I cleared my throat, "You guys, this is Tom Gibbs."
I didn't need to say anything else, they knew what brigade he came from and what happened to his old friends. Tom nervously looked up nodding to everyone.
Our leader Brian stepped forward, "Hey man, I'm Brian you Captain" and he put his hand out and they both shook. I smiled. Brian was like my older brother, he had blonde hair and blue eyes. He stood tall and had a very solid build to him. People would mistake him as an Elite because of the way he held himself, but that was him. He was raised in a military family so, it was inevitable that as he grew up he would soon become a soldier, like his father, his father's father, and all the other men in his family.
"I'm Natalie" and she walked forward giving him a hug. Natalie was a very physical person, she had no filter when it came to people's personal space. This not only made her very flirty, but a person you went to if you needed to cry and someone to hold you in their arms. She had beautiful black curls and her skin was olive. Her ancestry originate in Spain. She our infiltrator. She could bend, crawl and move into small places and penetrate any type of fortress. She was our key to making and executing plans to enter our enemies bases.
I looked around the room, everyone was snickering because she was still holding on to him. She was crushing on him.
"That's enough Nat" Link slowly moved her away from Tom. Nat and Link had a thing, they were flirtatious, but I heard them in the bathroom late at night sometimes, doing a little more than they should in a brigade apartment. Link was literally tall, dark, and handsome. His hair was completely black and his eyes were emerald. He would say what he wanted to and tended to be the devil's advocate when it came to making plans. He made sure we understood everything that could go wrong. It was helpful, but he usually got a slap upside the head from Natalie, or Prim.
Prim was our Co-Captain. She was there to give order when Brian wasn't or the brigade had to split up. She was the mother hen. She had short blonde hair and is fairly tiny, but no one ever messed with her because she was known in the army for being put in the whole for smashing other soldiers heads against the hard metal walls if the stepped on her toes.
"Hey man!" Kabob reached his hand out and tried to do a handshake, Tom tried his best to keep up. Kabob was the most enthusiastic out of all of us. Him being in the army kept him from going to jail. He was an illegal weapon dealer and sold drugs that altered peoples hormone levels. These drugs helped men or women being recruited to the army, fail the physical. The drugs he sold couldn't be traced in any kind of tests, it always comes out as inaccurate levels in the blood, which could be seen as a disease or disorder. Everyone knew Kabob, he had a Mohawk and was a short Irish looking fellow. He was our weapons specialist. His favorite weapon was the flame thrower. Nat believes he's a pyromaniac.
Tom smiled awkwardly, "Nice to meet you all"
"Blue, you introduce yourself properly yet?" asked Kabob.
I was always introduced as Fast by the Colonel, or anyone who was in power. I was known as Blue. No one knew my first name. Not even my old brigade. Sometimes I forgot my real name, but it would always return to me.
I turned to Tom, "Uhm... I'm Blue as our genius of the group just told you" I smiled and everyone laughed.
Tom still looked nervous. I didn't know what to do. He seemed helpless in his own body and wanted to run, but knew he had no where to run to.
I looked around and figured it out, "Ok! I'm going to take Tom on a tour. So, you guys chill here." I smiled at them and then grabbed Toms hand and walked out the apartment door before anyone could respond. As the doors shut with the similar sigh, I still held his hand and continued down the steel halls.
"Thanks" Tom sighed with relief. I didn't say a thing but walked a little fast, still holding his hand. I couldn't let go, I wanted to hold on to make sure he knew he wasn't alone.
We came up to a large door, similar to the apartments door but way bigger. I padded in and it opened.
Inside was a large room. This was a sanctuary. It was the gym, training area, weaponry practice, and logistics development center. It was my library.... my church.
I finally let go of his hand, "This is the training area."
Tom looked around in complete aw. He was happy now, I could tell. He could loose himself now, take his mind off of what he really missed.
"This is amazing, our training room was never this big" Tom was taking each aspect in. The computers, and bookshelves with different techniques and methods for infiltration and fighting. The shelves, and racks of different weapons. The different work out equipment and mats for fighting. This was where you would find any Elite if they weren't in their apartments or designated scheduled area. It was where we went if we couldn't sleep, or if the biologically made blood was irritable that day.
I smiled at him proud of our army base, "We are known for our training center. I thought you'd like it."
