Disclaimer: I do not own Advance Wars, the characters, the units, the world, or it's destruction (Heh). All rights and trademarks go to Nintendo, as well as my praise for making such an awesome game! Yay! Props also go to them for making a GOOD post-apocalypse story which, in my books, is a REALLY hard thing to do (It's rather simple to screw up a concept like that and make a bad story...)

Author's Note: This chapter is more the transitional period between Mission 1 and 2 in AW:DoR, expect me to be doing this alot during the course of this 'Fic cause, you know, it makes it more story-friendly then saying "Infantry moved 2 squares up, 1 square east and shot the War Tank. Dunno why he did, but it's his funeral now, right?" Bleh.

-- Chapter II: Worth

The attack had left Will shaken, but the rescue had gone a long ways towards calming him down once again. When the tank had arrived, the soldiers within had taken him in as one of their own, and after a little distance, they arrived at the ruins of a city – Not far from the former military academy, but far enough that the youth was sure he would be seeing no more of the Beast.

Will stepped from the large, armored vehicle and looked around, a tall man; one dressed head to toe in militia attire, stepped forward and took hold of his arm, giving it a light shake. "You all right, kid?" he asked, giving the boy as much time as he needed to answer.

The cadet looked him over; his hair was cut short, as was standard military protocol, with the slightest hints of a beard beginning to form. His eyes seemed to take hold of Will, inspiring him, dragging him from the muck of despair and placing him back along the path of hope – There was little doubt in the young man's mind that this was the one he'd heard on his radio. "Yeah…" he managed, quite shakily, "Yeah I'm fine now… I mean, thank you – Thank you very much." He returned the handshake with much vigor, "I'm Will, a cadet at the military aca… I mean, I was, until the mete… Did all of that really just happen?"

It was obvious to both of them that the boy was at a loss with his words, but the older man simply smiled and shrugged it off, giving him a hearty clap on the back, "Easy now." He spoke, "You've been through a lot. A cadet, was it? I thought that jacket looked familiar…"

Will glanced down, and noted the similarities between his outfit and that belonging to his savior – If nothing else; the matching emblems were a dead giveaway. "What happened?" the man asked.

Though it took a few moments for the meaning to sink in, Will spoke quickly nonetheless, "It all happened so fast!" he blurted out, "One minute, I was sitting in the café', eating lunch and then everyone just… Died." The boy halted at the word, grimacing as the memories flooded over him. The man waited until he was ready to continue, "The mess hall came down around me, I don't even know how long I was buried for… All I could do was dig, and crawl – Once or twice I saw other bodies but… No one else made it out. No one but me." Despite himself, Will sniffled, inner swearing that he would not – Could not – Cry now. "I thought I was the only one left alive…"

"You did well to stay alive, both during the destruction and the aftermath."

Will only shook his head and looked away awkwardly, "I just wanted to stay alive…"

At last, the man gave a soft nod, and led him onwards towards others dressed much like him. Among their numbers, among the many otherwise faceless soldiers, Will could make out a single woman, with hair both long and dark, staring at them with unblinking eyes. "I'm captain Brenner. I command the twelfth battalion, pride of the Rubinelle army." He stopped just short of the staring woman and gestured towards her, "And this is my second in command…"

The woman stood at the ready, arms at either side as she gave a soft salute, never blinking. "First lieutenant Lin." She told Will, "Welcome to Brenner's Wolves."

Her outfit was different from the rest, but with enough similarities to link her to the rest of the unit. A long army jacket buttoned only at the top which flew freely down below her waist, with a black undershirt beneath. Circling the woman's left arm was a band bearing the mark of the unit – Brenner's Wolves, as it were. Will was surprised, to say the least, for not only had these people banded together, but they had amassed enough supplies to defend themselves properly. Even in these darkest of times, humanity had proven itself able to cope with any situation. He felt tremendous relief, and with good reason.

