Changes: Total War

Latest revision as of 00:55, 11 December 2014

Total War is an ongoing series written by Dark Seeker Kotsu. It centers around Ted Alborn, a sixteen year old boy who joins the military along with his fraternal twin Callan in order to defend his country and his family.

The Total War series has four quarters of the story, with a timeskip of variable size between each.

Released chapters[]

First Quarter[]

Second Quarter[]

Synopsis[]

Spoiler warning!
This article contains plot details about an upcoming episode.

First Quarter

I. Departure[]

Young twins Ted and Callan Alborn sign up for the Nebelheim National Military while their country is in a state of crisis.

II. Distance[]

Ted, Callan, and their friend John meet LT Tiernan, Kain Murdock, and a mysterious young boy named Hilbert Hinterher, and they try to gather their bearings as soon-to-be soldiers.

III. Blood[]

Ted, Callan, and their friends prepare to go to war for the first time as they are called down for training at a military base; the boys meet a new comrade.

IV. Tension[]

The backstories of the boys' new friends are explored, and they enter an intense battle.

V. Normalcy[]

As activity from the Kilmjac soldiers has decreased, the soldiers move into a northern town, and the boys get to enjoy a brief relief from duty and some peace.

Second Quarter[]

VI. Darkness[]

A year later, Ted is chosen to lead his friends on a recon mission to seek out enemy troops. The boys are tense in the dark forest, at night. But true darkness lurks around the corner...watching, waiting.

VII. Monster[]

The shocking death of Ace sends Ted over the edge and on the road to becoming something else as Ted is put to the test and questions his sanity and humanity; Damien contemplates joining the army as a drummer boy.

VIII. The Fallen Angel of Nebelheim[]

Ted recuperates from his injuries in the hospital as his physical status has left him unable to cope with what has happened.

IX. Shooting Star[]

Straying from the adventures of the older Alborn boys, this chapter focuses on eight year old Damien Alborn, who snuck away from home to enlist as a drummer boy to find his brothers.

