The Divided

“Faye! I got the package!” gunfire erupted behind me, causing me to throw my arms over my head. “Shit! They’re everywhere!”

“Good work Agent!” She praised over the radio. Her mood quickly changed to concern when she heard the gunfire, “Agent, what’s happening? I hear gunfire!”

“Rikers!”

“How many?”

“ALL OF THEM!”

Behind me I could hear them taunting me. They were laughing too, like this was some kind of sick game. I was scared, scared for my life. I knew if they got me they would kill me or worse. I saw the noble squad Echo. They were left for dead. ‘Not even worth the ammo’ as one of them was told. I was sent here to regain control after the ‘Green Flu’, and I worked very damn hard to regain that control.

I exposed myself not only to the cold and the snow of winter, but the dangers of the flu and the gunmen that roamed the streets. Hell, even I risked my safety in the Dark Zone. I searched the bodies, gathered the materials and escorted the high value targets as I was told. When I got the call that Directive 51 was put in effect, I followed orders. I was proud to help save lives, to cure this plaque.

To return life back to normal.

This was hell at its finest. We were so close to finding a cure. I was on the trail that could fix the whole situation. But this latest raid was like walking into a lion’s den. They were on every corner, in every room, and they were loaded for bear. Blood thirsty animals. My friends were either dead or injured. I lost contact when we separated. It wasn’t until I reached street level that I regained my connection to Faye.

I had been running for what felt like hours. In my pack was the next little vial that could bring us one more step closer to forming a cure. My pack was heavy with ammo, clothes, water, medkits, grenades, mines, a turret, and a collapsible riot shield. My Kriss Vector sat clipped safely to the right side of my pack and my massive M60 to the left side. How I was moving as fast as I was amazed me. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through my blood…

Maybe it was both.

I don’t remember when, but I entered one of the many apartment complexes of the street. My hope was to reach the roof where I could find something, anything that could get me away from those criminals. In my panic I got lost. I was trapped! Trapped in some abandoned room that used to be someone’s home. I frantically searched high and low for an escape. But it was all in vain.

“Sucks to be you, sweetheart!”

I turned to face the voice. I knew this is where I die. I was cornered without a prayer. If this man wasn’t going to kill me, he sure as hell would rape me, along with his friends and their friends and so on until I would be a quivering mess. Even if I did fight the horde of criminals, they would kill me. I might as well just accept my fate in the hopes that Faye can get another agent to me and they cone finish what I started.

Once I faced the man I could make him out clear as day. He wore the classic grey jacket, tan pants, orange shirt, grey head mask and small medical mask that identified the Rikers gang. And, just like the rest, held his pistol sideways. I started to raise my hands and surrender. Maybe I could trick him, lure him in before making my move… but it was too late.

He fired.

The bullet hit me in the chest at high velocity. Right around eight hundred feet a second. Time slowed for me. As I fell back from the impact my life flashed before my eyes. My childhood, my teenage years, every date, every crush, my parent’s faces. The sound of glass shattering signaled to me that I fell out the window. I had escaped! But not how I intended. As I fell from one of the top floors all I could think about was my failure. I failed the Division, my team, friends, parents, Faye…

Myself.

What a way to go. It truly was what they said it would be. The light… or maybe it was the sun. I don’t know. I saw my hands covered with my gloves. The white of the sleeves of my jacket. My black shoes and blue jeans as they hovered over me. This was my fate. I would never see my family ever again. I was destined to die in this lawless city. Gunned down like a harmless animal.

Ironic actually.

I always did the hunting. From gang members to high tier terrorists. It’s funny how the tides of war can change. Murphy’s Law at its best. No one could have ever planned this. I could have never known this was my fate. I always wanted get married after this, have a few kids and settle down. But no… no… this is who I chose to be. I’m an Agent. I chose this life. Whether for the thrill or just to help people.

I guess… in a sense… I died the day I signed up. Give up everything at moment’s notice. To walk away from the situation no matter what it is. My wedding, my parent’s death, the weekend barbecue, no matter what it is, I have to leave. This was my fate. By the gun I live, and by the gun I die. The world went black as I crashed onto the roof of a parked car, shattering the glass and caving it in.

***

I woke up screaming. In my frantic panic my head whipped around in every direction as my lungs worked on overdrive. As I looked around I saw snow, no big surprise since it was the middle of winter. The streets were quiet, there were no cars, no people, no gunfire? And the homes looked to nice, alone with the street. It lacked blood, bodies, and garbage.

Didn’t matter, because the pain in my chest started to take over. Groaning and doubling over I wrapped my arms around myself before I reached up and grabbed the edges of my jacket and opening it. Last thing I remember was being shot. But there was no bullet hole? My jacket, shirt, hell, my body armor was fine! But why does my chest hurt so much?

I’ll let doctor Kandal look at it later when I get back. Getting up from the cold ground, I brushed a little bit of snow off my jacket before looking at my surroundings yet again. It didn’t make sense. The buildings were to clean and… really white. This looked nothing like Manhattan. Opening the map on my Shade Watch I did my best to deduce my location.

