Write, Wrote, Written discussion

Chapter One

Consistent gunshots split through the damp night air; yet the sharp sounds of bullets being expelled from their barrels and the harsh yelling of both predator and prey were the only sounds in the night. This was war. Families in the area huddled together in their homes waiting for the Sentinels to return to their posts and the previous quiet with them. They did not know who the source of the commotion was, nor did it matter; what mattered was that they were safe. It was not them being shot at, it was not them that were being accused of crimes against their government. Slowly the commotion died down and the hard footsteps of the Sentinels receded and the night fell quiet again. A thin girl took silent breaths as she sat, curled next to a dumpster in a forgotten alley. After things began collapsing and resources began dwindling the people who survived the chaos retreated to small pockets around the world. She looked down at the brown paper package clutched to her chest. What if they got their hands on this? She quickly pushed such doubts from her mind. Of course they wouldn’t, she would sooner die than let him know just how much they knew. They had to stop the disappearances; she had to fix things. Once the brown haired girl was sure that the streets had once again become peaceful she continued her journey to Ground X.
As she ran from the city, the girl turned and glanced over her shoulder checking to make sure no one was following. After making a few small detours to throw anyone off her sent she reached a long metal fence that seemed to go on forever. The fence itself was about twenty feet tall and had barbed wire curled around the top. Along the middle, spaced out in intervals, were rusted signs that warned of dangers that lay beyond. The fence had long since fallen into disrepair as it became less, and less of a necessity. No one in the city would ever think of leaving for they had all they needed for survival within these fallen boundaries. Beyond the fence was a cracked and barren landscape, with the skeletons of former plant life that had withered away. The girl swiftly crept to a part of the fence that had seemingly thick shrubbery. Coming to a thinner spot, she quickly began to pull branches away revealing a ditch underneath large enough for a grown man to fit through. After shoving the package wrapped in brown paper under she, too slid beneath the fence. Once on the other side she made sure the false foliage fell back into place, concealing the breach, and ran off across the darkened plain.
Just as the sky was beginning to grow a vibrant red, above the harsh landscape, she came to an out-cropping. Close to its base was a crevasse in the earth, which one wouldn’t see unless looking for it specifically. Quickly she clutched the package tightly to her body, shimmied through the crack, and slid down into the cool underground. Before her lay a long narrow passage barely illuminated by the warm, morning light that was seeping in from above. Making her way through the darkness she eventually came to a rusty metal door, which appeared to have been forgotten. She knocked out a rhythm on the cold metal and after a few moments the door swung open with surprising ease. Behind the door was a tunnel similar to the one before; though, it was wider and had lamps hung evenly on either side flooding the rocky passage with yellow light. Standing to the side of the open door was a large, tanned man with unruly, deep brown hair. His large stature and stern manner made him appear intimidating and isolated; however, upon recognizing the young woman his serious expression turned into a lopsided grin as he ushered her in, bolting the door behind her.
“Freya, back already? I take it the mission went well then.”
“We’ll see. It depends on if our contact actually delivers what was agreed upon.” She turned to continue down the hall.
“Make sure to come visit more often. It gets lonely down here and it’s always nice to see a pretty face.” Freya chuckled at the lightheartedness of Daemon. He was in truth a walking contradiction; for though he appeared the brooding type, he had a light childish nature and a booming laugh. She continued to walk along the winding hall, ignoring the other tunnels that branched off on either side. This area was built as a latter of defense in case any one of the outer entrances were breached; the extra tunnels contained fake barracks, booby traps, and dead-ends. Ground X itself had a three-mile radius and was arranged in a circle, half of which was located under the cliff. Though it was entirely underground this base was more luxurious than most of the others, as it had a concealed hanger located within the cliff, from which silent fighter jets were dispatched for various operations. After a short walk she came to a slightly lighter section of the wall. Reaching up, Freya slid her hand into a crack and pressed on the concealed pressure plate. A hidden panel slid open revealing a small computer like screen. Holding her left eye to the opening, the computer scanned her retina and dinged indicating its completion. As the panel slid shut, a large doorway slid open on the right reveling a stone stairway curving down below the tunnels. Following it down Freya came to the transportation system beneath the upper tunnels. An awaiting tram sat on the polished metal rails. Climbing in she placed her hand on another scanner before typing in a coded command that set the tram speeding away. The compound was arranged in such a way that the center of command, training rooms, infirmary, and dining hall were all positioned in the center while the barracks spanned south under the cliff. Because of this, the trams were only used to get to and from the outer exits. The tram tunnels themselves had only two, smooth, steel tracks. Upon arriving to the central terminal she scanned in again and headed up the lifts to the center of command, where she was to deliver the brown, paper package to her superior.
Jane Archer was a kind woman in general, though her appearance and job hid her otherwise motherly demeanor. She was a strong built woman who always had a hardened look on her face. Her deep brown eyes revealed a woman who had seen more things than she wished. As she looked over the holotable once more, running through every possible outcome of an upcoming operation, she heard the lift behind her stop, before it slid open with an eerie silence she never quite got used to. Without even turning around she knew that it was Freya back from her meeting with one of their contacts. She turned around to fix her eyes on the twenty-three year-old that had been stopped by one of their weapons specialists, most likely to inform her of some new gadget that needed testing. The girl had filled out since Jane picked her up off the streets all those years ago. While the girl was still bony she possessed a hidden strength that most underestimated. But what endeared her to Jane the most was her mind. Freya could play the system like no other; but most importantly, she could play people. Jane had seen her beat some of the strongest recruits without even lifting a finger. Her skill was the reason she had risen through the ranks so quickly, not because of Jane’s ‘favoritism’ as some theorized. Even with these skills, Jane thought it unfortunate that Freya didn’t get along better with the others. Though she had what you could call friends, Freya distanced herself from them as if wary of what might happen if she got too close; and honestly, Jane didn’t blame her.
After talking to Quinn about the new bulletproof armor that he wanted her to try on for size, Freya continued toward Jane Archer, their commanding officer at Ground X. Her leader’s sharp brown eyes fixed on her own blue ones. While many would shy away from Commander Archer’s calculating stare, Freya met it with equal resilience.
“I retrieved the package. Something riled up the Sentinels on Fullsworth Street but it had nothing to do with the contact or me.”
“Good. Take it to Patricks for analysis. When that is complete report back here with Patricks, Heartwell, Cadere, and Reese at 1900 hours for mission briefing.” With that Jane turned back to the reports and maps projected on the table. Taking her leave, Freya turned back to the lift in her usual silent manner going over precisely what she had to do for tonight’s mission.

