Summary: "You can't outrun who you are."
Prologue
"The wars were so long ago nobody even remembers. Darkness and fear ruled until the time of the barons, eight men and women who forged order out of chaos. People flocked to them for protection. That protection became servitude. They banished guns and trained armies of lethal fighters they called Clippers. This world is built on blood. Nobody is innocent here.
Welcome to the Badlands."
"Baron!" A clipper called walking into room where his baron resided. He stood firm with his hands planted by his side.
"What is it?" The Baron Micah asked placing a book he held in his hand unto a shelf. He turned towards the clipper.
"Quinn is here. He requests a meeting with you," The clipper alerted Micah.
"Quinn? That crazy armadillo knows not to come here uninvited," Micah scowled. He didn't like Quinn but he could tolerate more than the other barons. "Inform the other clippers to keep their eye out. Where is Demetri?"
"He's guarding Veil like you asked."
"And where is Quinn right now?" Micah questioned. The last thing he wanted was for Quinn to run into his daughter. The guy had a way of picking brides every month.
"What would you like me to do about Quinn?" The clipper said to his baron.
"What else, make him wait. It'll piss him off. Take me to where Veil is. I need Demetri," Micah ordered the young clipper.
The clipper did a short bow and ushered his Baron over to where the regent and Veil was located. Baron Micah was a man known for not joining into what storm the other Barons were cooking up. Quinn being here only meant he wanted to cause trouble again. The last time he came he wanted to cut the supply of weapons Micah was making for another Baron named the Widow. He knew requesting something like that was forbidden and yet Quinn, in Micah's own words, "brought his crazy ass unto his property and asked for something like that."
Each Baron had their own symbol. Something which distinguish them from each other like their outfits. Quinn, was the armadillo and his clipper force wore red. The widow was a butterfly, with a clipper force of girls wearing blue and Micah was a bear with his clippers wearing green.
You never see much of the other Barons unless Quinn and Widow were at war with each other. At one point the other five Barons considered killing the both of them but they would have to fight over who gets the abandoned land afterwards. It would be a killing spree.
Micah arrived outside his home towards the gardens he created for his deceased wife. She had a thing for flowers so he dedicated this to her as his final gift. He heard laughter coming from his one and only child Veil, his daughter. She looked exactly like her mother, beautiful as can be.
Veil sat in the gardens surrounded by flowers whilst reading a book. The regent, Demetri stood tall by her side.
"Veil!" Micah called walking over to her.
Veil jumped out of her thoughts from the mention of her name. She looked to the direction she heard it from and saw her father standing in the gardens with a clipper beside him.
"Baron," Demetri saluted.
Veil stood up now as her father neared her.
"I need you to go inside for a little while. Just shortly," Micah told his daughter.
Worry filled Veil's face. "Why, what's wrong? Father?"
Micah thought over if he should let her know. "Quinn is here. Who knows what he wants. Just stay out of sight. You," He pointed to the clipper who brought him to her. "Escort Veil to her room and Demetri, I need you to come with me now!"
Veil watched as her father left her alone with the clipper.
"Thi-"
Veil smiled cutting him off. "I know the way thank you."
The clipper straightened up his clothes and didn't' utter another word.
Veil did as she was told and returned to her room alone without the clipper as she didn't feel the need to have an escort. If only her father knew who was there waiting for her.
"Ryder," She greeted her old childhood friend. They use to play with each other when they were really young and her father use to take her to Quinn's fort but then her father distanced himself from the other Barons and she never saw Ryder as much as she did as a child. Most people in the badlands almost forgot Micah had a daughter.
"Old friend," Ryder greeted with a smug look on his face.
"Why are you here? Keeping an eye on your father I presume," Veil said resting the book she was reading earlier down on a table in her room.
"More of making sure he doesn't keep me out of the loop."
"And yet you are in my room and not with him and my father?" Veil replied amused.
Ryder glared at her. "You are too smart for your own good."
"Really?" She whispered walking up and down her room bored. She stopped by her window where she could see the small group of clippers Quinn brought.
Veil examined all of them. They stood proud in their red uniforms. She never understood why anyone would be so proud to kill for anyone. Not even her father's clippers.
She noticed one clipper amongst them stood out. He was ordering them around so she knew then he must be the regent.
"Why isn't the regent with your father?" She turned around and asked Ryder.
"Who knows what my father is up to after all aren't I here with you. My father treats Sunny like that's his damn son."
Veil didn't want to listen to anymore of Ryder's jealousy and glanced back down at the regent whom she now knew was named Sunny. This man was supposedly the deadliest clipper in the badlands? He did seem dangerous. She stood examining his features a little more when for a slight second she could have sworn he looked into the direction of the window she was looking out of and met her eyes. She however never moved away from the window and stood her ground until Sunny looked away.
She breathed out when he looked away as her heart was rushing. That man was very dangerous indeed.
"Why are you so interested with the clippers," Ryder suddenly started interrupting her moment.
"Can't a girl look," Veil smiled sweetly.
"Not a barons daughter."
So this was the prologue. The other chapters won't be this short. I'll go into more detail on these new characters and the conversation between Micah and Quinn next chapter. Just a reminder this story is following exactly season 1 & 2 just with a whole other things changed.
