Hi guys! got more up for you, hope you enjoy that is all!
"There are two kinds of secrets. The ones we keep from others and the ones we keep from ourselves." -Frank Warren
Wanderer, West Gate, Denver Containment Wall, December 2031
I took a deep breath, trying to settle my nerves a little. It had been a long time since I had felt fear's touch, not even sure why I was scared. One quick pull unlocked the turret hatch as I shifted to underneath it.
"Anya, hit the signal, and do not stop driving. Clear?" she nodded, the dog slipping off the passenger seat and into the foot space for the passenger. I stayed crouched in the raised section for the gunner, waiting patiently for the KPA to notice us. Suddenly, shouts could be heard, the first rifle shot just pinging off the armor. I smirked, that being my que, ramming the hatch open and grabbing the already cocked weapon system. I depressed the butterfly trigger, the weapon thundering out, it's rounds taking chunks off the enemy soldiers. Meanwhile, their shots were simply ricocheting off the armor built around the turret housing. I targeted any soldier with a rocket launch as we shot through the gate, followed by those running for the mounted weapons, and finally, any soldier on an elevated position. All though the MG's vertical axis was unlocked, the horizontal was not, having jammed turret ring to the unlocked position so I could turn the entire housing toward a target, rather than just swiveling the turret in it's mount. The powerful rounds ripped through their thin barricades and cover pieces they had set up, only ever been designed to stop small arms fire. Anya suddenly swerved the Humvee down a side street, causing me to slam my back into the housing. "Hey, watch it! warn me when you turn anya!"
"Well, hang on better than! Sorry!" I rolled my eyes, swiveling the turret to the rear as another Humvee rolled after us. I instantly opened fire, aiming for their front tires, followed by their turret to quickly cripple their vehicle. I quickly spun the turret around, just as Anya swerved around another corner. In front of us was the wreck of a bus, too close for us to stop in time. I braced the best I could, feeling my helmet slam into the handles of the turret, and barely staying conscious as I slumped into the motionless vehicle. Anya wasn't moving, slumped up against the steering wheel. The dog crawled out from under the dash, seeming unharmed by the crash. I clumsily grabbed my rifle and fell into the door, causing it to fall open. Pain shot through my shoulder as I hit the concrete, my feet still inside the Humvee. I tugged them out, barely managing to stumble to my feet. I wretched Anya's door open, grabbing her and pulling her out, falling over in the process. She fell onto me as I hit the ground again, not hurting anywhere near as bad as before. I quickly pulled her rifles out of the back, slinging them before I tried to drag her away, stumbling and falling several times before I got her into the nearby alleyway. I slumped to the ground, shakily drawing my handgun to try and aim back down the alleyway. My vision swam slightly as I tried to steady my arm. A pair of figures whipped around the corner, my finger almost squeezing the trigger as I noticed the lack of helmets and body armor. One was wearing a mesh vest covered in pouches, an M4 in his hands. The other was female, a Glock model hand gun in her hands. My vision quickly blurred out as my arm dropped, the handgun clattering to the concrete. I was out cold before they could reach me.
Lone Sniper, Denver Resistance Head Quarters
Anya groaned as she started to feel her body again. Her head was throbbing, her hand instinctively reaching up to her head. He fingers felt cloth and her eye's snapped open, seeing a plain textured ceiling above her. she was lying in a comfortable bed, the only one in the small room. She quickly looked around, seeing her weapons and gear stacked in a corner, along with her clothes, neatly folded on a small dresser. She was wearing fresh clean jeans, not torn or damaged, although they were a little large for her, and a T-shirt. She groaned, feeling pain in her leg, the feeling of cloth swathing her leg as she slipped her bare feet off the bed. She couldn't help but smile as her toes felt the soft carpet beneath her feet. Her body ached pretty much everywhere as she forced herself to her feet, moving to the door, stopping as she cracked the door open to hear voices on the other side.
"Wander, we can't just divert forces to find someone that is more than likely dead! There is no point to it! besides, I thought you worked alone?" curious, she slipped out of the door, easily making next to no noise on the carpet.
"If her brother is even half the fighter she is, you want him around. It would be worth your while to find him. And I do work alone. She helped me when I got hit, I owe her. as soon as we find her brother, I'm done with her. so please, help me speed that the fuck up." She felt her heart sink slightly at his words, looking around the hallway to guess where the speakers were. There were four other doors, one on her right, one straight across and two a short way down the hall, right across from her. she could see what looked like another room past those two rooms, the ceiling of that room being higher than the halls. She gingerly moved that way, the unknown voice speaking.
