Chapter 16: Chapter XV: The Final Solution

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War had grown messy since the bridge incident as bands of scattered mutants now terrorized the countryside. But some things never change—HQ put Olivia to work as soon as she arrived.

She lowered her goggles and twisted the throttle, going after a mutant that ran towards the rocky formations in the distance. The chase brought her no pleasure, but this one had become a known offender in the region by butchering a whole rural village by himself.

Why would such a dangerous individual flee from a scout with only a revolver?

Olivia glanced over her shoulder. A squad on her tail, heavily armed but too slow to keep up. She was safe.

The burly mutant slowed down as he slipped through the rocks that were taller than him. Both she and her bike were small enough to slip through smoothly.

They reached a dead end.

He turned, ready to lunge at her, but stopped when the revolver aimed at his head clicked.

“Don’t move,” she said.

The mutant seemed amused beneath his frown.

“What? Are you going to take me prisoner now?” he asked.

“Hardly. They’ll kill you on the spot.”

“Then finish this.”

She squeezed the revolver.

“Why did you kill all those people in the village?”

“My men were starving. The farmers had food.” His head tilted. “Why do you care, soldier? I’m sure you’d have done the same. Just kill me already.”

Her finger brushed against the cold trigger, his forehead right above the hammer.

No. I have done much worse.

Olivia raised the gun above her head and shot at the sky.

“Go away before they arrive,” she said.

Yes, it was a risk. He could kill her easily, but there was nothing left in her to make her pull the trigger. She just wanted this whole nightmare to end.

His eyes changed as he stared at her in silence.

The mutant scoffed.

“You remind me of someone,” he said.

“Someone?” Her heart raced as the only person she knew who spared their enemies came to her mind. “Kai?”

He ran past her without answering.

The squad arrived on foot one second after he disappeared among the rocks.

“Sorry.” Olivia turned to them, shaking her head. “I lost him.”

The man who stepped forward was among those Kai spared, now promoted to squad leader.

“This is bad,” he said, scratching his chin. “But now that his whole gang is dead, I don’t think the mutant will be so eager to continue the fight by himself.”

She sighed internally, but her relief was cut short when the leader’s eyes rolled to her. He scanned her from head to toe, not in a lustful way, but as if trying to size her up.

“Let’s go home,” he said at last.

The squad walked back the way they came, grumbling. The fact that they cursed her name under their breath for the failure didn’t bother her, but that look left a strange feeling in her stomach.

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Olivia stood in rank with the rest of the army, hands behind her back. Rumors went that HQ had been scheming, and now they finally intended to come clean. Why now, though?

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The new general of the First Army, General Owlson’s replacement, stepped out of the gates with his chin raised high and began addressing the troops immediately.

“For a hundred years we fought off the savage mutants...”

Olivia straightened up as he passed in front of her.

“The struggle to keep humanity safe has been a difficult one, I must admit. We lost many a good man, from soldiers who sacrifice themselves on the fields every day, to General Owlson...” he said, lowering his head, alongside some of the soldiers.

Olivia lowered her head as well out of politeness. She didn’t know the man.

“But that is about to come to an end, thanks to General Constatino’s maneuver. We will put an end to this war once and for all...”

End the war?

That combination of words was unheard of. She was born in the war, and she expected to die in it, as the rest of them likely did as well. It seemed too good to be true.

“...as we END the mutant race!”

Her head shot up again, eyes widening in horror.

The general didn’t seem delirious. This was an official pronunciation from HQ, which meant they truly believed in the possibility.

Constantino, what have you done?

The hate-fueled speech dragged on.

The soldiers dispersed, leaving Olivia to stand in the middle of the yard on her own, her hand clutching her chest as she panted in a panic attack.

Kai.

It was the end of the world.

But there should be something she could do, anything, even if they branded her as traitor.

Olivia jumped as someone touched her shoulder from behind.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. “But it seems that triumphant announcement disturbed you.”

She turned.

It was the squad leader.

“No, that’s not what it looks like. I’m just...”

