Lazlo woke up, shivering as usual. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept in a warm bed. Sleep was something that had become harder for him, and he often wondered why he found it so hard to adapt to the cold temperatures. The Freezing... he thought, No, had to be long before that.

The Freezing was a period of time at the turn of the 21st century, nobody knows what set it off, but the USA, Russia, and Britain began vieing for power, each one boasting a more powerful set of super weapons, and being trumped once again by another. It wasn't long before they set their sights on weather.

If the weather could be controlled, you could destroy the crops of your enemies. Make it so dry they burn up. Or so cold they die away. Send storms through that devastate the land. Whatever you wanted or needed. They had no idea that testing these could go awry.

Speculation says that the technology was first invented by German scientists. The country signed a pact with Russia, giving the Motherland their super weapon, and Germany protection and power. Before even the first widescale tests America and Britain were already hot on Russia's footsteps. The Geneva Convention was amended, and proclaimed the use of these weapons as war crimes.

Russia began testing on July 22nd, 2013. At first, just on their own land. Isolated regions, creating small storms, or droughts. An American spy was at these tests, and decided to stop it. He hacked into the computer system, and set an overload buffer loop to be activated during the next test. He thought this would destroy the device, but he was dead wrong.

It began by creating clouds. More and more. Eventually, all of Asia was under could cover. Then Europe, the oceans, Africa and America. Finally, every inch of the sky had been covered. By the time they stopped the weapon, it was too late. The storms raged on, high overhead. And they continued. It wasn't long before plants started dieing, without any warmth from the sun. Anyone more than 50 degrees from the equator had to evacuate. It was just too cold. The oceans froze over, and snow blanketed every inch of land and ice on the planet. Many people died, unable to take the cold or the lack of food, or they simply froze on their way towards the safe zones. That was nearly six years ago.

Soon, people began to dig under the permafrost, finding still live grass and other plants, and heated them up. Communities sprang up around these small oasis. Lazlo lived on the outskirts of one such area, in a place once called Tampa, Florida. Some of the larger buildings were still visible over the layers of snow on the ground.

His den was not much different than anyone else'. A domed piece of metal over concrete, with a thick shag rug covering the floors and walls, and a small door with many locks on it leading outside, and an outcropping with a small pile of coals in it, that had a chimney leading outside. There was no plumbing or electricity here. Pipes were useless, water froze on its way anywhere, and power cables snapped in the harsh nighttime winds. There were too many people in this area to send each one electricity anyway. People would abuse it, putting heaters on their highest setting, burning themselves in the night. One had to walk to the community center to take a shower or even use a lavatory.

He reluctantly stood up, and buttoned his blankets, which doubled as a cloak. It was foolish to not sleep in your clothes, it was too cold, and you always ran the risk of someone getting into your den and stealing them. He adjusted his thick snowboots, which had almost come off in his fitful sleep.

He pulled out a flashlight from somewhere on his body, and shook it. Static electricity powered anything that needed power these days. He shined it on a pitcher full of ice next to the fireplace. Damn... I wonder if anyone can get a fire to go all night. He grabbed the pitcher and drank what little water was in it. The cold stung at his throat, and only made him feel worse. He wished he hadn't done it... Maybe if I stop drinking I won't sweat...

Sweating in this weather was deadly. You had to work in your clothes and blankets, it was too cold to do otherwise. But if your clothes became wet, it wouldn't be long before they froze, and took your skin with them.

Lazlo, like most people in this town, worked in the power force. It took a lot of power to provide enough warmth for the plants that grew their food. There was little pay for this job, but you got a free den, and one meal a day. Only if you worked more than eight hours you got money. He hated the men who invented the largescale heating devices, often thinking he'd rather be dead than barely surviving like this. But he went on, day by day.

The men who invented and owned the devices lived very well. They were in the Heated Zone, which was off limits to anyone who wasn't a food gatherer or a repair technician. The temperature was 10 degrees Celsius, hot compared to the Cold World.

Opening the door, he was blasted by a wind even colder than the freezing air inside. A fresh layer of snow from the night covered the ground, but there were already footprints in in it. People leaving to use the lavatory, most likely. His flashlight began to dim, and he shook it a bit more. He looked at the giant clock on the Smith Tower. 5:56 AM. The wake-up bells would be sounding soon.

Thanks to the constant cloud cover, it would not get any brighter than it was now. He wondered if there were any places on Earth that stood above the clouds sometimes, but thought it would only be mountains on the other side of the world. Mountains that were hard enough to climb before the Freezing. He began his trek through the snow, away from the city. He worked to maintain one of the wind generators in Power Fields. The strong winds meant they had to be constantly monitored, to make sure they weren't being worn down. The advantage to this job was that the small space for the gears had to be heated, if just a few degrees. He was not supposed to, but he often left the access door open to the control room, where he sat to monitor his windmill.

Each windmill had it's own person maintaining it, they had to. They were connected to the Smith Tower via underground cables. Each control room was suspended at the center of the windmill, which was high enough to keep the giant 15 meter long blades from scraping the ground.

He climbed up the ladder and opened the hatch-door. The man who should have been watching the device was asleep. Lazlo couldn't blame him. It was a 15 hour shift, with two 30-minute breaks to break it up. Lazlo woke him up and took his spot in the small plastic chair near the open access door. It was warm, and already Lazlo felt ready to sleep. The bells rang. Soon everyone would be clamoring to their posts, and the beggars would wake up.

The beggars were scum. They built igloos to sleep in, and provided nothing to society. They were filthy creatures that, since they weren't allowed to enter the Community Center, they could never shower, and had to make due without lavatories, often leaving nasty surprises outside the dens of people who wouldn't give them blankets or food. In certain cases, they'd attack a worker on his way home. Someone who had been doing something tiring, and wouldn't put up much of a fight. Lazlo enjoyed when he woke up early enough to avoid them.

He closed his eyes. If anything happened to the windmill, alarms would go off, and he'd wake up. He dreamed of days gone by. Water everywhere, and the sun. What he wouldn't give to see the sun just one more time...

---

"Do you have to go?"

