Hostile Takedown
By [Name magically ripped out]
Prologue
Date 2015, December 16th: Wal-mart officially buys the republic of China, renaming it in its image.
Date: 2017, July 8th: The U.S. is bought out by Wal-mart due to inability to pay the trade deficit.
Date: 2017, November 31st: All of the new laws take effect, everyone in the countries that were the United States and China, now Walistan, are drafted into the army and sent overseas in a quick attempt to invade Canada.
Date: 2021, October 22nd: Walistan officially takes over Canada through military submission, begins to claim other countries.
Date 2045: Wal-mart claims Russia, the last remaining “free” country; the world is now a subsidiary of Wal-mart.
What do these dates and events mean? They are what shaped the future, tore the world apart and then pieced it back together, ever so fragile and weak, barely holding on, death better then the meager, miserable clinging to survival that passes for life. The world is in shambles, the global conglomerate has stayed in power for over 200 years, destroying, polluting, and rotting away the Earth, forcing it’s “Citizens”, those who aren’t the result of a biological experiment to create better prison guards, into slave labor, creating products for everyone to buy, though there isn’t enough money in circulation to buy a bottle of water. No, it’s all locked away in the bank of Walistan, held by the government.
My first memory was when I was five years old and I was laying on my bed, in a concrete shack built by the government to house people who worked in my district, eating some limp carrots and staring at the ceiling thinking about my life. I had thought it would be the same as long as I lived, manufacturing goods for no one to buy but the owners of Wal-Mart (Clones of the original, taught that the world was theirs to use and all the goods, water, and other things were theirs), making the same things, then I met C. Didn’t know his name and didn’t know what he was doing. I realize now that he was fixing a shipment of goods to explode upon drop off, but it seemed innocent at the time. I asked him what he was doing, since it was during break, and we are not allowed to work, guarded by “Bluecoats” (Genetically augmented people, twice the size and strength of a normal human with some odd problems, called blue coats from the clothing they wear), which didn’t really matter, since all the guards were withering on the floor like worms clutching their ears in pain. And there he was affixing a bomb to a box full of shoes. He was tall, looked about fourteen years old and was wearing a black trench coat that looked like it was overloaded with objects, most likely for something like he was doing, and black steel toed boots. I asked what he was doing and he cringed and turned around almost hitting me in the face.
“If you say anything about this to anyone, I’m going to strangle you.” He said angrily.
“In fact, I should probably take you with me so you can’t tell. Going with me is a lot better than staying here anyway.
I followed him outside. That was the last day I conventionally worked.
Chapter 1
Planning all the while
Fast forwarding 11 years, I learned a lot about C. I learned what he did to the bluecoats, and all it involved was a speaker or a sound pulse gun and they dove to the floor from the frequency it was set on. I also learned that he had a strange affection to almonds and would carry bags full of them with him. It turns out the smell of almonds sets off bluecoats and pumps enough adrenaline through their heart to kill sixteen people in the course of three minutes. I also learned he had been doing what he did for years, and all he wanted was to “destroy the company at any cost”. But he has a sense of humor about these things. He had joined a revolution force, which had very little power before him, but he rallied the soldiers and general, Roy, and made plans to assassinate the clones of the creators of Wal-mart, effectively locking up the A.I.s used to run everything. The creators commanded the A.I.s and were programmed to only listen to them.
We were in a shanty normally occupied by workers, but we had convinced them to leave. By convinced I mean held at gunpoint. Some even joined the rebellion.
“So the plan is clear?”
“Uhuh. I go in shoot stuff, neutralize and or kill some bluecoats, and clear the way for you to claim part of the revolution glory. Then I…. Do what I need to do. Heh.”Said C, with a weird look on his face.
“Hmm, as if you could execute the plan yourself. “Said Roy in a slightly aggravated tone, walking in to the shanty we had selected.
Roy had raved in anger many times about how C handled things, and refused to let him take credit for anything, though C did more than Roy and his battalion. Every time there was a heated argument between C and Roy I’d end up playing rock paper scissors with Vick, Roy’s second in command to who would talk them down.
“Roy, don’t be like that. It only creates animosity between our revolution, and we don’t need C, Greg, or anyone in the specialist unit leaving. They’re the lynch pin for this one.” Said Vick, hoping to calm Roy down.
