Chapter Three: "Scraps"

A flashback to Nolan's time as a young teenager on Earth.

“Wait up!” Nolan cried out to Cole who was already a good thirty meters ahead of him now. Rain poured from the sky, obstructing his view.

“No chance, kid!” Cole shouted without looking back, “You gotta keep up!”

Cole hit the corner to his immediate left and disappeared down the dark alleyway. Nolan saw him vanish and pushed even harder to catch up, but the rain made it hard to see, let alone run full speed. His heart was pounding as he could hear the sounds of the wailing sirens closing up behind him. He rounded the same corner a few moments later and he too was consumed by the shadow

The sun had nearly set, leaving an eerie pink and orange glow to illuminate the horizon. Nolan dashed down the narrow strip of concrete in near complete darkness, his eyes still trying to adjust. Every so often a flash of lightening would split the sky, revealing the tight passage for a brief moment, just enough so he could see a few feet in front of him. Nolan skid to a stop at a section where the alley split off to the left of him as he quickly tried to survey his surroundings for a place to hide.

Where the hell did he go!?

Cole was gone. Dissipated into thin air it seemed. Where could he have hidden in this small passageway? Nolan turned and began to head down the new path that appeared to his left, but before he could move, a pair of long arms reached out from the darkness behind him, covering his mouth with one hand and clamping his throat with the other and dragged him backwards into the pitch black recesses of an arched doorway that hid a small flight of stone steps behind a gated door.

Nolan gasped at the sudden assault but his yelp was silenced by the boney hand clasped tightly over his mouth. His eyes bulged in terror and surprise, clueless to who or what had finally caught up with him.

Had to happen sometime.

His assailant spun him 180 degrees to face the hidden figure. Nolan’s senses, now on heightened alert, immediately recognized his captor.

“D****t, Co --” Nolan shouted, but before the words could leave his mouth, the same lanky hand was slapped tightly around his mouth yet again. Nolan let loose a grunt to signal his displeasure followed by a look of contempt. Cole placed his slender index finger to his lips, signaling to Nolan to be quiet without making a sound himself.

The silence seemed to last forever as Nolan’s ears began ringing louder than ever before while his heart worked overtime to compensate for the adrenaline pulsing through his entire body. The sirens off in the distance were now on top of them while the boys concealed themselves to save their lives. They were gone faster than they had arrived, leaving a fierce wind in the wake of the speeding ASUV. Nolan started to squirm again but Cole once more contained him. He nodded his head toward the alleyway, quietly telling Nolan to remain still.

They waited again for a few moments that lasted forever to them both. Nolan could see a feint light steadily creeping closer toward them down the path.

Patrol Drone!

The Dynacorps built and operated D4-Z model: Artificially Intelligent Recon Drone, whizzed by taking scans of the entire alley as it, along with its bright beam of light, disappeared into the still pouring rain and darkness. They both watched, frozen to the adjacent stairwell wall to which they clung to like ancient stalagmites hanging from an even more ancient cave ceiling. Fear clutched Nolan’s heart as he knew the stiff penalties for being caught out after curfew and even more so for vandalism of government property.

If apprehended the boys would face severe punishments which would put an end to their young, promising lives. They continued to wait, maybe more out of fear and exhaustion than anything else. Cole released his hold on Nolan and said quietly, “Let’s get outta here. It’ll be back.”

“What the hell was that Horus!?” Nolan finally burst out loud, his voice being somewhat drowned out by the torrent of rain and violent gusts of wind that sliced through the corridor. He shoved Cole away from him out of anger.

“ME!? You’re the one who ran when you saw the drone,” Cole rebutted, “and don’t call me that!” he yelled back at him as he shoved him even harder pushing Nolan up against the wall.

Nolan’s nostrils flared, “I’m not the one who wanted to tag the side of a SOLIS cruiser! That was stupid!”

“We don’t have time for this, kid! We gotta get moving!” Cole took Nolan by his arm tightly, but Nolan jerked away from him with a scowl.

          “You almost got us killed. Or worse!” Nolan yelled as a flash of lightening lit the sky. Thunder cracked outside the stone doorway, across the city, drowning out the rest of his words.

