Shadows of Reform (Probably being edited)

Chapter Ten

Jason was having the worst moment of his life. His sister was dead, and all the ties to humanity that came with her, and the man he adored was no more than a delusional crazed old fool. His world was crashing down around him, and Jason Willets needed a break. So he sat on the chair of the abandoned map room, thinking about his past, his present, and where he wanted to be in the future. There was not enough time to dwell on this idea, however, because Mellisa walked in and sat down with him. She looked about his age, perhaps a year younger or older. 

"You don't know how lucky you are. You should've been dead a while ago." 

"And you were to be the instrument of my demise?" 

"I was the instrument of your demise," She spoke, "Until you dodged the bullet." 

"So you killed my sister instead?" Jason's anger was welling up again. 

"I'm afraid not. I missed because she was pushed aside, and Dragger ended up grabbing her." 

"...That bastard did what?!" The fury was now bubbling over. The rage Jason showed was no longer for Mellisa, or Zimes; Jason was now angry at his own mentor. "Damn that man! Hasn't he played with me enough?!" 

"Hey! He did what he needed to. Your sister is safe now, hidden away. She isn't meant for the battle field like you or me. Julius left her behind to protect her." 

"But why didn't he tell me!" 

"He knew it was the wrong time. You would try to visit her, make sure she was safe. If you did that, then the Reform would know where to go when you turned." 

"You knew I would turn? How? 

"When you saw what they really did out here, Julius knew you would find it somewhere in yourself to fight back." 

"Then he does know me well." Jason calmed down a bit. "But he still should've told me." 

Mellisa placed her hand on Jason's shoulder, and Jason shuddered. "Your sister is safe now, and we have our own work to do. I have heard of your fighting prowess before, and I look forward to accompanying you in battle." 

Jason felt strange receiving such a compliment. It came with an implied feeling, one he could not interpret. But it did not matter now.  

Another man came in on the talk, and seemed not to notice the intensity in the room. "Mellisa, Jason, we are preparing to leave. Get your gear." 

Mellisa stood, following the man out the door. She grabbed her rifle. "Hold on, Will!" She gave a glance backwards to Jason, and then was off, sprinting towards her vehicle. Jason pulled his handgun from its holster, checked the magazine, and then replaced it. He stood to leave.  

Julius Dragger was waiting for him at the door. "Ready to go?" 

Jason laughed. "Not sure I have a choice now!" 

"Indeed, my son, indeed. The leader awaits us at the main base. Let us depart." 

------ 

The rebel base was larger than Jason expected. It was also farther away than expected. There was a large wall surrounding the main compound, with a gate made from the same bluish black metal as the mine walls from before. The vehicle bucked as it approached the entrance, and Jason's shoulder began aching again. That, and his legs were suffering from fatigue. It seemed like the adrenaline was wearing off. 

"Could this get any worse?" Jason mumbled. 

The truck drove inside, past the ten or twenty soldiers standing nearby. They stared at him, boring through him with their gaze. Jason felt out of place. They waved the transport through anyways. He was instantly relieved. 

But the gazes did not cease once inside. Jason looked around, holding his aching shoulder with his other arm, and watched as people of varying ages appeared from tents and shacks. Everyone, even the young, were staring him down with looks of pure hatred. He could see their pupils dilate once they rested upon him.  

"Why do they look at me this way?" It confused him to no end. Then he noticed. Looking down, Jason spotted the object of their intense anger. It was the one patch, one that all members of the Reform troops wore. A bird, covered in fire, rising from the sand below. The patch was colored in red and black, and he once heard that it had some form of deeper meaning than just a cool image. Not that he knew what it was. Jason used his good arm to tear the fabric off his clothing. Some of the glares stopped as he performed this action, but others remained.  

The transport stopped, and the roaring engine inside froze up. Taking this as a sign to get off, Jason landed on the ground with a crunching noise. His legs started to buckle under their own weight, before someone caught him. It was the man from earlier, William.  

"Would've thought Julius to be the staggering one, not you." He lifted, and brought Jason up onto his one arm, leaving Jason standing, but with something to hold onto. "You need some rest, I think." 

"Yes sir. I would very much enjoy that," The arm sent a pulse of pain through him as he let it fall loose from his grip. "and perhaps a nurse too?" 

"Yes, that can be arranged. Just get some rest, and I'll send someone over." William led him to a small tent, and helped him lay down on the singular mat placed inside. "Sweet dreams." 

Jason smirked "Yea, you too." 

William left Jason to his thoughts, and a few minutes later, he was asleep.