Gone with an Empire
It seemed impossible, but society finally hit a wall. With everything going on in the world, it wasn't a surprise that the economy crashed. But for people to not have all that digital money saved as numbers on a screen, and the value of those seemingly worthless papers, dishevelled to the value of the cotton and linen that form our promissory notes.
People were at war, and this hit the major financial cities like a nuclear bomb. They took to the streets, after raiding homes for valuables that could benefit them - jewels, food, weapons... Staff no longer cared for their insignificant pay. They knew that without these physical possessions, the silverware they spent most days polishing, or the jewels that they might pawn off elsewhere, they had nothing. It seemed the world had turned into complete chaos, as the hierarchy formed over generations was brought down with the failure of the worlds' largest institution and addiction - technology.
Five years later…
A boy, no older than sixteen, climbed out of an abandoned subway station in Manhattan. As a city with no natural resources it seemed worthless to many. Most thought it best to move out and start fresh, taking after the Amish life in creating a paradise that involved farming and grazing cattle. Not much better than the original people of this country. Unfortunately, not everyone could leave.
"Luca, wait!" a little boy, eight or so, called and chased after the curly haired older version of himself. Brothers, both tanned, with obscenely iconic teal eyes.
"Landon," the older boy, Luca, let out an aggravated sigh as Landon caught up with him. "I told you to stay behind," he scolded his younger brother.
"But Luca…" the younger boy whined but stopped as other men approached them.
"Hey! You kids shouldn't be out here," an armed man walked towards them. He was one of the MGs, Manhattan Guards- A group of people whom assigned themselves to keep the peace after the tech-fail. However, what started as goodwill was soon corrupted by greed. They're known today as no better than tax collectors, and whatever food was brought in to the city they poorly distributed to its inhabitants. They force young adults to recruit and contribute to their control on the city as soon as they're off age. Unless they escape, which is Luca's first instinct when encountering them. He grabbed his little brother and jumped back into the subway hole he crawled out from.
Within seconds they were being chased, and they knew better as unassigned personnel to be caught by the MGs. Luca made a quick turn and jumped into another hole, disappearing out of sight. He stayed put and covered Landon's mouth as they heard the guards run past.
"I think we're clear..." Luca admit, setting Landon down. "What did I tell you about following me up to the surface?"
"You said not to-but I'm old enough! I want to help!" Landon was quick to be defensive.
"I was four years older than you when I started going out to the surface," Luca explained as they walked back to their little hide away.
"Why can't we go live in a house?" Landon whined, always wanting to go up to the surface, and explore all the buildings and the streets
"I told you, the MGs will find us, and they only really ever feed or take care of the people up there with goods. Do we have any goods?"
"No." Landon moped.
"Now," the two arrived in a small, seemingly liveable space with chairs and beds, even a TV, though that was more a decorative appliance since it doesn't actually work, "go and stay with mom" Luca instructed authoritatively.
"So did you find anything good, Luke?" Another boy, a little older, with jet black hair and much paler features than Luca -or Luke as some may call him- walked up to him as Landon ran off.
"Didn't get the chance," Luke mumbled as he shook his head, "Landon followed and the MGs appeared. What about you guys?" He turned to the dark haired boy, and the taller blonde standing next to him.
"Well, chuck says his dads old hotel is filled with great stuff, but turns out the MGs are using the Palace as one of their bases…" the blonde answered, jerking a thumb at the dark haired boy who seemed annoyed by the fact he chose to mention his father's wealth.
"I told you to forget that plan," Chuck scoffed. "We should just find a way out of here-"
"Even if it meant leaving everyone behind?" Luke frowned, cutting Chuck off as he stared him down. "We might be able to make it on foot, but the rest couldn't. IF you want to leave so badly though Chuck, then do it, or stop bringing it up." Despite being younger of the three, Luke always managed to take an authoritative stance since he lead many of their escapades to the surface.
Chuck groaned and walked off, knowing better than to pick a fight with the all too righteous Luke.
"Take it easy on him," Nate put in his two cents as the two fumed, knowingly aggravated by their unproductive day on the surface. "He's the only one who doesn't have any of his family around." He felt the need to remind Luke of this little detail. Chuck didn't have anyone he would be leaving behind.
"Luke!" A girl called to the curly haired boy as she ran up to him. "Landon told me you guys were ambushed," she gushed worriedly as she looked up with doughy brown eyes.
