In Old Dakar the heads of the Federal military met to discuss both the forming conflict with the New Republic as well as severity of the war crimes committed by the once invincible Cerberus Squad's remaining leader Tegan Trevelyn, though nearly half way through the first day's delegation Counselor Wright felt as if he was the one on trial.
All blame seemed to balanced equally between Tegan's attempted uprising as well as Wright's suddenly weak policies, angering the Counselor. The same men that once praised his diplomatic approach to the Federation's problems now criticized him and sought to follow in Cousland's imperialistic shadow, not understanding that it was this point of view that had caused this mess in the long run.
"War? That's what you think will solve this? More violence?" Wright countered with a laugh as he shook his head, staring down the individuals amongst them who suggested the idea that a swift, grand strike would be the solution to their problems.
"Don't you see that this whole situation was the result of such thoughts? Look back over the past few months. How many protesters were killed because of reckless use of force? Huh? To these people we were a threat, and they acted on it." He continued before another member of the board interjected, General Robert Marks, head of the Federal Military Police; an elderly gentleman who walked with cane after losing the better part of his right lower leg during the One Year War.
"So you are saying that we should just let them go? What kind of message will that send to the other colonies, or hell, even nations here on Earth? That they can just uprise against the government without any repercussion on a whim?" He questioned as Wright stared him down, rubbing his forehead in the process.
"I'm not saying that this be allowed to continue, but what I am trying to say is that pure, unadulterated violence will only serve to bring more violence. We need to think more tactfully than this. Plus, even if we were to go to war, nobody has seen high nor here of the New Republic since the Second Fleet's efforts to stop the uprising. They've effectively gone dark." The Counselor replied though another man spoke shortly after.
"Impossible. How could six fully functional space colonies disappear into thin air?" The newcomer asked, bringing another to speak as well. "Five; we blew one up, remember?" He jested, mocking the Federation's current situation thought Wright did not find this humorous.
"You find that is funny, Admiral?" He snapped, shooting daggers into the man's eyes with his own as he slammed his fist to the table. "Those deaths are on us; that blood is on our hands, and you find it funny? This organization allowed Cerberus Division to exist under our noses without even the slightest clue. Regardless of how well Cousland hid it, that is on us. Don't you even fucking think about laughing." Wright scolded in frustration as the council's mediator, an older Councilman name Agustus Creed spoke out above everyone to ease the tense and nearly explosive mood in the room.
"Again, may I remind the council that we are here to primarily discuss the correct disciplinary action for Captain Tegan Trevelyn." He stated calmly, bringing Wright to look at him and nod. "You are right Counselor Creed, I apologize. This situation is bringing out the worst in us." He responded as a few others apologized as well, leaving Wright time to take a deep breath and gather his thoughts.
"One thing I feel we can all agree on is that Tegan is dangerous; much more dangerous than any other internal threat we've faced before, rivaling the events orchestrated by the Titans nearly thirty years ago. From what I have heard, it took little convincing for the boy to turn nearly half of Captain Pierce's fleet to his side, distorting the truth as well as their views, though whether or not this was by pure chance or overwhelming charismatic aptitude I don't know. However, even following the man's imprisonment I still continue to hear whispers of how this man is innocent and was acting in the best interest of the Federation. This troubles me deeply as it shows just how deep his deceit and corruption runs, as well as leads me to believe there may be others like him hidden amongst our ranks, pulling the strings as they bide for his release. General Marks, I do believe we have spoken about this." Wright dictated as he looked to the Military Police head across the table from him, holding a hand in his direction to bring him to speak as the older man leaned forward and folded his hands on the table with a nod.
"We have indeed, Counselor Wright. I've had my finest men monitoring chatter amongst our men and women and as the Counselor has stated, it seems that Trevelyn's popularity continues to grow despite his imprisonment and impending indictment for high treasons. The way they speak of him is like some kind of folk legend; a hero." General Marks replied as Wright shook his head.
"A legendary hero who attacked a civilian colony and caused what is believed to be nearly eight hundred thousand deaths, and all for what? To justify what Cousland instilled in both him and his deceased brother? The recklessness can not be allowed to spread. Tegan's trial, judgement and punishment must be quick, fair and perceived as just." Dorian Wright added in as a few others nodded in agreement while Counselor Creed looked to the council head.
"I'm assuming you will seek the death penalty for the boy if he is found guilty?" He questioned as Wright looked to him and with only a moments pause replied. "Absolutely."