Good job, Sierra, and welcome to the group! You have really good descriptions in your story!

Thank you. I hope I can get the next chapter up soon

Chapter 2

The weapons and engineering wing was a large facility with metal enforced walls unlike the vast majority of the rooms, and its only entrance had a thick metal sliding door that was designed to withstand bombings. The idea was that no matter how hard the government tried in the event of a breach they would not be able to access any of the resistance's weaponry and research. Upon entering the lab Freya found the sterile, white environment filled with its usual bustle of activity. Different Tech, Intel, and Design people moved about completing their different tasks yet ultimately working towards a common goal. The scientists and engineers didn't usually show their faces in this central hub of activity, instead sending their assistants to acquire the information and materials they needed. It was always breathtaking to watch everyone function like a well maintained machine without anyone truly in charge and cracking the whip. Freya found peace in this, as it was so much more liberating than what she had known most of her life. This was how the Republic should function; this was its intended goal. Unable to stay any longer Freya wove her way expertly through the main room, dodging people, computer stations and the occasional bot. Finally reaching one of the glass doors that lined the far wall she slipped in silently to find that she was not the only guest in the room. Marie Cadere was sitting on one of the counters that were positioned around the wall chatting jovially with their head scientist Quinn Patricks. As they talked Freya noticed there was a certain gleam in Marie's eye that was never present during her other conversations with men. She was glad that people were still able to find happiness during this dark time; she only hoped that this relationship turned out better than the last one she had encountered. Not wanting to witness anything too private she set the package down on the counter closest to her.
"Commander Archer requests that this be scanned,” the pair turned to look at her, the scientist blushing a bit at what Freya had intruded on. Marie on the other hand was hardly fazed, which was understandable given her usual line of work. Before reassignment to Freya's team Marie had worked with information, particularly procuring it from rather difficult male government workers.
"Now that you’re here can we finally slip into those new suits," at this she threw a wink towards Quinn, turning him an even deeper shade of red than before, "or do we have to wait for Reese for the test run?"
"He's fine where his is, we can't hold off on this any longer. We have a mission briefing at 1900 hours." This was no surprise to any of them as new intel meant a mission as soon as it was scanned and analyzed.
Quinn cleared his throat in an attempt to alleviate his nervousness, "well then ladies, if you'll follow me." He led them into a room adjacent his lab where three black suits were held in suspended animation. The base material of the suit itself seemed to be created of a sort of webbing. This however only shown through the areas that would need full range of motion, while the rest was covered by a thick platting. “Both the suit itself and the plating are made up of a material of my own design. While they both have been tested to be resistant against heat and all forms of weapons we know the Sentinels to carry, one material offers flexibility while the other provides durability.” As Quinn explained these features Marie made her way over to the one labeled with her name, delicately slid it from the energy field, and exited the room to go try it on.
“So, we should be impervious to whatever they throw at us.” Freya asked casually, glancing over to where Marie had disappeared.
“Yes. Though I wouldn’t recommend doing anything reckless, as they don’t make you indestructible.” Quinn commented looking pointedly at her not quite knowing what lengths the brunette would go to in order to loose her pursuers.
“Well, how do I look,” Marie inquired, throwing the pair a sultry look, “Ready to knock the socks off some Republic agents?” She continued slinking her way towards them, testing out the affects of her new attire. Flustered by her behavior Quinn looked down at his datapad pretending to be intrigued by some information that was displayed. Almost immediately the sudden sound gunshots jolted him from his act as he looked up in time to see a bluish hue flash around Marie’s startled face as the force field was met by several bullets. All confidence that had been in the blonde woman seemed to have disappeared thanks to Freya’s sudden fire.
