I
UNDERDOG
"ATONE FOR YOUR SINS"
DISCLAIMER
NOTE: I am aware that the entire series is not finished yet. With the potential number of changes in the canon, this story will be an AU (Alternate Universe) that combines both elements and characters from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, while adopting some actual new elements from the canon. This story is also not too "Lore-Friendly" (aka not being too accurate to the world of the Canon.) So, be warned if some inaccurate information in this AU may make you cringe.
Both shows along with their characters DOESN'T belong to me. The series respectively belongs to SpindleHorse and its creator, Vivienne Medrano (aka "VivziePop".) The plot in this Fan Fiction and some characters you'll know who are OCs (Original Characters) are original from me. If any ideas or characters sound similar to another story written by somebody else, it is purely coincidental. I refuse to blatantly steal somebody's idea and claim that it was mine. If you have any concerns, you are always welcome to message me.
If there is anybody outside of this site posting this Fan Fiction without giving proper credit or impersonating me, please let me know.
Chapter 13: Dishonorable Discharge.
Everything lost.
-(/)-
(/)
"I swear! I did not mean any harm on Charlie!" Morgan pleaded as he looked up at his interrogator.
"Colonel Adler. You can repeat the same thing over and over again. But all the evidence is being processed. I'm afraid words won't do anything good."
…
"During the evening of the ambush, Colonel Adler was not present in his residence." Katie Killjoy said on 666 News. "But an even bigger detail we discovered was that one of the last WarDogs standing in the ambush was able to identify the leader responsible for their deaths. It turns out she reported the perpetrator was a military "Colonel", which is kind of a dead giveaway~!"
…
"It was also believed that the car bombing two days before the meeting began in the Royal Palace was Morgan's first attempt to killing Princess Charlie. But it was intercepted by him when surveillance spotted it; supposedly in order to avoid getting suspicious by other service members. Some believe it was just a tactic to test the palace's defenses to give him some insight to find weaknesses and counter them."
…
"There was even a report from 2nd Lieutenant Marcela Lopez that Colonel Morgan Adler planned this from the start and would abuse her to keep her silent if anything spilled." Tom Trench added.
"Uh oh~! Do I finally sense another #MeToo trend~?!" Katie snickered.
…
"Is this true, Lieutenant Lopez?" A Royal Military judge from the Army asked.
Morgan looked over at his girlfriend as she was literally one of the last supporters of him. It was her chance to deny these allegations.
"It's true." Marcela nodded while avoiding eye contact from her dejected lover.
"Why…?!"
…
"The insurgency behind the raid has been confirmed to be planned and carried out from "The Embers", while supposedly under the assistance from Morgan Adler himself." Tom Trench added. "The Embers is a militant organization that was formed after the Day of the Ashes took place, carrying out acts against the Kingdom of Hell. Ioudas has been accused of supporting this group but has firmly denied this and has designated them as a terrorist organization. Similar to how our government labels them as such."
"This is one of the rarest times where we actually hear about a WarDog committing treason!" Katie Killjoy gasped.
…
"According to the jury and the Royal Family attending this court, it has been unanimously concluded that Morgan Adler is found guilty of all charges. The process of his sentencing will be processed in a later date." The judge said.
…
"Morgan Adler has been relieved from duty starting today. For his crimes of being behind the ambush that killed twenty-four of our soldiers, abusing another fellow service member, conspiracy against the Kingdom of Hell, and attempting to assassinate the Princess." Major General Damiens stated to the press.
…
"I didn't do it…" Morgan denied as the press tried to interview him.
"Bullshit!" One of the individuals in the crowd shouted.
"Lock that son of a bitch up!"
"Fuck that. Let's just kill him! Don't make him live in prison with our taxpayer money!"
A Hellhound WarDog member stepped forward and pushed Morgan inside the prison bus. "Get the fuck in there!" He growled.
"Digs? Status?" His radio called.
"Underdog is onboard and being transported. Digs out."
…
"Most of Hell may have doubted her beliefs in redemption. But they were no doubt noble. And now you just killed her dreams. Just remember the smile she gave you days before you did this to her. Because I don't think we'll be seeing it anymore." Calinao glared at the already vulnerably beaten Morgan in his temporary prison cell. "I'll be taking that, convict." He said about Morgan's Colonel insignia. To which Morgan heartbreakingly gave it back to him.
