𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩 𝟒- 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝; 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏:

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{ 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞; 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐯𝐚 ; 𝟏𝟐:𝟏𝟐 𝐏𝐌; 𝐏𝐨𝐯 𝐊𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐚 }

Shuffling the Rubix cube around while fixing it in a few seconds before scrambling the thing randomly once more to start the process yet again I go… 

For the two hundred and ninth time…..

Only feeling the weak breeze that would pass through Papo's stature as he rode through a somewhat stable road, hopefully, it would stay that way….

Those involuntary noises I would let out started to annoy me more than Papo, he would only laugh loudly at my pitiful situation.

*𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠* - Fixing the last part of the cube I click my tongue, taking my attention to our surroundings.

We're passin' through a small forest that the main road goes through, most of the flora has been destroyed by fires or…. Helicopters crashing into it?...

Looking at a clearing to put it precisely, a helicopter that seems to have been crashed for a while was already laying there…. 

My head…. As soon as I bat my eyes into it, the multiple possibilities just explode...  

' So many parts…. If I use thits e ballistic armor maybe I could upgrad- Wait, no…'

*Puff!* - Shoving my face into Papo's back, I let out a silent groan, tired from my own Quirk acting up on its own…. I will dream of all these possibilities now…. 

Better just not sleep then….Hm,*nod*...

Finally, we go over it and I can't see the damn thing anymore luckily… And no… I'm not looking back….. Screw that....

 

" Kukla, I'm gonna pull over a station over a station ahead of us' to see if the gas I found on my first two voyages's still there." - Hmm?

Strange… Usually, Papo gets all types of fuel back home. Got to play with pure oil one time. It was…. 

Inflammable….

My hair used to be longer…. Leave it at that…. 

" Shure, but why not take it back home? Left it around to use when we came? Wouldn't risk other scavengers findin' it?" - Asking my question seems to make him jolt.

"𝑯𝑴𝑴𝑴…Thinkin'bout now…. Yeah, you hit the nail…. But, I hid it. So it should be fine!"- Nodding confidentially, he changes gears and accelerates further….

 The way he tried to reassure himself that everything was fine after realizing his mistake makes me laugh a bit….. Funnily enough, Papo said I never made a sound while laughing. Just a silent wheeze.

Still don't know why though. 

" Hmmm, *nods*. Okey then." - Trying to peek my head by his shoulder, I get a glimpse of the worn-out white and red gas station. On the side of the road entering towards a large sign falling apart and missing a lot of words, only having now 'L_k_il'.

Never heard of it, probably one of the old large owners of its market around here, or maybe just a cheap bad one, who knows.

Entering its property were the usual pumps, pretty worn out. The building one would buy everyday things or vehicle ones…. This one was destroyed, crumbled down to only concrete debris….

Lastly, somehow still standing was the one who has taken my highest interest. The Mechanic station, just have to ignore the holes in some of the walls like a grenade was thrown at it.

Taking back my proper seat while pushing my cube inside one of the many pockets the bag in my lap had.

' Gonna use this opportunity to search around for it a bit. Maybe they have some tools I don't have in the Mechanic's building. Could be profitable, Hmm,*nods*.'  - Finishing hiding the cube, I feel Papo start to swerve around the street dodging what remained of some destroyed cars.

Hearing him change gear rapidly and make a sharp turn. - " Woaah…" - Forcing me to take hold of his back… Luckily Papo is pretty tough… I think my prothesis grasped a bit too forceful on his ribcage …

" 𝙊𝙤𝙤𝙛-...." Tilting my head, I could promise I heard him whine, but he would never do that….

 

Unaware of Papo's state, I just keep looking around the place.

 

My head still is somewhat fine…. That helicopter tho-... - '𝑺𝒉𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕.'

 

Driving through the middle of two cars that were in the way of our entrance into the Gas Station, we approached the pumps slowly.

