A swarm of drones was en route to United Ironworks, each one loaded with the new Eclipse virus that had found its way into the hands of SHD Agents. These drones would be part of the first strike on the last major remnants of the True Sons. It had been left to the survivors of the Castle settlement to determine if this bioweapon would be used. While bioweapons were outlawed, truthfully, the world had gone to shit, and it was more of what was morally right and just than what was legal. The True Sons had used DC-62 on innocent civilians and had earned the target solidly placed on their backs.
Every action has a consequence, and this was just one of many consequences about to unfold.
A True Son scout noticed the swarm of drones. He was about to call it in and report it up the chain of command, but just before his hand could click on the walkie-talkie, a sniper's bullet from 300 yards away slammed into his skull, killing him instantly; there wasn't much left of his head either after the bullet's impact. His body hit the ground with a heavy thud, and Agent Christopher Cage raised his head up from looking down the scope of his .338 Lapua rifle. He only regarded using such a rare ammo for desperate and intense missions, and this one would be far more serious than the threat of the BTSU at Washington International Airport.
"All Agents, outer perimeter guards have been neutralized," Cage whispered into his commlink. Multiple clicks of "Affirmative" were his response over their communications network. Agent James Ferrer then began to pilot the drones over to their selected target areas. Within 60 seconds, the True Sons would experience the retribution of the Castle Settlement survivors, thanks to an indirect form of support by Rogue Agent Aaron Keener. The Eclipse virus payloads would be more than sufficient in eliminating anyone who didn't have a readily available mask that could filter out the dangerous bioweapon. If this weapon was as deadly as advertised, then it should increase the chances the Agents have at neutralizing the threat at United Ironworks.
All five canisters of the Eclipse virus were being used in this strike. Considering that all it took was just one-half canister to massacre the civilians in the marketplace in New York, five whole canisters was perfect.
One drone was piloted to the main barracks area, towards a ventilation hub on the roof; a second drone moved to a position nearby an open courtyard where there were two whole platoon sized elements of True Sons that were doing the daily routine of exercise. A third drone moved in towards the "forge", where it was theorized that the intense heats would only cause it to linger heavier in the air following its dispersion. The final two drones were sent to hover nearby the actual train area, where two company sized elements of True Sons were loading up equipment and weaponry onto what had to be the "Iron Horse"; it was a massive train, armored and built for the sole purpose of war. It's modifications included multiple turrets, a series of snipers' nests, what look to be two morter launchers, and most unnerving of all, a massive cannon that had to be the "Paris Gun" that was talked about in the briefing before the mission.
The time had come. The strike was to commence immediately.
When all drones had finally secured themselves into their positions, Agent Cage gave the order for all fellow Agents to put on their masks and respirators, then he gave the word to Agent Ferrer: "Do it."
What followed was both horrifying and sadistically satisfying.
Immediately, all five drones dispersed their chemicals, and by the time their True Sons victims realized what was happening, it was far too late. Five large red clouds of the Eclipse virus had been released throughout the facility, its effects immediate. The enemy was dropping like flies, and none of them had ever seen it coming. Colonel Morozova was just outside the command train cart whenever the toxic gas was dispersed and have enough quick thinking to get inside the cart and close the door shut. She then grabbed a respirator that she always kept handy on her person ever since DC-62 was first utilized; this act alone saved her life.
Over on the radio comms in the car, frightened voices cried out in terror. It had to be the Division, right? But then again, the Division that she knew would never have stooped this low to using such methods. Usage of biological or chemical weapons was for terrorists and enemy nation-states. Right? The Division couldn't have done this, it had to be one of the other factions in the D.C. area. It had to be.
With breathing equipment donned and respirators functioning properly, the eight-man team of Agents of the Strategic Homeland Division moved throughout the compound, killing any True Sons who had managed to escape the initial strike, or putting those dying out of their misery. Legally, all of them knew this was wrong. But morally, they knew that justice had been served to the bastards. Did they really think that their transgression at Castle would be forgotten by its survivors?
Within 20 minutes, Agent Cage and company had arrived to the Iron Horse, ready to disable it. Agents Revots and Ferrer moved into position but were caught off guard by a voice coming over the loudspeakers in the area.
"I must admit, I am genuinely surprised at the size of your balls. I expected this kind of attack from someone like the Outcasts, the BTSU, or even the fucking Hyenas. But the Division? Where in the hell did you get a weapon like that? You completely neutralized my entire battalion of soldiers, and we didn't even get a fucking warning. And I thought we were the war criminals," Morozova spoke.
"Last time I checked," Agent Jack Ryan, one of the newer members, spoke, "We weren't the ones using chemical weapons on a civilian population. They send their regards, by the way." A few dark chuckles came from the group of Agents; even Colonel Morozova let out a laugh.
"You got me there, Agent, I'll give you that," she said. "But now, where does this leave us? Particularly, how is it that we're getting out of this pickle?"
"We?" Cage spoke up, "What the hell do you mean by we? You're not getting out of here alive Morozova."
"Oh I know that. I knew it was only a matter of time before we got discovered here. That little shit Zach saw to that, and then I saw to his demise, personally. Do you want to know how he died?"
"You bitch!" Revots snarled; he had been the one that first received Zach's transmission, and he told himself that he would try to get the kid out of there alive.
"As I said Morozova," Cage began coldly, "I'm not letting you out of here alive." He drew the sidearm from his holster, a double barreled, sawed-off shotgun he called his "Backup Boomstick", and let loose two shots into the frame of the door on the side panel of the train. The door didn't give way. "Aww, that's cute, you thinking that pitiful shotgun will just blow the door off its hinges," Morozova mocked.
