Disclaimer: -_-' I really have to do this, don't I . . .? Okay, I don't own Metropolis, Rock, Duke Red, the Marduks, or anything else having to really do with the movie. Halo, Kenna, Fern, Karen, the 'boys', and the plot line are mine.

The actions are different than the movie, including the deaths of certain people, the statue, theories, etc., and are in no way a part of the movie. Enjoy. ^_^;

I'm proud of me! I've redone some of this chapter! It's a little short, and I didn't change much, and I still don't like it, but reread it . . . Please?

Rock has met a girl, yet both belong to two very different political parties. When they are both faced with the option of running away or dyeing, nothing will stop them from pleasing their respective representatives. What is a poor boy to do? (yeah, I know, sucky summary, but I'll change it to something better if requested)

Metropolis: Falling Light

Chapter 1. Fallen Priorities

Rock had no idea where he was. Everything around him seemed to be lifeless, except the occasional Albert II running around. It was pitch black through the alleys of which he was on duty. Any Zone offenders were to be shot down immediately, but no such vermin seemed to be out that night.

No light leaked in through the cramped roofs high above him, but it was like this in nearly every back-alley of Metropolis; cramped, small, filthy, and infested were the highest words he could think of that came close to describing the grime they called Back-Alley.

Back-Alley IV. This was only the second time he had patrolled this place, but even on his second time there still seemed to be nothing around.

The tower-like clock that had been perched under the steep of the tall, narrow building that loomed over him struck eleven o' clock pm. He had been around Back-Alley since about five. Six hours. Now only three remained and Rafe would be in to take his place.

Rock sighed and plopped himself heavily down, loaded with the weight of the day. The snow that crunched beneath him he seemed not to feel. He knew it was there, yet he felt numb. He tossed his gun from his hand limply and it landed mere inches from his palm. He glanced at it, put his head against the brick wall, and sighed again. The wall was probably filthy, he knew, but he couldn't have cared much less.

Only moments later he heard a roar and his eyes snapped open. He grabbed his gun and was standing when a light blazed brightly his way. Duke Red's car had pulled into Back-Alley and the Duke himself stood behind his car door. He glared almost menacingly at Rock, ignoring the look of complete shock, confusion, and amazement at his "father."

"Duke, sir!" Rock stood ready, saluting.

It wasn't but a moment later that the Duke sharply said, "At ease," and was making his way toward Rock. His driver had rushed out of the car and was holding an umbrella over Duke Red's head to prevent the snow from covering him.

"Oh, go away!" Duke Red shouted at the man.

"Yes, sir," came the small reply and the short, fat man began to shuffle away back to the car. Duke Red, however, stopped in front of Rock.

"Rock, do you mind telling me why you were not at the town dinner meeting this evening?" Duke Red was trying to keep his voice low and un-disturbing to the public, but it was almost obvious that he boiled with anger.

"S-sir, if you don't mind my asking, but what do you mean?"

"I do in fact mind, but the dinner meeting with Boone and Ratliffe. It was very important to me and I spoke with you about it more than a week ago."

"But, sir, I was told I had duty tonight. And Rafe wasn't going to come to relieve me until two, sir."

"Yes, well, it will relieve me when you get your priorities in order." Duke Red turned away from Rock, his black cloak swinging around in the winter wind. "And I'm having people over at the manor tomorrow night. It's another business meeting, so don't bother to show up before ten in the evening unless your staying for dinner."

"Yes, sir!" Rock saluted again and Red began to walk off. When they had driven away Rock sighed and looked up. A light had been turned on in one of the windows of the tower. The light was a flashlight, which a girl was shining down at him.

"Do you mind me asking if you could keep it down out there? My friends are sleeping."

As you should be, Rock thought.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Rock called out.

"I was about to, and I really need it. I have business later."

"What business?"

"My own."

Rock could have made some remark about being in higher authority because he was a Marduk, but he chose to bite his lip . . . Quite literally. When he began to whisper curses at himself for biting so hard, the girl laughed.

"Just a minute." The girl and the light disappeared from the window. Rock was taking his glove off and putting a finger to his lip to have the blood spread onto his numb fingertip when she finally came downstairs with the candle and what looked like a cloth of some sort. "Here."

She shoved it into Rock's hand and he put it to his lip.

"Sorry if I woke your friends," Rock said in a muffled voice.

"No, no. They sleep like rocks, anyway."

Rock noticed her eyes really were a deep emerald color, and they matched her so well. Her black, glossy hair fell like silk across her shoulders. She wore a long (knee-length), black trenchcoat (-looking thingy) over what looked like nothing, as he saw no hem or collar. She wasn't even wearing any shoes!

"I see you're a Marduk."

Rock nodded. "So you've heard of us."

"Who hasn't? Who hasn't heard your guns go off shooting at the innocent robots? Who hasn't heard of the pathetic, murderous reputation you hold?"

Rock looked angry and embarrassed, and somewhat shocked that this human could be on the side of robots . . . Or seem to be taking their side.

"Do you support robots?" He said this menacingly. The girl eyed the gun and hesitated before saying,

"I meant nothing by it." He watched her as she began to walk back to the door of the building. "Wait, wait." He ran to her and blocked the doorway.

"What are you doing?"

"Let me take you out for a drink. You had time to help me, you have time to accompany me to a bar for say . . . ten minutes. I'll buy."

"Why should I? You could be some lecherous-"

"But I'm not."

The girl was on the brink of saying something else, but his eyes looked so puppy-like that she couldn't say anything along the line of a polite (or, in her case, impolite) refusal.

"Fine. Let me go up real quick and I'll be back down."

While she went up, Rock checked his pockets to make sure he still had some money from duty the night before. When he had stuffed the bills back in his pocket she was back down, wearing shoes, flashlight-less, and more or less exasperated.

A/N: Ack, it was shorter than I though!