Hey all, this is just a dumb little idea I had when listening to a song. The song in question is Whereabouts Unknown by Rise Against. I was listening to it the other day and this thought popped into my head. I was planning on making it a few chapter long story but settled on this small little one-shot. I hope you all enjoy.
Whereabouts Unknown- Rise Against
Opposite Sides
This was to be the most important mission in his career the man was told. His superiors had finally uncovered the identity and location of the leader in the resistance. The man was told he'd be leading the assault on the leader's compound, with orders to take their leader alive so they could end the war there and then.
The Sargent was excited. Once him and his team had captured the bastard that started all this, he could go back to his family. His long career in this military would finally be at an end.
But that excitement quickly fell once he saw the name and picture of the supposed leader of the resistance. It was an old friend of his, one he knew from his life before the man he is now. Back when everything was much simpler and he didn't have so much blood on his hands. Part of him believed they selected him personally for the mission because of this very reason.
No matter where they sent him, or what his target was, The man had executed his mission with unwavering resolve and precision. He saw nothing but the mission and they knew that despite the target's relation to him, there would be no issue. After taking the day to get to know his new squad-mates for the mission, the Sargent headed to his bunk to rest for the night.
Sleep would not come easy for the man that night however. As his mind remembered the days he was still a child, the days when he still could call the enemy his friend. The times they would hang out at the arcades, go to school, or just have fun at each other's houses. The man sighed heavily as he realized he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight. "Ahh, why'd it have to be him?" The man said to himself as he raked his hands through his hair.
To the ends of this lost world
You have marched and you have sworn
To a tainted crown of thorns
"How did it turn out like this?" The man thought. Out of all the nobodies or faceless people he's never met, why did it have to be someone he knew? The Sargent groaned as he got out of bed and went for a walk to try and clear his head for the mission the following day. As he walked around the base and admired the calm, clear night sky his mind again wandered to memories of his childhood. The hours passed and soon, the man knew he'd have to get ready to leave for the plane. On his way back to his bunk, the Sargent remembered the last time he saw his friend.
It was just after they graduated high-school. The Sargent was going into the military and his friend was heading off to college to pursue an art degree. The man chuckled to himself as he tried to wonder how his nerdy friend who was an aspiring artist became the leader of the radicals he'd been fighting for the past couple years.
The Sargent was able to sleep for three hours before his alarm alerted him to the start of his day. He packed up his gear and headed for the plane to meet his squad-mates and depart for their mission.
As the hungry sails unfurl
We are trusted from the shore
And it's you that we search for
The Sargent's team landed a few miles from their destination as to not alert the enemy. They were going to separate into three teams, with the Sargent going off on his own and his other four team members dividing most of the enemy forces.
The blackest night, The midnight sun
The covered tracks and days spent on the run
The strangers we've become
These whereabouts unknown
Please know you can come home
It's alright, I long for the moment
Our silence is broken
It's alright, It's alright
Once they were close enough to the resistance's compound, the squad divided into their teams and began their assault. Once the Sarge had snuck inside the compound the other two teams got into position and drew the attention of the bulk of the enemy fighters. Only a few handfuls of combatants remained inside the halls of the base to guard intelligence and the room their leader was holed up in.
The Sarge snuck his way past a couple patrols before having to finally draw his weapon after being discovered by a stray guard exiting a storage room. According to the layout the team had recovered before their operation, the leader's office was only a few more halls away from the Sargent's current position.
But the guard patrols were already about to converge on him and he knew it. The Sarge took a deep breath, steeling his nerves before charging towards his goal, he wasn't going to have come all this way and not get the answers he was looking for.
Another place, another time
We toed the same side of the line
Yeah we saw eye to eye
Even then the saddest sounds,
Were nothing laughter could not drown
But we are not laughing now
One by one the enemy fell to his gun, he was like a well oiled machine, gunning down his targets with deadly precision. His singular focus was one of the qualities that his superiors admired when sending him on assassination and snatch and grab missions such as this one. After shooting his way to the leader's room, the Sargent reloaded his weapon before preparing himself for whatever was on the other side of the door.
No matter what happened next, the Sargent knew he'd have the answers he sought.
