《Fractures: A City Asunder》


 Prologue

    Nick pushed the rusted iron door open. The hinges screamed in discomfort, but Ricky took the door from his brother and held it open as they left the Citadel together. Beyond the concrete walls of the Citadel¡¯s grounds was a shattered maze of stone and rubble, streets barely findable between the crumbling structures of the city. Regardless, the brothers knew the central district very well, and they knew that the easiest way to traverse the city wasn¡¯t in fact the streets, but the ruins themselves.


    They travelled for a day or two. Look for supplies in the convoy, Harry said. Nightmares hit it a day ago, they shouldn¡¯t be there no more.


    Nick hoped they didn¡¯t see any Nightmares whilst they were hiking. Somebody once told him they used to be human, but they asked the Devil for power and he turned them into the creatures they are now. Ricky always chastised Nick for believing that. Everyone knew they¡¯d only been mutated by radiation, or something.


    Still, the brothers agreed on one thing about the Nightmares: if you see one, run as fast as you can.


    It was beyond midnight on their third day of hiking when they reached the Spire. It was easy to find, a twisted but sturdy needle of stone and iron towering so high above the chaotic haystack that it seemed to scrape the sky itself.


    ¡°Convoy¡¯s a mile north from here.¡± Nick said. Ricky looked around the clutching shadows of night, a hand resting on the hilt of his machete.


    ¡°Best not to risk more night travel than we need.¡± Ricky replied. He wasn¡¯t scared of the night, but he certainly wasn¡¯t ignorant of it either. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m fucking starving.¡±


    Nick chuckled. ¡°Well, we best check the checkpoint n¡¯ make sure it¡¯s clear. Should get us a look at this convoy too."


    The boys knew better than to take the main entrance to the Spire. The glass doors were shattered, and the razor-sharp shards were never removed. Even if you didn¡¯t cut yourself, the hollow shell of the lobby echoed so prominently that anything lurking inside would clearly hear an entry.


    Instead, Nick led the way to the proper way in. A neighbouring building brought them to the third floor of the Spire if you managed to climb through the hole in the roof and crawl along a wooden plank which went through a large crack in the Spire¡¯s wall. Nick and Ricky got inside without issue, and on the unsecure lower floors they knew to keep their machetes in hand as they worked their way up to the checkpoint. They had fire-arms, but ammunition was expensive and hard to come by.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The corridors were almost blindingly dark, but within the hour the brothers picked their way up to twenty first floor. This high, the moonlight shone into the halls from the cracked windows which made it much easier to see. The checkpoint was on this floor, in fact it was more or less half of this floor. Half way down the entry corridor was a large iron door which had been erected by the Dragon Brand when they claimed the Spire. This section of the building was the safest and the sturdiest, ideal for the use of the Brand¡¯s scouts and rangers who needed places to camp across the city.


    Nick found the key and opened the door, locking it behind them. His brother found the lights and they were both relieved to find that they were still working. At last they could relax knowing they were safe. Nothing could have gotten inside, excluding other Dragons.


    ¡°If you want to look for that convoy from the window, I¡¯ll check the store-room.¡± Ricky said as he disappeared around the corner. Nick was on his way through the corridors, shrugging off his worn leather jacket as he went before he heard his brother some few moments later.


    Nick! Come here!


    Startled, he turned and raced toward the store-room, machete drawn. He found Ricky stood in the open doorway. He pushed past to see what the problem was.


    On the floor of the storeroom was a small campfire. Huddled just beyond it between the shelves of canned food, spare clothes and bedrolls was a startled young girl, no older than twelve. Her skin was dirty, her blonde hair near brown and matted with dust. Her light khaki anorak was rolled up at the sleeves, showing a leather bracer on the inside of her left wrist, and a bloodied bandage on the other. Her dark jeans weren¡¯t at all ripped, and Nick realised she must have found them in the checkpoint because they were the cleanest article of clothing on her. She didn¡¯t even have the luxury of footwear.


    But more importantly, she had been roasting raw meat over her fire. That couldn¡¯t have come from the checkpoint, and the bloodstained hunting arrow left outside of her quiver implied that the girl had hunted game in the city on her own.