Placed onto a brief twenty minute break before officially starting deliberations, Dorian walked form the meeting chamber he had spent the last four hours in and out into one of the side hallways leading out into the rest of the federal building, almost immediately greeted by Pierce as she leaned against the wall just outside of the doorway.
"Well well, done already?" She chimed in as Wright laughed once, taking a spot against the wall opposite from her. "Not even close. Creed wanted us to take a small break to help clear our heads before we really begin to start the deliberations." He replied with a shake of his head as the woman before him sighed.
She couldn't be present during the meeting since the subject matter directly involved her, but she could only image what was being said. Dorian had warned her ahead of time that questions of her loyalty would be asked as well as the effectiveness of her command, infuriating her even without knowing if it was mentioned.
"Did they say anything about me?" She asked with a feigned grin as she looked up to the man before her who nodded slowly, drinking from a bottle of water in his hand while avoiding eye contact; a bad sign. "Of course." He replied in hope that his top agent wouldn't ask anything more, but knowing her well he wasn't at all surprised when that wasn't the case.
"I'm guessing they were not exactly nice things." Margaret questioned once again as her superior sighed. "Not exactly. They want to know how it is possible that such an experienced and well decorated captain such as yourself could allow your men to be so easily influenced by someone they had only just met. They have even asked if it was possible that you or your crew were working with him from the very beginning." He hesitantly responded as Pierce ground her teeth and clenched her fists together tightly.
"How dare they… weren't even there." She growled under her breath; eyes drifting to the floor to avoid making her exact level of rage evident to her superior. "They don't know me or my crew; good men and women who died fighting Tegan and those rebels. Some of them may have been led astray, but not all of them." She continued as Dorian looked back up at her, understanding her anger at the whole situation. If he were in her shoes he would be just as angered and betrayed.
"Listen, you and I know the truth. This doubt is only temporary. As soon as they hear your side of the story and that of your crew we will clear your name as well as those of your men, especially those who died defending the Federation against both Tegan and the New Republic forces." Wright said to try and calm her, though she remained as equally angered and upset despite the attempt. How could they believe she or any of her crew would be working from the beginning to help aid in Tegan's genocide, the very belief of which tarnished not only her name but the name of the entire Second Defense Fleet.
"I shouldn't have trusted him." She replied, bringing the Counselor to look at her a moment before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Now that is my fault. I ordered you to give him a chance... that is on my head, and I will live with it as well as deal with the consequences when they arise. So please Margaret; relax."
Looking back to Wright for a moment or two in silence the woman finally agreed with a subtle nod and heavy sigh. Becoming worked up now would only hinder any hope she had at clearing her name and the name of the Second Defense Fleet she had worked so hard to build up before Tegan attempted to knock it down.
"You are right, Counselor." Pierce responded as Wright laughed lightly under his breath. "Why are you calling me that? Nobody is watching us you know." He replied, leading Margaret to laugh and shake her head. "Formalities, I guess." The woman stated, brushing a loose hair from her face in the process.
"So now what?" She added as Wright looked down the hallway towards another door, making sure they were still alone so that he could discuss the meeting plan in private. "Well-" He began to explain before Margaret's phone began to ring on her belt.
With a sigh she reached underneath her Captain's Trenchcoat and pulled the phone from its holster with her left hand. "I'm sorry, one second." She apologized, stepping away from the counselor for a moment as she accepted the call and placed the phone to her ear.
"Pierce." Margaret answered, stopping in her tracks almost immediately. "What? Who is it?!" She questioned angrily, catching her partner's attention before the lights around them suddenly went out, as well as did her cellphone, creating an eerie silence in the pitch black, windowless hallway that ended when the ground began to shake with a low roaring sound. A power outage would not have affected her cell phone, nor would it have prevented the emergency lights from coming on inside of the building or created the quake she felt beneath her feet.
"Whats going on?" Wright questioned as Margaret froze. There was only one think she could think of capable of creating both the tremor below them as well as an electromagnetic pulse. After a moment she turned and ran back towards him in the darkness, opening the doors to the main conference room before pausing in horror with a loud gasp as through the windows a large spire of smoke in the shape of a mushroom emerged on the horizon outside of the city, coming from the direction of Fort Dakar military base.
"N-No... no it can't be possible..." She whispered as shook her head, turning to Wright as he too stepped inside and spotted the cloud, joining in the confusion and fear that had struck the others in the room.
