The World Has Fallen
Chapter 11
Atlas: All right everyone. Before you read this chapter. We highly advise you to go back and reread the story before you read this. There was a need for some desperate rewrites to make anything make sense. So go read all the chapters before this so you are not confused as to what happens in this story. If you don't, well you are going to be so confused.
Demonic Wolf King: Still with us? Here's number 11
Two Days Later
Fort Jackson Headquarters Building
1000 Hours UTC -5
Atlas would be in a video conference joined by Stark and Chase. On the other end of the call would be the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President, The director of the CIA, and also the Director of the FBI who happen to be both canines. The CIA director would be a white female Swiss Shepherd and the FBI director would be a black male labrador.
This meeting would be one of the most important that required all of their attention for the number of problems that Dijak and his team caused. At the end of the day, this meeting is to decide the fate of the TFWC and Dijak himself.
After seeing videos, pictures, and even witness accounts of everything that Dijak has done. From when he first joined to the present. The president would sit back in his chair on the video call and sigh.
"So have you decided?" The president would ask.
"That is why I am having this meeting. I have authority over him and am the ultimate say but I want all of your opinions," Atlas would explain, "What Dijak and his team have done in many cases can not be excused but they are assets we need to still have in this war."
"Well, we can't just not discipline them," Stated the naval admiral, "What would that say to our allies and the world? That we let war criminals go unpunished?"
"I'm open to ideas. What do you suggest?" Atlas would say.
The Joint Chiefs would remain silent but then the Director of the FBI would talk, "Why don't we have hell come down from on high from Army Drill Sergeants and Marine Drill Instructors? For five weeks they would be at the mercy of the DSs and DIs and hopefully, that would teach them discipline and costumes. If they want to remain they need to prove it."
The other people on the call would start to nod their heads in agreement. The human General of the Army would then add to that, "We can have them moved to one of the training battalions on Fort Jackson. Of course, they would be all stripped of rank for this time so they have no authority whatsoever. We can then hand-pick the best DSs and DIs from the Army and Marines and tell them that they can do anything they want that was allowed during the days of Vietnam. Old fashion DSs and DIs to teach Dijak and his team the discipline they lack."
The Marine General would then continue, "With that, Dijak needs to gets an Article 15. Loss of his rank and position as well as counseling for him and the rest of his team."
"Then that begs the question," Stark would enter the conversation, "What about the few members who he has said are part of his team but are either previous criminals or people who just don't have the security clearance? The biggest outlier is Sweetie." The German pointer would look to Chase who would just make eye contact with him and just nod with a serious face.
"Hmm, that is a good point," the director of the CIA says, "She has committed crimes even before she joined Dijak. She was also associated with Alpha Colonel Hunter's brother Strom and his Royal Cartel. Sure she betrayed them in the end for her love of Dijak but that doesn't excuse the horrendous torture she made Chase, Skye, and the rest of the PAW Patrol endure."
"With that logic, we could say the same with Lupe, and even Fuchs in a way for he did work for her and nearly killed Chase," said the Coast Guard Admiral.
Atlas would come to Fuchs's defense, "Fuchs was deceived by her and hired. He was just a mercenary and didn't know she was as evil as she was. When he figured it out, he tried to make things right and in the end saved Adventure Bay. Can't really blame him for something he didn't know was wrong. Plus, the only people he really hurt were the PAW Patrol and they have since forgiven him when he explained everything. Lupe is different though,"
Chase would cut Atlas off for he knew Lupe better at this point and knew his story and what the wolf was capable of, "Lupe has loyalists and has the largest army that isn't connected to any company or country. He has outposts everywhere in the world. If we try to put him behind bars for his crimes against humanity he will only break out and cause another war we simply cannot fight due to his tactics. He has already been backstabbed once by the US. Now he has been backstabbed again by Russia and came to us with top secret documents. But now we are getting off-topic."
"Right, back to Dijak. Atlas, so have you made your decision? Like you said you have the ultimate say in what happens to the TFWC," the president would say trying to get back to the topic at hand.
Atlas would take a breath in and then come to his decision, "Dijak and his team will all receive counseling. Dijak will also get an Article 15 demoting him down to Alpha Captain and taking away his position as the leader of his team. All of them including Sweetie and the ones who joined later will all go through six weeks of pure hell. To instill discipline, order, and respect for authority. I will openly accept your picks of Drill Sergeants and Drill Instructors and give them all the tools they need to train them and the freedom of whatever punishment they see fit as long as it doesn't permanently damage them or cause major injury. The commander of this company would be none other than Alpha Colonel Hunter."
"Sir?" Chase would ask.
"There is no one I trust more to be their new commander than you Chase. You will be in command of Dijak, his team, the DSs and DIs, and any other support staff," Atlas said as he looked at Chase.
"But sir. What about the war?" Chase would counter.
"As of now, this is your new assignment. You and your team will be the head command staff of this company and your job is to make sure that Dijak and his team are better soldiers when you are done," Atlas would respond back.
"Yes, sir. I will do it with honor and make sure to make them better than when they started," Chase would agree to the plan.
"Sounds like a plan," the Army General said.
"Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your time and for helping us come to a solution," Atlas would thank everyone.
Without another word, all of them including the president would end the call, and Atlas, Chase, and Stark would be left in the meeting room.
"Well, let's get this started as soon as possible," Atlas would say as he left the room to talk to the general of the post about this plan.
"You think this will help?" Stark would ask Chase.
"It better help, otherwise, I don't want to see what would happen to them if it didn't," Chase said as he and Stark left the room to head back to their hotel rooms.
Two more Days Later Fort Jackson
The Barracks of the Task Force Wild Card
1000 Hours UTC -5
Dijak was a little on edge, Atlas, Chase, and Stark were holding a video call with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President, the director of the CIA, and also the Director of the FBI to decide the fate of his team, but most importantly they were deciding what his fate should be.
Multiple thoughts ran through his head as Dijak prepared for something in the washroom of his team's barracks. "Why are they even discussing this? I don't deserve to live, I don't deserve to be a leader anymore, and most importantly, they don't deserve me. I mean they kept so much from me and the President thought he was doing this for my own good!? How is keeping the knowledge of my real parents… my real life away from me for my own good? I don't know who I can trust after that, hell, I've lost all trust in the government after they kept the secrets of my real parents away from me for so many years, so who knows what else they're keeping from me. I mean come on, what were they trying to achieve here, the less I know the easier it will be to control me,"
Dijak shook his head, no matter what he tried the thoughts keep coming back, and every time they do it gets harder for him to get the thoughts out of his head. What was he supposed to do, they won't let him die, they won't let him leave the service, because he was too valuable to them for the war, he just couldn't do it anymore. He wanted to purge himself of the past and start fresh, a fresh start by being his true self. Dijak was able to retrieve a bag from his truck's wreckage and take out many different tools, healthcare equipment, and a fresh set of clothes. Dijak took one last look in the mirror before taking a deep breath and proceeded to cut his fur until it was short and he felt cold. After cutting his fur, Dijak got in a very hot shower and stayed under the running water with soap until he felt clean and proceeded to stay under there until he could no longer bear the pain of the hot shower. Next, Dijak mixed some fluid together in a bowl before filling a syringe with said mixed fluid and proceeded to inject the fluid into his neck. Dijak felt his blood run cold as he felt the change in his body, nothing was changing on Dijak's side, but on Nightmare's side, it was changing a lot. Dijak could feel the emotions, the pain and the suffering of his alter ego flow through his body like a raging river of sorrow, then just like that all the rage, all the bloodlust, all of the unstable aggression, all of the violence that Nightmare was a notice for died like a flame in a thunderstorm. Dijak took some dark magenta color dye and proceeded to dye some dark magenta streaks into the tufts of fur on his head. Dijak proceeded to take some sort of laser tool and proceeded to remove the tattoos on his left and right front paw, and then with careful precision, with the help of his tail and a mirror, proceeded to do the same on his back. Once Dijak had gotten rid of the tattoos and the burnt cross, he got out a tattoo needle and with some ink color, he proceeded to tattoo Scout's name in black in a flame style on his left front wrist. Dijak proceeded to give himself a secondary tattoo on the left side of his neck which was a dark magenta wolf skull dripping with blood with two black pistols crisscrossing behind it forming an X and a red rose flower in its mouth. Next, to symbolize his two sides, Dijak re-tattooed his paws, on his right paw was a pair of red bat-like wings outlined in dark magenta with a red spade tip that was also outlined in dark magenta in the middle, and below the wings were the words Fall, written in red with a flame style, and on his left paw was a pair of white angel-like wings with a gold halo ring in the middle and below the wings were the words Pray that was written with a flame style as well but it was in gold. Finally, Dijak, with the help of his tail and a mirror again, tattooed a black skeleton spine in the middle of his back and added black dragon wings at the top, which covered the majority of the back of his neck and the back of his front shoulders, the tattoo on his back was done in a tribal design. Dijak had picked up a high skill in the art and enjoyed it so he would draw and paint all sorts of things during his free time. Anyway, with his fast healing, Dijak's new tattoos were fully healed rather quickly and Dijak took a pill that caused the tattoos to remain there permanently no matter what he did to get rid of them. Dijak proceeded to put on his new set of clothing which was a pair of slim-fit black jean-style pants, a slim-fit black jacket, and black combat shoes, and finally, Dijak put a FaithHeart Braided Leather cord around his neck, that looked like it was too short and would strangle himself, but he didn't care and attached to the cord was his cross pendant that the President gave him when he told him about his real parents.
