Why'd They Do It?

Mars

Ninovio Facsle | 27 Years Old | Balkeose Male

Unemployed

"Ma! Da! Look! It's my army!"

Happily playing with my toy soldiers, my mother and father smiled as they watched. Their smiles faded as they looked down at some papers, and they had a conversation that little me would never understand. 

"It's due, Valen. Our rent's due."

"Macio, you know the damn landlord doubled the rent last Tuesday, we can't pay it."

My stomach grumbled and churned, but I had to be a soldier like my men. They could survive with rations and determination! My soldiers kept my stomach full. Ma and Da were silent.
Our broken doorbell failed to ring, but we could hear the person behind trying. Then there were 3 loud knocks. Da shot up and came up to me.

"Oh, my little Nino... I have a mission for you!"

A soldier does what he is ordered to do.

"Yes, Da?"

"I need you to open the door and greet the landlord and tell him that we don't currently have the money right now. Can you do that for me?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

I ran up to the door, leaving my army behind. I slowly opened the door.

"Hallo, Mister Landlord! We don't have money right now."

The man behind looked confused. Maybe he wasn't looking for money!

"Uh, little boy, are your parents Macio and Valen Facsle?"

"I think so... Do you want me to go ask?"

"No, no, it's ok, just bring them to the door."

My parents, obviously confused, walked up to the door.

"Our rent isn't due yet, is it?"

Ma said, trying to keep a confident posture.

"Uhm, how do I say this... Valen Facsle and Macio Facsle you are to report to the nearest governmental building for conscription before midnight. If you are found dodging the draft, you will face heavy consequences."

The blood from my parent's face retreat. They are as pale as a ghost. I didn't know what "Conscription" or "Draft" meant, but I knew it was bad. Ma dropped to her knees and Da started to raise his voice, which he never did.

"WHAT KIND OF LAW IS THIS? YOU WANT TO RECRUIT TWO PARENTS NEARING POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS TO FIGHT IN A GOD DAMN WAR THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US?!"

"It must be a mistake; it has to be!" Ma shouted.

The man only said, "I'm afraid not. I really am sorry; I'm only doing what I'm told. I hope you understand." 

He left quickly.

My parents were even more silent than they were before.

"Nino, we have to have a talk..."

20 YEARS LATER
THE VAZANI-BALKEOSE WAR ENDED 12 YEARS AGO

I awoke on the streets next to a bar covered in dirt and grime.

"Fuck... I was completely wasted last night wasn't I?"

I got up slowly and looked at the sign on the door to the bar. 

BANNED INDIVIDUALS:
Axo Limen, Jucona Reille, Ninovio Facsle

That's me. Shit. Time to find another bar. Or somewhere to stay. I stumble over to a decrepit alleyway and lay on a rotting mattress. Was this really what my life has come to? Ma and Da always wanted me to go to university. Now I'm nearing 30 and I'm sleeping in a damn alleyway.
That dream was one of the worst days of my life. The day Ma and Da left. To go fight in a war halfway across the fucking world. They promised they would come back, but I've learned now that promises are meant to be broken. I miss them. I miss my toy soldiers. I miss school. I miss everything.

And then they came to me.

Ma and Da were back! After 20 years! 

They weren't mad at me for what I've become, or what I do now, but now Da has another mission for me, like he always used to give me! 
"My little Nino... I need you to make something for me."

And so I did. I would never miss this chance to make my parents proud of me again.
I faintly remember learning about this in school. Something about a highly volatile reaction that could be dangerous. It must be for the war! If I do this, then they will come back for good and never leave me ever again.

"Put it in the Children's Orphanage." 
I listened to Ma. I quietly walked to the area where all the kids slept, and I placed it right in the middle. Nobody heard me, or Ma, or Da, and the mission was a success. I ran to my alleyway, and looked at the switch in my hand.

"Press it, Nino. We are so proud of you."
I clicked the button.

A deafening boom filled my eardrums and I fell down. My ears were still ringing as I see people sprinting away from the orphanage and ashes fall from the sky. I sprint towards the alley's exit and see the remains of the orphanage. Half of it is gone, and rubble surrounds the area. I hear firetrucks and ambulances in the distance, and I wonder to myself, "What did I do?"

All I could hear was the screams of fleeing civilians and the shouts of the firemen when I was suddenly grabbed by my jacket.

"SIR, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THIS AREA! IT IS NOT SAFE HERE!"

I followed his orders and ran to another alleyway. This one also had a rotting mattress. As I laid upon the mattress, I thought to myself, "Where did Ma and Da go?" My eyes were beginning to droop. "Where is Ma and Da?" I close my eyes and begin to lose consciousness. "Ma? Da?"

I awake, not in my mattress, but in a dim room, tied to a chair. There's a man sitting across from me.

"We know what you did, Ninovio."

"Are you the police or something? You don't look like it."

"We are simply here to give you an offer. You know how to make bombs. And damn good ones seeing how your eviscerated that orphanage. How about you use your skills for us, instead?"

"What if I refuse?"

"We can turn you in for the police. Or shoot you here right now. Sound good?"

Ma and Da stood behind the man, nodding their heads Yes. The man didn't even acknowledge them.

"Ok, I accept. As long as I get to see my Ma and Da while I'm here."

"Uhm, Ninovio, your parents have been dead for 12 years."

This guy is really starting to piss me off.

OPERATOR: MARS (Ninovio Facsle)
STATUS: KIA
Corpse found in the Gulf of Ingala, on an aircraft carrier. Lower body is missing due to an explosion. Forensic experts determine it to be due to one of his own grenades.