“What the hell? This isn’t Manhattan!” What I saw on the holo-map was nothing like Manhattan! The buildings looked to old, the roofs were pointed, and, the big building at the west end of the map looked like a castle. I poked the buttons and tapped it a few times to recalibrate it. Like it would help. “Piece of shit!” I said while giving it a slap before closing the map and lowering my arm. I sighed. Defeated, I just started walking for god knows what reason.

I grabbed the mic on my wireless mic/sound muffs with my hand, “Faye? You copy?” all I got was static, “Faye? Do you copy, over?” once again static. “Dammit!” lowering my arm I turned my attention forward.

I just couldn’t get over the fact how quiet it was! Someone was always shooting at each other. Whether it be rioters, gangs, the LMB or the JTF! But this time it was just… dead. As I walked the snow under my boot crunched with each step. I could tell this was a fresh layer with the lack of foot prints. It was just me. I kept expecting someone, anyone to jump out in front of me. Whether it be an agent, rioter, Riker, LMB, or JTF.

I hoped for an Agent.

I walked several blocks before with nothing but my thoughts and the crunch of the snow. I swore that Riker shot me. I vividly remember the shot, the bullet hitting me in the chest, the broken window, the fall, and finally the car. I fell from over twenty feet. Even if the bullet didn’t kill me, that fall should have. The farther I walked into the city the more I could hear what sounded like people talking. But this wasn’t people begging for help, fighting over food, or mourning the loss of someone. No, it sounded like…

Laughing?

They sounded happy. As I continued to walk the sounds of people talking and moving around started to get louder. Mostly when I hear masses of people they’re refugee camps or masses of enemy gatherings. Against my better judgement I followed the sounds. I should have been smart, I should have taken cover and grabbed my rifle, but, no. I walked around the corner.

And I froze.

I saw people… well, they looked like people, but they also looked like animals. Scanning them over they were all similar. They were covered from head to toe in fur, their ears looked like a cats, their noses and mouths were more predominant, their eyes might as well have been the size of basketballs! Many of them had a damn horn sticking out of the top of their head too! Others had wings though!

What I wouldn’t do for that.

I was awestruck, dumbfounded even. They talked like me, walked like me and dressed like me. I had to be hallucinating. I had to still have been sitting on the roof of that car. This couldn’t be real! I was losing it, I knew it! We don’t have horse like people on Earth! They walked around like nothing was wrong, many were walking, some held hands, others looked like they were just shopping.

“Monster!”

My head shot in the direction of the voice. Nearby stood one of those people. By the voice and obvious bust this chick had, I could tell she was female. She was dressed in the proper clothing. I looked her square in the eyes. I saw that fear so many in Manhattan carry. She truly though I was going to kill her.

“Guard!” she screamed as she ran off in fear. “Get the guard! Monster!”

As she screamed the rest of the people in the street stared at me. I never felt so small in my life. Dozens and dozens of pairs of eyes fell upon me. With those I connected with, I saw fear. Unadulterated fear. Many screamed and ran, others dropped what they had in their hands. Doors were slammed, children cried, others ushered many into buildings. In a period of less than fifteen seconds, every door on the block was shut and locked.

“Uhhhh…?”

Looking around the now barren street I could still see pairs of eyes peering out from windows. They just watched me. It was really awkward. Taking a step, I started walking forward. What I needed was help. What I wanted was to just go home. As I walked I could hear what sounded like metal banging together. It kept getting closer and closer the farther I walked. Just as I was about to reach the intersection at the end of the block, several of these people dawned in gold armor stopped in front of me, making a wall. A Phalanx maneuver. I froze.

There were about six of them, five in front holding shields and spears. The spears were pointed right at me. The sixth one stood in the back. All of them were clad in a suit of golden colored armor. Their spears were a simple wood shaft with a metal point. The shields were round, matched their armor, but it was the massive sun plastered on the front that was the only thing that was different.

“Halt!”

“Hey, look!” I said, attempting to explain myself. “I didn’t do anything!”

All of them looked at each other nervously before they shuffled their feet and focused back on me. Apparently my words fell on deaf ears as the squad started to advance. As they took a step forward I took one back. There was no negotiating this. As they covered the lower half of their faces with their shields, they raised their spears.

I ran.

I turned tail and ran as fast as I could. They were on me, wasn’t hard to tell by the yelling and the clang of their armor. I was panicking. I was lost, lost beyond recognition. At this point I was starting to question not only my sanity but the simple fact that this wasn’t Earth. Running down the street the snow continued to crunch under my boots. My chest hurt from not only the running but the earlier bullet wound, my legs were murdering me at this point from hours of running, and my lungs burned from the cold air and heavy breathing.

Looking for an escape I rounded a random corner. It could have been another street, an open door, a portal. Nope! It was a damn dead end! It was something out of a damn movie. I couldn’t turn back unless I wanted to face a wall of spears and shields. Searching for any escape my eyes soon fell on a fire escape. The ladder was high, right around ten feet maybe more maybe less. Keeping my forward momentum, I increased my pace by half a step. With the hardest push I had done all day, I launched off the ground and reached out as far as I could.