…
"Now with Hazbin Hotel temporarily closed due to damages caused by Adler, while its owner is under critical condition in a hospital outside of Pentagram City, it is not known if it will ever open back up again. So, looks like the idea of redemption was shot out of the sky because of Morgan Adler. Aptly named "Underdog." Katie Killjoy said while still holding that smile on her face.
…
"The newly promoted Captain Marcela Lopez has given her prayers to Princess Charlie and the Royal Family in hopes for a full recovery."
…
"I REFUSE to even look at that bastard in the eye!" Lucifer growled as he was clearly distraught outside of his daughter's hospital room. "God just had to give me that son of a bitch. If he wasn't sent down here, my little girl wouldn't be in this position!"
…
"No further comment." Lilith sighed and rubbed her temples. "All that matters is that animal is behind bars and has what's coming to him. Lucifer and I really need some time alone for our daughter. I hope you can understand." She said before turning her back on the camera.
…
"I just can't believe the perpetrator was under our noses." CWO4 Murakami of Vermilion Squad sighed. "I would've just killed him if I've known he was responsible for killing those soldiers and WarDogs."
…
"I want that bastard as far away from me and Charlie as possible!" -Vaggie growled on live television with the damaged hotel behind her.
…
"He will pay for killing my men during that day of the ambush…" -Lieutenant General Alec Bailey
…
"Our condolences go out to the demons, angels, and any humans who have perished from this attack from Underdog and The Embers." -US Ambassador of Hell
…
"I honestly don't know what to say. If it's all true, then I'm glad Underdog didn't reach even further down by having my daughter be his next victim…" -Stolas
…
"Underdog had it coming." -Helsa smiled while folding her arms.
…
"Yeah, yeah. Underdog is imprisoned. Tell me something I don't know." -Stella rolled her eyes as she was not interested in caring.
…
"#Underdog has been locked up! But yeah, hope Charlie gets better and whatever. Anyway, just wanted to say my thoughts~! Be sure to follow me for more~!" -Velvette on social media.
…
"That poor thing~! But whatever. We all have our own things to worry about other than "Underdog." -Vox posted on social media.
…
"Good riddance to that freak and abusive bastard. Underdog even flirted to Charlie while she declined his advances." -Seviathan said while trying to act sympathetic.
…
"As a soldier for the Kingdom of Heaven, we will not tolerate Underdog's actions for what happened to Princess Morningstar." -Head Paladin Nizzola
…
Underdog…
-(HPS Avalon, Pride Ring Open Waters)-
(Morgan's POV)
There I was.
I couldn't even move from where I lay. My body took in as much abuse as it could handle. All with little to no food and water for days. Hell, I don't even remember exactly how long I was put in here. A month was my estimate. All I did recall was the number of painful things the guards and other prisoners did to me. Everything hurt. But it wasn't as painful as it was on the inside.
My uniform, rank, job, friends, my girlfriend who was about to be my fiancée, all my achievements, gone. There was nothing else to give me except for this metallic box hanging on the edge of the aircraft carrier known as the HPS Avalon, belonging to the Underling Brigade. And yes, I was now a part of this penal unit for what I was accused of. No matter how much I tried to convince them I didn't do what I did, it just fell on deaf ears and even more people start to assume I'm guilty. From this point on, I will remain trapped on this ship until the day I have lost my usefulness to this unit of scummy criminals.
The HPS Avalon serves as a mobile headquarters for the Underling Brigade. Wherever the military wants us to be sent to, we'll always be on the move without sitting in one place. The current location of the ship was unknown, since I haven't seen any land or heard from anybody about where we are exactly. Nothing but ocean for the past several weeks because I have been sleeping outside in a hanging cage instead of inside the crew quarters, where most of them have been altered to hold the convicts in the penal unit.
Suddenly, in the middle of my thoughts of remembering everything before this, I felt the cage start to ascend towards the deck where I was welcomed with the ship's security forces holding a few handcuffs and some tape. They were Royal Navy personnel.
"Wakey, wakey, Underdog." The NCO (noncommissioned officer) said while opening my cage while the two junior enlisted accompanying him forcefully pulled me out and slammed me down the deck. Lastly, he began to cuff my wrists and ankles. "Gotta make yourself look presentable in the briefing room."
"Get the fuck up." One of the seamen barked and lifted me up on my feet with the other.
"Hope you had a good morning." The NCO said sarcastically while giving me a sadistic smirk. "Because I think scum like you deserve more than just having a good view from above the water. How about underneath it again?"
