Love Struck Delusion

Chapter 290 - Breaking my mental barrier.

Zeta's POV, Thirty minutes later.

Pepper and I were spending our time off by keeping in shape. It turned into a competition pretty fast between us, but I think what drove us was the image we had to uphold. Everyone on base knows that we are Raptor's personal security. We have to train hard. We have to look intimidating even when we're off the clock. Yet I wasn't blind. There were plenty of people just watching to check out our bodies. Not that either of us were complaining. Props of being young.

I still had about ten minutes left of upper body to do on the pullup bar and Pepper took it upon herself to copy me only a few feet over to my right. Both of us were busting a good sweat and with my focus on keeping up my pace, I grew intrigued when I saw Raptor coming back outside from the main building. Except this time he was walking for the gate.

Thankfully being where I was and facing the right direction, I was able to watch as a humvee came driving in, just to stop a few meters away from where he was standing with the gate crew. Pepper jumped off her bar as Char and a few other men came exiting out from the truck. Char went right to Raptor as the others went towards the main building. Sensing my sister by my side, I got down to wipe my forehead and listen as she asked me.

"What do you think that's about?"

"I don't know." I replied as I bent down to grab my water bottle.

It was unaware to me that when I did bend down, I heard a sharp whistle come from behind me a good distance. Pepper shot her head back almost instantly as there was a small group of guys sitting down by a few of the weight benches. All of which were younger soldiers much like the two of us. Standing back up straight to look at my sister, I begged her in confusion.

"Please tell me that wasn't directed at me."

"I think it was. Look." She urged me as I looked back to see this yellow hedgehog giving me a smile.

This dude had to think he was some kind of hot shit to be whistling at me. Just from how his quills were parted I could tell he must think he's a lady's man. Or just a scumbag. I quickly paid him no mind and looked back at Raptor to see him and Char walking away from the gate. They were standing side by side and talking from what I could see. As I was staring at my boyfriend, I had zoned out a little. After a few seconds Pepper mumbled.

"Oh man. Here we go. Zeta?"

Looking back at her to see she was giving me this crooked smile, I asked.

"What?"

Nudging her head back towards where those guys were, I looked to widen my eyes as that yellow hedgehog was making his way over with two of his friends.

"Ahhh shit." I whispered in concern as she asked me before they got any closer.

"Want to just leave?"

"I…?" Before I could even respond to her that yellow hedgehog shouted at me.

"You two really know how to work that bar!"

I knew it was too late to run so I switched my tone to sound at the very least nice, so not to immediately give them any sign that we were not interested.

"Thanks but we're kinda in the middle of finishing our set. What's up?"

"What's your names?" He asked, ignoring what I just said.

I was never good at being brutally honest with curious bystanders. Pepper on the other hand was and replied.

"What's it to you guys? Can't you see we're in the middle of something?"

Sensing the difference between the two of us, the hedgehog shot her a small smile and chuckle and urged her.

"I see that yeah, but it's just a question. I'm Jack." He offered his hand to her, but got nothing back. Pepper at the very least gave him what he wanted.

"Pepper. And that's Zeta."

"Zeta?" He hummed as his eyes came back to me. During that time I took another drink and fixed my hair. Jack on the other hand took this as his chance to try and ask something else.

"Word is you two are Commander Voltz's personal bodyguards. That true?"

Pepper looked at me to see where I was about to go with my response. Trying my best to keep this conversation tame, I replied as respectfully as I could.

"That's correct, but hey listen…..I don't think you should be over here talking to us about it. What we do isn't anyone's concern, but Raptor's."

Giving me another crooked smile, Jack questioned.

"Raptor? You call him by his first name? Must be real special if you get that honor. You two aren't from the middle east right? You're not rebellion either?"

I took a moment to shut my mouth and think of a plan to get this guy off our backs. Before I could make my next move, he said to me while getting a step closer.

"Hey I'm not trying to cause any trouble for you guys. I just wanted to see if you maybe wanted to come hang out with us after training for some drinks. How's that sound?"

I glanced over to Pepper. I was stunned this dude wouldn't catch a hint. Even more caught off guard when he reached out to take my water bottle out from my right hand. Pepper widened her eyes as the kid got within inches of me to whisper in Russian.

"I promise we'll have a good time."

Then his hand went to rub my forearm. I can't describe to you how fast things changed right when his fingers touched my fur. Like a bolt of lightning; Raptor charged right between us. Grabbing Jack by the same hand that touched me. My water bottle dropped to the ground not a moment after.

