Looking up into the starlit sky, you run your fingers through your hair, out of lack of anything better to do. Silently you walk down the same hard-pack dirt path that you have followed for days. After being attacked by a group of bandits a few towns back, you've lost your compass and are hopelessly lost. Sighing, you sit upon a small rock, and pull your map of Mobius out of your haversack. Not being able to make head or tail of it in the dark and without a compass, you pick up a pebble from the side of the road, and hurl it into the distance. Watching the direction you flung the pebble, you see far off lights. Immediately you hop to your feet. Straining your eyes to see, you wonder what it might be, because it is far too early for it to be dawn. Guessing it's a city or town, you dash off the path in that direction, filled with a renewed spirit, thinking maybe you can make it before dawn.
After running for miles, you think it's nearly dawn by now. Running through the green brush, you stop on the fringes of the city. You're breathing heavily, exhausted from all of your running. You allow your tongue to loll out and you put your hands on your knees and decide to rest a bit before traveling further into the city. Looking up you examine the city, it seems deserted, even if it is the dead of night, there are no cars, no traces of people, nothing. All around you the buildings are made of metals, no wood or plaster or anything. In the center of this circular shaped city, there's a large structure, combined with the rest of the buildings, it creates an eerie sight. You stand straight up and stretch your back, still wondering why this city looks deserted. Suddenly from behind a building, a figure quickly steps out from the shadows. The figure swiftly reaches out his hand and pulls you into the darkness, then claps it over your mouth. Pulling up his other arm he bars it up against your chest and holds you to the wall.
"Are you insane? Do you have any idea where you are? This is no place to be wandering around!", He snaps, yet there is a tone of urgency in his voice.
Not knowing if you are in any danger or not, you quickly shake your head no. He sighs.
Letting you away from the wall, he quickly whispers to you, "You're in Robotropolis, headquarters of Ivo Robotnik. If you just wander around here like that, you're likely to be caught by bots and Roboticized."
Solemnly you nod, realizing how close you were to being Roboticized.
"Shoot, this messes everything up! I can't very well do this while you're with me, and I can't just send you off, you may be caught...", He says to himself. "I'm Junker Echinda, of Rarifi, Resistance Against Robotnik On Floating Island, take the first letter of each word y'see. I came here to do some thieving, taking robot parts and disposing of them, but I can't work with you here, but I can't just send you off either. I guess you're coming home with me... if you want that is."
Silently you begin to think about what Junker said...
What do you do? Do you:
Trust Junker and go with him.
Don't trust Junker and go back the way you came.
(c) 1999 Michael "Junker" Echinda. All Rights Reserved.