Peace On Fire

What is peace, real peace? There seem to be peaceful times that come about here and there, but what is that peace based on? Is it even possible for peace to come about without insinuating that we were surrounded by violence to begin with? Why can't peace last? Many idolize the notion of perpetual peace where war is prominent, but it's the least realistic end goal in such times; if anything, peace is contradictory. When you need to kill another man to bring peace to your people, is that really peace? Hatred is powerful, oppression is not short-lived, and revenge is common. Peace built on blood will never stand against the winds of time; even if it dries up, the foundation remains weak and crumbles easily. Lasting peace isn't forged in the fires of war, but nations never take the time to set aside their differences and invest in the futures of their citizens.

Riley began to walk hurriedly back to his group when he got the call that a couple of guards were headed toward the elevator. He ran scenarios through his mind of how this conflict might turn out; would they be able to quietly take out the guards and continue sneaking around the makeshift city, trying to shut down the New Light, or would the guards be quick enough to shoot their guns, making noise and alerting the New Light of intruders in the facility. He thought about what would happen to the people down here. They were still citizens of Alduwitz, but they might end up in the crossfire from Alduwitz soldiers, the very people meant to protect them.  He knew the people enjoyed this brief moment of peace under the guise of protection from the Emperor, but this peace would never last. Even if the New Light's forces successfully attacked the Empire, the Alduwitz army is nothing to laugh at; under the commands of the Emperor, the army would defend Jimat to the very last line, and counter-attack with all remaining uninjured forces. Civilians would get in the way and the damages would be brutal. It would be a short war and there would be no winners. On one hand, you'd have utter destruction and chaos and on the other, nothing changes but thousands of people die all the same.

Riley finally returned to the housing unit he originally hid behind, seeing the guards nearing his allies. With what little time they had before the guards would discover them, they started to formulate a plan to get through the situation without anyone noticing.

 "I'm back guys," Riley said, breathing deeply after making his hasty return. "I see you and I see the two guards. How should we go about taking them out?" 

 "You think we could get away with shooting them when they pass by one of the housing units?" Ike suggested. "They'd be invisible to the streets." 

 "I don't think that would be a good idea," Spyder chimed in. "Even with suppressors, we don't want to risk anyone hearing the shots."

 "Spyder's right," Q said, nodding along. "Our best shot is to knock them out silently. Riley, try to get behind them, and when they get too close to the crates you and Ike will pounce."

All having agreed to the plan, Ike and Riley took to their positions, waiting for the guards to get close enough to ambush them. When the guards were only mere steps away from the crates the men were hiding behind, Ike and Riley attacked. They both tackled a guard, causing them to drop their guns and put them in choke holds, waiting for the guards to lose consciousness. The guards struggled to stay up, trying desperately to fight off their aggressors as Spark and the three other soldiers made sure no one else could see this crude display of violence. As the struggles of the guards became easier to counter, when Ike and Riley knew they'd soon be out cold, the guards' eyes began to flash red. Even as their eyes shut, the flashing red pierced their eyelids, and the whole underground facility went silent. Without knowing what was about to happen, Riley grabbed the gear he left behind, equipping it as the men prepared for the worst. 

Breaking the silence, massive roars erupted from mobs of civilians rushing their location. The guys crept out from behind the crates getting a good look at the people charging toward them. The very same people who'd been peaceful were now armed to the teeth with all sorts of weaponry like they never had any knowledge of the concept of peace. Spark then noticed something that he pointed out to the rest of the group; all of the eyes of the people charging at them were flashing red, the same way the guards' eyes did before they were put to sleep. Q then pieced together that they all must be under the control of the New Light, who noticed that they were there. These people were no longer civilians. Willing or not, they were now fighting for the New Light.

 "Alright, new plan!" Q started, now bearing his rifle across his chest. "These people are now hostile and as per the Emperor's orders, we are allowed to kill. Still, we need to find the head of the New Light and cut it off; maybe then these people all go back to normal. Ike, Grant, get to the roof of this unit. You're on crowd control. Spark and Riley, head along the outside of the facility. Look for things like hidden doors, anything that could lead to a secret room where the head might hide. Spyder and I will look for the same, but we'll target our search more toward the middle of the facility. I'll be on comms channel three, contact me if you need or find anything." 

Understanding their assignments, the rest of the guys raised their weapons, except Ike; instead, Ike reached for a small tablet from his backpack, tapping on its screen a few times before beginning to rhythmically bob his head, a grin appearing on his face as he returned the tablet to his bag, finally reaching for his own gun.

 "I got beats on channel 2. We got an insanely high BPM, a reverb that goes even harder, and a bassline that goes so hard, it'd make your ears bleed!" I said, practically screaming by the end of his sentence.

Before the angry mod could topple them, the group split up heading toward their designated objectives. When it was only Ike and Grant left, Grant found a rock on the ground and threw it against a bottom-floor window of the nearby housing unit. After the shattered glass fell, both Ike and Grant climbed inside and busted their way through the apartment to find a staircase that could take them up to the roof of the building. Heading up the stairs, Ike tailed Grant; Ike had a sub-machine gun in comparison to Grant's hunting rifle, making sure to return fire to any hostiles that got close enough to them to take a shot.

When they got to the roof, about a hundred feet above the ground, Grant set down his backpack and his rifle on the ground, digging through his bag to find sniper attachments to add to his rifle as Ike held off anyone trying to climb the stairs to the roof. Within thirty seconds of placing his items on the ground, Grant was able to fully assemble his gun and begin targeting anyone who got too close to Q's or Riley's group.

 "This is Grant to channel 3. In position and returning fire. I got your sixes covered, over."

Over near the middle of the facility, Spyder spearheaded the charge with a shotgun as he and Q searched through markets, stores, and other non-residential buildings. With Q handling most of the mob that came at them from behind, they were able to clear all of the buildings in the social district. They didn't find too much that could help them find the location of the head of the New Light; some passive-aggressive propaganda posters targeting the Alduwitz Empire and the Emperor on walls, but the head kept his location a secret. When Spyder ran out of ammunition for his shotgun, Q would cover him as he'd grab the guns of the fallen to keep himself in the fight. When Q and Spyder concluded that they wouldn't be able to find anything that would lead to the location of the head of the New Light, they assumed a defensive position. The two of them found a one-story corner store and climbed atop its roof, knocking down the ladder in the wall so no one would easily be able to climb up to contest their defenses. Holding their ground, the two only shot at those who directly posed a threat to their safety, not wanting to kill too many people when there was a chance they could be freed.

By now, Spark and Riley had made it to the left-handed corner of the facility, on the same wall as the elevator. With Grant who'd been covering them from behind, picking off anyone who tried to sneak up on them. Thanks to Grant, neither of the two had killed that many people who tried to get in their way; but for the few they did, it placed a heavy burden on their hearts. When they reached the corner of the facility, nothing quite stood out. Farms lined the west wall, and more artificial grass beneath their feet. In the distance, a smaller, yet still sizable portion of the mob was headed in their direction. Spark reached into his bag and pulled out a few mines, planting them on the ground as Riley covered him. Turning around to help Riley, Spark saw a blinking red light covered by artificial grass in the very corner of the facility. As Riley continued to lay down suppressive fire, Spark got a closer look at the flashing light. Pressing it out of curiosity, a loud clunking noise stemmed in the near distance up the west wall. Spark stood and looked at Riley with his jaw dropped.

 "This is Spark to channel 3, I think we found something..."