Excerpt: Catalyst

He stood, eyes wide, on the observation deck of an old building, overlooking the city. The wind blew wildly around him. The sky threatened to cover him in darkness. No matter. His smile was bright enough to light up the whole planet.
“Do you like it?” The old man leaned close as he spoke. The wind was picking up. Altru turned to face his grandfather. He wore a faded green jacket, with a few achievement patches sewn onto it. Over the left pocket a name was stitched into it. Rainier.
“Do I like it?!” He ran his small finger along his grandfather’s name. Since before he could remember, Altru always liked to feel the raised fabric on his grandfather’s jacket. He tugged at his own leather coat. The cold was intense, but he was used to it. He smiled.
“Grandpa, can we come here everyday?” Altru begged. He knew the answer, but he had to ask anyway.
“I wish we could, Altru.” Rainier put his hand on Altru’s shoulder and stared off into the distance. Altru turned back to the city below him. He knew his grandfather was worried, but he could never guess exactly what was troubling him.
The city of Danorul was huge, and stretched for endless miles. Below him, the city’s millions of buildings were lit.
“They look like ants, don’t they?” Rainier asked, his gaze fixed on a point far above Altru’s head. Altru smiled and looked up at him.
“They’ve got lights on their backsides, though.” Altru watched as the worry left Rainier’s face. His grandfather looked at him and started laughing. He touched his cold cheek.
“We’d better get inside, Altru. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Grandpa,” Altru groaned. “There’s no such thing as a cold in Rhodivas. They’ve gotten rid of it with-”
“They destroyed it, yes, yes, I know.” Rainier interrupted. Altru decided to let it go. His grandfather never did support the illness control system.
“You might be immune to it, but I most certainly am not. Now, if you want there to be a next time, we’d better get inside.” Altru nodded and wrapped his arm around his grandfather. They slowly began walking back to the gift shop, which would lead them back to the elevator.
If only he could stay seven; if only he could stay right here in the arms of the person he loved most. He thought about his grandfather; what could be worrying him. He wondered if this had anything to do with those men yesterday…no, it couldn’t be. They were his grandfather’s friends. They wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.
The gift shop was warm, and not as crowded as it was when they first got there, 2 hours ago. A salesman stood behind the counter, looking bored as he flipped through a magazine. A thin man leaned against the wall by the newsstand, engrossed in the latest political news. Altru hoped he wouldn’t say anything. Rainier was known for his love of politics and would definitely get into an argument.