What he was talking about was "Blue Torture". All I can say is it is a TERRIFYING experience.
"No, petty officer…" I shook my head.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you, son."
"No, petty officer." I repeated as my voice was raspier due to the lack of proper water.
"Aww. Does the little doggy need something to drink~?"
I remained silent as replying was used against me before, resulting in some taunting and beatings for "ordering them around".
"Underdog, I asked you a question. And since I'm in a good mood, I am willing to give you something to drink. Either you respond, or you don't get any for an additional two days. Your choice." He warned. "Are. You. Thirsty?"
"…yes…petty officer."
He chuckled and patted my shoulder. "See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"
While he walked towards the command center (the aircraft carrier's "island"), I was pushed by one of his men to follow him where I somewhat limped due to not being able to walk for a while. A few steps later, I was able to do it properly. But weakly.
The NCO switched on a fire hose used by the emergency fire crew to carefully spray some water into a tall bucket. As soon as it was full, he revealed his other hand to be holding a small towel, which was clearly a red flag I knew was coming.
Waterboarding.
I was going to get a drink by getting waterboarded…
"Time to drink up, Underdog."
Was all he said before I felt my whole body get pushed down on the deck, on my back. The two seamen restrained both of my arms while I felt the wet towel cover my face, obstructing my vision and being unable to breathe properly. Lastly, the pressure of his boots stepped on my torso as he stood on top of me to not only keep me down, but to obstruct my breathing even further. With all of that, he poured a good amount of water on the towel over my face while the sensation of drowning began to develop with the panicking.
It felt nice finally being able to drink fresh water. But at the same time, it was excruciating as I kicked my legs in a panic while trying to find any air pocket under the towel and pouring water to breathe. All that was coming out of me was coughing, gargling, and my shaky breathing. Then, it stopped as the bucket was clearly down to the last drop.
"Like I said, I'm in a good mood~! Maybe one more complimentary bucket~!" The NCO stepped on my other arm while one of his men began to fill it up again.
I coughed violently as the towel fell off my face, only being able to see a blurry image of my torturer looking down at me with a glare.
"How does this feel, Underdog?" He asked before stomping his foot on my arm, making me groan in pain. "All the shit you pulled in Pentagram City with The Embers. Attempting to kill Princess Charlie. And all your other charges. Why couldn't your court martial just have you executed, you sick fuck!"
"I…never…did…all that…!" I muttered.
"What a load of bullshit." He shook his head and spat near my face. "The fact a decorated soldier like you can do all this makes me sick. I think it was fair for the rest of the WarDogs to drop and leave you in the mud."
As much as he was being cruel, I at least understood where he was coming from. He thinks he's doing the right thing by treating Hell's most hated sinner like nothing but dirt. Even though I had nothing to do with all of this.
But in the end, I stayed quiet as there was nothing I could do. If the courts and the public refused to listen to me, there was no point.
As soon as the seaman filling the bucket came back, he placed the towel on my face again and said, "Drink up, Underdog."
Once again, another excruciating twenty seconds of waterboarding happened. My breathing was starting to become even more shallow as soon as it was finished, now shivering from the cold and the stress of going through it again.
Before he could say anything, the NCO's radio began to ring. "Go ahead." He responded immediately.
"Leech. Where is Underdog?"
The man, nicknamed "Leech", looked over at me as his two subordinates lifted me up. "Bringing him down now. Just had to teach him a lesson."
"I wanted him down here five minutes ago. Quit messing around and bring him down. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Make it quick. I want to make this briefing done early. Command is finally planning something for this unit."
"At once. Sorry, sir. Out." Leech hung up and opened the door that led to a flight of stairs. "Move your ass. If I get smoked for being late, you're going through "Blue Torture" again."
As soon as they covered my mouth with the tape they carried, I walked down the stairs with one of the men leading the way while the other and Leech stayed behind me. At some point, I was expected to be pushed down the stairs or down the hall. This was commonly done to me ever since I arrived in the Underling Brigade. I think they decided not to because not since I went through waterboarding. But because they wanted to avoid being tardy and getting smoked for it. From the deck to the briefing room, it only took around three minutes of walking down the somewhat claustrophobic hallways.
Entering the briefing room, I clearly stuck out as I was the only one cuffed multiple times while my mouth was taped, and my prisoner jumpsuit was soaked from earlier. All prisoners watched me as I was led to the front on stage, with some chattering towards each other quietly.