Finally done with his little makeover, Dijak cleaned up all of his tools and put them away before making his way to the room where they slept. Dijak got onto his bed and just sat there with a painful expression as the images and things that he and his team did came flooding back into his head finally Dijak slammed his head into his pillow and let out a muffled howl as he couldn't take it anymore.
"You know there's a thing about overacting," came a voice in the doorway.
Dijak started to chuckle like a madman as he turned to face Zephyr, Sweetie, Shadow, Smokey, Delgado, and Echo. All five were hiding something dark; apparently, no one thought anything was wrong with them. They just assumed that they went too far and were trying to "help them" so to speak, but these five didn't need help, in fact, they enjoyed causing carnage.
"What can I say, I'm a world-class actor," said Dijak.
"I can't believe that none of these people realize that they're being played by us," said Echo.
"Their CIA, they have always been predictable," said Smokey.
"I can't believe that Dijak actually said all that about bringing justice to our fallen brothers and sisters and then renaming Cemetery Wind into something dorky like the Task Force Wild Card," said Shadow.
"Eh, I just needed to say something that will be believable," said Dijak.
"Well, it worked like a charm," said Sweetie as she nuzzled against Dijak's chin
"I wonder what Elena has done to our friends in Mexico," said Zephyr.
Unknown to everyone, the President, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the directors of the CIA and FBI, the Nightwatchers, and all of their other friends and allies, the Cemetery Wind plane made it to its destination of Ukraine, but none of them made it out. The Royal Cartel was waiting for them, ready to spring a trap.
Flashback - Russia/Ukraine
Deckard, Scout, and Sweetie had just fallen off a cliff into the water below, all three of them got cut up pretty badly when falling down the hill. When Deckard, Sweetie, and Scout climb out of the water, they were greeted by a swarm of people dressed in black, and they didn't look friendly.
"Remember, we need all of them alive," said the leader.
"Who the hell are you guys!?" Deckard demanded.
"All will be answered in good time, but for now is the time for business," said the leader as she threw a circular device that sent an electrical shock through all three of them.
"Don't worry your teammates will join you soon enough, but for now lights out," said the leader as Deckard, Sweetie, and Scout fell unconscious before carrying them away.
"Ripcord, Zulu, Nitro, come here," said the leader as three canines, Ripcord was a male German shepherd, Zulu was a female Siberian husky, and Nitro was a male doberman.
"Are you three ready?" Asked the leader.
"Yes ma'am," said the three canines at once.
The leader took out three syringes filled with some strange liquid and then proceeded to mix it with blood from Deckard, Sweetie, and Scout before injecting it into Ripcord, Zulu, and Nitro, turning Ripcord into Deckard, Zulu was turned into Sweetie, and Nitro was turned into Scout.
"Perfect, part one is complete. Bravo team you know what to do," said the leader into her comlink.
"Yes ma'am, we'll initiate part two," said a male voice over the comlink.
"Let's get our new friends ready for transport, and good luck to you three, do you know what to do?" Asked the leader looking at the fake Deckard, Sweetie, and Scout.
"Of course, ma'am," said the fake Sweetie.
"We won't let you down," said the fake Scout
"We'll make the Royal Cartel proud, Ma'am," said the fake Deckard.
"Then I wish you all good luck," said the leader as she and a few others left with the real Deckard, Sweetie, and Scout.
Meanwhile, back at the Odesa International Airport in Odesa, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine the rest of Cemetery Wind were waiting for any information from their leader, however, the Cemetery Wind operatives suddenly realized how quiet and deserted it had become all around them. Right before Max could call Deckard about the strange turn of events in the area, a dalmatian hidden within the shadows threw a grenade toward the military group and before any of them could react, it went off sending a powerful electrical shock through all of them, knocking them all out. Once all members of Cemetery Wind were unconscious, a large group of canines, who were all dressed in black from head to toe came out from everywhere and surrounded them.
"Alright you know what to do, and let's make it quick," said a male Great Dane.
"Yes, sir!" All the other canines said as they saluted to their commanding officer.
It wasn't long before all of the unconscious members of Cemetery Wind were locked in a cage on a large C-17, all of them were given a special medication that would put them to sleep until they were at their compound in Mexico. The canines that were chosen to impersonate the Cemetery Wind operatives were dressed in their gear waiting to continue with the next part of their plans.
"Now remember this is an effort of the Royal Cartel to make sure that Cemetery Wind goes down as traitors and Storm's brother receives the death that he deserves, and that means that some of you will have to die in order for this mission to be a success, and whoever that is it has been an honor to serve with you and I thank you for your sacrifice," said the Great Dane.
"Thank you, sir, it has been an honor to serve the Royal Cartel," said the Cemetery Wind imposters.
With everything being done and said, the Royal Cartel people packed up their gear and took off with their captives towards Mexico, while the imposters of Cemetery Wind, Sweetie, Scout, and an imposter of Zephyr, who was attacked, killed, and replaced with an imposter of him while he was alone guarding Sweetie's plane, continued on with their assigned plan.
End of Flashback
Dijak, who's being impersonated by Ripcord, Sweetie, who's being impersonated by Zulu; Shadow, who's being impersonated by an operative name Recoil, Smokey, who's being impersonated by an operative name Lava, Zephyr, who's being impersonated by an operative name Lex, Delgado, who's being impersonated by an operative name Falcon, and Echo, who's being impersonated by an operative name Diego were all laughing at how stupid these ASF agents were, including the Nightwatchers.
"Hey guys, since we've been on a roll with our undercover assignment, let's start addressing each other by our real names when it's only us seven," suggested Lex.
"I don't have a problem with it, as long as we don't slip up in front of anyone, including the Nightwatchers, Danny, Smoke, Delta, or those blasted cyber animals," said Ripcord.
"I can't believe we're fooling these guys this easily," said Zulu.
"Well, Zulu, you have to hand it to Chase, he is brave and noble and all that, but his pride can blind him like an old dog in a dark room," said Ripcord.