Luke's facial expression was quick to soften in her presence, as he took in her worried expression and brought her to him in a consolidating hug. "Hey Blair."
For a once upon a time spoiled little princess, Blair adapted quite well to their runaway status. Her father and mother didn't dare return to New York from their travels, and sent word for Blair to leave immediately. But with no one to leave with, she ended up alone with her housekeeper for months as a child, watching all her belongings get stolen from her. She was taken with her maid at one point to work for these men who promised to feed them for their work. To go from princess to servant was the nightmare to top it all off. Walking down the cold streets of Manhattan, shivering for her dear life, she practically wished for death.
That's how Luke first saw her, a girl in distress. He wasn't supposed to be there, but he couldn't be happier that he was. He helped her escape that day, but at a cost. He created a distraction, and signalled for her to walk over to him for help. Her maid noticed this and pushed the girl along. The men guiding them however spotted the boy, but before they could approach him or grab at Blair, her housekeeper grabbed them and shoved them back, telling Blair to run.
That was the last time she saw her housekeeper. She and Luke both owed her their freedom.
"We're fine," he promised the girl. He let her go and made a point to look her in the eyes with his best smile to prove it.
"Good," she smiled in turn before hugging him again.
"Guys! My dad is gathering everyone," Nate called to them, ending their moment.
Back when everything was being reorganized by an unknown power, and people started to abide by the rules being set out by what those in Manhattan known as the MGs, Nate's father was the first to recognize that something was wrong in the system. He helped his dispatch of twenty or so people, including his son, being transported across to work for little to nothing, and built this rebellion force. He became the unspoken leader, no one dared to defy him knowing his good intentions. They followed his rule, accepting his command as a good leader.
For this particular gathering, the young men and capable forces stood to listen to his announcement. "I believe we have a few matters to discuss… As we are, we don't have enough food to make it through the winter…" The captain looked over and spotted one raised hand. "Chuck," he allowed him to speak.
"I overheard some guards discuss a rations' cart coming into town through the eastern border."
"Do you know to whom it'll be distributed?" if at all - the Captain thought.
"50/50. Half to the hundred or so officers, the other half to the couple of thousand city residents…." Chuck scoffed at the admittance, disgusted by the unfairness. He was once considered a prince, and now this. "Whatever the residents get will be collected back as tax sooner or later." He shrugged nonchalantly, knowing it was better with them than with the guards.
"Should we make the hit?" Luke asked, slightly desperate to ensure their survival over the winter.
"We could, but we can't attract too much attention before winter…" The captain instructed, to clarify the need for this to be as covert as possible. "We also need to get as much of it for us, and to distribute on the surface as well." He was a modern day robin hood, stealing from the rich, and when they can afford to, spare to the poor on the surface.
"I don't see why, they're not doing any of the work… the least they could do is join us," Chuck frowned, hating how he was expected to risk his life for people who wouldn't even align with them.
"No, but most are women and children, if not old men… People that even the MGs don't consider an asset or a threat." The Captain responded harshly, "and if we just take to feed ourselves, then we're no better than the Manhattan Guards." He stared down Chuck at this, until the younger man turned away.
"Luke, you and Nate are staking out the eastern border. Strictly to gather intel. Chuck, you're the only registrar with the MGs, our active insider."
Chuck grumbled at the reminder, detesting how he was in fact a registered citizen, who was expected to report to be a Manhattan Guard. He was announced missing a couple of years ago when he managed to escape with Nate's help to join the rebel forces. He hasn't heard from his father at all in the past five years, despite having wanted to go find him, but knew he couldn't do it alone. Chuck could always just return to the surface, and pretend to be another citizen, but would be expected to pay the dues he couldn't afford. Dues he'd only be able to make up for by joining the MGs, and that's one thing he wouldn't dare do after what they did to all his belongings.
"I need you to see if you could use your barcode to enter one of the schools and gather books and medicine, maybe the university's Harlem campus," the Captain asked.
"The libra-" Chuck started to suggest, but the Captain cut him off.
"The library is being used as a base right now. Not a primary base, but we won't risk you going into a building filled with MGs that can recognize you. Simply go to the university, as an interested soldier of theirs, we have a uniform for you."
Chuck nodded, appreciating that they do look out for him. The rest dispersed for the evening, readying to take on their tasks at dawn.