"You saw the moment he realized he fucked up when he found out it was his Commander holding his wrist."

With a direct and outright powerful growl, Raptor asked Jack.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Pepper and I remained where we were standing and watched in confusion as he replied.

"I was….I mean I was just trying to get to know them Commander. See if maybe they wanted to hang out after training. I mean what's the big deal? The war is over. We're still celebrating."

Raptor was now standing right in front of me. Everyone was watching as he began to twist Jack's hand. The hedgehog instantly began to buckle his legs in pain as Raptor told him directly and with a growl.

"You get to know people by touching them without permission? You think that's how this works?"

The kid was clearly in agony as he tried to reply back.

"I…..I…...aghhhh…..Commander I was…..I was just…..?"

I reached out to try and grab him by the shoulder, but the second I felt one of my fingers graze his back, Raptor shot his right knee forward and square into Jack's stomach. The hedgehog hit the mat immediately after and his two friends had backed away leaving him to fend for himself now that Raptor had clearly claimed his dominance.

Pepper came closer to my side as I was unsure as to how to feel. Thankfully that fixed itself shortly after when Raptor stood above the kid to tell him.

"I don't give two fucks about what you were trying to do. These girls are off limits and you knew that from your superiors. Every officer told their troops not to get involved with my security. I don't care if there isn't a war going on, that order stands. Do you hear me?"

The kid couldn't breathe. Raptor saw that and knelt down to grab him by the back of his neck. Jack coughed on his own tongue as Raptor waited for an answer.

"Yes sir!"

Raptor wasn't letting him go. Instead he continued to choke him. Jack hung on barely as Raptor stood back up straight with him in his grasp. Struggling to stand again even with the help, Raptor leaned into his ear to say.

"Good. I twisted your arm because you broke a clear order. I knocked the wind out of you because you deserved it. Now listen close as I tell you this."

I widened my eyes as Raptor growled.

"Not like you were to know this, but that girl right there that you just touched? She belongs to me. And I swear to you and to whatever god you believe in, I will kill you if I ever see you near her again. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir." He replied as he had been given enough time to catch his breath.

Raptor finally had enough. He let Jack go and from there the hedgehog apologized.

"I'm so sorry Commander. I didn't…...I…?"

"Dismissed!" Raptor shouted as he cut the kid's apology down.

Jack and his friends went back to where they were in due time. Raptor watched every step they took and once they were gone he asked me without looking.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I replied.

Both Pepper and I were stunned by the display we just witnessed from him.

From where I was standing I could see Raptor was still very defensive and angry about what just happened. His fists were clenched and he couldn't take his eyes off Jack who tried to recover from his beating. In time, Raptor turned back around to say.

"Good."

Both Pepper and I were caught completely off guard when we saw his eyes were red. But the second I had locked onto him; they went back to purple and he had said with a much calmer voice.

"I'm going back inside."

With that said, Raptor pushed through both of us and made his way back inside the capital.

Raptor's POV.

Char waited for me by the door to my office. When I came up the stairs he asked me.

"You good?"

Nodding I replied.

"I'm good. Come in. We need to talk about something."

The young wolf made his way to my desk as I shut the door to the office. When I had it locked did I hear him ask me.

"I came as fast as I could. What's going on? It sounded important."

This was important. More than he could understand. So to start showing it I decided to sit down in the other chair that was next to him and not the one that was behind my desk. Char was wide eyed as I went on to tell him.

"This is important. I just got off the phone with Hecan Moore. I need to be at the Pakistan capital within the next few hours to meet with him and Drake."

"What for?" He wondered as I calmly leaned in to stare at him.

Char was listening but was for sure concerned with my silence as I gave him probably the longest and hardest staredown of his life. He began to look around to avoid eye contact. Sensing he was unsure of what I was about to say back, I reached out to place my hand on his shoulder and tell him first off the blunt truth of how I felt.

"I want you to know Char that I trust you. More than anyone. You're the future of this country. You can't see it yet, but you are. Trust me. You're special and I'm proud to call you one of my few remaining friends. If not, my only remaining best friend now that Archer is gone. I trust my life in your hands."

"Raptor." He mumbled in sadness as he sensed that I was being emotional with my words.

Squeezing his shoulder I went on to tell him.

"What I'm going to tell you right now doesn't leave this room."

"That goes without saying." He chuckled to try and lighten the mood as I smiled and nodded back to his charm. Yet I had very little left to keep it up and quickly lowered my head for a moment to find the right words. Once I had my approach I said to him.

