The war ends (Intro)
#1 of the war
An idea that was floating around my head. Should be more to come between exams and assignments.
Constructive comments welcome.
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Every eye in the room was glued to the large television screen on the wall. The President of the ruins that were once the free world was making a speech. He paused and a second man climbed onto the stage, the Dictator of the Coalition. The room suddenly erupted in angry muttering. Every person in the room was a freedom fighter, they had all lost friends in the war against the Dictator. Somehow he had travelled into the centre of free territory without them finding out.
Twice already they had got close enough to make an attempt on his life. Both time they had failed and lost many of their number for the trouble. They lost track of the speeches but one statement caught their undivided attention. "The war is finally over." The room fell entirely silent, the President and the Dictator were shaking hands and smiling at the cameras.
Harry could only stare up at the screen in horror. He was a dark brown furred wolf, a Genetically Modified soldier. Once human, his DNA was enhanced and combined with the DNA of a wolf to make him stronger, faster, enhance his senses of smell and hearing to make him a better tracker and a better killer. His body was covered in scars, most hid by his thick fur. Some GM soldiers were created purely for the purpose of getting close and fighting with claw, fang or blade.
He'd lost most of his family in the war started by the Dictator. For the last five years he'd put every ounce of his being into the war and personally putting a bullet in the Dictator. At every word about peace he growled louder. Those around him started eyeing him nervously. His hand had tightly gripped the large auto-revolver on his hip. They'd seen him in a rage once, that incident had probably cost them as many recruits as the war had.
But that was soon forgotten as it all began to sink in. The war was finally over, the fighting would finally stop. They could go home to their families. They would no longer have to live every day in fear of death or mutilation. Suddenly everyone was talking in excited whispers. Harry was banished from the minds of all but those loyal to him. A group of GM soldiers who'd witnessed horror's like his.
Harry turned and stalked from the room. The small group followed him. He navigated the corridors of the complex to his office, a small room he used to meet with people and work. The walls were lined with guns and knives, all of them had been bloodied.
He dropped down in his comfy chair behind the desk, used more for maintaining weapons than paperwork. A cheap bottle of whisky and a glass appeared from one of the drawers. His followers stood waiting until he waved them to the seats by one wall. "What now sir?" Asked a cheetah.
"Now..." Harry paused briefly to try and work out some kind of plan. "We know where he is. We're not going to have any support from regular army. I don't trust them not to rat us out now. We lost the transporter in the raid on the last base. We'll need to by land. We'll probably miss him today but hopefully he'll still be around somewhere. We track him down and-"
He was interrupted by the door swinging open and Alex, a long friend of Harry's and elected leader of their group, entering the room. Alex too was a GM soldier but retained his human body. He was short and stocky with his light hair cut close to his scalp.
"We need to talk. You guys can leave." Alex couldn't help but notice the pause as they waited for Harry to confirm the order. In the early years there had been no official ranking to their group but as it grew one became necessary. People wanted a vote. Alex and Harry ended up drawing. Half of the group wanted an efficient, ruthless leader. The other half wanted someone they could relate to, someone who would listen to them.
The issue was only resolved when Harry pulled out and offered his full support to Alex. Some still looked to Harry as the leader over Alex though.
After the others left Alex continued, Harry poured him a glass and pushed it across the table. "It's done. We don't have to fight anymore. They're withdrawing from captured territory, they're bringing down the blockade. They're talking about reparations, rebuilding. They want to make amends. War is just too destructive. Just look at what happened to this place."
The western world was in ruins. Fighting had left the east half of the continent as nothing but rubble, the west half was facing poverty and panic.
"It's finally over." He repeated. "We can go home. We can go back to normal lives."
"Then go. I don't have a home or life left. I didn't join this fight to win a war. I just want to kill those responsible for my family's murders. Nothing's changed. If anything it's a bit easier. They won't be expecting an organised attack now. We can-"
"No! For fuck sake haven't we seen enough death? I won't let you lead more people to their deaths. The armoury's already being stripped. Our men are being disarmed."
"Your men are being disarmed. Mine won't give up without my orders. How many do you think will follow me to their deaths? How many do you think would die failing to stop us?"
Alex's hand dropped down to his pistol. "This can end with one death. Me or you."
With a deafening bang the table top exploded into splinters and Alex's shoulder burst into sudden burning pain. His right hand spasmed and the half drawn gun dropped to the floor. Harry got up with his smoking revolver still aimed at Alex.
He sighed and lowered the gun. "I won't stop but I won't start a massacre here. Get out, I'll be gone by morning."
"Gone where?"
"Does it matter?"
"I'm sorry Harry. But it's over now. You really think your family would want this for you? They'd want you to move on. Let it go. Both governments are condemning the GM soldiers, they're recalling all of us to have the procedures reversed. Failure to comply will be a crime."
"Leave before I change my mind. You're only alive in the first place because you're a friend."
"Fine, just don't disappear. Stay in touch. You're not the only one who lost people, remember that."
After getting the wound seen to Alex sent out a message to everyone. "It's over, go home. We won."
Unknown to him a second message was circulating among the GM soldiers loyal to Harry. "Stay ready, be patient. When I call the Dictator dies." True to his word Harry was gone long before morning. So was his personal armoury and all of his followers, still armed. Alex knew they wouldn't stop. They had taken an oath, "As long as the Dictator lives, our lives are meaningless. When he dies we will live again." Alex had seen enough to know every one of them would stick to it.
The rest didn't notice those absent, they didn't care. The horror that is war was over at long last. They could return to what was left of their homes and families. They felt only relief but soon enough the events of the war would catch up and dampen their spirits again.
Alex felt only dread. He knew Harry would never stop as much because he said he never would as revenge, he only hoped that the Dictator's death wouldn't restart the war.