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The Price For A Hero

Chapter 1: A Broken World

It was cold and raining again, no surprise really. It had been raining for a few days now. I could see out the window of the bar and down the street. The mix of gray from the countless empty buildings only offset by the recruiting posters that you could find on every corner and every pole. A large doberman glaring down at the viewer with the caption "Your Home, Your responsibility. Join today!" My name is Simon, most people call me Twitch due to the way my right ear twitches when I'm nervous. Kind of like it was doing now, sitting behind the bar and poking my head out to look outside. I would like to say that this mutt was fine. That the dark blotches on my otherwise yellow and white fur was just something i spilled on myself. I wish i could say that i have plenty of friends and that life was great, that my family was doing alright, and that life here was as normal as it got. But I'm not a liar.

No one was ready when it happened, we never expected it. We knew there was a whole universe out there, we had even been to a few other planets. Every time we stretched the tendril to search out there the result was the same, no life. We all thought we were alone, we were wrong. The first places hit were the major populations, bright glowing lights fell from the sky and not long after, the cities were gone. Most people were watching the unveiling of a new machine at Drumak. Some sort of device that could terraform other planets to make them livable. In the middle of the speech a large diamond shaped object fell into the central square. The size of it was simply baffling, its surface a deep gray with a mix of blue, perfectly smooth edges. It crushed more than a few buildings as it landed, it's point stabbing into the ground. It made a loud deep sound like some sort of whale, people covered their ears just before the camera feed cut.

That was more than a three years ago. Of course we tried to fight, even thought we could win for a while, each victory a false hope. People call them Shards because they fell from the large objects, their bodies were just metal from what anyone could tell, thin bodies attached to four legs and a head that seemed like miniature versions of the larger diamond , no eyes or anything else that we could relate with. I don't imagine they feel pain or emotion either. It didn't take long for us to realize we were no match for them. Each time we fought they became smarter and each fight after became more and more difficult, until there were no more victories, just casualty reports coming in over the radio. For some reason they stayed where they landed, rarely venturing out. So we left the cities and built small camps anywhere we could, not building up to much population in one place, just in case.

For some reason things settled down for a bit, people just accepting it, a few rebel groups popping up now and then to try and retake a city only to never come back. In time the military took over everything and the rules, so many rules. There were rations, curfews, searches, bans, and much more. People became paranoid and cruel to one another. In time the army would try and strike back, recruiting anyone they could and taking anyone else they wanted. It became a rule to enlist at fifteen. My older brother was the only person i had left after our parents died, then he was enlisted and taken from me. I tried to get by, keep my mind busy with work. I ran a small bar for a while; i guess that's why i took refuge in one now; but people walk all over a fourteen year old kid. After that i worked as a...an entertainer. I had a slim body and danced for people, the pay was good and everything, but there were always a few who wanted more than to just watch. I kept them away and saved up enough money to get a stun gun. I had to use it on more than one occasion.

I left the camp i lived in the day before my fifteenth birthday, having had a bad run in with a few fans that were offended that i didn't just bend over for them. They beat me pretty good, but i got away. I ran into the nearest dead zone, and have lived off of scavenging ever since. A few times i had to hide form Shards patrolling the streets, they seem like they aren't interested in anything other than holding their conquered territory. Today i turned nineteen, my birthday cake was a can of tuna and a pastry i found. That for me is as close to it gets to a good meal. I guess i should get rid of this journal, between running and scavenging i don't have the time anymore. Simon, Last entry August 21, 3482.

Simon looked around the room, the broken chairs and tossed around bottles showed the rush people were in as they scurried to leave. He gave a soft sigh and finished off the last bite of his pastry, a bit of red sticking to his lip before it was whisked away by his tongue. Rubbing his mouth on the sleeve of his well worn jacket whose green was stained and tattered from its life with the mutt. The rain continued pouring, not showing any sign of letting up, the drops falling like tiny bombs to explode as they met with the ground. Now and then a random bag or other trash would swirl about in the stormy winds before sticking to a pole or news bin. It wasn't much, but the atmosphere inside the little place was calm and quiet as Simon slid underneath a sleeping bag, blowing out a small lantern and closing his eyes, his ear flicking now and then as thunder roared in the clouds above

It was about four A.M. when he woke, a smile pulling across his muzzle as the memory of his pleasant dream was still fresh in his mind. Stretching and raising his arms over his head as he turned side to side, his ear steadily twitching. Simon stood up and looked around the bar to try and see what had stirred him from his rest. Not seeing anything he shrugged, the thunder in the background seeming to grow louder and louder. He questioned it for a moment, this thunder was constant...it was moving. He grabbed his red pack and slung it over his shoulder as he rushed for the front door. Just as it swung open he could see the source of the ruckus, a lumbering tank in the distance far down the road, he crouched and watched it carefully as it came to a stop with its turret facing down towards him. It sat still for a moment before the gun pointed forward and a hatch opened, a brown feline raising out and looking around. The rain and the distance made it hard to see, even as the mutt pulled a set of binoculars from his backpack to get a closer look. The cat looked over his shoulder and made a swift motion, a group of soldiers running up to the vehicle and forming a circle as they looked around, rifles sweeping form building to building.