"Don't collapse on us." Leech said before smacking the back of my head. He opened a door from the back of the stage as he led out a man that was clearly a high-ranking officer.
It was the man in charge of this entire carrier strike group. We don't know his name besides his rank, which was Captain; equivalent to a Colonel from most of the branches in the Navy.
What we do know is he is only nicknamed "The Warden".
"Attention! Sit your asses down and start listening!" The Warden shouted to the rest of the crowd.
With that, almost all the prisoners took a seat in their chairs upon hearing his orders. I say "almost" because there was one prisoner that refused to sit down. It was one of the newcomers.
The Warden glared at the prisoner who wasn't complying. "Is there a problem with your ears? Or your brain? I said sit the hell down!"
"I don't need to listen to your sorry ass. Growing up in the streets of Brooklyn, a man like you can't even do shit to me." The prisoner acted all tough to prove he had the advantage, only to fail as the Warden didn't budge.
But the opposite.
Approaching the prisoner, he asked, "What's your name, convict?"
"Shawn Johansson; aka "Big-Chete". Use to roll with the Hyena Crips when my black ass was still kicking some up there." He said proudly for everyone to hear, which only resulted in all the prisoners clearly being unamused to care.
"Lame." One of the prisoners shouted in the back as some chuckled.
The Warden towered over him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I'll let that one slide just because you're new here. Now, I'm going to say this one more time. Sit. Down." He repeated.
"Nigga, I don't need to sit down when I can hear you just fine while I'm up." He shook his head while letting out a chuckle. (A/N: I meant no disrespect to using that word. Be aware people still use words like that even today. Especially gang members like him.)
"Come on, holmes. Sit down or you're going to make this bullshit last longer." One of the others behind him groaned.
"Relax, Bones. He doesn't look so tou-"
*BAM!*
Shawn suddenly gagged out violently as he collapsed to the floor while clenching onto his seat, shaking in pain as he was on his last legs to remain up or conscious. The Warden delivered a deep an impactful punch to Shawn's stomach as it was enough to almost knock the wind out of him. It happened so fast that blinking was enough to miss his arm moving.
"I don't give a rat's ass on who you were and are from the past and present." The Warden clicked his tongue. "Whether you convicts are men, women, trans; straight, gay, lesbian, or the other whatever the fuck these other words kids make nowadays, you're all trash in my eyes. Something that not even Hell wants to keep you in her society."
"Wh-Wh-What the fuck…?!" Shawn coughed and panted.
"Now that you're down, be sure to pay attention this time." The Warden said to him and went back on the stage before letting out a lengthy sigh. "For the rest of you new slugs in the front, allow me to introduce to you on who you will avoid at all costs."
One of his armed guards forcefully pushed me to the center of the stage as I used whatever strength I had to make sure I didn't collapse. All I did was blankly stare back at the audience, consisting of probably around seventy-five or one hundred penal unit members, excluding the guards standing next to the walls. Most of these men and some women looked like your typical low lives from prison. What was more of a catch was the tattoos they all had on their arms, and some even on their faces. Along with it was their expressionless stares as if they showed no interest to me. But the others clearly wanted to start something.
I've been through this before though. Just another weekly humiliating introduction for the fresh penal unit members to see me.
"This piece of shit's name is Morgan Adler. Former Colonel for the Enforcement Pack of the WarDogs. But you're not gonna call this animal by his name whatsoever. For almost killing the Princess herself, he's probably not going to make it out for long in this unit. And that's saying a lot compared to you shit stains of society."
Some in the crowd nastily groaned and shook their heads at the insult.
"Command has given him the name "Underdog". He's not a WAR-Dog anymore. But something below even deeper than anything." He explained. "You will show respect to me and my men on this ship. However, Underdog easily doesn't have to be treated as such. I think you're doing everyone a favor just by treating him like the scumbag that he is." He said without looking me in the eye, as if he was disgusted by my presence.
"You're making it sound like the guy that put Charlie's pretty little eyes to sleep is the worst offense out of all of us." One of the penal unit member commented.
"Attempting to assassinate a member of the Royal Family is the worst kind of thing you can do. Especially towards their only child." Another member told him.
"Exactly." The Warden folded his arms. "But don't think you have the moral high ground just because his is worse than your own. I'm looking at you, child fiddler." He glared at the prisoner that asked the question.
"Whatever." He rolled his eyes.
