Instability

※ ALTERNATE ENDING ※

Uni-Euro border. August, 2118. Ashley Cardry's POV.

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"Welcome to the Uni-Euro border, Soldier Cardry," the sergeant says from behind the dingy desk. He shakes my hand and pushes his HoloTablet across his tabletop.

"Thank you, sir," I reply curtly. He hands me a pen, and I sign my name in midair. The HoloTablet documents my signature, dragging and displaying the cursive on its screen. I tap the accept button, locking in my five-year enlistment.

"As we've previously discussed, you'll be beginning at the outskirts of the border, basic patrol."

"Of course," I say. "I've completed the trainings and screenings. Now I'm ready to start."

"Excellent," the sergeant says. He hands me a woven badge of the USA flag. I clip it to the front of my gray uniform. With another nod, the sergeant leads me outside towards the patrol building.

I follow the sergeant across the campus, kicking up dry dirt as our boots touch the ground. My dad would be so proud of me. He'd see why I chose the military over a job like a schoolteacher or an engineer.

My mom and siblings would agree, too. I know for a fact my mom would tell me it's okay to be happy, even when she's not here with me. She'd tell me to live my life and remember the good things. Keep going forward, don't regress.

So that's what I plan to do. I've spent most of my life hating Renegades, and I want to correct it. I'm in the best physical shape I can be in, and I'll use my strength to protect the USA from the Europeans. Being stationed at the Uni-Euro border will have enough purpose and danger to make my family proud. My days as a Renegade aren't over just yet.

The sergeant holds the door for me as we enter the air-conditioned patrol room. I'm handed a gun and a helmet as I suit up for my first six-hour patrol. "Keep your gun ready and your eyes focused."

I buckle the helmet strap underneath my chin. "Got it."

The sergeant leads me towards a window overlooking the border. At least a hundred soldiers on either side face each other without emotion.

"You're replacing this guy right here, with the blonde hair."

I nod, gazing at the back of the blonde-haired boy. A flash of recognition floods my senses, but I shove it away quickly; there's no way he's Daniel. No way. I'm not going to let myself be distracted in the middle of my first shift.

Remembering my military training, I focus my mindset and furrow my eyebrows. Marching out a metal door, I take a straightforward path to the solider I'm replacing. I halt my movements when I step beside him, relieving him of his position.

The Europeans across the border stare menacingly at us Americans, guns pointed at their sides. I know better than to be distracted by their laser-like stares and cold black uniforms. Pure confidence and skill is needed for me to maintain my stance.

I feel the blonde boy turn is eyes away from the enemy and onto me instead. He chuckles, and my nerves freeze. Oh, my gosh, I could identify that laugh from a mile away.

"Ashley," Daniel says under his breath. My heart beats a thousand times a minute. My palms dampen as my emotion fly in a thousand different direction. I can't help but flinch to free the instability building in my heart.

Daniel chuckles again, sending heat up my spine. "Meet me at Aria's Restaurant. 7 PM."

"Sounds like a plan," I hiss under my breath, praying the movement of my lips don't provoke the enemy. Daniel turn and marches back to the patrol room, leaving me with an eery silence and a boatload of thoughts.