One of the soldiers, a bulldog, walks out in front of the others and enters a nearby shop with a grin, a broken sign in the window makes out that the establishment was a porn shop, magazines of busty skunks and foxes filling the shelves. "Jon, the hell are you doing?" One fox snapped at him. "Hey, I have read all the ones at the base." The fox snickers and rolls his eyes "Yea, that and the pages are all stuck together. Get back in for~" his words trail off as he notices the odd shape of a object leaning against the back wall of the store. Before he can say anything, Jonathan is knocked to the side as the Shard leaps out and gouges at the fox with its legs, his screams drowned out by gunfire as more of the creatures leap from rooftops and out of building windows, the dark streets flashing as they try and defend themselves. The machine gun in the bow of the tank spurting rounds into the ones ahead as the cannon turns to fire at an advancing cluster, strips of metal and gray liquid splattering across the ground.

One of the Shards climbs onto the tank and attempts to attack the feline who is currently firing his pistol at another target. Its leg raised in the air then a round zips into the thin connecting arm, the chunk of metal falling onto the roof of the tank as Jon stands up and protects the cat, "Yea, don't matter how thick your limbs are if your body is just paper!". He targets a few others, placing well aimed shots at each of their weak points. The cat screams out as another Shard leaps onto the vehicle and lets out a screech, the soldier falling into the hull, all the crew dead with blood oozing form their ears. In no time Jonathan is the only one remaining, skillfully driving back would be attacks with his marksmanship. All the Shards in view then shift and pull their limbs close to each other, forming a single well armored diamond. The tank begins to lift off its side toward him as two Shards on the other side begin to tip it, a third comes over and they throw it into the shop. Jon simply sighs at the sight as he is flattened against the back wall.

A loud boom cracks through the air as a streak of blue slams into the ground outside the shop, the light seeming to hover as a blue ball for a moment before the area around it starts ripping apart and making a indention below the light, then with a sound like a generator shutting down it flashed and a wave of energy blasts through the area. After it all settles there is just a large crater in front the shop that is now missing its front half. Simon watches closely, his heart thumping and his brain buzzing at the strange sight. A loud high pitched ping emits form a skyscraper, a Shard hanging on the side sending out the sound several times. Then a large group appear on one building, then another....and another. Hundreds of the Shards surround the area and jump down as they begin to charge down the street in the direction of the attack, creating a stampede of the things as they recklessly rampage down their path.

Several bullet sized balls begin to pepper the crowd form the same direction, though the source of the attack is blocked of from view by a few buildings. Now shaking and soaked form the rain, Simon stands up and runs down the street as fast as he can to look for survivors and it seems the battle carries on elsewhere. The explosion seemed to have wiped out everything, but searching in the shop he spots a rifle laying in a splash of blood, it must have been the bulldog's. He picks it up and stares at the warm liquid on his hands before wiping it on his pants and darts back outside, almost falling into the rather large hole. He adjusts the strap of his pack on his shoulder and starts running away form the noise and toward the outskirts of the city, each time he hears a noise he darts behind something and waits quietly but finds it's just the storm rattling some tin on a sign or a can against a wall.

With every step he gets farther and farther from the noise until he can barley hear it anymore. Turning a corner he spots another tank, with smoke rising from its engine along with several bodies, both soldier and Shard, that scatter the area. It must have been another resistance attack by the military, but why? Scavenging was the only thing that made sense to him, but that would mean that the camps were starting to run out of supplies. Nobody had attacked the Shards in a long time, it was almost pointless. They kept to themselves if people kept away. It was all to confusing, but he approached slowly with the rifle sling on his shoulder, looking about he didn't see anything alive. He sighed and began to search through pockets and bags, taking any lighter or food. Now and then he would find a map, compass, or a few documents from the bodies of the officers. He was a bit sad, but he was alive and they were not, so he reasoned with the looting. He would have checked the tank, but the wreck gave off a great deal of heat and he was sure he would get burned if he climbed on to search.

