Idiot Brigade

An Attempt

Fortuna. The capital of wealth, as everyone calls it. From the richest businessman to the poorest lowlife, everyone knows Fortuna is where you go to seek your fortune. If you wanted to start a business, you go to Fortuna. If you wanted a mortgage, you go to Fortuna. If you wanted to expand your company, you damned well better have a building in Fortuna, and it showed. All the corporations of East Inoro held property there. The biggest skyscrapers in the city held residence to the oldest corporations who set up shop in Fortuna in the beginning, when it was nothing more than a small trade town back in the days before the Big Split. Man, I really miss those days. So much more land to roam back then. My favorite place-they called it "Mexico" back in the day-I wish I could go there again.

I sighed, thinking of memories faded. The cold blasted me, making me shiver. East Inoro was nothing like Mexico...

Standing on a hill overlooking the great city, I gazed upon the Kennedy Wall. That damned wall. The higher ups of Fortuna wanted their fat pigs protected well, and this wall perfectly showed their greed. The gigantic, steel wall remained standing, despite many attempts to break through over the years. The tallest skyscrapers just scraped over the wall, only their roofs visible. Guards patrolled the wall constantly. A radio line ran to each tower in the event that attackers breached the gates. The damn thing took thirty years to complete. I couldn't help but smile at the architectural wonder. Soon, it would crumble in front of us. We were almost there.

"Hey." A voice rang over my walkie talkie. "The mission is over. We don't need any more scouting. Return to base."

"Thank, Tyrrel." I grinned. "We're almost there. It'll finally fall."

"Yeah, finally." Tyrrel's voice rang with slight static. Damn interference. "Last time anyone got this close to busting through was the Food Riots of '89."

"Time to finish the job."

My reconnaissance completed, I turned and sauntered back home. Or what I considered my home. In reality, my home consisted of nothing more than a sea of fabric, the tents stretching on for hundreds of yards. We couldn't have a permanent home, as we moved constantly as we pushed forward. I walked through the forest of Crostasia, or what remained of it. The once lush forest was nothing but a charred field. When we first came upon the massive range of oak trees, we admired their beauty. The trees stretched higher than any trees around the old research lab where we used to live. For once, we felt at peace, enlightened in a sense. There were some places in East Inoro that the damned corporations refrained from ruining yet.

Then the Guard came. They attacked us under the cover over darkness, giving us little time to prepare. We fought them off, we always do. They underestimate us too much. But in the fighting, the grove caught fire, and the entire field went up in smoke. I still remember men, Brigade and Guard alike, running for their lives, trying to escape the flames burning their flesh off their bones. I remember their screams, begging for someone to throw water on them. Their wish would never be granted.

I shook my head, trying to force the images out of my head. I can't ponder these visions too much. They always drag me down if I do. And someone has to stay positive to keep morale up. God knows Dark Rai can't do it anymore. Poor Dark Rai, he finally went over the deep end. We weren't told, but everyone knows what happened. His nightmares became too much for him. They consumed him, drove him to insanity. His soul collapsed under the weight. Now, he locks himself in his room all day. Only Xerneas is allowed to see him anymore, and Xerneas doesn't tell anyone what's goi-

The sound of metallic footsteps snaps me out of my thoughts. I quickly duck behind a boulder. Turning on my frequency tracer, I wait to see if I pick up any transmissions. Sure enough, moments later I hear the crackle of a radio. Listening intently, I turned up the volume.