The officer seemed calmer now. “I see. What do you need?”
A flutter of confusion filled Veeyel’s mind. He’d suddenly forgotten. No. Not forgotten. A hundred different thoughts entered his head. Veeyel struggled for a moment, trying to figure out what question would be best to ask.
“I’m lost.”
Words just weren’t working for Veeyel.
“Yes, you said that already. Are you sure you are not drunk?”
Again, the officer reached under his desk. But he didn’t reach for a weapon, he reached for a drug-testing kit.
“I’m not drunk.”
“We shall test that theory.” The officer stood up and hesitantly walked over to Veeyel. As he did so, he unwrapped a plastic object and attached it to the kit.
“You want me to blow into that?”
“Yes please. One breath, as hard as you can.”
Veeyel did as he was told. The device beeped, then beeped again. The officer glanced at the device in disbelief.
“What does it say?”
“That you are sober…” The officer sighed, then tutted. “Well, we cannot have a confused Ksa running around. Not with the recent incidents. Tell me, what is your name?”
“Veeyel…”
The officer headed back to his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. After a moment, he quietly put the paper way. “You are not on the list. But others might think you are. Do you have money?”
Veeyel shook his head. “This wristband I’m wearing, it doesn’t have financial stuff on it. I’ve been walking all night, someone directed me here. I just… I have friends in Portalia City. I… just need to get there…”
The officer tutted. “There are storms heading here over the next few days. Transportation will be spotty. I would recommend staying within the town if you can.”
“Where can I stay?”
“I am not sure where is available. If you wish, you could stay in our jail cells here.”
“Uh… I’ll… I’ll pass…”
The door blasted open behind Veeyel, a cold wind slamming it against the wall. Both Rethans jumped.
“Are you sure?” the officer asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure…” Veeyel sighed as he disappeared into the night.