Round pointy ears.
The lil rodent was just across the street, as he sat on the sidewalk, bored.
- Come're lil guy...
About 5,7 feet high, the somewhat skinny young man looked much more a kid than an adult. The silent street was only filled with the ocasional sound of a ship passing by every five minutes or so. Gray buildings exhaled a smell of dirt, that was only mixed with the smell of rust, from the metal structures. Reaching one of his pockets for whatever leftovers he could find, he unfolds a piece of the remains of a loaf of bread in front of his opened legs.
- Com'on. Eat it up.
Message understood, the furred gray ball moved quickly to reach the food now laying on the crude concrete. Looking at the scene, anyone could describe it as a crazy man just talking to himself. His green-lensed eyes, hidden behind a double sized pilot mask, focused the struggle, as if those where the last remains on the whole planet.
- ... Hey, you're a she, ain't ya? Are you - laughter - that's why you are so hungry? You got'sum chaps? - He unfolds the rest of his lunch - Here, take the rest.
Tasting the fragile scene - and making the closest windows shiver and tremble - a massive transport crosses 60 feet above him, making enough noise to wake anyone up - and scare the rodent away.
- WHATCH IT DUDE! BAH, WHY DON'YA GO DOCK THAT THING ON'YA BED, SMART ONE! ... Sh-...
After the rude gestures - and now standing up - he could see the rat had disappeared, probably fleeing to some crevice away to his nest.
- Ahw, crap. You left about half of the samwitch behin'.
Somewhat sorry, he puts whatever's left of the food on his pocket and starts to walk, flowing with the street.
Jacob was his name. He made sure everyone knew it. Other than that, only the police and his parents knew his last name. About five to six times jailed on the last three months, he always got out somehow - either his parents would paid for the fine or he would find a way to flee, and because of the pressure, the police never really cared much.
He had a label too. "Activist". Yelling about the pollution, the noise, the concrete jungle saw as his hobby, but never took his words seriously. Money was more important. Politics were more important. He still bothered fighting for that cause, however, for he knew it didn't had to be that way. Had they seen how those planets were before the colonization they would think the same. And he knew what would come to be. How the same planet that protected humanity from the cold space would be destroyed sooner or later by their own hands.
He had gone past about two crossroads when he stopped, staring at the big "TOWer" sign on the corner of the Durham with the Harleyford. Five kids went right past him, with a cop by their shoes, asking for the location of something. He didn't bothered much until it was too late.
- Kill him, kill him! Eeeeeek! - Calm down, calm down! The big officer here will make things a'right!
Slam! Slam!
- Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
- Eeeeew, thats grooooss!
Horror overcame him, turning to inspect the scene. The same rodent he had fed two streets behind had turned into a pool of blood, flesh and bread recently eaten.
- Hey you! - He yelled - Why don't ya pick a fight with some one your own size, dumbass!
- Wha-?
Jacob could not be the best fighter but he was fast. Jumping on the officer in surprise, he slamed a strong right jab on the left side of his face, throwing the officer on the same pool of blood he had created - enough to send the kids running.
- Aaaaaaah!! Thief!!!! Moooooooom!
- Oh no...
Now he had seen. Not only the mother had been killed, but by falling down the officer had crushed two of it's puppies. Only two were left alive, and one, limp.
- Goddamn, my head! - The officer was raising up.
- Sh$%... Come here you two! - Reaching for them both, he nested them inside his coat, near the sandwich remains.
- I'll get ya, punk!
The lightposts went blurry past him as now he ran fast as he could. The officer at his heels wasn't faster, but he had a gun.
Blam! - Freeze!
The shot, hitting about an inch away from his soles was enough to make him run the other way.
An alley.
Jacob's grizzlied hair was launched upwards, in a floating motion, when the folder filled with different-sized papers hit the gray, coffe stained, desk.
- So... Mr. Jacob. Once again we meet on my office. And I was thinking we had put this issue behind us. - He sighed briefly. - What's this time? Vandalism? Robbery? Hit and run?
Jacob was silent. His jacket taken off, he sat relaxed across the officer desk, watching as the tall and not-so-athletic Bretonian turned the paper pages.
- You like this place don't you, boy? - The question was answered with Jacob's expression of doubt. - Ya keep coming back. - The policeman started to laugh. Jacob was silent.
- Last month we had... Let's see... Three assaults in the Heavy Fuel Depot, a sabotage into one of the BMM transport, which meant a loss of about 15 million worth of minerals, six officer assaults, one resulting into one being sent to the hospital, and one robbery at... What was it again...