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+Total War is an ongoing series written by [[User:Dark Seeker Kotsu|Dark Seeker Kotsu]]. It centers around Ted Alborn, a sixteen year old boy who joins the military along with his fraternal twin Callan in order to defend his country and his family.
-==Total War - I. Departure==
-'''''Foreword: This chapter, and story as a whole is dedicated to my twin, Callanball. Without him, this story wouldn't even exist. Happy birthday Callan! I love you and wish you the very best ^-^. Also a thanks to Super Saiyan Goatee, my first mentor.'''''
+The Total War series has four quarters of the story, with a timeskip of variable size between each.
+==Released chapters==
+===First Quarter===
+*[[Total War - I. Departure|I. Departure]]
+*[[Total War - II. Distance|II. Distance]]
+*[[Total War - III. Blood|III. Blood]]
+*[[Total War - IV. Tension|IV. Tension]]
+*[[Total War - V. Normalcy|V. Normalcy]]
+===Second Quarter===
+*[[Total War - VI. Darkness|VI. Darkness]]
+*[[Total War - VII. Monster|VII. Monster]]
+*[[Total War - VIII. The Fallen Angel of Nebelheim|VIII. The Fallen Angel of Nebelheim]]
+*[[Total War - IX. Shooting Star|IX. Shooting Star]]
+*[[Total War - X. Drive|X. Drive]]
+==Synopsis==
+{{Template:Spoiler}}
+<span style="font-size:16px;">First Quarter</span>
+====I. Departure====
+Young twins Ted and Callan Alborn sign up for the Nebelheim National Military while their country is in a state of crisis.
+====II. Distance====
+Ted, Callan, and their friend John meet LT Tiernan, Kain Murdock, and a mysterious young boy named Hilbert Hinterher, and they try to gather their bearings as soon-to-be soldiers.
+====III. Blood====
+Ted, Callan, and their friends prepare to go to war for the first time as they are called down for training at a military base; the boys meet a new comrade.
+====IV. Tension====
+The backstories of the boys' new friends are explored, and they enter an intense battle.
+====V. Normalcy====
+As activity from the Kilmjac soldiers has decreased, the soldiers move into a northern town, and the boys get to enjoy a brief relief from duty and some peace.
+===Second Quarter===
+====VI. Darkness====
-"How old are you, son?" the man behind the counter of the Stock market asked.
+A year later, Ted is chosen to lead his friends on a recon mission to seek out enemy troops. The boys are tense in the dark forest, at night. But true darkness lurks around the corner...watching, waiting.
+====VII. Monster====
-"Sixteen, sir. I turned sixteen three months ago." I replied smoothly. I pulled out my school identification card and my school schedule, which was printed neatly on card stock paper. He examined the card and schedule closely. He was a portly man with graying hair and a thick walrus-like mustache.<br />
+The shocking death of Ace sends Ted over the edge and on the road to becoming something else as Ted is put to the test and questions his sanity and humanity; Damien contemplates joining the army as a drummer boy.
+====VIII. The Fallen Angel of Nebelheim====
-"Very well." he said. "You are from the Volhalt family?"<br />
+Ted recuperates from his injuries in the hospital as his physical status has left him unable to cope with what has happened.
+====IX. Shooting Star====
-"Yes sir." I said<br />
+Straying from the adventures of the older Alborn boys, this chapter focuses on eight year old Damien Alborn, who snuck away from home to enlist as a drummer boy to find his brothers.
-"Very well. Thank you for enlisting. Go to this address to complete the process." he said, handing me a small business card type thing.<br />
-"Thank you sir." I said, politely as I could.<br />
-"Good luck. May the odds be in your favor, boy." he said.
-I walked out of the building, still wearing my high school uniform. I walked slowly, deliberately, all the way home, which was in the apartments behind the shops. There was where I lived, with my mother, brothers and stepfather. My stepfather was a playful man, but there was certainly tension between he and I. My eight year old brother Damien was probably one of my few joys left in life. He was small and pale, with jet-black hair and pale icy-blue eyes. He was a fun-loving child, but also had something dark about him. My other brother was my fraternal twin brother Callan. Callan had light colored hair and eyes, and he was taller than me by a bit.<br />
-I suppose I was pretty dark myself, for being sixteen. I had black hair and ocean blue eyes. It was more of the expression in my eyes and on my face that made me "dark". I was known at school for being a very diligent and serious student, careful in all of my calculations and explanations, often preferring to work alone, if not with Callan. I had to let them make those observations of me, but at the same time I kept the whole of well...me, as far from them as I could. They didn't know that I sort of had a natural ability to play the piano. They didn't know about my secret aspirations or emotions or dreams. I kept all that hidden. Anything I could keep them from adding to their profile of me was an advantage in my book.<br />
