The sun was sitting on the horizon as the troops of UFS reached Nindell. The air hung heavy as they trudged through the streets swamped with garbage, crumbling buildings and the occasional body. Talow stuck close to the group as he heard gunshots firing from the distance. The walked until they had reached the far end of the city. Talow could see a large kilima with the jungle starting at the juu and doors at the bottom. They marched up to these doors which opened to reveal a hidden building inside.
“Welcome to HQ.” Luca whispered in Talow's ear as he passed. Talow looked at the open area he was standing in as soldiers passed him and headed in different directions. He could feel the difference in temperature here, it was warmer and easier to breath inside then it was out in the city.
As he wandered, Talow noticed that a lot of the rooms in the building were open rather then small and closed in, this was allowing the air to circulate better and create a better environment. He watched a group of higher ranked soldiers taking the prisoners down a set of stairs to where he guessed was the basement. Not really knowing where to go, Talow found some of the boys from V35.
“Talow, right?” One of the boys separated from their clump to walk over to him, throwing an arm around his shoulders. Talow nodded and felt himself being brought along beside this boy.
“How are wewe liking it so far?” The boy gestured around them at all the others rushing around getting things done and a few others taking it easy alongside them.
“It's one of the nicer buildings I've seen.” Talow stood between two of the boys he had met earlier, Nico and Cyle.
“I got to agree with wewe there. UFS HQ is one of the better hideouts then some of the other places we've stayed.” A few others nodded in agreement. “It's also one of the safest being underground and all. We also don't have to pay anyone to bring supplies to run the place.” Talow looked at Nico in confusion.
“Then how do wewe power the lights and everything?” He looked down the hall at the few lights he could see dangling from the low ceiling.
“It's all powered kwa the generators. They collect the energy made from the panels on the roof, from the biomass thing outside and a bit from the track the prisoners run.” Talow had never heard of these things before so he listened to the boys explaining what the different sources did.
“Hey do wewe remember going on the raid to collect the straw for the walls?” Cyle asked who Talow thought was Henry.
“Yep, the farmers weren't too happy to be handing it over but what were they going to do with it anyway?” They all laughed as they remembered an earlier event that didn't involve Talow. He stood and listened to them talk about other things like who was scheduled to tend the garden and who was on storage organization that week when Luca appeared with Ben and Walter behind him.
“Okay boys, the general's handed out the missions to the battalions and we've got another raid to attend to.” The boys had a collection of sighs and complaints. “I know this is our fifth week of raids but someone's got to do it so go get yourselves ready and be back here in ten.” The boys of battalion V35 mgawanyiko, baidisha in different directions scrambling for what ever it was they needed.
“So, wewe ready to go?” Talow turned to look at Luca as he handed him a bag with some things in it.
“Go where? I just got here and I haven't even been aliyopewa a placement yet.” Talow recalled the papers Luca had told him about that allowed for him to be placed in a battalion au to be aliyopewa an assignment in the army. He went to hand Luca the bag back when Luca handed him a folded sheet of paper.
“You're going out with us on this raid so go see Henry au someone else and they'll get wewe ready.” Luca left Talow standing in the hall kusoma the papers that were assigning him to battalion V35 for the time being.
Talow was following Nico to the storage room to grab some gear. It was much baridi in the basement compared to the main floor and Talow could feel Goosebumps working their way down his arms. Nico used a key he had gotten from an officer and opened a large door. The two of them entered into the room where shelves could be seen piled with supplies ranging from scraps of metal to support beams torn from crumbling buildings. Talow walked down the aisles as Nico grabbed a few things from a lower shelf.
“Where did wewe guys get all this stuff?” Nico looked up to where Talow was standing.
“Here, there and everywhere. When a group goes on a raid they bring anything salvaged to this room.” He picked up a mask of some sort and tossed it into his bag. “If it can be used in some way we store it here. I've spent hours in here trying to organize when I'm scheduled for it but no matter how much we sort zaidi just comes in and we have to start again.” He closed his bag after pulling a few other things from a pile.
