Chapter 1: A Dream of Hope
JUNE 24TH, 2099 16th Holding Camp Sector 6; Subsector 13
It was a dark and dreadful night. AIRO had brought in yet another escapee. I could hear the cries of the tortured soul, the shouts of a dying man. The Baron laughed as the man suddenly grew silent in the room adjacent me.
"Another escapee punished."
I had been delivering food to the Baron and the Crimson Guard, a unit of elite soldiers and members of AIRO. Though they didn't directly lead AIRO, they had a major influence on it.
"So, The Wolfe has brought us our food?" one Crimson Guard said, spitting as he talked.
Ah, forgive me. I should probably fill you in on the current situation. You see, the year is 2099. Japan, Germany, and Russia have gathered together to form AIRO, or the Alliance of Independent Republics and Orders. While there are 3 leaders, one of Japan, one of Germany, and one of Russia, there are 3 leaders of AIRO. Jealous of the wealth of Americans, these 3 World Powers banded together, and eventually overthrew the American military. With Great Britain and Australia as its allies, America still lost the war.
Now, AIRO has taken any Americans and put them in holding camps, where they're tortured a variety of ways. So basically, I'm the Anne Frank of my generation.
There is a Resistance out there somewhere, that I dream will come to the rescue and save everyone. But then again, who doesn't have dreams of hope in times like these?
"What have you brought today, Wolfe?" The Baron stood up. It was quite a rare occasion that he would do this when I brought him food. But he must have been feeling rather good about himself after torturing an escapee to death.
"Ugh, what is this?" The Baron spit the spaghetti back on to the plate it came from.
"It's spaghetti, Milord Baron." My knees grew weak. I knew in an instant that he was going to grow angry, very quickly.
"Tell the cook..." he started, looking around at his subordinates.
"Tell the cook, that we would like as much spaghetti as we can get."
Surprised, I bowed, and left their dinner on the desk of the Baron. I didn't leave as quickly as most of the other servants would, because the Baron had taken a liking to me after I myself had attempted to escape and nearly got away.
After I survived his beating, I became one of his servants, which was supposed to be some kind of honor. I detested it with every fiber of my being. However, I ate twice a day, unlike most of the capturees of the holding camp.
I ran as fast as I could to the kitchen, where multiple chefs were cooking at the speed of light. There musty, sweaty clothes showed just how hard they were working.
"Chef Antonio, the Baron would like as much spaghetti as you can make." My voice had apparently broken a tension of some sort, because Chef Antonio looked at me and smiled.
"He liked my special spaghetti? At last, we find something the Baron likes!" Even faster than before, the team of cooks started on the next batch of spaghetti. I myself disliked it, but it was better than starving.
I sat in a chair, as Chef Antonio insisted. My mind slowly wandered toward Andy, the most beautiful girl in the holding camp. Her straight, brown hair flowing in the Florida wind. Oh, right. In the Sector 6 wind. She had the most stunning facial features, and not even the Baron had the heart to punish her when she made a mistake.
Of course, other boys have become closer to her since my absence in the camp. But when I do get to see her, during Lights Out, it's my most favorite part of the day. After looking at ugly guys and even uglier women, looking at a beautiful face before I sleep is somewhat comforting.
After I had made five or six runs back and forth from the kitchen to the Baron's room, I was finally allowed to go to the cell I slept in. Well, it's not much of a cell, more of a room with 3 or so people in it that weren't allowed out. Ever.
My cellmates were Steven Larson, a very intelligent young man who reads at least 50 books a day, Jamie Thomas, the sterotypical handsome guy who has a decent personality, and the lovely Andrea. Just her name was enough to make me fall over in infautation.
"Heya Alex, how've you been?" Jamie asked me loudly, waking up Steve and Andrea.
All of us were about the same age. I, myself, am 15, as well as Steven. The gap between our IQs is astonishing. Jamie is 17, and Andrea is 16.
"It's good to see you back, and with no marks on your cute face." I knew instantly this was Andrea's voice. I don't think she admired me the way I admire her, so I didn't take it too personally.
"It's good to be back," I said, laughing. 'I can't stand the damned Baron.' I thought to myself.
After a bit of talking and discussing of the day's unfruitful events, we all soon fell asleep. It was only a matter of hours later that we awoke to a deafening alarm, alerting everyone that a capturee had escaped.