“Yeah, I hardly trust any of those nut jobs, let alone a certain overconfident joker who goes agro the minute someone suggests a strategy.” Roy yelled at C, who just smiled.
“I can see you’re in a great mood.” Muttered C.
“Yeah, so back to, uh, executing the plan. Roy, I’m going to assume the troops are ready for invasion.”
“Yes, though most are objecting to be used as cannon fodder and barrier breakers.”
“They aren’t, their breaking doors and shooting the bluecoats that go after C while he’s busy destroying the power and goods.”
“So I’m going to assume we are ready to go?”
“Assume makes an ass out of you and me.”
“Alright, let’s go.” I said in a loud voice.”
Chapter 2
Calm Before the Storm
We were all outside the gates of the global conglomerate building. The air was tense. The smog was thick around it, so everyone was coughing. I couldn’t see the sun due to the smog and atmosphere, but it was still well over 70 degrees. The troops were all standing behind me, along with Roy, C, Derrick, and Selma. Derrick and Selma were the other two in the special unit. Derrick could never stand still without fidgeting, looking around like a caged animal for some way out, even when he was outside. Selma was probably the most focused person I’ve ever met. In the few firefights I’ve been in with her she always hits her mark. Derrick, on the other hand, abuses explosives, like magnesium and gas mortars. He’s heavily reliant on rapid fire weapons and electrical things.
“Today we take back what is ours. After this there will be no more Walistan, there will be no more corporate conglomerate. There will just be this planet. No more will we have to work for a government like this, tinkering away for unknown oppressors. We will take it back. Take it all back.” Roy took a few breaths.
“The plan is clear, correct? “I shouted, to get the attention of all the soldiers.
“Yes sir.” Thundered the chorus of soldiers.
I shot the locks of the gate with my rifle. C Grabbed his pistols, making sure they were loaded. Derrick grabbed a mortar and checked the barrel clip on his M-16. Selma smiled and pushed the door open. Things were a go.
Chapter 3
And so it begins
As we walked through the front gates, things went bad. We set off the turrets, not bothering to let Derrick hack it. Everyone hit the dirt, screaming and spraying lead. C dove ahead of everyone and started crawling towards the door. He shot off the two main turrets while Derrick launched mortar shells at the six others by hand. C smashed the door in and strolled in like the arrogant jackass he was, shooting bluecoats while barely paying attention.
What the hell is he doing? I thought, unaware of his true intentions.
“Hey, Greg, what’s C doing? The plan was to let the soldiers lead the vanguard while we took our separate ways.” Asked Derrick, totally confused.
“Whatever C does is what he does. All I care about is stopping this mad regime.” Said Selma.
“Yeah, let’s just go. It’ll be better without him anyway. You know how crazy he gets on a mission. Still have a scar from the first mission I went on with him.” Said Derrick, walking forward.
I walked forward with him and we entered the building and into a massive fire fight. Soldiers were everywhere, destroying bluecoats with high caliber weapons to the head; Roy was screaming and throwing grenades, and I noticed the ventilation shaft had the bolts shot off and the cover was jammed into a computer screen for controlling the turrets. There was only one person who would do it. It was C.
“Roy, get all the troops to a lower floor! Selma, Derrick, follow me! C has gone insane!” I screamed and dove through the door and the down the stairs at the right corner.
Derrick and Selma follow suit while Roy killed off the last few bluecoats and ordered the troops down stairs. I knew what C was doing, it was only a matter of time until he was finished.
“T minus six and counting” Blared the intercom.
C had killed the leaders and activated the fallout sequence. When all the troops made it down we all huddled down and closed our eyes. It was the end of the world as we knew it.
I heard the first missile go of and passed out from the pain in my ears.
Chapter 4
We Fall out (start of extended edition, scrapping school project feel)
As it turns out, the missiles didn’t kill us. We were trapped, sleeping in the building, which had taken no damage due to the lock down stasis and the activation of the fall out status for the master building. And, had we been outside, it would not have mattered. After so many years of environmental abuse, the human race had evolved to be radiation proof. At least, the people who worked. We were exposed to so much radiation, it would’ve killed the planet one hundred years earlier. But, through the poor working conditions and mass exposure of earlier generations, we were virtually radiation proof. In fact, it had become a source to eat away building toxins in our bodies. We had come to need the very thing that should have destroyed us. Oh the irony. (To be continued and for those of you on blogger, tell me if you like this or not.)