The cold and my gloves didn’t help any. I caught the lowest rung, yes, but with my weight slipped. One of my hands held firm as the other slipped free. Swinging freely for a seconds I kicked my feet around in a frantic attempt to right myself. Rotating my body, I reached out and grabbed the rung with my free hand. Before I could pull myself up I felt a hand on my ankle.

“Get off!”

I kicked as hard as I could as the man, person, thing, pulled with all his strength. My frantic kicking soon found its mark by hitting him square on the nose. Reeling back, he grabbed his face, which released my leg. With a burst of adrenaline, I used every ounce of strength to drag my carcass up the ladder. Once I was on the first level I took a moment to catch my breath as I looked down at the squad. One of them, the one who seemed to be in charge growled at me.

“Get the Wonderbolts!” he said to one of his companions.

I don’t know who these ‘Wonderbolts’ are, but they can’t be good. Taking one last heaving breath, I continued up the stairs, skipping each step. A few flights later and I was on the roof. Staying back and out of sight I ran across rooftops. Some were flat, others were ‘A’ framed. The clay shingles either clanged or shattered under my feet. As I was crossing what I believe was an apartment, I heard a *whoosh* and saw a flash of blue before someone landed in front of me. Sliding to a halt I froze.

In front of me was a chick in a skintight suit. It was blue in color with orange or yellow accents. She had on a pair of goggles and by what I could see she was bright orange. She placed her hands on her hips and cocked them to the side.

“Look,” she said while turning her head and removing her goggles. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

It was like she timed the whole thing. Because two more of her companions landed right behind me. The blue male crossed his arms while the other light blue or green female followed her other friends and placed her hands on her hips and cocked them. Turning back to her I gulped. My decision was set. Reaching back against my pack I grabbed roll of rope I carry for various reasons. Generally, for climbing. I just hoped it would reach the ground. Unraveling it quickly I tossed the longer end over and hooked the small climbing hook to the edge.

“Good luck with that,” the orange one said as her and her friends started to walk up to me. I pulled my ascender from my belt and attached it to the rope. She tilted her head. “What are you going to do? Jump?”

I jumped.

Much to their immediate shock. All three of them ran to the edge of the building as I fell. When the rope went taught jolted hard before I grabbed the ascender and descended rapidly. Within seconds I was on the ground and running yet again. As I approached an upcoming intersection, I heard the heavy clang of metal. They poured out from the streets like a flood. Dozens came from both sides and created another impenetrable wall or metal. I came to a sliding halt yet again on the snow clad street. Turning around I headed in the opposite direction.

Only to be cut off.

I was trapped on all sides. Two walls of shields. They stood firm as I looked all around for an escape. I would have headed back for my rope, had the blue male not taken it. He stood on the roof I came from while his other friends were across the street from him on separate buildings. Both of them had their arms crossed. I was cornered. And like any cornered animal, you get bit. Reaching under my left arm I grabbed the grip of my M60. Pulling it from its clips, I whipped it out from under my arm and shouldered it, putting the cross hairs of the ACOG on the first thing I saw.

The streets roared as I unloaded the belt.

I fired down the line, the first man fell as the massive 7.62×51mm round tore through the shield and armor. Each person around the first man curled up on their feet as he fell. Time slowed as each round exploded from the barrel. The sounds of brass hitting the street added to the sounds of war. The wall in front of me broke as they scattered for cover. As they ran I spun, the wall of attackers behind me were already charging. As I kept turning, I fired. The first man in the line dropped as one round tore through his thigh. The second one fell face first as three rounds tore up his body from leg to lung. The rest either dove to the ground or scattered.

I trailed the runners as they frantically ran for their lives. I feel so stupid for not doing this earlier. Once I felt they were dealt with, I turned to the man on the roof. His eyes went wide as I pointed my gun at him. He took a step and flapped his wings in an attempt to run.

He didn’t make it far.

The rounds whizzed around him as the gun roared. Of the several rounds that I fired at him, one connected with his wing. I saw blood splatter from the appendage as he fell from sight. His friends screamed his name. ‘Soarin’ or something. I wasn’t going to give them a chance. My attention turned to them. With the same terror as the rest of their comrades, they dove straight for the ground. But the orange one wasn’t fast enough. As she dove, a round connected with her shoulder. She screamed in agony as her friend screamed her name.

Once they were suppressed I turned back to the original group I first fired on. I slowly approached as the gun breathed death upon them. The barrel was red hot and I was struggling to see out of my site, but I didn’t stop. I made it several feet before my belt ran dry. Lowering the gun, I ran for my opening. I popped the top as I passed the bleeding man on the ground. From the sounds of screaming I could tell that I had hit others in my volley.

Reaching back into my custom pack, I grabbed a fresh belt and dropped it into the weapon before slapping the top shut and charging the gun. I needed to get out of here! I ran, and kept running down the street.

The street that ran red with blood.