Agrippa quickly reached for the truck key deep in his pocket. He raised it into the air without looking up, terror racing through his veins. He knew the best thing to do was not look at his attacker, for if he could identify her, then he would surely be killed.
The attacker grabbed the keys. “Your truck is property of the TDU,” she said, kicking Agrippa in the face.
“Stop, please, don’t do this!” Agrippa screamed as a waterfall of blood poured from his nose onto the white blanket of snow, turning it a bright red.
“I’m sorry, man.” the attacker said, turning to walk away.
Agrippa sucked in the cold air, his hands shaking nervously as they shielded his head. He listened as the crunch of footsteps became faint in the distance, but he still did not dare look up. For a minute he stayed put, kneeling in the wet snow, his toes beginning to freeze. And just when he thought he was safe, he heard the footsteps heading towards him again. He looked up to scream, but didn’t get the chance.
A shot rang out in the cold night air, and Agrippa’s dead body slumped into the white snow, a trail of blood seeping into the fresh powder. Another gust of wind hit his lifeless body as the attacker fired up the engine of her truck and drove off into the night.
“Why the hell did you have to kill him?” Ran shouted, punching Nordica in the arm.
“The guy could have freaking identified me, you ignorant piece of shit,” Nordica roared back, swatting at him with her free hand while gripping the steering wheel.
“You didn’t need to kill the guy, and you know it. You just wanted to try out your new gun.”
“You’re right, Ran; I just wanted to see his brains in the snow.”
Ran shot Nordica a stern look, but then turned his attention back to the empty road. They were still several miles from their hidden storm drain location, and the truck was low on juice, the engine groaning like a sick child.
Nordica saw the worry in Ran’s face and smiled. “Don’t worry, little man. We’re going to make it. And just think of the reception we’re going to have.” Nordica said, cocking her head to look at the cargo bay full of food.
Ran turned to gaze at the food, but quickly peered back at the dark road. Not even a semi trailer full of food would make him feel better. Whenever Nordica killed innocent civilians it made him sick. And tonight, his mind ached in anguish.
The TDU was no place for someone with a weak stomach. There was no room for hesitation when lives were on the line. It wasn’t the lifestyle most children grew up fantasizing about.
Ran wasn’t a natural soldier. A job as medical technician or aid worker would have fit him better, but as fate would have it he ended up fighting with the rebels. His reputation as a softy wasn’t derived just from his empathetic nature either. It was his appearance that really gave him the most grief. He was only a little over five feet tall, so small he didn’t fit into standard TDU fatigues. This resulted in a constant barrage of jokes by Nordica and others about his boyish appearance.
Nordica, on the other hand, had the frame of a soldier. She was just over six feet tall with a solid build rivaled only by Ajax. Her most identifying feature, however, was the dreadlocks that ran halfway down her back. The spent bullet shells she rolled into her locks were a bit much if you asked Ran, but he never dared mention them. Besides, on missions Nordica would take them out.
The truck barreled further away from Lunia, Ran watching as the faint lights of the State buildings disappeared in the rearview mirror. It was a lonely feeling, heading away from civilization, into the sprawl of shanty towns and rubble that had never been repaired after the Biomass Wars. The stretch of road between Lunia and Rohania was known by the TDU as the Pirate Highway due to all the robberies in the past. The Knights never patrolled the blacktop, and the State rarely sent work crews out to fix the potholes.
The truck’s axles screamed in protest as they ran over a pot hole. Nordica swerved to the right to avoid another one, but over-corrected, causing the truck to slide on the icy surface. “Watch out!” Ran screamed as they fishtailed helplessly towards a concrete barrier.
Nordica slammed on the breaks and down shifted just in time to avoid it, the truck creeping to a stop. “Shit!” she screamed, pounding the steering wheel.
Ran slowly loosened his tight grip on the armrests, his eyes fixated on a collapsed building at the edge of the road. “That was close.”
“Too close,” Nordica replied, holding down the clutch while turning the key to start the engine again. The machine coughed and groaned in retaliation. “Come on!” Nordica yelled, her fist coming down on the steering wheel again.
After several tries, the engine blared back to life. Nordica backed the truck up and continued on down the blacktop, cautious not to exceed a safe speed. The two soldiers spent the rest of the journey in silence, staring ahead at the dark road.
Time: 1:30 a.m. February 4, 2071
Location: Tunnels. Tisaia
Nordica trained her headlamp on Ran, the light illuminating his distraught eyes. “God, you’re such a sucker, man; that guy was no better than a Tin Can. For all we know, he works by day as one of those metal machines.”
Ran kept silent, not wanting to relive the same conversation. He realized long ago he would never win an argument with Nordica. He could only hope the food would somehow make up for the man’s death.
“We’re almost there. Keep sharp,” Nordica said, shooting a nervous look back at Ran.
“HQ should be a few tunnels ahead,” Ran responded, pulling one of the bags loose from a rock it was caught on.
“Why wouldn’t Obi send us any men to help us drag this food to HQ?” Ran asked.
“Now you are questioning Obi? I’m sure he had a good reason for not sending us help. Besides, you need the exercise. Maybe it will help you grow a bit,” Nordica said, grinning.
“Very funny. One of these mornings, you’re going to wake up bald, you know that?”
“Try it. Just try it. I’ll make sure you end up more than bald.”
A hint of a smile crawled across Ran’s face as they continued in the darkness, but the foul scent of sewage quickly erased it from his mouth.
“There it is,” Nordica said, dropping her sack of food and pointing at a small burning candle marking the HQs entrance. “Now be quiet. We don’t want to get shot.”
Ran dropped the sacks of food carefully on the ground and followed Nordica through the darkness towards the small candle. “Do you remember the password?” Ran asked nervously.
“Of course I remember the damn password,” Nordica shouted.
“Shit, woman! Keep your voice low,” Ran whispered.
Nordica nodded and approached the wall, reaching out and knocking on it four times before standing back, stepping on Ran’s foot. The pain prompted the small soldier to scowl. “Watch it,” Ran whispered in protest.
The odd pair stood there waiting patiently for a response. Moments later, the concrete wall creaked and opened. The sweet face of Juliana, a TDU staffer, poked out. “Evening, do you need some help with those bags?” she asked cheerfully, her smile extending from cheek to cheek.
“Hell yeah, beautiful, we could use some help,” Nordica responded with a smirk. Juliana rolled her eyes before shooting a quick glance down the tunnels to ensure they hadn’t been followed.
Inside, the headquarters was busy with movement. TDU staffers rushed about, some stopping to gawk at the sacks of food the trio were carrying. Others ignored them, their important tasks far outweighing their growling stomachs.
Nordica and Ran headed to the pantry, where Eddia, the main cook, was anxiously awaiting his new shipment of food. He was going to prepare a feast for everyone at HQ. Even the night shift staffers would have a plate waiting for them after their shifts were over.