Fading hope (Pt. 5) by Gaycock4u

Arriving at Fort. Dawn always made me feel a little unsettled. There was just so much metal inside and out of the fortress that it looked like a metal kingdom. They were the ones to utilize metal, obviously, for their protection and to build with. Even the gates were made of thick interwoven bars that raised up and down on a counter weight. Their “banners” were placed all about declaring the territory with the rising sun behind two crossed swords

When I presented my ID and the documents Major Richards gave me to the gate guards, they gave me a personal escort straight to the lord commander himself. I wound my way through their city of iron and steel to the building that looked more like a medieval tower than a tall narrow office complex. I would have really enjoyed experiencing what an elevator felt like given how many flights of stairs we had to climb. It was all very excessive really.

Being in the presence of the Lord Commander of Fort. Dawn and its militia would be exactly how you expected. A large dark skinned, burly man with an anvil hard body and a thick beard you could just swing from. Not going to lie, I got a little hard seeing the big brute. Just like I had a nickname, so did he. Many called him Dawn’s Protector. He was a major player in the peace deals that saved Nova from utter destruction. His leadership has never been put to question.

“Mr. Harling, you made it.” The lord commander looked pleased by my presence. Looking me dead in the eye he asked, “Any trouble along the way?”

His gaze was making me feel something other than uncomfortable. “Nothing I couldn’t manage.”

“I wouldn’t have requested your attendance if you couldn’t.” Something that looked like a smile shifted his magnificent beard. “Your name carries some weight in the Scavenger’s Guild. You should be proud.”

“Thank you, sir.” I seriously hoped the room was warmer than my face felt. “May I ask why me specifically, though? There are several other Scavengers in Serenity that rank higher than me. Wouldn’t you have wanted one with the rank to show for it?”

A deep chuckle thundered in his chest, “Your lack of ego is charming. Don’t think so low of yourself. Rank is just that. Its what you do that determines your worth and from what I hear, you’ve got iron balls.”

Hearing him make that kind of reference made my eyes go wide, “Excuse me, sir?”

Another bellowing chuckle came from the man, “I’ve been asking around for a Scavenger that knows Downtown better than any other. After a rather short search, your name came up.” His expression changed as he proceeded to ask if only to confirm, “You do know what this assignment is about, correct?”

I swallowed hard and nodded, “I do. Major Richards informed me before I left. Honestly, I –” Just then the door to his office opened, interrupting me. The face I am most familiar with locked eyes with mine. “Duane!” I forgot who I was standing in front of and flung myself around the soldier.

The man, my man, wrapped his arms around pulling me close. “Hey, baby,” he said with utter sweetness.

It was so wonderful to be in his arms again. He felt like a safety where his broad chest were the walls, and his tight abs were the gates. His muscled arms were the battlements along the walls completely capable of taking down a Freaker with strength alone. I’ve seen it.

I leaned my head up and kissed him full on the mouth. Pulling back, I confessed, “I’m sorry I would have seen you first, but your lord commander – wait – what are you doing here?” I happened to look behind him and saw a group of strapping fit men standing behind him. Most of them looked bashful while one was eyeballing the two of us with a smile of approval. At the sight of them I retreated from Duane.

“Lord Commander Shaan requested our presence.” Duane patted me on the shoulder and motioned for us to move from the doorway. “We’ve all been waiting for you to arrive.”

As we stepped aside, four men stepped into the room. Their careers were obvious from first glance. Two of them were Scavengers while the other two were soldiers. I could tell who was from where by the way they dressed.

A thin man in robe-like clothing and a cross around his neck was accompanied by a similar looking soldier who stood taller and thicker than his partner. They were from Saints Villa. The smaller carried a rusty machete and a tattered book attached to his worn leather belt. His companion, thick muscles straining the thin fabrics concealing his body, had gauntlets secured together at the side of his belt. They had spikes that looked welded on to each knuckle. There was even a different type of metal melted onto the back side of the them in the shape of a cross.

The other two were in military uniform. Thick clothing that resembled a soldier from the 19^th century. There was supposedly an argument on what color to use properly, but that argument failed when fresh clothing had become scarce.

The one that was checking Duane and I out hadn’t dropped that smile from his face. Tall but not too tall and built for speed. He kept himself light with only a hammer, a knife tapped to the other end and a small pouch at his side. His partner stood just about the same height but was a bit thicker. He had a sad case of baby face, but made up for it with the scare cutting across his left cheek. This interesting soldier had a crossbow slung over his shoulders and from what I could tell it was his prize possession.

“Mr. Harling, may I introduce you to First Rank Scavenger Cleric Drake and Sentinel Josh from Saints Villa.” The lord commander motioned to the priestly looking fellows. They greeted me in kind as the man continued with introductions. “Here we have Second Rank Scavenger Riley and Second Ranger Howard of Fort. Dawn.” They too gave me individual salutations. “It’s obvious to every you are familiar with Second Berserker Duane.”

“Nice to meet you all.” I smiled a bit shakily. Hearing their ranks told me just how important they all were. Even though Cleric Drake had the highest rank, the rest of us practically ranked just below him in our respective roles. “I’ll do my best to remember your names. I’m actually bad at them.”