"We've made it our mission…" Brenner began, snapping Will from his thoughts and gaining the cadet's attention once more, "…To seek out and aid survivors of the disaster. It goes without saying there are more like yourself Will, and they'll need help. We need to find them, bring them together, and get all of humanity back on its feet." He gave a nod to the rest of the unit, most of which had stopped their current tasks to listen to their commander, or at the very least eye the newcomer, "It's going to take some time, but all things worth doing always do – I suggest you come with us Will, the world is a dangerous place to live alone in now."

But the boy needed no convincing, for deep down he had hoped Brenner would say just that. Since the moment he'd heard the man's voice, the instant he felt that shining hope inside of him, he knew, somehow, that this was where he belonged in this new, dark world. There was no changing what had happened, but so long as he stayed with the Wolves, he could make a difference. Will grinned, "Yes sir!" he cried, with much exuberance, "That would be fantastic! You won't be sorry about… Ohhhh…"

All at once, Will stumbled back, clutching at his chest with both hands. Some of the soldiers moved closer, worry and anxiousness clear in their tones, and even Brenner looked rather worried – In fact, of the unit only Lin seemed unperturbed by the sudden change, she merely watched the boy silently. "Are you alright, Will?" The captain asked him.

With a sheepish grin, the boy gave a nod, "Sorry." He managed, groaning once more, "I haven't eaten in a long time…"

Brenner couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Goodness son, that was only your stomach? I'd thought we were under attack again!" he joked, gaining more then a few laughs from his men as he turned to escort the young lad towards some of the tents the unit had set up in the area – A makeshift camp, as it were – The captain gave Will another glance, "Let's get you fed, eh? Just don't get TOO excited – All we have is canned bread."

*****

The meal gave Will some time to think. Brenner, after being good on his word and supplying the boy with enough to fill his stomach, had left to deal with other matters whereas Lin the cadet had, really, seen hide nor head of since meeting her earlier that day. 'Must not be much of a people person.' He thought to himself, jamming his fork into his third cylinder of mildly-sticky bread. The meal did little to appease his taste buds, but at least it stopped his stomach rumbling.

So much had happened, and so quickly at that! He could scarcely recall the training that the academy had given him, even now when he was calm and at peace with himself. When the savages had attacked him, he'd throw caution completely to the wind and panicked… And if they found him again, even with the Wolves at his side, he couldn't afford to do the same. "I'll just buckle down and try harder next time." He told no one in particular, between forkfuls of the rather bland meal.

But of course, it would never be as easy as simply saying it.

Will tried to recall his classes – All basic stuff for a solider really. Weapons, survival skills, foraging, training on how to drive and operate tanks, bikes, and other light ground vehicles – And there was that one time he looked in on a hand-to-hand combat class as well. The boy grimaced at the memory; seeing how dangerous some others were with just their bare hands made him glad he knew how to fire a gun! Once or twice he had attended classes on the operations of air and naval machines – After all, with so many of his friends going on and on about how fighters and bombers beat out simple tanks, how could he not? But… They simply weren't for him. Will was content to keep his combat on ground level, and that worked just fine for him.

As some of the other members of the unit – No, not others. THEY were the unit, he was only a civilian… - Passed him by, far too engaged in their own conversation to pay him any mind, Will gradually became aware of something. Of all the people here, all the men and women, he was the youngest of them all. Brenner had at least ten or even fifteen years on him, and Lin's age he could only fathom but, at the very least, they were both older then he. The cadet made a face at the thought and returned to his meal; best to hurry up and finish eating so he could go see the captain for an assignment of some kind… The last thing he wanted to be was a burden, after all.

*****

"Will." Brenner addressed him as the youth stepped from the mess-tent. Lin was beside him, as was to be expected of someone of her particular rank. She only eyed him silently. "How're you feeling now?" the captain added.

The cadet gave a light pat to his stomach and a sheepish grin, "Much better, thanks to you captain." He returned, and as though he felt it would strengthen his claim, the boy pumped his fist into the air with some enthusiasm, "I feel like a new man!"