He looked at me, turning shy, "O ummm... thank you."
Before things could get anymore awkward, the announcements came one, "Dinner is served."
"You hungry?" I asked.
"I'm hoping your food is just as amazing as your center"
I laughed, "Sadly, sometimes i think we have the worst food in the whole Corporate Army."
We walked into the Caff and got out food. Toms eyes hung low not wanted anyone to notice him, give him that apologetic look.
I guided him to the table and we sat down.
"Why hello there!!!" Kabob greeted us, "I hope you are ready to enjoy our armies meal specialty.... SLOP!!" Kabob took a spoonful and flicked it across the room, successfully getting it to stick on one of the hospital, white walls.
Everyone laughed, Link high fived Kabob, "Nice one!"
Tom laughed along with us.
Natalie smiled at Link and giggled, she started to whisper in his ear. His eyes widened and he smiled.
"Can you guys flirt somewhere away from us? I'm trying to enjoy my slop" I gagged.
This was dinner, countless small talk and little bits of bickering. Everyone did it, even Tom was. Sometimes it would be the one time of our day we could all pretend we were normal teens and young adults. We would laugh about stupid jokes, and things that happened in logistics class. The beings would talk about their families, and silly Uncle George and his smokers laugh. These were the conversations so many of us would remember and hold on to when we went out into battle, and these would be the thoughts we would bring with us during our dying breaths because well... this was the closest we could get to family.
Link casually interjected into Brye and Tom's conversation, "Soooo... you and Blue have a lot more in common then your origins"
Tom looked confused, "I do?"
My heart started to race. Link could be a ass hole sometimes, but what would make him expose this. I looked over to Natalie and Kabob, they both didn't seem bothered by the comment.
"Where are you going with this Link?" asked Prim, she had a stern look on her face and I was afraid Link would be lucky contestant number 24 to get his head smashed into the wall.
"Nothing, Tom knows right? I heard the Colonel let him know and stuff. I've been hearing it from everyone." Link was being serious. This wasn't a cruel joke, it was a rumor.
"I heard it to" Nat confessed and Kabob joined her, "So did I"
I looked over to Brian, "I've been hearing the same thing Blue. It's going to get to him eventually, you know how rumors can get in here."
I looked down at my tray of food and I was suddenly not hungry anymore. I got up and took my tray with me, not saying a word.
"Blue, I didn't do it to hurt you." Link apologized. He felt bad. It wasn't his fault, it was no ones fault, it was fate really.
I put my tray on the clean-up table and quickly walked out of the Caff, as I turned around one of the corners I began to run. Everything was whirring around my head. The voices, the screams, the sounds of whispers of people who knew my past. None of this I was proud of, and I wasn't prepared on sharing it. Tom, seemed to be a fallen angel. This boy... man entered my life in the same position I was. He had the same feelings, and emotions I did, the difference is I never had anyone like me there for them.
I came up to a door and quickly padded in, little did I know someone was behind me.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the door. We entered the sanctuary.
This place was a massive garden, it was where we got our fruit and veg, but it also helped us train in camoflouge. No one was in here, it's usually vacant at dinner time.
He kept on walking with my wrist in hand, until we came up to a bench deep in the brush. He forced me to sit down and I was now face to face with him... Tom.
I automatically pushed my head down, he snickered, "Where are we?"
I looked up and his eyes were shining from laughter. Poor thing dragged me into a place he never knew existed trying to give me an amazing speech only to be flabbergasted by the amazing scenery.
I began to laugh with him, "It's the sanctuary."
"It's amazing", he smiled.
He looked at me expectantly. His eyes... his eyes were magnificent, they were so blue. It always amazed me how amazing Elite's eyes were.
Telling my story wasn't easy, but there was something about Tom that made it ok. Made me feel like he wouldn't judge my decisions once he knew my situation. I looked down and told him... everything.
