Let's play war...

First off, yay for updates. I feel bad for ignoring it so long. Also, I changed a character, so check the character list. Pretty much its just that there is no Bert McCracken, and instead Pete Wentz is him. Everyone likes Pete...and most don't like Bert, me included.

Anyway, on to the update.

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Francis locked the door to her room when she entered it and collapsed on the bed. She knew that it was against the rules to lock the door to her room, but she seriously doubted that the commander would be leaving his room this night so it would not matter. Francis raked her fingers through her hair, feeling the lack of length. She remembered when it was long down her back. Her crowning glory, but that was a long time ago. Long ago when she still had her father and mother, when she could be a girl instead of pretending to be a man.
Francis looked over to the window, seeing if it was dark enough to leave yet. She frowned, seeing that the sun was disappearing into the trees near their camp. She slid off the bed, grabbing her black hooded jacket, and left through her window. She swiftly ran into the trees, wanting to be out of site as soon as she could be.
Once in the trees she relaxed a bit, knowing that the ‘Hell’s Wolves’ patrol would not start for another half an hour. As she walked in the chilled darkness around her she began thinking back on the days after her parents’ death. She had been with Pete, the man she was going to meet, when she found them. Murdered in their own house, in cold blood, by the men and women she has surrounded herself with.
Pete had been very kind during the time after their death, a lot more somber than he normally was. Staying with her the night of in a hotel room, sitting with her at the funeral, and staying in the hotel room with her the second night too. But she did not stay, she left half way through the night knowing what she had to do for revenge. And here she was years later and right where she wanted to be.
As Francis got closer to the clearing in the woods where she and Pete always met, her thoughts wandered to Kita. She supposed it was the good soldier thing to tell that Kita was there, but she was her friend. A friend she had since before Pete, and one who had known Jordan too. She did not think that she could do that, even though she betrayed her people. Francis wanted Kita safe, and she’d have to figure out a way for her to do that soon.
Then she was in the clearing, which was empty except for a few patches of moonlight. Francis frowned at her surrounding a moment before a voice entered her ear.
“Crash,” someone said to her left. Francis smiled.
“Thunder,” she said, completing the code to let him know it was her.
Pete then stepped into the clearing, grin plastered on his face.
“Hey Frankie,” he said, hugging her tight. Francis shrugged away.
“Commander Wentz,” she said in a clipped tone. She hated how informally he treated her, as if they were both still children and playing a game. He frowned at her tone.
“Come on…don’t be that way,” he whined, slumping to the ground.
Francis sighed and sat next to him, wanting to humor him. She and he had been close after her parents had moved away from Kita’s family. She actually believed her parents had actually promised Pete’s that the two of them would be married when they were of age. Just like they had with Jordan and Kita. He constantly acted as if she were his property. It drove her nutty.
“Sorry Pete,” she said softly, “I am just a little stressed…ok?”
Pete nodded, his face turning serious. “Yeah. We, um, got some news from spies in the area. They saw a prisoner transport.”
Francis kept her face as blank as possible. “Yes, I am aware.”
Pete looked at her, “Admiral Stump said that intelligence is saying it might have held a run-away soldier.”
Francis looked puzzled, “really? Who?”
Pete smirked, “guess you might find out.”
Francis frowned, standing, “well the one today just had traditional ones, so I would not get my hopes up.”
Pete stood too, “anything else to report?”
Francis thought about talking about Commander Way’s seeming weakness toward Kita, but that would give Kita away. She sighed, “no Commander Wentz. All is going according to plan.”
Pete nodded, “good work Hale. Report back in seventy two hours with more information on the troops.”
Francis nodded, giving Pete a crisp salute before turning to leave.
“Frankie,” Pete asked before she left the clearing.
“Yeah Petey?”
“Be safe, ok?”
She smiled, she did love Pete in her own way. Francis walked over to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“I’m always safe.” She then turned and left him in the clearing, heading back to sleep amongst the enemy.