"Before my trip to Alaska I spent some time in Pakistan with Zeta and a few others. For multiple reasons as you already know."

"Yeah I remember. Hecan had you sign the treaty."

"He also helped me get to Gorgon." I stated as he then asked.

"Before that though Commander I got a question I wanted to ask you about that whole situation. If it's okay."

Nodding I replied.

"Yeah of course. What is it?"

I took my hand off him as he asked me.

"Did you know Archer would snap like he did? You had too. You knew him better than anyone."

I put on a very serious face as he went on to say.

"I know why you left originally. It was all about Gorgon and what he did to you and your family. I get that. But at the same time after it was all said and done, you kinda just ran and left Archer hanging to go to Alaska for a few weeks. I guess I just don't understand why you went there in the first place."

Licking my lips I replied.

"Let me answer the first question. Yes I knew Archer would snap. He could never handle that kind of power being at the top of something this big. I knew he'd ruin and disgrace everything we worked to get."

With two wide eyes Char questioned.

"If you knew then why did you leave? You could have probably stopped all that from happening if you would have stayed."

Tapping his knee with my right hand I replied.

"This is where things get a little rough Char. So please….listen."

The kid shut his mouth as I leaned in close with my chair to say.

"I knew Archer couldn't take the responsibility. I knew he'd cause nothing but problems at the head of the rebellion. That's why I chose Wreak the first time it had to happen. To avoid any issues. But back then I never expected these kinds of problems to stand before me. Mainly losing my family for the second fucking time."

Char allowed me to keep going so I did by telling him next.

"You know why I reached out to Hecan to begin with. You know what I did was selfish, but it was something I had to do for my own sake. By the time it was all done and over with we were starting the war off right with the first battle in Afghanistan. We both know how it ended. But along the way I met Zeta. Who I will tell you now is my girlfriend. I'm sure you already knew that."

"Congratulations." Char said to me as I nodded and replied.

"Thank you, but let me continue with what I was saying."

The wolf nodded and went back to listening as I explained it to him.

"Before my intervention in that battle Char, the people in charge of the rebellion were mostly all single minded men stuck in the old ways and the old beliefs of the rebellion. Mainly in their hate of G.U.N. If I stayed and tried to control what we had at the time, there would have been a few select hands going against my choice to abolish the rebellion and work with G.U.N instead of fighting them. Archer and Mason are prime examples. Along with a few select officers and higher ups. Despite my rank, there would have been disputes among us and we'd be stuck somewhere trying to resolve where the leadership should have been and what we should be focused on after winning back Afghanistan."

I cut my speech off to look at the top of my desk where my whiskey bottle sat. Char had his eyes glued to me as I poured him a glass and handed it over to begin pouring one for myself. Once I was done, I took a sip and continued.

"Now despite what you might think, I can't just overrule everyone's opinions. I would have encountered problems getting to where we are now. And I can't just kill them either. So I took a more sadistic and completely selfish route. Are you ready to hear it?" I asked him as he took a sip from his glass to nod his head shortly after. Patting his knee with my left hand, I took a breath and said in a much lower tone so not to be overheard by anyone outside the office that could be listening.

"I had a very strong feeling Archer would do all the things that he did to our country. From the executions, to the riots, to the lockdowns and the rules he set as he slowly became a dictator. I knew he'd reach out for help once he crossed a certain line. Hence Ying PMC getting involved. They were the same group that was hunting both Zeta and her sister not that long ago."

Stopping to take another sip, I cleared my throat and went on to tell him.

"Regardless of all that, it's not all that important. Ying is done. We won't see them ever again. What is important is that I planned for Archer to go down the road he did. I planned for the riots. I planned for all the killings. I planned for him to dig his own grave. Along the way he got plenty of our own people killed; and those who were loyal to the rebellion and not to Archer, we're either killed for disobeying or they outright left to avoid following his orders. A lot of those people were the same people who never wanted me in charge to begin with."

Char widened his eyes as I nodded my head and took another drink. Once I was done I proceeded to inform him of the next set of facts.

"I had a good feeling that he and Mason wouldn't have seen eye to eye together in that kind of environment. I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly, but I did expect Mason to die for following his beliefs. I fully prepared for it; and when it happened it all fell into place. Archer had no one left to stand in his way in terms of leadership. All he had to do was control the public, which he did by force. He then turned everyone into a hostile. The public hated him, the soldiers hated him, and G.U.N hated him. And on their side, it went from a war for our freedom; to a war just to stop a mad dictator who was starting to kill people for just being outside their homes."