I became one of the most valuable Elites at age 11. Normally Elites are placed in a brigade age 14, me however I was put into one at a very young age. When I became 15 I had already been fighting for 4 years. We were doing a typical land acquirement. The plan was to boarder of land that was occupied by neither side. Me and my brigade were led out into no mans land. One of us stepped on a land mine. When it happened I was a few feet away, so I was blasted, but not over injured. Everyone except 2 were dead instantly, apparently the recovery crew picked them up in pieces. The other two were dying a slow and painful death. one of them, she lost a limb and was bleeding out in an agonizing pain. With each heart beat blood came spurting out. The other one, he had it the worst. Pieces of poisons metal entered his blood stream and with each pump of the heart the metal torn him apart inside out. There was nothing we could do, by the time recovery got to us they had already screamed out as much as the could and both died of heart faliure and blood loss. Me? I was cut open from my should to mid back, the scars are still there. This is my story and telling it to Tom made me feel better, but the screaming was still ever so present in my mind.
I looked around the room, everyone was snickering because she was still holding on to him. She was crushing on him.
"That's enough Nat" Link slowly moved her away from Tom. Nat and Link had a thing, they were flirtatious, but I heard them in the bathroom late at night sometimes, doing a little more than they should in a brigade apartment. Link was literally tall, dark, and handsome. His hair was completely black and his eyes were emerald. He would say what he wanted to and tended to be the devil's advocate when it came to making plans. He made sure we understood everything that could go wrong. It was helpful, but he usually got a slap upside the head from Natalie, or Prim.
Prim was our Co-Captain. She was there to give order when Brian wasn't or the brigade had to split up. She was the mother hen. She had short blonde hair and is fairly tiny, but no one ever messed with her because she was known in the army for being put in the whole for smashing other soldiers heads against the hard metal walls if the stepped on her toes.
"Hey man!" Kabob reached his hand out and tried to do a handshake, Tom tried his best to keep up. Kabob was the most enthusiastic out of all of us. Him being in the army kept him from going to jail. He was an illegal weapon dealer and sold drugs that altered peoples hormone levels. These drugs helped men or women being recruited to the army, fail the physical. The drugs he sold couldn't be traced in any kind of tests, it always comes out as inaccurate levels in the blood, which could be seen as a disease or disorder. Everyone knew Kabob, he had a Mohawk and was a short Irish looking fellow. He was our weapons specialist. His favorite weapon was the flame thrower. Nat believes he's a pyromaniac.
Tom smiled awkwardly, "Nice to meet you all"
"Blue, you introduce yourself properly yet?" asked Kabob.
I was always introduced as Fast by the Colonel, or anyone who was in power. I was known as Blue. No one knew my first name. Not even my old brigade. Sometimes I forgot my real name, but it would always return to me.
I turned to Tom, "Uhm... I'm Blue as our genius of the group just told you" I smiled and everyone laughed.
Tom still looked nervous. I didn't know what to do. He seemed helpless in his own body and wanted to run, but knew he had no where to run to.
I looked around and figured it out, "Ok! I'm going to take Tom on a tour. So, you guys chill here." I smiled at them and then grabbed Toms hand and walked out the apartment door before anyone could respond. As the doors shut with the similar sigh, I still held his hand and continued down the steel halls.
"Thanks" Tom sighed with relief. I didn't say a thing but walked a little fast, still holding his hand. I couldn't let go, I wanted to hold on to make sure he knew he wasn't alone.
We came up to a large door, similar to the apartments door but way bigger. I padded in and it opened.
Inside was a large room. This was a sanctuary. It was the gym, training area, weaponry practice, and logistics development center. It was my library.... my church.
I finally let go of his hand, "This is the training area."
Tom looked around in complete aw. He was happy now, I could tell. He could loose himself now, take his mind off of what he really missed.
"This is amazing, our training room was never this big" Tom was taking each aspect in. The computers, and bookshelves with different techniques and methods for infiltration and fighting. The shelves, and racks of different weapons. The different work out equipment and mats for fighting. This was where you would find any Elite if they weren't in their apartments or designated scheduled area. It was where we went if we couldn't sleep, or if the biologically made blood was irritable that day.
I smiled at him proud of our army base, "We are known for our training center. I thought you'd like it."
He looked at me, turning shy, "O ummm... thank you."
Before things could get anymore awkward, the announcements came one, "Dinner is served."
"You hungry?" I asked.
"I'm hoping your food is just as amazing as your center"
I laughed, "Sadly, sometimes i think we have the worst food in the whole Corporate Army."
We walked into the Caff and got out food. Toms eyes hung low not wanted anyone to notice him, give him that apologetic look.
I guided him to the table and we sat down.