"Fine. But if this bites me in the ass, you are paying for it." she reached the end of the hall, finding herself on a short staircase down to what would normally be a living room that had been converted into a command center, a table in the center covered with maps and a corkboard hanging on the wall straight across from her filled with written reports, some with pictures with them. Wander and a man she didn't recognize were standing across the table from each other, both looking like they were about to stab each other. Wander was wearing his combat cargo pants and a brown t-shirt. He had his pistol and equipment belt still firmly attached to his side, but his clothes were clean now. his arm was also still swathed in bandages. The man he was speaking to was wearing a thin combat vest over a hoody, jeans with knee pads, and there was a skull cap in front of him. His arms were crossed as he glared across the table at Wander, his dark short hair and dark eyes clashing with his light colored skin.
"My brother is still alive. And trust me, saving him is worth it." the man glanced up, his expression softening. He was surprisingly young for a resistance leader.
"Ah, Miss Wood, you're awake. Didn't expect to see those eyes open so soon." She gingerly walked down the stairs, limping every time she put weight on her injured leg. She walked right between Wander and the table, not even looking at him.
"How long was I out?" she tried to sound unafflicted, but miserably failed as the throbbing from her head seemed to be intensifying.
"only about half a day. Doc's surprised nothing was broken in that crash." She glanced at Wander, seeing a flicker of concern flash through his eyes. "You should probably go back to bed, get some rest. You're pretty banged up Anya." She glared at him, looking over the bandage on his arm and the small cuts that accompanied it.
"Speak for yourself Wander. You look like you took a jump through a meat grinder." He waved it off as she noticed that something was missing. "Wait, where's your dog?" he jerked his thumb at the back door of the home, barely visible behind the other man in the room, through a kitchen.
"Out back, playing with the kids. I don't know why she likes kids so much with how much she hates people." Anya grunted, starting to think that he had made up the dog hating people simply as a reason to shove people away.
"So what makes you think your brother is even still alive?" she sighed, idly messing with one of the protractors left on the table.
"He wasn't captured very long ago, and he was a leader of a resistance cell. They like to pump leaders for information." She quivered at the thought of what they could be doing to him. "So he is very likely to still be alive. They moved him here because the general is supposed to be one of the best interrogators in the entire Greater Korean Republic." The man's eyes dropped, staring at the floor.
"Alright, you've made you're point. I'll have some people start digging. Maybe they'll find something, maybe they won't. I'll tell you two as soon as they do. Go get some rest, both of you. You need it." Anya nodded, turning to head back to the room she was sleeping in. her entire body felt exhausted. Wander was just ahead of her, his slim build seeming thinner than it should, like he had gone a long time without proper nourishment at some point in his life. She groaned as she went up the stairs behind him, a sharp spike in her leg nearly causing her to fall. She felt Wander's hand on her shoulder, helping her keep her balance. She glared at him and he pulled his hand away, moving off down the hall. She slowly hobbled after him, noticing that he went into the room straight across from her. As soon as she was back in her room, she laid down on the bed, hoping to get some sleep. It quickly seemed obvious to her that sleep simply was not going to happen, about to sit up when the door flew open, a gorgeous brown and black German Shepard charging into the room at full speed, catapulting onto her bed. She shrieked a little as the dog landed, more out of surprise than anything else. Before she got a chance to restrain the dog, her face was being licked over and over again, the dog wagging the whole time.
"Roxy, come on, stop it!" the dog finally quit, just standing there and staring expectantly at Anya. She sighed, doing her best to wipe slobber of her face before she gently scratched behind the dogs ear, an extremely pleasured expression on her face. After a few seconds, she flopped over, her back up against Anya's uninjured leg, still thoroughly enjoying the scratching. A pair of kids suddenly rushed into the room, one looking about eleven, the other, a girl, looking about eight or nine. Both had shocked expressions on their faces.
"She normally doesn't like adults, other than Wander." The taller kid spoke as Anya beckoned him into the room. He was wearing a red puffy jacket and jeans, a small fleece cap in his hand. His dark hair was a mess of mid length locks going any direction you could think of.
"hmm, I just have a thing for animals I guess." She had barely realized that the dog had fallen asleep next to her as the two kids walked up to the bed. The girl had very light green eyes and blonde hair, filled with curls. Most of that hair was covered in a knitted hat, her body still swathed in a jacket that was clearly too big for her. "So you two know Roxy?" they nodded, gently petting the sleeping dog.
"The dog soldiers used to come here a lot, bring us food, and dad says they help them keep us safe." The little girl was talking now, her voice very quiet.
"If they came here a lot, why was Wander having to look for a way past the wall? If you kids know." The boy spoke up nearly instantly.
"Tunnel bots. They're these robots that dig through the ground and blow up at a tunnel they find, collapsing it. There used to be a tunnel under the wall, but not anymore. I've only seen Wander here once before anyway. But Roxy has been here several times, with the dog soldiers. She always tries to play with us." Anya smiled, not noticing the dog's eye's open for a second, as if the dog was peeking to make sure she was still there. A new voice startled her, causing her to look up at the door to her room.
"Thought I heard Roxy going romping through the house. She didn't land on any of your injuries did she?" Anya recognized the dark skinned female's voice, smiling at her.
