Project Achilles

Noah

About two months have passed since the CEO announced the space program. Sparring days have somehow become more brutal, and everyone is clamoring for assignments. I, on the other hand, don’t find the need to do anything much different, as the nurse said I’d be eligible for the surgery in a couple of months. We were in the middle of sparring practice when a voice came through the speaker, “Attention! There is an important assignment in the southern region.” Isn’t that where they’re building the space station? “We ask that all Achilles Soldiers from generations 1 to 11 participate.” This must be a big assignment if they’re sending thousands of us there. “Please report to the loading bay at 1300 hours,” the announcer ended the announcement. In a few minutes, I was in my tactical uniform along with everyone else at the loading bay, entering the vehicles that would take us to our assignment. “There is a situation in the southern region, where our deep space program will be built,” The commander explains as we are transported to where we need to go, “some of the residents of a community known as The Sanctuary, have refused to evacuate and are staging a protest inside their community hall, we have attempted to reason with them, but this seems the hill they’re hellbent on dying on” he informed “so now our job is to take them in, use lethal force if necessary” Everyone nodded in unison. Minutes passed as we sat in the vehicle waiting to take us to our destination. I passed the time overhearing a couple of conversations just a few feet away from me. “I heard the sanctuary started as a hiding place for illegals,” someone said. “I wonder how they were able to stay for so long.” “They had legal protection,” the commander answered, startling the two gossiping soldiers. “It was first established as a hideaway for undocumented immigrants back in the 2030s. This is why the majority of their population is of Mexican descent. In 2039, an organization known as Frontera Protectors advocated for declaring the community a place of sanctuary, which is how the border patrol wasn’t able to get to them. This is how they got the name ‘the sanctuary’, they established more of these communities throughout all four border states. When Texas seceded from the US, the organization was able to make a deal with Hastrod Industries for The Sanctuary to maintain its legitimacy until we managed to buy the land from them, for our program,” he explained. “We should be arriving in about two hours.” I sat in silence, staring out the window at the greenery. This is the first time I’ve seen a forest. Almost every sign of nature out in Houston was pretty much gone. Replaced a metropolitan landscape with buildings so high you couldn’t see the moon. Out of my window, trees were growing wherever they pleased, and not framed by a concrete sidewalk, and plants and bushes which scattered all around the floor, instead of being safely held by a pot. On one hand, it’s beautiful, I’ll admit, but on the other hand, I don’t understand how any civilized human being could want to live here. The woods cover any visibility, making one a perfect target for wild animal attacks. Why someone would be so hellbent on staying here and not opt for the safety and civility of city living is beyond what I could understand. Before I know it, we arrive at our destination. We exit the vehicle and are greeted by a section of the forest where a couple of shabby-looking wooden houses stand, adorned with painted glass windows. Some houses were built on the ground, others on trees, and had stairways that led to their home. In every corner, there were some rudimentary water systems built out of wood, trash, and whatever could be found. As we entered the environment, we followed our commander to the community hall, passing by farms, gardens, and fields of solar panels. Once we reached the hall, we met another one of the commanders; at that moment, I prepared for the incoming fight.