"A nuclear attack... how? Who?!" He exclaimed as Margaret's eyes grew wide, watching the shockwave tear through the city, blasting windows out of their frames as it headed right towards them. "Dorian!" She cried out, knocking him backwards into the hallway before grabbing his arm to run as fast as they could, just as the windows in the conference room shattered and blasted chairs, tables, bookcases and bodies alike into the back wall.
Leading the man she was assigned to protect down the long series of hallways past scrambling military personnel, Margaret's heart raced, beating so loudly in her chest and ears that she could almost not hear Wright's stream of questions. "Who could have done this? Is it possible the New Republic made it to Earth somehow?" He said out loud as they reached the stairs that lead into the federal building's basement; a government bunker connected to a series of escape tunnels that secretly lead out of the city.
"I-I don't know." She replied, bringing Wright to stop in his tracks, almost nearing the bottom of the stairs. The last time she had seen the New Republic they were heading further out into space and were purely on the defensive and while she could not fully trust Geoff's motives now, she doubted that he would ever allow such a think to occur, though given what Tegan had done, she couldn't say for sure.
However, if it wasn't Zeon, who could it be? Tegan? As far as she knew he was still locked behind bars inside of the fort's military prison. "Could it have been him, or one of his men? Where are we going?" He asked, thinking the same thing as Margaret, though she shook her head. shook her head, pulling him with her.
"I don't know Dorian. It… it doesn't make sense." She replied once more, pointing towards the large room at the end of the stairs. "There are tunnels here we can use to escape. Not everyone knows about them, but I was informed of such upon our arrival just incase something like this were to occur… hopefully whoever was behind this won't know about them either. Don't stop, we've got to keep moving!" She instructed as they approached the bunker entrance guarded by two military policemen who rapidly ushered the employees from the federal building inside as well as any government staff who were there that day.
"Come on, come on! Move!" They ordered as lights inside of the bunker flickered on, remaining active and unaffected by the blast's electromagnetic pulse due to the bunker's design and location. Once inside they slowed their pace a bit, knowing that they were in a safe place despite being unsure where to go from there, giving Wright an opportunity to get more information from his body guard who frantically looked around, trying to form a plan of action.
"Who was it that called you?" He questioned, placing both of his hands on her shoulders as he did so. He had never seen her so shaken or afraid before, and while he could remain calm under pressure both in a boardroom and on a battlefield, her demeanor was causing him to be fearful as well.
"It was an officer from the Fort Dakar… he said that a pilot inside of the facility went rogue and attacked the others in a mobile suit. They d-dropped it to the ground and were approaching it to arrest the pilot when this... happened..." She explained, teetering off as her eyes looked to a group of policemen ushering other important military personnel into what appeared to be a tunnel entrance, likely to evacuate critical personnel from what was sure to become an inhospitable environment above.
"This way." She instructed, taking him by the arm again to drag him towards the entrance as his mind replayed her words. From the way it sounded a pilot at the base went rogue, embarking on a suicide mission and fighting until he could fight no more before taking his own life in a martyrdom attempt, detonating a nuclear weapon in the process.
He had seen such things before when he was just an recruit in the Federal Navy, stuck in a war against the last Neo-Zeon uprising. Those men and women were so dedicated to their cause that they would detonate their own suits when cornered, taking with them as many enemies as they could. But this was different.
A mobile suit's reactor was not capable of so much destruction however, and it was clear that a full sized nuclear warhead had been detonated. Unless purchased on the black market the New Republic could not possibly possess such a weapon, and even if they did, would they really send one of their own all the way here to die, just to send a message?
Approaching the tunnel entrance the two were stopped by the two guards who in their panic did not recognize Pierce's distinct coat nor did they identify the man with her in his black suit as Counselor Wright. "Military personnel only for now, I'm sorry." He instructed as Pierce steamed, pointing to her ranking insignias and fleet patch on her jacket as she angrily scowled.
"We are military personnel you dult! What is wrong with you?!" She snapped, bringing the guard to attempt a reply before freezing and immediately saluting as behind Wright approached General Marks, escorted by his own guards. "Let them through, she is correct. Right this way you two." The old man stated, leading the way as Wright and Pierce followed behind, entering the long concrete tunnel as they followed the stream of evacuees.