“That should be enough.” He lead Talow back upstairs. “I'll see wewe later, I got to find something before we leave. Nico ran off in one direction while Talow walked in another, waiting for Luca and the rest of battalion V35 to arrive.
“Welcome to HQ.” Luca whispered in Talow's ear as he passed. Talow looked at the open area he was standing in as soldiers passed him and headed in different directions. He could feel the difference in temperature here, it was warmer and easier to breath inside then it was out in the city.
As he wandered, Talow noticed that a lot of the rooms in the building were open rather then small and closed in, this was allowing the air to circulate better and create a better environment. He watched a group of higher ranked soldiers taking the prisoners down a set of stairs to where he guessed was the basement. Not really knowing where to go, Talow found some of the boys from V35.
“Talow, right?” One of the boys separated from their clump to walk over to him, throwing an arm around his shoulders. Talow nodded and felt himself being brought along beside this boy.
“How are wewe liking it so far?” The boy gestured around them at all the others rushing around getting things done and a few others taking it easy alongside them.
“It's one of the nicer buildings I've seen.” Talow stood between two of the boys he had met earlier, Nico and Cyle.
“I got to agree with wewe there. UFS HQ is one of the better hideouts then some of the other places we've stayed.” A few others nodded in agreement. “It's also one of the safest being underground and all. We also don't have to pay anyone to bring supplies to run the place.” Talow looked at Nico in confusion.
“Then how do wewe power the lights and everything?” He looked down the hall at the few lights he could see dangling from the low ceiling.
“It's all powered kwa the generators. They collect the energy made from the panels on the roof, from the biomass thing outside and a bit from the track the prisoners run.” Talow had never heard of these things before so he listened to the boys explaining what the different sources did.
“Hey do wewe remember going on the raid to collect the straw for the walls?” Cyle asked who Talow thought was Henry.
“Yep, the farmers weren't too happy to be handing it over but what were they going to do with it anyway?” They all laughed as they remembered an earlier event that didn't involve Talow. He stood and listened to them talk about other things like who was scheduled to tend the garden and who was on storage organization that week when Luca appeared with Ben and Walter behind him.
“Okay boys, the general's handed out the missions to the battalions and we've got another raid to attend to.” The boys had a collection of sighs and complaints. “I know this is our fifth week of raids but someone's got to do it so go get yourselves ready and be back here in ten.” The boys of battalion V35 mgawanyiko, baidisha in different directions scrambling for what ever it was they needed.
“So, wewe ready to go?” Talow turned to look at Luca as he handed him a bag with some things in it.
“Go where? I just got here and I haven't even been aliyopewa a placement yet.” Talow recalled the papers Luca had told him about that allowed for him to be placed in a battalion au to be aliyopewa an assignment in the army. He went to hand Luca the bag back when Luca handed him a folded sheet of paper.
“You're going out with us on this raid so go see Henry au someone else and they'll get wewe ready.” Luca left Talow standing in the hall kusoma the papers that were assigning him to battalion V35 for the time being.
Talow was following Nico to the storage room to grab some gear. It was much baridi in the basement compared to the main floor and Talow could feel Goosebumps working their way down his arms. Nico used a key he had gotten from an officer and opened a large door. The two of them entered into the room where shelves could be seen piled with supplies ranging from scraps of metal to support beams torn from crumbling buildings. Talow walked down the aisles as Nico grabbed a few things from a lower shelf.
“Where did wewe guys get all this stuff?” Nico looked up to where Talow was standing.
“Here, there and everywhere. When a group goes on a raid they bring anything salvaged to this room.” He picked up a mask of some sort and tossed it into his bag. “If it can be used in some way we store it here. I've spent hours in here trying to organize when I'm scheduled for it but no matter how much we sort zaidi just comes in and we have to start again.” He closed his bag after pulling a few other things from a pile.
“That should be enough.” He lead Talow back upstairs. “I'll see wewe later, I got to find something before we leave. Nico ran off in one direction while Talow walked in another, waiting for Luca and the rest of battalion V35 to arrive.