"Hey Ripcord, what's your deal with Chase? I mean you sometimes talk about him like you two have a history, did something happen between you two?" Asked Diego.
"Well you see back in the police academy, Chase was always better than me, no matter how hard I train or how hard I push myself to the limits, Chase would always outshine me. Anyway we soon graduated with Chase at the top of his class, I was right below him, but we soon became partners, but that didn't last long because I saw the bigger picture of being a cop and the advantages it could give you. However, Chase didn't like it and he reported my suspicious activity to the chief, and I was later fired for abusive power. It was on that day that I would make Chase suffer the most heartbreaking, the most traumatic experience of his life before I killed him," said Ripcord with coldness in his voice.
"Of course, Chase would hog the glory and honor to himself," said Lava.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure he pays for his actions," said Falcon.
"What do you think the boss will do to the real Dijak and his team?" Asked Lex.
"When our strike team attacks the convoy that's transporting our comrades, they'll be extracted and taken back to the compound in Mexico, and I'm pretty positive that our three friends, who are in a cell, will inform the Queen of what happens and the fate of Dijak and his boys will be her decision to make," said Ripcord.
"It will probably involve tormenting Dijak out of his mind," said Diego.
"Of course, Dijak is the main reason our great empire fell all those years ago, so she'll make sure he loses everything he holds close to his heart," said Zulu with a sadistic smile.
"What's got you thinking?" Asked Lex.
"Let's just say I have a very positive hunch. I know what our leader and his new friend will do to Dijak and it just might be the most traumatic thing a pup could go through," said Zulu.
The others caught on to what Zulu was implying and they all let out sadistic laughter, knowing that whatever Storm and Elena do to Dijak, he'll never recover from it.
The door suddenly opens up and Rocky, Danny, Smoke, and Delta enter the room, the others quickly switch back into character before the others realize something was up.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Asked Delta.
"Nothing much, just waiting for the verdict of what our fate will be," said Dijak.
"Frankly, I hope it's not anything bad," said Sweetie.
"Don't worry, Sweetie, whatever happens, we'll deal with it together," said Dijak.
"Thank you, Dijak, you are the first person to show me kindness in a long time, and I'm truly grateful.
"Well, you made me the happiest freak of nature alive, so I was wondering if you'll marry me," said Dijak, as he pulled out a beautiful diamond ring.
The others just stared in shock as they just witnessed Dijak's purpose for the girl of his dreams. Rocky felt happy that his brother finally had the girl of his dreams, and Danny and Smoke both felt happy that his long-time buddy finally had a mate that he could spend the rest of his life with. Delta always felt happy when she saw a male purpose to the girl of his dreams. However, the others knew that Ripcord and Zulu had loved each other for a long time, in fact, they were already married to each other, but they're doing this as a part of their cover and to them it is priceless.
"Yes, Dijak, yes!" Squealed Sweetie as she jumped into Dijak's forearms as the others cheered.
Everyone said their congratulations to the new happy couple. Danny, Smoke, Delta, and Rocky couldn't really believe what had just happened. The others, however, were laughing like crazy in their minds.
"Hey Dijak, I have something for you as well," said Sweetie as she pulled out a black chain and wrapped it around Dijak's neck, and clapped the two ends together.
The black chain fits perfectly around Dijak's neck like a choker necklace, but it felt nice to Dijak to have it on.
"Well, I'm happy for the newlyweds, but we still need to know the conference verdict that Chase, Stark, and Atlas are in right now.
"Then we sit and wait," said Dijak as he sat down with the others following suit.
However, unknown to them all, especially the imposters, Skyclaw and Ripfang were hiding in the vents again, just fooling around when they heard their Master talking to some members of his team, and what they were hearing made their circuits freeze like ice. Skyclaw and Ripfang started recording the conversation that the imposters were having up until the moment the others arrived. Skyclaw and Ripfang were both worried as hell, some members of the TFWC were actually members of the Royal Cartel and no one knew about it. Skyclaw and Ripfang looked at each other wondering what to do.
"What do we do now?" Asked Ripfang.
"I don't know, but this could turn out bad if this is real," said Skyclaw.
"What do you think happened to the real members of the TFWC or Cemetery Wind as they called them?" Asked Ripfang.
"I don't know, but from the sounds of it they could still be alive, however, I'm not one hundred percent sure," said Skyclaw.
"Should we tell Alpha Col. Hunter?" Asked Ripfang.
"A part of me wants to, but I think we need to find some more concrete evidence otherwise we might send ourselves straight to the scrapyard. In other words, I will inform him that some suspicious activity is going on. I'm sure he would understand and would want to get to the bottom of it," said Skyclaw.
"Then let's keep a very close eye on them because I have a feeling that when this thing explodes, the blast will cause unimaginable damage," said Ripfang.
"No kidding," said Skyclaw as he and Ripfang left before they were discovered
Chase would be driving to the barracks where Dijak and his team were. Atlas assigned him not only to be the one who is their new commander at this moment in time but also the one who breaks the news to them. In his gut, he felt like shit. He didn't want to do this as much as the next person.
He would arrive not soon after. He would get out of his truck and then be joined by six MPs. He himself would be unarmed and not even have his uniform. He would only have his collar and that was it. He would enter the building and head to where the team and Dijak should be. He would open the door and be greeted by the entire team. They would have been chatting all about what had happened but as soon as they saw the Nightwatcher enter with the MPs they would all stop talking and turn their attention to him.
Dijak would come up to him and ask, "So, what is the verdict?"
Chase would look up and take a breath and then look back down to Dijak, "First, I need you all to understand that this was a unanimous dissection by the Joint Chiefs, Atlas, the directors of both the CIA and FBI, and the President. At first, a few of them wanted all of you terminated and chaptered out. However, Atlas, myself, and Stark fought for you and got severely limited."
"So are we not chaptered?" Danny would ask.
"None of you are. You all are able to stay but here is what they did do. Dijak, you are to be Article 15 immediately. That means you are demoted to Alpha Captain and lose the commanding position of your team. You as well as the rest of your team will all be counseled about disobeying orders and minor crimes." Chase would inform, "You must understand this much better than some of them wanted to do."
The rest of the team would just look down while Dijak would just stare at Chase and ask, "Who's the new commander then? Rocky? Danny? Delgado?"
"No, and that is not all of it. The punishment seems extremely minor compared to what you were accused of. So there is more," Chase would answer.
"Please just tell us all," Echo said, getting restless.
Chase would take a breath and then would say with authority, "You are all required to attend a six-week long discipline and retraining camp. During these next six weeks, all of you will be stripped of any authority to where you are equivalent to a private in the Army. You will be moved to the old barracks of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion of the 39th Infantry Regiment. Yes, that is the same Battalion that is in Adventure Bay. They were redesignated and reassigned there. You will have three Drill Sergeants from the Army, two humans, and one canine. You will also have two Drill Instructors from the Marines, both of whom are humans. You will also have a First Sergeant, Supply Sergeant, and new command team."
"Who are they going to be?" Asked Sweetie.
"You are looking at him. I will be your commanding officer and will oversee your progress and report to Atlas. Everest will be your XO, Rosalie the medical officer, and Fuchs, the weapons officer. Please understand that we don't like this as much as you do," Chase said, "The DSs and DIs will be here later today to take you to the company. From there, you are not ever allowed to leave the company area unless escorted by a DS or DI. All the contraband that you have will be taken and stored for when you complete the six weeks. You will have no contact with the outside world except maybe through the Chaplin." The team would be silent.
"Very well, we accept all of these terms," said Dijak.
Chase would look at Dijak as if he was hiding something, for some reason Dijak this entire situation just seems odd to him, but he could never really put it together.
