The ABC's of Beautiful Disasters

Chapter One: A is for Angels

There were songs of how great Haven City was before the Metal Heads came. They sang about the glorious city in the east, how the children played in the streets without fear of the Krizmon Guard or Metal Heads. It was a time when their leader, Baron Damas, was a beloved but fair leader. He kept his city safe like a good leader is supposed to do. He walked the city freely with his pregnant wife greeting many of his citizens with a warm smile and an open heart. But what kind of story would this be if everyone lived happily ever after? Before the birth of his first son, the Metal Head broke the outer barriers killing hundreds, orphaning children and leaving the city broken. Damas was able to clear that section of the city leaving ruined buildings and cracked streets, before he could start cleaning up that section he was banished to the Wasteland.

Those who remember the rule of Damas are long gone, killed off by disease, Metal Head attacks or died naturally from old age. People only know the cold rule of Baron Praxis, the man with the iced heart and a thirst for power. Children feared playing in the street and many adults avoided going outside because of the new, and deadly, Krizmon Guard. To remind the people that they lived in the shadow of his rule, he built a towering palace to remind everyone that he, and his guard, was always watching.

In the basement of the Fortress Baron Praxis' guards were training. In a makeshift city, a girl ran down the street. She fired when she saw a Metal Head running towards her; the cut-out spun and slid back into the grove it lived in. It was the same every time, the same creatures that popped up and pretended to fire at her. If she wanted to, she could've done the whole course blindfolded but she knew Torn wouldn't let her do it. Her thoughts were cut short when she felt the dull pop in her back, she turned around quickly glaring at the newbie that ducked behind a crumbling pillar.

"Taken out by a newbie, that's rough Park." Her communicator chuckled. "Come back to the bay, I have a mission for you." She walked back to loading dock, dragging her gun behind her. She hated the walk of shame, she always laughed at the newbies that had to walk past her with the giant 'I'm out' splatter on their bodies. She only did the walk every couple of months on days she was off and that one day she had a hangover. She climbed onto the loading dock and glared at the fake city before she entered the small over look where the sergeants could watch their privates. She walked past them to the female change room, she tossed her helmet on the bench and opened her locker. She pulled off her red jumpsuit and tossed it in. She pulled out her black shorts, a white sleeveless top and her black boots. She shoved her feet into them and pulled on her red jacket, she took her mod gun and pistol and attached them to her hips. She slid her knife into its holder, as she walked out of the change room she slipped on her fingerless gloves and pocketed her communicator.

"About time, Parker." A man said stepping into step with her, he handed her a file. "I was getting worried you got lost."

"We designed the course, Torn." She said opening the file. "The day I get lost is the day you shoot me."

"I've gotten word that there's a rebellion forming in the Bazaar." Torn said ignoring her comment. "We've found their location but their objective is fuzzy, they haven't made it clear what they want. The Baron wants to snuff them out before they get any traction."

"Sounds boring," She said flipping through the three pages of information on the four members of the small group. She looked to her Commander. A year or so ago they both wore the chunky red armor the privates, sergeants, and officers used to wear. Now he wore a dark blue jacket under arm armor, his belt held everything a Commander needed, several communicators, three pistols and a mod gun. The metal on his boots made a clinking sound as they walked towards the elevator. She stopped and held it out in front of her. "Does the Baron really want us to go after four members? It's not really a rebellion yet."

"If anyone breathes the word rebellion he wants them in the Fortress and questioned immediately."

She sighed. "Fine, but I'm going home after this one."

"After you question them with Erol."

Rounding up the rebellious group of four turned out to be difficult, there were only two members that were at their hideout, which was a small bakery in the Bazaar, the other two scattered once they say the Krizmon Guard outside. The small collective of guards that followed Parker went after the other two, taking the one that used a Zoomer to escape down in a fiery inferno and the other fell to his death when he continued running through the Port. Her guards were now busy fishing for his body near the Hip Hog Saloon.

"Any update on the fishing trip?" Parker asked taking off her guns, she placed them on the table as Erol walked in. Just like Torn, Erol was stuck in the red armour before he graduated the level of Captain making him her boss. The man threw out his red jumpsuit for a blue one, which made her laugh because he spent most his time complaining about the red one. He kept the armored shoulders and the pointed boots; he paced in front of the glass window looking in on the old man sitting chained to a table. An hour ago he cried for the death of his sons and Erol just laughed in his face.

"Haven't heard anything." Erol said keeping his eyes on the sobbing man. "He cracked after I talked to him."

"He was scared." Parker said taking off her communicator and stepping up to the window. He was older with graying hair and a short beard. His upper lip was bleeding and his left eye was almost swollen shut, next time she wouldn't leave Erol alone with a prisoner. "He's sad now and will be easier to talk to."

Erol chuckled. "Are you going to use your womanly charm on him?"

She smirked and opened the door, the man immediately tried to jump to his feet but almost fell when his chains stopped him. "Wh-wh-who are you?" The man stuttered.

She kicked the door close behind her. "Lieutenant Parker."

"What happened to my other son?" He asked softly.

"Dead." Parker lied. "My officers are fishing for him at the bottom of the Port, granted," She sat down in front of him. "Finding him is highly unlikely." He crumbled into tears, sobbing out his sons' names. "So let's talk about this little rebellion you were planning." She snorted. "Although, it's not really a rebellion with four people."

"It's nothing," He cried. "Just talk between my sons, they hated the choices they had. They didn't want to work for the guard or work for the Baron. They wanted to be free and make their own choices." He dropped his head in his hands. "I warned them, oh Precursors; I warned them about talking like that."

"How do you feel about our Baron?"

The man glared. "He ordered you and your men to kill my sons!"

"We were ordered to capture your sons and talk with them, they ran so we pursued."

"But we didn't do anything wrong!" He shouted. "I'm a humble baker trying to make a living in this city, my sons were confused about their lives and spoke out. Speaking is not a dangerous thing."

Parker smiled. "Actually, two boys talking about rebelling against Baron Praxis causes others to come and listen. Those who listen tell their friends and families, they tell other people before it spreads like an infection across the city. Soon we have people testing the Krizmon Guard, plotting to over throw the Baron and challenging order." She leaned forward. "These are dangerous times my friend, Praxis is trying to keep the city safe and sound but he can't do that if simple bakers like yourself keep challenging his rule. So this is what's going to happen, I can send you to the Fortress to rot or you can tell me who else in your 'rebellion' and I'll send you to the Fortress to be re-educated in why you shouldn't challenge the Baron again."

"I'm not a part of any rebellion." He said.

"Alright," She got up and walked behind him. "Last chance, give me some names or you'll wish you were never born."

"Go to Hell." The man spat back.

"Wrong answer." She pulled her knife out of her leg strap and jammed it into the man's hand, she dragged it up slicing his middle finger in two. His screams echoed off the room as Parker spun it knife, he cried out for mercy as she walked to the window and tapped on the glass. "How's that for a womanly touch?"

TBC…