-Of course, I suppose the main problem of my socialization at school wasn't that I was a social outcast by any poignant flaws or wrongdoings. In my careful estimation, my more anti-social behavior regarding school was my rather mature take on it, and perhaps a slight bit of arrogance towards my more immature peers, who weren't able to keep up with me since we were all younger. I had always immersed myself in my studies, meticulously keeping note of every bit of information I learned and to my delight I found that what I had learned stayed there, in my brain.<br />
-At home, to outsiders, things seemed so simple. Other than the loss of my father, things seemed perfect. Callan, Damien and I were all very sharp boys, well-dressed and all. We were smarter than the average boys in our town, I suppose because Mother always expressed the importance in our education. We were a good-looking bunch, certainly and we looked happy. But there were some more...obscure things about our home life.<br />
-For one, until our stepfather Bernard showed up, Callan and I had acted as the men of the family, since we were around nine or so. It wasn't too bad, Callan could cook among other things, and I had enough strength to do hours of physical labor to make our income. It was at R & R Ironworks where I had first worked, lifting heavy metal to the conveyor belt to be turned into raw material for Battle-Bots, the military's latest combat weapon.<br />
-Battle-Bots were large robotic machines. They were once used solely for battle, but they are now used for many different purposes, such as transportation and logging and the like. They were commonly issued to all soldiers and police forces. I remember walking by a line of shiny Police bots once.<br />
-However, when Bernard showed up, things changed. Since he was wealthy, I could quit work and focus completely on my education. But I had a very unsteady relationship with Bernard. Bernard wasn't as tall as Callan and I's father, with light brown hair that was a bit wavy. He was a playful man, wealthy and lacking the work ethics I had inherited from years of child labor. He didn't know how to do the things that Callan and I, young teenage boys, knew how to do. He preferred to mess around with my mother, sometimes in front of me. That made me irritable, and we'd had our disagreements before. Not like I could really yell at him like I've wanted to...but I could always shun him, in a sense. I was always very distant to him, distant because I wanted to keep him and I that way. In no way did I intend to have him close to me, and there wasn't a chance in hell that I'd just let him up and replace my father. My father would be proud of Callan and I. Bernard was a bit critical. He had to point out our every mistake, specifically mine because being the more unpredictable, cocky, hotheaded twin that I was made me prone to "make mistakes".<br />
-I continued my walk home. Home for us was an apartment in back of the shops. It was in a small backroad that could only be found by taking the steps that led to it from off the main street. It wasn't particularly spacious, but it would do.<br />
-As soon as I walked in I could see that Bernard was here, messing around with Mother on the sofa. I threw my schoolbag down. Not enough to cause a real fuss, but enough to be heard, and rather than make a beeline through the living room to Callan, Damien and I's room, I went into the kitchen. Callan was cooking, as was the norm. Bernard didn't know how to cook, and he never left Mother alone enough when he was here for her to cook.<br />
-"Has he been here all this time?" I asked. The kitchen was far enough away for Mother and Bernard to not hear us, but for us to be able to privately converse in hushed voices.<br />
-"Yes. Wouldn't leave mum alone." Callan said, slight disdain in his voice. I offered out my hands, my way of telling Callan to let me help him cook dinner. He let me chop some vegetables, reminding me under his breath to make sure I was careful.<br />
-"Callan?" I asked, allowing my voice to take on a softer note.<br />
-"Yes?" he replied, sensing that small difference in my voice and looking up at me.<br />
-"I enlisted." I said in such a small, quiet voice I could barely believe I had said it.<br />
-"What?"<br />
-"In the military...I enlisted." I said, more confidently but still quiet enough for only him to hear.<br />
-Callan stopped, looking at me in shock.<br />
-"Why would you enlist?!" he asked, still careful to keep quiet.<br />