          Cole again tried to reason with him, “Nolan! If we don’t get moving YOU’LL be the one who gets us killed!”

          Nolan took a moment to check himself. He had known Horus Cole long enough to know when he was right and when he was just being Cole. Now was one of those times he thought. He glared at Cole with a fire in his eyes, a look he held ready to deploy at a moment’s notice here lately, Cole thought.

          In truth, Nolan resented Cole for abandoning him the year prior. He had left town on “a job” he said and was gone for nearly six months. Nolan still hadn’t forgiven him for not telling him before he left.

          At fifteen, Nolan was still very impressionable. And with his father still missing and his mother’s negligence, he had no one in his life more influential than Cole. He was the brother he never had. He was an anchor, something to hold onto when the rest of his world was crashing down.

          His mother had fell apart once SOLIS Command had informed her of her husband’s disappearance. She withdrew and took to consoling herself with alcohol and various substances. She secluded herself leaving Nolan alone to fend for himself. Years of this had taught him to be self-reliant and brutally efficient. He had honed his skills in the shadows of the war torn city he had once adored.

          The last five years of his life had changed him in a way he couldn’t fully understand just yet. It had made him cold and short tempered. He questioned every authority and never gave in when his mind was made up. Nolan knew what it took to survive in this world, and it wasn’t trust in others.

          Cole stood waiting, returning the heated gaze. “I know you’re still pissed at me for leaving. It wasn’t meant to hurt you. I couldn’t tell you because of the contract. I wanted to. I really did.” He headed up the few steps to the opening of the archway then turned back to look at Nolan. “We can finish this later, Kid. But right now, we’ve got to go.” He pointed out toward the alleyway with a concerned look on his face.

          Nolan jumped up the stairs in two bounds and poked his head out from behind the steel door that concealed them. He could see the dim light of another Patrol Drone off in the distance down the dark passageway passing by.

          “You’re right,” Nolan confessed begrudgingly, “we’ll finish this back at home.”

          They both agreed and slipped out into the downpour while the light from the drone started up the opposite end of the narrow strip between the crumbling buildings. They again vanished out of sight and into the night.

         

          A short while later they made it back to Nolan’s, exhausted from their near death experience. Nolan threw his feet up on the table in front of where he was sitting and let out a long sigh of relief. Cole paced behind him, reluctant for some reason to join him.

          “That was too close,” he said, removing his boots, allowing them to plop down in a soggy puddle on the floor next to the table.

Cole seemed to not even notice him speaking. He continued to pace while looking at the floor. Something was bothering him, and Nolan didn’t know what. He turned to face him with a grim appearance on the surface.

“Out with it already,” he said firmly, “What is it you’ve got to say?”

Still he did not acknowledge him, which made Nolan even angrier.

          “D****t Cole! Look it at me!” He lashed.

          Cole snapped out of his trance and turned to face him. His expression made Nolan sick. “Well!?”

          “I enlisted!” he blurted out finally.

          Nolan’s face contorted, “You what?” he asked confused.

          “I joined S.O.L.I.S.”

          “You didn’t.”

          “I did.”

          Nolan scoffed half-heartedly. “Why would you do that? You know what they are. YOU showed ME what they are for Christ’s sake, Cole!”

          Cole stepped toward him, his arms out. “It’s my only way off this rock, Nolan!” He laughed in exhaustion of the thought. “I’m tired of living off scraps while others live a life we can only dream about!”

          “That doesn’t change the fact that you’re betraying everything we believe in! You don’t get to just wake up one day and change your mind.”

          “Kid, sometimes you just gotta do what’s best for you. This is no way to live. I’ve talked to the cadets, the traders, the mercenaries. There is a life out there we can’t even dream of, Nolan. And I want it. Is that so bad!?” Cole yelled in anger.

          Nolan stood staring into his friends eyes just trying to catch the slightest glimpse of a joke. He found none. “I can’t believe this,” he confessed, “you’re just so willing to make yourself a pawn in their game. I thought you were more than that.”

          “No,” Cole said defiantly, “I am leaving here to become a player in that game,” his eyes flared to life. “I’m going to take what I want from now on and I’ll be damned if I let anyone take that away from me. Too long have we fought just to survive; there is more out there and I will have it, Nolan.”

