Cole made his way through the underground hallways in the Kester outpost. As he walked, his thoughts moved back to the previous month and a half. So far, everything had gone perfectly. Chara had been skeptical of the idea at first, but then she had suddenly become much more open to the idea. She had never told him the whole plan, only some parts that weren't a need-to-know. After all, he had to give the monsters some truth, or they would see through it instantly.
Chara meanwhile, had eventually told Cole why she was so enthusiastic about the idea suddenly. She was able to use the strikes much more efficiently to learn monster fighting tactics, as well as pinpoint which areas were more vulnerable than others.
The spread of misinformation had worked perfectly, and strikes from the republic were becoming far more frequent, although usually in smaller scale than normal. Now, Cole walked quickly, after being sent for by Chara herself, telling him it was a very important matter in the briefing room.
As he approached the room, the soldier standing by the door opened it for him, allowing him through. Chara looked up as he entered, nodding briefly. There were several laptops set up on the briefing table in front of her.
"Ah, good, you're here. Just in time too." She waved him over. As Cole walked behind the desk, he saw several other human faces on the screens, and the heads turned to look curiously at him. One of the faces was of a young man, who couldn't possibly have been very far into his twenty's. A second face showed a man in his early forties, with a third being that of a young woman. Chara motioned to Cole.
"This is Cole Nelson, the one I was just telling you all about, our double agent."
The woman nodded thoughtfully. "I take it he has played his part well?"
Chara nodded. "Flawlessly. Cole, I want you to meet these people. On the left is Commander Lawrence Callahan, who runs the outpost in Agolens..." The younger man gave a nod. "In the middle is Captain Sebastian Russell who runs the outpost in Home, and on the right is Commander Cassidy King, operating in Landow, the old capital of the Roneian Empire."
Cole nodded, giving a short salute to the three. He could see the excited look in Chara's eyes as she continued speaking to him.
"Cole, I wanted you present for this meeting, it's of great importance." Cole nodded, taking a small step back as Chara then addressed the three leaders on the monitors.
"It's time. My friends, Operation Red Dawn is a go." There was an immediate clamour of voices from the screens, but everyone now sounded just as excited as Chara. In the end, it was Lawrence who managed to be heard first.
"Is it true? After all these years, all this planning, is this really happening?"
Chara nodded. "Without a doubt. If we're going to do this, the time is now."
Cole spoke up. "I'm sorry for asking, but what is Operation Red Dawn?"
Chara glanced over her shoulder. "It's our final plan to finally overthrow the monster rule. We've been planning this for years."
Cole nodded, stepping back again. Cassidy spoke next. "The Landow outpost has been waiting for a very long time for this ma'am, we're ready to receive our orders."
Chara nodded. "Good. You all have your maps handy?" When the three confirmed, Chara spoke. Cole approached again so he could see the map as well.
"We're going to be launching several strikes all at once. Commander Callahan, your only target is going to be the local police station. The reason this is your only target, is because we have reason to believe that there are military-grade defenses both in, and around the station, and acquiring these supplies would be very useful. Of course, the station is heavily defended, another reason not to split the offence. Strategically, taking over the station is giving us military control over the city, if not diplomatic as well." Lawrence nodded, but asked a question.
"Wouldn't it make sense for us to take police stations all over the kingdom?"
Chara shook her head. "While other stations are less defended, there's just too many in other cities, we would be stretching our forces too thin. It would be a joke to try the tactic. If we take the most heavily defended one though, it will be a good display of how strong we really are. Plus, Agolens's police station is unique in that there is only one major centralized one; the city is small enough and the station is central enough to serve the entire city. This plays to our benefit, since it can serve as a centralized control point."
Then, Chara spoke to Cassidy. "Commander King, you have two targets. You've stated that there is a military inspection checkpoint on the main highway leading into Landow. Your forces are to overrun and secure that checkpoint. Then, you are to storm the city hall, and eliminate any monsters you encounter that put up resistance." Cassidy also nodded.
