HELP FROM A COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED SOURCE.

August 15th, 12,006 (actual time frame: 5:58PM, Saturday; June 21st, 2008)___________________________________________________________________

Sometimes I wished that I had come better prepared for the long experience at hand; say...a digital readout and maybe my dad's experimental T-117 pulse rifle? I wasn't so sure that my own hand blaster, martial arts training, and my knack for direction, was going to get me far in my ongoing journey up here in Stratos City.

In the couple of hours I had spent walking around different levels, my legs were screaming for relief and my feet were about ready to fall off.

What I wanted more was a relaxing bath and a massage by a certified masseuse. Say...all day maybe?

I had the credits to burn--given what Calis handed me before leaving the surface. I certainly wasn't going to come up here empty-handed; that's for sure.

Gods...I can still recall the pain and stiffness in my joints--before I was desperate to get the heck out of this endless rat maze. While it was beautiful, I was still at a loss as to where I was supposed to go next.

One thing was for certain, I didn't have any clue as to what Calis was having me look for--let alone have a fucking clue as to where it was!

Chalk up my next experience to plain exhaustion--if you will. But I was beat tired by the time I ran across the first person to cross my path in a matter of minutes (or was that hours?).

I asked this guy if all of this was real or imagined, and he wrote me off as a 'spacer' or a net 'e-dict'.

I was too damned tired and miserable to punch this space case's clock the hard way--and so I chose to take a seat at a nearby fountain and just rest.

If I had known how much a pain in the ass this would turn out, I would've bought myself a map-engram generator. Or had the old man loan me his for the duration of the trip.

At any rate, I sat on the stone masonry ledge overlooking the cool fountain parked in the square; trying to recoup some of my spent energy and strength.

This certainly had some advantages for the physically challenged--or those wanting to shed some poundage.

But I still hadn't a clue as to where I was going--or if I was any closer to my objective.

Fortunately--for me--a woman was kind of enough to stop in whatever she was doing to help me out.

She was nicely built for her age--30s I think--sporting a crop of dark brown hair topped off by an oversized brimmed at.

But I think her taste in fashion was a bit loud and too much for my personal tastes--to tell you the truth. She looked like she was readily dressed for one of those high-altitude sky-diving contests often held at the metaphorically named, Sun Blazer Valley.

Loose fitting, billowing pair of orange pants made of the highest grade of synthetically spun cotton and polymer-constructed fabrics. A purple and gold shirt with a Go-Play! logo design on the front, with a slightly flared collar around the neck and tapered sleeves.

I noticed that one of her skinny arms held a manacled bracelet made of silver-tibernium; inlaid with a holocronicon piece.

A quick glance told me all I wanted to know: It was closing in on four in the afternoon.

Her pleasant appearance and soft facial features relaxed me a little as she asked me what was the matter.

I don't know what made me open my mouth to her, but in the span of a few minutes, I told her my plight.

A complete stranger no less! My mom would kill me for doing so!

I sighed then, muttering whether or not this place was just a fabrication of my own mind or a bonifide nightmare.

My comment set the woman into a spazzed laughing fit and she told me that this place was as real as it can get.

I snarled out a response about the last bystanding asshole saying the same thing--but the woman in question was exceedingly patient with me.

“That’s true. He did. But there is no real reason to fake what everyone else sees and enjoys. No reason to be deceptive. It is all how you look at it.” She told me with absolute gentleness.

At this point, I just gave up and sunk down inside myself--not caring what happened next.

“So how come the layouts and buildings keep changing?” I remember asking.

“Because you’re not seeing the truth that’s before you, dear. That’s why. You should try and look up once in awhile.” She had ogled her eyes upwards as a hint to myself. Or was it my innate stubbornness?

I did look up and recieved the shock of my life: There were clouds!

Iron-slate gray; like it was going to rain or something heavy. But as I remember that moment--they didn't do anything but dance to and fro in a graceful ballet--as they were being gently drawn across the skies above my head.

And hugging one of the levels I was on earlier. Though--from this distance--I couldn't pick out any particular features.

When I turned to ask my mystery woman a question, I found that she was no longer there. But others had taken her place along the promenade area and lookout balconies.

However, none of them seemed all that interested in further explaning the finer points of the city to me.

Nor did they seem intent on revealing to me how a city of this magnitude could be concealed.

But how could that be?

From my standpoint, everything about that woman's converstion was just as baffling, and I didn't know if I should put any amount of credibility toward what had been revealed thus far.

I crossed the upper confines of the plaza--seeing that no one was going to be of any help to me--and descended down a flight of stairs.

More people came and went and I saw another fountain on my way down. Apparently, aesthetically-pleasing architecture was the norm around here.

On the surface, only one such fountain existed in Shark's Bay. And that puppy hadn't been used since I could remember.

But I let my confusion and anxiety melt away--after I came upon my first line of shops, a couple of what was called 'window shoppers'; and some catchy musical chimes.

The music faded and my attention soon became riveted by the couple's attire--finding their choice of dress to be more pleasing than that nameless woman's. (lol)

However, I found myself drooling over the woman's partner--forcing me to turn away before I could get caught for openly gaping at him in frank appreciation of his nice form and choice of clothes.

(Just because I didn't have a boyfriend--it didn't necessarily make me dead.)

When I had sufficiently composed myself, I turned around and found them leaving and what I thought was barely restrained laughter.

Were they laughing at me because of my appearance or because I was looking at the stud-muffin of a guy like he was the best thing this side of the surface?

I wasn't 100% sure. I thought it was because of the noisy fountain in my immediate proximity--but it didn't matter.

I still had a lot of exploring to do. And I always never left a place until I fully explored everything in sight.

It was nothing more than a defense mechanism from growing up in the Golan Desert.

Dangers always lurked--no matter what the change in circumstance.

Or in this case?

A change in scenery.

So I carried on with my intended...what was the term Calis once called it...?

Field trip.

Honestly, I couldn't recall how many times the old man had lost me with the way he talked at times. It made me think that he didn't belong here in the present, but entirely in the past.

Like in the last 10,000 years or so.

I still wished I carried a map though. It would make my journey of getting around this city a hell of a lot easier!

Sigh...

Isis