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 12: Princess Killer.

-(Hazbin Hotel; Pentagram City, Pride Ring)-

(Morgan's POV)

"This is Glory Hound. Zephyr is locked and loaded. Time to wrap this up, WarDogs." I relayed over the radio to Vermilion Squad and Fireteam Shinobi.

"Shinobi Actual copies. Be advised. Overflight confirms a light armor column and attached infantry approaching from the south. Aim for the LAVs and we'll mop up the rest of the infantry." Ayase recommended while she was clearly watching the enemy advance from the only route to the hotel.

Jorge chuckled over the comms. "Don't hog all the kills, sir. Vermilion doesn't sit this one out."

"Colonel? You going to be okay up in that thing?" Charlie asked on Jorge's radio.

"I'll be alright. Just sit back and enjoy the sight of Hell's firepower." I replied while positioning my craft for the first strafe. The HUD already displayed enemy IFFs as it was a huge cluster of enemies with light armor. Due to these being insurgents, they were disorganized and clearly not scattering to avoid heavy casualties. No matter. "Glory Hound. Tally on enemy contacts. Engaging." I said before firing the 30mm cannon and 70mm rocket pods after lining up a good shot.

Smoke with debris and shrapnel along with a small occasional light of fire sparked across the affected areas. Although I did feel bad for damaging the area around Charlie's property, it was a necessary thing to do in order to protect her and the others inside.

Ozren whistled over the radio. "Holy shit. They felt that."

"Colonel, proceed with caution. Enemy contacts may be in possession with MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems/shoulder launched anti-air missiles) down there." Raizo warned.

"Flares are on standby if I'm spiked." I acknowledged.

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

"Speak of the devil…" I sighed as I pushed my nose down further while descending sharply to use the trees to block the enemy's MANPADS from locking on. My altitude reached the level below the cliffside the hotel stood on, making me temporarily safe. "Confirmed enemy contacts have shoulder launched anti-air missiles."

"Does this mean we're screwed?" Sir Pentious asked in the background of the radio.

"Relax. We can work around this. Just keep your head and tail down." Melodie said to him.

"Mongrel's right. I love a challenge." I let out a sigh and gripped the flight stick of the helicopter. "I've been in a helo crash before to know what to do. If that happens, hold them off until QRF arrives."

"ETA on arrival?"

"11 mikes. Let's make sure the area is safer than it is now."

"Just don't go crashing on us, please?" Charlie told me, concerned.

"I'll be sure to crash somewhere away from the hotel."

"That's not what I meant!"

Moving on from my dark humor towards her request, I pulled the stick to fly backwards and ascended to get a good view while prepping to make another strafe. I saw an opening patch, where the system's IFF confirmed marking hostiles and flew straight towards my target. My heart was beating fast in my chest as my ears were just waiting for that missile warning to go off. I fired a few rockets but mostly used the autocannon as it was mainly infantry where I marked. But two seconds after the strafe, the missile warning started to ring as I was spiked. When the alert went faster, meaning a missile was heading at me, I released the flares while dangerously lowering my altitude near the trees. The missile lost track of my Zephyr thanks to the flares, but it hit a tree near me where I felt the shockwave hit my body.

I gritted my teeth and groaned. "Close call…Shinobi, if you have visual on the MANPADS, take them out. That shockwave almost made me puke."

"Affirm. My rifle and rounds should be good and fast enough to take them out before they pull the trigger." Ozren acknowledged.

"Shinobi 3 and 4. Once a good chunk of them are out in the open, hit me up."

"Shinobi 4 to Glory Hound. I have visual on a column of hostiles running through an open patch. Be advised visibility isn't too good due to the branches blocking my scope."

"Confirmed. Mortar shots and IFVs coming from that patch. 200 meters south of Hazbin Hotel. Requesting air support." Shinobi 3 said while some of the shots landed in front of the hotel's yard.

Letting out a sigh, I fought my nervousness of getting shot down and ascended. It was my job to protect the others, especially Charlie due to what Lilith proposed to me. "Glory Hound. Copy. Coming up." I replied.

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

"Shit! I'm spiked!" I gritted my teeth and continued forward for the run, now having visual of the empty patch of trees filled with some stationed indirect fire teams (mortars) and the slowly advancing light armored units. Then, the alarm went faster as a missile was heading at me again.

"Colonel!" Charlie shouted in the background from Jorge's radio.

