Exordium Proelium
By foolofatook9
PROLOGUE
The Boy From Complex 59
In the year 2039, All the nations united as one under the government of an organization simply known as the League. During this time, certain well kept secrets, such as the existence of Magical Peoples were revealed. Discrimination against Witches and Wizards began almost immediately after the nonmagical people realized that the Wizards and Witches would not cooperate with their requests.
The practice of Magic was outlawed in December of 2042, but there would always be those who would use Magic for both good and evil. Tellius Hwang was one such man (He sought to use Magic for the good of Wizardkind). In 2088, Hwang formed a secret society called the Plebius Venenum, or, 'The Commoner's Bane'.
Hwang's standards were radical. His long-term goal was to someday rid the world of the League, and restore the old order once more. He might not have succeeded had it not been for two unlikely teen wizards, whose story has only begun in this record.
:::
The little boy cowered in the shadows, his whole body shaking in fear, sadness, and grief. Mitch thought he couldn't have been more than five. He was a cute kid too, with big brown eyes that rimmed with tears, messy red hair, and a spray of freckles across his small face.
Joe looked over his newspaper at Mitch. "Where'd you find him?"
"Over in the rubble where Complex 59 exploded. Scared to death. Won't tell me his name, or anything." Mitch explained, crossing the room and grabbing a Galactic Gush jelly doughnut with cherry filling out of the box on Joe's desk.
"Hey, that was mine!" Joe exclaimed, his own mouth full of a coconut crème filled doughnut.
"It's only expected," Laura replied, looking up from the paperwork she'd been filling out. "The kid's just lost everything."
"Yeah, well if the brat won't cooperate he might add a couple of body parts to that list," Joe said nastily, glancing over at the kid to make sure he'd heard the threat. The kid gave a yelp and shrunk back into the corner. Satisfied, Joe relaxed back into his chair, taking a swig of coffee out of his mug.
"Nice going Joe." Laura spat. "You just scared the poor kid's tongue out of his mouth. He'll be afraid of the police for the rest of his life now, just you watch. The roots of Paranoia are planted in the early years. You've just changed the whole course of the kid's lif-- "
"Shut up, Laura." Joe replied, and then he turned back to the boy. "What's your name, kid?" The kid didn't answer at first. He didn't know what to do. His every thought clung to the order his mother had given him ever since he could talk. Never tell anyone your real name unless you're sure they're a wizard.
"Well?"
"Simeon." He replied.
"And your last name, kid?" Simeon struggled to remember the pseudonym his mother had used. But it would not come. He searched the room for ideas, and even tried to recall some the names of some old wizards his mother had told him about—but no, they would surely recognize them.
"I don't know." Simeon said finally. Joe made a noise of frustration, and threw his newspaper to the ground.
"Joe--" Laura began.
"Stupid kids!" Joe exclaimed. "Good for nothing wastes of time! That's all they..." The door creaked open and Anne stepped in, her short, dishwater blonde hair looked rather disheveled. She had a large stack of folder in her arms that almost obscured her vision.
"What is this time, Peters?" She sighed, eyeing the kid in the corner suspiciously.
"It's this kid..." Joe growled. "He won't tell us his bloody last name." Joe sunk his teeth into a new raspberry jelly filled doughnut.
Mitch sighed. "I'll drop him off at the Unit 76 place... you know, where they have work for orphans"
Anne shook her head and made her way over to Simeon. "He's just a little boy... do you know what they make the kids do at that place?" The little boy looked teary-eyed up at Anne. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Simeon I don't remember." Anne smiled a little and adjusted her reading glasses.
"Can you tell me how old you are?" Simeon nodded and held up his small right hand, spreading his five stubby fingers apart.
"This many." He sniffed. With his left hand, he wiped away his tears.
Anne considered Simeon for a moment before tuning back to the officers. "I have a friend called Jason Mann who took in a little girl about year ago. She's around five now. Don't do a thing until I've called him."
"Called him? Nobody uses phones anymore." Mitch scoffed.
Anne shrugged. "Jason has for as long as I've known him. He's a bit old fashioned, but he'll take good care of the kid... if he can take him, that is."
"Do I care?" Joe muttered under his breath. Simeon scooted farther away from him and watched Anne pull an ancient looking telephone out of the closet and dial a number. "Jason?... Oh, hi, Guinevere. Can I talk to Mr. Mann?... Actually, I'm hoping to come see you soon. But I really need to speak to Mr. Mann... OK, Guinevere, bubye..." Anne smiled. "Jason? Hi, it's Anne ... of course you know it's me. Listen, can you do me a favor? Well... I've got a kid here, about Eve's age... He won't tell us his last name, so we can't run a search... and he's not twelve, so we're not authorized to give him a DNA exam... I know, I wouldn't do it anyway, awful stuff...Umm-hmm. Anyway, my point is this... if we don't find him a suitable guardian in two days; he'll have to go to the Orphan's Home in Unit 76... You'd like to meet him?... Tomorrow at eleven it is. Thanks so much Jason... OK, tell Eve I said bye... OK, bye Jason." Anne hung the phone up and turned to the rest of them. "He'll have to stay in Temp. Care tonight, but I'll pick him up at eleven."
No one moved. "What are you waiting for?" Anne exclaimed. "Somebody get him to TC!" She hurried out of the room. "Tell Tina I'll be there for him just before eleven hundred hours tomorrow!"
Once she was gone, Mitch and Laura turned to Joe. "Well? What're you waiting for?" Mitch said, his lips twitching in a smile. "Get the kid to TC!"
Joe glared at his co-workers and threw his doughnut back down on his desk. He strode over to Simeon and grabbed him roughly by the hand and yanked him out of the room.