"I can see you are right to seek the death penalty for Mr. Trevelyn, Dorian. This is insanity; absolute insanity. Attacking Dakar with a nuclear weapon... he very clearly has no respect for human lives other than his own and those loyal to him." Marks stated as they walked, looking around him as he did so, catching Wright's attention. How could he have determined this was all Tegan's doing? He he really came to suspect the boy based on the circumstance as well?
"He is supposed to be in prison. How could he be orchestrating all of this? We have given him no leeway; no contact with the outside world." The counselor replied as Marks looked to him from the corner of his eye, then turned his vision forward once again.
"Who knows. Maybe one of his flunkies really is calling the shots now." The General replied, shortly after which Wright looked to his guard and stared into her eyes. He didn't have to speak for her to catch the same feeling she did; something wasn't adding up. If it was one of Tegan's followers who planned and was carrying out this attack, what was their goal? The blast likely destroyed the whole base including the prison, killing Tegan in the process. Did they break him out, or was this his final act to prevent him from being taken alive? Was that really what this was about? Revenge?
Traveling on their path down the tunnels Margaret remained alert, looking around them at all times, even if the guards before them were clearing the path already. "These tunnels are old." She stated out loud, noticing that as they travelled they ran into multiple forks and run-offs leading in all sorts of directions to unknown destinations. "The tunnels were built before the One Year War, likely following the last great war on Earth." General Marks informed the woman as he too looked up at the cracked surface of the tunnel, obviously repaired multiple times over its existence based on the places where mortar was spread across.
"There are no signs. How do we know we are going the right direction?" She asked as one of the guards pointed up to the ceiling at a pipe that ran along the corner. "Do you see the clamps on the pipe?" He questioned, shining a light up to them as he did so. "Yeah?" She replied. "The bolt heads face towards the city, while the nuts on the other side face the desert. As long as we follow the nuts we will find the end and with it, our freedom." He answered as Margaret took notice to what he was talking about. Genius really, but if they had not been with someone who was so knowledgeable with the subject, they would have ran the risk of getting lost in the immense underground labyrinth.
"They must not have wanted the enemy to have the advantage of knowing where they were going, should they have ever gained access." She replied, making sense of their decision as Marks grinned. "That is exactly correct, Captain. They may not have all sorts of fancy technology back in the day, but they sure knew how to work around it." The General responded, spotting brighter lights than usual up ahead.
"This must be one of the way stations. Come on, let's hurry." He instructed, moving ahead of Pierce and Wright until he was almost equal with his guards, who upon entering the well-lit room lowered their weapons. Initially surprised that they would drop their guard, it took until she too entered the way station to see why, as huddled inside were dozens of refugees seeking shelter from the attack outside. "God..." Wright whispered under his breath as he skimmed over the faces in the room, focusing on a pair of soldiers in the corner of the room who were attempting to operate a nearly ancient radio built into the wall of the bunker.
"Any luck with the outside?" One asked as the other shook his head. "No, nothing. We are completely cut off." He replied as the original soldier sighed and shook his head. "Fuck. What about the first group we sent through the tunnels? They were supposed to call on the landline radio at the end of the tunnel. Anything?" He asked again as once more his friend shook his head.
"Nothing from them, either." The other replied as General Marks watched. "It looks like the situation might be worse than we thought outside." The old man stated lightly as he looked back to his traveling posse before taking a seat temporarily in a chair; resting his feet while his vision focused down at the floor.
"How many more innocent people are going to die? After what happened here in '96 we promised the people of Dakar this would never happen again. We failed. Again." He stated in defeat as Wright shook his head. "We didn't fail them. This attack was intended to strike where we were most comfortable and to kill as many as possible; military and civilians alike. Whoever did this was a coward. We need to escape, find out who did this and stop them right now before any more die in a needless conflict, not sit here and wait for the 'all clear'. We need to find wherever these men are hiding, no matter how near or far, and take them down. And if that means war, so be it. After what happened here today, I'll fight them myself if I have to." He replied, bringing the General's attention back up to him with a laugh.
"Do you even remember how to shoot a gun, Dorian?" He joked, bringing a small grin to Pierce's face as Dorian smirked. "It's like riding a bicycle, isn't it?" He joked as Marks shook his head and returned to his feet. "No, not really." The General replied as he took a deep breath and looked to his guards. "Alright, let's keep moving. Is everyone ready?"