"So why did you leave?" He asked me as I calmly replied.

"I had to let everything unfold. I had to let Archer bury himself. It took those few weeks and by the time my trip in Alaska came to an end, everyone was begging for my intervention. Just with hope that I could fix all the shit that was going on. And it got so bad that those people who would have stood against me are now on my side."

I saw the look change in Char's eyes as I leaned back in my chair to give it a minute to set in. During the time I waited I said to him.

"For things to get better we needed G.U.N. We needed to work with them. Not against them. And to do it, I had to find a way to get rid of those who would have surely tried to stop me. And I needed the public approval to be one hundred percent on my side. Here in the middle east and overseas."

Char was speechless as I went on to say.

"By the time I came back and got in touch with you, I had told you mostly everything leading up to that point. You know what I did. You know about Zeta and her sister. You know about Cody and the other PMC's I had working to keep me alive and in office. You know Hecan Moore is my friend and you now know about my motives behind why I left the country and gave that bullshit speech about needing to clear my head."

"You knew all that shit was going to happen? You knew and you just let it happen so you could be undisputed as the rebellion's Commander? Just so you could make all these changes and get us another chance at our freedom?" Char asked me in disbelief.

With our eyes locked I replied.

"Yeah."

I couldn't read his emotions. He was trying to put it all together and along the way stopped to ask me.

"In your opinion Raptor…...was letting all that happen worth it? Letting Archer slaughter people and taint the rebellion's name?"

Nodding I replied.

"Yes. Without a doubt. The rebellion needed to go. We needed a fresh start and like I said to you before…...there were going to be plenty of people thinking otherwise if I would have stayed. After what happened? There needed to be a purge. People needed to die. People needed to feel scared. They needed to feel hopeless."

"Just so you could swoop back in and be that ray of light?"

"No one else could take that place at the time. It was Archer or nothing. When I put my hat back into the race and started to fix the issues he started, that's when I went live with that other interview. People saw me and all I had to do was play my part and pretend like I had no idea it would happen. It only took hours for everyone in the middle east to start chanting my name."

"Now no one is questioning you." Char mumbled in disbelief as I just stared at him in silence.

The wolf stood up for a moment to turn his back to me. I saw him staring off into the distance; which was my wall and asked him.

"It worked didn't it?"

Looking back at me he replied.

"I want you to know Raptor that I respect you. I love you like one of my brothers. But…...what you just told me…..what you did is…...? There might have been another way."

Remaining in my seat I muttered back.

"Or we would have continued fighting a pointless war. Either way people were going to die Char and either way…...it would have been my fault. Your question should be…..what was the lesser of two evils?"

The wolf turned to look back at me in awe for what I just said. So keeping on the pressure, I reached out and guided him back down into the chair with his hand. Once he had sat back down I said to him.

"No one is left to oppose me. Everyone in the middle east stands at my side. G.U.N supports me. Thanks to Hecan and his press, they made sure of that. The whole world knows my name and they know my story, but the most important part of that fact is that everyone agrees that I'm what this country needs if we want to get out of this slump. For things to get better there can't be any more problems Char."

I gave the wolf a moment to process that. After a few seconds I said to him.

"I'm sorry if you feel a type of way about it, but what's done is done and we're here now. Things are getting better. The country is coming together. We made it through this and every single person who died along the way will be honored."

Char was stumped on what to say next and I didn't want to threaten him but I had to. Reaching over to grab his knee with my right hand, I got his eyes back on me to say with a whisper tone.

"You know something now that only a few do. I hope you understand the seriousness of it all and what it means for you now that you know the truth. I don't want to lose you Char. So for the sake of our friendship and your life…...I beg you….keep this to yourself."

Char was taking his time to stare back at me. I knew he was okay after a few seconds so I went on to finish this conversation.

"What's done is done. I hope I answered your questions. But that's not why I needed you at my side today. Hey?"

I tapped on his knee because even though he was looking at me he seemed focused more on his thoughts. However he broke out of his trance and replied.

"I'm okay. I'm listening. You said this was about Hecan and Drake right? We have to get you to Pakistan in a few hours?"

Nodding I replied.

"Yes. But we aren't going there for some meeting. Or some silly interview or speech."

"Then why are we going?" He asked as I calmly took a breath and sat back to reply.

"I'm ending my family's suffering."

Char lit back up almost instantly. With our eyes locked, I nodded my head and sat back to take down what was left of my drink.

mT Shadow.