Don't Forget

#13 A Slim Hope

Has it really been nine years since the capital fell? Time moves so fast for Ty when there's always something else to do. Squids still swarm his homeland. Not that Ty is very patriotic. GoldenEye has certainly never done him any favors.
The first few years were ruff, but the rebel camps managed to pull themselves together. The capital and other towns are being controlled by the squids, but the rebel's underground city is still a secret. Only a few know its exact location in case of capture. All non-soldiers stay in the underground and support the troops with the extra food that they grow.
The squids still monitor every boat that comes in and out of GoldenEye's port. With the help of a rich noble who escaped in the attack, they've managed to secure a small amount of supplies that go under the radar with a few big bribes. Every enemy has their price.
These two sources alone are enough to feed the troops. Raids on squid supply wagons are planned monthly. The rebels are starting to become a major problem for the squids.
The army had become frighteningly organized even without a king. A young soldier named Lachlan rose to act as General on a vote, with five Captains beneath him. Mitch and Max both happen to be two of these Captains. Although, Max had quickly resigned. He never got over his brother's loss. Max cracked from all the stress and grief.
The squids thought that their enemy was defeated when the capital fell. No one expected that the GoldenEye spirit would be so strong. The soldiers, that weren't already captured, still have faith.
The five bases are apparently so well hidden that they haven't been found. Supply raids are done in areas far from bases, so the squids look in the wrong place. Neither side expected the war to last this long. It's been 21 years since the war started with Princess Anahita's capture. Tensions are running high, chaos waiting to break out at any moment.
Ty scrunches up his face when sunlight suddenly glares into his eyes. He lays on his stomach, almost completely covered by a thin blanket.
"Are you seriously not up yet? The Captain is going to eat you alive!", someone snickers, pulling off the blanket. Ty scrunches up his face and just rolls away from the light. "Seriously?", the other soldier asks again, "Our unit leader is already on the way".
      Ty's eyes snap open. With a small screech of alarm, he clumsily flops out of bed and hits the floor. The other soldier laughs and leaves to their own duties while Ty panics.
The former street rat struggles to pull on his jacket, the sleeve stitched with the GoldenEye crest. This could be the third time that he's been late this week! Tardiness is punished by extra guard hours, making Ty exhausted, and then he accidentally sleeps in the next day. Another soldier took pity on him for once.
Ty bursts out of the rickety hut and barrels down the main path of the camp. He has to swerve to just barely avoid slamming into a cart. The driver shouts after him.
     "Sorry, dude! In a bit of a hurry", Ty shouts back, a bit of a smile breaking out on his face. He still gets an adrenaline high from running full tilt like he is now. His days of running threw the city allies have never really left his mind.
      Ty is panting heavily when he skids to a stop, nearly crashing into a girl. She flinches away and bumps into the soldier on her other side. The entire line is slightly jostled as their unit leader turns the corner to meet with them. They frown at the soldiers' apparent clumsiness.
     "What's this? Have you all decided to pretend to be dominoes?", the leader snaps, looking down the line of soldiers. Their eyes land on Ty at the end. He's panting, trying to stifle the sound. Ty's hair is a little longer then most of the other soldiers. This doesn't work well with his bed-head. Ty's hair sticks up in every direction, his bangs flopped in front of one eye. It's kinda obvious that he just woke up. Ty missed the warm up exercises with the rest of his unit.
"Tyler, have you slept in? Again?", the unit leader narrows their eyes. Ty cringes at the use of his full name. It brings back painful memories for him.
"Well, I-I did my extra hours last night, and I was really tired after that, so-", Ty starts to ramble out an excuse, but he's interrupted when someone else steps out onto the training field.
The unit leader turns to face them, and the soldiers slightly lower their heads. Ty does the same after seeing the rest to it.
"Hope that I'm not interrupting", Captain Mitch says, walking to stand next to the unit leader. He wears a checkered hoodie, a bow on his back an a sword at the waist.
"Not at all, Captain. I was just about to give assignments for the day", the unit leader explains, much more polite. Everyone respects Mitch not only as a Captain, but also for his combat skills.
      "About that, I'm gonna need to borrow one of your men. General's orders", Mitch nods, walking towards the line of soldiers. Ty is surprised when Mitch motions for him to follow. He quickly does so, smirking at avoiding punishment.
"What're we doing?", Ty asks as soon as they're out of earshot. Mitch sighs a bit before answering. The two only briefly know each other, but Mitch is one of the few people who don't snap at every haughty comment that Ty makes.
     "The General did send me to get you. Only a few people know that he's here", Mitch explains, "We're having a meeting between him and a few others".
