Author's note: Thank you all for the words of encouragement. You don't know how much it means to me. I hope to keep meeting everyone's expectations. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!
Not much to anyone's surprise, Claire's file wasn't the only thing on the computer. After much digging and frustration, Chris happened upon Hitchmon's true master plan. His target; Korea. Apperently, he had come across some intel that the relationship between the Koreas was unstable. If a war were to break out, Hitchmon would be able to divert everyone's attention away from him as he smuggled in money, weapons and other "resources". With the government preoccupied, he would build his army, then strike. After everyone in his way had been dealt with, he would rule.
"Sounds like the vision of a mad man." Piers stated as he continued reading on. Chris shook his head in agreement.
"Well, we have the why. Now all we need is the how." Ever since Chris had come across the plans, he had been wondering just how Hitchmon was going to execute them. The more he read, the clearer it all became. "Why is it always a damn missile?" Chris thought out loud to himself.
"Captain?" Piers only heard half of what he was saying.
"A missile. The dumb ass is planning on firing it right on the boarder between North and South Korea! I guess he wants them to blame each other and start fighting amongst themselves." He sat there, wondering how exactly to go about this, when an alarm sounded. The red lights on the walls started spinning and flashing as a voice echoed through the building.
"Lift off and eradication will commence shortly. Manual deactivation required. All personnel evacuate immediately." The computerized voice repeated the phrases a few more times, before it announced the fifteen minute warning prior to take off, as well as the destruction of the lab.
Chris knew he had to do something, and fast. "John, what's your status?" For a moment, his only response was radio static, but then John's voice broke through.
"We were ambushed. A few of the men were hurt, but overall we're good Captain."
"What's your current position? Are you close to anything that looks like a launch pad or a missile bunker?" His sense of urgency transferred over into his voice. Again, Chris was greeted by the static from the other end.
"I don't know. We went past a room earlier, but is was bolted shut. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you looking for?" John seemed slightly confused by the change in Chris's tone.
"I don't have enough time to give you all the details. Just know that in about fifteen minutes, we might all be in some serious shit."
"What? I don't.." Before John had the chance to ask any questions, Chris was giving orders to look for a way to shut everything down.
"John, I need you and your men at that door you were talking about. We'll try to get it open from our end. When we do, you have to do whatever is necessary to stop anything in there from leaving this facility." There was silence between them as they both processed all of their options and outcomes.
"You got it, Captain. Oh, and don't worry. You can count on us." Chris allowed a smile to break through his glum features. John's words gave him something to hold on to, even among all the chaos. He took a deep breath, letting it all sink in completely. He knew what he had to do, and that he had to do it now. Him and the rest of his team quickly made their way down each hall, looking for the control room.
Piers was the first to notice that there were shadows stalking them. "Chris, I think we're being followed." He whispered to him. As they both looked back, the shadows dispersed. Chris narrowed his eyes, not hesitating to think of his tactic.
"Piers, take Jason and go ahead of us. We'll deal with these guys. You concentrate on following this mission all the way through. I'm counting on you." He put his hand on Pier's shoulder, stressing the importance of their success. Piers nodded to him, grabbing Jason away from the rest of the group. Before they departed, Piers turned around and saluted Chris. In response, he saluted back, showing him how much he respected and trusted him. The sound of gunfire pulled them out of their strong bonding moment and into reality. Chris pulled out his gun and joined the rest of his team, while Piers lead Jason deeper into the facility.
Out of stroke of good luck, they eventually found the control room. "How much time do we have left?" Piers looked at his watch, not happy with the answer to Jason's question.
"Not long. Only five minutes." They both let out a collective sigh, turning their full attention to the monitors.
"Look. It's John and his team." They were standing in front of a huge door, waiting for it to open. Jason immediately searched the control panel for anything that could help them. After pressing a few buttons, the door on the screen flew open; allowing them entrance.
"Good job. Now, is there anything else we can do to help?" Jason shrugged, studying over each button and leaver carefully.
"Yes! I can stop the detonation from here!" He had an excited look in his eye, ecstatic that he could be so helpful. He pressed a few more buttons, typed in a code, then pulled one of the leavers. A message flashed across every monitor screen, stating that 'eradication was avoided'. The victory was short lived when they realized they still had another problem to take care of. "Shit. I can't stop the missile from here!"
"You've done plenty. It looks like John's got it anyway." On one of the screens, John was visible at another set of controls. Right as he successfully halted the launch and everyone let out a cheer of victory, John was attacked by a tyrant. The giant beast cut straight through John, tossing his corps aside to deal with the rest of his team. Both Piers and Jason stood there, unable to fathom what they had just witnessed. Within a matter of seconds, instinct took over. Piers shoot out of the room, Jason barely following behind him.
"Piers! Where are we going?" He thought about this for a second before answering him.
"To get back up. We never leave anyone behind."