Argus knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, I do. I know it gets lonely without me, but..." He lowered his head slightly, but lifted it again and looked her in the eye with a smile. "If we want to keep this house, then I have to keep working."

She looked at him with a smile. For only a seven year old child, she was very understanding. She knew Argus worked hard to keep the house, and the least she could do was to cause as little trouble as she could. She didn't go to school, the distance to the nearest training facility was too far from Argus' home, she would surely freeze along the way, and even if it was close enough, Argus wouldn't let her go. They didn't teach anything of use at the school, they only taught children how to work. Not to actually survive in the cold, not how to make one's own food, nothing about bright, sunny fields, forests of trees filled with greenery... Everything she knew was taught by Argus himself, and his vast collection of books that he had managed to safekeep for himself, to teach her with. He often drew his own images of how the world used to be, with vivid colours, to show his daughter how it used to be, how it should have been.

Argus put an arm around Alis and pulled her in for a hug. She eagerly returned the favour, putting her little arms around his great shoulders. They held each other in embrace for a few seconds, until they had to let go, so Argus could stand, ruffle her brown hair a little, and walk out of the dome with a large cloak, jacket and plaid wool scarf, so he could plod on to work.

Argus had to work eight hours a day at a mechanical shop, though he always worked as much overtime as he could, to get even a little extra food to share with Alis. He often made small, portable heaters, and he was tinkering with the idea of a thin, kinetic-energy feeding heater. If one could invent a pad that heated up as it moved, to slip under clothes, then the world would be a far more comfortable place to live.

He trudged on through the snow, darkness enveloping the world around him, as he stomped through thick piles of frost that bunched up against the walls of his boots. His thoughts were on Alis, how she was such a strong girl, and his deceased wife, Alis' mother...

Argus shut his eyes tightly before the tears could escape. He was a strong man, his spirit had never been truly conquered, but the wounds from his past cut deep scars that would never heal in him. Alis was only five when the severe cold took too much tole on her mother's heart, freezing it in place. Argus was there when it happened, and he held her in his arms, trying to warm her, he knew that it was pointless to try as he felt her spirit pass through him on her ascent, waving one last goodbye.

The tears from that moment froze, scarring his left eye, making it a rigid, frigid glass model, shattering it with a mere blink. He now had to get by with only one, the other covered with an eyepatch. He knew it was terribly cliche, but he liked the look, and there was no way a false eye could have been put in place.

The biting wind stung on Argus' face, but he had no worries of it. The temperature at this moment was barely half of what he had spent growing up in, the frozen winters in a raging blizzard of his native Canada. He could work and walk in this weather for hours, and that made his survival all that much easier, so he could make sure that Alis could be fine. He hardly ever spared thoughts on himself, merely for others.

He stopped for a second, and looked around. Smith Tower said 6:48 am. Argus' starting time was an hour later than normal, good for both himself, Alis, and any beggar that dared to cross Argus' path.

He looked around a little more, a skilled eye penetrating the raging snow, and taking note of his relative location. He continued in the direction he was going, right to work.

He saw the familiar shape of the quonset hut that he worked in, found the door, and opened it, the lack of wind a welcome relief upon stepping inside.

He walked over to the break room, removing his cloak and scarf. He stepped into the small portion of the building that could be spared, and saw his co-workers.

"Mornin', Argus." Ronnie said with a little wave.

"Hello, Ronnie." He replied, with a small salute-like wave himself. He took his thick cloak and jacket off, laid them on the floor, and sat down with the others.

Ronnie was the son of the manager of the shop, Ron senior, but that didn't get Ronnie any special treatment. Ron senior was a fair man, who gave no special considerations to anyone, but still a fair man. He did his best to keep his workers in good shape.

Mike, a portly man with a receding hairline, was the second to speak ot Argus. "How's Alis doing?"

"She's strong." Argus replied, accepting Chester's kind offer of some warm water. "She's doing her best, as am I, and we're managing."

"I hear that they might give special dividends to those with family." Chris, a former beggar turned worker, said with his gruff and raspy voice. "About f***ing time, too."

"I thought that was just a rumour." Ronnie said, sipping his warm water, rationing it to make it last longer. "Y'know, to keep morale up."

"I hope it isn't..." Argus said, also savouring his portion of water. "I'm managing, but Alis deserves better than what she has. A little water, a little bread, maybe a bit of milk.... She's a growing girl." Argus looked at his reflection in his small glass. "She needs something more."

Chester nodded. "I hear ya. I have to do two jobs just to feed my three kids, and my Wanda can't manage to take two jobs with little Haley."

"Isn't Riley getting close to being able to work, Chester?" Argus asked, being a relative of Chester's, he knew his family well.

"Yep. One more month and he can help us stay warm."

Argus nodded slowly. "He's a good lad. He'll be w good worker, either here or elsewhere."

Chester agreed, and the others spoke a bit, and the conversation changed directions. Everyone there respected each other, and each one had their own certain perk that made them more interesting than someone else. Ronnie had a wonderful sense of humour, Mike was level-headed and amusing, Chris had great experience, Chester was a great family man, and Argus was the kindest among them. All talk ceased, however, when Ron senior walked in, and gave everyone a task to start off with. Argus was assigned the duty of repairing a broken down handcart, and everyone else had other jobs to handle, and they all immediately went off on their own tasks.

Argus looked at the dilapidated cart, looked at what he would have to do, and got started.

He worked hard, he worked diligently, and he worked fast. He completed his repairs in under an hour, and soon moved on to another task, completing it just in time for a fifteen minute lunch break, where he ate dry bread with nothing to top it and more warm water. It was measly, but sufficient. After the break, he continue working, with a redoubled level of determination, and he completed his quota of work two hours early.

Ron came and put a hand on Argus' tired shoulder. "Take the rest of the day off. Go spend it with your daughter. You've earned it. I'll cover for you."

Argus turned to Ron with a smile, and nodded. "Thanks, Ron. I could really use it."

They shook hands, and Argus cleaned up aka brushed himself off, put on his jacket, scarf and cloak, salute-like waved everyone farewell and stepped out into the frigid cold once more.

