Dreams of Stars Part 25

      The city was burning. Buildings and rubble were on fire, or scorched black by the initial fireball. There was also an intense level of radiation that burned the city, filling every nook and cranny of the devastated city. All this under a black sky that occasionally filled with a black, radioactive rain.

      Most of the taller building had been leveled by the initial shockwave. Their steel beams twisted and bent by the heat and pressure, finally tipping them over and smashing them into the streets and into other buildings. Strangely, the structure that seemed most likely to fall remained upright: A great silver arch.

      Its stainless steel skin was blackened and warped, yes, and the frame weaken and twisted, but it remained standing, almost defiant in the face of the destruction surrounding it. Amazing given how close it had been to the center of the explosion.

      Lcorn L’lorne stood at its base with a bit of a frown on her face. “Damn thing,” she muttered. Her hand touched the irradiated metal but felt nothing from it. Passing her hand along the metal, she continued to frown until she found just the right spot. She made a light X in the black metal with one finger, then used the same finger to tap that point hard.

      The great arch shuttered. Inside, a chain reaction of failure began. Beams began to give way, the braces snapped and the internal structure began to collapse. Moments later, the arch tipped over and crashed into the great muddy river, now blacked with ash, radiation and the dead.

      “Still can't see it from here,” L’lorne said, referring to the mounds that had been the center of her home so long ago now. She smiled, because she hadn't figured on being able to see them anyway, she just wanted to knock the defiant arch down.

      She walked back to the city, down the ruined and almost invisible streets. There wasn't much left, a few bodies every once in a while, but little else. So it was a surprise when a hand reached up from the rubble. Helpfully, L’lorne pulled on the arm and the man who owned it spilled out. His shirt was burned and almost gone, his face likewise burnt, the remains of a beard scorched on his chin.

      He looked around a moment. “My god,” he said with a raspy voice. “Who would do such a thing? Why would they do such a thing?”

      “I did it,” L’lorne said in a flat, dead pan voice.

      “Excuse me?” the man said, almost in disbelief.

      “I did it,” L’lorne repeated. “Because you killed my people you son of a bitch.” Before the man could make any reply, her hand snapped up, grabbed the top of his head, and twisted it, snapping his neck instantly. His body fell with a thump to the ground.

      “That wasn't very nice,” Ritch 'arrd said walking in from a side street. L’lorne shrugged a reply and the two walked away from the body and to the south. “So was that all this was about? Revenge?”

      “He wanted an answer,” L’lorne said of the man she had just killed. “So I gave him one.” She stopped and thought for a moment. “No. Maybe it was initially, but not anymore.”

      “Then what was the point?”

      L’lorne smiled as they continued walking. “It was fun.” They stepped through the remains of a stadium, its walls blasted by the explosion. “It almost didn't happen.”

      “Yes, I saw that,” Ritch 'arrd agreed. “So many close calls. A little one way or the other and nothing would have happened.”

      “I think the final count is about six billion.”

      “About that,” Ritch 'arrd said. “We can do an official tally later. Probably after the radiation does its work.”

      L’lorne nodded as they exited the stadium and started up the remains of a highway ramp. “Shame we can't do it again. I've got a few ideas to make it a little faster.” She chuckled slightly. “Actually, I'd like to try doing it with one side actually winning. Imagine the chaos of trying to rebuild the destroyed half of a civilization. It would be fun to watch them stumble all over each other.”

      It was Ritch 'arrd's turn to chuckle. “Who says we can't do it again?” L’lorne looked at him. “Have you forgotten about the the stars already? There are a near infinite number of worlds out there we can play with.”

      “They won't be the same,” L’lorne said.

      “No, but that makes it that much more interesting. In fact, I've got a couple that you might find truly fascinating.”

      L’lorne's smile grew even larger. “Think we could beat this kill count?”

      “Easily,” Ritch 'arrd said.

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Questions

1. What kind of person is Lcorn L'lorne? What does she look like (in your mind)?
2. What kind of person is the Deborah Ignigus? What does she look like (in your mind)?
3. Does the setting seem fitting? Would you like to know more?
4. Surprised?

5. I was wrong before, this is the last clue as to where L'lorne is from.  Any idea where that is?