ALICE

Chapter 71: ROSE

Chapter 71: ROSE

Alice had been upgraded. Her lean-to was now a full tent, one which you couldn’t touch the ceiling if you jumped. She had a proper table, two chairs, a refrigerator full of nice alcohol, and a four-poster bed. Alice enjoyed the luxuries like this, including better food and more of it, as well as full pick of her weapons, but they seemed like peasant pleasures compared to what Redd got. Redd got two tents that had been put together, as well as a second story. He had a fully furnished house, with armchairs, a double bed for his frequent nights with company, and a bar made of Mahogany wood. Redd often entertained, and took to living with Angel as he needed near-constant medical attention, and medicinal alcohol.

 Redd and Angel both became closer since the mission, as Redd had stopped hanging out with his former best friend, Taco. In the five week’s period since Alice and the team had returned, Taco had actually came out as being gay. He and Krew had formed a most unlikely relationship, apparently dating in secret since before Alice had even arrived in Landerwon.

 Alice had spent a lot of time with Nine, though it was difficult to do, since Nine had been captured on a mission, tortured for information with such methods as having every shred of skin on his legs cut off, and then dumped outside the camp as an example.

 Alice talked to him, and through the morphine-fuelled conversations she pieced together that he was tortured to near-death by an LSF-commisioned man with the initials D.M. Alice also knew that he was often referred to as ‘The Doctor’. Alice stayed with Nine for as long as she could before the drugged conversations became frustrating to listen to.

 Alice spent most of her time eating, sleeping, and retelling the story of when Redd killed ZERO. Alice sometimes embellished the story for young listeners, with tales of her head ‘disappearing off of her body’. The story was always finished from cheers and tears, sometimes even from adults.

 The break in Alice’s arm hadn’t been so bad, and so she had been in a cast for about two weeks, and then it was taken off.

 Not a soul had seen an LSF troop for a very long time, and with ZERO finally dead, everyone figured the war was over, the Resistance had won and now they could live in peace. Many people were sent to spots such as the Glacier and small camps around the Forest, and according to the people who had been sent on the missions, every last one was abandoned, major things like guns, ammo, and vehicles had been taken, but tents, food, and cooking supplies all had been left behind.

 Some missions were sent towards Threader City but evidently it was the LSF’s last line of defense, and most aircraft were shot down before they got close.

 Alice knew that the LSF would be crippled, but she wondered if, now that ZERO was dead, if she would return home. Perhaps an apple tree would appear in the pebbly landscape and she would go home, wake up in her bed as mysteriously as when she arrived. Perhaps the whole thing was a dream, maybe Alice was hallucinating, or maybe this was real. But something in her knew that to leave, she had to do something, something big. Alice thought that thing would have been killing ZERO, but apparently it wasn’t. Several thoughts such as this whipped through her mind daily, including, maybe she was stuck here for ever, since she hadn’t killed ZERO herself. Maybe it was because Redd did it, maybe she had to kill him.

 Alice never acted on these thoughts, but constantly they consumed her.

 Around the base, some small things had happened, such as Alexei finally being able to walk, albeit with crutches and very slowly. He and Lara were given a small tent to themselves, and while it wasn’t much, they seemed very happy about it.

 Someone had found George, but she had damaged his jaw so badly he couldn’t speak to tell them who had done it. His wrists were broken too, and until they healed or someone figured another method of communication, the person who had put him in life threatening condition would remain un-named.