His pace was quick, his objective desirable, and his heart quickening. First, however, he stopped off at the local general store, traded one of his tools for a box of meager cookies, the closest thing to sweets they had around, stuffed it inside a large pocket in his jacket and continued home.

"Pleez, sir... Jes' a lil' food..."

"I don't have anything for you."

"Pleez..."

Argus glared down to the beggar. "What don't you understand? I have nothing for you. Keep moving or I'll move you myself."

The beggar fell silent before Argus' reply, and they both moved on.

Once he had reached his home, #0078, or Swift Dome, as he liked to call it, he felt happy. He was early, and he was sure that Alis would be overjoyed to have her father home an hour early.

He opened the door an stepped inside, a broad smile on his face, going "Hellllooo..."

He looked around...

Where's Alis?

He searched the dome quickly, checking under the covers, behind bookshelves, in the chimney...

She was no where in sight.

He snapped his fingers and thought. Must be at the bathroom.

He dearly hoped that that was the answer, and he removed his dirty cloak and lair it on the bed to dry off, after he shook it a bit. They didn't have a family dome, and they had to share the same bed. Alis didn't mind, her father was warm, and Argus enjoyed knowing that his daughter was safe in his arms.

Argus kept his jacket on, set up a small lamp on a bookshelf, and opened a good Arthur C. Clarke to read.

Half an hour had passed.

Argus was worried sick, and he shut his book, donned his cloak, and set off towards the Community Center.

He kept a watchful eye all around him, trying to spot any sign of a small shape.

A little voice cooed at him through the darkness.

"Please..."

Argus growled beneath his breath. Another beggar...

He saw that one of them was walking towards him, a small, thin one, in a thick blanket.

"Please, sir... Just a little food..."

"I have nothing for you!" He snapped and continued on.

He felt a tug on his cloak.

"Please..."

"I said I have nothing!" Argus sent the back of his hand flying towards the side of the beggar's head. The powerful arms behind the blow sent the beggar to the side, removing the top of the blanket from around its head.

Argus gasped as he saw the face of his daughter be revealed upon this strike.

"Alis!" he immediately fell to his knees and helped her up. "Alis... What are you doing begging?"

She gave a little sniff and broke into tears. Argus knew this wasn't the place to talk, so he removed his cloak, wrapped it around her, scooped her up into his arms, and walked off back to home, swiftly and powerfully while Alis sobbed into his chest.

He opened the door, stepped inside, placed her on the bed, and used a little of his precious coal to light a fire, and he removed the cloak, took a blanket of his own, picked her up again and they both sat by the fire, bathing in its warm light, as Alis started to calm down a little.

Argus put an arm around her and held her tight.

"There there, Alis... It's okay, I'm not mad..."

She gave a sniff, wiped her nose and eyes, and spoke in a cracked voice, sore from crying.

"Oh, daddy..."

He continued holding her, patting her on the back, making her feel comforted.

"Just tell me, Alis... Why were you out begging?"

"I..." She swallowed and spoke in a nervous tone. "I was hungry..."

Argus' lips formed into a small frown, fighting to keep back the choking feelings in his throat. I have to stay strong, for her...

He reached into jacket and pulled out the small case of cookies. "Here, let's share some, okay?"

Her eyes widened, and her face formed a smile. "Cookies!"

He smiled as he opened the package for her, and they both took a small potion, and nibbled on it slowly. It was the most delicious thing that Alis had ever tasted, since she knew of no better. The slightest bit of sugar used in the baking added such a faint hint of sweetness that made it cost twice as much as regular bread.

Argus looked at the cookie he had in his hand, that had a small bite mark in it from himself. What he wouldn't do to treat his daughter to a proper meal, meat, potatoes, corn, milk, apple juice... So many foods that he dearly missed, and took for granted when he had them readily accessible.

After having a few cookies for Alis and only one for himself, Argus closed the package and said that they should save the rest for later. Alis nodded in understanding, not objecting to it. Argus pushed the cookies to the side and sat closer to her, holding her close, not wanting to lose her...

She did the same. If it hadn't been for Argus, she not only wouldn't be around, but she would be starving, cold, begging and likely dead. Argus gave her everything that she had, and it was painful for one so young to try and cope with it all. But so long as Argus remained strong, she would be fine.

"Um... Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Um..." She stood up and went to a bookshelf, and pulled out a small children's book. She went back to the fireplace, which still burned, but with a diminishing strength, and sat next to her father. "Can you read me a story?"

Argus smiled. "Absolutely."

He took the book in hand, and with excellent voice play, narration, and funny commentary, he read her an Asterix book. She always enjoyed how funny Obelix was, the voices that Argus used for everyone, and all the Romans that always got beat up.

Argus looked with admiration to the drawing of a portly, strong, and powerful Chief Vitalstatistix. He always feared that the sky would fall on his head tomorrow, but he stayed vigilant, saying "Tomorrow Never Comes."

If only you had known, Vitalstatistix... Argus thought. It may not have happened when you were around, but...

Argus looked up at the roof while Alis lay dozing peacefully on Argus' lap.

The sky has fallen...

---

Lazlo was tightening a loose nut in the windmill when his relief came. He was a young guy, new to the workforce. Lazlo had never seen him before, but he was glad to be going.

He worked the day shift. It was only eight hours a day, but he didn't need to work longer. He figured it would be best to let people with families take the night shifts, so they could pay to feed their children. He was eager to go, anyway, because today he was going to visit with his niece, Alis. They weren't related, but she called him her uncle and he liked that. Much like Argus, she was the only family he had, and he cherished the girl.

He left on his way to the Community Center, at the base of Smith Tower. It was right next to the Heated Zone, and there you could take a shower, drink some warm water, and get your rations of food. If you had any Sunchips you could buy a little extra food, or even get some milk.

Sunchips were the money of the time. Small glass beads with a sun imprinted on them. They had no value, they just represented the fact that you had worked longer or harder, and deserved some extra food. Since Smith tower ran all jobs in the area, and held all the supplies, they controlled the flow of Sunchips. Just a way to make sure nobody got any more or less than they deserved.