-"Cal, everyone is enlisting. They had so little men enlist, that they've been taking in kids fourteen and up. And now...younger kids are enlisting. The little eleven year old boy from across the way was there, and he's made it in." I explained.<br />
-"Are you sure it's not because you want to get away from Bernard?" Callan asked. I cringed a bit, knowing that in a single guess, Callan had one of the real reasons I was enlisting down.<br />
-I didn't need to reply. He already knew.
-That night, I lay awake in bed, thinking about the situation. Callan and I had a single bed by the window. Damien was sleeping in a small bed, near a moon-shaped nightlight, which cast a soothing yellow glow into the room. I peered from the window out into the streets. I did this periodically, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. I allowed myself to fall asleep, only upon recalling fond memories of our father...<br />
-...I woke up quite suddenly. It wasn't even five o'clock in the morning yet. I noticed why at once. The space where Callan ought to have been was empty. I waited a few minutes, assuming it was a bathroom break or something. After fifteen minutes, I jumped out of bed and shrugged off my pajama shirt and shucked off the pants, pulling on my school uniform. I crept into the hallway, where the front door opened suddenly. I brought my arms up in a defensive position. There was no need. It was only Callan.<br />
-"Cal?" I asked. "What are you doing up?"<br />
-"Don't be mad at me, Ted. I couldn't let you go alone." he replied.<br />
-"What?" I asked, perplexed.<br />
-"I've enlisted." he said. I stared in shock.<br />
-"I can't let you go alone, Ted. And lose you too? No." he said.<br />
-"Someone needs to take care of Mother and Damien though." I said.<br />
-"Then Bernard can do it himself." Callan replied simply.<br />
-"Cal, he doesn't even know how to cook." I said.<br />
-"There's a first time for everything." Callan replied with a smirk.
-The designated location was at the church across the main street from where our apartments were. Callan and I left early the next morning. It was during school, but all boys enlisting in the army were exempt from school for the occasion. There, a drill officer was lecturing us on the importance of the battle, and how we were helping to protect our loved ones. Then, we were issued our uniforms. They were fairly comfortable, and black as death, or as night without the moon or stars. I did enjoy the peaked cap that came with it, and using one of the provided mirrors, noticed the more manly effect the uniform seemed to bring.<br />
-Callan and I folded our uniforms neatly away in our suitcases, which we had brought with us. We both cast each other uneasy glances, knowing that tonight was the night we had to tell Mother and Damien about our enlisting and our departure, which was set to be early tomorrow morning. Night was quickly falling.<br />
-On the front doorstep, we wished ourselves the best of luck.<br />
-"Mother?" I said, as soon as we came in. I nodded for Callan to make a beeline to our rooms to pack other valuables, having a feeling we wouldn't have an easy time leaving if we lingered too long.<br />
-"Yes darling?" she asked. She was sitting with Bernard on the couch. Trying my hardest not to glare, I took a deep breath.<br />
-"I just want you to know, that no matter what, Callan and I love you." I said, slowly and deliberately. From behind me, Callan gave the thumbs-up, having packed what few belongings we needed left into our suitcases at light-speed. He came to join me.<br />
-"Mum...we've enlisted in the Nebelheim National Military." Callan said, saying those words I just couldn't get out.<br />There was a tense moment of silence and shock, which was interrupted by Damien, who started crying. Even the young children knew the effects of war by now.<br />
-"You can't go." Mother said.<br />
-"It's too late mother. Callan and I already have our uniforms and our train tickets. We're leaving Laurentime on the Falcon Express during the street parade tomorrow." I said.<br />
-"You can't leave. I can't lose you two...not after your father." Mother said.<br />
-"Mum, it's the only way we can protect you and Damien. We have to fight for you." Callan said, trying to reason with her. Throughout our lives, Callan had always been the voice of reason, and I had always looked to him when I didn't feel like being chastised.<br />
-Mother got up and Callan and I immediately embraced her and I couldn't help the tears that followed, for I knew that there was that chance we would never see her again. But I had to remain hopeful.<br />
-"I'm sorry." I said.<br />
-Callan and I each hugged Damien, then grabbed our suitcases and strode out of the house and into the night.<br />
-"Stop!" a voice shouted behind us. It was Bernard.<br />
-"Keep going." Callan said in a low voice to me. "The longer we prolong it, the more time they have to try and make us stay."<br />