"However, I want you to talk to Drago and Anya and see if they would be interested in joining us, but as for Ripfang and Skyclaw, I'm putting them in power down until my training is complete, then I'll reactivate them," Dijak explained.
Chase would continue to look at Dijak and say, "That won't be necessary for your cyber animals. We'll be able to take care of them. No, the government doesn't want to experiment on them. Atlas has barred them from getting close. However, this is for you and for you and your team alone. Drago and Anya are not authorized to join as ordered by Atlas. You have picked up many people who don't really have a track record of being trustworthy. We are already working on getting who you do have into the system."
"Fine, but before our training starts, I'll need to talk to you and Atlas privately about something important," said Dijak.
"Atlas has left the base, for we are not the only ones in the ASF anymore and have responsibilities elsewhere. You can talk to me right now," Chase formed the mix.
"I really think we should talk in private. What I have to say is really not meant to be said in public," said Dijak.
"Then follow me," Chase said as he walked out the door of the barracks. He would make sure the door would close, and the MPs remained in the barracks. He would also override his dog tag so that nothing was recorded. No one will be coming up here as this was a blind spot for cameras, "What is it?"
"A few days ago, Sweetie told me what happened to her that made her the way she was," said Dijak as Chase looked at him with interest, "She had already given me the authorization to tell you and Atlas this. You can tell Atlas later, but you see what happened is…."
"WHAT!" Yelled Chase, who couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"Are you in disbelief of what happened to her, or did you not just hear me?" Asked Dijak, who was rubbing his ears from Chase yelling.
"Sorry," he would shake his head, "Please go on."
"Anyway, Sweetie asked me if I could find a therapist for her, and I said I would talk to you about it. I have a friend to help veterans with any problem, whether a psychologist or a therapist, a counselor or anything. I mean, he did help Scout and me out of a very dark time when Scout lost his father, and I lost a close friend I fought alongside during my very short time in the Navy. His name was Thunder Cadieux, we flew together, but he was killed in a training accident. Right before he died, he told me to find his daughter and give this to her," Dijak said as he pulled out some sort of pink gemstone necklace, "Sadly, I've not had any luck locating her, hell I don't even know where to start at this point."
Chase would look down and then back up and say, "I'll see what I can do. For you and the rest of your team, I want you all to be at your best, and the DSs and DIs are not going to care. They have been said to be the old fashion DSs and DIs from Vietnam. However, if you need anything to help with your mental state, I will gladly try and find you a therapist you can all meet with on Sunday. For that is really your only real free day but not allowed to leave the company area."
"I think we can work with that. Just to let you know, his name is Devon Anderson and he might be at the VA in Honolulu, Hawaii," said Dijak as he put the pink gemstone necklace back into his pocket, "Now if you excuse me I need to find Skyclaw and Ripfang and inform them of what's going to happened to them while I'm in training."
With that said, Dijak left the area and was soon followed by two MPs back to the barracks.
"Better watch your back, you stupid, ignorant pup, because I'm going to enjoy shooting you in the back when the time comes," thought Dijak as he walked back toward the barracks.
Chase had that feeling again and felt that something was off. Dijak didn't react too badly to this news, but deep down, Chase was concerned for Dijak and his team and wanted the best for them. This was not his decision, and he hoped that this wouldn't come back to bite him, Atlas, and his team in the ass.
Unknown Location
A convoy was transporting four former members of the Task Force Wild Card, Killshot, Sidian, Cyanide, and Frostbite. However, unknown to the guards who were assigned the task of transporting them from Fort Jackson to Fort Leavenworth, three of them were actually undercover Royal Cartel operatives. The one that's impersonating Killshot is a black labrador operative named Gunner, the one that's impersonating Sidian is a fox red labrador operative named Ember, and the one that's impersonating Frostbite is a young gray wolf named Bullet. Cyanide wasn't being impersonated, considering the fact that he showed up after the imposters left Ukraine; Cyanide didn't blame anyone except himself, he just lost control of his temper, I mean, he did have a habit of losing his temper, but this time probably just ended his connections with his friends and might have just sent him a one-way ticket to the firing squad. Cyanide was broken out of his thoughts when all of the lights and everything went dark.
"What the hell?!" the driver cursed out.
"What happened?" Asked the guard next to him.
"All the systems just went dead. Try and see if you can…" the driver was cut off when a pickup truck, modified to be used as a battering ram, came and bashed the car in front of them, startling both of them.
Before anyone could react, multiple modified heavy vehicles, along with a modified Blackhawk as well as two modified attack helicopters, came in and totally annihilated the convoy. Any guards that survived were immediately executed by the attackers. After the attackers made sure the guards were dead and that all communications had been destroyed, they released Killshot, Sidian, Cyanide, and Frostbite from their cells, but four of the attackers kept a hold of Cyanide, which confused the snake had to why he was being restraint but not the others.
"Killshot, what's going on, who are these people?" Asked Cyanide, who was trying to get free.
Killshot, Sidian, and Frostbite looked at the snake with sadistic smiles.
"Foolish snake, you, along with that deer and two other canines, have caused us a lot of trouble and delayed our plans a little, but don't worry, you'll see your friends again before you die," said Killshot.
Cyanide couldn't believe what he had just heard, it scared him. He did not even understand half of what Killshot had just said?
"I-I-I don't understand, what are you saying…," Cyanide was cut off by a swift kick to the head by Sidian, who was able to sneak up to Cyanide and deliver the knockout blow to the snake.
"Alright, let's get out of here and make sure to burn everything beyond recognition before you all clear-out,' said the commanding officer.
Yes sir," said the Royal Cartel operatives, who began to move and pile everything up for burning.
XXX
Things had been rather quiet for Deckard and his team. It's been a few days since Deckard had his unpleasant talk with Storm and Elena, and after they left, nobody has yet to come down, and Deckard still hasn't figured out a way for him and his team to escape their predicament. Deckard's body had changed to do his demon form reaching the final evolutionary stage, his body was slimmer and curvier, making him look like a female dog. However, Sweetie told Deckard that his new body will only make him more deadlier in the long run. Deckard and Sweetie were currently curled up in one of the corners of their cell when Elena came barging in with a smile as she skipped around the room giggling like a schoolgirl. Deckard and his team looked at her with confused looks like, "What the fuck is wrong with her!"
"Should I even ask what the fuck is wrong with you?" Deckard asked as he looked at Elena like she was mad.
"My spies found something very juicy about you, Deckard. You too, Sweetie," said Elena as she stopped in front of their cell.
"Why would I believe anything of what comes from those fakes or from you," said Deckard glaring at Elena.
"Because my people found the same thing," Storm said as he entered the room.
"Oh goody, I was wondering when you were going to show your ugly mug," said Deckard glaring at Storm.
"I should warn you to keep your insults to yourself and show us some respect if you don't want anything to happen to your team," growled Storm.
"Forgive me, Storm, how has your day been? Suffered any ass whoopings from Chase lately," Deckard said with a snark sarcastic attitude.
Storm just scoffed at Deckard's remark but smiled, "You do love being an asshole to other people."
"Only people like you, I'd be careful with your threats unless you want me to bring the new improved Nightmare out again," said Deckard.
"I'm not afraid of you or your sadistic alter ego," said Storm.
"Whatever floats your boat, now are you going to tell me what's got you two so excited?" Deckard asked, looking at Storm and Elena.
Elena grabbed a tablet and typed a few buttons on it, and a small thin opening appeared on Deckard's cell. Storm appeared to walk towards Deckard's cell with a smirk on his face as he dropped a file into Deckard's cell followed by Elena closing the opening of Deckard's cell.
Deckard picked up the file and walked back to Sweetie, Smokey, and Shadow before opening the file, and to say that Deckard wasn't happy would be an understatement.