Lazlo had gotten a few Sunchips by covering for the night shift, and not telling anybody that they were asleep on the job. He didn't often ask for them, but they were given as thanks none-the-less, often with well wishes and being told to buy Alis something.

He started climbing down the ladder, and glanced at Smith Tower, 3:28 PM. Argus and Alis were probably already waiting for him. On the ground he began running. His soft, wide-soled boots made running on the snow easy. The bottom of his cloak began pulling back with his run, and the cold nipped at his calves, but he ignored it. He wanted to get to the Community Center quickly. He needed to do it.

Upon walking in, he saw Argus and Alis sitting next to each other at a table, both looking away from the door. It wasn't hard to make them out, Argus was a head taller than most people in town. He strode across the comparatively warm, well-lit room, and tapped Alis' shoulder. She spun around, eyes wide at seeing her uncle, and jumped up to hug him.

Though they lived in the same town, they didn't see each other often. After working, there wasn't much time to get out, and it was too cold to go to the Community Center often. He sat down across from her and said hello to Argus, then turned and yelled, "Bring us your biggest, hottest meal, quickly!" and threw a handful of Sunchips on the table.

Alis looked down at them, then back up to Lazlo, "For me?" He nodded, and her grin widened.

Argus frowned, and said in a grim tone, "She's been very hungry lately... I caught her begging today."

Lazlo made a playful scowl, "Now now, we aren't filthy beggars, are we?" She shook her head, "Don't worry, I've found myself out there asking for food on occasion. It's hard..."

Tears came up in her eyes again, and she nearly yelled, "But I'm not a beggar! I'd never gone out like this before!"

Lazlo reached across the table and put his hand on her arm, "It's all right. Your dad and I understand what you did. You just need to be careful when you do that."

Argus nodded and a waiter came by holding a small bowl of soup, and a plate with steamed bread. "Who was it that ordered this?" Lazlo pointed to Alis, and the waiter picked up nearly all of Lazlo's Sunchips. It was cheap to get cold, hard food. If you wanted anything heated the prices shot up. It was lucky they were out of meat, or Lazlo wouldn't have been able to pay.

Alis began shoveling the soup into her mouth, and Lazlo pushed the remaining Sunchips to Argus, "I don't need 'em. Buy her something." Alis reached for the bread, and tore it in two, offering each of the men half. Lazlo said he wasn't hungry, as his stomach rumbled giving away the lie. Argus pushed it away and told her to eat it for herself. "So," Lazlo asked, "How's life in the shop?"

"It's going not bad." Argus said as he sipped on a glass of warm water, continuing to speak after a drink. "Chester's got two jobs going to pay for his family's well-being, Wanda has only one, but watches little Haley, and Riley is almost old enough to start working."

Alis' ears perked a little at the mention of Riley. They were always good friends before, being the two closest of age in the immediate area, and she thought of him as a good friend.

"How old is Riley now?" Lazlo asked nonchalantly.

"Nearly fourteen. Almost able to get a job in the same shop as his dad. Mike is actually staying fat, to a degree, but he works a lot of overtime. Ronnie has a lot of hair, still single despite his attempts, and Chris still hasn't shaved his old hobo-beard."

"That hobo-beard..." Lazlo gave a chuckle. "Still hasn't got rid of it?"

"I just said that, and no. Something about sentimental value."

Argus stroked his own chin, the small layer of stubble the same as it had been the last year. He never was able to grow much facial hair, but Alis liked it better without a beard.

Their conversation moved on, to past times.

Alis listened in wonder as they both talked about the wonderful places that they had been to and seen, their old friends, so many adventures to tell.

The soup long finished, and the long day tiring them all out, They all set off to Swift Dome, Alis beginning to walk groggily, but she was kept up by holding onto Lazlo's hand, as Argus walked alongside them with his hands in his jacket pockets and a smile on his face. By the time they reached Swift Dome, she was almost hanging off of Lazlo's arm, and Lazlo picked her up gently as Argus swung the door open for them. Lazlo carried her in, placed her on the bed, pulled the blankets up and tucked her in. Argus came forward and kneeled down low, his harmonica in hand. It was a treasured possession to Argus, having had it for many years now, and he was very skilled at playing. Didn't know how to read any kind of music sheets, he could only play by ear, but he was good at it.

He let out a nice, slow, calming tune, similar to a lullaby that his wife had sung to Alis when she was alive. It was a song of her own creation, and they both enjoyed it very much. Lazlo stood a bit backwards, still in sight for Alis, but Argus taking prominence in her field of vision. Within moments, her eyes had closed, her breathing slow and calm, and peace settling on her mind.

Despite that Argus could plainly see that she had fallen asleep, he didn't stop playing. It was the kind of song that was easily loopable, and could be played over and over again, if one wished to. Argus stood up and walked into the beam of light from a candle lamp, slowly and calmly playing the song unceasingly. Lazlo was standing by the bookcases, looking at what Argus had for his collection.

Argus held the last note for a few seconds, before the harmonica fell from his grasp and landed in his lap as his hands went to cover his eye, which had erupted in tears he no longer could hold back.

Lazlo, who had picked out an old worn and well-thumbed copy of "A Brief History of Time", came over and patted Argus on the shoulder.

"You okay, dude?"

Argus took in a breath, let it out, and spoke.

"Yeah, I... I just miss her, real bad..."

"Yeah." Lazlo sat down at a right angle from the direction Argus faced. "Me too."

Argus kept his hand on his eye for a second, before he wiped the tears, gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and sighed the sorrow away.

"I'm alright, though. So long as I have Alis, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, she sure is somethin', huh?" Lazlo said with a slight glance in the direction of the bed.

"Yep. I couldn't ask for a better child."

"At least you got her." Lazlo said with a stylish and theatrical sigh. "I don't have anything."

Argus had nothing to say to this.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, as Lazlo skimmed through the book in his hands and Argus thumbed around with his harmonica.

Lazlo shut the book and let it fall to the ground.

"What am I doing, Argus? Am I surviving or living?"

"You're living, of course! Same as me!"

"You're living for Alis, though. I'm living because I'm alive."

Again, Argus had nothing to say. He merely sat and thought of a possible answer, but nothing came to his mind.