-Suddenly I was slammed into. The impact didn't knock me off my feet, but I was shoved and fell to the ground. I only had time to notice it was Bernard before Callan dropped his suitcase and threw himself at Bernard, knocking the man over.<br />
-"Don't...ever....put your....hands on....my...brother!" Callan yelled, punching Bernard. I knew Callan wasn't punching with the intent to really harm him, but more to get his message across. I got shakily to my feet as Callan got up and brushed himself off a minute.<br />
-"Just because you aren't going to fight, doesn't mean I'm going to watch men and boys of all the other families leave to die. We need to serve for our country, and keep our father's honor. And there's no turning back! For our country, and for Dad!" Callan yelled. I could feel the revolution stirring within me.<br />
-Callan grabbed his suitcase and beckoned for me to follow suit. Then we turned, and ran into the night.
-We ended up taking refuge at an older friend of ours named John's house. John was a good friend of ours for quite some time now, and he didn't live too far from our house. As soon as he saw us on the doorstep, he knew we weren't able to stay home and made beds for us on the sofa.<br />
-John was a friendly fellow, who had always helped me with my arithmatic work. He had a kind, amiable nature to him, golden hair and bright ocean blue eyes. He was not much taller than us. with a nice, kind smile. His mother and father were rather used to us by now, and were just as friendly. John, too, was departing for war, and he was more than glad to be leaving home with friends.<br />
-The next morning, we all pulled on our nicest uniforms and bade John's parents farewell. We walked through the streets and to the church, where men in uniforms had assembled in the street. A large black military-issue truck with an open back for us to sit awaited. Families peered out of windows and doorways and lined the nearby sidewalks. The very young children would already be at school by now, in their uniforms, waiting to salute the soldiers as they passed.<br />We all did a large communal salute, then got into the back of the truck. As luck had it, I had Callan on one side and John on the other. The truck spluttered to life, then with a deep grumble, began its trek to the station, where we would leave our former lives behind.<br />
-As we passed, people gave us the national salute. I could see the adults of families, some of whom were crying. I could see why. Though there were mostly older boys and men, there were a few kids in the truck that looked about eleven or twelve and even more thirteen and fourteen year olds. People stopped in the street to look us over. There were four military trucks, and Callan, John and I were in the very first one departing.<br />
-We passed by our side of main street, and I could see Mother and Bernard. Callan and I yelled to her, and I could see her wave and start crying. Bernard comforted her. Callan and I, with a terrible sinking in our hearts, got our very last glimpse of our mother for a long time.<br />
-Before long, we were passing the schools. Elementary school aged children stood in a neat procession on the sidewalk, saluting us, their identical uniforms almost making them a small army of their own. I could see Damien. We waved to him and he stopped to wave back, getting some attention from his friends for it. The last glimpse we got of our dear little brother was him saluting us, showing us the country's ultimate form of respect as our destinies opened up and Callan and I joined a world different from the one Damien knew.<br />
-We passed by old schools and shops we had bought goods at. We even passed the Ironworks I had worked so hard at. Old, seasoned employees began saluting me and adding a special hand gesture of their own, which meant "good luck" as far as factory terms went, by placing the index and middle fingers of their left hand just over their right eye.<br />
-The truck ground to a halt, and we all got out in perfect lines. The station Callan and I had passed by so many times while bicycling together on the way to school was before us, even more grandiose than ever. Ranks of officers led us in, and we each flashed our tickets to the inspector and were marched up to a waiting, scarlet and black locomotive.
-Callan, John and I stopped to give the town we had lived in one final, fond glance. Today we stood there together as boys, barely men in a sense. But I knew that by the time we would return home, we would already be men.<br />
-Without further hesitation, we stepped onto the train and took our first steps into a long and uncertain journey.
-==Total War - II. Distance==
