The City of Context

**The City of Context** is the sixth installment of the *Well Versed* series on *Another Bad Side Quest.* Finneas and D0C meet a new ally in a large city who explains a bit more about their predicament while leaving a trail of bodies and explosions in their wake.

## The City of Context

### **Synopsis**

Last we saw of Finneas, he was plummeting very quickly from the sky after just arriving at the floating city of Nimbus and remembered too late that he couldn't fly.

Meanwhile in the metropolis below, D0C, who had at some point found himself in the strange city was sitting in a cafe ordering from a menu, all while disturbing his waiter with his giggles. D0C soon heard a strange thud sounds getting louder till they stopped outside the shop, went outside with the other patrons and soon found a crater with a strange unconscious bird like creature, Finneas. Finneas roused from consciousness quickly and noticed more humans around then he usually would see, all wondering what he was and soon convinced a kid to charitably give him money. Finneas soon noticed D0C in the mix staring at him and D0C laughed while explaining he had never seen someone like him before and helped him up. The two soon heard sirens before officers came to disperse the ground, but immediately caught eyes with the kenku. They asked if he made the crater and Finneas convinced them that he didn't. The officers remained confused and seeing D0C asked him to leave till Finneas told them he was his grandfather. Finneas also convinced them maybe ghosts were responsible for the crater and the officers told them they could leave before they went to try and contact any paranormal specialists.

D0C escorted Finneas back into the cafe and shared his chicken fingers with him. The waiter returned, gave D0C a note and told him a man asked him to give it to him. D0C read the note and found the person wanted him to contact a number in an hour. D0C and Finneas introduced themselves before Finneas explained the ordeal in getting on the train to the flying city, forgot he couldn't fly and quite surprised he wasn't dead. A child quickly approached Finneas wanting one of his feathers and when Finneas replied he would have to stab them and explained what stabbing was. The child excitedly caught her mother's attention and the mother alerted the room that he was trying to kill her daughter. A waiter tried to contact the police and Finneas smacked the phone out of his hand to stop him, but also grazed his arm. The waiter fell to the ground in pain and Finneas just asked if he should kill him. D0C said no and healed his arm with his tech, but the waiter cried more about the drugs being given without consent. The police soon arrived to the cafe and realized it was related to Finneas again. Finneas activated Sword of Shadows to turn invisible shocking everyone, except for D0C who could generally figure where he was. Finneas soon reappeared and the two made a break for it out the cafe, followed by the sound of sirens.

A car soon arrived in front of them and a bearded gentleman told them to get inside. The two got in and the car went off now chased by police vehicles, and both noticed three stars in the sky above. The officers asked them to pull over and when Finneas checked with the gentleman he replied no and had put himself in danger to save them. The chase continued with Finneas throwing dagger after dagger at the chasing vehicles eventually causing a pile up of them and setting them alight. Additionally a forth star appeared among the other three.

The gentleman introduced himself, while he drove, as Albert Arden, a scientist, noted that he might know why they were there and explained he had tried contacting people from very, very far away and unintentionally brought them there. Albert asked them to continue delaying them and D0C helped Finneas with his 21st century pistol. As Finneas was defending from the retaliating officers Albert added that he worked on an invention to talk to people like them, that the government took his tech as he blew up a street block trying to contact people and thought the explosion brought them. He quickly had D0C take the wheel while he rummaged through his items, pulled out a metal ball with lights and said he thought it make a portal if they could get to a high enough point. As Albert took the wheel again Finneas asked to see it and on having it in his hands tried to jumped out the window, but just bumped into it. Albert, aware what he intended, said it wasn't high enough and suggested a sign in the higher part of the area.

They continued to drive as helicopters now joined the army of swat vans and cars chasing them. They headed into a tunnel and when D0C, who recalled some of the ancient police tactics his old friend Cairo told him about, suggested they be wary Albert called out there were snipers just as a bullet fire into the car. D0C took them out with his pistol causing the sniper rifle to drop into the car and handed it to Finneas who excitedly took it. One of the vehicles crashes into the car causing Albert to pass out and Finneas quickly started firing with the rifle. D0C took the wheel and realizing he didn't know where to go tried to revive him, but accidentally used a wrong cyber medical concoction leaving him in pain and twitching. Finneas kept firing taking down more and D0C soon noticed a fifth star joined the previous four. D0C asked Albert for direction and Albert twitched as he pointed out the way which D0C followed.

They passed a blockade at the turned off and noticed military people had joined the standard officers, armed with rocket launchers. They fired a rocket at the car causing the car to lift off in the air and avoid a second, but still left in bad shape. They then started firing with machine guns as the car started to roll over the rubble and causing the glovebox to open letting out a grenade, which Finneas threw towards the attackers causing an explosion which they drove through. They soon saw no one was chasing them as the five stars finally went, unable to follow through the smoke.

Albert finally shook off the twitching and on realization of how many Finneas had killed noted he needed a new place to live. They arrived to the top as the sun was setting and the car falling apart. Albert asked if they could pay for a new car as he didn't have insurance and Finneas gave him the wallet he recieved earlier. Albert then fiddled with the ball and noted his reluctance to deal with either of them, but continued in the name of science. He quickly placed the ball on the ground causing it to beep before a beam of light came out creating a portal. Albert said he hoped it would take them where they came from, based where he called them and asked where they were from and D0C responded space while Finneas said the sky and then added his orphanage. As Albert asked them both to go to the portal the sound of sirens came out again. D0C gave them both some snacks, while Finneas gave Albert one of his daggers and Albert just started to cry. As Finneas headed into the portal the officers opened fire on them. D0C dived into the portal, but heard the sound of a bullet hitting the metal ball causing it to beep more causing a blast of energy that knocked them both unconscious for a while. Finneas started to dream of the sky city and his new fascination with murder, while D0C dreamed of snacks. They eventually woke and found them surrounded by almost blinding lights in a place neither of them knew.