Bright Future

KEY:
Mary Jane: Regular Weed
E.T.A.: estimated time of arrival 
Cats: People
Com link: radio device 
Tango: enemy soldier

Tiberius shook off the snow from X35 mini-cannon, the last thing he needed was his weapon freezing over.

Ever since the sun self-imploded in 2176 A.D. men were fighting over the last solar factories.  Scientists had developed sun generators which mimicked the effects of the sun in every way and had placed these generators in eight different sectors.  Tiberius was part of the Liberated Sun Soldiers (LSS) which wanted private companies to control the sun generators, while the Unified Light (UL) wanted total control of the sun generators for themselves. 

The war was becoming a way of life as children chose one side or the other; there were smaller factions, but they allied themselves with the UL or the LSS.  Tiberius remembered when he entered the combat academy school at the age of fifteen, and was given his first assignment to cleaning duty.  Man that was a long time ago.  There was a reason he was forced to enter the academy at such a young age.  His parents were killed and he ended up with the wrong crowd, the local gang.  Killing, raping, and stealing that was his life until he was arrested.  He knew what he did was wrong and was trying to justify his life by looking for the opportunity to redeem himself.  Other than that he was known as Ti Die, because after he went through an enemy camp it seemed like blood was splashed everywhere.  He was a killing machine, and that was pretty much all he was good it.

Now a veteran of three sector campaigns, Tiberius had survived through the protection of his X35 and a ton of luck.  The LSS had "liberated" three solar factories and was gaining momentum and popularity with the smaller factions.  If the LSS could only pry one more factory from the hands of the UL, that would give the LSS more legitimacy and strength.  Tiberius scanned the ice caps of Antarctica for enemy movement and the white snow emitted a soothing effect.  He thought "Man it's peaceful out here, I wonder what it would be like without this war..."

"Ti, Ti, HEY TI...you idiot.  

"Hey, quit hitting that Mary Jane, I hear you just fine."

"Look son, this chronic is what keeps me posted and on top of my game homie.  Say, when you gonna get a new gun?  That X35 of yours is arkyack."

"You mean archaic and no, this X35 has saved me plenty of times."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, when the computer chip dies you'll have nothing but a useless relish."

"Seriously Rex, who taught you how to speak...it's relic, you must be the only person I know who failed preschool."

Radio crackles, "Colonel Tiberius, come in sir."

Tiberius located his com link and replied "Yes, this is Tiberius."

"Sir, enemy movement reported in the south."

"Okay, we'll move out.  E.T.A. in ten, over and out."

"Aite Rex let's strap up, these UL cats won't know what happened when we roll through."

Tiberius used the S-50 image enhancer to scout Sector 4's solar factory.  Situated on a glacier, the only possible way of approach was from a motorized ship tied to the dock.  Helicopters were too noisy of an option, and no one in their right mind wanted to swim towards the factor so that was also out.  Tiberius needed to take out the ten guards in less than a minute to ensure no one escaped or rang the alarm.

"Rex, hit that guard on the repeating ray gun and work your way down.  I'm gonna sneak down and disable the alarm beneath him."

"Got it Ti and good luck."

Ti heard the first ping from the silenced sniper rifle and slid down to the guard post.  Zip, pop, sizzle, as he disarmed the first alarm.  Ping, ping, "three down and seven to go."  Ti rounded the corner and stuck his knife into the back of unlucky UL guard number four, and the crunch of the body hitting the snow seemed to feed his blood lust.  "Forty seconds left, better get to it; this is my time, this is my show," Ti told himself.  Three guards burst from the communication room heavily armed with automatic G65 rifles. Ti needed to make sure he didn't get hit with one of those.  One hit from a G65 and you can kiss your pension and life goodbye. Ti wasn't about to die in Antarctica and he sure wasn't going to let LSS take his savings away.  Poohmf, Ti silently said to himself, "thank God for sticky grenades...now you see UL guards, now you don't."  Three guards and 15 seconds left, the element of surprise was gone but his adrenaline was on high octane.  Ti decided to take out his X35 and blasted the alarm box into the lake, as he turned, he saw two guards heading towards the motorized ship.

Ti hit his com link and told Rex, "Get those tangos on the boat!"

Ping, ping was the silent reply.  Rex was stupid but he sure was good with a rifle. 

"Ti, there's one more guard towards the east, I got your back."

"Okay, I'm heading down Rex."

These where the types of situations that looked easy, but Ti knew that the lone guard would be paranoid and unstable.  He needed to locate and deactivate him as soon as possible.  Ti crouched and slowly entered the east cabin.  As the darkness enveloped him so he switched on his night vision contacts and surveyed the room.  Tiberius looked to his left and found an old man calmly sitting down with his weapon on the table.

"Come and sit Tiberius."

What was happening?!  Was this some UL setup that he fell into?  Ti quickly rescanned the room and saw no threat so he sat down next to the stranger.  Well this should be interesting, he thought.  

"I like the darkness, you know why?  Because it reminds me of how much we need the light.  You see, Tiberius, this war we are in can never be won.  The UL and LSS are basically the same entity with the same leadership.  Governor Lance Morano "disappeared" right about the same time the sun imploded due to unknown reasons.  Morano had secretly bought majority shares to each solar factory hoping one day to give free energy to the Earth.  But when he vanished, there was little specification as to which one of his sons received what.  Jack Morano wanted to release the sectors into private hands to increase maximum profits, but Dave Morano had ambition to become the first Chancellor of Earth.  Thus Jack started the LSS and Dave formed the UL, and we are just puppets in this grand stage of family feud."

"So what are you trying to say?  All this history means nothing to me, you must have a proposition."

"I'm willing to hand over Sector 4 to you if you promise me to do one thing."

"And that is..."

"To assassinate Jack and Dave Morano."

"Your telling me to kill the Morano brothers, how am I going to accomplish that?"

"Disable your com link and let your sniper think you're dead.  Then come with me and I can show you the way."

"This is happening too fast, what are the benefits of killing the brothers if they have people who can easily step in and take over?"

"Tiberius, you can end the war.  You can save the lives of millions of children who are swelling the ranks of each side.  You can bring peace back to all eight sectors and let the governments run the factories.  You can restore hope to a world plagued with death and darkness.  This could be your moment of redemption." 

"Redemption," Tiberius thought.  It sounded really sweet to his ears.  Redemption.  This was it.  This was his opportunity to right his entire past.  The old man had some valid points and this only helped support his choice to accept.  All he knew his entire life was being a soldier, but he was tired of the endless fighting and killing and needed a break.  He thought back to the Antarctic ice caps and how peaceful it was. He wanted to start a new life on the warmer southern islands, or even a family. 

Ti looked to the old man and said, "Well I suppose if I'm going to do this, I might as well know your name."

The old man smiled and replied, "Morano, Governor Lance Morano."