In The Swamp

Zone 19

The Swamp

Day 03 - 0230L

The Swamp as it was know by both citizen and squater alike had once been one of several food and water production hubs within the city proper.

A series of automated farms and waste water purification pools used to grow crops of the algae and tube worms used to make stock protein for food paste and countless other food productsğ found throughout the city.

There was once fish hatchery's and farms that had once addressed more exotic foodstuffs but that was a long time ago when the robots and farming machines still did there job. Now it was just miles and miles of useless weeds and swamp water that breed mosquitos and disease and if the rumors where to be believed mutants and giant man eating crocodiles.

--

Anders couldn't help but laugh at the idea of giant man eating crocodile's as he cleared the walkway joining one of the advanced foot patrols. The young OSEC on watch coming to full attention an saluting as he approached.

"Get that frakk'n hand down." Anders sounded off in anger grabbing the boy by the front of the his armor and pulling him close enough for Ander's to see the fear in boys eyes.

"Are frakk'n kidding me, are frakk'n kidding me?" Ander's spat in the boys face. " What is your malfunction grunt ... Are you trying to get my ass killed?"

"What sir? No Sir? I .... I ... " The boy struggled

Ander's knew cherry and clueless when he saw it and this boy was so green he was nearly ready to shit fertilizer.

" You what? You what? Who is your Squad Leader boy ?"

"Sir ... Sergeant ... " The boy had been about to raise his hand and point out the Squad Leader from amongst onlookers when Ander's slugged him hard in the gut forcing the boy into a fetal position as he collapsed face first into the mud.

" Twice ... " Ander's roared sending a solid kick into the boys side once and than again. " Two Frakk'n times I cannot believe you can be that stupid."

Ander's had been about to nail the boy a third time but stopped short catching a signal from the Squad Leader that the boy had had enough. Ander's turned his attention instead to the squad as a whole.

"Lesson time you brainless apes. When you're in the field you do not point... You do not salute... You do not paint a target on a body... Especially my Frakk'n body. The enemy is watching at all times and it only takes one stupid grunt to get his Officer... his Squad Leader ... or his entire Squad killed."

He glance down at the boy frowning his annoyance. "This piece of filth can count himself lucky. Another OSEC Officer would have had him shot on the spot. You are my troopers however so the fault and failure is mine. He clearly didn't know better ... but hopefully now he and all you maggots do."

Motioning others to pick the boy up Ander's turned his attention to the Squad Leader.

" Okay, lets have a look at you prisoners Sergeant."

--

" We caught these punks trying to sneak into Zone 21 via the drainage works." The Squad leader stated plainly. " Not unusual really given current events. We've caught several of them over the last couple of days using the works to sneak in and out."

There where a dozen of them secured in the room and under guard. Not one over the of 17 and all of them of them already hardened soldiers ready to kill or die at a word.

Sure there might be some small hope of reform for one or two of them after they had been processed and re-educated but in reality it was unlikely given that Corporate studies had proven time and again that in the majority of these cases re-education centers only served as a training ground that bred smarter and more skilled kinds of criminals.

Ander's only needed a quick glance at the young gang members tattoos and the colors they wore to know that these kids had been in and out of re-education Centers several times each already there was no hope in saving anyone here.

"Show me what you found Red." he said finally returning his attention to the Squad Leader.

The Sergeant pulled the cover off the table revealing several items conventional items. Handguns and Assault Rifles a half dozen anti personnel mines.

Ander's collected one of the weapons in hand taking a moment to examine it. The Squad Leader identified specifics. " 10mm pistol, mass produced, no markings, built to accommodate next generation smart tech. A very nice design in fact ... "

Ander's nodded agreement as he examined the weapon in detail. "It was bad enough that the gangs and resistance movement were fighting us with rocks and knives now they're getting supplied and equipped by someone."

The Squad Leader nodded. " As bad as that is Boss that not what got my attention. " He said as handed one of the mines to Ander's.

Ander's frowned. " Sorry Red, I can talk firearms day and night but never had much insight into explosives."

The Squad Leader nodded his understand. " What your holding is a Aries 10 anti-personnel mine. Not to remarkable in and of itselfs but it is a high yield device and well known in its day as The Suitcase Bomb and was widely used by the MTech Corporation during the last days of the Corporate Wars."

Ander's frowned. " There's a point to this history lesson here right ?

" The Monorail explosion earlier today. Our people are still thinking its was homemade device ... From all the accounts however and with these just popping up in hands of some Gang mules I'm gonna lay good odds."

Ander's nodded. " Not a homemade bomb but a mass produced one. Designed by a Corp that was erased from existence almost 100 years ago."

Red nodded.

" Frakk ... " Ander's sounded turning his attentions to the captured Gang members.

" Okay kids, last chance at a lighter sentence and the possibility of seeing daylight again in the future. Where did these come from and where were you taking them? "

The kids all looked back stone faced with and hateful eyes.

Ander's nodded his understanding that this was all the answer he was gonna get.

" Fair enough. "Ander's stated plainly performing another quick scan of the group before motioning to the guards. " This girls the only female here whose tattoo's tag her as a gang property and not a member. Likely only brought along as a plaything." He than motioned to a younger abused boy at the back of the group. " His marking say he's educated and can fix things prep them both for extraction."

Puzzled looks were passed back and forth as the guards pulled the young girl and boy from the group and escorted them away.

"So ... As per standing order 2-21 of the OSEC criminal code. Your collective threat status has been upgraded from Delinquent Youth to Terrorist Sympathizer. And if you don't know what that means let me explain."

" There is no Re-education Centers no Criminal Detention Centers in your future because you no longer have one. Reform and Reintroduction to civil society is no longer an option. You will be shot and your bodies processed by the nearest Recycling facility unless someone has the sense to give men something to Justify not to carry out the required sentence."

For moment Ander's was hopeful when one youths struggled to his feet to speak.

" The Machine God, joins us all and will soon make itself known... " The youth screamed at him. " Your God is dead, you paper laws mean nothing to us... "

" So noted. " Ander stated plainly nodding his head.

Drawing his weapon and firing it in one smooth motion. The back of boys head exploded into a cloud od red mist and gore that painted the wall behind him red as the body started to fall. The roar of automatic weapons sounding not even a heartbeat later as the guards executed the remaining prisoners in mass.