"Some of my forces back here are going to be overrunning city hall here in Kester, and going after a small military outpost stationed not far from Kester. Captain Russell, you have a special task. I'm going to be arriving with my main force in Home to join forces with your men. Together, we'll launch an all-out assault on King Asgore's palace." Sebastian's eyes shone with excitement as Chara nodded to Cole.
"Cole, this is where you come in. We want you to tell the monsters that there will be attacks in Kester, Agolens, and Landow, but give them the wrong buildings. We want to try and draw as much of the military as we can away from Home. The other attacks are going to be a diversion while the main assault takes place right at their front door."
Chara paused for a moment, to give Cole a chance to assimilate the information, before continuing.
"We'll also want to tell the monsters what time, or rather, the wrong time. Claim that the attack will be early in the morning, say around 4 AM. We'll really be attacking in the early evening, but I think doing this will tire them out with tension. With any luck, any resistance will be tired and hungry, as well as surprised."
Cole nodded, but was slightly confused. "With all due respect, why didn't you just tell me what to tell the monsters, instead of telling me the whole plan like this?"
Chara smiled. "Because you're going to be with me in Home. Figured you'd at least want to know your role."
Cole immediately felt giddy inside. Sebastian spoke from the monitors. "Speaking of the time, when will the attacks be happening?"
Chara looked at the date. "August 17th, at 1831 hours exactly. Not a second sooner, not a second later. The attacks need to all be launched at once to cause as much confusion as possible. For now, I want you all to go and study up on your targets. Learn every square inch of the blueprints, you'll be needing them."
The three leaders all looked grimly excited, and Chara took a deep breath. "This is really it, we'll finally see real change. Just remember. If monsters surrender, let them surrender. We want to prove we can be better than the monsters' ruthless tactics. There will be blood and dust spilled. There will be casualties on both sides. Remember, we have one shot at this. If we fail, then all the death that will be seen that day will be for nothing. Good luck to you all. And to you Captain Russell, I'll see you soon." The three captains gave a parting salute, before the call on all three screens ended, and Cole huffed.
"I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my life."
Chara gave his shoulder a firm pat. "Don't worry about it. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous too. We've been doing all this work, and there was a time when I believed we would never make it as far as we have. You've been a huge help Cole."
Cole smiled warmly. "It's been a pleasure."
The days that followed were full of preparation. Two days later, Cole made the trip to Home with Chara to meet again with Sebastian. Together, they took a small drone, and spent nearly two hours looking up and down various streets, as well as observing the outer castle itself.
The defences on the castle were extremely formidable. There must have been at least two dozen armed guards patrolling the outer walls facing the street at all times, and even more inside. All of them had large automatic weapons, some that would even be able to be mounted onto a surface. Striking the palace was not going to be easy. Luckily, they would have the element of surprise, at least that's what Cole hoped.
That same night he left the note reporting the inevitable attacks on the buildings, but as planned never mentioned Home, or the palace. As planned, Cole gave them the incorrect time, and the listed cities, but it wouldn't be nearly accurate enough to be of any major use in the end. The following morning when he looked, the note was gone. That same day the outposts in Landow and Agolens reported fresh troops arriving in the two cities, seeming to be making an unscheduled re-supply of the targeted buildings.
So far, everything was working perfectly. The monsters appeared to be taking the bait, and the forces in Home were growing slightly thinner, though it was noticeable that the members of the Royal Guard defending the castle never decreased in number. At the very least, it would mean it would take longer for reinforcements to arrive at the palace.
On the eve of the attack, Cole lay awake, eyes closed as he took in the scenario. Everything had escalated so quickly. One day he had just been another civilian on his way home from a walk. Two months later, and he found himself about to partake in a massive strike against the monster oppression.
One thing continued to bother him though. His parents. Asgore never reached out with word on them, despite his promise. Asriel had never told him anything either. Cole shook his head as he spoke quietly.
"Mom...Dad...if you're there...I know you're still alive somewhere...I just...I just hope you can hear me in your hearts. I'm doing this for you. All of this I'm doing for you, and for Julia. I hope one day, we can see each other again." He took a deep breath as sleep began to overwhelm him, and soon he found himself once more collapsing into slumber.