The second part of the dark era is almost over! It's about to enter the third and final segment!... Of course, I would have no control to decide that for the other Gundams, since I don't own them...
Gundam:
The dark era:
Chapter 17:
Revelation:
Late AC 192...
Fex turned off his computer and planted his face in his hands. He was screwed for sure. Rapter had his number. Fex knew he wanted him gone. And now he had a proof positive reason to do it. He would be court marshaled. He would be convicted of treason and proven guilty. He would then be executed...
...Fex wouldn't fight any of this...
No... He had to fight it. He was convinced that his job wasn't done yet. Kat was alive somewhere, suffering. He couldn't let that go on any longer. He needed to find her...
And he needed to find out if his mother was still alive. He would have to find the cloaked woman...
But how was he going to do it? Rapter was keeping him under constant surveillance now. Fex couldn't take a piss without his permission. He had his gun taken away from him. So he had no chance to kill the other, fully armed soldiers. If he could get his hands on some hardware, he could make a statement...
...A futile, lose-lose statement. A statement that assured a quicker death...
...But a statement, nonetheless...
"Hey, Fex..." Howie was at his door. "We have to talk..."
"Do you have Rapter's permission?"
"Yes."
Fex still couldn't tell about Howie...
Fex turned towards the table and pointed at the seat across from him.
"Sit."
Howie sat down. He sighed and then began.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I feel pretty screwed..."
"You are, really..."
"Thanks..." Fex said, sarcastically.
"Your in a pretty tight spot..."
"Yeah. I don't know what to do..."
Howie changed the subject. "You know, the Alliance is going to decide on the fate of the J.T.M.S. soon..."
"Really...?" Fex scoffed. "Please do me a favor. If they kill me before they vote on that, make sure that it isn't passed..."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I've got a hunch that there's something wrong with this unit. I think that it's views and goals may be different from what the Alliance wants."
"You think this is a unit secretly run by the Rebels?"
"No... I think there's a third party involved..." Fex paused for a long time. "I think they're about ready to show themselves."
"How do you figure there's a third party?"
"It's what happened with my dad... When he was assassinated, the funds for his organization were annexed by someone."
"Who? Why couldn't it have been the Rebels?"
"Because the Rebels would have spent the money on arms. Was there any noticeable arms increase with the Rebels afterward? No... And also, haven't you noticed that we've been in a constant state of war ever since that? Various military forces, fighting for power all over the world. Have you noticed that when a military power is fighting another military power, one of the sides will be losing men until they get to a certain point. The military forces will be small in number, and then, POOF!" He made a gesture with his hand's. "They just disappear. They weren't destroyed, there's never any sign of that. Where did they go? The Rebels don't have the weapons. So who has them?"
"Fex..." Howie sighed. "Have you ever contemplated that we had those weapons?"
"Yeah, but would we have any reason to hide them?"
Pause...
"Another thing I want you to do if they kill me..."
"What?
"Find Kat. Save her..."
"Don't worry..." Howie lit a cigarette and looked out the window. He removed the cigarette and a plume of smoke exited. He turned back towards Fex and slid a computer disk across the table. "Take a look at this..." Howie said. Then he stood up.
Fex picked up the disk and looked at it, confused. He looked up Howie, as if for some reassurance.
"Don't look at it right now." Howie answered as he turned and started walking for the door.
"Does Rapter...?"
"Yeah." Howie passed through the door and took another drag from his cigarette.
Meanwhile...
"Yes... Yes... Fex Anderson... I've heard the name mentioned before..."
"What are you watching?" Taylor asked.
"Interrogation videos..." Rapter answered.
"OW! GOD! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? WHAT MORE DO YOU FUCKING WANT TO KNOW?"
"Are you sure you don't wanna' see Tom off?"
"Yes..."
"KILL ME! YOU FUCKING SADISTIC BASTARDS!"
"Happy to oblige..."
The interrogator put a bullet through his victim's head.
Rapter sighed. "You know, I've watched maybe a hundred of these videos already and they all seem to end the same way. Tom's men, having survived the battle in Paris, interrogate their prisoners and then kill them. They were in a killing frenzy. They wanted to pay them back for all the losses they took, even though, technically, we won the battle. So now I've gotta' ask myself... Where's the morality hiding within all the killing? Where is the line between just killing someone and reason? And have I crossed over that line by wanting to kill Fex?"
"I don't know, Rapter..."Taylor answered shaking his head. "But you've got a trial to conduct tomorrow, Rapter. I don't think Fex even has a case, so I would to take a break for a while. Maybe get some rest..."
Rapter nodded. "Yeah, you're right..." He turned the tv off. "I've got a long day tomorrow..."
Later...
It was storming outside and thunder boomed. Fex turned on his computer and put in the program that Howie had given him. A whole lot of numbers popped up onscreen but it didn't look like anything he would be interested in. Then he realized it was two decryption codes. But the question was what were they for?
"Let's see what else we've got here..." Fex clicked on other bars. Nothing interesting. Then he typed in the first decryption code he had found. What popped up onscreen was the document containing the illegal transactions that Fex 'made'. What was the other one for, then?...
He typed it in...
His jaw dropped open in disbelief...
"I don't believe it... I had no idea..."
The next morning...
Rapter woke up. He had slept on the couch in the lobby. He had no reason for it, other than the fact that he had been tired and that the couch was the closest thing for him to lay down on...
As he sat up, he realized that somewhere on the base, soldiers were screaming and yelling. He immediately was curious as to why...
He looked out the window and jumped when he saw a Rebel chopper parked on the runway.
"OH, SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?" He picked up his radio. "TAYLOR? ARE YOU THERE? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"
Taylor answered. "I DON'T KNOW! I JUST WOKE UP AND THEY WERE HERE!"
Rapter saw soldiers loading something onto the helicopter.
"WHATEVER THE PARTY WAS, WE MUST HAVE MISSED IT! TAYLOR, MEET ME OUT THERE, WE'RE GOING TO CUT THEM OFF!"
"ROGER!"
Rapter whipped his Desert Eagle out and ran outside. He pointed the gun at one of the soldiers.
"RAPTER! STOP!"
The voice was familiar...
He lowered his weapon. The Rebels stopped and looked at him. Rapter heard someone coming up behind him. He turned...
Howie was there...
Rapter figured something in that moment...
Howie smirked. "Stupid. You were just to fucking stupid..."
Rapter felt a bullet hit his stomach. As he fell forward, he noticed the gun in Howie's hand...
He laid on the ground, shocked about what had just happened. Howie walked past his body.
"LOAD THE CHOPPER!" Howie shouted. "WE'RE LEAVING! WE HAVEN'T GOT ALL FUCKING DAY!"
He just laid there, listening to them load the chopper, not doing anything. Eventually, they finished and took off...
"RAPTER!" Taylor had reached him and propped his head up. "The medics are coming! Fex wasn't in his room! He must be the..."
"Yes..." Rapter quietly said, gurgling the blood in his mouth. "But you won't believe this... Howie was also a double agent..."
What do you think? This is one of the big plot points, so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me what you think!