- Bowex. - Jacob completed.
- OH that's right. The "Wild Life" case. - He laughed.
- Humph. Laugh as you want into your own face, dude, I only did that cause your damn officers were turning a blind eye into that transport.
- Words words... You know, I'm sick of your fantasies and stories Mr. Jacob. Bretonia is the stronger of the Houses in Sirius. I can't understand why you don't approve that.
Three silent seconds passed.
- Why you insist using paper? - Jacob asks.
- Hm?
- Why. You. Insist. Using. Paper. It's made of trees you know? And now that you can digitalize pretty much-
- The way I do my work, Mr. Jacob, it's of my own responsability. Besides, this is the way I found to drag you Activists out of hiding.
Jacob felt his hands clutch and eyes burn as the old man put up a smile filled with irony.
- So. For attacking an officer in plain street, Mr. Jacob, and having such a lenghy history, I unfortunatelly have to say you'll have to stay over while we work our-
- We know this won't be necessary, don't we, Mr. Oakey.
Followed by two consorts, the dark suited man entered the room almost as if the door didn't exist at all.
- As you know, Master Jacob will be coming with us for the momment. All the paperwork is being filled as we speak and you may-
- Wait wait wait wait wait! - Oakey, raising from the chair where he was, brashed against the agents who had just entered. Jacob was smiling at the scene. - Who do you think you are to come into my office, say what I can or not do and expect me to agree? You know what this punk have been up?
- Do not make me repeat myself officer. You know how politics work. I am sure you wouldn't like your direct superior to receive word you have been buying Cardamine at the lower Docks, would you?
The officer was at boiling point, but kept silent. Jacob whistled.
- Master Jacob. We'll be awaiting outside.
- Nah, I'm okay right 'ere with my fellow amigo.
- My orders are to take you home, Master Jacob. With or without your consent. You have five minutes to get your belongings.
Jacob, raising up as the agents left the room, now was side-to-side with Oakey.
- Damn tuxies with no sense of humor. Right, officer? - He smiled. - Have a good evening, a'right?
The black suits were standing on the entrance of the police office, mumbling something over the radio. Jacob could hear the frequency static.
- Yes sir... Code 905... No sir, we'll be there soon...
- Damn robots.
He faced away, pretending to look for his stuff. He'd already got his jacket, which was the only thing he had at the moment, but he wasn't going with the agents.
The police station was not very big. Almost every detail was made of metal, except for the floor, made of a mixture of concrete and iron. Leaving Oakey's room, Jacob had a corridor to his left, which led to the holding cells, and a door at his front, leading to the hallway - an thus to the agents. He preffered taking the left turn, as he mumbled something about "a bag" he never had.
The corridor led to a wide square room, illuminated by a serie of LED lamps, fixed onto the ceiling. Ventilation was non-existent, mantaining an air of rust and mold withing the structure. Jacob saw his way out the moment he entered the room: An old type of bunker door. The type of those who were actually moved by hydraulic gears, and easily cracked. With a pair of electrodes from his PDA, he hotwired and fried the door circuit in a minute, leaving to the back of the building and to the streets after that.
The weather had changed. It was already past six PM and the clouds had begin to cluster. Soon, all the polution the city had spewed would come falling back onto the planet, carried by the acid and corrosive rain Bretonians had become used to. Jacob pulled the hood of his jacket over his head and started to walk home. Not the home the black suits wanted him to go, but his real home. His hideout.
He walked about twenty minutes before coming to a stop. The place was an old storage, one the Green Front had to abandon after losing a contract with Bowex. The place was sited away from the streets and the metal junk around it made the perfect cover.
Moaning and clashing the garage steel door moved slowly, as Jacob entered and walked down the stairs. The air inside was much cleaner than the outside, thanks to the purifiers and the organic wildlife planted inside.
- Lights.
Answering to his voice the whole bunker started to illuminate, and, save for a few areas where the time had worn out the generators, quite soon all the lamps were on. Following the stairs, he was soon on the main room - a wide life supported area, where plants and herbs of many different kinds had been planted. In the top of a shelf a Netobian Cat played with a slice of plastic resine.
- I'm home!
And soon the sound of many barks, growls and squeeks came to greet Jacob. That always made him smile.
He went to bed eleven pm that night. The day had been a tiresome one, and the rain still hammered the metal walls of the bunker, singing an orchestra nobody would ever write down but Jacob was staring at the shadowy ceiling.