    ¡°Please!¡± She whimpered. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt me! I just wanted shelter!¡±


    Ricky and Nick exchanged glances. ¡°How did you get in here?¡±


    The girl moved slowly to the side of the room and pulled a heavy steel box to the side. Behind it was a passage into the wall which lead to the air vents. Nick knew it was there, but that box was heavy. There was no way somebody could have pushed it aside from inside the vent, he¡¯d tried to do it himself when he was asked to assess the Checkpoint¡¯s security last month.


    He slowly placed his machete on the ground, and in turn the girl pushed her recurve bow to the side. Nick came to kneel in front of her, studying her light blue eyes quizzically.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Chapter 1: Nick

    ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked. The girl looked up at him with wide eyes. Her brow was raised and pointedly furrowed as she tried to steady her anxious breathing. She pulled herself away so her back pressed up against the wall, and she slipped her feet back, so she could hug her knees. Ricky noticed one odd thing about her; her dainty arms held muscles like iron chains.


    ¡°I, umm,¡± She started with a quivering voice. ¡°I¡¯m a nomad, I¡¯m not meant to be here, I know.¡± She pulled out a necklace from underneath her shirt. It was a sea shell attached to a leather cord. Tentatively Nick reached forward and gently rested the shell in the palm of his hand. It was almost warm, understandable as it had been resting against her chest, but it seemed to hum in his hand slightly. Perhaps he was just tired from his travels. Still, the shell was smooth to the touch, sandy colours rippling across the delicate fossil in uneven layers. One edge he found had been sharpened, no, serrated. He realised the shell was long as well, long enough to cut if need be.


    The nomad girl gently turned the shell over. On the inside where it was paler was a word carved into the material, highlighted in fading ink.


    ¡°Hiekka?¡± Nick read aloud with a stutter as he tried to pronounce the word.


    ¡°Hiekka, yes. That is my name.¡± She said.


    ¡°How did you get here, Hiekka?¡± Ricky asked. He sat next to his brother and picked the first cut of meat from the grill resting over the fire. He handed the spit toward the girl and she cradled it in calloused hands. She looked across to him, her expression having changed. The brothers hoped she would have relaxed with them, but rather she looked troubled. She wiped away the welling of tears with the back of her hand.


    ¡°My tribe was attacked in the night,¡± she steadied her voice. Tried to, at least. ¡°I was taken, with a few other girls. They brought us to the city.¡±


    ¡°Who took you?¡±


    ¡°Slavers.¡± A long, rackety release of anxious breath. ¡°They already sold the other girls when I broke free. They didn¡¯t think I would make it through the ruins, but¡­¡±


    ¡°   You surprised them.¡± Nick pointed to her steak. ¡°You should eat, you look starving.¡±


    Hiekka did just that. She lifted the meat to her mouth and took a testing nibble before she started to wolf the chop down. Ricky and Nick were relieved. She was a kid after all, she should never have been separated from her family. Never have had to survive on her own in the city. She was lucky she¡¯d found the centre. The Bloodborn in the Eastern Suburbs would have sooner taken her clothes from her than give her any. And what they would have given her would have been very perverted for a girl her age.


    ¡°Do you know where your tribe will be now?¡± Ricky asked once they had all finished eating. Hiekka liked the brothers, she decided. Their voices were soft, and their words flowed like gentle water. They looked alike, but they weren¡¯t twins. The one who said he was Ricky was taller, but his brother was just a bit broader. They both had hair the colour acorns, though Nick¡¯s was longer, so long he had to tie it back in a loose braid. Their eyes were different intonations of green, Ricky¡¯s like grass and Nick¡¯s like kelp.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°No, but we always follow streams and small rivers.¡± She said softly, anxiously braiding her hair on either side of her small head. Not all of it, just enough to pull to the rear of her scalp and leave the remainder in a small ponytail atop the rest of her unkempt mane.