“He’s not lying,” Duane smiled putting a hand on my shoulder. “He forgot my name on our second date.” He laughed only after I smacked him in the chest.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet the Bane of Downtown.” Riley stepped forward and eagerly shook my hand. “You are certainly becoming a legend in the guild. Is it true that you took down an entire pack of Alphas?”

“Oh, I – uh,” I rubbed the back of my head feeling embarrassed, “honestly, that story has been blown out of proportion. I was just trying to trap them. The building caught on fire all on its own.”

“Oh, don’t be so modest, Kit.” Duane shook his head at me and turned to the others. “This goof acts like spending several nights in Downtown is nothing. What’s your record again, hun?”

I blinked at Duane with how casual he was referring to me. “A week?” I said more as a question to myself. I didn’t quite fully remember what all happened during that length of time.

“So, it is true.” Drake stepped forward with his hands pressed together in front of the cross on his chest. “You have faired that many nights in hell? We thought that merely rumor than truth.” He bowed his head making me feel uncomfortable. “You are a blessing in the night.” His partner bowed as well.

“Indeed,” The lord commander drew everyone’s attention with that single word. “Which is why I have gathered all of you here. Especially you, Mr. Harling. Your experience with Downtown makes you the greatest asset to this operation.” He stepped around the desk and over to a bulletin board with an old map of the city. Sadly, it was so worn that only the lines managed to stand the test of time leaving names and locations in the past.

There was a red tack in the location of the abandoned Radical base. The lord commander pointed at that spot on the map. “We all know this used to be the head quarters of the terrorist group once known as Radicals.” The room full of men nodded their heads allowing the man to speak. “Two weeks ago, we received intel from a reliable source that, unbeknownst to them, the Radicals were sitting on top of an untouched deposit of resources left by the government before its full collapse. Upon receiving this, I requested one of our own top Scavengers to follow up on the intel.”

“First Rank Scavenger Rachel.” Riley said with a sad tone on hips lips.

I didn’t know her. Not all Scavengers know each other since we live in different communities. Hearing about one of us dying is never good to hear. The fewer of us out there makes it harder to support those we serve. Especially when it comes to an experienced Scavenger. I wondered if Riley was the one to cross her name out on the Scavenger’s Wall.

“One of our greatest.” Even the lord commander looked sad as he confirmed what everyone was assuming. “She died in our infirmary from severe wounds…and multiple bites.” We all understood what that meant. “I need to share with you what happened to Scavenger Rachel.” We all paid close attention as he said, “The wounds she received were unlike any we’ve seen before. It looked as though her flesh had melted from her body. She even spoke of some kind of creature lurking in the complex. Regardless, she was able to complete her assignment. She confirmed the location of the stash not without warning us.”

Hearing about some kind of monster was so vague. Plenty of people call Infected monsters or creatures but a he was meaning a new mutation. That just couldn’t be. “Let me guess.” I pipped in drawing attention. “It’s nestled in a chrysalis den.”

The smirk on the large man’s face made his look more charming than intimidating. “Indeed, it is. In the sublevels of the building. Scavenger Rachel was able to give us enough details to point you all in the right direction before she passed.”

“And these creatures are down there?” Riley asked looking uncertain.

“Yes,” the man nodded his head, “Scavenger Rachel was not able to give us more details than that. Her energy was all but spent at that point.”

“Hold on,” I held up a hand halting the conversation. My brain works quickly, a credit to my livelihood, which lead me to understand just what was being asked of me. “You expect me to lead all six of us into the heart of Downtown? Its an Infected hot spot! And there’s talk of a new mutant?” My tone was rising as I continued, “I’ve spent plenty of nights in that hellhole, but I’ve never had company with me. We don’t even know what this new threat actually is. This sounds like suicide.” I couldn’t help my distaste from showing. It was a lot to ask and even entertaining it was making my heart race. I knew what I walking into but the details of the mission were becoming more concerning by the moment.

“I understand your concern, Mr. Harling,” the lord commander gaze was a mixture of seriousness and consideration, “but I do have my reasons.”

“What might that be, Lord Commander Shaan?” Cleric Drake asked with a casually curious face. “I can’t help but agree with my fellow Scavenger. If our dear fallen compatriot set out alone only to return at death’s door. What makes you believe all six of us will return as successful?” His wording was surprising given most don’t speak in the fashion he does or use fancy words for that matter.

The lord commander looked to be delighted by the challenge. “I have gathered the best Scavengers and capable soldiers in Nova for this. What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room. If the wrong ears hear this, the stability of Nova could collapse faster than it already is.” That statement had everyone attentive to his following statement. “Each of the communities in Nova are reaching their breaking point. Food is scarce and water supplies are questionable. Scavengers are finding less and less beyond the walls and the number of Infected continues to dwarf our own. Every day more humans kill themselves or fall victim to this virus. We are all three meals away from total anarchy.”

He looked at us all as serious as we’ve seen him yet. “Upon retrieving this resource deposit, it has the possibility to sustain us through the next winter allowing every living person a chance at having a future. Little is known about this deposit so for all we know there could be something more than just food and water down there. Whatever is down there can save the people of Nora. Your goal here is to retrieve proof of its existence. With that, I can convince the other leaders to pool our remaining resources to seize the deposit and share in its bounty.” He looked at me this time as he finished. “There will be no chance at success if you don’t agree to this, Mr. Harling.”

Fuck.