If Brenner took the action as childish, he gave no sign, rather he nodded off towards the outer perimeter of the camp, "You've got permission to leave camp if you wish – Wouldn't want to keep you cooped up in the tent all day, after all – Just don't stray too far, alright?"

Will followed the gestured and gave a swift nod. Though the offer was a kind one, Will had no desire to take off on his own just yet – He may have recovered his strength, but the fear of the unknown in this dark new world was a powerful one. Instinctively, his hand slipped his waist, where a holstered pistol – Compliments of the captain – Sat, cleaned, loaded, and ready for use should the need arrive. Granted, in an actual battle it'd be outclassed rather easily, but for self defense it would serve just fine. Brenner noticed the motion, as well as the look of anxiety on the cadet's face, "Something the matter?"

"The world's really changed, hasn't it?" Will spoke solemnly, almost as though the words pained him to speak, "Look – There's ash and dust everywhere… And everything is completely destroyed!" he tilted his head upwards, "The sky is dark – It's been like this for hours too, and it's not going to change. It's like… A never-ending twilight has taken hold of us; even the ground is coated in it… I've never seen so much gray." It was the color of despair.

Brenner looked away, "Ashes to ashes…" he murmured.

"When the meteors struck…" Lin began, giving the boy almost no time to realize that she was, indeed, speaking to him, "Huge clouds of dust and ash filled the sky, blotting out the sun entirely. Nothings changed since that day – We haven't seen even a single ray of sunshine since."

Will cringed, his stomach turned at the disheartening revelation, "When will the sky return to normal? When will all that dust and ash finally settle?"

"Years? Decades? Who can say?"

The cadet gasped at the lieutenant's words, "Decades!?"

Brenner took hold of his shoulder and gave the boy a light shake, "Don't fret Will. As long as there's life, there's hope. Remember that. We'll be okay."

The words hit home for the boy, and echoed throughout his mind and heart, "As long as there's life…" he whispered them back, "There's hope…"

Boy, he sure liked the sound of that.

The captain gave a nod, and released his shoulder. "That's right. The world we know is gone, but you can't give in to despair. That goes for all of us, as well. Someday things will be set right – Be it the natural course or the product of our own making, they will. We may be forced to arms to protect ourselves now, but we'll have peace again someday – And the life we all had, enjoyed, and loved so dearly will return to us." Brenner's smiling with uplifting, and full of life, "That's what I believe in, and that's why we're going to help everyone we can in the meantime."

Will was speechless. He fumbled with his words, trying to think of something, anything really, that could make the inspiring words of the captain, "Uh…" he began, when Brenner spoke again.

"Just keep it simple – Never give up. If you can do that, anything is possible, got it?"

Despite himself, the cadet found himself saluting, "Got it!"

Brenner gave a sharp nod, "That's the spirit – Now, let's get to work." He turned to his second, who stood at the ready, "Lin, I want recon units canvassing the area. Those savages won't be far off if they know we have supplies; find them, and cut them off before they get too close. Keep an eye out for any survivors as well, and contact me immediately if you find an-"

This time, it was Will who interrupted Brenner, "Captain! I want to help too!"

"Absolutely not." The captain returned, without even turning to face the boy, "It's far too dangerous, and you've only just recovered."

Will stomped his foot with some indignation, making fists so tight that, for an instant, he thought his cuts would burst open anew, "Come on!" he cried, disregarding completely how childish he must've sounded, "I know I'm just a cadet but… Captain, I can drive, or search or… Or hell, wash dishes! Anything! Please, just let me help!" he pleaded with the man, taking a step towards Brenner, "If it weren't for you and your men, I wouldn't be here right now – Please, let me do something."

For several seconds, Brenner was silently, before at last he let out a deep sigh, "You've got spirit, I'll give you that…" he spoke so low, Will had to strain to hear it, "Alright, you're in. You can help scout for survivors – But if anything, and I mean ANYTHING happens, you get your tail back here and let me handle it. You're too weak to fight, understood?" his stern voice did much to rattle the cadet, but Will nodded excitedly nonetheless.

"Yes sir!" he cried, giving another quick salute.