 

Papo stopped by the side of one, pushing down the rest pedal and turning off the motorcycle. Excitedly breathing in and letting out a long yawn, one arm massaging the side of his ribs….. - " Ther'!" - He gets up from the bike and walks to his own bag wrapped behind me, opening it, trying to find something.

 

"Kaela, don' go too far away, okei?" - Pulling out a monkey wrench I gifted to him a while ago, had a few to spare. He points one end at me.

 

Nodding while humming, I throw my own bag onto my back. Watching him walk towards the destroyed convenience store… Massaging his side?... Wonder what happened… 

Probably old age… Wait… *realizes*

𝑯𝒂𝒊𝒚𝒂….

" Was it… Mah fault?... Na, can't be. Papo's tough after all." - Jumping off the bike then starting to make my way through the concrete grounds that were full of holes.

Be them from someone's destructive nature, bullets, explosions, or only time itself.

Dodging them and making my way into one of the wall holes in the Mechanic's Building. 

Peeking my head through the gap, hands holding on the wall as support as I scanned around the place… Even with the sun still high, the room was pretty dark…

*Tap*

Tapping my goggles down, now we workin'.

There isn't much for me to use, bottles of oil were around the ground, while the place cars usually stayed to be fixed was just destroyed almost completely.

Now, there was a part that caught my attention. The wall that I was using was supporting myself on, in the inside part of it had a Tool board, missing a lot of those tools it once had… But a few there had pretty significant potential in my eyes….

A black moldy crowbar, and a wrench almost the size of my forearm. Think it's used for large port vehicles.

I was looking around seeing that the only other thing there was the holes towards the back. Sun didn't hit there so it didn't help one bit the situation inside.

Stepping through the hole and the debris scattered around the ground, I quickly took the crowbar off its support using my mechanic arm. Then start thinking if I would ever need a wrench that big.

My lips pouted to one side then the other in thought. - " Na, Would add too much-unwanted weight. Left my crowbar at home since it was' worn out already. Gonna take this one."

Taking hold of it firmly, playfully swinging it around. I immediately see the limitations of my arm's range of motion. It isn't made for combat yet, could throw stuff pretty hard a few times if need though.

 

The power behind it is evident even if the movements when done too fast get janky while holding something as a weapon, like, it still can bonk when it hits… But it feels lacking.

Also, it's my left arm… Dunno what I'm expecting….

Tossing it to my right one, I swing it a few times. Not even half as easily as the mechanic one, but the exo already helps. 

Without these, I probably would need both hands to swing half as powerful. 

Swinging a hammer without stopping is something, when you do it enough you get used to it. Not wasting movements nor energy to hit an immovable object.

Different from when using a range of movements to attack an opponent….

" Ahh! Grr-Ah! Pah!" - Playing around, I jump back and forth, making sounds using my mouth.

" Kaela! Les'go! Got the fuel! Said it was jus' fiiiiine!" - Stopping after doing one last swing… I can feel the warmth on my cheeks….

Coughing a few times. - " Goin' Papo!!!"

Keeping a straight face, I turn around making my way outside, jumping off the hole in the wall … Completly forgetting to take off the goggles…

" AAAAAAAH!!!" - Letting out a loud squeak, I drop to the ground rolling around side to side… All while hearing a loud cackling laugh approaching.

And then Kneeling to my side and holding my shoulder to stop me from rolling away. Papo pushes my goggles up my forehead…. I swear tears are at the side of my eyes right now…. 

The man in front of me just smiles sweetly… Patting my head using small taps …. That bald head almost blinding the sun with how reflective it's…

" Night Vision is not for the day, little Kaela… PFF- AHAHAH!" 

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Staring at him blankly, my eyes may have been blinded for a short moment there…. 

And this old bear is just laughing…

Your daughter almost lost her eyesight, you know?

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' 𝑮𝒆𝒕' 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑, 𝑷𝒂𝒑𝒐….'