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It’s spectacular here.

Two time tested men brought their own home-made coffee, tea and biscuits to their get together on the 51st floor of the Queen Latifah, the tallest building in Charlotte-topia, previously known as the Bank of America Corporate Center.

They’re meeting up for another leisurely chess match and gossip between them.

They’ve been close friends and doing this off and on for the past two years between missions and tragedies, since the Marine Corps war poked the hornet’s nest in 2025 and they joined the fray.

Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, an 81 yr old light framed italiano mafioso archetype, has a raspy, gravelly voice.
A legit cappola cap keeps his bald head warm, and he sports large vintage hue reading glasses over a clean shaven and weathered face. 
Tattoos cover his arm sleeves.

He sets up the board on the table, while the other gentleman sets up a tin of biscuits to the side and pours boiling water into a tea cup.

David “Klong Prem” McMillan, 70 yr old draculian appearing heroin smuggler, author, and keen social critic.
McMillan keeps it classical yet spicy with his drip, wearing a turtle neck and aviator jacket to compliment his sulken no nonsense face, lanky build, and slicked back white hair.

He has a collected, defiantly pompous, british-australian narrator way of speaking, “As i’ve been flying about and doing my rounds, i think to myself, over and over again, over the same mantra that got me here to begin with:  a society becomes great when old jans plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in…    …So dear friend, i have a dilemma of sorts i wish to share with you, and can’t possibly think of a better person to ask.  Are you open to it?”

Gravano smirks and asks, “another one eh?  Alright, we got this bro, spit it out, what’s it this time?”

“There’s a forest of trees now, there’s shade growing everywhere…   and i’m tired and can’t quite imagine, when exactly is the right moment to be content with myself and ready to move on…    Am I done with my part?…  So then, when exactly do we know…     …it’s time to retire?…    ….to step away from the good fight?…    …i’ve found it so much easier imagining that i would get blown out of the sky doing my part navigating these righteous storms…    …but now that going down in blaze of cliche glory is unlikely, when will my spirit finally let my body rest, as if to say, and i quote; that’ll do pig, that’ll do.”

Gravano, stunned, and used to conflict, chuckles at the shared problem and takes a small sip of hot coffee from his thermos.

“Retire…   …funny you ask, i can say i’m just about done myself, and i’m okay with that…     …one of the Marines in my crew, he’s a good guy, quiet, soft spoken, and he gets the job done.  He’s taking my spot here.  He’s got that fresher energy, good head on his shoulders, and has the same drive we had when we showed up here…    …we all trust he will do right by us and do his part in keeping us all safe, there’s no question..   …and i guess that’s the thing.  He’s out in the field right now in Texas as we speak, getting the drop on another commercial state that’s holding out in another one of them prison towns.” 

Gravano leans back in his chair in a sense of pride mixed with self defeat as he continues, “us old timers gotta step back, trust the code, and let these younger bodies carry the fight out…   …the code, the good fight, lives on until the war is won…”, Gravano looks outside to validate himself,  “…just like i told you from day one, we’re winning this, whether the enemy likes it or not, and whether we are here to see it off or not.”

From high up there, through the glass, they have a perfect view of the Charlotte-topia expanse below.

Their trauma-bonds grew over this particular view, a shared high altitude timelapse story.
Witnesses to the pivotal emotional and physical changes the city went through. 

They saw what Charlotte looked liked before under the religion of Federal socio-economic constructs.

What Charlotte quickly became after it severed those puppet strings.

What Charlotte suffered after the Federal government launched what they called “warning retaliatory re-patriation strikes”.
Killings in the thousands, fire storms that sucked the oxygen out of the air, wrecked major parts of the metropolis and knocked down one of the sky scrapers, leaving a burning wretch of destruction, terror and character turning points throughout all of the Americas…

…The world bore witness, at the awesome sight, as time and time again the threat of extreme violence was not enough to stop ordinary people from huddling together and becoming heroes of their times.

  They admire what Charlotte-topia looks like now.
Healed, confident, willing, and able.

Mcmillan remarks under his breath “home of the brave.  We built it, and by golly they came…”

The city is free of money based relationships, car traffic, and there’s greenery everywhere around.
People of all parts of the globe, from all walks of life are there hustling about, either as refugees or helping hands.