He hadn't slept much, and the hologram-clock projected the numbers 5:22 at his bed's right side, but the time was the last of his problems.
He was remembering the life he gave up one day. All the luxuries he could have had. The money, girls, drinks... Heck, perhaps he would even be able to bathe decently every day. He felt warm inside, however, remembering that all those "if's" were but mementos of an old past where he didn't believe giving up the normal life was the best for the planet.
Shaking his head, he raised from his bed and walked towards the bathroom.
Aside from the light of a nearby lamp post, his room was dark. He could see the flicker of a rat's eye on the bedroom's corner, reflecting light, but no way could he see his own feet.
Meeting himself at the mirror, he washed his face and looked into the green eyes of the image. He did look tired.
He was leaving the bathroom when a very loud sound made he jump.
KLENG!
- What the...
And again.
TENK!
And once more.
KLENG-REN-TENK-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAK
- WHAT THE HELL'S GOIN' ON?!
He grasped his shirt on the top of his sheets, and pushed his feet into the closest thing he had for a pair of sneakers and ran to the nearest trapdoor.
Sixteen cops, he counted, surrounded by three Police Small Fighters and a Drone, carrying a long and big Crane, that was ripping his house apart.
- Jacob Fade, you are under arrest for transpassing private property, resisting arrest, assaulting an officer and harassing children. Surrender now and we won't shoot!
The bullet shot afterwards of the notice would have surelly ripped his head apart hadn't him jumped inside once again.
- Damn damn damn damn! How did they find this place?!
The voice repeated herself.
- Jacob Fade, you are under arrest for transpassing private property...
- Damn BOWEX! I gotta get out of here! Shoot!
Managing to salvage a few things along with his basic stuff, he ran to the back of the bunker, to the security door, opening it with all his strenght.
However, they were ready for him.
- Freeze!
This time was a laser pulse. It took a piece of his coat on the left arm, leaving a very ugly burn and the smell of smoked meat behind.
- AAHhg! Huuh... HHA!
Kneeling in pain he thought he was over. It had to be. No way he could go on, he would be jailed for real this time.
Then the dogs came. Attacking from every side, they took a clear advantage over the police officers and shreded their clothes. Jacob knew he had helped some of them, but there were too many dogs for him to have helped!
- Gaia...
It was enough to Jacob raise and regain his composture, running away from the scene and reaching the parking lot of the docks. There he saw his way out.
Non protected, the two Police Light Fighters were just standing there. Probably from the two officers he had just met. Nevermind, he thought, he had enough of that life, he had to go. It was his only shot.
Where, however, was a concern that would disappear quite soon, when another Light Fighter sounded over his head.
The cabin of the Hussar was empty. Aside from a few family photos and spare donuts, the interface was untouched. Fuel, half empty. Deflectors, charged. Thruster... Well he would have to deal with that later, since it was spewing too much fog to be safe, but it would do for the moment.
The ship was quick to answer to his commands, and quickly took flight. He knew he would have to go through a Docking Ring, but perhaps if he did it fast enough, the old officer's ID would do.
- Friendly fire detected. Reversing IFF. - sounded a woman's robotic voice.
Just after him another three Hussar came, firing at will.
- Shield activated. We're under enemy attack. - it came again. - I KNOW! Damn, how do I turn this thing off?! I just need to get through... the ring...
- Charging Cruise Engines. Incoming enemy Missile.
- No way! Drop countermeasures. ALL OF THEM.
- Shield deactivated. Cargo jettisonned.
- C'mon...
As crazy the plan sounded, it worked. To drop all the ammo behind did not set the countermeasures up, but created a barrier of metal so chaotic that was enough to hold enemy fire until the engines where charged.
- Entering Cruise Speed... Now. - Fuuuuu.....
And that was it.
Managing to leave the officers behind, he aimed upwards, setting coordinates to Leeds' docking ring.
From the outer atmosphere of planet Leeds what was seen is the following: A small shuttle being spit of the planet at 350m/s with no reflecting shield or whatsover. Not to mention the ship couldn't align herself with the docking ring, it hadn't enough time to open completelly.
- I'm gonna do it... I'm gonna do it... I'm gonna do it... gaiaaAAAAAAA!
BOOM
- - -
- Sir, this is Commander Bright. We've detected a explosion on the docking ring. We haven't scanned any survivors yet.
- ... What?! Are you sure?!
- Yes sir.
- Keep on looking! I NEED THAT PUNK ALIVE!
- Yes sir, right away sir.
- ... What the hell will I write on my report...
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