The End of Peace

“My name’s Mire,” the young man said, helping John to his feet.

John nodded. “I’m John. John 421796.”

Mire rolled his eyes and began to help John gather his scattered belongings. “Those thugs went a little overboard, didn’t they?”

John shrugged and continued to pick up his father’s goods. “You get used to it.”

“Just like you get used to being called by a number,” Mire asked seriously.

John paused. “You’re Named?”

Mire shrugged. “Names are stupid, shouldn’t we all be equal?”

John laughed. “As if that will ever happen, who’s gonna let that happen? Nobody.”

“Exactly,” Mire said, standing tall. “So we will. John, I’m going to call you clay.”

“Why’s that?” John said, checking the corners of the shop to make sure nothing was left on the floor.

“Because I’m going to be a potter, and together, we’re going to make something beautiful.”

“And that is?”

“A world of peace. One where we’re all equal, where Names don’t matter, where we can all live together, and money isn’t an issue.”

“Sounds pretty naïve to me,” John murmured.

Mire grabbed his shoulder from behind, causing John to jump. “It’s only impossible if you don’t try,” Mire affirmed. “Help me do this. For yourself, your family, your people.”

“Fine,” John frowned. “Just help me finish cleaning up.”

Mire grinned. “You’ve got it, President.”

***

President Clay was cold. It was not cold from without, but from within. It slithered through his body, drawing all heat from his blood, pulling all heat into his stomach where it festered and burned. “How is he alive, Mire. We killed him, executed him.”

“I don’t know,” Mire said through the Link, “but keep yourself hidden, he’s more than likely going to come after you.”

“After me?” John whispered into the handheld device. “He’s after all of us, Mire. He’s got an army.”

“So do we, John. What’s the word from Edwin?”

John glanced up from his desk to where Commander Edwin stood, guarding the entryway to the room. “No idea,” he replied to Mire. “He said he’d mobilized a team, but I don’t think he expected Tez to move this quickly.”

“That’s because until twenty minutes ago, none of us knew he was alive. Keep me posted, I’m going to secure my family.”

Mire cut the call, leaving John to ruminate on the situation. He leaned forward on the wood desk in front of him, trying to focus. It’s so cold, he thought. It’s this room.

The room in which Edwin and John had barricaded themselves was in the heart of the capitol building, a safe room in case of events just like this. It was a plain room, holding just this desk and a few chairs. It was never meant to be comfortable, but John couldn’t help finding the situation cumbersome.

“Edwin,” he asked, “Can they do it? Your squad? Can they win?”

Edwin smiled. “Have you heard of Major Izumi, President?”

John shook his head.

Edwin leaned back against the wall. “She rose to the rank of major in six months. She’s the most capable soldier I’ve ever seen. She’s motivated, cunning, and dedicated. She’ll get the job done.”

“I sure hope so,” John replied. “I sure hope so.”

***

“Clear the streets!” Watson called ahead of the unit as they ran.

They were all dressed in phase seven exosuits, armor designed to adapt perfectly to the wearer’s figure and form while enhancing physical attributes and speed. The suits were formed from a special alloy that could literally grow and shrink, which was what allowed them to grow and shrink to fit any form. Additionally, this alloy was flexible and malleable, allowing for an armor completely devoid of chinks and cracks.

Inside the suits, an advanced AI, repurposed from the Ancient Days, allowed the suit’s users to move faster than even cars with exact reaction times. It was the ultimate war technology, which was why Izumi was uncomfortable to have her team wearing them— if they broke them, their lifetime wages wouldn’t be enough to fix them.

“How man minutes, Ez?” she asked the AI.

A birds-eye-view appeared in her visor, highlighting their route. “Approximately one and a half minutes, Izumi. Would you like to launch a preemptive strike?”

Preemptive strike? Izumi thought. “You’ve got missiles or something now, Ez?”

“No,” the feminine voice replied, “however, recent upgrades to the city’s infrastructure made by the Po and Reiner families have relatively weak firewalls, would you like to seize control?”

“Are they that desperate to control the Nameless?” Izumi scoffed. “What are they?”

“Riot walls can be raised around the sector as well as electro-turrets. Drones can also be deployed.”

Izumi bit her cheek. Those bastards, she thought. “Bring up the walls. Can we fence them in?”

“Unknown.”

Izumi frowned, jumping over a citizen who either hadn’t heard or headed Watson’s warning. “Ez, what do you mean unknown?”

“I am sensing interference in the area. I can no longer raise the walls.”

What? The bird’s view disappeared suddenly with a burst of static.

“Ez?”

No response.

“Guys,” Izumi called through the Link to her other team members, “Ez just went down on my end, can you reach her?”

“Negative here, Major,” Pari replied. “She’s down here too.”