"What the fuck is this?!" Deckard asked, as he pounded on his cell's force field
Elena got a notification on her tablet and she squealed like a little girl. Storm looked at her, waiting for her to start talking about what's got her so excited. Storm had gotten used to Elena's strange behavior, but she didn't bother him and unlike many of his men she didn't fail at her task and she always had good news which means he was kept in a good mood,
"They're here," said Elena in a singsong voice.
"We'll leave you to talk to your team about what's in the folder while we deal with some important business. We'll be back in a few minutes," said Storm as he and Elena left, leaving Deckard and his team alone once more.
One Day Later
Chase's New Office A Co 2-39 CQ office
Chase would be the CQ office of the company barracks. There with him in the office would be Drill Sergeant Copper. In reality, Copper was an Australian Cattle Dog German Shepherd mix Sergeant First Class, but he has been a Drill Sergeant for the past three years. Having graduated from the United States Drill Sergeant Academy, which is literally not even a mile away from where they are at. He would be wearing his Army OCP uniform with his Drill Sergeant campaign hat.
Drill Sergeant Brookshire, who Chase would have to agree was one of the scariest Army DSs he has ever met, and Drill Instructor Hancock are no-nonsense men who have whipped Dijak and his team already a few times within the past 24 hours. The two of them would be outside the office with Everest yelling all sorts of obscenities and remarks to the full team. Chase and Copper would discuss what is planned and how this situation will work out.
"It is truly an honor to be working with you, sir. I never thought I would be working with the ASF and the only Alpha Colonel in existence," Copper would say.
Colonel Hunter would get off his computer that would be in the office and look at Copper, "Let's skip the pleasantries. I have been told that you and your fellow Drill Sergeants with Staff Sergeant Brookshire and Staff Sergeant Reams are the best the Army could offer for this assignment. I'm sure you have been briefed along with the rest of them on what you are allowed to do and what the point of this is, correct?"
"Yes, sir. Some old fashion beatings, just like in the old days. We have been told our limitations and what we are allowed to do. Our mission is to metaphorically beat the shit out of Dijak and his team to the point where we finally break them. From there, we are to retrain them and discipline them over the slightest infraction. We will hold ourselves to a high standard, and we will do the same for them. They are not authorized to have any sort of weapon on them at any time during their time here. We DSs and DIs, on the other hand, are to be armed at all times either with rifles or pistols of our choosing. We will also be helped by MPs at all times while they guard the team during the night and day with rifles. MPs will be posted all over the company for our safety, your safety, the safety of the post, and the safety of the team," Copper would recite the orders given to him.
"And if anything is out of normal, what do you do?" Hunter would quiz.
"We are ordered to report directly to you, Alpha Major Everest, and First Sergeant Gabaldon. You are then to relay the report to Director Atlas Zanavich of the ASF, not Mr. Zanavich of Crusader Industries," Copper would respond like a robot reciting a poem. He is dedicated to his work and has no emotion when working. Outside of work is a very nice family canine with a lovely mate and two pups of his own.
Hunter would nod and then look back to his computer, which now would have cameras watching over the barracks and the breezeway where at this time, Dijak and his team were being smoked to death.
Chase would surely grab his brand new Ingram 40 Flechette Gun. A pure work of art from Crusader Tactical (C-Tac) and Robyn's first weapon she has designed for the Nightwatchers only. This work of art would be a lightweight rail gun with Phrik, Homing software, Magnetic Field Generator, and Directed Magnetic Fields (DMFs) along the barrel. Its ammo would be Flanged armor-piercing homing rounds, also known as flechettes, loaded into a ten-round magazine. The party piece of this weapon was that the flechettes are magnetically fired and can be recalled to the weapon, allowing for functionally infinite ammo and the ability to hit targets from the rear. He would holster this work of geneva breaking technology to his hip where his old pistol would have rested in a brand new secure holster. He would also look at his blade rack in his office and grab the newest daggers of Crusader's new Reaper Daggers. These blades are laced with a toxin that doesn't wear out. This toxin is called Reaper, and just the slightest touch could knock out someone like Chase, the real Dijak, and Everest. It can become extremely deadly if it pierces the skin and goes deep. He would sheath those in their new small scabbards where he used to hold his old blades. His dog pack would also have newly designed and tested weapons from Crusader's sub-company, Klause and Werner, but also C-Tac. These were the new weapons that he had tested with his team and Robyn earlier that week. Most notably, his new laser rifle called the Gallant Rifle, as well as a KnW Grenade Launcher, C-Tac Grapple Hook and Line, water bladder, rations, and a small arc fusion reactor that powers his suit when the backpack is attached as well as recharges his laser rifle and Ingram 40 batteries when they are depleted of rounds and charge for the rail-gun. When the backpack is not attached, the suit is powered by his dog tag, which has a powerful new battery called an Arc Battery that runs off an arc reactor's charge but can then function independently for 72 hours. His suit would have also been upgraded with a new black camo pattern and material that hides his thermal and IR signature. This would make him, along with his team, entirely invisible to radar, scanners, Nightvision, and anything that isn't the naked eye when the suit is activated and the helmet is on. With the color of the uniform, he could hide in dark shadows or the blackness of the dark, and anybody could barely see him, even if he was right in front of them, just like the old one.
He would have his uniform on, for it is per regulation for him to be in uniform when he is at work. However, he was not in battle mode, even though that change would be a quick activation of his helmet and deployment of his weapons.
After he got himself ready, he would leave his desk and go to the door of his office and open it, "Let's go join them, shall we?"
"Yes sir," Copper said as he joined his commander, and they left the office and then exited to the breezeway.
Chase would then see that Everest and the other DSs and DIs who have now shown up would all be smoking the shit out of the TFWC with all sorts of exercises. Sweet would pool under each and every one of them from the intense workouts and the South Carolina heat and humidity.
The DSs and DIs would scream their heads off while Everest would shout, "THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER!"
The team would respond in unison, "The Mountain Climber!"
"STARTING POSITION, MOVE." They would all get ready to do the mountain climber exercise, "IN CADENCE!"
"In Cadence!"
"EXERCISE! 1! 2! 3!"
"One!"
"1! 2! 3!"
"Two!"
Several reaps later, Everest would add inflection to her voice and say, "1! 2! 3!" one last time.
"Halt," Dijak and everyone else says, stopping the exercise after 100 reps, but all remain in the starting position.
"POSITION OF ATTENTION," Everest would start, but Rocky and Sweetie would anticipate the command and flinch. Unfortunately, they were both seen by DSs Reams and DI Handcock, and the two of them would pounce on the two canines like fish on dog food.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You do not move until you are told! Anticipating the command could get you killed!" DS Reams would shout at Rocky while the mix struggled to stay up.
"You are a pathetic trainee!" DI Handcock would shout at Sweetie, "Such laziness! Think you can get up before everyone else?!" Sweetie wouldn't say a word and gasped for air, "ANSWER ME!"
"YES, DRILL SERGEANT!" Sweetie would shout. Everyone proceeded to scream, including Everest.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The DSs and DIs would scream, and Handcock would shout, "I am not a Drill Sergeant. You will address me as yes sir or aye sir! Is that understood!"
"Yes, sir!" Sweetie would shout back and remain in her position, almost about to cry.
Dijak would want to speak, but this smoke session would never end if he did. All of them would calm down, and Everest would again give the orders, "POSITION OF ATTENTION, MOVE." They would then all go back to the position of attention by sitting down and up straight on all their paws. However, they would all be at a half-right face. Once they were done moving, Everest would give more orders, "Half left face!" They would all move 45 degrees to the left, and all would be facing the front of the formation.