With her mouth gapping and head reeling, Marie turned to the scientist, “Did she-- did she know it would do that. That blue flashing thing.”
“Of course I did. I was the one who requested that there be some sort of head protection. The brain is an essential organ to life there for a logical one to aim for,” Turning to Quinn, Freya continued, “I believe that these will do nicely. Don’t forget that that data needs to be analyzed before the briefing.” Tucking her ever-present weapon away once more she turned on her heel and saw herself out of the lab.
Lilly Heartwell was busy as usual offering her help wherever she could when she wasn’t needed for other tasks. This was, however, what made her so great at running logistics. No one understood the workings of both the Resistance and the people in it better than Lilly. Today, Freya found her working in the Med-Center helping administer immunity shots for different toxins. She waited until Lilly had met with the final patient before approaching her.
“There’s a mission briefing at 1900 hours.” If Freya had her way she would’ve been on her way to informing Reese and then getting just enough rest to be able to function tonight; Lilly, however, had other ideas.
“You’ve been more focused lately, which has made you more cutoff. I know you’re trying to pretend it doesn’t bother you, but you can’t fool me. I know you, the real you.” Her ever-caring tone caused Freya to stop and turn back to face the girl she had come to consider a friend. They both knew what she was referring to. It was the same thing that had torn her team apart, the same incident that had led to Marie’s reassignment, the same mission that had been whispered across the base for well over a month. And it was the one thing Freya did not want to discuss.
“You would be correct as always. That day brought back some rather unwanted memories. Memories that I refuse to let interfere with our mission here. If you are accusing me of running from my past, then you would be correct. But I have learned that that is how you survive, and that is how you win.” Lilly sighed at this. She knew that her friend was always cool and calculating but it always saddened her how much older she always seemed. Yet innocence was always the first victim of war, and it could be honestly said that no one alive today had a childhood where they hadn’t been forced to grow up early.
“Please promise me that you won’t do something to seriously endanger yourself because of this. There’s nothing for you to make up for, whether it’s a conscious decision or not.” Freya only nodded in acknowledgement before once again slipping silently down the hall. Lilly could only watch in woe as her friend left, off to her next task. Efficient was most certainly a word she would use to describe Freya, yet this had led to many others calling her a machine. Josie and her followers just didn’t understand, they couldn’t possibly understand. Drawing in a long breath Lilly realesed her growing worries for Freya and left her staion to prepare for tonight.
Freya found Carson where he usually was as of late, in the training room. After ‘that nasty incident’, as people referred to it, he always found a way to keep busy. The mission to Grayfield, had been a success but what they had encountered had jarred them all, to the point where Dean had requested a transfer. Dean and Carson had been brothers in every way except blood, and when he left it hit Carson hard. They had lost comrades to transfers before; it was understood that as members of the resistance they were to go wherever they were needed, but Carson felt as though he had been betrayed.
Freya waited until he caught sight of her and the echoes of his blows on the training bag stopped. Sweaty but barely breathing hard, he turned to meet her usual neutral gaze.
"Commander Archer has a mission for us. Briefing is at 1900 hours in the center of command." He nodded, and she took that as her cue to leave.
"Do you ever think about it? Do you ever just think to yourself: I should have done more. That we should be doing more." Freya stopped stone cold.
"More often than you know." She replied quietly. After a few seconds of an understanding silence she continued on her path out of the training facility, only slightly aware of the thuds of fists hitting the training bag. After leaving Carson in solitude once more she wound her way swiftly and silently to her personal bunk. As she lay down on the thin mattress she hoped she would be able to get a few hours of sleep, that weren't plagued by unwanted memories.

