Bionica: The War

Fighting

"Where's Mommy?"

Ruby looked in Jackson's innocent eyes, tears welling up in her own. Where was her mother? She wasn't anywhere in the bunker, that was for sure. She must be in another one, Ruby thought. Yeah. She's in a separate bunker, and that's why she's not joining us.

But something inside her told her to grow up.

The hours passed and nothing much happened. Bowls of lukewarm soup were handed around, and Ruby almost passed it up. The noodles were soggy and falling apart, the broth was watery, and there wasn't much in the way of meat or vegetables. But she figured they might not get more food for a while, so she accepted it.

But they had only received one ration, so Ruby went up to a man in uniform, Jackson holding her hand, and asked for another bowl of soup. The man looked at Jackson, with his innocent face, and handed over a bowl. But no sooner had Ruby accepted it than a man with ragged clothes and a gray, greasy beard snatched it out of her hand.

"Hey!" she shouted. "That food's for my little brother!"

"Tough luck, kid," said the man, whose front tooth was missing. He procured a spoon from his pocket.

Ruby yanked the bowl back when he wasn't expecting it, spilling some soup on the floor. "Don't you have any soul at all?"

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah, and that soul is hungry!"

He lunged at Ruby, but she dodged him quickly. She gave both bowls to Jackson and said, "Take these and run back to where we're staying." Jackson nodded and ran away, safe from danger. The man came at Ruby again, this time launching a punch to her jaw. She avoided it messily and landed a kick to his side. This only made him madder as a throng of people crowded around them. Ruby heard whispers from the crowd such as, "That's just wrong. Kid beating an old man like that." Evidently, the man she was fighting didn't hear their comments. He continued to be as ruthless as ever, launching strike after strike at Ruby. Ruby fought back with as much strength as she could muster, and people began to realize that the girl was not the instigator in this situation. Authorities attempted to squeeze through the tightly-woven crowd as the man launched a final strike, punching Ruby on the cheekbone and kicking her in the ribs. She flew back helplessly and fell on her back.

No one even bothered to help her up.

Policemen got to the man and asked him something. Ruby couldn't hear; the pain in her chest and face were drowning everything else out. She saw the man point at her, a helpless expression on his face. One guard, obviously the leader, nodded at the other two. They walked toward Ruby and lifted her onto her knees. The head policeman said something Ruby almost understood.

"What?" she asked lazily. She felt blood trickling onto her jawbone.

"I said, what's the meaning of this?" asked the policeman. "Young girl like you stealing an old man's soup? You've got plenty. What made you take his?"

Ruby couldn't believe her ears. "I didn't steal his soup, sir," she said, "he stole mine. I have a younger brother, and I went up to an officer and asked for a bowl for him. Then that guy took it from me."

"Bullshit," said the officer. "Now, c'mon, kid. 'Fess up."

"Listen, I'm just twelve. My brother's seven. We lost our parents in the bombing. Can't you cut me a little slack?" Ruby asked as her eyes welled up with tears.

"That's not how the law works, kid," said the policeman. "No parents? Little brother to support? That puts you even higher on the list of instigators. All those good-for-nothing delinquents running around on the street."

"She's telling the truth, Captain Morris," said a new voice. Ruby recognized the man who was holding her right shoulder. "She asked me for the soup and the other one snatched it from her. She took it back and he hit her."

The captain didn't look pleased to hear this. Ruby figured he was the kind of person who arrested so-called "delinquents" and acted like he was sorry for them. "When I want a testimony, I'll ask for it. Got that, Anderson?" The man holding Ruby's shoulder nodded. Ruby was released to go back to Jackson.

As Ruby walked back, she saw Jackson sitting up on his yoga mat, which had been hastily gathered from the center of a still-shouting mass of refugees. He'd laid one out for Ruby and put her bowl of soup on it. He looked up, saw Ruby walking towards him, and ran to her. But when he hugged her, the pain in her ribs came flooding back, and she winced.

Jackson looked up, worry in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ruby insisted. "You have to eat, don't you?"

"Look at your eye!" Jackson exclaimed, delicately running his finger over Ruby's cheekbone. A bruise was already beginning to form. "Did he hit you?"

"Yeah," admitted Ruby.

"Okay, stay here. I'm going to go get someone." He started to run off.

"Be careful!" Ruby shouted after him. She thought about what had just happened and realized that this was what life would be like for them now.

They were orphans.