Hive

Chapter 2 Override And Conquer

Soldiers ran to their positions ready to help train the new recruits that had signed up. General Deliah Trossler walked up to the crowd of new recruits. "Attention!" she demanded from all the recruits. The recruits stood up from their seats meeting her stern gaze. "Now I have no doubt the majority of you joined our ranks for the reward Prince Gabreil promised before his sudden death, may he rest in peace." The recruits nodded as they had been influenced by the promise of a reward. "But this will not be easy money!" Trossler continued. "We will be going right into the heart of enemy territory. While the Screaming Eagle was built specifically to do most of the heavy lifting, we will still need to fight tooth and nail to

conquer these parasitic bastards. Some of you will not come back alive, But you will be remembered as heroes, and your families will get the reward in your stead." The recruits murmured amongst themselves in fear. "If anyone wants out, now is the time to do so." None of the recruits left. "Very well, we do not have much time for training, so I've encouraged my more experienced soldiers to help with your training. Now then move out!" The recruits left the tent single file. Trossler noticed a boy with black hair was still in the tent, hesitant on leaving. He was then approached by a young woman with a half shaved blond haired head.

"Hey Daniel what is it," Lilly asked her older brother. "Well I'm just not sure we should be doing this," Daniel responded. "I mean you just had your surgery a few weeks ago, and now you're willing to throw yourself into a battlefield, I'm just concerned for you." Lilly had a stupid grin on her face after Daneil said that. "What?" Daniel asked, seeing the look on Lilly's face. "I'll be fine, besides I always have you as a meat shield." Daniel playfully shoved his sister aside and they both laughed. "What do we have here?" Trossler asked in her commanding voice. "Nothing Sir!" Daniel responded, startled by the General. "State your name soldiers!." She commanded the two. "Daniel Macob sir!." Daniel responded. "Lilly Macob sir!" Lilly followed up with. "Ah the Macob kids." Trossler said. "You two have a reputation in the Beaver clan. Wait, I thought you were brothers." Trossler noticed discomfort across Lilly's face, after overhearing something about a surgery in their conversation she was able to piece together the story. "Well then, I suggest you get to the training grounds fast." "Yes sir," The siblings said in unison before saluting and leaving.

Iris overlooked the bronze city from her room as the buildings displayed red flags with the king chess piece embroidered in gold, signaling that the Sovereign leader was dead. Iris was haunted by Images of her brother transforming into the skeletal beast, his screams of pain ringing in her ears. And how she just sat in the carriage and watched. She finally decided to get out of her room and seek out her father. She walked through the empty palace halls searching for her father. She knew he would be in the conference room with the other clan leaders but she always had a hard time finding it. Going through the twist and turns in the palace she came across The hall of sovereigns. The hall was lined with paintings of The Remnant s Previous fifteen leaders. Gabriel's portrait had not yet been put up before his death but Iris could still feel him watching her as the other portraits were. They were watching and judging her for her failure. Iris quickly ran out of the room bursting out and into her fathers arms. "Iris, are you ok?" Ramses asked. "Yeah I'm fine," Iris lied. "I was looking for you." "What did you need?" Ramses asked his daughter. "It's nothing, I'm sorry I shouldn't have bothered you." Iris attempted to turn around and leave but Ramses put his hand on her shoulder. "Iris please," he pleaded with his daughter. Tears began to well up in Iris's eyes. "I just sat and did nothing while Gabreil fought off that Hive soldier. I can't stop thinking about it." Ramses pulled his daughter close and embraced her. "I was the one who failed that day," Ramses stated. "I believed my duty as a leader was done, I thought that he could take out that thing on his own. But I failed as a father." Ramses let go of Iris. "What are you going to do now?" Iris asked. "I'm going to find out how that monster got inside of The Remnant , something tells me that this was no accident." Ramses responded in a determined, stern tone. Ramses then turned around and walked back to the conference room. Iris, left alone, walked back into the hall of sovereigns. She now knew that when she came of age, she would be the next sovereign leader of The Remnant . Iris knew what she had to do, she had to prove that she was not helpless, that she could stand up and lead the people, she knew she had to join the fight.