Disclaimer

I don't own the content in this fiction except for everything I invented and added to the story myself.

Reader Information:

Everything that happens in this story is based on the recently released movie. Every manga/series has been ignored as well as any information provided in them.

If you find any grammatically incorrect parts feel free to message me, improvements can always be made. Also, be aware that this series will contain blood/gore as well as actions that might be offensive towards ethnic minorities, gender identities and several other potentially sensitive topics. If you do not agree on this, do yourself a favor and don't read any further. Parental guidance is recommended for those at a certain age.

Author's Note

Wow, so this is my first story here. I will try to update it at least once every month, to provide some reading material for those that are interested in this story. If you enjoy reading this, please review, as that is something that really means a lot to the authors. No matter if it's critics or just general appreciation, every review is an unbelievable motivation to keep going on. ENJOY!

Huge credit to Cait the Bookworm and Abby White for betareading and correcting.

Prologue

720 hours in. 30 days already. And there was still no sign that could lead to people or civilized areas. Just rocks, sand and dead bushes as far as she could see. Alita turned around, looking for her companion. He was walking just a few meters behind her, the wind playing with his short black hair.

His stature was athletic, and his clothes were marked by the rough weather they had encountered. Nonetheless, his azure eyes were still emitting a feeling of confidence and warmth. On his left cheek she could see the faded scar that was beared from his cheek down to his neck. She really wanted to know its origin, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him yet. Somehow she felt safe when being near him, and she didn't want to take the risk of losing that feeling.

"Are you alright?"

He stood right next to her all of a sudden.

"You know the desert made a lot of people mad before."

He seemed worried. Alita smiled and shook her head.

"I'm okay, it's just… I'm not sure if we will ever find something out here. Maybe we're chasing ghosts the entire time."

He gave her a charming smile.

"I'm sure we're going to find something soon. But for now we should hurry up. It seems there's a storm coming."

He pointed west towards a huge cluster of dark clouds that were moving in their direction at an alarming speed.

They started running, away from the hurricane force winds.

"There!"

He pointed towards a gaping hole inside a huge rock. The icy winds tore at her clothes and hair, and all of a sudden there was sand and dirt everywhere. Alita lost almost all her vision within seconds when the squall line swallowed her. She heard him shout something but his voice got lost in the screaming winds.

Stumbling through the storm, she could just hope that she was going in the correct vague direction. He warned her about these sandstorms. They could build in only minutes and they would travel through the rocky fields at insane speeds. Then someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her over with a firm grasp.

All of a sudden the tearing winds were gone as quick as they came and she stumbled into the cave. She wiped the dirt out of her face and looked around. Darkness surrounded her but close to her she could hear somebody heavily breathing.

"Alita? Are you okay?"

His voice was a real relief to her and immediately the situation didn't seem that bad anymore. She nodded before realizing he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, I think I'm alright."

"Thank God. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it there for a moment."

Alita silently agreed with him. If only she had been paying a little more attention she might have been able to avoid this mess. While her eyes started to get used to the darkness, she noticed a lot of things: the stones hanging from the ceiling, the sounds of water dripping in close proximity, as well as the storm howling just a few feet behind her.

She rose up from the ground and walked further into the cave. After just a few steps the temperature seemed to rise. Then the cave opened up and suddenly Alita stood inside a huge cavern with an almost even ground and a basin filled with water on her right. The walls were covered in small crystals emitting a faded light, filling the entire cave with a blue light that seemed to be in motion the entire time.

"Wow!"

She never expected to find something like this, just waiting inside this cave. Behind her, she heard him entering the room with a reverent whistle.

"I guess this world still keeps a lot of secrets we can't possibly understand."

There was a slight echo to his voice.

"We can spend the night in here if you want."

"You are saying that as if there was any chance I didn't want to stay here"

Alita smiled.

"This is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen."

He watched her attentively as she went to explore the cave. The mysterious crystals had even more of a beautiful glimmer from close up. Alita left her gear where it was and went straight for the pool. When diving in, she realized the water wasn't cold at all: instead it was almost hot. She felt the warm water caress her skin and all the stress and dirt that had collected during the last few days started to disappear during the warm bath.

Alita had no idea how long she stayed down in the pool. When she came back up, he would've already cooked a small meal. Canned beans and some small pieces of meat was everything they had left. It didn't bother any of them to stick to simple food, even though Alita missed chocolate. The sweet and soft taste of …

"Alita! Do you hear me? Your dinner is getting cold!"

She walked over and sat down next to him. He reached out to hand her the bowl.

"I was near the exit while you were in there. The storm is still raging out there, and as long as it doesn't settle we'll be trapped in here. Also, we are running out of food, our reserves might last for a few more days, maybe a week. If we don't find anything to eat soon, we are going to be in some serious trouble."

She was surprised that their situation was looking this bad. For a moment, guilt and hopelessness overwhelmed her. It had been her idea to go out here. And even worse, it had also been her to persuade him to join her on this journey.

"You know, if this doesn't end well, I'm sorry I involved you in this. I was stupid to think there could be someone still out here. Back in the city you could have probably had a way better time."

His eyes were filled with empathy when he took her hands.

"There is nothing you have to be sorry for Alita. I was well aware of the risk when I decided to join you. Also, we are still far from death."

His bottomless faith surprised her once again. She caught herself wondering how she never noticed him before. Was it because he was just human? Without any augments or robotic parts? She really couldn't tell, and that worried her even more. Had the Iron City made her blind for good people? Had she become a bad person herself? She would have to take care of these doubts at some point. But for now there were more important problems.

He pressed her hands once more, but then he stood up and took off his jacket. Even in the faded light she could see the scar running down his back. He never talked about where he got it from, just like he didn't talk much about his past. The splash he made as he jumped in resounded through the entire cave.

Alita stayed where she was and started eating her beans. They had gotten cold already, but after the long day every meal seemed like a feast to her. She ate all her beans then decided to take a look outside. She could hear the howling of the storm long before she saw the exit. The exit itself was blocked off by a moving wall of dirt and sand, tossed around by the roaring squalls. Alita wondered if there could really be something out there.

A few days ago, when they both were sitting around their campfire, he told her a story from the slums of Iron City; A story about a second city far away, that survived the Great Fall. Hidden from the residents of Iron City and Zalem equally, it was supposed to be a place of science and wonder where everyone- no matter if they were cyborg or human- would live happy lives.

A small part of Alita wanted to believe all the stories he told her about. But her rational thoughts told her to forget the tales and concentrate on what they had to face at the moment.

When Alita returned to the cave he seemed to have just finished his bath. He looked at her with his head slanted and his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Did you enjoy the view out there?"

The water seemed to have brightened his mood.

"I have never seen such a danger coming from nature itself."

Alita replied. A small smile ran over her face when he laughed heartily. He leaned against one of the bigger rocks and dried his hair with a piece of fabric. It didn't take long until the warm and dark cave made them sleepy enough to make them decide to go to bed. When darkness finally swallowed the cave, the two of them slept both peacefully and deeply.