    ¡°There¡¯s a river about a hundred n¡¯ sixty kilometres South of the City.¡± Nick pointed out to her, and she seemed to smile and nod softly.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s where we were before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard terrain.¡± Ricky added. ¡°Could take a week or two to reach it.¡±


    The brothers exchanged glances. They didn¡¯t need to say anything. They¡¯d been inseparable for so long that people often called them NicknRick, and they were so like minded that they needed only to lock eyes to form an agreement. Hiekka needed to get back to her tribe, and she couldn¡¯t make it on her own. ¡°What do you know about this city?¡± NicknRick asked softly.


    ¡°Um, different groups live in different parts of the city. One in the North, another in the East, a third in the West, fourth South and another one in the middle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the basics, yeah.¡± Nick smiled softly. But he bit the inside of his cheek, because she didn¡¯t seem to know much else. Without another moment his brother chimed in to complete the background knowledge.


    ¡°In the North are all the factories and industry of the City. The Iron Brotherhood owns all of that, they make clothes and weapons and sell it to everyone else in the city. Maybe even some people outside of the city. They¡¯re the most powerful ''tribe'' because of that, they don¡¯t sell us anything better than what they have. But they¡¯re good people really, just business people.


    ¡°The West has the Basilisks. They¡¯re peaceful, just a little backwards. They¡¯ve not rebuilt any of their suburbs, they just squat in the ruins. I think they¡¯re pretty much died out, the district¡¯s pretty much barren, really hard to find anybody. The South belongs to Flint, they¡¯re a lot like my tribe. We¡¯ve both rebuilt parts of our districts and we¡¯ve set up villages for our civilians and have a standing army to protect them. But neither of us are fighting anybody, we haven¡¯t for years.


    ¡°The Bloodborn are the worst. They¡¯re in the East. They¡¯re killers, thieves and brigands. Your slaver was probably a Bloodborn, they¡¯re known for kidnapping children. At the moment, the Iron Brotherhood has boxed them into their district. They can get a few people out here and there, but it¡¯s impossible for them to mount an attack on any of the other districts so they¡¯re not as bad as they usually are.¡± Ricky explained. There was more he could have said about the Bloodborn, but he didn¡¯t want the poor girl to worry about her tribesfolk being raped at the hands of those monsters.


    Hiekka frowned as she processed the information, but then she nodded softly. She looked a lot better, the colour having returned to her small face and she had stopped hugging her knees.


    ¡°If the Flint people are nice like you, I can travel through on my own. I¡¯m sure you have better things to do than to escort me.¡±


    Ricky shook his head. ¡°No way, the people aren¡¯t the only thing in the city. There¡¯s Nightmares too. They¡¯re seven feet of twisted, with steel claws and meat like charcoal. They hide in the shadows even in sunlight, so imagine how awful they are at night. They¡¯re fast as well and I¡¯ve never seen them tire.¡±


    ¡°We have those in the forest too.¡± She said matter-of-factly, as if they didn¡¯t bother her too much. She was na?ve. ¡°But, I suppose it would be hard to travel alone then.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re picking up supplies from an Iron Brotherhood convoy that was cutting through our border. Come with us, and we¡¯ll get you back to our headquarters for some clean clothes and a shower. We¡¯ll go south with you after that.¡± Nick said to Hiekka. She considered the offer for a moment, before she smiled wide and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±


    NicknRick looked to each other, exchanging a subtle nod of appreciation. They found Hiekka a warm bedroll and took her through to another room with bunkbeds. They all agreed that they¡¯d leave for the convoy in daylight. Hiekka went to sleep easily that night. She¡¯d found company that seemed safe and friendly, something she had been without for months.


    Maybe she would get home alive after all.

 Chapter 1: Tina

    ¡°Twat!¡± She laughed and pulled the welding torch away from the searing metal. Her auburn eyes flickered up toward Mercury, who was a tall man with broad shoulders and well kept dark hair. He was the CEO of most of the factories and workshops in the Iron Brotherhood, and perhaps the most powerful man asides from the Brotherhood¡¯s Director.


    He had also just thrown an orange at the brunette engineer, which had bounced off her visor and sailed into a toolbox behind her, sending a loud crash through her workroom.