"Now, with that out of the way, let's get back to business."
The Warden switched on the projector to display a map of the Bolgia Sea, with Pentagram City from the south and the Ioudas Shrines from the north, which were the ruins of the Day of the Ashes event. West of the Shrines was a disputed territory between the Kingdom of Hell and Ioudas' Principality. Mainly due to the insurgents known as "The Embers". That area has been considered politically unstable for years, mainly due to the terrain being 75% mountainous where The Embers are able to take advantage of it and hold out their control. Logistics and deployments would no doubt be difficult to regain the peninsula.
The Warden cleared his throat and began. "Five weeks ago, hopefully you cons remembered what happened in Pentagram City. For the first time in centuries, our capital was attacked and suffered millions of dollars in damage; along with the unfortunate losses of three dozen men, women, and children. Military and civilians alike. If any of you have some dignity left to feel bad, you can blame Underdog for working with the enemy."
I felt a good number of harsh stares at me, over something I know I didn't do. There was no way for me to counter these claims. My mouth was still taped shut.
"This angered King Lucifer and Queen Lilith themselves. But the ones who were pissed off the most was Chairman Calinao and his General Staff. Therefore, it has been confirmed that our leaders have unanimously adopted a resolution to respond to this attack with military action. And the Underling Brigade will be taking part of this."
"Oh brother…" A convict in the crowd groaned.
"We're so fucking dead." Another commented.
"This entire plan has been codenamed Operation: Dusty Wings." He said before the map began to display which units will be taking part in this operation. It was mainly comprised of groups from the Royal Air/Aerospace Force, Navy, Marines, and Army. With aviation units outnumbering the ground forces due to the terrain. "And it's your lucky day, mutts. The Underling Brigade will be taking point in this operation as Shock Troopers. Your job is to break the enemy's line of defenses so that our regular forces will have an easier time taking hold of the position you mutts have raided. If one trench, outpost, village, or whatever is cleared of enemy forces, move onto the next designated area to claim."
One of the prisoners sighed. "Hopefully they'll have better food there than whatever the hell they make on this ship."
"Underdog. If it's true that you worked with them, I think it's rather fitting to clean up the shit you caused." The Warden said to me. "And if any of you cons get killed, good. The less filth on this ship, the more room there is for the real sailors." The Warden said coldly.
"So…" The prisoner named "Bones" from earlier started, "we wipe someone else's ass while the poster boys take all the credit as usual?"
"Knowing your background, Bones. I thought Sicarios are supposed to wipe their boss' asses without getting much."
"For the new guys, usually."
"Well, it doesn't matter. I give you an order, you carry it on whether it kills you or not." The Warden rolled his eyes. "Dismissed. Now, get the hell out of my sight." He said while turning his back to the crowd to exit through the backdoor.
Almost immediately, the prisoners in their seats just got up and left the briefing room as if they didn't want to stay in there a bit longer. The few prisoners that remained were simply talking to each other. A few of them took a few glances at me with some clearly disgusted and the others ignoring afterwards. Clearly, I was not welcomed to mingle with my fellow prisoners. The guard then uncuffed my hands and legs before tearing off the duct tape on my mouth.
"Get back outside, Underdog. You're stinking up the room." The guard taunted and pushed me down the stage, where some of the prisoners chuckled at this happening.
The man that got punched by The Warden, Shawn, saw this and snickered a little bit and asked something I didn't expect. "Shit. You okay, bro?"
Surprised he asked that instead of insulting me alone. "I'm fine."
"Well, if you're fine, best to get moving before the other pendejos in this room make sure you won't be." The sicario named "Bones" said as he was helping Shawn out.
I remained silent and just gave a nod as I left the room with all the prisoners and guards watching me leave. Being faced with a hallway where the left was crowded with prisoners who were either heading back to their cells or do God knows what, and the right being completely void of anybody except for a door leading to the outside, I picked the latter. I reached the door and opened it where it led to an observation balcony just underneath the gallery deck. It was facing starboard side (right side of the vessel) where I could see two Destroyer ships from the Royal Navy not only protecting the ship from any potential threats, but to ensure no prisoner from the penal unit escapes.
Basically, this aircraft carrier was surrounded where it was hard to reach freedom. Where you could die by drowning, or getting shot with small arms or worse, heavy armaments. For me, I had no intention of escaping. There was no way in hell I was able to go back to my old life, or even start over. All I did was lean against the railing and watched the waves below and the sounds of Hell's seagulls flying and calling in the air.
