Echo: I swear I didn't forget about this story. So to make up for not updating in a while, here's a new chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
It had been an hour and a half since they had set out to find food. So far, the only edible thing they came across had been a bush of berries. Or at least the berries would have been edible if they weren't rotten.
Really, it was just their luck that the berries would be rotten. They were giving themselves another hour to look for food before turning back. Hopefully they would be able to find something edible, be it plant or animal, before they headed back to the underground village.
"…Do you think we'll actually find something?" Alex asked, breaking the silence.
Bart shrugged his shoulders, running a hand through his hair before letting out a sigh. "To be honest, I don't think so. The majority of these food hunting missions tend to end in failure anyway."
Just by the tone of his voice, Alex could tell that Bart wasn't surprised at the lack of food they had come across. All of the grocery stores had long been raid, same with any food pantries. Those were the two things to go after people panicked at the first sign of the Reach's invasion.
Plant life had started to die as soon as the smog started to fill the air. Most plants that survived and adapted to the harsh new environment became either non-edible or poisonous. However, there were a smaller number of plants that remained edible.
As for the animals, most of them fled to areas that weren't as toxic. Animal that had once stayed hidden in forest or mountain areas now roamed the empty streets of cities and towns. But those were the animals that managed to survive. Alex wasn't even sure of the number of dead animals she had come across within the past year or two alone.
"If these food hunting missions usually end in failure, then why stay in the area?" It just didn't make sense to her. If the village continued to stay in the area they would run out of food before they knew it.
"The Reach has patrol robots going around the area. With everything in the village, everyone would be captured before they could even make it three miles. That's why only one or two people are sent to look for food."
After hearing that answer, Alex couldn't help but glance around. If the Reach didn't have a base within the area, then the villagers could easily go to find a new place to live. But it was impossible. The sewers were nothing but a safe prison; hidden from the eyes of the Reach.
Just the thought of living like a caged animal had her frowning and balling her hands into fists. This Earth, this future held nothing for humans. They had become slaves on their own planet. Glaring at the ground beneath her feet, she kicked the nearest rock as soon as she laid eyes on it.
"This isn't right! This isn't the future we were supposed to have! With all the superheroes that we had the Reach should have been stopped!" Alex shouted. Her voice dripped with anger at each word.
The speedster had stopped walking when he heard the words that Alex spoke. She was right. A future where they had to hide and cower in fear was not the future they should have. But the cold truth was that it was real.
This was the future they were living in and nothing could stop that. It wasn't like they could just go back in time and stop the Reach from invading the Earth.
After a bit more shouting and kicking random rocks, Alex finally sat down on a broken tree log. In her bout of anger, tears had slipped down her cheeks. What was the point of being alive if this future held no silver lining? So what if her father had told her to turn back the clock?
At this rate she would die before she found a way to save this damned future. That was if her father meant by his last words. For all she knew he had said that she had something to look forward to. Something like a future worth fighting for.
"…It's not right. But those heroes did all they could! They fought until they couldn't take another breathe. Humanity may be damned, but there are still a good number of people who aren't captives to the Reach. Someday we will finish what those heroes started… You just need to have hope."
Lifting a hand, Alex wiped the tears from her face. Her gaze drifted over to Bart, looking at the speedster for a moment before speaking. "Hope, huh. You make it sound easy." She paused for a moment, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and turning her gaze to the crumbling city off in the distance. "I think I've been looking for hope for a while, but it's impossible to find…"
"So long as someone has hope, the Reach will be defeat at some point. Have hope in that and it's easy to find."
"I still think you make it sound easy, but I guess I can understand. Anyway, sorry about that, I just need to get that out." Alex said as she shook her head.
"Hey it happens, so don't worry about it." Bart replied. If anyone had said that they weren't upset about this future, then they were lying. This future was only one that was supposed to exist in movies and books. A future like this was never supposed to exist. "We should head back to the village; we've been out here too long."
With a small sigh, Alex nodded her head and stood up. "All right, let's head back then." said Alex as she started to take a few steps in the direction of the village. Bart nodded his head, walking silently beside her.
It wasn't long before they started to hear the echo of thundering steps against the ground. Instantly the pair stopped walking, taking a moment to look around at their surroundings. "Two patrol bots to the right at two o'clock." Bart was the first to spot the robotic creations of the Reach.
Alex turned her gaze in the direction Bart had said, spotting the two patrol bots in the distance. "They've probably already seen us. We should have enough time to get away and hide…"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Echo: And that's the end of this chapter. I can certainly promise that there will be some action in the next chapter. So, please review and tell me what you think!