This whole thing would have sickened him to his stomach before and he wouldn't have went anywhere near them, but he needed supplies and the military had the most and the best. After tucking away a few extra flashlights he stood up and looked about, his ears flicked every which way. The sound of the fighting stopped, guess the shards got to their target. That was some strange weaponry though he thought. Maybe the military were field testing some new gear to try on the invaders, that could explain it. The pup shook his head and turned around, ready to go back to the bar where he could get dray and warm, the rain had now gotten though his clothes entirely and drenched his fur. The one good thing about the fights these days, they never lasted long if at all.

How did he not see them? How long were they there, watching him. What were they waiting for? Simon's ears folded back against his head as he looked at them, five Shards just about a hundred feet away. They were so quiet, and he had been so distracted he never noticed them. He took a step back from them with his body beginning to shake as his mind that was previously pacing though thought, came to a halt. The rain and the crackle from the burning tank now the only noise as time seemed to stand still. He tripped on something and fell back, the rifle on his shoulder sliding away, he looked at it meekly and back to them. He didn't know how to use it anyway, he closed his eyes and winced as one of the imposing creatures stepped forward, its legs like a ballerina's balancing on their tips as it approached him. He didn't know what to think or what to do he just sat there shaking in the cold. He scolded himself, he should have been paying attention and not gotten distracted with the events of that day, maybe then he would have made it to the next.

Just as all hope had been ripped from his mind and he had accepted his fate, the ground around him shook as if there had been an artillery round explode, but there was no explosion only a strange crunch. As he opened his eyes Twitch wasn't sure what he was looking at, the Shard that had been on its was to take his life was now beneath some type of robot, or it looked like a robot to him. The figure was tall, almost eight feet by his guess. It held a large and strange looking rifle that had several nodes across the barrel, each making the weapon glow a pale blue, the armored suit itself was painted like a vivid portrait, completely covered in little waves seemed to crash together in a vast ocean. His eyes slowly scanned across the sight, taking it all in with a puzzled expression. There was a banner connected my a chain on its right shoulder that depicted a black background with white letters lined on top of one another that read 'Disaster'. The banner sat next to a large square box in the middle of his back, a little fan shape visible form the vents that covered the outside. Looking over it's shoulder it glared down at him, two slots across the helmet that shined with a bright green light. It looked forward and turned its attention to the Shards now filling the street, five had turned into thirty easily. Lifting its rifle and keeping its stance atop the body beneath him that oozed a grayish goo onto the road, the gun made a strange whirring sound as it came to life.

Simon couldn't count the number of his shots if he tried, the figure spraying into the crowd without so much as a hunt of shock form recoil. Bright lights flew form the barrel of the device to slip with ease into each shard, a explosion of blue and gray erupting at the other side of the wound. They scrambled to try and get close for an attack, but the figure would shift to the closest threat each time and unleash burst into its head. Seven, twelve, twenty-two, and thirty. They each fell before this new foe as if they were just targets at a shooting gallery. Even the ones that tried to pull together their armored limbs for protection found his rounds ripping though them without a second thought. When the last Shard had finally stopped twitching, he lifted the rifle to rest it on his shoulder as it surveyed its work.

The many corpses littler the road, each one leaking their ooze onto the ground with the rain washing it down the street and into various storm drains. Simon looked at the rifle beside him and hurried to take it, pulling it up and aiming at the thing in front of him, he wasn't sure what to do. The figure turned around and secured its weapon on a shoulder before stepping toward the hapless mutt, the rain dropping into his ears and causing them to flick now and then. It halted just before him, bending over and stretching out a hand. Simon quickly tossed the gun away and garbed the arm and pulled himself up, leaping onto him and hugging tightly. His voice a soft whisper as he cried into the shoulder of his savior, "I don't know who or what you are, but...thank you, thank you." His body was still shaking form the cold, but the guardian held onto him tightly with his arm, cradling him and walking off like a mother carrying her child to bed. With Simon in one arm, and a rifle in the other it walked away, disappearing into the fog of the heavy rain that was steadily rinsing away at the battle scared city.

The sun came over his face as Simon's eyes flickered open, a gentle breeze pushing through his fur that brought the wafting smell of fresh cooked food teasing at his nostrils. Rising up he looked about to find himself in a small A frame tent and covered with a thick dark green blanket. Crawling out from the shelter he took in the sight. He was in a small camp on a grassy hillside, the city he was in what felt like just moments before was far in the distance. He carefully walked to the center of the place where a large pot stood over a fire, steam rising out from under the lid. He warped his hand in the sleeve of his jacket and took of the cover to find a enticing stew underneath with potatoes, carrots, and bits of meat. He ran to a nearby table and quickly snatched a metal bowl,canteen of water, and a half loaf of bread that sat there, returning to the pot and serving himself. Taking a large ladle he poured a decent amount into this bowl and sat down on a log just behind him. Dipping the bread In the food and taking a large bite of of it he tuned his head around, looking for some kind of explanation. Just him, the tent, the food, and the table along with the fire.