"No, I'm fine. Roxy is just cuddling." The woman chuckled, moving a few steps into the room, only for the dog to shoot onto her feet, growling straight at the woman.
"Whoa, Roxy, I'm just here to check on your friend." The dog didn't seem to listen until Wander's voice suddenly lashed out.
"Roxy! Bad girl!" the dog's ears instantly dropped, slinking off the bed, past everyone in the room, and to Wander's side, not looking at anyone. "Sorry Doctor Johnson. You know how Roxanna is." The woman smiled to him, clearly unfazed by the dog's hostile reaction to her.
"I know, why don't you two kids see if you cant get Roxy to go play with you?" Roxy looked up at Wander, waging her tail, ears still low.
"Only if you behave Roxy. You get me?" the dog barked, jumping excitedly in a circle. "Alright, go, play to your hearts content you silly thing! Shesh, that dog has more energy than a hamster on coffee." Anya couldn't help but smirk at Wander's comment, the doctor finally stepping closer.
"Good to finally meet you miss Wood. Keja Johnson, Doctor, cook, and occasional vet." She held her hand out to Anya, Anya instantly accepting it.
"Likewise. Thanks for the help earlier. I think you saved both of our lives." The Doctor shrugged, pulling a small wicker chair out of the corner and setting it by her bed. Anya quickly glanced at the doorway, noticing Wander sitting cross legged on the floor with a towel in front of him, disassembling his rifle and cleaning it. his hand gun was still right beside him, on the floor, with his sub-machinegun leaning on the wall. As she watched for a second he glanced up at her, seeming like he was paying more attention to her than the weapon in front of him.
"No Problem, now let me take a look at your head." Anya nodded, holding still as the bandage was unwrapped from her head. She felt the woman's soft hands shift her head back and forth, clearly inspecting a gash in her hairline. "Well your stitches are holding, so that's a good sign. I don't think you need the bandages on anymore." The doctor stood, closing the door before she continued "Now let's look at your leg." She pulled Anya's loose jeans down, quickly unwrapping the injury. It was also sewn up, but it looked almost like it had been burned. She remembered the quick stop as she saw the burn like formations around the gash like wound, the Doctor smiling as she looked over her handiwork, quickly rewrapping her leg.
"Well, everything seems to be holding together, so that's good news." She helped Anya pull the pants back up as she spoke, a question framing on Anya's mind.
"Doctor, what do you know about Wander?" she sighed, leaning back in the chair.
"I know very little about him. Just what Dan would tell us. They found him a few years ago, just wandering the arsenal. Dan's daughter, Caylee, was the one to find him. Apparently, he was about to kill himself." Anya glanced at the door to the hall, her mind thinking back to the way he acted from the moment she met him to now. and it didn't surprise her that he had tried to kill himself at one point. "As it was, he was in terrible condition. Probably hadn't eaten properly in about a year, maybe two. All he had was that old rifle he carries, some tattered clothing, and that handgun he carries. That's when I first heard of him. They asked for my help on how to care for him. Anyway, after about a week or so, one of their dogs gave birth, and little Roxy was well, shunned by her mother. Dan had Wander care for her as a puppy, and I guess that's why the two of them have such a tight bond. Anyway, I didn't meet him until a year or so ago. He came by, telling us that the whole arsenal hideout was gone. Leveled. He was the only survivor. Anyway, we told him a spot we knew of that they stored supplies, outside the city walls. He left to retrieve them and the tunnel was destroyed, so he couldn't come back. I still cant imagine how much pain he was in that day."
"Because of losing everyone he knew?" she nodded, glancing out of the window before continuing.
"Yeah. And he was pretty badly hurt too. His hands were severely burned, crudely bandaged in ripped cloth, his foot was dislocated, and he had first degree burns across most of his body. I cared for him before he left, but he insisted on getting those supplies. He's been completely alone, nothing but himself and the dog for over a year now." Anya sat up the bed, her entire body protesting.
"So you don't know anything about him from before he met those special forces guys?" she shrugged, clearly unsure how to answer.
"Just that he was born in Houston. And rumors from that area. The general in charge was absolutely brutal, executions almost on a daily basis. Lethal house raids, random gunfire into crowds. Just brutal stuff. The fact that he managed to make it up here is…. Impressive." Anya nodded, having heard of KPA commanders that were as brutal as what she was saying. One of those had met a fitting end, a one shot headshot during one of his executions from nearly a kilometer away, made by none other than herself. The doctor stood and moved for the door, smiling as she spoke.
"I'll be cooking dinner shortly, I'll bring you some when it's done, okay?" Anya smiled and nodded, a faint grumble echoing up from her stomach. She glanced over at Wander's room, noticing that he was gone, the weapons and towel missing as well. She sighed, slipping under the soft fuzzy blanket on her bed, drifting off to sleep before she had even realized it.