Continuing following their brief pause the group of five moved as fast as the General could withstand on his traditional, non-cybernetic peg leg, hobbling alongside the Counselor, occasionally exchanging words as they did so. "Robert, did anyone else make it out of meeting?" He questioned as General Marks looked to him, then forward once more.
"I'm not sure. To be honest, I was hitting the head when the weapon struck, so I didn't see the blast. I did see Creed in the lobby being rushed away with the help of his aide, but as far as the others go, I'm afraid I can't say one way or the other." He replied as Dorian's eyes narrowed on the walkway in front of them, passing over a metal grate that housed a drain below; water flowing into it from the tunnels ahead. They must have been reaching an incline, and with it, hopefully the exit.
"Each loss from that boardroom represents a grave blow in the Federation's leadership." He stated out loud with a sigh, looking back to the path in front of them. "At least the President was not present. That would have been a truly disastrous blow." Wright added to which Robert agreed before both men halted in their tracks, watching the two guards before them freeze and order them to do so as well. "What is it?" Margaret asked as she walked up to them, looking ahead at a four-way intersection in the tunnel, in the midst of which lay what appeared to be multiple bodies; the walls splattered with blood and bullet holes.
"I think we've found the first group who tried to come through the tunnels." One of the two guards stated as he looked to the other and nodded. "Stay here with the Counselor and the General." He instructed to Pierce as they began to walk forward cautiously towards the intersection with their weapons at the ready, preparing to search for what killed those in front of them while the female captain did as instructed and backed up towards the two diplomats behind her.
These people were shot to death, leading her to believe that they were not alone, and it would be too much of coincidence for this not to be related to the events occurring outside. "Let them clear it." She in turn instructed the two men as she placed her hand on the sidearm beneath her coat, watching the soldiers approach the bodies, stepping over them carefully until they reached the intersection. Clearing their corners they progressed through to the other side, looked to one another and motioned for the others to follow, which they did with slight hesitation.
"I don't get it." Pierce mumbled as they stepped through the gore and bloodshed to the other side. "Who would kill these people and then just leave?" She questioned just as the lights in the tunnel went out, creating yet another pitch black environment. "What the hell now?!" General Marks called out in annoyance before the lights flickered on once more, revealing that there were now four men in front of them; two kneeling down while two stood behind them; all four with their weapons trained down the hallway at the fleeing group.
"Fuck!" Wright called out as they opened fire with their suppressed weaponry, nearly escaping death as Pierce grabbed his arm and pulled him back with her into the intersection, seeking cover behind the right hallway corner as the bullets struck and killed the first guard while mortally wounding the second, as well as knocking General Marks onto his back with a bullet wound in his remaining leg.
"God damnit, not the good one!" He grumbled in pain, falling onto his back as the gunfire stopped; shell casings clanging off of the hard concrete tunnel floors in the silence that followed. "What t-the hell is the meaning of this?!" The General cursed as his eyes narrowed on the approaching soldiers, who now in the light were clearly associated with Cerberus Division; their black uniforms with red and gold insignias associated with no other unit in the military he was aware of.
"Damn you to hell, traitors!" He growled as form the distance a laugh echoed while the man it came from stepped forward from the shadowed tunnel. "Now now General Marks, that's not the word I would use." The man called, perking Pierce's ears as she immediately identified the source. "Tegan..." She whispered, looking to Wright whose face expressed the same shock. He did escape the prison, and he was the one behind all of this.
"Oh Counselor Wright!" He called out with a light chuckle, stepping forward past his guards as he did so, coming closer to the wounded soldier on the ground who held his neck to try and stop the bleeding from his wound. "I've been looking for you for quite some time now. Don't be shy, I won't shoot you. I promise." He continued to taunt, placing the heel of his boot on the dying soldier's neck.
With one motion he thrust down, crushing the man's damaged throat and finishing the job his men started. "At least, not yet." He added with a laugh as Wright's teeth ground together in anger. How did he escape? As requested he began to stand up and face the enemy before Pierce grabbed his sleeve and stopped him. "What are you doing, are you crazy?! He's going to kill you!" She pleaded as Dorian looked over at General Marks as he attempted to pull himself backwards away from the slowly approaching Cerberus with his arms.
"Is that Margaret Pierce I hear? Looks like a two for one sale today." He joked back as his men laughed. "If I don't do something he is going to kill Robert. Just be ready." The counselor replied, trailing off into a whisper as Pierce once again shook her head to warn him against such a move, though with a deep breath he stood anyway and stepped into the intersection in front of General Marks, coming face to face with Tegan for the first time, no more than twenty five feet away from him.
