Year: 2263
Boston, MA USA
The saying goes, “fortune favors the bold”, but it is usually the bold who are the least fortunate. At least that's how life was for Beat. Bravery, confidence, and valor doesn’t run in his family, but ironically his family does run….a lot. Refusing to take sides in the war, his people ran away from their home and came to Earth. After the war ended some managed to go back, while others stayed behind. Out of the twelve races, the Aries are considered the most cowardly. They know their place in the world. They are small, weak, and possess no talents aside from telling stories around a campfire. To be frank, Aries are not very useful on the battlefield anyway. The real soldiers will just trip over them while charging into battle. That’s why most Aries stick to working as a bard, or dig tunnels in the mines. But not Beat. He has other plans for his life. And the plan is: infiltrate a military base and break into their vault.
“This might be the dumbest thing I’ll ever do”, Beat thought. His heart races as he stands facing a gigantic stone wall. Way up high on the wall is a small entrance. Too small for anyone to get through, but just big enough for an Aries to squeeze in. Perhaps it's why they never bothered to fix it. After all, who would suspect a cowardly little goat to scale the walls of a military base?
Wind and snow dance furiously in the Boston air. The city became a wasteland after the war 30 years ago. Aside from a few settlements and construction zones, there is not much else going on. The city is segregated by humans and astro terrans. Even though the war ended long ago, some of the hostilities remain. The only thing keeping the peace is the Royal Army; and their base installed in the middle of the city.
He’s been studying the base, and the soldiers' patterns for months, preparing himself for this very moment. That treasure is his ticket out of here. Or at least that's what he thinks is there. All he knows is that there is something very valuable in the base. Why else would the humans build so much security around it? As much as his mind is determined, his body betrays him with shaking and quivering. And it's not from the cold. “Alright, Beat. You got his”, he mumbles to himself. He takes a deep breath and begins to climb. Luckily one of the Aries underrated talents is the ability to scale steep cliffs. His hooves grip onto the slippery stones as he makes his way to the entrance.
When he makes his way there, he pokes his head through the entrance. No one in sight. He surveys the base and finds it organized into sections: the barracks, common area, vehicles and aircrafts, and in the center of the entire base is an underground vault. That’s his target. With a bit of effort, Beat crawls through the hole and lands safely on the snow covered floor. Most soldiers are in their barracks while a few are outside keeping watch. Luckily their attention is outside the walls. Beat can hear some bantering and laughter as he sneaks through the barracks. His short stature, and the howling snowstorm facilitates his progress. His thick blue fur keeps him warm in the blistering cold, however if anyone shines a flashlight on him he will be spotted a mile away.
“What if they catch me”, he stops as that realization finally kicks in. “One wrong move and its certain death”, his stomach turns cold; his heart is leaping out of his chest. “It’s not too late! I can still turn back and nobody would know.” But the thought of turning back repulsed him even more. “But what would I go back to? A miserable life of running away again and again? No. This might be my only chance. I’m tired of running away. I have to do this!” He takes another deep breath and pushes forward.
He inches closer and closer to the snow covered vault. He wipes some of the snow away to find the handle. He takes another deep breath as he reaches for it, trying to open it as quietly as possible. Before he can twist the handle, deafening sirens blast in the air. Red lights flash all around with an automated voice speaking out, “INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO THE NORTH GATE! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!”
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“Oh god! What did I do!?” Beat jumps out looking for anywhere to hide, but there was nowhere to go. Soldiers were charging out of the barracks heading towards Beat’s direction.“Oh god, this is it!” Beat raises his arms in the air and gets on his knees and begs the soldiers, “I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me!” The soldiers ignore his pleas as they continue charging forward with their rifles. Seeing that negotiation is not possible, he shuts his eyes tight and prepares for the worse. He hears the footsteps coming closer along with certain death… but then it goes right past him.