Lazlo starred off, past Argus, past the wall of Argus' den. "I never met anybody before the Freezing... Never had a child, and I really don't have much reason to go on living..." He said softly.

Argus looked at Lazlo, "That isn't true. Alis loves seeing you. Tomorrow she'll probably complain that she was asleep when you left."

Lazlo shook his head. "I'll stop by here before I leave," And Argus looked a question at him, "I can't stay here... I only do for Alis, but she'll live without me. Maybe Riley can have my den, if he wants it."

Alis' head shot up, "No! You can't leave!" The two of them turned towards her, and she jumped out of the bed to Lazlo, hugging him, "You can't go anywhere!" Her eyes were tearing up again.

Lazlo put his arms around her, "It's all right, Alis... I'm not going anywhere tonight. You go back to sleep." She let go of him and wandered back to the bed, laying down, pretending to be alseep once more.

"See that?" Argus said, "Isn't that enough? She couldn't live without you."

Lazlo shook his head, "I just need to go... Just to get out of here. This place... It's the same thing every day, I wake up with the Smith Tower bell, then sit at the Windmill, waiting for it to be over, before I go to the Community Center to eat. Sometimes I see Alis..." He sighed, "But I know she could live without me."

"Where would you go?"

He looked towards the roof, "I don't know... Some people say there are mountains that get sun... I'd like to go there, even if it's not true. Just to see." Just to see...

Lazlo quickly left with a short goodbye.

Argus stared at the door after Lazlo shut it after himself.

A small rustle and a sniff was heard low down on Argus.

"Is Uncle Lazlo going away?" Alis asked with a timid whispering voice, a blanket draped over her shoulders.

He put an arm on her shoulder.

"I don't know, Alis. Let's hope not.."

They stood for a moment later, before both resigned to their bed.

The next morning, Argus woke up as usual, went to the Community Hall, got some milk and corn flakes with some of the spare Sunchips that Lazlo gave, and returned before Alis woke up.

She had a very fit breakfast, which Argus bartered that in return, she wouldn't go and beg again. She agreed, and Argus trusted her. He gave her a hug and went off to work again.

Lazlo's words from the night before rang in his ears...

"Am I surviving or living?"

Argus thought about the idea of warm mountain tops, and what could be possible with that....

I could give Alis the life she deserves, if that's true...

Argus walked with less enthusiasm as he continued on his way to work.

His thoughts stirred like a storm within a cauldron of scheming.

Lazlo could be onto something...

He then sighed, thought of Alis, and realized that going off to chase pipe dreams up mountains was no thing a responsible, sensible, and caring father of a child would do.

So he trudged on, attempting to be content with his load in life, and just found himself doubting the worth of his existence more and more.

No! Argus clenched his hand into a fist. I must remain strong, for Alis...

He tilted his neck up straight, his spine uncurved, and his face alight with determination again.

That lasted for all of ten seconds.

Nevertheless, he made it to work, and did his quota of work for the day, and returned home in the same state of drudgery.

He came in to find that Alis had drawn a picture... Of her and Argus, holding hands and walking through a forest, exactly as Argus had described to her, albeit made with a child's hands.

The scene made Argus smile, and conflicted his mind further.

To go with Lazlo, and give Alis the possibility of finding a happy paradise as she had just made? Or stay, where it was the same every day, but safe?

Am I surviving or living?


Lazlo left Argus' den, and barely heard the locks clicking over the wind. He looked at Smith Tower, 9:28 PM. The giant clock barely visible through the snow swirling around. Lazlo walked in the direction he only knew led to his den for the number of times he had walked it. He heard a scream to his right, and saw a beggar pulling the coat from a child, while her parents fled towards the city. Two beggars were chasing them.

He ran to the girl, but another beggar, in a white cloak appeared from nowhere, and hit him on the head with something blunt. His vision blurred, and head spinning, he looked around for the beggar... White, white... A face! He summoned all the force he could, but the beggar saw the punch coming and dodged it with ease, sending his own fist into Lazlo's gut.

Another scream, from a million miles away. Lazlo wasn't sure if he had made it up, heard it, or uttered it himself. He felt a tugging on his shoulders, but he didn't know what it was. Cold. Very cold. Colder than he was used to. His head felt wet. Blood or snow... He knew one was as bad as the other. He looked around, and saw three brown figures moving away. A small, shivering bulge in the corner of his vision. The girl. He crawled to her, she was nearly naked in the snow. He put his arms around her, and most of his body on top of her. Despite her shivering she felt warm.

Warm. It was all over him now. Not the warm he was used to. This wasn't the warm of his body-heat, trapped by his cloak. Not the warm of his meager fire in his den, or even the heated zone, which he had been in only a few times in his life. This was warmer, and he could feel it all over his body.

His eyes stung, and he realized he had them open. He didn't see anything. Then pain. His entire body convulsed. His head, only moments before, an empty space, thoughts flying about indescribably, now a tight, constricting vice on his brain. His muscles, achy and taught. He realized he wasn't warm, but in pain. Every nerve in his body was on fire, giving the illusion of heat, if only for a second.

He heard something. A muttering in the distance. No... They were saying something. What was it? His body convulsed again. A stabbing pain, in his left arm. He tried to move away from whatever had touched him, but couldn't. Just the thought exhausted him. He was warm again. Everything but his arm. Suddenly cold. He opened his eyes again, but saw nothing.

Think! He yelled in his head. It was hard to make thoughts, but he had to. What is happening? Every agonizing second brought a whole new rush of sensations. Heat, cold, pain. An endless cycle. The girl... There was a... A... A what? Where am I? Think!

There was something under him. A warm, soft thing. And below that... something cold. Snow. And above him... That pain, in his arm, The wind! It's so cold... He opened his eyes once more, but saw nothing. His eyes were warm, though. He didn't feel the biting cold of the outside air that he normally did.