"So this is the renowned Dorian Wright, huh? You appear as I imagined you to be; skinny and weak." Tegan questioned as Wright stared him down, taking notice to his missing arm in the process. "I am Counselor Wright, that is correct. You must be Tegan Trevelyn. Nice to finally make your acquaintance." The counselor said, holding his hand out for Tegan to shake though as the Cerberus' eyes instead narrowed on him without acknowledging the gesture. "It's a little late for formalities, and that is Captain Trevelyn to you." He replied as Dorian nodded, acknowledging his status as he looked around at the dead around them.
"Did you do this? Did you and your men kill these innocent men and women?" He questioned despite knowing the obvious answer as Tegan chuckled a single time. "Innocent? No, no-no. They were not innocent. Anyone who supports your twisted, corrupt excuse for the Federation is not innocent. They are all traitors and guilty by association; a crime punishable by death." Tegan replied, causing Dorian to grind his teeth even further. These men and women had nothing to do with this, nor did all of those now dying in the streets above them. Did he intend to kill every man, woman and child that did not agree with him? He was insane.
"Listen to what your saying. You are not well; you need help." Wright replied as Tegan laughed again, placing his hand on his face in an over exaggerated mannerism. "Oh man, that's it right there. That's how I know you are Dorian Wright; bleeding heart counselor whose policies allowed yet another Neo-Zeon uprising." The man responded as he pointed his finger at wright and turned himself around to face his men for a brief moment before returning forward.
"You know, I always knew you would be the enemy in the end, Wright. Since the day I came under Admiral Cousland's command I was told that it was weak men like you who were the cause of all war, all bloodshed. All of the world wars, the conflicts in between, the One Year War; all of it is the fault of men like you. Cousland saw it too, and I thought it would be he who would stand up against the cancer you help grow, but honestly... I'm glad it's me." He continued, his demeanor swiftly changing as Wright grew even more impatient.
"Fine Tegan, here." He said as he took a step closer to the cerberus, holding his hands out to show that he had no weapon on him. "Look. You have me, but let Pierce and Marks go. They've done nothing wrong." Wright bargained as Tegan again laughed, crouched down and looked to the old man behind Dorian who squirming across the ground like some worm.
"Marks? You think Marks is innocent? He traded the life of his grandson for one of the highest-ranking politicians in the Federation. How else do you think we found you here? How do you think my men found me?" Tegan replied as Wright stared him down. "Your lying." The counselor responded as Tegan smirked.
"Ask him yourself. Go ahead Robert, tell the Counselor about our deal; about Jamison Marks, his wife Kimiko and their little girls, Madison and Sara." Tegan responded, purposely saying their names to add to his story as both Dorian and Pierce looked to the old man on the ground, blood pooling around him.
"I... I'm sorry Dorian... he threatened to kill my grandson in France... his whole family too. I had no choice." Robert admitted with shame in his eyes as Pierce stared him down in shock. That would explain how Tegan found them there, as well as how he knew it was Tegan who attacked Dakar and not the New Republic.
Turning his attention back to Tegan the counselor couldn't help but twitch in disgust of the whole situation. "You piece of shit... you are going to pay for everything you've done. You idolize Admiral Cousland so much, I'll make sure you join him in hell. That way you can tell that warmongering snake how much like him you grew up to be!" Dorian scolded, striking a nerve that caused Tegan to stand up and rear his remaining arm back to strike the counselor, triggering Pierce to reveal herself a she stood, drew her weapon and stepped in front of Dorian; her sights trained right on Tegan's face as he froze.
"Don't you dare!" She commanded through gnashing teeth as Tegan's grin returned. "There she is; the one responsible for my grave injury here, as well as the lack of a replacement." He laughed as he stood straight up once more, staring his former captain in the eyes. "How's... Geoff was his name, wasn't it? You were rather chummy with that traitor, weren't you?" He mocked, recalling the conversation he listened in on between the two opposing leaders as Margaret's scowled intensified.
"Fuck you Tegan. I should have killed you the second we captured you, at least then none of this would have happened in the first place!" She growled out loudly as Tegan laughed. "Do it then, huh? Do it. Let's see if you're faster with that handgun than you are with your mobile suit." Tegan tempted, sensing her thoughts as he attempted to trap her, which in her distraught state, she allowed him to do.
