While her horse was pawing the ground at the top of the mound, Darbinian watched InGen's helicopter fly eastward, upset that they failed to capture Wu.
They had indeed captured some of his subordinate geneticists but ignoring their degree of involvement in the Indominus' creation or even if they had been involved at all, the guards feared that their interrogation would be fruitless.
However, there was Dr. Ivan Preston among them, who was known to be close to Wu. Perhaps that the latter had revealed secrets about his work to him.
While awaiting to be brought back to Burroughs, the captives had been locked inside one of the marauders and the guards were waiting for Brunet's arrival, as the latter had planned to hold a meeting near the mound.
A few meters from her, the mercenary she had shot down hadn't still died, and the sounds he was making became unbearable.
She turned away from the sound and came to turn him on his back with her foot.
Blood had spurted between his fingers and kept coming out of the hole in his throat. His eyes were rolling in his sockets, he was barely conscious.
Darbinian drew her long knife and finished the mercenary by brutally thrusting the blade into his heart while the other guards that had climbed up the mound looked at the scene with unease, uncomfortable due to the absence of feelings on her face.
Once he let out his last breath, Darbinian left his body there and she and her comrades went down the mound and headed to a nearby promontory that faced northeast and overlooked the Rio Iris. From there, they could see Mount Sibo, the Cartago Valley and the Misty Mounts.
The guards gathered in front of the promontory and Brunet arrived shortly after, mounted on a sturdy black horse with a strong neck and long curly hairs.
He climbed to the top of the promontory and from there, he gazed at the gathering and spoke:
"My brothers and sisters. The choice we are all about to make will determine the course of our order's history," he began solemnly. "The path I intend to take is the one of defiance and insurrection."
By responding to Torres's men and chasing them and the geneticists, they had already set foot on the said path but there, Brunet was talking about an open war with InGen, something that Caer Draig would never approve and would even try to stop at all costs before it has consequences on an international scale that could lead to a diplomatic crisis.
As he listened to Brunet's speech, Drekanson began to touch his beard nervously, and the fear of the insurgency declaration's consequences could be read on his face.
"Fearing retaliations and UN sanctions, Störmer won't want us to raise the hand against InGen's troops and he will even try to stop us but I refuse to bow and leave the Slayers breathe any longer and InGen's treachery unpunished! Thus, I leave you with the following choice: Avenge our fallen comrades and take the risk of being shot or being imprisoned, or not intervene and live the rest of your days knowing that you have done nothing to stop InGen when needed."
Those who were reluctant to follow Brunet in his vengeance listened to him, curious as to what he meant by that.
"Because actually, the stakes are much bigger than you imagine: The Indominus' ambush on my platoon was a weapon testing and one day, if we do nothing, it may be used against your homes and families!"
The memory of the ambush still endured among the survivors of Brunet's platoon, and as for the other platoons, their members had lost friends in the same ambush. Thus, because of the trauma induced by the attack, a large majority of the guards harboured a deep hatred towards those who had organized it and were determined to make them pay.
By raising the fear that others indominuses would be created and sold as weapons, Brunet persuaded some of the reluctant to join the cause.
"I swear you that I will not yield without a fight! Death might await me at the end but if such is my destiny, so be it. I let you make your own choice. May it be wise! That those who intend to join me move five steps forward."
Not surprisingly, it was Darbinian who advanced first, quickly followed by Rössler, Maathai and Yu who dropped a "For Mei! " quietly.
Seeing their lieutenant join Brunet, many among his platoon followed him and the Forresters stepped forward too, then it was the turn of the rest of Nublar's garrison and even Drekanson, who had observed with fear the desire for revenge consuming the other guards, decided to join the insurgents, like if he hoped that he could calm the bellicose ardours of his comrades, especially those of Brunet, and prevent from within the insurgency from degenerating.
The few who hesitated came forward too. Among them, Velasquez was torn in his heart: on one hand, he wanted to make the murderers of Turner and Tian pay, and on the other, he refused to believe that his cousin Cortès could have played a role in this. He knew that he had already done disreputable things when he was a henchman or a mercenary, but taking part in the massacre of foreign soldiers officially considered as allies was far beyond the limits of his morality. Velasquez hoped to find a way to talk to him and ask him whether or not he was there when his colleagues were murdered, before the other guards kill him or worse.
"I will leave only one chance of surrendering to the Slayers. If they don't take it, may God have mercy for their souls because we shall have none!"
Brunet drew his sabre and pointed it towards the sky.
"No mercy!" Shouted most of the guards, completely galvanised, while raising their weapons in the air. "No mercy!" They repeated before repeatedly striking the ground with the shaft of their spears or shields with spears and other weapons.
The noise they made partly covered the loud rumbling in the island's depths. It was followed by an aftershock of intermediate magnitude that made the guards stagger a little.
Just after, a part of the Sibo's eastern side exploded, throwing volcanic bombs south-east, right towards the Haunted Mountain and the jungle on its slopes.