    ¡°Serves you right for keeping such a messy workplace.¡± Mercury chuckled. He walked free of care through Tina¡¯s workspace and fixed her toolbox for her, whilst she yanked her visor from her face and let her long ponytail fall behind her strong back. She dumped her gloves ontop of the truck and sat against the khaki wheel arch. She admired Mercury quietly. They were about the same age, Mercury being only a year ahead of her in school. But he was the genius there, everyone knew it. He was breezing through his business and mechanics classes without so much of a glance at his notes.


    ¡°It was fine until you came in oranges blazing.¡± Tina snapped back and crossed her arms with a humoured pout. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Dinner for two, but if you¡¯re the only girl worth talking to here, I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    ¡°Funny. Amethyst is here.¡± Tina guessed at why he was here. He¡¯d asked her for a favour but a month ago, a favour she said she¡¯d had completed around this time.


    ¡°Nah, she scares me. She¡¯s an engineer, if I insult her she¡¯d break me in half.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an engineer!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a good one.¡± Mercury smirked, taking a spot on the truck next to Tina. But at that, she¡¯d already shot up and disappeared behind a stack of crates full of parts and scrap metal. She called through the obstacle as she rummaged for something. ¡°Well, this not good engineer has finished your rifle. Sorry if it backfires, cunt.¡± She returned with a weapons case which she placed on the truck¡¯s bonnet. She snapped open the clasps when Mercury joined her and lifted the lid. Inside was a fully automatic IB-48, complete with two tone urban camouflage and laser sights. Just like Mercury had asked. He clapped his friend on the shoulder and reached for the weapon as she disappeared once again. The rifle was lighter than the standard model, the grip comfier and the trigger seemed more responsive. He loaded an empty magazine with a slick click and a snap of the bolt. She¡¯d done a fantastic job, as always.


    ¡°Not going to hit that target without any bullets, dumbass.¡± She returned with rounds, and she quickly loaded them into a magazine which she passed to Mercury. He reloaded the weapon and peeked into the barrel to see the glinting metal of the bullet. His companies manufactured these by the thousands in just a day, and he had them sold to the other districts indiscriminately. Taking sides cuts business, after all.


    He closed the barrel and lifted the rifle to his shoulder, his eye turned down to the sights. Tina was there to show him how every added extra worked and her finger flicked a toggle on the scope which projected a holographic range finder and ammunition count. A diamond rested in the centre of the scope. Tina explained that the scope takes a reading of the firing conditions and moves the Diamond to wherever the bullet will land at the expected range. The range finder itself knows if its looking at an object as well and provides the range of everything in front of the firer.


    ¡°So it¡¯s an aimbot?¡±


    ¡°Basically.¡± Tina grinned, proud of her work. Her own firearm wasn¡¯t much different, only it had a much longer range. Reprogramming the scope to work at closer range had been oddly challenging, when she realised that obstacles didn¡¯t bother her own weapon as much with its piercing rounds. Mercury didn¡¯t have that luxury.


    ¡°There¡¯s a trading party returning soon. If you come along with me, I can get your workshop on the trading list if you want the work.¡± Mercury said. He looped the rifle strap over his shoulder and let the weapon hang.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan. Just let me close up.¡±


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    The sun shone above the city, which was a rarity thanks to the busy factories and workshops which spilled thick streaks of grey smog into the sky. Occasionally the smog might clear and allow for sunny days like this, and the pleasant rays shone on the glass spires of the Iron District like diamonds in the rough. They had skyscrapers filled with leisurely homes that even the workers could enjoy, though the penthouses were reserved for business owners, of which there were seven major players. Mercury was top-dog, being at the forefront of munitions and weapons manufacture. There was also Led, who had stakes in the textile industry; Amethyst who had a hundred storefronts selling jewellery; Garnet ran factories producing automobiles; Steele owned the Brotherhood¡¯s aviation industries; Cobble ran the cities construction and Cobalt ran a third of the cities services just in one company. Director Ruby Monroe held councils with these seven businessowners weekly, where they met up in the Brotherhood¡¯s Citadel and discussed everything from business to the defence of the district. Ruby Monroe wasn¡¯t a business owner himself, rather he oversaw the districts policies and military power. The entrepreneurs acted very much as his advisors, meaning those sat on the council had not just business prowess, but political standing as well.