"I see it!" I sharply banked the chopper left and dumped flares, seeing and hearing the missile swoop past me while leaving a trail of smoke. The alert system stopped, but I felt the missile airburst almost near my Zephyr. Causing minor damage, but not a direct hit.. "Evaded!"

"Light 'em up, sir!" Raizo said excitedly.

And just like that, I tilted the nose properly and lined up where the rockets would hit and used the cannon manually to aim for the mortars. "GET SOME MOTHERFUCKERS!" I shouted while launching the barrage of rockets from their pods and firing the 30mm cannons, not letting go of any of the triggers to cause as much damage as possible in a concentrated area.

Melodie howled over the radio with some of the others in Vermilion Squad screaming excitedly. "I love a light show~!"

"Wooohoooo~!" Niffty cheered in the background as she was clearly enjoying the show too. "That's the kind of mess I don't mind!"

"You said it!" Cherri Bomb agreed with a wide grin.

"Your WarDog bodyguard is fucking insane…" Sir Pentious commented in the background to Charlie.

"He isn't always like this." She sighed.

After the second most effective strafe, which was clearly successful as more smoke began to rise up from one of the spots where the LAVs were, I descended below the surface level of the cliff and circled around to prepare another strafe. "Shinobi Actual. Can you give me a BDA over that run?"

"Advancing infantry slowing down and confirmed two light armors out of commission. Good run, si-…Hold on, additional enemy mortar team in my sights in the tree line. Request permission to engage?"

"Granted. Light 'em up. I'll continue to strafe across the enemy position. Vermilion, provide any cover fire towards the closest group of enemies, but watch out for incoming mortar fire."

"Razor copies. Gatekeeper." Raizo confirmed by saying the HRM code for defensive positions.

"Brigadier General Durant to Glory Hound. You still with us, Colonel?" A new voice relayed over the frequency, which was pretty obvious who it was.

Melodie chuckled on the radio. "Oh, he's still here. Taking all our kills."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled before responding, "Affirmative. I'm providing air support using Nomads 2-1's Zephyr while he's being treated. Enemy presence is decreasing, but we're not sure if there's any more around the perimeter." I told him the important details of the situation. But then I remembered Watchtower mentioning an overflight earlier. "General, is that UAV still active in our AO?"

"Negative. Merrick Air Base launched it a few hours ago for the Morningstar Palace. But they're sending you a new one circling overhead now." Durant responded. "We'll have your targets marked while it's passing over the hotel's airspace."

"Roger. Thank you, sir." I thanked while circling around the tree line, continuing to sweep with my cannons.

"Vermilion and Shinobi Actual. Be advised. Enemy presence is increasing from your south. Advise you to evacuate the hotel and remain in the back for emergency extraction. ETA: Eight mikes."

Melodie jumped into the conversation again. "Brigadier General Durant. Interrogative – is that really necessary when Colonel Adler is providing air support and QRF is most likely a few clicks away?"

"I can't put the Princess at risk with this much enemy activity near your position." Durant answered. "Colonel, provide air support until their bird arrives. Remain on station around Hazbin Hotel to assist clean up with the quick reaction force."

"Roger, General." I acknowledged. "Vermilion, Shinobi, everyone, evacuate the building immediately. I'll make sure not to a single insurgent sets one foot into the hotel."

Ayase let out a small and short sigh as she wasn't comfortable with this idea. But gave in due to it being a direct order. "Shinobi. Prep for extraction. Three and four, proceed down first."

"Vermilion Actual copies. We'll take care of the Princess and the others." Raizo said.


(Charlie's POV)

"We're evacuating?!" Vaggie asked as she was clearly not happy with this decision.

I wasn't happy too, since I was putting my property at risk of getting overrun with insurgents. However, I completely understood the situation and reasons as staying here would not help anybody. I put my disagreement aside and looked at Vaggie to say, "Vaggie, we don't have any other choice. If it's for the sake of getting everyone out of here safely, it's better to take it than sitting here and endangering ourselves further."

Angel Dust sighed and nodded as he was already empty with ammo. "No offense, but I don't feel safe here even with these blood thirsty WarDogs protecting us. We should leave until this place is safe."

Niffty pouted. "Do we have too? I was getting the impression we would get to move the fight to them. My knife is thirsty for some insurgent blood~!"