"Sweetheart," Agent Boudreau began with a maniacal grin, "Cage here was just setting out the appetizer. I got the full course meal right here!" The southern-heritage Agent swung his M32 grenade launcher, and watching from the security footage, Morozova felt her smug grin drop off her face in an instant.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Boudreau called out.
The unique thing about Agent Jonathan Boudreau of the Strategic Homeland Division was that he was incredibly good with explosives. So good, in fact, that he made his own personalized 40mm shells. The one he just fired into the door that was protecting Colonel Morozova was his personal favorite for situations like this: a sabot round. It not only pierced the door, but it took it completely off of its hinges, and Morozova wasn't lucky enough to get completely out of the way in time, as she dived and the door clipped her left leg; her scream was one of agony.
The Agents moved in immediately and began making sure the entirety of the train was secure. Revots and Ferrer moved into the control hub and got to work. Agents Yaremko, Fisher, Ryan, Ryder, and Meyers all searched for more possible enemies in the train. That left Agent Cage to deal with a severely wounded Colonel Morozova. "Not quite how you expected the day to go, right?" he asked sarcastically.
Morozova summoned what strength she had to give him a middle finger; it hurt to even try and speak, she was in so much pain. After a few seconds though, she finally was able to speak; "God, this hurts. Please, help me." These very words, so uncharacteristic of her, showed just how well they had managed to catch the whole operation, along with herself, by surprise.
Cage, remembering the faces of the dead from Castle that he had stumbled upon, stepped forward and put his foot on Morozova's left leg, shifting his weight onto that leg and putting the True Sons leader through intense pain; she yelped in shock and pain. "Now you know how Castle felt. Now you understand their fear, their pain, their agony. Did you see what it was like, watching those around you die while you could do nothing but watch? That's exactly what you and the True Sons have been doing." He lifted his foot off of her leg and immediately the pain lessened for her.
"However," Cage said in a strong tone, "I'm not like you or any of the other bastards that follow you. No, I'm gonna give you what it is that you and the rest of the True Sons never give. I'm gonna give you mercy." This time, Cage didn't draw his "Backup Boomstick", but instead drew the very same D50 that General Antwon Ridgeway had once used. He racked back a single round, chambering the .50 AE bullet into place. "Farewell, Colonel. Give General Ridgeway my regards when you meet him in Hell." Morozova, in her pained and dazed state, knew what was coming, and closed her eyes. Agent Cage knelt down next to Morozova, pulled her in for a hug, leveled the pistol at her chest, and pulled the trigger. The last thing Colonel Morozova of the True Sons did was cough up blood and the light faded from her eyes and she succumbed to her wounds.
Agents Revots and Ferrer were so focused on their task that when Cage shot Morozova, they both jumped, just about scared shitless. But it was perfect timing anyhow. "Boss, get in here, we got something you might be interested in." The targeting and loading mechanism on this train was beyond insane, but everything was surprisingly up to date; given the materials at their disposal, the True Sons had done well in constructing such a monstrosity. Agent Cage, followed by all of the other Agents, came in and stood behind Revots and Ferrer.
"What have we got?" asked Cage.
"Another possible opportunity Chris," Revots said.
"And what exactly is that supposed to-" and then it clicked with Cage. He immediately got to work and used the comms to get ahold of Manny Ortega at the White House. "Manny, this is Agent Cage. We have secured United Ironworks. The True Sons threat has been neutralized, I repeat, the True Sons threat has been neutralized. Manny, we got another possible situation, but we gotta decide now."
"I read you loud and clear on that first part, but what're you going on about now Cage?" Manny asked.
"We have secured the Iron Horse, as Zach called it. We have it secure, and ready to disable."
"So you are you waiting for? Disable it Agent."
"That's just the thing sir. We can use this gun to destroy the BTSU forward operating base here in D.C."
Silence followed over the commlink.
"You're seriously wanting to use that weapon, a product of our enemy's war machine, to destroy another threat here in D.C.? Agent Cage, I don't what to say other than damn. You're a brutal, logistical motherfucker. Remind me to never play against you in chess. Strike the Black Tusk FOB, then disable that thing. And I mean completely Agent. I don't want this to come back and bite us in the ass anytime soon," Manny finished.
"Copy that Manny. We'll get it done." And with that, Cage and the others got to work, setting up the targeting system on the Black Tusk hovercraft on the Potomac. While he, Revots, Ferrer and Ryan would work on getting the target lined up, the other four Agents began to set charges throughout the train cars of Iron Horse, preparing to disable it once the all-clear was given. The target was lined up, and the shell-loading process was underway. In less than 90 seconds, a massive artillery shell would be hurtling towards the hovercraft, and those on-board had no idea what was coming.
"Ready to fire," Revots and Ferrer said in unison.
"Before we fire, we'll all in agreement that this is the right and best choice here, right?" Agent Cage asked over the commslink to his fellow Agents. All the responses that came back were variations of "Yes". Cage then nodded to Revots and Ferrer, and Ferrer hit the button. What followed was a sound that resembled God Almighty Himself slamming his fist onto the ground. Everyone who wasn't wearing proper hearing protection, namely all of the Agents, had ringing in their ears for several hours after the fact.
In the course of a day, Agents of the Strategic Homeland Division had neutralized not only one, but in fact, two major threats to the Washington, D.C. area. It was another good day, one for the record books.
Hey everyone! I am so terribly sorry about this massive delay. I promise you that it will all be worth it. Since more of the game has come out now, I have a lot more ground to cover, and I know you'll love with what I do to the story. I hope that all of you have been well since you read my last story. Wishing you the absolute best!
-Loric