Another update...maybe others will play soon. =)
btw, Jordan/Francis' father = indigo
Joe Trohman= Brown
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Pete watched as Francis left their meeting place, a frown creasing his brow. He then turned away, heading towards his jeep which was parked about a mile away. From there, he had about an hour drive to the camp. By the time he made it to the jeep, the phone inside was beeping for him. He picked it up, dreading the call.
“Wentz speaking,” he said as he climbed into the jeep.
“Pete,” it was the voice of Trohman, the communicator for the army base he was heading for. “How did the meeting go?”
“Same as always, they have no up coming attacks and are still training some of the new recruits.”
“What about the prisoner transport?”
Pete paused as he pulled onto a side street. Francis had not said anything about the run-away prisoner, but perhaps she did not know it was a run away. Would their side know?
“Wentz! You there?”
“The transport was normal, nothing to report so far.”
“Did she mention the run-away?”
“Said there wasn’t one.”
“You do know that this run-away in question was her close friend as a child. They wrote letters back and forth as children after their separation. Could she be hiding Larond?”
Pete felt shocked, he had not realized that Kita was the one they had meant all along. She and Francis had been very close, but surely Francis would act for the better of her people and hand Larond over before it was too late.
“I…I am sure that Hale is not hiding anything. She acts for the best of our cause.”
“If you are sure. We will keep a closer eye on the camp too…in case she was not recognized.”
The call was soon disconnected, but Pete could not help but think that perhaps this whole thing was a huge mistake from the beginning.

- -
When Francis got back into her room, it was dark as night outside. That allowed her easy access into her room without being seen in the dark. Once inside, she took off her dark hooded jacket, and collapsed against her bed again. She tried to get some sleep, but while her body was exhausted, her mind was wired for activity. It was always that way when she met with Pete, her giving information and receiving none in return, he acting like they were still children, when she had not been one for years. It made her think back on her childhood, and the sad years after Jordan, the real Jordan, was gone.
Francis lay back on her bed in the dark, the moon catching light on her bracelet. She wore it always, as did members of her side, army, tribe…whatever they were called. The child to carry on the legacy, first born son, was given a star at birth. Every year the parents made another until by their fifth birthday the charms made a bracelet for the child to wear forever, a new star shaped link added every year until they reached adulthood. She had a different one though. Her’s was hearts, a child of love. There were others, but she had not learned them. She was the second born, and a girl, so she had hearts. She turned the bracelet on her wrist, looking for the last one. The last heart on her chain was painted black, signifying that the ones who were supposed to give her the last link, were killed. The links were hand made, signifying how special they were. Her father made them in his office, and they were each beautiful. As the hearts shimmered in the moonlight, she let out a sigh. She was supposed to have stars on there. When the eldest son is killed, the next eligible child is supposed to take his place, but her father would not have it that way. Francis even went so far as to ask him why she only received the hearts on her sixteenth birthday.
“Because,” her father claimed, “Jordan is the eldest. You are just a girl.”
Francis can still remember how her face had burned, how mad she had been. She had looked toward her mother, but her mother’s eyes turned away from her.
“I do not understand father. I am number one in my class, I excel in handguns, the bow and arrow, and in knife work the teacher says that the knife in my hand is just an extension of my arm. I have enrolled to be trained in torture in a few weeks…what more could I have done?”
“Nothing more, you are of the fairer sex and need not be trained at all. You will not be needed for fighting. You will be at home.”
“Kita is going through the torturer training, why can I not? Why do you look down on me for trying to please you?”
“You cannot take his place. Just leave it be.”
Francis’ cheeks burned fire hot as she said something she never would have dreamed she would have thought, let alone say.
“Jordan is dead father, and the fault was not mine.”
Her father threw her heart link to the floor before he struck her across the cheek. She had stumbled against the blow, tears in her eyes. When her father was gone, her mother came over and hooked the link to the bracelet. She then stood, and left the room so that Francis was alone. Francis waited what must have been nearly half an hour before standing up and walking to her father’s desk and opening a drawer and taking a box from within. As she opened it, her heart broke to see all the star links, not being used, waiting endlessly for Jordan. She counted them, and their number, plus the five that were on the bracelet that had been on Jordan’s when he was kidnapped, it made up the age they both were. Her father was still holding out for Jordan to come back, and there was nothing she could do to make him love her more, or appreciate her skills.
Still, at the end of the month, she was training to be a torturer. That was the last birthday she had had with her family. The next year she had awoken to find the new link on her bedside table and had put it on herself, and before her next birthday her parents were both gone.


As her daydream began to turn into real dreams, a rapid knock came to her door. She tucked her bracelet into her sleeve, and quickly wiped the tears from her face before she answered the door, afraid of what the knocking could mean.
“Specialist Hale,” It was Frank and Mikey. Frank gave her a crisp salute, while Mikey’s was a bit sloppy.
“Privates, how can I help you?”
“Major Armstrong is on the wire. He needs to talk to Commander Way and we need help finding him.”
“We need you to help get him,” Mikey said in a bored drawl.
‘Jordan’ nodded, “of course. I’ll do it right away.”
Francis walked from the door, trying hard not to notice the odd look that Mikey gave her. She turned the corner as fast as she could and headed toward the torture chamber. Part of her hoping that she had guessed correctly, the other afraid of what he might have done to Kita if she had.