    Mercury drove from Tina¡¯s workshop toward the Citadel, which meant they passed the seven tallest skyscrapers where all of these names were hosted. Naturally, Mercury¡¯s was the tallest, though it couldn¡¯t compete with the soaring heights of the citadel, which had towers standing from a five-pointed star, all of which were connected to the tallest central tower.


    It took about an hour for the truck to finish the journey, and Mercury was guided beneath the citadel by its guards. They wheeled around in the parking bay before being directed into a vehicle lift which rested beneath the southern Citadel Tower. They called it the Tower of Gold, because it was where the District¡¯s trading centres were housed. With a weary groan the lift ascended, depositing them miles above the city atop the rampart. A short onward drive saw them to the landing pads, just in time to find a chopper landing, the side doors pulled open. Soldiers dismounted before the chopper was even settled, and the traders followed shortly after.


    Tina had always found the traders a little obnoxious. They liked to dress in flowing gowns of brightly coloured cotton or even silk, often open at the legs to show leather pants and high boots. They made more money than most factory workers and engineers and looked down on them as well. But Tina would put her own money against a trader in any bet involving actual work.


    ¡°Ser Mercury,¡± one said, spreading his arms in greeting. ¡°How do you fare this fine day?¡±


    ¡°Just fine.¡± He replied. He knew of Tina¡¯s disposition toward traders. ¡°Did they order?¡±


    ¡°Oh, indeed! But a simple matter of idle flattery and a few tricks of the trade, as it were.¡± The trader, who was called Magnesium though Tina decided she¡¯d shorten that to Mag, spread his arms wide. Probably to look majestic, but Tina thought he just looked like a git.


    ¡°Details, if you would. Time is money for some.¡±


    ¡°The Dragons wish for a stock of two hundred IB-48 standard issue rifles, with ammunition of three hundred per rifle.¡± Mag looked at Tina with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s two hundred by three hundred rounds, you can work that out slowly whilst the intelligent discuss.¡±


    ¡°Sixty thousand.¡± Tina snapped back instantly. ¡°I¡¯ve got one-fifty rifles sitting in my warehouse already.¡±


    ¡°Such little stock? Can¡¯t you make them faster, girl?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve sold five hundred of them just this week, shit stick, another fifty can be made on the lines in a few hours. I¡¯ll text Irona and have her box up those rounds.¡±


    Mercury smirked at Tina. He had little issue with traders, but he didn¡¯t appreciate their snobby mannerisms. He did, however, appreciate Tina¡¯s fire. A lot of workers either cowered before Brotherhood¡¯s traders or couldn¡¯t be bothered dealing with them. Tina was one of the few engineers who revelled in the chance to yell at one or two of them.


    ¡°Shit stick, hm? How¡­ Creative.¡± Mag snorted derisively. ¡°See that you have them prepared as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, are you my boss?¡± Tina responded without looking up from her phone. ¡°They¡¯ll be prepared when they¡¯re prepared, wouldn¡¯t want to sell your clients misfires, would we?¡±


    ¡°Are you unreliable?¡±


    ¡°No, we just understand something called quality control. Now, why don¡¯t you take you and your tight little cunt back to whatever skyscraper you belong in and sit on your favourite dildo while you wait. Sip tea, masturbate, do whatever it is you lazy mules like to do whilst the rest of us do actual work.¡± Tina thrust her phone back into her pocket and motioned for Mag to carry on walking. The blonde haired cuck turned his sullen gaze to Mercury, hoping he¡¯ll save his pride. But he simply stepped back to allow him to pass, and Mag disappeared along the rampart in a flurry of his gown.


    ¡°I think you hurt his feelings.¡± Mercury joked, signalling for the deckhands to refuel the chopper.


    ¡°What feelings? Those people are about as dead inside as Nightmares.¡± She snorted, knocking her light brown ponytail back over her shoulder. ¡°Mind giving me a ride back to my workshop?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, just let me talk to the soldiers here a second. The tribes outside the city have been acting up.¡±


    ¡°Against us?¡± Tina perked her brow, turning her gaze to the nearby forests.


    ¡°No,¡± Mercury shrugged. ¡°Against the trees, apparently.¡±