The West Sea

Chapter 7: Retribution

Arman Bruno was covered in blood. The Hydro-Rifle accident inside one of the loading bay quarters had shot of the recruits in the platoon. Arman, Hugo, and Dara carried the bleeding trainee to the Medical Bay as fast as they could.

The recruit, a 21 year old Academy graduate named Trio, had been shot by a hydro-crystal in the upper left part of his abdomen. His face cringed in pain. He was cowering behind his desk when the crystal bounced off the ceiling and had unknowingly hit the side of his body. The adrenaline from the encounter had masked the growing pain inside of Trio, who was unaware of his injury at the time.

Once the group had reached the Medical Bay, the medical specialists on duty took the wounded recruit and checked his condition. They immediately knew that their facility was inadequate to perform the necessary procedures to fully heal the recruit so they decided to take Trio to the Intensive Care facility outside the Campus. Dara, who knew Trio back in the Academy, volunteered to go with him in the facility along with contacting the boy's parents who she had met at the Academy prior, leaving Arman and Hugo inside the emergency room.

Both recruits, sitting silently on top of the vacant floor of the Medical Bay, were clearly distraught by what had happened earlier. Hugo broke the silence as he looked at Arman who was still wearing a stunned look in his face but was slowly growing a spiteful rage. Hugo correctly assumed the rage was directed at Marcus.

"We did what we could. The doctors will patch him up and get him back here in no time." Hugo's reluctant smile didn't fool Arman for a second.

"You know what he did, right?!" Arman shouted. His jaws clenched while his eyebrows furled in anger.

"Your 'friend' there nearly killed someone! And you're acting like it was just nothing. Trio got shot by that stupid 'friend' of yours and nobody's here except us. Where the hell is everyone? I thought you guys from the Academy stick together, huh? Why is it that everyone, even that damn Marcus, didn't even help?!"

"They're afraid. Arman, they're not like you and I," answered Hugo.

"What do you mean 'You and I?' You're one of them, aren't you? You're nothing like me! You people think just because you're rich you can do anything you want, don't you?!"

Hugo was silent for a moment but then spoke, which left Arman speechless.

"My dad was from the tenements. Just like you." Hugo stood up from the sterile medical floor and continued remembering his past life.

"I was born in the slums. I was only a year old back then but once dad got accepted in the Division, in which he was the first one to do so, he took me and my mom to go live in the Commerce District."

Arman wanted to say something but he let Hugo go on with with his thoughts.

"I never knew life inside the tenements, or I was just too young to remember. But my dad  always told me stories about how he always got in trouble in the factory, or how he always get mugged during payday, or how he sometimes fought with his quartermaster for not having rent."

Hugo looked down on Arman and extended a hand, grabbing him up from the floor.

"I may not know what you've been through, Arman. But I understand. I just want you to know that. And also..."

"Also what?" Arman replied back.

"You have to remember this. Not everyone who came from the Academy is like Marcus. We're not like him. We're not legacy. I'm certainly not. But that guy, man. He's on a league of his own."

Hugo and Arman then slowly walked back towards the Medical Bay's exit.

"I have to tell you, Arman. When I say Marcus is a famous guy, I am not exaggerating. Marcus' family helped build the Metro. They have parades for his family to honor that kind of stuff."