Kicking in the door, he was immediately shot at by the resistance leader taking cover behind his desk. The Sarge quickly dove behind a couch by the wall and used it for cover, waiting for the man to be out of ammo so he could get a word in.
Once he heard the clicks of the leader's gun, the Sargent stood up with his gun aimed towards the man.
I see your face, In my sights
I hesitate
And then look for a sign, Somewhere in the sky
These whereabouts unknown
Please know you can come home
It's alright
I long for the moment
Our silence is broken
It's alright, It's alright
It's alright
"Why?" He asked the leader. The man raised a brow, wondering why the soldier was even wasting time talking when he could just shoot him down. "Why what?" The leader asked back. "Why you? W-What happened to you to put you here?" the Sargent asked. "I'm sorry do I know you or something?" the leader questioned.
The Sarge took off his helmet, revealing his face with a small amount of white facial hair and a buzz cut of similar color. "You used to. We were once friends laughing and playing together. But now I find you here leading the damn resistance!"
The Leader squinted his eyes before they widened like dinner plates with realization. "Wait...Lincoln!? I-Is that you?" The leader asked.
"Yes Clyde, it's me. But can you say the same for yourself? What the hell happened from when I left for the military to now?" Sargent Loud asked his friend. "I opened my eyes buddy. I hate to say it but you're on the wrong side of this fight". Clyde answered back. "They've brainwashed you into making you think what you're fighting for is right but all your bosses do is lie, steal and murder!" Clyde shouted.
"What are you talking about? We fight for freedom, not just for this country you've taken over, but for everywhere". Lincoln argued back. "More like enslavement. Your 'military' secretly rules over all these places with an iron thumb!" Clyde shot back. "I don't believe that! And besides we don't murder innocents...or children! How many people did your men kill in that hospital bombing huh!?" Lincoln shouted.
"They pinned that on us when they were the ones who did it! It was all propaganda to paint us as the enemy when we are fighting to free people from their grip". Clyde exclaimed. "You expect me to believe that? Guess I can add liar to the long list of things you've turned into". Lincoln spat.
"I'm not lying Linc! They've conditioned you into thinking they have everyone's best interests at heart but the secrets we've uncovered are just too damning to say they're anything but power hungry monsters". Lincoln's interests were piqued. "What secrets? What do you mean?"
Clyde walked around his desk and grabbed some documents, ready to show his friend exactly what they uncovered about the military he was serving under. "Boss we got incoming drones half a click out!" Clyde heard over the radio as he turned to face his friend. Knowing exactly what was happening, Clyde rushed forward and pushed Lincoln out of the way, sending the Sargent flying out into the hall.
As soon as Lincoln landed, a missile strike hit the building and an explosion burst forth from the room he and Clyde were in. Lincoln was shoved back against the wall by the force of the explosion and his world went black as he lost consciousness.
When he awoke, Lincoln brushed himself off as he tried to regain his footing. As he did so, a few papers fell from his vest, and on closer inspection, he saw that they were piece of evidence left from Clyde. Sargent Loud searched for his friend but found no trace of him in the building.
A voice rang out over his walkie and Lincoln was informed that the mission was over, their squad was returning back to base. Lincoln frowned as he looked at the documents and then back to the room he found Clyde in, trying to wrap his head around what was right anymore.
Even together, we stand apart
Swallow the sun, erase the sky
An invitation has been declined
Where did you go? Where did you go?
These whereabouts unknown
Please know you can come home
It's alright
I long for the moment, Our silence is broken
It's alright, It's alright
It's alright
It's alright now
Oh, oh
It's alright now
'Cause all is forgiven, If you could just listen
It's alright, It's alright.
Lincoln and his squad headed back to base, where the Sargent had a few questions for his superiors. He had no idea where Clyde went to after the assault, but Lincoln swore to himself that he wouldn't rest until he had the answers to the questions he didn't know he needed to be asking.
And that's that. As I said, just a silly little one-shot I got the idea for. Let me know what you guys think. And for those who read my other stories I should have updates on "The Best Brother" this week and "What Was Missing" by the end of next week. "Repairing a Bond" Is still in progress but I most likely won't have the next chapter of that up for another couple weeks.
Until then, have a good one and stay safe.