They would all be panting or at least trying to control their breathing and pant to try and not overheat as sweet from their mouths drool out. Chase would head to the front of the formation while the DSs and DIs go to the side. DS Copper would join his commander on the right.
"Welcome to Hell!" Chase would say, "During your time here, you will be tested on all your basic skills except weapons. Paw-to-Paw combat will be a major set point here. You are limited to this regional area and will be watched either by Drill Sergeants, Drill Instructors, and/or Military Police. You are to be disciplined by this end, and passing these six weeks will prove to me, Atlas, and the high-ups that you can all be trusted again. I can not guarantee that all will return to normal, but these are trying times. This is your last chance, and if you mess up by, for example, disrespecting the Drills and what they stand for, you are done and will be immediately terminated from the ASF and CIA and bard from joining any other organization that has any connections to the United States departments as well as her allies," Chase would explain in a stern voice. He has completely changed from a kind demeanor to a strict and serious one. "Do your best or better, and you will survive. As of now, I will have an open-door policy. If you wish to talk to me or any of your command staff, go to one of your Drills and ask. They can not deny you. That is all for now," The German Shepherd commander would turn to the DSs and DIs, "Send them to their bays and let them get situated. Make sure to check on them constantly."
All five of them would shout, "YES, SIR!"
"They are yours," Chase would then walk back to the CQ door. Right before he would enter, Fuchs and Rosalie would arrive in their new uniforms, looking almost fashionable.
They would enter the CQ office and sit on the couches. They would then drop their serious faces and finally relax.
"Uh, Chase?" Fuchs would ask.
"Yes?" Chase would look at his friend.
"Our new suit and weapons, should… we like… talk about them?" Fuchs would say as he activated his weapons and suit to show off a bit.
Fuchs would have the new Arrowhead Laser Sniper rifle. It was a very accurate, robust, and extremely long ranged weapon. Its power increases significantly when he charges his shot by holding the trigger. For his sidearm, he would have the Arclight pistol. Just a simple laser pistol that will be recharged in his dog pack from the arc reactor, like his laser rifle's magazines. With that, he would have top-tier communications equipment and spy software. For the whole team, all of them would have a water bottle, rations and grappling hook and line in their packs along with anything that suits their needs to complete their job.
Rosalie would be armed with a Gallant Rifle just like Chase and would have an Arclight pistol like Fuchs. However, her backpack was mainly configured to store medical equipment such as a portable X-ray, bandages, tourniquets, gauze, medical shears, chest seals, NPAs, saline, morphine, and even some ketamine. She would have a bit more armor than the rest of the team to try and protect her better, for she would be a target regardless of what the Geneva convention says. Also, for the cartels, some of the drugs she carries are priceless to them. She would have the Red Cross markings, but that was more a requirement for her to operate in the field. The main marking would be on her dog tag, so it was less noticeable but enough.
Due to the extra items Rosalie has to carry, her rations and water are severely limited, and she has to rely mainly on the rest of the team to stay fed and hydrated when on long missions. Chase and Everest's strength allows them to carry more equipment; subsequently, their backpacks are larger than the two arctic foxes'. Everest carries one extra blatter and rations for Rosalie, and Chase carries one extra blatter and rations for Fuchs.
Everest would be armed with a Lumin V laser sub-machine gun or LSMG for close-quarters combat and would have an Ingram 40 Flechette gun, just like Chase. Her skill would be computers, and in her backpack, she would have some of the most diabolical hacking equipment known to man. She could walk by a computer and/or servers with highly confidential information and, with Crusader's Slice and Dice code, anti-encryption, and firewall busters, grab any information she wanted. However, there is a fail-safe to this breakthrough in hacking technology. If it gets into the wrong hands or paws, Everest or Atlas can simply push a button, and the entire system fries itself and melts into molten metal, rendering it not only completely unusable but also not able to be reverse-engineered. Also, it can't hack into Crusader's personal assets unless given permission to do so or brute force, which would take years. For more complicated cyber targets, Everest would have to plug in and go manual.
"Do you think this may be a bit much?" Fuchs would ask his leader.
Chase would look at the arctic fox and say, "Nothing is ever enough to defeat a determined enemy. One who could be right under our noses."
Rosalie would be on the couch of the CQ office looking at some DNA records. As the medical officer of this company now, she wanted to ensure everyone was up to date with their medical records and also input new medical records of the new members of the TFWC. She would be done with the humans in no time and would update her own, Chase's, Everest's, and Fuchs's medical records. However, there was something wrong with some of the members of TFWC. Dijak's DNA did not match who they were but someone else entirely.
"Uh, Chase. You might want to look at this," she called Chase over.
"What is it," Chase headed over, and then his face would go pale.
"You see it?" Rosalie would notice his change.
"I fucken knew it," he regained color and said, "Dijak isn't Dijak, but someone who I thought was dead."
"Who?" Fuchs was interested in this revelation. Everest would also head over to see what was going on.
"Ripcord and a few of his friends," Chase growled, "Get me Atlas and an entire Battalion of Mechanized Infantry here now."
Elena and Storm's Compound in Mexico
Exact Location: Unknown
Time: 2319 Hours (11:19 PM)
Deckard was having a hard time believing what was written on the paper, but after carefully examining it, he found out it was very real, but he still couldn't believe it. The other members of Cemetery Wind were worried about what got their leader in such a bad mood, but they knew it must have been something terrible.
"Decks, what does it say?" Asked Echo from his cell.
Deckard took a deep breath before answering, "Apparently, my name Deckard Lennox is nothing more than a big fat lie. It said here that my real name is Dijak Crossfang, and apparently, Rocky and I were kidnapped by Ethan and Maria, who were actually Russian spies, and they killed our real parents, who were Raven Crossfang and Eclipse Crossfang. They wanted us to become Russian assassins ourselves, but something went wrong, and they tried to have us killed," explained Deckard as he read the information to his team but kept the information about Sweetie to himself.
"So your real name is Dijak Crossfang, and your parents, your real parents, were named Raven and Eclipse?" Asked Killshot.
"Correct," said Elena in a singsong voice as she reentered with Storm, followed by two guys carrying something big.
Killshot and Sidian both saw what the two guards were holding and were shocked and surprised to see their friend there.
"Cyanide!" Killshot and Sidian both cried out as they saw their friend.
The other operatives of Task Force Wild Card saw that the two guards were holding a giant snake, but it didn't look like any type of snake they had seen before.
"Your friend here showed up when we planned the fake attack up in the Tatra Mountains, I mean, how foolish would we look if we didn't make it real," said Storm.
"You mean you sacrifice many of your forces just to kidnap us and replace us with fakes!?" Asked Deckard in disbelief that Storm would just willingly kill some of his own men for his plan.
"You sound so surprised. Well, to tell you the truth, I would kill any of my men if it achieved my goals," said Storm.
"Well, at least we establish the fact that you don't have a heart," said Deckard.
"Guards place the snake in the cell with the hybrids and bring us the white female dog," said Elena.
Sweetie heard what Elena said and hid behind Deckard, who stood in front of her, ready for a fight with Shadow on his left and Smokey on his right. Killshot and Sidian looked at their friend, who was bleeding from the side of his head, as he was carried to the cell that Deckard, Shadow, Smokey, and Sweetie were in. The two guards opened the cell and proceeded to toss Cyanide inside, but when they went to grab Sweetie, Deckard, Shadow, and Smokey blocked their path, with all three of them growling like they were ready for a fight.
"I would highly advise you all to stand down unless you want to feel unimaginable pain," said Storm with a growl.