"That's enough chatter, folks." Raizo said while still providing fire at the tree line. "Grind, Gurkha, keep up the fire until our bird is touching down. The rest of you, we're securing the back of the hotel to make sure it's all clear."

Cherri Bomb looked at Sir Pentious and nudged his side. "Yo, Pentious? You ever rode a helicopter before?"

Sir Pentious shook his head. "Not really. How is it?"

"Hell if I know." She shrugged. "But you heard the samurai. Start moving your tail! We're getting outta here!"

"Just because I have a katana doesn't mean I'm a samurai." Raizo commented while leading Angel Dust, Husk, Cherri Bomb, and Sir Pentious.

Melodie looked at me and Vaggie before giving us a nod to move to the other side while providing cover fire. But as soon as Colonel Adler's bird swooped by, firing his arsenal, that was when she followed close behind us. "Sorry it's come to this. But we'll do what we can to make sure this hotel is protected."

I bit my lip as heard Colonel Adler's chopper pass overhead of the hotel again. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Don't worry. He's survived Operation: Killjoy, which is way worse than this situation. If he crashes, he knows what to do." Melodie smiled back at me.

Deep down, I had a feeling she was only saying that to not have me worry about anything else besides extraction. "Okay. Let's hope."

Vaggie grabbed my hand while we ran down the stairs. "He'll be fine. This hotel is in good hands when he's here to protect it too."

"It's good to know you trust him too." I smiled at her.

"He's proven himself so far." Vaggie nodded.

We reached the backdoor of the hotel, which was open as the others were already outside with the WarDogs setting up a defensive perimeter around the entire back garden. Melodie led me and Vaggie to the center of them like the others while Shinobi 3 covered the back door for security with what seemed like an SMG instead of his sniper. With the sound of Colonel Adler's Zephyr flying around, followed by gunfire and explosions, I was growing even more nervous for his safety. But remembering him being a hardened veteran to this sort of thing was a bit reassuring.

"The bird is en route. ETA: Three mikes." Jorge said to the group to get ready while my staff and guests kept their heads down.

Angel Dust popped his head up and asked, "Three mikes? Is that long?"

"Three minutes." Jorge translated.

Husk sighed as he was clearly a bit nervous. "Three minutes. That's what they always say."

"Relax, kitty cat. I'm here if you need some comfort~!" Angel Dust said flirtatiously. "Plus, it's only three mikes, right? I've taken three guys named Mike all at once one time~! So, this is nothing~!"

"Too much information, buddy." Quaid commented while treating the wounded pilot from earlier.

"Yeah. Can you take this seriously without putting your dick up?" Husk rolled his eyes.

"You know, the situation would be better if you guys kept your mouth shut." Vaggie groaned as she was clearly focusing on keeping an eye out for imminent danger.

"Calm down, toots. Just trying to ease off wi-"

"RPG! Eastern tree line!"

Suddenly, I felt an explosion go off nearby where I was able to feel it to my core. It was coincidentally almost near Angel Dust's spot, but he was protected due to one of the stone pillars he stood behind. Letting out a panicked squeal, he ducked to the ground and kept his head covered while the others did the same. All of this followed by sounds of something whizzing in the air along with some cracklings. Remembering what Colonel Adler told me, I lowered myself as I knew we were taking fire.

"Get down! Down!" Vaggie told me as she moved me behind the concrete fountain.

"Hostiles are flanking from our east! Returning fire!" Raizo shouted while the sounds of bullets crackling increased.

"Our ride is here! Make some room!" Edgar shouted as all WarDogs and the others dispersed around the back while I saw a UTH-1 Vortex approach from the west side of my hotel. The sound of its gun turret from the side was loud enough for me to hear its firepower as it descended slowly to the ground but would make some pauses to make sure the gunner suppressed the enemy enough with Colonel Adler.

Then, my phone began to ring in my pocket. I picked it up to see it was an unknown number, but area code was clearly from Pentagram City. Vaggie was busy moving Angel Dust and the others to safety, so I accepted the phone call.

"Hello?" Was the first thing I said.

"Your Highness?"

"Brigadier General Durant?" I recognized. "Why are you calling from my phone?"

"Princess, listen. I have a VERY important task that you need to do for me." Durant told me. "During my visit, I completely forgot a folder filled with documents in your room when I was having a word with Colonel Adler. That folder CANNOT fall into enemy hands."