Felix

Months have passed since we got that notice. Those who decided to side with Milo gathered up at the community hall, where we brought food, water, medical supplies, blankets, all that shit. We were all huddled there for about two months. Several times, representatives of Hastrod came knocking, demanding that we leave, but Milo made his case clear: this is our home, find somewhere else to build your station. Celes had a family to take care of, so they decided to evacuate to another Sanctuary in New Mexico. Meanwhile, Maya had no family, Eric stayed behind alongside his dad, and Noe, despite his mother’s pleas, insisted on staying behind to protest. It was a pretty sad scene. I wonder if Milo cried like that when mom and dad left for that fateful hunting trip. Eric, Maya, Noel, and I all sat at a table. Maya lay on the seat fidgeting with the rubber band on her hand, Eric and Noel were playing with a paper fortune teller, and I sat on top of the table watching the environment around me. People were pacing, food was getting scarce, the inside was getting hot, and turns out people don’t do well being cooped up in a room with nothing to do. My eyes focused on Milo and his best friend, Tony, talking. “Look, Milo, people are going crazy, man, I don’t think they can stand this any longer,” Tony said. But Milo wasn’t having it. “I know these aren’t the best conditions, but I can’t fold, okay, this is our home, we have to fight for it,” he insisted. “Thirty people have deserted us, and on top of that, we already have ten people who got sick. I think it’s time we call it quits.” Tony insisted, but to no avail. “This is our home, Tony,” Milo said, “you can leave if you want, but I’ll be damned if they take it away.” With that, he stomped away, leaving Tony standing there rolling his eyes with a heavy sigh. A couple of minutes passed by my stomach was growling, a grim reminder that I hadn’t eaten all day. Maya is asleep, and Eric is somewhere taking care of his dad, who was one of the people who got sick. I look over at Noel, who’s sitting with a pen and a journal. “Whatcha doing?” I have nothing better to do than ask. “Been keeping a journal since we first started this,” Noel answered, not looking up from his work. “What for?” I asked him. “Well, for one to have something to do, stay sane, you know, and for two, no matter how this ends, I want there to be proof of what we did here,” Noel responded. “What, that we sat around in our own shit?” I chuckled. “Very funny,” Noel chuckled back, “if we win this, which I doubt we will, this will go down in history, and there needs to be a first-hand account; if we lose, there needs to be proof of what these bastards did to us.” A couple more hours passed, and eventually I fell asleep on top of the table before I was awakened by someone banging on the barricaded doors. Everyone else looks towards the direction of the door. “We are Achilles Soldiers sent here by Hastrod Industries. You are all trespassing on company property. Leave peacefully, or we will take you in. Some people stood up, looking like they were ready for a fight, but Milo got in front of them. “Hey, hey, hey!” Milo exclaimed, “I will go out there. I’ll negotiate with them, it’ll be okay,” he said. Just as people are moving the barricade slightly to let him pass, Tony hands him a gun, “Take this, in case anything goes wrong.” Milo sighed in response, “Tony, what have I told you? We’re doing this peacefully,” he says. I ran to the window to watch what was going on as Milo exited the building, with his hands up. The barricade closed behind him. “My name is Milo Medina, and I come out to negotiate terms”, he said. He kept his hands raised, his voice projecting to the crowd, “I don’t want this to become violent. I only ask that you hear what I have to say.” He wasn’t able to say much because a bullet came from the sea of soldiers, hitting him directly in the heart. His eyes rolled back as blood bloomed out of his chest. I watched as my brother’s lifeless body hit the floor, bleeding onto the pavement. I was too shocked to react; all I could do was stare at Milo, dead on the floor. It didn’t even register when Eric got up. “Fucking bastards!” Before anyone could stop him, he snatched the rifle from Tony’s hands, and he tore through the barricade. “ERIC, DON’T!” I screamed, but it was too late. As soon as Eric stepped one foot outside, a bullet hit him in the head, and he fell back, feet flying. The right side of his head had been burst open, spilling all of its contents on the floor. There was a blood-curdling scream that followed the sight. Suddenly, the whole hall turned into a frenzy as soldiers started pouring in, and everyone scattered. I became blind with panic as I kept running around the hall, ducking soldiers who tried to grab me, and bumping into people. In my panic, I noticed one of them had grabbed Noel and was dragging him away. I responded by picking up a wooden chair and smashing it over the soldier’s head, knocking him out. I didn’t notice when one of them came up behind me, hitting me behind the knees with a rifle, causing me to fall on the floor. I tried to fight him off, but any struggle was fruitless as he handcuffed my hands and then pulled me to my feet, dragging me out. On my way out, I watched a soldier struggle to pull Eric’s dad away from his son’s corpse. The sickly man’s wailing felt like a rusty knife to my chest. Once everyone was either shot dead or rounded up at the square, a man who wore a uniform similar to the other soldiers, only his badge was gold instead of black, got in the center and spoke up. “You are all under arrest under the jurisdiction of Hastrod Industries, for trespassing on our property. This land is no longer your home; it’s our land now,” he said, “resisting is only futile, compliance will be rewarded with kindness.” “Fuck your kindness!” Noel screamed before he got up as quickly as he could with his wrists handcuffed behind his back. “Noel, please don’t do this!” Maya begged from where she was, but he ignored her. "This is our home, asshole, you don’t get to take shit from us!” Noel continued. The soldier looked him dead in the eye. “I ask that you please sit down,” he ordered. “I’m not sitting for shit,” Noel screamed, “especially not for you.” “Noel! Please stop!” Maya pleaded, but he paid no mind. “Sir, we do not want to kill more people than necessary,” the soldier warned. “I ask that you please sit down.” Instead of sitting down, Noel spat at the soldier's feet, as Maya kept pleading in the background. “Very well then,” the soldier said before shooting Noel point-blank in the forehead. As he came down to the floor, I was splashed with his blood, while Maya kept weeping in the background. I was seething and shaking at the same time, as I sat there on my knees. Before I could stop myself, I shot up, “You fucking murderers!” I screamed, “What the fuck gives you any fucking right to kill us!” before I could say more, I heard a gun cock behind my head. “Felix, please!” Maya pleaded, “Don’t do this.” I stared up at the soldier in front of me as he stared me down with the same cold stare he used with Noel. I glance back at Noel’s corpse, who lay lifelessly with a bullet hole right in the middle of his forehead. The sight was enough to fill me with rage. “Come on, kid, think about this.” Tony begged, “What good would that do?” I let out a sharp breath, equal parts rage and equal parts resignation. A few minutes later, we were all shoved into a truck while still handcuffed. I caught a glimpse of Milo’s dead body on the floor in front of the community hall. His body was already pale as he lay in a pool of his own blood. The blood dripping down each step, his dreams dying with him. As the truck started driving away, I watched the home I grew up in be torn down by wrecking balls and dynamite. The clinic I learned to help people in, the house I lived in with my brother, the amphitheater we watched music in, and the greenhouses we got our food from. All gone. Reduced to a distant memory. Across from me, Maya was praying under her breath, “padre nuestro que estás en el cielo santificado sea tu nombre. Hagase su voluntad, así en la tierra como en el cielo; danos hoy el pan de cada día; perdona nuestras ofensas, así como nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofendieron; no nos dejes caer en tentación y libranos del mal” she repeated this like a mantra. I have long since stopped believing in god, but if he is real, I doubt he’s on our side.