Then, a flash of light. He looked around, and found himself in a meadow. Warm and sunny. There were some animals here. A cow, and a horse. A shaggy-hoofed Clydesdale. There was a large hut at the other side of the meadow. Square and brown, made of wood. Argus and Alis stepped out of it, holding fruit. Bananas and apples and pears. Enough to feed all three of them and more. The trees here were full of fruit. Past the meadow was nothingness. Stretching on forever. The domed sky came down, and met clouds, which formed a flat blanket back to the meadow, then back to the sky on the other side. His mountain.

Another pain in his side. And something to his right... something... moving? He looked down, but saw nothing. Just a butterfly, resting on a blade of grass. But he could swear he felt something... The girl! Argus and Alis looked back to Lazlo, their faces frowning. They waved and disappeared into blackness. Then the cold came back. The biting wind at his side.

His bed was warm. Warmer than it usually was. Warmer than it had been since before the Freezing. It was hard, and it hurt his sore skin, but it was warm. He sat up and looked around. Still seeing nothing. Flames shot up and down his back. His head swam, and he fell to his bed once more.

"...Going to wake up?" A woman's voice. It sounded as near as if she had whispered in her ear, yet so far away she might as well have not been there. "You've been laying there for three days. Screaming in the night, waking everyone else up."

"Come on, Trisha, he probably can't hear you. He's barely alive." Another woman, this one older.

Trisha gave a huff, "I don't care if he understands what I'm saying. He hears my voice, and that helps people heal. Hearing others. Poor thing. Nearly died saving the mistress." Lazlo felt something on his shoulder, "Whoever you are, you're a good man."

He heard Trisha and the other woman talking some more, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Their voices bouncing off the empty sides of his head, they sounded as if they were speaking through metal tubes.

A sharp pain in his face woke him up. Things were colder now, but still warmer than he was used to. He opened his eyes and saw a smooth tile floor. A woman came to help him up, "Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Were you trying to get up?" He recognized the voice... Who was it? "Come on, I'll help you back into your bed." She pulled him up, and he looked at her face. A very beautiful young girl, just a few years younger than he was. Her large, brown eyes full of compassion. She put him in his bed, and pulled his feet up. "How are you feeling?" She asked, as she sat down on the side of the bed.

Lazlo squinted. "I'm..." He croaked, but his throat was too dry to get anything else out. As if she knew what was wrong, she handed him a glass of warm water. He drank it without pausing for a breath. "I'm feeling okay... Where am I?" He looked around. His vision was blurry, but he could tell he was in a large, wood-furnished room. A fire crackled in the fireplace at the far side of the large room, filled with mostly empty beds.


The girl smiled, "This is Mister Smith's guest room. You're a VIP now."

Smith? Why does that name sound familiar? What does it mean? Lazlo looked away from the fireplace, back to the girl, "Why am I here?"

Her face took on a surprised look, "You mean you don't remember? You saved Miss Smith's life! Now, I must be off to tell the masters that you are well." She smiled again, "Don't go falling off that bed now, okay?" She stood up and walked to the door, turning around to look back at Lazlo before walking out.

Lazlo put the empty glass up to his lips, forgetting that he had drank it all. He shrugged out of the sitting position on the head of his bed, and lay back down, letting the glass roll up against his body.

Two girls were laughing when he woke up again. Trisha... That's who was helping me last night... He sat up, and looked to the girls talking. One was Trisha, the other was a much younger girl, no more than ten years old.

They both looked at him, and Trisha spoke up, "Ahh! Glad to see you finally awake again! Do you normally sleep for days at a time?"

Days...? Lazlo wondered, "I uhm..." He put his right hand up to his forehead, his head was spinning again, "My name is... Is Lazlo..." He said.

Trisha and the girl walked over to him, "Hello Lazlo, I'm Trisha, and this is young Miss Smith. She owes her life to you." The girl reached up and hugged him, and he put his arm around her, then gave a start.

All of his fingers were black! Most of his hand was as well, he pulled away from the girl, starring in horror at his own hand. He tried to make a fist, and felt nothing. "You were outside for nearly two hours," Trisha said, "You should be able to move it within a few weeks, but they've said your hand will stay black for a few months after that..."

The girl pulled up her own hand, black as his, "We're both the same!" She said, smiling. She was a bit younger than Alis, but Lazlo thought the two would get along very well.

A well fed man walked into the room. Lazlo recognized him instantly. The man who had kept the entire town alive for the past six years, loved and hated by so many people, the man who built the Heated Zone, the Community Center, and every den in the city. Aaron Smith, self proclaimed mayor of New St. Petersburg. "What's all the commotion in here? Oh! You're awake!" His eyes lit up when he noticed Lazlo sitting in his bed, with his daughter's arms still around him. "I see you've met Trisha and Kaity. I'm--"

Lazlo cut him off, "Aaron Smith, right? I've heard of you."

Aaron laughed and flushed a little. For being such a giant figure, he seemed like a modest person, "Haha, I forget how well known I am."

Trisha walked past him, rolling her eyes, and gave Lazlo a glass of... What was it? "Coffee," Trisha said, "It won't bite you."

Coffee! Lazlo's eyes went wide, Most of us can't even get lukewarm water, and they have hot coffee?! Lazlo drank it. He didn't like coffee, but it was hot, and felt good in his mouth and throat. "Thank you," He said, coughing. " Don't normally drink things that warm..."

"How are you feeling?" Aaron asked, "You've been sleeping for nearly a week, you know."

A week? Lazlo thought, Oh man... Alis must be worried sick!

The door rapped a few times.

Argus was reading a book by a warm fire while Alis drew in a book, sprawled across the floor. He heard the knock, looked to the door, folded his book shut and got up, striding with his cloak at his heels, and opened a small looking slot.

"Who is it?" He spoke out into the darkness of the outside, eyes darting left and right.

"Message for Mr. Argus Swift?"

"Aye, that's me." A letter was slipped through the slot. The sounds of retreating footsteps crunching in the snow were heard, and Argus slid the slot shut and bent down to pick up the letter.

He went back to his chair, sat down in it and prepared to open the letter with a finger, Alis quickly working her way to sit on Argus' shoulder to read also.

The envelope was that of an off-white shade, and ripped easily as Argus slid a finger across it. It didn't have any adhesive applied to it, just a fold tucked into itself to stay sealed. A single piece of folded paper was inside, which Argus took out and flipped open for both him and Alis to read.

