The Adventures of Soap Boy

Part 4: Real Power

The fact that we were being attacked greatly troubled me. If what I had been told was true, then the country had basically already fallen. Should we lose this battle, there would be nothing left of the military outside of the harbor to the north where the president was staying. No protection for the people whatsoever. No matter what, we had to win. It was my first, and possibly last, chance to fight for my country.

As quickly as possible, I rushed back to my quarters and grabbed my backpack. On the way, I saw many soldiers scrambling trying to take their positions before the opposition arrived. I grabbed hold of my pack, and quickly pulled out my knife. As I left the cell and turned to head to the armory, I heard the familiar voice of Aspis call out from behind me.

"Hey kid! Don't even think about it!" He shouted. The utter fury was distinct in his tone. I turned to face him, and saw it in his expression as well.

"What should I do then!? Just sit here and die!?" I asked angrily. Without waiting for an answer, I turned to leave once again. Only to be stopped by a transparent grey bubble that had formed around me.

"You're not going out there Soap Boy." Aspis' tone had gone cold, but I didn't care. "Leave this place. Get to safety." He continued.

"No." I said, so quiet that he may not have heard it. I was done arguing.

Without giving him a second, I spun around and flung my knife at him. It passed right through the bubble imprisoning me, and was stopped by a second bubble that formed in front of Aspis' face. I'd seen during training that he could form multiple bubbles, but I had never seen him form three at once. Either he couldn't, or he just never needed to. Either way, that was my ticket out of here. A moment after the knife clanked against his shield, he started sputtering and rubbing his face, and both shields dissipated. I used that chance to run away. Before throwing the knife, I had drenched it in soap. When his anti-knife shield stopped the knife, the soap was able to keep going and hit him in the face.

After turning the corner, I was free to head to the armory. When I arrived, I saw that the door was left open. Probably for easy access during the raid. I ran in, and grabbed a new combat knife to replace my kitchen knife that I had just lost. I then began perusing the weapon selection, before I was interrupted by Gossip.

"Soap boy. Aspis is right. You really shouldn't be fighting at your age." She said, showing genuine concern. Unlike Aspis, I actually liked and respected her. I couldn't just attack a friend.

"I'm sorry, but I need to do this. I have to prove myself so that I can help more people." I explained. Feeling like I would lose precious time if I stayed and argued, I just grabbed the first gun my hand fell on and made for the door.

"Soap Boy, please!" She begged. As she did so, she stepped in front of the exit to block me. "Please don't make me stop you!" She screamed. I could see tears welling in her eyes, and felt a wave of guilt wash over me. Still, I was doing what needed to be done. Or at least, that's what I told myself to justify my following actions.

"Move out of my way." I ordered, as I turned my gun her way.

Her expression passed through a number of emotions very quickly. From desperation, to disbelief, to pain, to anger. She was hurt, but if she didn't move, innocent people could die. I needed her out of the way so I could help people. After giving the order, I started walking toward the door again. I had no intention of really shooting her. My safety was on, in fact. I just wanted her to know that I was deadly serious about protecting my countrymen. However, despite the order, she didn't budge.

"No. You drop the gun." Was her response.

Obviously, I wasn't going to follow her order, but it was still a problem in that she had called my bluff. I would need to find a way to convince her that I was serious. Maybe clicking off the safety? As I thought that, I heard a loud clattering noise from my feet. Startled, I looked down to see my hands empty and my gun lying on the floor. I reached down quickly to pick it up, hoping Gossip didn't capitalize on the slip up to grab me, but she spoke again.