Sweetie, not wanting anyone else to get hurt or worse, stepped through Deckard and Shadow and went with the guards. Storm grabbed Sweetie by the scruff of her neck and carried her away, followed by the two guards. However, once the guards left, three figures came down, leaving horrifying and shocked expressions on each of their faces. Elena started to laugh hysterically at Deckard's and his team's expressions. Standing before them were three figures that looked like Killshot, Sidian, and Frostbite, and they looked alike down to every single piece of hair.
"What the fuck!" Deckard yelled out in rage as the three fakes stood beside Elena.
Elena smiled and pushed a button on her table, and the three fakes started to twitch and squirm until they finished changing back into their standard forms. Killshot became a black labrador, Sidian became a red fox labrador, and Frostbite became a gray wolf.
"I would like you all to meet Gunner, Ember, and Bullet," said Elena as she pointed to the black labrador, the red fox labrador, and the gray wolf, respectively.
"So you actually place fakes in our places to make them, make us look like traitors, and make it look like we have gone rogue and evil?" Asked Deckard.
"Well, you're sort of right. I did this as a way of ultimate payback for you destroying my family's criminal empire," said Elena.
"Oh boy… you're still mad about that, let it go already," said Deckard.
"Never! I will never let it go, and I'll make sure you pay for it!" Screamed Elena as she viciously pushed a few buttons on her tablet.
Deckard, who was helping Shadow and Smokey attend to the giant snake's wounds, did not see what was happening until a big orangish-red flash blinded them, followed by the screaming of his team. Deckard turned his head, and horror-struck his face as his team's charred remains were lying in the cells to their left and right. Cyanide regained consciousness and saw the burnt remains of his brothers, the two people with whom he had spent almost his entire life, were gone. Shadow and Smokey stood there as if someone had ripped out their vocal cords, both of them unable to say anything. The four remaining prisoners braced themselves, for they believed that they would be suffering the same fate as their brethren, but all they heard was laughter coming from the psychopathic bitch.
"Apparently, your team outlived their usefulness, and so in order for the plan not to be complicated, I'm afraid that your teammates had to die, but don't worry, if all goes according to plan, you'll be joining them very soon. Now I'm going to see what Storm's been doing to your wife Deckard… or should I say, Dijak," Elena said before leaving.
Deckard began growling before steam came from his body, and just like before, the flesh was burned off his head and tail, leaving a skull head and a skeleton tail. The tail and claws on the front paws were once again surrounded by blue flames, and with an ear-piercing roar, Nightmare smashed his front right paw through the force field and slashed the control panel that was next to him, disabling the force field. Shadow, Smokey, and Cyanide behind him, the four of them prepared themselves for war.
"Storm and Elena are to be captured alive, as, for everyone else, they will decide if they want to live or die," said Nightmare.
Nightmare, Shadow, Smokey, and Cyanide burst out of the building. The alarms immediately started to go off, which alerted Elena and Storm to the commotion. Both of them saw the four animals fight off their soldiers as they made their way to their location.
"Well, it looks like our fun together has come to an end. I wish you the best of luck in killing your brothers," said Elena.
"It's been fun, but alas all good things must come to an end," said Storm.
Storm looked down at the table that had Sweetie strapped down to, she had multiple knife, claw, and bite wounds covering her body. Each of those wounds had a faint greenish color to them and her body was extremely pale and she could feel herself dying.
"I really hope that the toxin in your body doesn't kill you until Dijak sees you so he can watch as you die, I mean I'm really good at destroying lives. My men killed Chase's mate, Skye and now I'm about to take Dijak's mate away from him. You know maybe I should find a way to kill Artemis and see how Lupe will react, you know make it three for three," said Storm as he walked away laughing.
Back with Nightmare and the others, Nightmare found out that since the blue flames surround his claws, anybody that gets stabbed by them turns to ash and Nightmare smiled at what he could do. However, that's not who he is anymore, but sadly these Royal Cartel operatives would rather die than be taken alive. Some of the Royal Cartel operatives even tried to commit suicide attacks, but failed.
Nightmare turned back into Deckard and regrouped with his companions. Shadow and Smokey were both armed with assault rifles and were shooting down their attackers while Cyanide used his speed and slashed them with his blade tip tail.
"Shade, you and the others find us a ride out of here, I'm going to look for Sweetie," said Deckard.
"You got it," said Shadow as he left to find a ride with Smokey and Cyanide right behind him.
Deckard looked towards the main building of the compound with one thought running through his head, "Hang on Sweetie, I'm comin'."
Deckard burst through the doors of the main building and saw Sweetie covered in wounds and looking very pale. Deckard was about to run toward his wounded wife when Elena stood before him, causing him to skid to a halt. Deckard growled at Elena and once again turned into Nightmare and grabbed a chain that was left on a table beside him and the chain was suddenly surrounded by blue flames.
"You know if you were like that when you first came here, you would have become the perfect operative for the Diablo Blackskull Cartel. Oh well, it's too late now," said Elena giggling.
Nightmare let out a nasty snarl and threw one end of the burning chain at her causing her to be wrapped around the chain, but as the chain wrapped around her the flames disappeared leaving Elena confused.
"What? Don't have the strength to kill me?" Asked Elena, still giggling despite her predicament.
"Oh I do," said Nightmare yanking on the chain, causing Elena to come flying towards him. Nightmare then punted Elena straight in the jaw, knocking her out, "But I'm done taking matters into my own hands. You'll answer for your crimes and if you are to die, then so be it. However, that's not my decision to make nor will I be the one who carries it out."
Nightmare transformed into Deckard and ran over to the table, ripping off the straps holding her down. Sweetie looked at Deckard with tired eyes as it was getting very difficult to move, let alone stay awake.
"Sweetie, I need you to stay awake for me. I'm going to get you help, but I need you to stay awake just a little bit longer," said Deckard as he grabbed Sweetie and put her on his back and then grabbed the chain that Elena was tangled in with his mouth and dragged her unconscious ass outside with Sweetie on his back.
"Decks!" Shadow called, pulling up in a black Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
Deckard opens the trunk and untangles the chain from Elena's body before tossing her inside the trunk and closing it. Deckard wrapped the chain diagonally around his body before carefully placing Sweetie inside the back seat, but before Deckard got in he saw Storm just standing there. He was so close that Deckard could easily but a bullet or a knife into his head, but decided to leave him alone and climbed into the back seat and closing the door and ordering Shadow to floor it and with that the four surviving members of Task Force Wild Card along with a badly wounded Sweetie drove off into the night.
Storm watched as they left with a smile before bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Forgive me sir, but why are we letting them escape?" Asked a canine, a young golden labrador.
"Because the old Deckard would not have hesitated to kill me when I gave him an easy shot, nor would he take a prisoner. The old Deckard is gone, and with the soon-to-be death of his wife, he'll be mentally broken, which makes him easy pickings for Sylvia," said Storm before shooting the golden labrador in the head, killing him, "Now, does anyone else want to waste time by asking me stupid questions?"
None of the operatives answer him, not wanting to be the next person he kills.
"THEN GET TO FUCKING WORK! YOU KNOW THE BLOODY FUCKING DRILL!," Screamed Storm at his men's incompetence.
The canines of the Royal Cartel scramble to clean out the base of sensitive data and weapons that were too valuable to lose and then proceeded to burn it to the ground when everything was cleared out.
Storm looked at the burning building with a sadistic grin, "Tick-tock, Chase, tick-tock," said Storm as he left with his men to plan out their next move.
Meanwhile, the engine of the Hellcat was purring as the five occupants drove far away from the Royal Cartel's compound. Shadow was driving with Smokey in the passenger seat, and Cyanide was in the back seat, trying his best to help Deckard treat Sweetie's wounds, but nothing was working. With time running out and out of options, Deckard coated his fangs with his venom before biting Sweetie in the neck in an attempt to save her life. Sweetie felt something pierce her neck, but she no longer had any strength to make any response. With the last bit of her strength, Sweetie took hold of Deckard's front left paw and held on tight.
