Chapter 6

I went to bed early, and nothing haunted my dreams that night, so I slept well, and when the alarm rang in the morning, I woke up well rested. For the first time in a long time, a part of me wanted to stay in bed, but I forced myself to get up and take a cold shower to disperse the soft comfort of the bed. I knew it wouldn’t last for long anyway, so there was no point in dwelling on it.

Like any other day for as long as I could remember, I went for a run after that, letting it warm my body and clean any lingering thoughts the shower hadn’t managed to wash away. Once home, I sat down at the table with my breakfast ration and a cup of instant coffee, gazing through the balcony door at the rising sun that slowly emerged from the waves.

Yet, the memories of yesterday still lingered in my mind, and I knew well that no amount of exercise would manage to disperse them. At least those memories weren’t as bad as the other ones that so often filled my mind when the world around me was too still.

I got up and stretched. It was better not to dwell on stuff like this, but... I glanced towards the balcony. Maybe she would want to watch the sunset again…? I picked up the keys from the table and stepped out to the gate. It would make it easier for everyone. I opened the lock and left it half open. I guess it was okay, they could always close it if they wanted. I gave a quick glance towards their side before leaving and heading to HW-4.

It was Friday, so the whole team had already assembled by the time I arrived. People still believed that being first in line at the food distribution would give them a chance to get rare, luxurious items. I didn’t care. Even in the middle of the war, none of the stores had run out of rations, and nowadays, we even had shops that didn’t require a Food Card to shop there. Another civis idea I absolutely didn’t care about. I made my way through the crowd and went inside. Waiting in line now was a waste of time. I would get my food after work when the warehouse was almost empty. It made it easier.

E-47 was done, but I couldn’t imagine the Major would let us start with another sector at the end of the week. Another idle day ahead. Great. I glanced at the notice board and frowned. The press would be on the perimeter today. Another ridiculous idea from the civis. Things had started to go downhill the moment the Security Council stepped down.

At least in the good old days, those things had been entertaining, even if it had only been Vanity who enjoyed being in front of the camera. At least it had been bearable, and bragging about what we did on the other side had its merits. Now it was pure brainwashing.

The door opened, and Major Takahashi walked in, carrying a small box full of white ribbons and a cup of coffee. I saluted, and he gave me a tired smile.

“Fury… Could you? Just for today.”

He pointed at the box. I frowned. If I had cared about politics, I would probably have worn a blue ‘Earth First!’ ribbon on my uniform. Did he really expect me to wear this unity brainwash?

“It will be in the local news. Your neighbours may see it.”

Fuck. Mai’Ri and An’Ri… Would it really matter if I wore it? What if it did…? I sighed and picked a white ribbon and attached it to my uniform, avoiding the Major’s gaze.

“Thank you”

He bowed his head, and I left, trying to avoid any of his inquiries about why I had suddenly changed my mind.

At least the unlucky fella who got to babysit the press did a good job because they stayed out of my way for most of the time. Still, I was sure Fenrir would be on the front page of every news outlet. The civis loved this kind of crap, and they used the Military for Peace at every opportunity to push their own agenda.

At least the Mayor was shrewd enough not to let them interview me, probably correctly assessing that the white ribbon I wore that day was more than he expected to get from me. So my day passed mostly uninterrupted except for the occasional posed photos, and I ended up with a bag of goodies the press team gave me as a thanks for my help. It had been a custom for the press to bribe soldiers during the war for any sensational stories, so it was nice they followed the old tradition.

After the show was over and my shift ended, I went to get my rations of food. As expected, the warehouse was empty. I picked up my backpack from the locker and started filling it with the usual stuff that would take me through another week. Should I get anything else? I didn’t really need it, but replacing spent stuff was almost a habit, no matter if it was food or ammo, and I had given Them some food yesterday that wouldn’t be replaced by my standard rations.

I walked through the shelves looking for matching products. They had seemed to like it, so I could take a few more, just in case. I added a few more cans to my bag, and after a moment's hesitation, I picked up a few cans of condensed milk and weighed them in my hand. I remember it had been Raptor’s favourite, especially if he could pour a shot of vodka into it, but by now they probably didn’t taste the same. Everything here was green-green, and they were allergic to milk, so the name was only for the sake of morale.

My backpack became heavier than usual, but I didn’t mind it. I entered my products into the computer at the entrance and scanned my card. Only then did I see Major Takahashi looking at me, standing at another table and packing his bag.

“I can give you a lift. It looks heavy.”

“I’ll be fine.”

I lifted the backpack and hoisted it on my back. Despite having added more stuff, it still weighed less than what they made us run with at the boot camp. I smiled. It had been the good old days before the war started. Everything had been simpler back then.