All was peaceful. Until the door I exited from opened as a convict walked out and noticed me. He was a new face on the ship, since I don't recall seeing him ever since I was stuffed on this hunk of metal a month ago.
"Hey." He greeted with a smile.
I didn't respond back to him and just gave a silent nod before turning back to the view. Whenever other prisoners tried to interact with me, they would either insult me or just beat me to a pulp while I was helpless due to being malnourished and my injuries of physical abuse.
"You…mind if I smoke out here?" The man asked while pulling out a packet and lighter.
My mind was curious to how he managed to get a packet and lighter, but I kept it quiet and just gave another nod without a word.
"Thanks. It'll be quick." He said while prepping a cigarette. Puffing in the smoke and exhaling away from me, he pulled out another one and pointed it towards me. "Want one?"
I blankly stared down at the piece he was offering, which I was hesitant to take. There's usually a catch to this sort of thing. "Trying to get a favor out of me?" I asked.
"Nah, man. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it seems like you need one." He smiled warmly and pulled it out for me.
Funny enough, I don't smoke. I never did it since I retired from the US Marines eleven years ago. Hell, I was against it even towards Marcela, my now ex-girlfriend, where we promised not to solely rely on substances during our military career, only consuming alcohol during special occasions.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
So, I took it. Placed the cigarette on my lips and used the lighter the man offered. It's been a long time since I had the taste of tobacco and smoke in my mouth and lungs. But the nicotine will hopefully pay off what I've been through. Temporarily.
"The name is Donn, by the way. I just transferred here, if you saw me in the front." He mentioned, "Since we all know why you were sent here, might as well tell you mine." Donn leaned against the railing and exhaled some smoke out. "I slept with an Overlord's daughter and…well…you can guess where that went with me."
"Was it one of Mada-…Carmilla Carmine's girls?" I asked while dropping the formality, as it didn't seem necessary anymore.
Donn chuckled and shook his head. "Hell no. I wouldn't even be alive to tell you this if it was one of those two." He said before puffing in some smoke. "It was just this one girl I've known for a while. But her mom didn't seem to like me. Hell, wouldn't be surprised if she used her position of power to sentence me here."
"Her daughter didn't step up for you?"
"I don't know if she tried to or not. But what I know for sure is she was unable to bail me." He sighed. "You know the old saying: It is what it is."
"Sounds to me that you don't belong here." I stated my opinion on him being sent to the Underling Brigade.
He chuckled and lowered his head sadly with a fake smile. "You're making it sound like they care about what happens to me when they actually don't. With Hell trying to figure out methods for the overpopulation crisis in Pentagram City AND with that woman's position as Overlord, it's clear she bribed them to send a low life like me here instead of regular prison."
"And if her daughter played a role to your sentencing?"
With that idea, Donn remained silent for a few seconds while aimlessly twirling his cigarette on his hand. "I…I don't know how I feel if that was the case. We've been on VERY good terms for years and things seemed like it was going natural."
"Hopefully it isn't. I know what it's like to get stabbed in the back." I looked down at my cigarette as it immediately reminded me of Marcela. All those times I tried to stop her from smoking. I shook her off my head and just puffed some in.
"Oh yeah, your offenses. How do you feel about your sentencing?" Donn asked without trying to sound like he was mocking me.
I huffed out the smoke and looked down at the waves below. "You can believe what you want. But I know I never did that they thought I did."
"Actually, I've been hearing a lot of conspiracy theories about what happened that day. Not just all of Hell blaming you, that is." Donn mentioned.
"Which ones?"
"One of them is that members of the government planned this attack in order to start a full-on war against The Embers to convince the King and Queen to accept it; all to gain territory near Ioudas' Principality. Bit of a stretch, to be honest." Donn started with the first one. "The second one is some Overlords just hired The Embers to take down Hazbin Hotel to prevent the Princess' ideas of redemption from happening. But that would put them at risk for an establishment that isn't so popular. Just sounds like a waste for the Overlords to do."
Intrigued, I asked, "Anything else?"
"The last one that's been popping up recently is that both attacks were orchestrated by some military officers to get faster promotions when they weren't satisfied for not getting theirs." He answered. "And what better way to look good for the General Staff Office? Showing their efficiency during martial law and making way for The Embers to attack to show more to impress the brass."
"All those sounds pretty crazy. I gotta be honest…" I chuckled slightly.