“Well, it does disturb me,” he said, catching her by surprise. “How can we speak of genocide like it’s something to be celebrated?”

Words failed her.

This was high treason coming out of his mouth.

She glanced around them.

“Don’t worry, we’re alone,” he said calmly. “But not alone in how we think.”

“Are there others?” she whispered, incredulous.

It seemed very unlikely that there would be a secret faction of mutant sympathizers in the city. The military would’ve quickly rooted out that kind of thing.

“Yes, but I might have been overdramatic in how I expressed myself. We’re not exactly an organized bunch; that wouldn’t last, as I’m sure you know it.”

“Then what do you do? Have your group found any solution to this situation?”

“No.” He chuckled bitterly. “War is too big, and we are just... us. Sometimes we show mercy like you did earlier or help reduce misery where we can. But overall, we drink a lot, that we do. I think that’s the price we pay for seeing too clearly...”

His head dropped slightly, eyes growing distant as they stared into nowhere.

The squad leader snapped back to himself.

“Anyways,” he said with a sigh. “You’re welcome to come drown your sorrows with us. I’m Jack.”

A sad smile grew on her lips.

“Thank you, Jack,” she said.

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Their ‘headquarters’ matched Jack’s description of their activities. It was a bar. The owner was also one of them, but even so, Olivia was advised not to express her opinions too openly and keep to the booze like the rest of the group.

There weren’t many dissidents, if one could even call them that, but most of the men that Kai spared on the bridge were here. That brought a faint smile to her face.

She took a painful swing of her beer, missing the hell out of him.

Jack sat on the stool beside her. Cups clicked around them.

“How long has this place existed?” she asked.

He shook his head.

“I don’t know. It was already here when I arrived. People come and go, it seems.”

“My father used to own this bar.” The white-haired owner said from behind the counter, his hands busy with the dishes. “And I suspect his father before that.”

“I see.” she said. “It’s a good bar. I haven’t felt at home since I arrived anywhere else but here.”

He nodded with a smile.

“Jack.”

“Yeah?”

She lowered her voice to a whisper.

“Do you guys have any way to communicate with the mutants?”

He scratched his chin.

“Some folks do indeed keep in touch with the ‘other side’, as some of the mutants are as war weary as we are. Plus, bonds form in unexpected places, you know?”

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Yes. Yes, I know that well. That’s why I desperately need to ask you guys a favor as we move out on the campaign.”

He leaned forward.

“I’m all ears.”

Her lips parted, but a strange noise coming from the open window nearby, as if someone slammed the wall, interrupted her thoughts.

The owner went to check it.

“Do you think we have moles?” Jack asked, worry in his voice.

“No. It’s alright, Jack,” the man said, pulling the window close. “It must have been the kids.”

“Ah, yes. There’s a school nearby—”

Olivia slammed the cup on the counter as she remembered they agreed to cook dinner together after school.

“Marcus! I completely forgot about him.” She stood up in a hurry, grabbing her things. “Sorry, I have to run.”

“It’s alright. But what about the favor?”

“I’ll tell you another time, don’t worry about it. Thank you.”

Olivia ran out of the bar.

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The door to the shack was unlocked, a rhythmic noise of metal tapping against wood coming from side. She was late. Olivia put her gear and goggles aside and walked in, embarrassed.

Marcus stood beside the fire, chopping veggies on a tray in silence.

“Hi!” she said, rushing in to help him. “Better late than never, right?”

He didn’t answer, lost on the chopping.

“Okay. It’s my fault, sorry.”

Olivia poured boiling water on a pot.

“Did something interesting happen today at school?” she asked.

No answer. Just chopping noises.

“Okay.” Olivia scratched her head. The silent treatment seemed a bit excessive for her lateness, and Marcus never acted like this before. She needed to get a grunt out of him at least. “What about after school? Have you been here for long?”

The knife stopped as it hit the tray one last time.

Marcus stiffened and turned toward her with deliberate slowness; his wide eyes fixed on her as if seeing her for the first time.

Olivia shivered.

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