Gravano looks down, gayed up from the sight and remarks randomly, “where there’s a will, and there’s a fkn will, there’s a way, and there is a fkn way…   …It’s all mthrfkn sunshine, lollypops and rainbows down there….    …and it’s here to stay bro…     we did this, we’re just not the one’s born to maintain it”

McMillan makes his first move on the board, as they both reflect on their achievements, and honor in silence those who went down in a blaze of glory for what they see now, “indeed dear friend, indeed”.

The two gents play and talk about the current events.  They had a habit of taking their turn along with their thoughts, keeping the conversation and the game at the same pace.  They spoke on the upcoming push against the center political farms and what it was going to take to end the Federal religions with as minimal bloodshed as possible.

Gravano asks, “Speaking of retirement and replacement bodies, how’s the kid, the one from our crew that you took under your wing, is he as good of a pilot as you yet?”

McMillan obliges, “He’s a natural, with only one exception, his landings.  Dear goodness, every time he lands we all pucker up tighter than cornholes…   The crew loves him, and without a second guess I trust they will be flying me to my retirement, wherever that may be…  …oh my, that reminds me, he texted me earlier but i was not available, let me check this bloody device…”  Mcmillan takes pause from the game and checks his phone, “uh huh.  looks like there’s a small group who wants to fill in some seats withs us”  he smiles, “a small group of furries want to see their elderly friend make it to the library topias over by Colorado before they go on their own life journeys…   oh dear, it appears I found myself rudely late in responding to a message like this, and it would seem they are going through a tough time…   they lost a friend and another one was injured..  would it bother you any if I invite them?”

Gravano takes another coffee sip and assures his warrior mate, “i’d love to meet them.  See if I can help any as well…”  Gravano takes out a white bishop with his black knight, “…some codes never retire”.

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Dorothy and Xavier look around every few minutes in shock and wonder at all the hustle and bustle around them.

They are sitting with a friendf of a friend that works with diesel engines.   friends they met this morning in a heated outdoor picnic space for for friends and family of patients.

One of them let’s them know that his mentor and friend McMillan is open to talk to you about flying to Colorado instead of taking the HUGBUG option.  He invited us to meet him on the 51st floor of the queen Latifah.  He makes fun of his accent as he says, “he is frightfully sorry”, to xavier and dorothy’s amusement.

He points to the tallest building, that’s the queen right there. 

A posting shows things that need to be done to keep things functional.  Problem, solution=who is executing.

People volunteer to pay back in their time to keep things running at wherever skill level they can, in reciprocation of caring for a system that cares for humans, no questions asked. 

Dorothy cautiously share their life stories to certain points as they speak and learn from the new crowd.

Dorothy take in bits of information at a time, like putting together as much as they could about people, with the little information that’s provided.

Xavier, as a furrie, were more keen on learning about people, tuning closely to what they consider problems, and how they solve them.  Do they work with others, or do they have others do it with no relationship.  Xavier felt comfortable asking people directly  what they do and like to find who they are.

+++Colton “Barefoot Bandit” Harris-Moore.  35 yr old co-pilot to McMIllans plane, donated to his wing mission team and christened as the “no gods, no masters”.
Was a fugitive in the previous world, went grand theft auto on rich peoples homes and joy rides with their planes.  after being arrested, and being sponsored by netflix for a talked down sentence, he asked permission to be a legit pilot, and was told no by the gov.  When the Marine war came and Charlotte committed to supporting the freedom fighters, he said fk that old life and joined this city.  The new world would help him get back to flying.  He joined local protection forces under sammy, one of the many security and honey production and shelter construction units out here, earned trust and support from his friends and crew.  chill guy, smokes and jokes often, even though a little on the shy and reserved side.  He helped put up many of the bees and cameras that served both as wildlife study and area security.  

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Nala wakes up to a soft.  genosha is there.  everyone is there (except dorothy and zavier maybe?)   dorothy and xavier are with other.  the crew was scoping out the area for their friends, and asked if they could share the space.  Their friend was badly injured, adnt ehy are RECOVERING.  They are in a recovering section.  transfered because more space.  navarro asked, they said her story.   like them.  They meet in the same pla Nala had gone operation.  They will be working on getting her 3d printed.  

She’s been there quietly.  was told the story.  nala wakes up to