Episode 5 of Broken Chains

Settling in

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(Zepher, AI Generated photo, owned by Flaat Library)

This week has been an adjustment for sure. We were all split up. Unfortunately, I was not placed in the same territory as Emily, but I figured that. There are 200 territories, or that’s the estimated amount that I was given by the advisor in charge of my territory. There are so many humans and reptilian species in my territory that it is hard to navigate the streets.

Let me first explain the area, because I feel that it is important to understanding how I am required to live my new life.

I live in a small condo with a twin bed, bathroom, kitchen with nothing else but a stove, counters, a small fridge, and a table with four chairs in a dining room. I have two windows. The layout and building remind me of a downtown New York apartment where criminals go when they are let out of prison. There is a military office manager who checks you in and out every day. I have to tell him where I am going and how long I think I will be gone.

Outside there are streets only one car’s length wide (yet no one drives a car), and buildings on either side that are ten stories tall. The streets are clean, but still feels dirty. There is a small shop down the street from my house where I can get my weekly food. There isn’t much of a selection. And several restaurants throughout, run by the reptilians, humans as the employees. Everyone seems tired and run down. No one really speaks to each other.

The days and nights are wrong too… I feel like nighttime runs about 12 hours here, but when I asked about it, the advisor told me humans are regulated on how much sleep they are allowed to have. We have to have an alarm by the bed that is automatically programmed for seven hours. If we do not clock into our positions at 8 a.m. every morning, we are docked funds from our yearly stipend. I don’t find this much of an issue since I don’t sleep the full 7 hours anyway, but others seem to have a problem getting to work on time.

Speaking of my job, I did get a job in weaponry, but it isn’t shooting. I have to clean the guns. My advisor told me that if I do well, then I will get promoted each year if I impress the boss. My boss is a very large, very intimidating reptilian that goes by General Cruft. He said the ranks in human are not the same as reptilian, and he is one of the highest-ranking members in the military. He seems to have a big head, and may not be as high up as he says. I will have to see the longer I am there, but my plan is to get up in their ranks. Maybe get clearance to visit other territories.

Anyway, I plan on keeping track of anything and everything I hear, setting myself up for success. The determination to find my family is strong.

From,

Carter

______________

The alarm woke Carter up. He had slept in today. The light was flickering through the front window of his tiny apartment. He sat up and flung his legs over the bed, rubbed his eyes, and allowed them to adjust. His mind raced through the dreams he had about a raid gone bad. The day it happened was the same day his brother, Jeremy, was sent to Zone 16. Carter was angry and took it out on the raiders that had come into his camp while he was at the assembly. Raiders looked similar to the sick people, some with missing arms or eyes, others with no teeth. They were nasty humans who survived the virus and lived a life of scavenging for food, some even killing and eating people. Carter protected his siblings for the years that they all lived without their parents, using the abilities his father had taught him. He kept them alive, fed them, and taught them all he knew from the schooling he received before the outbreak.

By the time every raider was killed, Carter was covered in their blood, his clothing torn to pieces. He gathered the bodies and placed them on the border of his camp as a warning. When he was finished, he collapsed to the ground and cried for the first time since his parents left. The pain of watching his brother leave was like his heart being ripped straight from his chest. He begged the guards to take him too, but they refused, saying they didn’t need older children yet. From then on, no raiders came. He practiced long-distance shooting day after day, sometimes at night. He protected the neighbor camps from raiders, perfecting his headshots. The neighbors would repay him by giving him clothing, food, and supplies. This is how he survived.

Carter thought about his life on Earth while he showered and got ready for his job as a weapons detailer. He didn’t mind his job; it was peaceful and repetitive. He was able to think a lot while cleaning the weapons, minded his own business, and obeyed every rule. General Cruft had a close eye on Carter by the end of his sixth month, and pulled him into his office one day.

“Carter, is it?” General Cruft spoke in his normal deep, intimidating tone.

“Yes, sir.” Carter stood at attention, not making eye contact.

“Sit.” General Cruft leaned back into his chair and folded his arms, glaring at Carter.

Carter sat in the large leather chair adjacent to the desk.

“What is your goal here?” General Cruft asked.

“To do my job as best I can, sir.” Carter wasn’t sure what the question meant, but he wanted to be as straightforward as possible without revealing his true intentions.

“Hmm…” General Cruft leaned his arms on the desk, interlaced his fingers, placing his index fingers onto his lips. He was reptilian, but his features were very human. After a while, Carter didn’t see a difference between humans and reptiles. “Any ideas what position you would prefer to have?”

“Sir?” Carter raised an eyebrow.

“I was looking at your file here.” General Cruft pointed to a paper on his desk. “You’re a good shot for being an 18-year-old human. How did you get so talented?”

“19, sir.” Carter corrected. His birthday was a month ago. “I had a lot of practice on the raiders back on Earth after the virus.”

General Cruft eyed Carter for a while. Carter sat in silence.

“A head shot from a mile away? We know your distances, and that’s far.” General Cruft seemed as if he was looking for a specific reply from Carter.

“Yes, sir. My father started teaching me to hunt at a young age. Apparently, the planet wasn’t doing well even when I was a kid.” Carter began, “once my brother and sister were taken here, I had nothing else to do but practice.” Carter paused to allow General Cruft to have an input, but he said nothing, so Carter kept going, “I figured I would have been placed in a position in the military, but I understand that may have been an expectation on my part. After being here, I see how things work.”

General Cruft sat for a while staring at Carter. Carter kept his eye contact with him. Then General Cruft leaned back and grinned. “You’re good. I would like to promote you.”

Carter was not surprised by this, and didn’t show much emotion. He learned from watching others being reprimanded for showing emotion, that the reptilian race liked humans to be tame. “To what?” Carter kept it to the point.

“Trainee.” General Cruft reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out a badge, handing it to Carter. Carter took it, it read ‘Carter Durrant, Gunsman Trainee’. “Do you accept?” General Cruft asked.

“I do.” Carter placed the badge around his neck, and sat awaiting orders.

“Good. You start first thing in the morning. Set your alarm for 6, be here by 7. I expect you to be dressed for the part, so I am giving you the rest of the day off to gather whatever clothing and supplies you need.” He handed Carter a handwritten list, “here are all the items you will receive when you arrive, along with the items you are required to get on your own. Shave your hair and beard as low as you can without being bald. Am I understood?”

“Understood.” Carter responded. General Cruft stood and stretched out his scaly hand to Carter. Carter stood and took his hand, it was cold and dry. With one strong shake, General Cruft released the tight grip.

“You are dismissed.” General Cruft sat back down, and Carter left.

His heart was pounding in his chest as he stood on the other side of the office door. He had been promoted much sooner than expected, but he was glad. The plan was working. He would push himself hard with training, to gain the strength to fight these monsters, find his family, and get off this planet.

He made his way to his apartment, read the list, and set out for his supplies for the next day.