As the woman tightened her grip to pull the trigger Tegan sensed the coming moved and ducked, drawing his own sidearm from his holster as he did so. "Too slow!" He exclaimed, lifting his own weapon to fire at Pierce, striking her right arm twice as the bullets tore into the flesh, causing her to drop the weapon to the ground before Wright could grab her and pull her into the side passage once more with him.
"Kill them!" Tegan ordered his men as they began to shoot at the corner wall they hid behind and slowly progress forward, using caution as they were unsure if either of them had a gun of their own. Moving his head away from the shattering cover Dorian looked to his partner's wounds as she grabbed her bloodied arm. "Are you alright?!" He questioned frantically as Margaret shook her head.
"No, he... broke my fucking arm, and nicked an artery... fuck!" She cried out again in pain as she tried her best to control the bleeding, despite knowing that if she did not receive help soon with an injury this severe she was done for.
"Just hold on, I'll get us out of this... I just..." He reassured her, looking to her handgun on the ground below where she stood before dropping it. Without a gun of his own their only hope was for him to grab hers and kill all four armed men and Tegan in the matter of a split second; an impossible task that he would need to try in order to survive. Taking a deep breath he moved closer to the corner only to be pushed back away by the disappearing concrete, forcing him to abandon his impossible task.
"Shit…!" He growled, trying desperately to think of something else. At any second they would rush forward and kill both of them, but just as Wright was about to give up hope and say his goodbye to his loyal friend, he caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye; Marks.
"Dorian... here!" He heard as he watched the General grab the gun and throw it at him; an action witnessed by Tegan as well who wasted no time lifting his weapon and shooting the man until he was dead, though he was too slow to stop his throw. "Now! Go now!" He instructed knowing that now was the time to act, watching the two closest soldiers moving towards the corner as the other covered them.
Catching the firearm in his hands Wright looked up just as the first soldier rounded the corner towards him and Pierce. Lifting his weapon to fire at the counselor, Dorian immediately lifted his own weapon up and shot twice, striking the man once in the neck and then in the face, killing him instantly.
Feeling the first jerk of recoil and smelling the gunpowder burn seemed to bring back training that he had not used in years, and seizing the opportunity that presented itself, Dorian dove forward and grabbed the attacker's submachine gun from his corpse as it fell to the ground, sliding to a stop on his side below the next foe as he did so.
"What?! The soldier gasped as he was shot multiple times from below, bypassing his body armor as blood splattered across the Counselor's face as he shifted his eyes down through the falling enemies legs at Tegan as he remaining men who now aimed and fired at him, though the dead operative's body saved the man from the first few bullets, allowing him to quickly return behind cover, grabbing another magazine for his weapon from the downed soldier as he did so.
"They won't make that mistake twice." Dorian huffed as he panted, dropping the spent magazine from his gun and loading the new one while turning to Margaret who herself was surprised, even through her pain. "When d-did you become a master-gunfighter?" She mocked, wincing in agony as Dorian grinned.
"What? I told you I was a Marine during the war." He asked as he trained his weapon back to the corner in preparation for another attempt as Margaret replied. "Yeah but you didn't say you w-were special forces!" She complained as he laughed, standing on his knees as he did so. "I'll tell you about it later, once we are out of this." He responded as Tegan listened in, annoyed by his men's failure this far.
"There won't be a later Dorian. You and Margaret die today; right here, right now." The cerberus responded as he motioned for the other two to throw grenades down the hallway, but as they prepared to do so they heard shouting coming towards them from down the tunnel; the soldiers at the way stations had heard the gunfire and come to assist.
Seeing the approaching flashlights Tegan snarled under his breath and fired his handgun down the tunnel, trying to buy them whatever time he could. "Throw them and lets go; we won't win this fight." He instructed, backing down the tunnel toward the entrance as he continued to fire while his two men did as instructed before all three of them retreated, leaving Margaret, Dorian and two live grenades behind.
"Grenades!" Margaret called out, watching the two fragmentation devices bounce off of the wall and land between them and General Mark's body, forcing Dorian to act quickly. Reaching forward he grabbed the dead Cerberus operative's body and dragged it in between them and the nearest grenade before throwing Margaret on her back and laying half-way on top of her, canted slightly to the side of her that faced the grenade. "Cover your ears!" He instructed as she did as she was told, milliseconds before the grenades detonated, stirring up a thick cloud of smoke that made vision nearly impossible in the tunnel.