Joe complained to Simeon the whole way they made their way down the cold, empty corridors. "They're always giving me the stink jobs, those two. All because some wizard bloke named Finnigal... or something like that was me great, great granddad. I ask you!"
Simeon tugged on his arm, trying to loosen Joe's grip. But Joe seemed not to notice.
"Eh, what do you know, anyway? You're just a stupid kid. Good for nothing stinker... Well here we are... TC. Get out of my sight." Joe opened the double doors and shoved Simeon in.
"Morris'll be in for him at eleven." He barked, and then made his way briskly back down the hall. He could already taste that raspberry doughnut waiting for him on his desk.
Simeon didn't sleep at all that night .He kept waiting for his Mum to walk through the door and sing him to sleep, as she always had. Where was she? Why was he here without her? Why did Mitch take him from the Complex, but leave his Mum there? Was his Mum in a room just like this, waiting for someone to take her to Mr. Mann?
:::
Anne found Simeon in the little play cubicle in TC the next morning, being carefully watched by Tina. He had a cheap Captain Coalition action figure grasped in his hands, and there were other League approved toys- The Building Blocks of Tomorrow™, a mini Thunder Gun that light up and made loud pops, and other similar objects were strewn across the floor, yet it seemed as though he hadn't played with a single one.
"Where's mummy?" He asked Anne when he saw her. Anne looked upon him with pity and led him out of TC and down the longg hall to the exit of the Unit 77 Police Headquarters. "Where is she?" he demanded.
"Simeon, do you remember what happened last night? The explosion?" Simeon nodded weakly. "Well," Anne said with difficulty. Breaking horrible news to little kids was not her job, after all. Her expertise lied in breaking bad news to stupid adults who did horribly dumb things and deserved to be fired. "Well, your mummy died in the fire, Simeon." Simeon's brown eyes welled up with tears.
"She's gone?" he asked as the reached pod car.
"I'm afraid so," Anne replied, unlocking the door and helping Simeon in.
Simeon took a deep breath to keep from crying. "And Ailee?"
"Who?" Anne asked, turning her head sharply toward Simeon.
"My baby sister." He said, his eyes growing wide.
"Oh, Simeon," Anne seemed close to tears herself. "I'm so sorry."
Simeon didn't speak the whole ride. He just leaned his head against the window and gazed out the window, watching the concrete landscape whoosh past him. There was nothing to draw his interest, or distract him from the horrible emptiness that was overtaking him. There were only tall, gray buildings.
The pod stopped and Anne took his hand and led him into a Complex that looked very much like the one he had lived in all his life. The memory of the small apartment he had shared with his mother and sister brought him even closer to tears.
Anne pushed one of many buttons on the wall beside the double doors. "State your name and purpose." Said a digital voice. Anne leaned close to a small reviever beside the key pad.
"Anne Morris, Here for a visit to Jason Mann in apartment twenty three."
"Accepted." said the voice, and the double doors opened wide. Anne pulled Simeon through and the doors swung shut right behind them. Apartment twenty three was at the end of the hall on the first floor. Anne knocked three times on the door, and it creaked open tentatively. Anne and Simeon shuffled through to be greeted by a tall man in his sixties and an exuberant little girl.
"ANNIE!" exclaimed the little girl, rushing towards Anne. The little girl knocked over two glassed and a vase of flowers on her way. The man leaned over and began to sweep away the mess, muttering apologies to Anne as he did so.
Anne chuckled and ruffled the little girl's hair. "Hey, Eve."
Eve pulled away and tugged at Jason's hand. "Can I go play?" she whispered. Jason nodded. "Can he come with me?" she asked, pointing at Simeon.
"Maybe later, Guinevere." Jason replied. Eve smiled at Simeon.
"I made dolls. You can be Sir Separation and save them all from Mister Unity. And then I can be---"Jason forced a smile.
"Go play, Eve."
"OK. Please come and play with me soon." She added to Simeon before skipping off, her blonde locks billowing out behind her.
"I thought Sir Separation was the villain." Anne said with raised eyebrows.
Jason forced another smile. "We all have our opinions on the matter. Even four year olds," he replied, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. "Sit down," Jason motioned toward a weathered couch. Anne and Simeon settled into the sofa, while Jason emptied the glass shards from the vase into the waste basket, the sat across from them in a spindly backed chair.
"I've got to glass proof the house," he told Anne with a chuckle. Anne smiled. Jason stretched in his chair, then turned his eyes to Simeon. "What's your name, boy?" he inquired.
"Simeon."
"Can you tell me something, Simeon?" Simeon shrugged. Jason licked his lips and looked intently into Simeon's dark eyes with his own light blue ones. "What was your father's name?" Jason asked.
Simeon looked away. "I don't know, sir. I never met him."
Jason nodded. "Your mother's name?" There was something in the man's eyes that made Simeon want to tell him the truth.
"Amanda, sir."
"I'll take him." Jason said briskly.
"But... what--" Anne seemed thoroughly bewildered.
"I think I knew his mum, that's all." Jason explained quickly. "Now, you go back to work, Anne. I'll take things from here." Jason quickly ushered her out the door.
"Ok..." Anne replied, looking extremely puzzled. "Well, let me know how things go. And I'll send over the paperwork."
"Of course, Anne. I'll call you." And with that he closed the door and turned back to Simeon. "So you're a Weasley, are you?"
Simeon nodded weakly.
"I thought so. What happened to her, Simeon? What happened to Amanda and Ailee?"
"How do you know Ailee?" Simeon inquired his eyes darting around the room, a sudden fear sinking into his stomach. Jason ignored the question and clasped Simeon's shoulder.
"What happened to them?" He asked again, this time more forcefully. Simeon looked away, willing Jason not to see his teary eyes.
"They're dead, sir."
A/N: That's it for now guys, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate suggestions!