          “So if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, huh?”

          “Something like that,” Cole admitted indifferently, “better than scrounging for bread crumbs here on this hell hole.” His resentment towards the dying planet was made clear. “I refuse to rot here while others live like gods among men. S.O.L.I.S opens doors that we will never have access to here. You know that. If anything, it’s a chance to see what’s out there and the ultimate realm of opportunity.”

          Anything is possible once off this rock. Think about it, Nolan. You’ve always wanted to see the stars. To have your own ship. To be free. This is the first step to that reality. We make our own destinies. This is my chance, and in a few years, you can have yours.”

          Nolan looked at him as if he was truly considering his words.

          “Just think about it,” Cole pushed. “You can join at eighteen and I can even put in a good word for you by then. You’ll have a guy on the inside. And just think about everything that you’ll learn and do. You know that is better than this, kid. You have to see that.”

          Nolan turned his back to him, beginning to pace himself. Cole stood waiting for a response. As he patrolled back and forth, his socks squished with every step. He thought long and hard on Cole’s words, knowing most of them to be true.

          It was a fact that life on Earth was harder than it had ever been with the majority of the wealth following the mega corporations when they headquartered on Mars. The war didn’t help either. It was also true that Nolan had nothing keeping him here and he had indeed always dreamed of sailing the stars. But joining S.O.L.I.S? Wouldn’t he be betraying all he’d learned over the last few years? Would he be betraying all of those who had their homes and lives ruined by them? Maybe.

          But as with any tool, Nolan knew they could be used for his own purpose, just like Cole was trying to do. Joining them wouldn’t mean total conformity as long as he could keep his mind his own. That was his biggest worry. Finally he asked Cole about it.

          “You’re not afraid they will mess with your head?”

          Cole seemed to be caught off guard by the question. “In a way yes, but I know myself well enough to know I can beat it if that’s the case.”

          “Agreed,” Nolan said without hesitation, driving the point home. “You might be on to something.”

          Cole jumped over the back of the couch where Nolan had landed earlier. “Yes! Now you’re starting to get it, Kid. We can use them to better ourselves and once we’ve made it, we can serve the time and ditch, finding our own path among the stars.”

          Nolan made his way back to the couch where Cole remained seated, uncomfortably albeit. He groaned finally as he turned his head to face Cole. “When do you leave?”

          “Soon,” Cole replied quickly. “Friday, soon.”

          Nolan was shocked. “This Friday?”

          Cole nodded.

          “I’m sorry this is just too much. It’s hard to see your a*s in a S.O.L.I.S. uniform,” he chuckled. “Buzz cut and all!”

          A look of relief came over Cole's face. “I know, it’s gonna suck,” he confessed, smiling. “But just you wait. I won’t be at the bottom for long. You know me.”

          Nolan agreed. “That is IF you don’t get yourself killed first.”

          “Whoa now! That’s not gonna happen. I’m gonna run that s**t one day.”

          “You keep telling yourself that,” Nolan teased. “Just promise me you’ll stay on the right side of things out there. I know how you are.”

          “No promises on that one, brother,” he said slapping Nolan’s shoulder. “Where’s the fun in that?”

          They laughed together as they often did, letting their grievances go for the rest of the evening. Their relationship was far from perfect, but as far as two street kids went, they were closer to one another than anyone else in their lives. They depended on each other, and now Nolan would be on his own yet again. A part of him resented Cole for that still. But he knew in the end it was selfish for him to hold Cole here for his own personal interest.

          Friday came and the two met to say their goodbyes which they kept quick since both hated the notion. There were no sappy words, only a handshake that quickly became a short hug. Nolan was hurt, yes, but now he knew what he must do for himself and that’s all that mattered anymore.

          And just like that, his best friend and brother for the last seven years was gone, off to see the universe. The jealousy that burned in Nolan’s heart nearly caused him to erupt. He sat alone in his basement, while his mother lay unconscious in her bed upstairs, passed out from her drunken tirade she pulled just hours earlier. Nolan knew his time was short and his time would come, but he was getting off this prison planet sooner than expected and it couldn’t be fast enough.

          No more scraps.