Shadows of Reform (Probably being edited)

Chapter Twelve

Melody was not happy. In fact, she was afraid for her life.  

No more than a few days ago, Jason left to fight the rebels, and regain his honor. Now, he was gone, and she was being locked up somewhere beneath the main tower. What did Jason do now? Had something gone wrong? 

She sighed, and rested against the stone wall. There wasn't anything that she could do to escape, that was Jason's job. All Melody ever knew was healing. Ever since the death of her parents, whom Jason told her were good people, Melody became obsessed with saving others from certain death. The man Jason took her to had been a great teacher, making sure that she knew everything about the medicinal arts.  

Her years there, both of them, had been intense and amazing at the same time. The man she left behind afterwards now had a reason to keep on, and she had the training required to finally be able to do something worthwhile. While her brother took to killing, Melody would heal. 

Medicine, however, was of no use in prison. So Melody sat, thinking of her brother, whom she had left thinking that she was dead.  

Melody cried, her sobs filling the chamber. 

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Jason and the rest of the men rode ahead, across the endless desert towards a town that should not exist. The vehicles bucked and rolled along the sand, filled with food, tools, and weapons, the last of which was not something that the guards inside needed to know. The nondescript buggies and vehicles were meant to get inside inconspicuously, not assault a whole city. 

The city in question was strange in itself, because it existed next to a valuable commodity: water. While there happened to be a river that spanned the entire nation, it did not carry as much as the area on one whole side of Shifting. Miles and miles of open water, something that the more educated called an 'ocean'. Not only that, but since they were near a large amount of water, they seemed to have a huge amount of these creatures known as 'fish'. These animals were long, and scaly, creatures that had flaky, yet tender meat. Jason only had fish once, and it was wonderful. He longed to taste such a thing again. 

"Up ahead! Here comes our payday!" The men around him were definitely fitting into their merchant roles. 

"Got it."  

The caravan rolled up to the front gates, and the Security men walked up and down the column of transports, inspecting the people and equipment. Jason realized that he may be noticeable, since he was a recent enemy of the Reform, and they would be looking for him specifically. So he did something he would hate. 

"Okay, let me see you guys... What the hell?!" 

Jason smiled a bit, but it was somewhat hard to do because he was covered in a goopy mess that was in the container behind him. It wasn't his best choice of camouflage, and the viscous liquid dripped down his neck, making him shiver. The man looked on in surprise, the turned around and walked away without saying another word. Jason chuckled, and then realized how cold the muck was. He probably should be more concerned with getting this stuff off of him.  

"What is this stuff?" He looked over at the driver, who was already giggling.  

"You're gonna hate me for this..." The man paused before continuing, as if he was trying to find a way to make things less awkward, "...its fish guts." 

"Ah! Dammit!" Jason swiped the gunk away from him as fast as his arms could go at their current state. Guts flew out the window of the vehicle, with the driver wheel snickering the whole time.  

"And I thought you said you liked fish?" The man holding the wheel joked. 

"Not the guts, you damn fool!" 

"Never mind. Here we are." The driver gestured over to a large building. "The warehouse." 

Jason dismounted the vehicle, along with the leaders of the other transports, and began an inspection of the new compound.  

There was nothing to boast about, but there did seem to be enough space to fit all their gear. There was no real space other than the main room, and a small room at the end, which would probably be used for the leaders. "Alright, let's check it out completely. You guys head inside." The men complied. 

Jason stayed behind to help some of the others lift the supplies off the trucks. Most of the crates were too heavy for him, which was odd, but there did happen to be some that were just the right size for him to lift.  

Jason hefted the largest crate that he could carry, and made his way back inside the new base. 

"Nice place, eh?" William stood in the center of the large room, handling one of his two submachine guns in his hands.  

"Not that bad, but it seems a bit big. Do we really need this much space?" Jason placed the crate down with the others, and the box crashed into place. Jason winced at the noise. 

"Yes, we may have to fit our vehicles in here. Actually, we will. The men will bunk here, in the bottom right corner, and the transports will be placed in the left corner, near the entrance. A small bunker in itself." 

"At least you thought this out this time." Jason smirked in his direction. 

"Just let it go!" Will slung the weapon behind his back, along with the other gun. 

"Not until you save my skin. Then we'll be equal." Jason searched through the crates for his Pincer, pieced together the rifle, and attached the strap to the ends. 

"Of course. Come on; let's 'go to market'." William slipped an overcoat on top of him, covering the submachine guns. Jason was going to sling his rifle, but it would create too much of a bulge under the clothing. So instead, he placed it aside, and placed the overcoat over him, making sure the nine millimeter was secure under the fabric. The coats were laced with a heavy metal, which would counteract any bullets being fired against them. Unfortunately, they were laced with heavy metal sheets, not plates, which made movement slow and ungainly. Therefore, Jason would have to move slow, and keep himself hidden from enemy Agents to stay safe.  

"Don't forget the merchandise." Jason gestured towards one of the crates, which held the food from Greenvale. 

"Of course, deer meat should go well wish fish guts!"  

"Just get the damn box!" Jason stormed out.