Assorted Ancient Texts

Nathan of the New Empire

***Inspired by the world of Half Life 2, this was written with the intent of putting a whole rebel epic behind it, but it alas went nowhere.***

The water soaked into his thin cotton shirt as the lightning seared across the sky and pounded the little town with thunder. The puddles soaked through his shoes and made his feet ache. He walked up to the door where an Overwatch Agent stood on guard, baton in hand and pistol in his holster.

"Halt." The guard said in a digital voice muffled under the gas mask that covered his entire face. A hand was raised to Nathan's chest.

"Name and I.R.N., citizen."

Nathan tightened his grip on the book-filled backpack's strap, "Nathan Alteck, 225-C...sir." His hesitation to address the Agent by this was noticeable. The Agent clenched his hand on the baton ever so slightly, prepared to issue out justice if needed.

"All hail."

Nathan didn't hesitate this time, "The Overseer, supreme commander of the New Empire."

The guard waited a few seconds while Nathan stood in the pouring rain with nothing but a shirt, shoes, and pants to shield himself from the cold. The guard enjoyed making him wait.

"Enter."

The agent dropped his hand and Nathan walked through the door, letting it close behind him as he felt the agent's eyes on the back of his neck. That was close. His head began to ache as he remembered the incident a year ago. An agent was beating up a kid from his school for talking out of line and Nathan yelled at the agent to stop. Two agents left him with a broken arm, bloody head, and broken nose. He couldn't fight back, for fear of being sent to the mines, and had to accept the beating. He shivered, his body reminding him of the soaking clothes he currently was imprisoned in, as he walked down the hallway to the stairwell at the end. Three flights up, he placed his hand on the third door to his left and turned. There was no lock.

"Mom, I'm home." He breathed into the still air of the residence. Silence. The small runner's bag plopped on the table with only two books weighing it down. He walked to the bedroom and realized his mother had not returned from work yet. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and then took the books out of the pack as he dried himself off.

History of the Old Empire

This book was at least an inch thick.

The Citizen's Handbook

Only 40 pages or so, thank goodness. The Teacher had assigned the class to read and write a paper on the 13th chapter of the history book, and read the entire 'young citizens' book. Nathan could feel his stomach turning already. He hated the New Empire. He hated the Overseer. The last thing on this planet that he wanted to do was read a history of enslavement and brutality with a clever propaganda twist of words. Then to write a paper on the damn subject made his skin crawl. The Citizen's Handbook wasn't any better. The brainwashing text was even more obvious in the little booklet that instructed citizens how to behave and treat any Overwatch personnel with upmost respect and authority. It talked about everything from curfew to reproductive rights. He had already read the entire book, as he received it from the Teacher when he was 12. In a month he will be tested thoroughly on the entire booklet and then receive a job assignment.

The door opened as his mother entered the establishment. He got up and handed her the damp towel, "Mother, where have you been? It's not good to be out in this weather."

Marla put down her purse and dried her hair, "I went to the store to pick up some dinner, it's alright."

Her voice was trembling. There was a bruise on her elbow, "Mom, what did they do to you?"

"Nathan, I told you. It's al-"

"No! It's not alright! They can't do this to you!"

His mother clamped her hand over his mouth and whispered as a tear swelled up in her eye, "Nathan, shush! You know what they'll do to us both if they hear us yelling!"

Nathan stared at his mother for a long moment. He knew what they would do to them. He knew. He hugged his mother tightly as she returned the embrace. Beneath the soaking clothes, Nathan's skin was hot. She was cold.

"Just...study, okay? I'm going to go rest for a while. His mother left the dining room and shuffled into the bedroom. Nathan watched her walk through the doorless gap in the wall before dropping the towel on the ground and wiping up the water with his foot. The next apartment over raised the volume on its television as the Overseer talked about useless garbage. They were trying to help mask the yelling. At least the other citizens had each others' backs.

He hung the towel on the rack in the bathroom and put a pot on the stove and looked in his mother's bag on the counter. A can of soup cooked on the stove as he thought about rumors from school. Rumors that his classmates and friends would be arrested for talking about. Anyone would be arrested for talking about the Resistance. Hell, they'd be sent to the mines. His classmates talked about a resistance meeting going on in the underground waterways under the 3rd district. That was only 4 blocks from his apartment. It was happening in exactly a week. Nathan new a few of the kids from his class were going to go. The Resistance needed all the help it could get. But how could anyone trust that it wasn't a trap - a trap set by the New Empire to squash any that would resist their power?

The soup started to boil, so he poured it in a bowl and grabbed a spoon from the counter. The bowl was hot by the time he got to the bedside and put in on the little table. He turned on the lamp, "Here you go, mom."

His mother rolled over and forced a smile that melted his heart, "Thank you, Nathan."