Hagans

9:00 AM

It had been a complete failure on all fronts. Nothing even slowed down the monster during his onslaught of destruction, Hagans thought as he, Shellburn, and McTavish moved down into the basement of their current HQ. As they moved down the stairs, all sounds blurred together. Cries of pain, sorrow, and McTavish's fiery storm of words all came together was one loud roar. I have to slow down, he thought as his feet touched the concrete floor. He then looked around and saw National Guard members typing on computers, and reading papers to one another as people walked around upstairs. Hagans stood still for a long while, began to take in everything in his surroundings as McTavish moved in front of him, Shellburn not far behind.

McTavish's eyes were full of disgust and anger like Hagans had never seen before. And he knew the gazes were directed at him on a personal level. He paid no attention to the Major's rant until now as the sounds began to come more clear, and separated.

"General," shouted a voice that was not the baritone of McTavish. "New York is needing a full report immediately. Washington would also like a copy within the next 45 minutes."

Hagans shook his head and walked over to the wooden table in the middle of the room which was covered in maps and casualty reports.

"Major Shellburn would you get on this right away," Hagans asked.

The other Major shook his head and stated, "I'll patch it through directly to General Costa's station, sir."

That was the kind of man Hagans needed right now: someone that takes orders without question or hesitation. He did not need someone shouting down his neck constantly because of a mistake in judgment. Controlling his anger was becoming a more, and more serious of an issue as time progressed, and Hagans could start to see why the man would never rank higher than Major.

"That should be secondary right now, General," began McTavish. "Where the hell if Godzilla, and where is he headed?"

"General Costa needs his report immediately," Hagans stated trying to shut the other Major up.

"Godzilla never went back to the ocean! He kept moving west, sir! We need to figure out where he is going to prevent another Waterville from…"

The anger began to boil over with Hagans. He turned around and got right in the Major's face, closing the distance quickly and without hesitation.

"If I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it!"

McTavish returned the anger, and puffed his chest out. It was then that Hagans realized that McTavish was not one to be intimidated. Whatever self-control the Major had was clearly about to go out the window.

"You're going to get it anyways, General." That least word was sarcastic and full of emotion. Hagans looked up right into his blue eyes, fiery. "There is over a thousand people up on these hill lying down, and dying! If they were all soldiers, that would be one thing! We know our job, and the risks involved! But a good majority are civilians! Civilians!" He then kicked the table knocking a glass full of writing utensils over. "They didn't have a fucking clue what was going to happen!"

"Neither did I," Hagans rebutted, voice scratchy from shouting too much.

"Bull shit, General! That is pure bull shit," replied the major, voice even louder than before. Hagans looked at all those around him; none of them looked like they could believe this was happening. "They are good people! You should have done what Colonel Montgomery did in Boston!"

That tipped the scale for Hagans. His face began to boil over, and if steam could push out of his ears it would have. No one was going to compare him to that suck-up of a General's pet Monty, he thought as he straightened his ASU.

"Don't make Washington regret putting you back into commission and not behind as desk, Major," the General shouted. "I'm not afraid to send you back there!"

"Go ahead," McTavish replied to Hagans' surprise. "I'm not going to be the one responsible for this slaughter! If it wasn't for the fact Mr. Clarkson has gone back to New York, he would have been telling you the same thing! Just because I'm in the army doesn't mean I'm gonna compromise on my philosophy! You need me here! I'm the only one with any damned experience!"

"That's enough, Major," Hagans yelled back. McTavish apparently did not listen.

"I stayed down there," the Major began, "in the city. While you ran! You just ran for the hills and hid like the coward you are!"

"I'll court martial you!"

"I helped people into trucks as Godzilla approached! I held the lines together as long as I could, saving as many civies as I could! You just ran!"

Everything Clarkson had predicted had come true, the destruction, the death, everything. What was he going to do? Hagans had no idea how to answer that question. What the Major had said was all true, there was no denying it. Hagans had ran like the coward he is, and McTavish was the only one who could help him. He swallowed hard, and looked up into the Major's blood shot eyes.

"Alright," the General said against his better judgment. "What would you have me do?"