"Hang on, Sweetie, we'll find a hospital that will fix you up good as new," said Deckard.
"S-s-stop the… car," said Sweetie weakly.
Shadow pulled the car off the road as he and Smokey turned around to face her.
"I'm sorry for everything that I have done and I'm sorry about your brothers," said Sweetie who felt like it was her time.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Sweetie. Sure you messed up, but you tried everything in your power to make it right," said Deckard.
"Also if the others were here, they wouldn't want you blaming yourself for what happened," said Shadow.
"Shade's right, our brothers wouldn't want you beating yourself up like this. Mistakes happen, but trying to fix those mistakes is what's really important.
"If Killshot and Sidian were still here, they would have blamed themselves instead of you," said Cyanide.
Sweetie smiled at the words, it gave her peace and comfort, "You know the best thing that happened to me with you guys… it's when me and Deckard got married in Rio all those nights ago and we danced under the stars, that was the happiest moment of my life.
Deckard started to cry as he knew Sweetie was about to die. Sweetie saw the look on Deckard's face and felt bad that this is how their lives together would end.
"Deckard, promise me that you, Shade, Smokey, and Cyanide will fight until the end and that the four of you will survive. Promise me that you and Chase will be by each other's side when the end comes," said Sweetie.
"I promise," said Deckard, on the verge of breaking down.
"I'll be waiting for you in the big grassy plain up in heaven where we can run and play forever… I'll see you soon… Dijak," said Sweetie as she took her last breath and closed her eyes as she went limp in Deckard's forearms.
Deckard finally lost it as he hugged his now-deceased wife in his arms. Shadow and Smokey turned back around and started to cry as another family member was taken from them. Cyanide coiled his body up and hid his head in his body as he began to cry as well. Shadow started the car again as the last four members of Task Force Wild Card continued to weep over Sweetie's death.
A Co 2-39 Barracks
Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Time: 1100 hours UTC-5
Chase was beyond pissed. He had never been so angry in his life. Mostly to the fact that he didn't say something about it before but also the fact that he knew his brother Storm had something to do with this massive deception. Not only that, but the cyber animals would have come to the office and told the Nightwatchers of their discovery.
He would get on the intercom and said, "Rocky Crossfang, come to the CQ door time now. As well as Danny, Smoke, and Delta. You are all his battle buddies and are all coming to the CQ door time now."
In the barracks, Rocky, Danny, Smoke, and Delta left Ripcord, Zulu, Diego, Lava, Falcon, Recoil, and Lex remained in the barracks wondering why something was so sudden.
"Do you think they know?" Zulu said as she walked over to the exit where the four of the non-imposters left.
"Impossible. We have been doing so well. I bet they just need their help with something. During basic, there is always something to do," Lex reassured his teammate.
Just then all the Drill Sergeants and Drill Instructors would barge into the room and shout and bag on the lockers like a riot. Drill Sergeant Reams yelled, "Toe the line you worthless furballs!"
They would all scatter and head to their respective beds and put their front toes on an imaginary line that would be right next to the kill zone. All the DSs and DIs would be in the kill zone inspecting each of them.
Drill Instructor Handcock then shouted, "You are to run laps in this barracks until you collapse. MOVE!"
They would all start running laps in the barracks as the DSs and DIs watched and wanted to wear them out. Drill Sergeant Copper would put a paw to his service pistol just in case as well as the other DSs and DIs would body-block him if anything were to start. They would do this subtly to try and not raise any more suspicion.
Back at the CQ office, Chase would poke his head out and would see the canines and deer that he called for. They would notice him but try to remain at attention. Chase would then speak making sure only they could hear him while they would also hear the yelling and the commotion upstairs, "All four of you. Fall out and get in here now."
They would look at each other in confusion but would follow their orders and get inside the CQ office. Once inside they would see that the Nightwatchers looked as if they were getting ready for a battle of massive magnitude. Fuchs would have just gotten off the phone with a battalion commander and the Commander of the MPs on Fort Jackson.
"We got three Infantry companies coming as well as a single tank battery. The MPs are locking down the base from all the gates and air," Fuchs reported to Chase.
"And Atlas?" Chase asked.
"On his way right now," Fuchs confirmed .
"Now we wait for our reinforcements," Everest stated as she activated her suit into battle mode by having all her paws covered and her helmet would come up.
"What for, I mean you four look like you're about to make your last stand, and dare I ask what the hell is going on?" Asked Rocky, "Excuse my language, but you guys are really starting to scare me."
Chase turned to the four, "Rocky, your brother isn't here. In fact, we don't know where the fuck he is in the world. He could be dead for all we know."
"What are you talking about, he's in the barracks," said Rocky as Danny, Smoke, and Delta looked at the Nightwatchers with confusion.
"Fool's gambit. They played us all," Chase pounded the floor cracking some of the tiles, "Who do you think your brother is let alone anyone else who remains up there? They are nothing but imposters. Confirmed by the cyber animals and their DNA samples," Chase then pointed to Ripfang and Skyclaw who were in a vent. Then to Rosalie who had the medical records pulled up on everyone.
"Wait! Are you trying to tell us that my brother along with everyone else up there have been imposters this whole time? You don't think that Dijak is really dead because he's all I have. I can't lose my brother Chase," said Rocky as he began to cry.
Chase calmed down just a bit and said, "Knowing Dijak or whatever his name is. I'm sure he is alive somewhere trying to make his way to us. I knew there was something off about him ever since he arrived unannounced at the Lookout after the attack. Attacked Lupe on sight, stood down quickly, tried to usurp my position as acting commander, disappeared constantly, and got 'captured' too many times to count. Ripcord dragged you along the whole time. Did you not see anything out of the ordinary from the last time we saw him? It was all a ploy."
"Now that you mention it, he always had a dark look in his eye and… oh shit, Dijak's right ear has a scar behind it, but when I saw his right ear there was no scar. Damn it, I was a smart dog in the PAW Patrol, but I just made a stupid decision after stupid decision," said Rocky.
"They must have made the swap when Dijak and his team went to Russia, supposedly to retrieve forgotten CIA files, but it must have been a trap planted by the Royal Cartel," said Danny.
"Makes sense, but if Storm and his Royal Cartel could do this with any of us, why Dijak and his team? Why would Storm and his gang go after Dijak and his team? What does Storm have against Dijak?" Asked Delta.
"Storm has something against everyone who knows me and is a friend," Chase said and then contacted Drill Sergeant Copper, "Dawn your gas masks. Once on, get out and lock all the doors. The windows are too high and small for them to try and get out."
"Yes sir," Drill Sergeant Copper said back.
Chase then handed the four of them gas masks and activated his helmet, "Put these on. We are about to reveal who they really are."
Back upstairs, the DSs and DIs dawned their gas masks and would head to the doors. The imposters did not notice until all five of them would have left and all the exits would be locked up tight. One DI being at each of the doors that lead to the stairs and the outside while one DS at each of the doors that would head to the classroom hallway. Drill Sergeant Copper headed down to the CQ office.
Once at the CQ office Drill Sergeant Copper would say though muffled from the gas mask, "Ready sir."
"So, what exactly is about to happen?" Asked Danny muffled by his gas mask.
"Tear gas irritates the skin. Once we fill this building up, their disguises will fall and their true identity will be revealed," Chase responded, "Fuchs? Gas Gas Gas!"
"Gas Gas Gas," everyone in the room would repeat and then Fuchs would activate the tear gas and throw several canisters into the vents. The Drills upstairs would also throw in a canister each into the barracks and would quickly close and lock the doors.
"Come and play Storm. I FOUND YOUR PAWNS!" Chase shouted.