"This way!" One of the Federal soldiers called out as a large group of soldiers from the way station approached the site of the battle, carefully advancing up to the intersection and shining their flashlights around until spotting Dorian and Margaret on the ground, though they did not immediately identify them as friendly. "Hands up, hands up!" A soldier commanded as Dorian stood back up on his knees, coughing the from the dust in the room as he did so. "Hey, hey! It's me, Wright!" He called out, bringing the men to lower their weapons and rush to their aid.
"What happened here?!" One of them asked as he saw the bodies in the room ranging from the civilian to military and then to military official with the identification of General Marks' now shrapnel-ridden body. "It was Tegan Trevelyn and Cerberus division. They did all of this. The nuke, this attack. All of it." Dorian replied, as the soldier looked at him and noticed the blood under them and covering both of their clothes.
"Are you alright sir?!" One of them men questioned as Dorian nodded, helping Margaret sit up before he too placed his hands over her wound. "But she's not." He replied as Margaret shook her head.
"I-I'm alright... gah..." She tried to object, though Dorian wasn't going to have it. "Stop, you are going to be alright. Is anyone a medic?" He questioned as they all shook their heads, though one stepped forward after seeing her injury and offered a tourniquet for the time being. "No, but I have this. Medical staff are assembling outside at the end of the tunnel to help evacuate the wounded. Lets get this on her and get you two out." The soldier instructed, kneeling behind Margaret to easily access her arm above where two held as Dorian shook his head.
"We can't go that way, that's how they got in." He instructed as one of the soldiers shook his own head. "Hate to object sir, but we just spoke with some of our men on the outside; transports are waiting and are friendly. Whatever way they came in, it wasn't this one." The man replied as Dorian sighed. This was all too much. Their whole world was changing, and not for the better. More of their own men were likely to join Tegan now as he would likely gloat about what he had done in Dakar to express his military might and just how right he was. How far would this go? Who would stand with them, and against them?
Hearing Margaret whimper as the soldier tightened the tourniquet as tightly as possible he snapped from his thoughts and looked to her, though much to his surprise she held a grin beneath her dirty, pain stricken face. "Guess you... actually do remember how to shoot a gun. Want to tell me now h-how you became Counselor Gunfighter?" She joked as he laughed and nodded. "Sure. But first... who's Geoff?"
Some time later Tegan and his men broke out onto the surface, exiting an old service line that led to a communications antenna atop a mountain to the southwest of Dakar. "Here sir, let me help." One of the men said, holding out his hand for Tegan to grab as the climbed the ladder out of the service entrance, upon which he was reunited with the team of nearly fifty Cerberus operative that came to his rescue.
"Thank you, Corey." He replied to the leader of the team, standing up onto the mountainside as he turned to face the city they had just came from, the mushroom cloud from their attack still looming in the background. "You are going to all want one of these. Radiation levels in the area are still very, very high." Another stated, handing a mask to Tegan as well as the two men he exited the tunnel with as each donned it to match the others.
"I want to thank all of you; both for your loyalty as well as for saving me from that prison. What we have done here today will forever be remembered, as will our brother Lucas, who sacrificed himself to deliver the strongest message possible to the Federation; that we will not just standby and watch them hand our homes our or world over to those who live in space. We will be the saviors of Earth; those who will protect our way of life from destruction. Don't ever forget what we are fighting for. That is what separates us from them." The Cerberus stated as Corey stepped forward so that he stood beside their leader, all eyes out in the distance at the burning horizon.
"What now, Captain?" He asks as Tegan looks over his shoulder at his newest Lieutenant and takes a deep breath of filtered air. "We make for Cordova; our stronghold. They will come there first, and if we are to face the might of the Federation it would best be done on our own soil, and on our own terms." Tegan replied before turning to walk towards one of the armored vehicles their crew had acquired, looking to one of their communications officers as he did so.
"Send word to the other cells; take all those who wish to join us and meet at Cordova. We are in for one hell of a fight and I have a feeling it will take every one last of us to hold back the tide of invaders." He stated, climbing into the back of one the armored personnel carriers as he took one last look at Old Dakar, no doubt in his mind that what they had done would change the tide of the war.
The Federal leadership while still present was in fractured, buying them much needed time. Time to prepare and time to heal. "Mount up!" He ordered, disappearing inside of the machine as those who followed him did so as well, destined for their home once more.