Excellent Sierra! Keep it up. Looking forward to chapter 3!

Chapter 3


Marie walked into the command center avoiding all those scurrying around completing their different tasks, and began to glance around for her teammates. Lilly was running through the equipment she was to use to track their progress and communicate with them through the entirety of the mission. Carson stood silently in a corner with his usual brooding look. After Dean was transferred she, as well as many others, thought that Carson would request a transfer. Marie suspected that Freya knew more about what had happened than she was telling, though when she inquired further Freya only responded that he felt abandoned before she had refused to disclose any more information. Freya and her secrets, the Resistance and theirs. Despite her uncanny ability to draw them from the lips of Republic agents she could never get more than a few vague answers from both Freya and the Commander. She wasn’t as fazed by this as some; she knew what she had signed up for, being a second generation and all, and understood that some things didn’t need to be disclosed in order for people to do their jobs. Others however didn’t, they took for granted the freedom that they had compared to those still under the Republic’s control. As her gaze came to rest on her dear friend, who was standing over the holotable clothed in her new armor, Marie remembered why she had been scanning the room for the brunette. Coming up next to her Marie whispered, “Josie has been rallying support to overthrow Commander Archer again. She keeps talking about how we are doing more relief work than actually working to bring Malcolm down.” Freya stood in her silent, cold manner that repelled most.
“Thank you for your concern. We are aware of the situation, and are doing everything we can to get it under control.” Freya sighed, “People don’t understand that we must wait for the right time to strike, they expect a complete victory against the Republic overnight.” The lift doors opened behind them and Quinn strode in with the package Freya had retrieved from one of the Resistance’s many informants. As he walked by she noticed the shy look that passed between Marie and the redheaded scientist. “Besides I think you have better things to think about than your worries about conspiracy theorists. I’m more than proficient when it comes to keeping an eye on those who are blowing hot air.” As she said that Jane Archer entered the center and the room fell into a hush as they turned to acknowledge her arrival. She signaled them to relax and continued on to the large holotable in the center of the room. Freya, Marie, Carson, Quinn, and Lilly followed soon after.
“This is to be a strike on the research facility located in the next town. The information the Freya retrieved is a diagram of the facility. Using this Reese will lead the team to infiltrate the building and lead them to the archives. There you will download all information on the new technology being developed as well as any new security measures. Meanwhile Reese will head to the center of operation and wipe the main computer’s hard drives completely.” Commander Archer looked at each of them before continuing, “To do this without alerting the Republic he will need to cut the power. Freya, you and Cadere will have ten minutes to download everything before the power is cut. Wiping the hard drive should also erase any evidence of an information download; to the Republic this will only look like a system failure. We have taken the measures to ensure that the blackout will last for as long as it can without raising too much suspicion. You must use this time to leave the facility and meet at the rendezvous point.” She sent a hard glance at Freya who nodded slightly. “Heartwell are your checks complete?”
“Yes ma’am everything is in order.”
“Good. Patricks brief them on the technology on the way to the hangar. Good luck.” Everyone returned to his or her station, and Marie, Freya, Carson, and Quinn entered the lift to make their way down to the hangar.
“This,” Quinn said pulling out a small flash drive, “is what you ladies will be using to download the files. There should be a port on the upper right hand side of the main database; insert the flash drive and download the files. There’s enough storage space on here for all of our files, so you should be fine.” Marie looked between the small drive, that Quinn had placed in Freya’s hand, and the scientist in awe. The lift came to a stop and the door slid open revealing a large open cavern filled with various aircraft for different purposes. People ran about prepping planes as they prepared to embark on their own operations. They crossed the large room to where a jet was parked. It was sleek, smooth, and rather small though it would be able to seat all of them comfortably in the open space behind the cockpit. The back of the jet opened and a tall, dark skinned woman strode down the ramp.