-Callan, John and I managed to find an empty compartment on the very end of the train. There, we put our luggage in the special luggage rack and closed the lid. I sat near the window seat facing where we were going, and Callan sat opposite me. John took a seat beside Callan. Since there was only three of us, it was rather roomy. The seats were scarlet and plush and it was well air-conditioned in here.
-Suddenly the compartment door opened up. It was a boy, younger than Callan and I, about twelve or thirteen. He had short red hair and was in uniform, like us. He seemed nervous.
-“Can I sit with you guys?” he asked.
-“Sure.” I said.
-He smiled instantly and sat beside me. His name was Liam Tiernan, but he encouraged us to call him LT. He had just turned thirteen years old, and like me, had been working in a factory. He had been living with only his older brothers, and one had gone to enlist a year ago and never came back. So LT himself had snuck out and enlisted, claiming to be fourteen.
-“And here I am.” LT said.
-“What about your parents?” John asked.
-“My mother died when I was young, and my father is in jail. Tried to steal a police bot.” LT explained. He seemed upset when mentioning his mother, but shrugged off his father’s arrest easily.
-“Sorry to hear that.” John said.
-As the train went through a dark tunnel, my memories began to consume me.
-''I giggled, rolling down the biggest hill I’d ever seen. The grass was a perfect emerald green, the sky a vast blueness above me, marred only by clouds. I was wearing a white shirt, with a wolf on it, and a pair of blue shorts and white sneakers. Callan came running after me, about ten years younger than I knew him to be, wearing green camouflage shorts and a white shirt exactly like mine.''
-''“Hey Teddy! Callan! Wait up!” a voice cried. I was shocked. I knew that voice. I turned and saw Dad.''
-''He was every bit as handsome as I remembered him to be, with brown hair and blue eyes. He stood, six foot two, with lots of muscle and the world’s brightest smile on his face.''
-''In that very instant, both Callan and I ran for our dad and hugged him. He seemed pleasantly surprised by our affection, but lifted us both up in the air.''
-''“Now here’s my little men!” he cried, grinning. I was hugging him very tightly, and I could tell Callan was doing the same.''
-''“What was it that you wanted to be when you grew up again Callan?” he asked.''
-''“An artist!” Callan chimed. I was a bit more than surprised. Callan and I would go on to fend for ourselves and support our family so much in the future, that our childhood dreams for adulthood lay forgotten. I knew Callan could have achieved his goal too. I’d never met someone who could draw like how he did. I could draw a bit myself, but it was only okay drawings. Nothing like the magnificent art that Callan could accomplish.''
-''“And what about you Ted?” he asked. Mentally, as sixteen year old Ted, I was surprised and rather curious about my answer. I had long forgotten what my dreams for the future were.''
-''“A knight!” I said, to my own surprise. Then I remembered. When I was little, ever since I was a knight for Halloween, I’d been practically obsessed with them, wanting to be one myself.''
-''Suddenly I was not six year old Ted, but sixteen year old Ted, standing apart from my dad, Callan, and my six year old self. I tried to yell for Dad, but he couldn’t hear me.''
-I jolted awake. John and LT had fallen asleep, but Callan was awake.
-“Well that was a short nap, Ted. I guess nineteen minute naps are your new record.” he said, with a shrug.
-“Cal, my dream wasn’t a normal dream. It was a memory. I couldn’t remember it until now.”<br />He responded by looking at me curiously.
-“What was it about?” he asked.
-“Remember when we used to live in the country? Before Dad died?” I asked.
-“Yeah...yeah of course.” he said.
-“Remember what we wanted to be when we grew up?” I asked.
-Callan paused to think for a moment, before looking back up at me, crestfallen.
-“No.”
-“I remember now. You wanted to be an artist when you were young...and I wanted to be a knight.”
-Callan looked puzzled for a moment, then his face changed to one of complete shock.
-“That’s right...”
-“I just remembered that.” I said.
-The trip was many hours long, but I passed it either sleeping or talking to Callan, John, and LT. When the train finally stopped and we were told to disembark, it was night.
-We lined up in rows and saluted, then were released. There were stations where a soldier could find a hotel willing to keep him for free, some stations listed paid for lodgings, and some had cards that bore the names of families that were willing to take a soldier in. The lines for these stations were long, so Callan, John, LT and I went outside. I was holding the cap of my uniform in hand, having taken it off when we disembarked.
