Story: Living Drones

Summary: While hiding underground from the Drones, the Rebel Militia has slowly been teaching anyone and everyone the art of war from an early age. They refused to back down even after watching nearly all of the EE 700 Squad be destroyed. Now that they're close to forever shutting down the Drones, their resolve is stronger than ever. For last thirty years of their struggle, they started training children at the age of four and sent them to fight the Drones at ten. Barely any made to the age of fifteen in those last few years. Thirty people, though, managed to beat the odds and are now nineteen- and thirty-years-old. They're what are called Living Drones, a human who fights as if they were a Drone. It's the final week of the struggle for humanity, and all thirty Living Drones are called away to battle. But, they are only human.

Warnings: Language, Violence, possible gore

…

"Slash, slash, stab, recover!" A woman yells at a group of children, all ranging between the ages of four and seven. The children all hold knives in their hands, slashing and stabbing as commanded by the woman. "Come on, now, keep it up! Slash, stab, slash, slash, stab, slash, stab, recover!"

One little four-year-old girl bit her lip so hard that it began to bleed. She was the only one not wielding the knife in her hand. After a moment, she dropped the knife and dropped to her knees, sobbing.

The woman stopped and whipped around, causing her shoulder length auburn hair to caress her face as it went around her head. She stomped over to the girl, the echoing of her combat boots caused everyone in the room to stop what they were doing and look. They knew that this woman couldn't tolerate little kids who entered the program because they couldn't handle being away from their parents, but she was assigned with them nonetheless.

The woman grabbed the little girl's blonde hair and yanked her head back so she could look at the tear-streaked face. "What's wrong with you? Did you hurt yourself? If you did, then tell me so we can bandage it and move on!"

The little girl shook her head as much as she could. "N-No, I didn't get hurt."

"Then why are you crying?!"

The little girl continued to sob. "I want my mommy! I don't wanna do this, I don't wanna fight!"

The woman growled and threw the little girl onto her back. She picked up the knife and said, "If you don't stop crying, this instant, I will report you to the council! You cannot cry, you cannot want your 'mommy'!" She threw the knife down and faced the other kids. "Is that clear?! That goes for everyone here! No crying, no weeping, no screaming, no yelling, and no begging for your parents!" She faced the girl again. "I'm your mother now, get used to it!"

The door slid open to an old man in his sixties laughing. "Now, now, Nyx, little Sarah is new to the program. You have to be gentle with them, or they won't do as you say."

"It works for everyone else." Nyx said emotionlessly, her sapphire eyes burning into the old man with emotionless fire. "Why'd you come down her, Elder Lucas? I know that it had to be more than just giving me a lecture on being nicer to the kids."

Lucas laughed again. "Ah, we can't fool you, Nyx."

"It'd be bad if you could fool a Living Drone."

"Yes, yes, that's true."

"You bitch!" The little four-year-old Sarah started screaming all of a sudden. "What do you know?! How could possibly know what it's like to be taken away from your parents?!"

Nyx stomped over to Sarah and slapped her as hard as possible across the face before grabbing her hair again and pulling her off of the ground. "My mother was killed by a Drone attack when I was two months old. My father died beside me on the battlefield when I was thirteen. At fifteen, I was labeled the twenty-fifth Living Drone in this Rebel Militia. Many of my good friends died all around me the day I turned ten. A Living Drone trained me, and I dealt with it! You will too!"

She threw Sarah back on the ground, ignoring the cries of pain from the four-year-old. She faced the others. "Slash, slash, stab, stab, slash, stab, recover!"

The kids did exactly as they were told, and were ordered to do that same routine over and over. They were also told that if they helped Sarah, then there would be no food for any of them for a month. They all ignored the four-year-old and continued training.

Nyx and Lucas left the room and walked down the hall, passing few people as all were either training, out on the battlefield, or being trained. She took off her camo jacket and laid it on a filing cabinet where she could find it later, and straightened out her black tank top. Her chest was rather small, but her incredibly lean, hourglass figure made it seem bigger.

"What'd you want, Elder Lucas?" Nyx asked as emotionlessly as she had before.

Lucas replied, "I'd prefer you to call me Uncle Lucas. After all, your father was my younger brother."

"'Was' is the key word. I will not call you that."

"Then I won't tell you what I came to say."

"You what?" She growled at him. "Tell me the information, old man!"

"Call me Uncle Lucas, and we have a deal."

Nyx looked up and down the corridor at least six times before gritting her teeth and saying, "Fine. Tell me the information, Uncle Lucas."

"That's better." He laughed. "Nyx, it seems that the council is going to assign someone else to train the children you're currently training be—"

"What?! That's outrageous!"

"Let me finish!" Lucas sighed. "Because all Living Drones are being sent to the front lines."

"We are?"

"Yes. It seems that the end is near, the council says it's only a matter of weeks, if not days."

Nyx smirked and chuckled once. "I knew there was something up. I haven't seen any of the council in a week, so this is why…?"

"Yes. They were trying to determine if it would be sound to send all of you out. Seeing as we just need one more offensive before this is over, they decided to send all Living Drones." Lucas bowed his head. "I'm delivering this message to all of you: Be ready tomorrow at zero-six hundred hours to move out. Dismiss your class, the council will explain to them after you leave where you went."

She nodded once. "Understood. I will do just that." She turned to walk back to her class, but her uncle stopped her. "What?"

"Be careful. Regardless of what you are, you're still only human. You can, and probably will be killed."

Nyx smirked and laughed. "That's what they said whenever I was sent to battle for the first time. They told me I wouldn't live to see age fifteen, but look at me! I'm almost twenty-one, and with any luck, the Drones will be destroyed before I turn twenty-one."

Lucas let her go and she walked right back to her class. She didn't even bother grabbing her jacket yet, she'd be leaving the room shortly anyway.

As Nyx entered the room, she saw everyone still practicing, with the exception of Sarah. Sarah was still on the ground, crying in pain. Nyx took a breath. "Everyone, stop! That's enough for today!"

Though they were confused, the kids stopped and looked back at their teacher. Many questioned why they were stopping, they had two hours left. She simply answered:

"It will be explained tomorrow. Go back to the barracks. Regardless of class ending early today, I want you all to continue practicing on your own. The next time we meet here, you may still need to know how to work around an enemy." She raised her pale right arm – her entire body was actually the same alabaster pale everywhere – and said, "Dismissed!"