“I’m not dead?” Beat mumbles as he opens his eyes. The soldiers continue running past him completely ignoring his presence. “If they are not after me, then where are they going?” Beat wonders as he looks back. Bursts of gunfire rings in the air before a fiery explosion blasts through the metal gates. “Open fire!” A soldier shouts as gunshots fly through the air. Beat takes his chances and runs away from the action, finding cover behind a wooden crate. He peaks through and sees a small group of black hooded soldiers, equipped with heavy war machines blasting through the Royal Army. Although the Army outnumbers them, the black soldiers outgun them. They fight back valiantly but their numbers begin to dwindle as they drop dead one by one. “Call for backup!” one soldier shouts before he is gunned down.
Fire and chaos surrounded Beat in every direction. He prays to God that nobody sees him, or catches a stray bullet. His legs tremble as urine drips down his pants. The gunshots and explosions constantly drums in his ears. He can’t think or feel anything else. All he can do is hopelessly watch the carnage continue. But suddenly, he hears “Cease fire!” followed by silence.
A man from the black soldiers walks towards the Royal Army. He seems to be their leader as his uniform was different from the rest. He wore their signature black hood, but his face was covered with a mask. Their leader was tall, with a strong build and broad shoulders. Beat could hear the wind howling, fire crackling, and snow being crushed with every step he takes. Time is heavy and slow as the man approaches his enemies. Then he stops, and speaks loudly and clearly for all to hear.
“I apologize for the intrusion, we tried knocking but nobody answered the door”, his men chuckled behind him. “I know it may be hard to believe, but we are not your enemy. We don’t want any further bloodshed between our fellow men. We are humans after all, and it is our duty to protect one another. We are the Fallen Angels. We are soldiers just like you. And I know you are just following orders, but we believe that her majesty, the queen of our world, has betrayed us all. She has sold us out to the very creatures that once tried to destroy us. As the people who once fought for our world struggle to survive, she gives our home away to those monsters and profits off our backs. And we can’t let that happen, don’t you agree?” He pauses as the Royal Army stands in complete silence. “Good! Now, if you lay down your arms and open your vault, there will be no further bloodshed. You have my word. You can go home to your families and let bygones be bygones. Maybe I will let you join our cause. What do you say?”
The Royal Army looks at each other and weighs the cost. Their conclusion: there is no way they could win. They drop their weapons to the floor and surrender to the Fallen Angels. Beat covers his mouth in disbelief. The Royal Army lines up and obeys the Fallen Angels' order to kneel and cuff their hands behind their backs. The leader picks out one soldier to open the vault, but before he does he looks toward Beat and sees a pair of horns sticking out from behind the wooden crate. “There’s something there!”
Beat tries his best to run away but he’s caught by the black hooded soldiers and brought before their leader. Beat stares at the expressionless masked face, absolutely horrified of what will come next. “Well, well”, the leader turns to the Royal Army. “You have been housing our enemy in your base!” he shouts. “And here I thought we had something in common. I thought we could be allies, but it seems you sold your humanity too”. The leader turns to his men, “Kill them all!” The black hoods point their guns at the Royal Army as they beg for mercy and explain that it's a misunderstanding. But it's no use, their fate is sealed.
“Stop!” Beat begs the leader. “I snuck in the base! They have nothing to do with me!” The leader kicks Beat in the stomach, sending him flying before crashing on the floor. Beat gasps for air as he desperately tries to make his case. “Do you think I’m an idiot!?” the leader stomps over to Beat and picks him up by the horn, pointing a gun to his face. “After what your people did to us, don’t try to be a hero!” Beat clenches his eyes as he prepares to die, but out of nowhere another man comes to the rescue and kicks the leader in the face.
Beat falls over breaking free from the leader’s clutches. He looks up to his rescuer. He is a young man with brown messy hair, and flashy green eyes. He is lean and strong with fair skin. He also wears a military uniform but it was neither the Royal Army or the Fallen Angels. What sticks out the most is his red jacket with the Atlas star on his shoulder. “I saw you sticking up for those soldiers”,the young man says. “If it wasn’t for you, they’d be dead right now. Good job!” He helps Beat sit up. The other men are awestruck at his sudden appearance. Beat couldn’t believe it himself. It’s too good to be true. A million things are running through his head but he could bring himself to ask one question, “W-who are you?” The man gives a confident grin, “The name’s Chad.” he answers, “No one else is dying tonight”.