-A young brown-haired boy approached us. He kind of reminded me of Damien, in a way. He had brown hair, and was rather small. He may have been older than Damien, for he looked about nine years old. He was, strangely enough, wearing a uniform identical to the one we wore. The boy moved closer, and then snatched my hat out of my hand and started to run.
-“Hey!” I yelled. The boy kept running and so I ran, suitcase in hand, after him. Callan, John and LT followed. I pounded after him quickly. Was it me, or was he trying to keep himself in sight of us? And was it a trick of the night, or did it look as though he wasn’t alone?
-He ran into a building, right into what looked like an apartment complex. I went in. The door upstairs, on the left, was ajar. Light poured out and I squinted against it, letting my eyes get adjusted from the dark night that lay behind me. I tentatively went up the stairs, and went into the building.
-There was the boy, sitting at an oak table. My cap lay on the table near him. I stepped forward. Callan appeared behind me, panting a bit, and I could hear LT and John coming.
-“Why’d you take my hat?” I asked the boy, who stared at me. There was something odd about his eyes. They were black, black as the night without stars.
-“You needed a place to stay, didn’t you?” he asked. I dropped my suitcase.
-“What?!”
-“You can thank me for inviting you and your friends to stay here.” he said.
-Putting aside the odd feelings I got, I explained the situation to the others in a hushed voice before joining him at the table. There was someone else there.
-It was a guy about our age. He was bigger than Callan or I, with thick, messy dark hair. He was wearing a uniform, just like ours as well. And he was pretty muscular.
-“Hello there. You guys new to the military?” he asked. I nodded.
-“Nice to meet you. I’m Murdock. Kain Murdock.” he said, with a grin. He reached to shake my hand. I took it and shook it.
-“I’m Ted Alborn, and this is my twin brother Callan, our friend, John Davies and LT Tiernan.” I said, gesturing to my friends individually as I said their names.
-“I’m Hilbert. Hilbert Hinterher.” the boy said.
-“Why’d you take my hat and run like that?” I asked.
-“Because something just told me to do it.” he said, seeming a bit unnerved.
-“Weird...” I heard Callan mutter under his breath, quiet enough that nobody other than myself had heard.
-Kain and Hilbert had only a spare room with a single bed and a fold out couch to accommodate two. Callan and I took the bed, since even back home we’d shared. Mother only had enough money for two, and when Damien got too old for the crib, he and I had been made to share. Not that I really minded, because there was always some comfort in knowing even in sleep that you weren’t alone. And even since back then, I’ve always had a tough time sleeping in a room when Callan wasn’t in it. I think it was a twin’s sort of feeling, that I always got enough comfort in his presence alone to send me from hopeless thoughts in the dark of night.
-Alone in that room though, I had the opportunity to discuss things in a hushed voice with Callan. And after the day’s events, I wanted to discuss things with him.
-“Callan?” I asked.
-“Yeah Ted?” he replied.
-“Did you notice anything....odd?” I asked.
-“Well the kids in this town, save from the ones in this house seem to be annoying.” Cal said. “They were screaming things and jabbing at people and whatnot.”
-“No I mean did you notice anything about Hilbert?”<br />“Well he seems pretty jumpy about something doesn’t he? And I’ve noticed he doesn’t smile an awful lot for a kid either.”
-“Yeah, I noticed that too. Think something’s happened to him before?”
-“Possibly. He seemed shifty to me.”
-I wouldn’t have long to find out what it was about Hilbert that I was missing.
-The next morning Callan and I pulled on our uniforms and began to walk through the streets. It was a pretty cold morning, and the wind practically began whipping at us as soon as we left the apartment. When you were looking for odd things, you saw them everywhere in this town. There weren’t kids playing freely in the street. The people walking around us didn’t make eye contact.
-As Callan and I were walking down a lesser-used street some guys came out of nowhere. I allowed Callan to get a step closer to me before I kept walking. The biggest guy came towards me. He had thick brown hair and a rough look to him. The second boy was smaller than the first and slender, with black hair. The third was small and blond, a bit bigger than Hilbert and looking only a bit older.
-“Where do you think you’re going?” the big one asked. He shoved me back. The slender black haired one snickered.
-“Who do you think you are to bother us and question where we’re going? It’s none of your business.” Callan shot back.
-They moved in closer to us. The big one pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and I knew these guys were going to be trouble.