"Why hello there!!!" Kabob greeted us, "I hope you are ready to enjoy our armies meal specialty.... SLOP!!" Kabob took a spoonful and flicked it across the room, successfully getting it to stick on one of the hospital, white walls.
Everyone laughed, Link high fived Kabob, "Nice one!"
Tom laughed along with us.
Natalie smiled at Link and giggled, she started to whisper in his ear. His eyes widened and he smiled.
"Can you guys flirt somewhere away from us? I'm trying to enjoy my slop" I gagged.
This was dinner, countless small talk and little bits of bickering. Everyone did it, even Tom was. Sometimes it would be the one time of our day we could all pretend we were normal teens and young adults. We would laugh about stupid jokes, and things that happened in logistics class. The beings would talk about their families, and silly Uncle George and his smokers laugh. These were the conversations so many of us would remember and hold on to when we went out into battle, and these would be the thoughts we would bring with us during our dying breaths because well... this was the closest we could get to family.
Link casually interjected into Brye and Tom's conversation, "Soooo... you and Blue have a lot more in common then your origins"
Tom looked confused, "I do?"
My heart started to race. Link could be a ass hole sometimes, but what would make him expose this. I looked over to Natalie and Kabob, they both didn't seem bothered by the comment.
"Where are you going with this Link?" asked Prim, she had a stern look on her face and I was afraid Link would be lucky contestant number 24 to get his head smashed into the wall.
"Nothing, Tom knows right? I heard the Colonel let him know and stuff. I've been hearing it from everyone." Link was being serious. This wasn't a cruel joke, it was a rumor.
"I heard it to" Nat confessed and Kabob joined her, "So did I"
I looked over to Brian, "I've been hearing the same thing Blue. It's going to get to him eventually, you know how rumors can get in here."
I looked down at my tray of food and I was suddenly not hungry anymore. I got up and took my tray with me, not saying a word.
"Blue, I didn't do it to hurt you." Link apologized. He felt bad. It wasn't his fault, it was no ones fault, it was fate really.
I put my tray on the clean-up table and quickly walked out of the Caff, as I turned around one of the corners I began to run. Everything was whirring around my head. The voices, the screams, the sounds of whispers of people who knew my past. None of this I was proud of, and I wasn't prepared on sharing it. Tom, seemed to be a fallen angel. This boy... man entered my life in the same position I was. He had the same feelings, and emotions I did, the difference is I never had anyone like me there for them.
I came up to a door and quickly padded in, little did I know someone was behind me.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the door. We entered the sanctuary.
This place was a massive garden, it was where we got our fruit and veg, but it also helped us train in camoflouge. No one was in here, it's usually vacant at dinner time.
He kept on walking with my wrist in hand, until we came up to a bench deep in the brush. He forced me to sit down and I was now face to face with him... Tom.
I automatically pushed my head down, he snickered, "Where are we?"
I looked up and his eyes were shining from laughter. Poor thing dragged me into a place he never knew existed trying to give me an amazing speech only to be flabbergasted by the amazing scenery.
I began to laugh with him, "It's the sanctuary."
"It's amazing", he smiled.
He looked at me expectantly. His eyes... his eyes were magnificent, they were so blue. It always amazed me how amazing Elite's eyes were.
Telling my story wasn't easy, but there was something about Tom that made it ok. Made me feel like he wouldn't judge my decisions once he knew my situation. I looked down and told him... everything.
I became one of the most valuable Elites at age 11. Normally Elites are placed in a brigade age 14, me however I was put into one at a very young age. When I became 15 I had already been fighting for 4 years. We were doing a typical land acquirement. The plan was to boarder of land that was occupied by neither side. Me and my brigade were led out into no mans land. One of us stepped on a land mine. When it happened I was a few feet away, so I was blasted, but not over injured. Everyone except 2 were dead instantly, apparently the recovery crew picked them up in pieces. The other two were dying a slow and painful death. one of them, she lost a limb and was bleeding out in an agonizing pain. With each heart beat blood came spurting out. The other one, he had it the worst. Pieces of poisons metal entered his blood stream and with each pump of the heart the metal torn him apart inside out. There was nothing we could do, by the time recovery got to us they had already screamed out as much as the could and both died of heart faliure and blood loss. Me? I was cut open from my should to mid back, the scars are still there. This is my story and telling it to Tom made me feel better, but the screaming was still ever so present in my mind.
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