      "What does a war meeting have to do with me?", Ty's face scrunches up in confusion. He's not special with a sword or any weapon, really. Why would the General want to see him?
     "I don't know much more then you do", Mitch honestly replies, shrugging. The two soldiers make their way to the center of the camp. Mitch receives a few nods, and Ty gets faces of confusion. What's the captain doing with the street rat?
     Mitch steps into the squat building with Ty following. It's probably the sturdiest building in the entire camp. Tents slowly got replaced with more permanent structures over time.
Ty's stomach drops and his mouth dries up. He instantly feels awkward and out of place in a war meeting room. A street rat like him should never be in a place like this. All his former attitude is replaced with a cold sweat on his back.
All five Captains are now watching Ty from the door. Mitch sits down with the other four on one side of a long table. Ty flinches when someone grabs onto his shoulder. He looks behind himself to see a familiar noble. Barney is the only rich merchant that can smuggle in goods for the soldiers. He sits Ty down across from the Captains and pulls out a chair for himself.
     Ty's mind is in instant 'fight or flight' mode. Surly he hasn't done anything bad enough to get this sort of attention? Everyone in the room is way too important to bother themselves with him.
     Footsteps make all the soldiers, and one noble, look to the head of the table. The General sits down in a chair facing the rest, his expression grim. Lachlan catches Mitch's eyes before addressing the group.
     "So, I bet you're all wondering why I've called you here", Lachlan starts. No one says anything in the few seconds of silence before he continues. "To put it frankly, I'm done playing chicken".
"This is Ty", Mitch speaks up, motioning to the unnerved street rat, "He's part of my camp, and perfect for what we have in mind". Mitch obviously knows what's going on. He lied to Ty earlier.
     "What are you planning?", another Captain raises an eyebrow. Ty shifts uncomfortably in his seat.
     "Is.....I have an olds business partner", the noble speaks up. He has a strange accent that Ty can't place. They both remember the short time in the wagons when they were both captured together. "Yous have to understands that many people would of rather seens me dead. I hads to defend myself".
     Barney's words make Ty feel uncomfortable. What are they all talking about? What does any of his have to do with him? The noble keeps talking after a few seconds of the Captains staring.
"I knows an assassin. A Deader, actually", Barney finally admits. One of the Captains speak up before he can continue.
"Assassins!? I should have you executed", they snap, "They're the least honorable scum that you could find. My soldiers won't stand to work with one". This outburst is met with several nods of agreement. Soldiers would kill assassins given the chance. Everyone's heard of their lying and backstabbing nature.
"Quiet! Don't you think that I know what you all think?", Lachlan shouts over the noise. The General quickly regains control. "We're not going to hire assassins to kill for us. They won't even step foot in the castle", he says more softly, "Assassins aren't loyal or moral, but they do know how to get the job done".
"Imagine troops that could go behind enemy lines undetected", Mitch picks up, "We don't want murderers. We need a way to end this war". Ty's finally worked up the courage to speak for himself.
       "But what do you need me for?", he says, raising an eyebrow. Ty's attitude often covers his nervousness. It's something that most people can't stand about him.
"No offense, Ty, but you don't exactly fit the description of the perfect soldier", Lachlan says with a small smile. He's heard all about the smart-mouthed street rat from Mitch's reports. Each camp has its routine problems, but Ty is reported on multiple times a week.
"At least I have't fallen asleep on duty. How come you're not scolding one of them?", Ty argues back.
"We're not trying to scold you", Mitch rolls his eyes.
"Ty, you're not a great soldier", Lachlan tries to explain, "But you could be one hell of an assassin". The entire table is taken aback by the General's plan.
"I thought that we already established how bad assassins are?", a Captain frowns. None like the idea of someone as irresponsible as Ty to be trained as a killer.
"Nots quit an assassins. Ty would mostlys learn how to sneaks around", Barney interrupts them before they can argue farther.
"We need something better", Mitch says again, "This war has gone to a stalemate. Specially trained soldiers could give us an edge. Ty will just be a test to see if this could work".
"But...... why me? Why put your faith in me not to screw up", Ty mumbles.
      "Isn't it obvious?", Lachlan cocks his head, "The rich and well-mannered don't become assassins. Most are apprenticed straight off the street at a young age. I chose you because you're the only one that an assassin might train. They won't take a stiff-necked soldier".
     The table descends into silence. Most of the Captains are skeptical of this idea, but the war has lasted 21 years. Nobody wants another twenty.
"Alright, then", Lachlan nods, "You leave immediately".