-I immediately acted on instinct and began to grapple the biggest of the three. In his surprise he dropped the switchblade. I saw Callan pushing the slender black haired boy up against the wall. The small blond was going for the switchblade.
-I pushed the big guy aside just enough to kick the switchblade over to where Callan was. Callan scooped it up and the slender dark haired one made a go for him. Callan dived and threw the switchblade high in the air. I heard it make a small skittering noise as it hit the rooftop.
-“You son of a bit-” the second boy said but I kneed him in the stomach. Almost immediately the small boy jumped on me and clung to me. With the awkward position and the way he was holding onto me, I lost my balance and fell. From my viewpoint on the ground I could see Callan and the slender boy rolling around, cursing as they tried to grapple the other into submission. The biggest guy got right up on top of me and started hitting me pretty hard. Just then I heard a yell.
-The guy went flying off of me as a blur hit him. A smaller but more muscular figure pulled the slender guy away from Callan and began hitting him. A red-haired blur was having at it with the small blond kid. Soon enough the three rescuers lifted me off the ground.
-I recognized now the one who had knocked out the biggest of our attackers. It was Kain Murdock, rubbing his fists (which had dealt a great many punches) and swearing. The red haired figure was none other than LT, grinning and looking a bit worn for the wear but not injured. The third, who had taken care of the slender black haired attacker was someone I wasn’t familiar with.
-“Bastards.” Kain snarled. He spat at one of them and we began to walk away.
-“Who were those guys? And what did they want with us?” I asked.
-“The tallest one was Rex Teague. Big jackass if I ever saw one.” Kain said, his voice still having that snarling nature present in it. “The skinny black haired guy was his buddy, Gale Massarotti. And the little shrimp was Mick Cosman. They’re all annoying little bastards who like to stop people on the streets, to mug them.”
-“Gale’s the worst. Real ass.” the guy I wasn’t familiar with said.
-“Oh yeah, this is Malcolm King, but I just call him King.” Kain said, gesturing towards the guy who had beaten on Gale Massarotti.
-Callan and I exchanged handshakes with him. None of us were too injured to really raise any alarm, so we headed back for the apartments. As soon as we went in, Callan and I made a beeline for our room to relax. Once there, we began to talk.
-“Really nice city isn’t it? There’s no kids on the streets, no one will look you in the eyes and there’s thugs roaming around like they own the place.” Callan said with an almost heated contempt.
-“Something’s terribly wrong with this town Callan. And I want to figure it out.” I said.
-“It’s not just the town. What about Hilbert? He still seems a bit...shifty.” Callan pointed out.
-“Yeah, he definitely has some dark history going on here.” I said.
-Just then the ground beneath our feet shook. Something fell off a shelf and broke. Callan and I made a dash for the door. In the living room, John and Kain were moving the couch, while Hilbert, King and LT brought supplies over. There was some kind of trapdoor under the couch.<br />
-We clambered down a ladder into the darkness, Kain securing the door above us. I’d never felt anything like this. It was...not an earthquake. I knew that much.
-Far below there was a room, where we camped out. I took the time to talk to Kain.
-“Kain, what happened?” I asked.
-“We got bombed again.” he said, looking upwards with a sort of uneasiness about him.
-I stared at him, surprised.
-“What about the city’s police force?” Callan asked, looking just as startled as I was.
-“They all got taken out by the past bomb raids.” King said, playing idly with a pocketknife.
-Callan and I exchanged a significant look. We both moved to the far end of the room. Kain left, as the bombs had now stopped.
-“You think that’s why this town is so messed up Cal?” I asked
-“Probably. I mean, no police force to keep people in line and bombs being dropped around here...no wonder the people are so distant. And if they aren’t distant but normal, they’re criminals.”
-“What about Hilbert?” I asked. Right now the young boy was sitting a fair distance away, seeming distant, but in a different way than the people from in town.
-“We’ll have to find that out soon enough.” Callan said.
-Kain returned with a worried look on his face. We all stopped, frozen.
-“Get loads of sleep tonight, guys.” he said, seeming a bit stunned.
-“Why?” John finally asked.
-“Because they want us out there, ready to fight.” he said.
-“Tomorrow?” LT asked.
-“Tomorrow.” Kain stated, and the darkness in the room seemed to become akin to the uncertainty that seemed to surround us.
 [[Category:Original Story]]
 [[Category:Page made by Dark Seeker Kotsu]]