Welcome to Gaia! ::

Cypher was by no means a scientist.

When the Vanguard went out to gather samples of plants, dirt, or even food, he usually played the role of lookout, scout, or guard. He had little interest in growing anything, cooking, or collecting things. Instead, he was a fighter who preferred building and coding in his off time.

Living things had emotions that he had trouble connecting with. He’d much rather deal with numbers and formulas that had answers; even if they were hard to find at times.

Still, for as much as he disliked Earth, there were some things that still surprised him. The celebration, for one, was something he didn’t expect to see. At first, he had elected to stay inside, but as his classmates at the school he attended began speaking of the different events that went on, Cypher got curious.

With how late it was, he had chosen not to use his glamour; what point was there when it was too dark to see the color of his skin. An inhuman color. Then again, his height alone made him stand out in a crowd. This evening there wasn’t one, fortunately.

Cypher had come from watching the lanterns when he approached the reservoir and its squeaky sand.

On a whim he had pulled out his ComTech to analyze the area and realized that he was not alone; that over in the caves nearby there was a senshi wandering around. He noticed no light from within the tunnels and decided to venture in after them to make sure they weren’t lost.

“Ex-” he began to speak when he got close enough but was cut off by her shrill scream, a swarm of leathery-winged creatures assaulting him as they flew by in terror desperate to escape. What should have been the end of the attack was soon followed by a book that hit him square in the chest. “Uh…”

Cypher felt a bit disoriented and a little bit more confused, by what… he wasn’t sure but the last text he read was for computer programing for C++, and like earlier, he felt his head begin to ache.

“I’m not an enemy.” At least he hoped she didn’t view him as such. “Do you need help finding your way out of here?”

“I’m fine,” he reassured Lacille. A bit confused as well but he wasn’t sure if that was because of her magic or the situation.

No reason to alarm her further.

“My name is Cypher, I’m-” he paused in hesitation. The cave was dim-lit, so to her, he might just appear as a tall man since he did not have a signature like the White Moon or their Negaverse counterparts. Without directly asking, he didn’t know how she felt about the Vanguard, assuming this senshi was at the battlefield with the generators.

This Lacille may hate him and his comrades for what happened late last year and might panic if he revealed he was a Cadet before he could guide her back to the cave entrance. “I’m here to help you get out of here.”

It wasn’t a lie since his ComTech could help navigate their way out of here easily and he didn’t see a reason for her to remain lost in here until sunrise when he had the means of helping her escape.

The air in here was humid and had a smell he couldn’t quite place.

“No, you’re ok.” He replied when she mentioned that he was likely bored to tears. If anything Cypher preferred to be the one listening instead of finding a topic to fill the awkward silence. “Were you able to find the answers you were looking for?” He asked as he guided her down a path that curved to the left and connected to another tunnel on their right.

Wonderful.

Not exactly a word he would use to describe this city, or planet for that matter. Different, perhaps… but nothing more than that. “The exit is ahead on the right.” The tunnel would curve there and after about twenty feet, she would be back at the entrance.

“If you decide to come back again, might I suggest that you do so when it is light out? It would be safer that way.” As would bringing a string or piece of paper to draw a map. but with limited light, drawing might not be so easy so maybe coming with someone else might be a better alternative.

“You’ll have to excuse me. There is something I must retrieve from the cave,” he lied, mostly because he didn’t know how she would react to seeing a Vanguard behind her. Some Senshi were civil with them while others remained skeptical if not hostile towards them. Her magic did not concern him, however, he did not want there to be conflict if she called for help. “I trust you’ll be able to find your way.”

She nodded and smiled "Thank you, yes I will be fine." With that she left.

(Fin)