Broken Worlds: Age of Ruin

I rubbed my eyes tiredly as I sat up in bed. It had been nearly a week since I had first met Wayne out in the forest, and nearly a week since I had first joined the Resistance. It took some getting used to a new living space, but I managed; it was nice being able to fall asleep at night without worrying about waking up in a cardboard box or behind a dumpster.

“Hey, Gentle Blade!” I looked up to see Tess poking her head through the doorway to the bunk room I was sleeping in. “Good to see you’re finally awake!”

I yawned and stretched my forelegs out in front of me, sighing happily as my spine “popped” a couple of times. “Morning, Tess,” I replied cheerfully. “What’s up?”

Tess motioned for me to follow her. “We’ve got another mission all set up; we’re taking down a BlackTech labor factory,” she explained as I reluctantly leaped from the cushiony mattress and followed her into the hallway. “They’ve been weakened by a breakout a few days ago, and now we’re going to finish the job!”

I looked up at the peppy human fearfully. “You mean, we’re actually going to fight BlackTech? What happened to guerilla tactics? You know, stealing info, sabotaging equipment?” I asked quickly.

Tess nodded. “That’s our usual strategy, yeah,” she said nonchalantly, “but Drayke has a good feeling about this place; they’re already in bad shape, and they’re distracted by repairs and capture squads searching for the escaped prisoners. This might be our only chance to take out an important BlackTech facility!” she said excitedly.

I nodded slowly. “Well, I can see your point,” I agreed, “but it just isn’t what I was expecting when I signed up for this…”

I heard a derisive laugh behind me, and looked over my shoulder to see that Wayne had been trailing us for some time. “Another reason I work alone,” he said smugly. “you always know what’s going on. A big operation like this? Too many people; some of the little guys aren’t going to know when the rain’s coming, while the boss is sitting under his umbrella.”

I raised a curious eyebrow; Wayne may have seemed like a jerk at times, but I couldn’t deny that he had a point.

Tess turned around and crossed her arms. “Well, you’d better pack your umbrella, pal,” she said, giving Wayne a friendly pat on his shoulder, “because the forecast is calling for some heavy showers.”

Wayne stared back at her through his glasses. “I can live without one,” he replied cooly. “I just like to know if the occasion would call for one.” With that, he continued to walk down the hall. As he passed, I could just barely see his dark-brown, almost black irises staring at me through the little space between his lenses and his face. It was the first time I had seen the boy’s eyes, and even though it was just for a second, I saw something that scared the living daylights out of me.

He walked tough, talked smart, and thought fast, but those eyes betrayed the elaborate cover he had put over himself; maybe he was just acting, or maybe he had just worked it into his head that he really was some kind of slick, unstoppable survivor, but in that moment, I saw Wayne Douglas for what he truly was.

“Gentle Blade, are you okay?” I shook my head quickly, snapping myself from my deep thoughts. Tess was looking at me with a look of concern. “You spaced out for a moment there; is something wrong?”

I gave her a false smile. “Yeah, everything is fine!” I said sunnily. “Just spaced out for a moment there.”

Tess nodded, smiling back. “Well, how about we head to the training room?” she suggested, motioning for me to follow her. “Rumor has it you know how to handle a sword pretty well…”

~-~-~-~-~

“Well, those rumors weren’t false,” Tess said breathlessly as I pointed the tip of an arming sword at her nose. I tossed the blade aside and helped her up. “You completely destroyed me.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it,” I said with a laugh, “you held your ground pretty well for a while. Best seven out of thirteen?” I asked teasingly.

Tess held up her hands and shook her head. “No, I’ve had enough of getting my butt kicked for today,” she said with a giggle. “So, where are you from?” she asked nonchalantly.

I shrugged as Tess sat down beside me. “Here and there,” I replied. “My hometown was razed by BlackTech long ago. Since then I’ve just been wandering from place to place, searching for a new home.”

Tess nodded slowly. “Do you think you’ve found one?” she said hopefully.

I smiled at the human girl. “I think so,” I replied. “What about you and Joseph? What brought you two here?”

Tess shrugged. “There isn’t much to tell. Our parents were BlackTech supporters, and we weren’t. They treated us like garbage because we thought what BlackTech was doing was wrong, so one day Joseph told me to pack our bags, and we left.

The only thing he had to go on was rumors of a group of fighters trying to unite human and pony societies,” she continued. “We wandered the forests of Equestria for weeks searching for leads, and just when all hope seemed lost, we happened across this old place,” she said, gesturing to the room around us. “Drayke kept the original, run-down fortress standing so nobody would think to check it for secret entrances or anything.”

I nodded slowly. “So that just leaves Wayne,” I said quietly.

Tess shrugged. “He’s been on his own for some time, that’s all I’ve picked up,” she explained.

I looked over at Tess. “I saw something earlier,” I said in a low voice. “When he walked past me, I got a glimpse of his eyes. He’s been hurt real bad, and that pain just gets worse and worse as the days go by,” I explained fearfully. “It’s more than just pain, though, I can tell; it’s… regret.”

Tess stared ahead thoughtfully. “He’s a hard nut to crack,” she said slowly, “but I’m sure we’ll get to him eventually. It’s just going to take some time, but I can tell that behind that lone wolf act - no matter how much he denies it - all he really wants is some people to call his friends.”

