Chapter 12 - Time to Shine


Rapid watches the other Reds go from atop the base. He would normally be wistful during these times where he gets excluded from social occasions, but not today. Reid had made a good point in that someone should guard the base, and Rapid had been entrusted with that duty. He would defend this base like a soldier defends his country. The rookie stands up straight, faces directly forward, and holds his rifle at his side.

This is boring. How long has it been? Long enough. Rapid relaxes his stance, using his gun as a crutch. Hopefully the others get back soon; he doesn't know how much longer he can wait without going crazy.

Rapid thinks about his teammates. Has he made good first impressions on them? He would say so. Reid can be kind of a jerk to him, but the rookie knows that it's all in good fun and he enjoys their friendly banter. Sergeant Tackle seems like a no-nonsense kind of guy, but still pretty nice, though he keeps getting Rapid's name wrong. Brenda… Rapid doesn't actually know much about her besides that she also got his name wrong, and like him, she used to be the Blues' prisoner. He should hang out with her when everyone gets back. Maybe they can bond over a surprise shared love of acting! Brenda had been intimidating in the base earlier; Rapid can totally see her starring in an action movie as a vengeful hero dead-set on giving the evildoer Shane what's coming to him.

Pain suddenly flares in his bad leg, and Rapid tumbles off the roof to the ground for the second time since arriving at Red base.

"Ow, fuck!" He struggles to his feet and leans heavily against the base. Who shot him? Scanning the trees, he doesn't see the perpetrator. Rapid starts to suspect that Reid is messing with him when a purple blur fills his vision. Before the rookie can react, a blow to the head lays him out.

As Wilson looks down at the unconscious soldier, he cannot help but shake his head in disgust. While hiding near the Red base, he could not believe that they had sent all but one of their soldiers after Shane, and the soldier they had left standing guard was the pathetic one. He has said it before and will say it again (not aloud, of course, but rather through internal monologue): the logic of Red Team has always eluded him. Wilson enters the enemy base.


On the other side of Valhalla, the Blue base is eerily quiet. Evans has tiptoed throughout its entirety and found no sign of Red inhabitance. He fidgets nervously; he just wants the pin to finally drop. Where are the assassins that should have been lying in wait? Why hasn't anyone tried to kill him in the last minute? This is highly unusual.

Evans steps outside and surveys the area, again finding nothing. It seems that everyone is gone. Even Wilson, who isn't standing next to the door as he typically does. But why would everyone leave? Evans tries to work it out in his head, and it isn't long before he arrives at the most logical explanation: everyone has evacuated because the base is going to explode in the immediate future! It's too late to save Carbon, he needs to get out of here before-

"Hello, Evans."

The sapphire soldier turns around to see Shane looking down at him from the roof of the base. The rookie is quite heavily armed; there is a sniper rifle strapped to his back, several grenades on his belt, and in his hands, a rocket launcher aimed right at the Blue leader.

It appears that Evans was wrong in his initial assessment of the situation. He connects the pieces of this puzzle and comes to the true conclusion: Shane is killing everyone in Valhalla, and now it's his turn.

"What are you doing, Shane?" Evans asks, raising his own rocket launcher. Speaking casually with someone while you train explosives on each other is a new experience to him.

"Well, you see, Wilson and I were talking, and we decided that you aren't fit to lead the Blue Team," Shane explains. "However, I am. So, with that-"

"You son of a bitch!" Evans releases a rocket and Shane dives to the side, the smoke trail signifying an alarmingly close call. "Conniving with Wilson in an attempt to overthrow me? Good fucking luck! He hasn't been able to get me in years!"

The rookie rises to his feet and Evans can feel his glare. "Oh, do you wanna fight? Let's fucking go, right now. The winner leads Blue Team."

"You finally reveal your true colors!" the CO exclaims. "You're no Blue… you're a Red."

Shane sighs. "I can't be Red. You trusted the Reds more than you ever trusted me."

"That's because you could be a spy!"

"Oh, just shut the fuck up!" Shane simultaneously jumps off the roof and fires a rocket down at Evans. The sapphire soldier tries to roll aside, but is still caught by the blast and sent careening into a tree. Shane lands on the ground, reloads, and begins approaching his target.

Evans uses the tree to pull himself to his feet, sees the rookie coming towards him, and growls. The rocket launcher takes too long to reload; he drops it, grabs his holstered pistol, and starts shooting. Surprised by the sudden gunfire, Shane lets another rocket fly and runs for cover, but a bullet nicks his hand and he drops his launcher. He trips over the fallen weapon and lands face first, his head bouncing against the ground.

Mustering up his energy, Evans leaps out of the rocket's path. It soars past him and explodes somewhere in the distance. He quickly looks back to Shane, sees him lying prone, and knows that this is his chance. He raises his pistol and carefully aims it at the rookie's head. "Remember what Shane said," he tells himself while lining up the shot. "…Actually, I shouldn't do that. The gun would probably combust in my hands."

Suddenly, a loud whistle echoes throughout the area.

"Oh, God, not now!" Evans cries. He bolts into the Blue base without another thought.

Dazed, Shane looks up from his position on the ground and is faced with a startling sight; the Reds are coming, and they're staring straight at him.