Weird, Izumi thought. “Continue towards the site, we’re almost there. Make a jump over the houses immediately ahead of us.”

“Roger,” Yeman replied.

Izumi, being the spearhead of the squadron, jumped first as soon as she came within a stone’s throw of the building. Her momentum carried her over it in an instant and into a nightmare.

Beyond the building, the neighborhood suddenly opened up into a large courtyard-like space filled with people. A dozen or so paces in front of them was Glyies’ burning factory, as well as a squadron of soldiers, all aiming their weapons at Izumi.

How?

They fired and, in a moment, Izumi’s suit was sparking like a live wire in the rain. She cursed as she fell, directly in front of the soldiers. Her comrades smashed to the ground behind her, ready for battle. Izumi tore her weapon, a long sword, from her back. “Cover me,” she called back to James and Fin, their gunmen.

“Warning,” Ez’s voice suddenly echoed through her helmet. “Shield integrity rapidly failing. Shields at 49%.”

“Oh, now you’re back,” Izumi said, charging towards the soldiers who had paused their barrage and were retreating towards the flames.

It didn’t matter. She was there in seconds, swinging her sword in a broad arc, catching three of them. She sliced through the first two easily enough but got stuck on the third, and elected instead to throw his body into the burning building on her backswing.

She stepped forward towards the next soldiers when something caught her foot. She froze, looking down to see the first man she’d cut through, grabbing her leg. As she watched, the two halves of his body rejoined themselves. She shivered, then kicked the man, sending him flying across the courtyard. “Head’s up team, we’ve got Revived here.”

Only static answered her. Confused, she turned back towards her team to see two bodies lying on the ground— James and Fin. Standing over them were Yeman, Pari, and Arthur. She stepped towards them. What’s going on?

She suddenly froze, mid-step. What the-

“Looks like you’re having some trouble there, Major,” a voice said from behind her.

Somehow, over the flames, the scattering panic of the civilians in the courtyard, and the pounding of her own heart, she heard slow and steady footsteps approaching her. Methodical, like a doctor in surgery.

A simply dressed man stepped before her. “I’m impressed you got here so fast, Major,” Tez Rylie said, leaning forward and inspecting her suit. “I thought we had a few more minutes at least— what model are they on now?” he said, touching the suit.

“Don’t touch me,” Izumi shouted.

Tez backed up. “Woah, girl. No need to be so hostile, well, I did just kill two of your friends, so maybe there is.”

Izumi glared at him through her visor. The other side was dark, and she knew he couldn’t see her, but he seemed to sense her eyes, meeting them with calmness. “You’re a good one, Izumi. You should join us.”

Izumi laughed. “You know me? Good. Because I’m the one that’s going to kill you.”

Tez sighed. “I doubt that, but you never know,” he said, turning away and walking towards the crowd.

He paused as he reached her comrades. “Watson, do me a favor and kill them, except your sister, of course. I’d like to see what she does next.”

Izumi froze as Watson stepped past her, drawing a long, thin sword from her side. With ease, she cut through the others. Izumi felt her breath vanish as Yeman, Pari, and Arthur fell. “Sister?” she whispered, forcing the word out as Watson walked past the bodies, putting her sword away.

“Well, I guess she’s more of your niece,” Tez replied as if hearing her.

Izumi felt her heart shatter. “What are you saying?” The coldness vanished, replaced by rage.

“What?” Watson said, turning to face her. “Did Lily not tell her she had a daughter? That she dumped her on the streets and left her to die, choosing to take care of her good for nothing sister instead?”

What? No. Lily would never.

“Oh dear,” Tez said. “You never noticed the resemblance? Not even after all this time?”

Izumi ignored him. There’s no way, she thought.

“Watson, I don’t know what he told you, but he’s wrong, Lily would never-”

“She did,” Watson said sternly. “And you never noticed.”

Izumi laughed. “You believe this man? This, this monster?”

“This monster,” Watson said, turning away, “Is going to make things right.”

“How?” Izumi shouted. “By killing everyone? How does that make things right?”

Watson shook her head. “I don’t expect someone like you to understand. You’ve had it easy your whole life.”

“Me?” Izumi asked, feeling her whole body shaking. She couldn’t control herself anymore. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand, traitor.”

“Traitor?” Watson yelled, reeling on her, leveling her sword so it was just a hair’s length from her face. “You’re the traitor, Izumi. Think about that. Think about all the people down here. Think about them and if they deserve this life. We’re going to make things right, Izumi. Tomorrow night, we’ll kill all the Named. Only then can we have peace.”

“Peace died the moment you burned that building,” Izumi said.

Watson said nothing, rejoined Tez, and walked into the Lower District, followed by the terrorist soldiers.

Izumi cried.