“Freya! Carson! It’s been awhile friends.” She had a slight accent that made her voice sound just as friendly as her actions. Though she radiated energy, the wearied look of many in the Resistance who had seen too much was held in her dark eyes. The woman, who was talking with Freya and Carson, wore a brown leather jacket and had goggles perched on her head. Fiery strands spilled from beneath the goggles as the lights in the hangar caught her deep orange hair.
“You must be Marie. Nice to meet ya, I’ve heard a lot about your work. I’m Ria Byrd and I’ll be your pilot this fine evening.” After shaking Marie’s hand she led the three into the plane and gestured to the seats along the walls, “Please buckle-up and secure any loose articles; your flight will begin shortly.” Carson took a seat on the left and Marie sat down next to him, Freya sat across from them and proceeded to secure the straps across her chest. She looked across to Marie and saw her usual look of confidence never wavered. The ramp silently closed and Freya began to feel the vibrations of the engines beneath her feet. She remembered the first time she had been in one of these when she was fourteen years old: she had stood in silent wonder, awed by the raw power of the machine. She had been startled when she felt the engine start but no sound seemed to come from below. Commander Archer had told her that these machines had been designed for special operations, so were swift, silent and undetectable as well as being stocked full of equipment and medical supplies. The jets were the epitome of the engineers work, designed from the Republic’s abandoned fighters and ironically repurposed to bring down their creators. The interior was drastically different from the cargo, or single fighter planes. Seats and restraints lined either wall with compartments for extra ammunition, medical supplies, and weaponry above. There was a parachute under every seat, as well as an oxygen mask, there were controls for the ramp in the back as well as the cockpit, which was separated by a sliding bulletproof door that was airtight and could only be locked from the inside. This feature was incase the hold was ever infiltrated; the pilot could flood the chamber with a gas that rendered the intruders unconscious so they could be take in for questioning. This had never been used before, but Freya always believed it was better to be prepared then caught defenseless.
“Welcome aboard the Ebony Star, please remain seated at all times unless absolutely necessary to stand. Please refrain from eating or drinking as turbulence can cause an upset stomach and I just had this baby waxed. Your safety before we drop you into enemy territory is our number one concern so we have provided emergency equipment beneath your seats. Your pilot will inform you if such protocols must be enacted, so listen carefully and follow instructions. Enjoy the flight and Hang on Tight.” The com clicked off after Ria finished her preflight speech meant to create a lighter mood. Freya felt the engines begin to speed up as they prepared to take off. They continued to move forward, gaining speed as they exited the hangar. Once they made it clear of the cavern and they began to ascend into the starry night the interior lights all flicked off except for a few emergency lights that bathed the cabin in a dim blue light. Each of them sat in silence preparing mentally for what was to come.
Marie swallowed; she had talked information out of many officials on her own this wouldn’t be any more dangerous than that. Besides she had two very capable, highly trained soldiers with her. Both Carson and Freya had been on the mysterious Elite Force for a number of years, she supposed it was her turn to find out if the Force was everything rumors claimed it was.
After sitting in the near darkness surrounded by silence for nearly an hour a warm voice cut through their coms: “Drop-point nearing. Ready for exit.” Carson and Freya shifted to attention releasing their straps, and Marie was quick to follow. Shortly after she heard a deep voice from beside her mutter, “Here we go.”