"Oh, the craziest part is this one: You were their scapegoat to avoid suspicion and taking the blame. And the Princess' near-death experience was all an accident."
Even after hearing all of this, I chuckled once again and puffed some smoke from the cigarette. "Which one do you believe in the most?"
He just shrugged and chuckled back. "Man, I don't know. Who's to say those are true or not?"
"Well, what about me? Do you think I tried to kill Charlie?" I frowned again.
"I'm more of an innocent until proven guilty kind of guy." Donn answered. "Hearing about your court martial, doesn't really sound convincing on what they think you did so far. As for that Marcela woman, did you-"
"I didn't." I answered sternly as I couldn't stand being labeled as an abuser when I NEVER physically harmed my now ex-girlfriend. "I did what I could to make sure Marcela was happy. When I reached the rank of Colonel, it seemed like we were set for life. Not to mention I was about to ask her to marry me." I explained to him while my chest started to hurt once again. "God knows why she chose to rule against me over those abuse allegations against her. Was she using me? Did she prefer to get promoted instead of sticking around? Whatever the case, five years all for nothing…"
Donn sighed. "I know it's not much to fix the shit you've been through. But I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I've accepted what happened during my first week on this ship." I shrugged and shook off some ash on my cigarette. "When it's my time to die in this unit, I think it's for the best."
"But there are some people out there that are skeptical about what happened. You're not going to hope that-"
"Donn. It's much easier for people to accept and point fault on others than it is to look for proof of their innocence."
"Shit. That's…true. Sadly." He sighed.
"About Charlie though…Heard anything about her…?" I asked him, feeling concerned about her deep down.
"Princess Charlie is still in a coma, the last time I heard." Donn replied before taking a hit of his cigarette. "Hard to believe she's been in it for a month…"
"Heavenly Arsenal can do the most damage towards demons compared to ours and human-made munitions." I told him. "I just don't understand how that missile redirected its course when my IR Laser wasn't working…"
"Component malfunction due to the state of your bird? Reports stated that the Zephyr you flew was damaged."
"And yet the missile headed towards Hazbin Hotel and my craft detected an IR laser source the moment I fired." I added before I went deep into an idea before I suddenly realized something. "Unless…"
My thoughts were interrupted as soon as I started to hear the ship's emergency sirens start to wail all across the ship. Then, the public address system manned by a ship officer relayed on full alert…
"Avalon! Avalon! This is not a drill! General quarters, general quarters! All hands, man your battlestations!"
The sirens continued to wail as I looked at Donn, who was clearly shaken when hearing about an upcoming attack. With the look on his face and body language, he was clearly not experienced in combat.
"We're under attack?! By whom?!" He asked while looking around the sea, with the nearby escort ships preparing for a defensive battle.
"We're about to find out." I puffed and tossed my cigarette away and opened the door back inside.
"Shit! Where do penal unit members head to?!" Donn asked as he was clearly not briefed on procedures like this.
"We all head to the hangar bay! Follow me!"
Universe Trivia
"The Underling Brigade is a misfit unit meant to imprison Hell's most troubled demons in order to serve the Kingdom. While going through rehabilitation programs to atone for their wrongdoings and better fit into our society." -King Lucifer Morningstar
Or that's what it was supposed to sound like…
In reality, The Underling Brigade (other nicknames: The Suicide Platoon, Cleanup Crew, Hell's Expendables, and Shock Troopers) is one of the solutions to solve the overpopulation crisis in the Pride Ring by imprisoning the most unwanted and hated individuals in Hell. Mostly Hellborn and Sinner criminals/low lives with no power. It is the exact opposite of rehabilitation and redemption to Hazbin Hotel with Princess Charlie Morningstar's beliefs. If you are sentenced to serve in this unit, it's a death penalty. You're forced to serve the Kingdom of Hell with very little while the only way out is to die. Even if you contribute well for the unit, proper credit is NEVER guaranteed.
Desertion is also a death sentence as military and law enforcement are permitted to shoot on sight against escaped convicts. Heaven Exorcists and Earth's Individual Forces are also authorized to shoot them on sight too. For civilians, they will be handsomely rewarded for neutralizing a convict from this unit.
Welcome to Act 2. Probably the most vulgar and unfiltered part of the story. There will be some warming breaks but be prepared.
For AO3 Viewers: No drawings for now. Sorry. Busy schedule due to family.
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