He shook his head and opened the canteen, taking a few gulps before forking a potato into his mouth. It was amazing! He couldn't remember the last time he had real food, next he tried the meat. As it fell apart in his mouth he winced in joy a tear almost slipping form his eye as he scarfed down the rest. He couldn't make sense of this, it could all be just a dream, but he didn't care because he was warm, happy, and fed. Setting the empty bowl beside him he took a few more drinks of water just as a patch of grass off to his right rose form the ground. It fell back to reveal a hidden hatch while the figure from before emerged carrying a large box. Simon leaped up and hurried over to him as he set the box down, staring into the helmet he scratched a foot across the ground as he though of what to say, he looked like a kid who had a crush on someone and was about to reveal his feelings as his hero turned to him. "Th-thank you again for saving me, and the food and everything really. Um...are, are you a machine?" The armor of his shoulders moves up and down as he seemed to laugh silently and shook his head 'no'.

He bent on one knee and opened the box. Inside was a number of things that intrigued Simon. A officers hat, a odd looking pistol, two metal cylinders, a smaller version of the rifle the figure carried, and a photo. In the photo was a group standing together in front of a large banner like the one he had on his back, there was a gray and yellow one, black and blue one, a solid white one, a sandy brown one, and the blue one that stood there now. Under each of them in the lining of the photo were little words scribbled down. Twister, Hurricane, Blizzard, Sandstorm, and _Tsunam_i. After staring at the photo for a second Simon looked over to him and smiled, "Tsunami huh? It fits, you are all named after natural disasters I see, explains the banner." He nodded to the mutt and pointed to one of the waves painted on his suit. "Well, Tsunami....I'm Simon, but everyone calls me Twitch." The yellow canine held out a paw with the smile on his face growing. Tsunami reached out and held it with his much larger hand and shook it gently before reaching into the box and retrieving the rifle and pistol along with a hip holster. He leaned in and fastened the holster around Twitch and slid the piston into its holder, then handed him the rifle.

He cautiously accepted the weapon and turned it over in his hands examining it before looking back to him, "This is pretty advanced gear. I bet your some sort of secret military force that was made to fight the invaders." Tsunami reached into the box once more before coming back to fasten an armored vest to Simon's chest, then moved to his ears, placing little triangular strips across the openings and nodded to him and pointed to the side of his helmet where his ears would be. Twitch understood him perfectly and nodded back, "Yea, I noticed that they can use some type of sound waves to talk to each other, and hurt people. Thanks, but what do I need all this for? I mean I'm grateful and all, but I'm no soldier." Closing the box Tsunami sat down on it and motioned for the pup to as well. Sitting down they stared at one another before a voice came form beneath the helmet, it sounded far away, distorted and muffled but he could hear it alright. "In this war, I am afraid that everyone is a combatant." Simon looked surprised for a moment before gazing off to the city, thinking about the events from his previous day and then about life at the camps. "Didn't think you could talk for a moment, but your right. This invasion has changed everyone. Most have already given up hope of victory, and every day is a fight just to survive." His voice trailed off as he stood and placed a hand on the others shoulder. Simon's face changed to one of pride and determination as he spoke again in a raised voice, "We can't go on like this, something needs to be done. We can't just roll over and take this, or all the lives lost so far will have been for nothing! We need to, we have to fight, just not the way we have been doing it. My brother was strong, kind, and loving. He was taken form me in this mess and I can never get him back. Everyone has lost someone or something close to them, but that shouldn't make us scared. That shouldn't make us fight one another, it should bring us together! I know our world is broken, I know better than a lot of people about loss and pain. I am tired of just surviving, we need to live!"

He finished with a huff and a balled fist before slowly calming down and panting. Tsunami reached out and held his shoulder as he stood up and looked down at Twitch, the sun catching off the glass of the helmet's eyes. "That's why I'm here. The world needs a fighting chance, and together.... I think we can fix it." Tsunami began to explain that there was a operation underway to try and acquire certain technologies form areas to build a weapon to bring an end to this war. He laid a map across the table and pointed to a few places that he would need to go, the next one being a large dam just Northwest of where they were. Simon agreed and asked him to show him how to use the weapons, Tsunami agreed and they spent the rest of the day training and practicing. By the end of it all the poor pup was tired and sore all over, but he was glad that he was going to help start making a change, to try and bring an end to this fight for good. He had his fears and worries, but the figure beside him made him feel brave. It felt like he could do anything by his side. Laying back down for the night, Simon went over everything that he was taught in his head, quietly muttering as he drifted off to sleep with Tsunami sitting just outside the tent looking into the fire of the pit as the dark of the night shrouded around them.