His eye darted to the bottom of the page, and saw, in stylish, classy cursive letters, the words "Lazlo Falconi" Argus could have laughed, but instead went back to the start and read out the letter in his best attempt at mimicing his almost-brother's voice, which wasn't entirely inaccurate, and read the letter out for Alis.

Heya, Killers;

I just thought I'd send this letter to let you all know that I'm doing fine. You might wonder what would make you think that I might not be, but after being left out in the cold for two whole hours, I just figured you oughta know that I'm doing fine.

I guess an explanation is in order. Well, on the way home a week ago after visiting you guys, there were this group of people getting mugged by beggars, so I helped them out. Well, tried. I didn't do very well, but I still managed to keep one girl warm, and next thing I knew, here I was, in a guest room of Smith Manor itself! Get this, they had coffee. Coffee!! I can't imagine what that stuff would cost!

Other than all that, nothing else has happened.

Talk to you later, Captain.


Argus had heightened eyebrows at the end of reading the letter, and looked to Alis. Her face was a mixture of worry and happy, and Argus smiled slightly at the odd-looking combination.

"So... Is Uncle Lazlo okay?"

Argus folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope. "I would say yes, yes he is."


Lazlo was starting to get restless. He'd been laying in bed for a week, and needed to get up and walk around. Unfortunately, Trisha was very protective of people in her care, and she wouldn't let him get up, save for trips to the indoor bathroom, and she even walked him into the bathroom, and knocked on the door if he spent too long in it! But she was an excellent caregiver, catering to his every need. And he enjoyed sitting in his bed, talking to her about all manner of things, from what it was like to live in Smith Tower, to reminiscing about life before the Freezing. And Kaity was a fantastic girl, and was very appreciative of Lazlo for saving her.

One day Lazlo was talking to Trisha about life outside the Heated Zone, of the hardships he faced every day. She didn't believe humans had stooped that low. "Do you think you could take me to your den to show me what it's like?"

Lazlo looked shocked, "Uhh... I could, but I lost my cloaks and--"

Trisha cut him off, "We can get more of those things! This is Smith Tower, we can get anything here."

Lazlo looked down, he had forgotten where he was, in here it seemed more like the world before the Freezing. "Yeah, you can come see it, but it's not much to see." He stood up, "Do you think it would be possible for me to start walking around now? I'm dieing in this bed!"

She laughed, "Sure, I guess you're well enough now. Do you want to go out to the gardens?" She had asked it as casually as one asks for the time, but Lazlo stood slackjawed in disbelief. He knew there was vegetation in the Heated Zone, but gardens? "What are you looking at me like that for?"

He stood silent for a second, before saying, "I just didn't realize that there were... gardens here."

"Well," She began nonchalantly, "You had to know the food came from somewhere!" He nodded, "And those places are just pretty. At least, I like them a lot more than the scene out there." She pointed to a thick window, with the constant blizzard raging beyond it.

Lazlo shivered, just looking at it reminded him of how cold it was out there, and how much the others were suffering. Alis! I'd almost forgotten about her! How could I have thought she was okay out there before? He suddenly felt sick. "Trisha, if we go out... I have a niece out there, do you think we could bring her here?"

She looked a question at him, "Well, I'd have to ask Mr. Smith, but I'm sure he'd let her come. How old is she?"

"About Kaity's age. I think they'd really get along." He realized he sounded a little too enthused with that, but he really wanted to bring Alis into the warmth, even if it was only for a day. And who knows, maybe they'll become friends, and she'll get to come more often. If I can do that, then I can leave and not worry... His face took on a more somber tone, but Trisha didn't seem to notice.



Weeks later, with no word from Lazlo, things at Swift Dome were things weren't going so great since Lazlo had disappeared. Argus was wondering if something had happened to him, and Alis seemed to think he had really gone forever. They were a strong pair, though, and went on with life, Argus telling Alis stories before sleeping, then making sure she wouldn't leave their den the next day.

---

"And our heroes returned home to a huge feast, where they drank and were merry, to go on to another adventure."

Argus closed the book shut and looked down to Alis, in his lap, curled up warmly with him.

"Can you read me another story, daddy?"

Argus smiled. "Sure. Want another Asterix, or maybe a Tintin, or..."

"I was thinking of another story from before the Freezing!"

Argus raised an eyebrow at her. "You want a story from then?"

"Yeah!"

Argus chuckled. "Alright, lemme think..."

She beamed at her father. She always enjoyed his stories, having even read some that he himself had written, but usually found them too difficult to understand.

"How about... I tell about the time your uncle and I-"

A sudden knocking on the door interupted Argus from speaking further.

He looked to the door, lifted Alis off his lap, and strode to the door.

He slid the viewport open a bit to see a shadowy cloaked figure standing outside.

"Who's there?" Argus spoke loudly to the person.

"I am a representitive of Aaron Smith, to deliver a message and a request of a guest."

Argus blinked slightly.. "Proceed.."

"As you know, Lazlo Falconi is staying with us under our roof for heroic deeds to Smith family, and he requests that Alis Swift be escorted to the Smith Tower."

Argus didn't trust this person.. He knew Lazlo was under the care of the Smiths, but then again, most anyone could guess that.. And easily pose as some sort of messenger to lure Alis out and.. Argus shook his head, and cleared away those possibilities. But if it really was a request of Lazlo.. He couldn't exactly say no and leave him disappointed. Lazlo had been in Smith Tower for a long while, and more than likely really missed Alis. Still, he couldn't take any chances..

"Very well, but I demand that I go along as well."

"I am quite capable of handling her on my own-"

"I'll be the judge of that."

Argus glared outside, right into the darkness of the hood, and remained unyielding.

"Very well." The figure spoke. "I will take you both."

"Thank you." Argus said simply and slid the port shut. He turned to face Alis and bent down on one knee. "Want to go see Uncle Lazlo?"

Her eyes went wide a moment, and a smile alighted her lips. "Oh! Yes, yes!!"

Argus smiled and stood. "Go get your cloak and we'll go right away."

