Devin Cain [Cain - Legion

"And that there are the reasons why the four great fleets need to be dismantled! Just imagine the damage they could inflict if left to their own devices!" the commentator screamed on live tv. The glasses on the bridge of his nose squeezed down hard and forced him to speak a tone higher than usual.

I couldnt help but chuckle at the old fool. What the hell did he know? "Or maybe he wasnt that wrong after all," I whispered. "No, he was just an idiot, as simple as that."

The effort all the Legions had put in and the sacrifices they made to finally rid our world of the unholy scourge that attacked Humanity, were tremendous. We barely survived, no thanks to the wealthy families and the bureaucrats that sat safely at home. Or idiots like this so-called professor who had devoted his life to studying the pros and cons of the Legions. It sure was a calling to die for, I reckoned.

I forced myself up and looked down to the street through the only window in my apartment. They were framed by exposed pipes that leaked in more than one spot. Beside me stood a broken coffee table and the frame of what used to be a chair, all taped up with pieces of plastic. Empty boxes from take-out food littered the ground along with empty cans of beer. The lights overhead flickered. I was awaiting the building owner to cut electricity every day now after not being able to pay the rent.

I wasnt proud of my rusty grates covering the window, but they had more than once deterred a break-in. After all, I lived in one of the worst neighborhoods to live in for any half-decent Human being. The daily death toll was too high for my liking, but what to expect out of a megapolis, a city-country as people liked to call them. According to the latest numbers, over eighty-million citizens lived in New Phoenix.

Sirens flashed in the darkness up ahead as three police patrol floaters passed by. They must have been most likely called in to take care of random and desperate violence that had gotten out of control. Nothing new, but nasty nevertheless.

"Whatever," I whispered and turned away from the window, eyes glued to the screen on my left. More politics, and even more smart-ass experts who didnt even know how to wipe their ass, and even fewer speakers on essential topics such as the good our Legions did. And in the end, what about the ordinary folks? The backbone of society, those who provided the food, clothes, and all the other end-products?

"Maybe I should try one last time before I end up dying from hunger and desperation? I got nothing to lose anyway," I murmured and sat back on the run-down sofa. It was missing half of the fabric and more than a good chunk of sponge, but it was mine, and I was proud of it. "To die today or in a week, or even a month, theres no one left who would grieve for me."

The computer screen flickered for a brief moment before it turned on. I couldnt help but stare at it and bite my lower lip. Sure, I was fit enough to join, and Id watched all the videos, both legal and illegal which had been force-fed to the public, but Id already been denied once for mouthing off to the interviewer. It wasnt my fault; they were idiots who had no idea what the right questions for such a job were. The blow to my ego had prevented me from applying again for the last two years. That all changed in the past few days when an indescribable itch took up residence in my mind.

I was more than smart enough to get a good job here on Earth in anything that had to do with analytics or number-crunching, but I hated it with a passion. No way was I going to slave on for a meager wage and kiss up to some spoiled brat who had inherited his fathers company, or some fat pig that would order me to do all kinds of things to keep my job. Fuck that!

"Who the hell do I apply to anyway? The main four fleets except for the Steel Legion, are mostly region-based and have strong hierarchies. But then again, they were the weakest and barely held out as it stood. It was either to join the Europeans, the Americans, or the Asians if you looked at it by nationality. But if I chose the former, Id be signing up with a ragtag mix of everything."

I hated this stupid habit of talking to myself, but it helped me concentrate better when I was pacing back and forth, or sitting behind the computer. Or at least I liked to think it did. The only time I didnt speak to my persona was outside where people thought of me as weird. Besides, it had cost me more than a bloody lip and a black eye.

"Steel Legion it is then," I murmured as I opened their application site. To my shock, everything was already filled out. "The hell?" I whispered. And then it struck me. Id filled the form out a couple of weeks ago and never sent it. Or at least I thought I did. Was I hallucinating again?

I sighed and shook my head. Alcohol was slowly getting the better of me it seemed. If I didnt get my shit under control quickly, Id die in a ditch before anyone had the chance to shoot or stab me to death.

"And, sent. There we go," I mumbled, leaning back into my chair. I felt tired, even more so than usual. It was as if something was trying to pull me into a deep slumber. Struggling to stay awake, I blacked out in my formerly-ergonomic gaming chair that had long since required countless repairs and hand-me-down parts to keep together.