Red Meadow.

[johalt]

John looked down at Jewl, heartbroken to see her reaction. He didn't have much time to dwell, though, as June suddenly rematerialized. "Was that helpful?"

"John nodded to himself as he looked around the room. "What i's this place?"

"This i's... was... your old lab, though i believe it's been sometime since either of us have been here."

"My, lab?"

"Yes, laboratory, I believe i's what you called it. This i's where you used to come for your experiments. This i's where you built me."

John was genuinely shocked at that. "You?"

"Yes, in fact this i's where I was housed for the longest time. If it wasn't for that turbine, we wouldn't even be here." she said, gesturing to it.

John frowned. "How do you mean?"

"All of the systems of this place are powered here, myself included. It's what kept this place together for so long. Without it, this place would likely collapse from age decomposition."

"I see..." John said. "Wait, how it i's you are continuously functional outside of here then?"

"Well, your ambient energy is usually enough for minor applications and to keep me... stable." she stated. "Not to mention the amount of free energy in that place you've spent so long in."

John frowned again, before it sunk in what she meant. "The city. of course..." he thought out loud. "So, how has that thing been running for so many years? It must be running on almost ideal conditions, but..." he trailed off, realizing that saying that it sounded impossible would just look very stupid right now.

"Well, almost ideal, yes, But..." she trailed off a bit herself then. "...Well, you see, running me off of this directly again after so long will likely have over stressed the whole thing... By the time I'm finished here, so too will it be."

John considered what that would mean. "Oh dear..." he thought out loud again before quickly asking: "So you have no idea what's might have happened or what this could all mean?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, my answers are limited, you must ask the right questions."

John thought for a moment, then looked straight into the image's eyes, hard, then slowly said: "Who am I?"

One corner of her mouth twisted up a bit, almost like a smirk. "That, i's the right question." Then she was gone, the lights returning back to normal. Suddenly, there was a tremendous frowning and creaking seeming to come from the walls and Earth themselves.

"I think that's our cue to leave." He stated, before grabbing the pendant and starting to rush for the door and the corridor outside, with Jewl in tow. As they made it back to the house, the floor, ceiling, walls, everything would begin to shake. John would lead Jewl as quickly as possible outside, before the entire building would collapse in on itself, all it's years seeming to come back to it at once. John would start to rub the back of his neck a bit. "Why i's it nothing can ever be simple?"