Prologue: Coup de Grâce
-Then-
-The Siege of New York-
-New York City, New York-
-19 May 2012-
-2300 Hours-
...Jazz picked himself up, brushing the dust from his fur and cloak as he healed his wounds. Alex, still recovering from his plummet from the Empire State Building, was paralyzed as he saw through a gray haze.
Jazz now stood tall, revealing his M1A911 pistol as he charged at his former CO.
"Alex!" Came a distant cry, and Terrias pounced on Jazz as the gun hit the ground. The two viciously fought hand to hand before Terrias gained the upper hand, with a loud crack, Terrias punched Jazz's cheek, and the rabbit hit the ground. The servine revealed his own P2K and fired three shots into the downed Maxian leader as he ran to his friend's side.
Distantly, Alex could hear Terrias say in a panic-edged voice, "Commander! Commander! Are you alright? Shit! Medic!"
Suddenly, from behind Terrias' shoulder, Alex watched Jazz stand, and he grabbed the servine's shoulder, throwing him backwards as the rabbit fired two shots, one into each of Terrias' legs.
He collapsed forward, and Jazz approached before recoiling as he grabbed his arm and blood sprayed with each shot. Alpha Company surrounded the traitor, but the Maxia then surrounded Alpha Company. In a thousand flashes of gunfire, Alex's brothers-in-arms fell to the ground, and Jazz stood, walking to his troops and ordering, "Take care of the bodies!"
He then smiled maliciously at Alex and stomped on the wounded Commander's face, to which, he instantly blacked out.
* * * * *
Slowly, ever so slowly, Alex stirred. He was in pain, every inch of his body burned and throbbed with a hellish heat. He was aware of being dragged, and he lapsed in-and-out of consciousness.
A sudden impact as his back slammed against New York Harbor's k-rail completely roused him, but he still saw through a haze of orange-speckled red, and he still could not move.
He managed to gain control of his head, and turned his gaze from the blood-smeared, crater-laden street, and to the left, where Terrias was forced to stand, facing the water. He was bound by heavy cinderblocks, tied to his wrists and ankles by thick rope.
Jazz stood behind him, bringing his pistol up against the back of the servine's neck, and pulling the trigger.
"NOOO!" Alex called, his voice too hoarse to be heard, and Terrias' head shot back in a spray of blood, bone, and flesh. Everything occurred in slow motion as the servine fell forward into the water, disappearing as the stones weighed him down.
Alex suddenly felt a strong grip on his collar, and he was forced to stand as Jazz picked him up, smiling maliciously and sadistically and saying, "I'm gonna have fun with you."
He was forced to stand, his back to the water, and Jazz nodded his head at the Maxia Spec Ops officers, whose laser-sighted, scope-mounted Deutsche M9Ks were trained on the Commander. Four soldiers stepped forward, beginning to bind the weights to Alex's wrists and ankles.
Alex clenched his right hand in a fist, punching the soldier who was binding his left wrist into unconsciousness. He heard a whoosh sound, and instant pain and heat flared as his head was forcefully sent to the right, someone had whipped his cheek with the butt of one of the SMGs.
He was bound and tied, and each of the soldiers nodded as they stepped back. Jazz stepped forward, bringing the pistol up and cocking it as he aimed at Alex's head.
"I've wanted to do this for a long, long time..." the rabbit said, "Goodbye, Commander," and he pulled the trigger.
A deafening crack of gunfire, and Alex saw spots of red as his head shot back and he fell backwards into the water. Instant warmth filled him, despite the freezing water, and he watched bubbles rise to the surface as he flipped over. Jazz stood where Alex had fallen, staring into the water. His form, and the rest of his officers, were silhouettes to the Commander's sight, standing against the burning skies from the fallen city.
Alex stared through growing tendrils of red as he sank deeper and deeper, and everything continued in slow motion as Jazz and the rest of the Maxia turned and walked away. As he sank deeper, one memory crossed his mind...the fountain...and Spyro...
No... He thought, It can't be over...
