Girl with an Iron Heart
By Jamell Daniels
"Hurry up! Today's the day we found out and I'll be damned if I miss the event because of you!", I yell to my younger brother. I was always a person most people call congenial, but today was different. About a decade ago something happened to world that caused nations to fall and millions to die. Those of us who survived started new city-states and nations, I'm currently staying in the Republic of Toronto. It's a small nation of about 13 million people and contains areas of what was once both the United States and Canada.
The republic sent rangers to the outskirts of the DC area to find an answer after getting word that clues could be there. They seem to think if they know what cause the problem maybe they can fix it or at least prevent it from happening again.
"Tyson hurry up, what's taking you so long. It surely started by now!", I scream at his bedroom door. Tyson is one of my brothers and the second oldest out of our mother's children, I am the eldest.
His door suddenly opens and he walks out.
"Jasmine calm down it's not that serious. What good is knowing what happen to the world going to do us anyway?" he says in a lazy laid-back voice. I roll my eyes and walk towards our apartment door.
"You know I'm right…" He says and low tone voice, almost cracking. I know why his voiced cracked and eyes begin to water. "Yeah…it won't change a thing. But at least we'll know how he died" speaking as I try to hide the fact that I'm about to burst into tears. The sound of trucks rolling into Iron Square draws our attention, we rush to the window that oversees the square and confusion finds its way on our faces. The trucks belonged to the rangers but the event should be happening on the other side of the republic near the woods, not here in the center of a busy city.
Locals begin to gather around the trucks just as confused as me and my brother. As I pull back from the window I fell a grab on my arm that's preventing me from going. I glance at my brother, who is the one grabbing my arm, and see disbelief on his face. Rushing back to the window my eyes widen at the site. Instead of Toronto Rangers stepping out of the trucks, some other men step out. They wore navy blue jackets, marine white berets, jet-black pants, and black boots. "I wonder who they are" I say to my brother.
The men begin to walk around to the back of the truck where they stood and waited until some guy dress the same outfit except he was wearing a blue beret, came around to open the truck using a key. When the doors open, some of the men went to grab shovels.
"What the hell are they doing?" Tyson says with confusion
The remaining men pull out long boxes, big enough to fit a person inside. At that moment in dawn on us. The though of what could be happening is crazy. Whoever they are they wouldn't dare do something like this…would they?
The man with the blue beret opens each box one by one, revealing the bodies of the four rangers the republic sent out, all cut up an bruised. People near the men begin to back away, some even begin to cry.
"My name is Tyle Horde, I am the general of the DC Federation", says the man in blue beret.
"DC Federation?! What the hell is that?" I yell out
"This is what happens when you cross our borders without permission from our leaders" He says.
This is practically an open declaration of war, kill our rangers then bury them in out capitol city. These men…this DC Federation is crazy!
As the men were just getting finish with the burial a representative of town hall was sent to see what was going on, Tyle Horde smiled at the representative and go into the truck, heading off towards the republic's southern border.
The next day fear and panic spread like a wildfire though out the republic, if the DC Federation wanted to make themselves known the succeeded. The Republic called on anyone looking to join the armed forces to do so as soon as possible. Many begin to question if a war was about to begin with an enemy we didn't know existed until a 24 hours ago.
"What they hell do you think you're doing?!" I say vigorously at my brother. He's has packed his things and filled out a form to join the Republic's Armed Forces.
"You're not planning to join are you?!" I yell at him.
"Yes I do! You saw what those men did, what if they come back?!", he says in a loud voice.
"This isn't your fight! Let the republic handle this! I say in a louder voice
Tyson begins to stare at me not saying a word.
"You know you can't stop me, so just drop it Jasmine" he says in a softer voice.
Tyson then turns to grab his things and begins walking toward the door.
"TYSON, TYSON!" I yell toward him with no success of getting his attention.
The door close and Tyson disappears from my sight.
Coming to my senses I grab some things and put them in backpack. Taking only what is needed, are what I think will be needed. Once I've gathered everything I make a run for the door. Tyson must be heading Rogers Centre, it was once a stadium but since been converted into a military training center. It's where anyone looking to join the republic's armed forces would go. Pushing my way through the city streets, I hear my something.
"Jasmine!" a voice calls out.
Stopping in my tracks I begin looking in all directions trying to see the person calling out my name.
"Jassy oh my god hey! Up here silly!" The voice says.
Looking up I'm filled a little joy but not enough to make me forget what I'm doing.
It was my old friend Julie Ore. She once stayed with us until she got a job working for the republic that had her travel the continent. Julie was one of the most beautiful women I've ever meet. I credit that to the fact she is half Asian and Half African American. Long hair, tight eyes, smooth skin, and curves you could see from a mile away. Compare that to my 5'11 height, medium length hair, and not so curvy body she's a beauty god or at least in my opinion. Add to that my secret that I would never tell a soul, she totally has me beat. I answer with a huge smile and eyes widen.
"Hold on I'm coming down" she says.
By the time Julie came down stares 2 minutes have passed.
"Julie hey! It's been so long!" I say with excitement.
"Ugh I know, I just saw your brother. He seemed to be in a rush." she says.
The smile slowly goes aways when she says that.
"Is something the matter?" She asks
"Tyson's joining the armed forces" I say in a soft voice.
"What?! Doesn't he know the republic is planning a mission for the DC Federation?!" She exclaims.
My eyes look straight into Julie's eyes and disbelief finds it's way onto my face.
"Jasmine you have to stop him! These people are crazy, for god-sake they make the Ku Klux Klan look like saints!" she says.
"Did you know about the DC Federation?" I ask her.
"Yeah, we sent messengers after we discovered them. Apparently the messengers never made it back to the republic. That's why the rangers were sent." She says.
"Jesus" I exclaim.
"Jasmine your wasting time, go stop him before it's too late. You know once you join the republic's armed forces it's hard to leave." She says.
Leaning toward to give her a goodbye hug, I turn and make my way to Rogers Centre.
As I walk I only think about what Julie said. If it's true then a war is about to begin, if they were upset about 4 guys crossing their borders then certainly an army will piss them off. Though my main concern is that Tyson is heading straight into a war, and I'm going with him.