I nodded uncertainly. “Maybe,” I said slowly.

Tess stared at me as I looked at the ground for a long time. “Is that ‘seven out of thirteen’ offer still on the table?” she offered comfortingly.

I glanced over at her and smiled. “Sure,” I said with a laugh, and grabbed the handle of my sword with my mouth as Tess took a defensive stance. “You want me to go easy on you?” I asked teasingly.

Tess shrugged. “Not like it’s going to matter,” she pointed out, and we charged at each other.

~-~-~-~-~

“...So, all we have to do is rig some charges on the primary support pillars, and the whole building will collapse,” Drayke explained, pointing to a set of blueprints he had projected on the screen in the meeting room. A bunch of Resistance members surrounded me, listening to their leader’s plan. Among them were Tess and Joseph, who sat by my side, and Wayne, who was leaning against a wall in the back of the room. “This is our biggest mission yet, and as a result we’ll need as many soldiers as we can afford to spare. So, I’m taking a squad of twenty-five of us, including myself, to blow up the manufacturing plant.”

Drayke proceeded to hand-pick the attack squad one by one, his eyes scanning the group for excellent candidates. He eventually picked me, Joseph, Tess, and Wayne. “You four have spirit, and seem to get along with each other pretty well,” he explained when I asked why we, a bunch of trainees, had been picked. “I would rather have a group that can work well with what they have than a group of knuckleheads that will make this a contest and get in the way of the plan.”

I nodded. “I understand,” I said respectfully. “Is there anything I should be aware of before we leave tomorrow?”

Drayke shook his head. “Not that I can think of,” he said certainly. “I will say this, though; you don’t have to go on this mission if you don’t want to. Being out in the open with me can be kinda dangerous, because I am a very high-value target for BlackTech. If they kill me or capture me, anybody travelling with me is going to face the same fate.”

I shrugged. “I’ll do what I can to help,” I replied confidently. “BlackTech destroyed my home, and I’m more than happy to risk my own safety to help pay them in kind for what they’ve done.”

Drayke smirked. “That’s the kind of attitude I like to see,” he said, impressed. “You should go talk with your friends; come up with a strategy and what your individual roles will be.”

I smiled and began to head towards my bunk room. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” I called behind me.

~-~-~-~-~

“Look, I’m the best shot out of all of us; I’ll hang back and provide covering fire for the rest of you!”

“Joseph, we just explained in training a week ago that when you hang back, you focus too much on whoever you’re watching! Somebody will have to stay back and cover you.”

“Why not Wayne? He’s pretty resourceful, and I’m sure he’d have no trouble watching your back.”

“Pass. Sitting around watching a guy stare through a scope isn’t my idea of a good time. No offense, Joseph.”

“Well, why don’t we all go in together?”

The four of us looked up to see Rainbow Dash, who had just entered our bunk room. “We don’t have to worry about who’s watching out for who if we all watch out for each other,” she pointed out, taking a seat next to Joseph.

Joseph thought about this for a moment. “She’s got a point,” he admitted. “Besides, once we’re inside, we won’t have much need for a sniper; better to have everyone sticking together.”

I nodded. “So, it’s all settled, then; we fight together.”

Dash gave Joseph a friendly nudge with her shoulder. “Looks like I was right about you charging in with me after all, huh?” she said smugly.

Joseph rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, sounding slightly annoyed. “Let’s do an equipment check. I’ll be taking one of the BlackTech Stinger rifles we have in storage.” The “Stinger”, I had learned, was a semi-automatic assault rifle that BlackTech soldiers were primarily equipped with. It was gas-powered and battery operated, and fired long, slender needles that could punch through armor and pierce bone.

Wayne cleared his throat. “I’ll stick with my rifle and the Smith that Drayke gave me,” he said nonchalantly.

Tess spoke up next to him. “I’ll need a rocket launcher, some grenades, a couple of katanas, and a pair of Uzis,” she reported confidently, and Joseph gave her an incredulous look.

“How about you just take the Uzis, a knife, and one grenade?” he suggested.

Tess sighed. “Okay,” she mumbled. “I never get to have any fun…”

Dash was next. “I’ve been working on a couple of improvised weapons of my own,” she said proudly. “Steel-toed, edged horseshoes, as well as some bladed wing sheaths. I’ve just gotta get up close, and any BlackTech goons that I see get diced,” she explained excitedly.

I nodded. “I’ll just take a pair of arming swords,” I said simply. “That’s all I can really use, anyways.”

Tess gave me a sympathetic look. “And you can use them better than anyone I’ve seen, human or pony,” she said kindly. “We’re gonna kick ass tomorrow!”

Joseph glanced over at Wayne. “You get to have your first bit of revenge tomorrow,” he said with a slight chuckle. “Aren’t you going to show at least a little emotion?”

Wayne looked at him, his bandana and glasses keeping up their job of hiding his face and emotions. “I don’t have my revenge until BlackTech Tower lies in a pile of smoking rubble,” he said angrily. “But, I’ll admit this is a nice way to get started,” he added with a hint of dangerous glee.

Joseph grinned and turned back to the group as he stood up. “Alright, get in some extra training if you can, but don’t work yourselves too hard,” he said in a leader-like tone. “We’ve got a factory to blow up tomorrow, and nobody wants to be half-asleep when that happens.”