She hopped to her feet and ran to the bed, where the mish-mash of blankets could be unfolded to a myriad of heavy clothing and coats, of which she fished her small [yet large to her] cloak with a hood, slipping on a small toque below the hood, taking her father's hand in her own, heading to the door, opening it, and following the dark figure through the snow. Argus kept a sharp eye out the whole time, not being too cautious.. Alis saw the look of urgency on her father's face, wondered if something was going on, and walked closer to him, holding his hand with both hers, little mittens fitting snugly in Argus' large, ripped, torn and dilapidated gloves, yet still contained a good amount of heat. This move of Alis' brought Argus back to reality, and he looked down to her smiling, and he calmed some, and so did she.

"We're there." The person spoke and indicated the large tower before them. Argus noticed that they were on the oppisite side of the general concourse entrance. The person reached forward to a small bump on the wall, gave it a twist, and out came a hidden door. The person stepped to the side and politely let them Argus and Alis step in before closing the door behind. But Not without being unseen by what seemed to be a regular beggar...

Within a secret lighted hallway, Argus lowered his hood and reached down to Alis' shoulder, as the figure reached up and removed the hood..

Bright, caring brown eyes were the most notable aspect of this rather fair young girl.

"Hi, I'm Trisha! I'll take you both to Lazlo now."

---

Well, that's it for now. I started this story years ago, and collaborated with a friend on it. I don't think he's interested in it anymore, but I may take up writing it again. Also I hate to use my own name but I'm just not very good at coming up with names. XD

Any thoughts?

Jesus Lazlo. Nearly 10000 words?! That's a pretty crazy word count, how the heck did you get that much words in that post? I mean its really crazy how much you put in there, its like a novel! Man.

I didn't read your story just yet. I wanted to know how long did it take you to think of a plot and to actually write this.?

Holy crap. Congrats on red and yellow jerseys.

If I weren't on my mobile phone I'd read this whole thing. But it's so flipping long. I'll wait till I get on a computer and then tell you what I think.

pacman1755 : I actually wrote this a long time ago, and I've had it sitting on the back burner ever since.

YourMajestyKen : The plot just came to me one day, a long time ago. I think it was actually inspired by two movies that I think had very interesting settings, but weren't very good, Waterworld and The Day After Tomorrow. I kind of combined the two into this.

What......the......heck.
Nice plan on getting the red and yellow jerseys Lazlo.
I think it will take me days to finish the whole thing.
Ah well, I've only read the intro so far. 

vizwiz123 : Be sure to let me know if you like it. Although development kind of stalled, it's still one of my second favorite stories I've ever worked on, and I'd like to get feedback on it.

As co-collaborator on this story (Hi, I'm Argus. I'm also bad with names), I still highly enjoy going back and reading this. I like the setting a lot.

Should you ever restart this project, Lazlo, you can count on my participation.

Local Mods : The post experience in this post should be ignored as it has already been posted on another site prior to Vizzed.

I've read the first few paragraphs, and so far, I like it. I'll get to the rest some other time.

EDIT: Not this post, but the original thread post.

Yeah, remember that post exp is ignored unless your content is exclusive to Vizzed.

Someone70 :
YourMajestyKen :

It actually is exclusive to this site now, as the other place it was posted no longer exists. It's just not original to this site.

Are you refering to devianART? The story is posted there and the site still exists.
http://up-on-cpu.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=/&offset=24#/d11z85s
It's really just to make it fair for people who don't have stories posted on other sites who can't copy/paste 10,000 words in a matter of seconds. I hope you don't feel that this means doing this is discouraged. I know quite a few people who have mentioned this story and said they liked it, and probably look forward to hearing more. It's really just to make it fair for others. The stories are still more than welcome.

rcarter2 : Oh no, absolutely I agree, if anything, lower the experience, but just look, that post on deviantArt doesn't have half as much as what's here.

If you look closely (Or at all), you'll see that the post on deviantArt ends with "He closed his eyes. If anything happened to the windmill, alarms would go off,
and he'd wake up. He dreamed of days gone by. Water everywhere, and the sun.
What he wouldn't give to see the sun just one more time..." Whilst in the post here, that's not even a quarter of the way down the page.

So, by all means, lower the experience I have from this post, because you're absolutely right that a portion of that post is cited elsewhere, but please do consider that the larger amount of this post is exclusive to Vizzed Boards.

Edit: Actually, I don't even know why I was arguing this. Just do as you please.

I have a question. Do you and Argus know each other in real life, or just really good online friends. I noticed that you guys mention co-authoring pieces. That obviously accounts for why a lot of characters are the same, but what I find interesting is how we are getting stories over these characters from different authors's writing styles. It makes it pretty interesting. 

Also, I didn't see what you were doing as arguing, but rather just wanting to bring up a point.

rcarter2 : Argus? Never heard of the guy.


In reality, we've never met. We've been Internets dating friends for nigh on seven years though. We started RPing together in sort of zany, off-the-wall threads as a means to pass time, which later evolved into serious story writing--as in the case of McQuarrie. We're concurrently working on fleshing out the universe for it (Which entertainingly enough involves a lot of role-play) with making characters and other things like that.

I think, in honesty, any final versions of McQuarrie won't have the Lazlo character in him. As you can see in the differences between this story and the Another Day on the McQuarrie thread (If you've read that) the two characters are actually quite different. That's because the Lazlo Falconi in McQuarrie was invented when I was 15, and was pretty much a personification of what I thought was cool at the time, whilst the Lazlo Falconi here in Forever Winter was written much later and is a bit older, wiser, and less prone to making silly mistakes or being an over-the-top action hero.

In fact, the only reason the two characters have the same name at all is because I'm honestly very terrible at making up names (Although I became better at that in later years, I'm still not very good with it).

Also, you'll learn as you see me posting more that when I say "Arguing" I don't mean yelling and flipping my lid so much as arguing in the way that a lawyer might argue a legal point.

Argus Swift : Do you want to add anything to this?

Nothing I really want to add. Just that, again, if you want to take another stab at Forever Winter, I'm fully willing to take part. (depending on the timeline, perhaps as Alis...)