I looked outside the window to see the others waiting while Vermilion Squad's medic was treating the pilot with the help of Melodie. "Shouldn't I let one of the WarDogs carry it?"

"That folder is filled with documents that are top tier classified beyond anything. No offense to the WarDogs, but I don't trust them with holding that level of information when you're one of the only individuals who know about it."

"What's in it…?" I asked curiously as I did know a thing or two about secrets held by my family. But not sure which one.

"We can talk about that later. You need to hurry up and get those documents! Please!"

Due to the situation being stressful enough, I simply obliged in order to get out of the hotel quickly before any further attacks to put whatever he had at risk. "Okay. I'll go get them." I told him while running up the stairs to reach the top floor.

While moving floor by floor, I made sure to stay away from the windows to avoid getting shot if there was any insurgents nearby besides the south. I moved quickly the more I approached my room's level. But I made sure to catch my breath as my heart was racing due to the stress too. It always made me wonder how my military service members could keep their heads leveled in this sort of combat situation while physically putting their bodies under pressure.

Finally, I pushed my door open and began to thoroughly search around my entire room for any sign of military documents. Something that seemed out of place in my kind of section. I made sure to relay Brigadier General Durant every information while I was up there; letting him know which rooms I searched in. He only described the documents in a blue folder, which I didn't see yet.

The call stayed connected. But it was suddenly interrupted when I was receiving a call from Vaggie. "H-Hang on, General. Vaggie is calling me."

"Wait, wh-"

Before I was able to stop myself from cutting him off, I already accepted Vaggie's connection. "Vaggie?"

"Charlie! Where are you?!" Vaggie asked over the phone.

"I'm inside my room getting…something!" I answered without the details in order to keep Brigadier General Durant's promise of not mentioning anything about the documents.

Vaggie gasped and shouted, "WHAT?! You need to get down here! We gotta go!"

"I'll make this quick! I'll be down in a moment!" I told her while rushing through the scattered items on my main table.

"Oh my god, of all times, you had to go up there when we're almost out of here!" Vaggie groaned as she was clearly much more distressed than I am.

"Sorry, Vaggie…" I bit my lip as I had no choice but to act like this was my decision to protect Durant's request. "I-I found what I was looking for. I'll be down in a moment."

"Listen, I'll just get up there and-"

"Vaggie, please! I promise I'll be okay. Just wait for me down there while Colonel Adler keeps the hotel covered."

After a few seconds of silence, Vaggie sighed and finally took my word for it. "Okay. But, please, be careful…"

"I will. Thank you." I smiled before hanging up and calling Brigadier General Durant once again. "General, I don't have it so far."

"It should be a blue folder with one or two pens hanging from the outside." Durant explained the basic details for me again to focus on catching.

But even with that description, there was absolutely no blue folder. Not in my bedroom, not in the living room, not in the kitchen, and not in the office room. I was already thin on time as I could see an approaching transport helicopter coming from the north. At this point, I was already in a stressful state as I had to lean against the kitchen counter to catch my breath after using so much energy to search for one item. Something this important that should leave untainted.

"General, I don't see it anywhere! Do you know another place where it might be?!" I asked while continuously scanning across my room.

"It really should be there. Unless your housekeeper…hold on…."

"General? What's wrong?"

My room suddenly went completely silent as I couldn't even hear Durant say anything else during that sentence. In fact, the fighting outside seemed to have quieted down eerily. However, something in my gut started to feel something was wrong. As if something was coming and I had to just get out of there. My body tensed as I could feel the urge to run to the door.

And my suspicions were correct when I heard Durant shout on the phone,

"PRINCESS! GET THE HELL OUT OF TH-!"

*BOOM!*


(Morgan's POV)

Four minutes earlier…

"Initiating another run!" I relayed to the WarDogs in the hotel as I was using my attacks as a distraction for them to evacuate the building from the back. My Zephyr remained near the side of the hotel while attacking the front.

"Colonel. Be advised: We are now exterior of the hotel and awaiting pick-up for our ride. Callsign: Jadeite 9-1." Ayase notified.

"Copy. Glory Hound to Jadeite 9-1. Verify link." I requested.

"Jadeite 9-1. Linked. I hear you loud and clear, Glory Hound." The pilot of their ride replied.

"Be advised: Enemy infantry is still located south of Hazbin Hotel by 150 meters. WarDogs from Vermilion and Shinobi are accompanying civilians and Lotus in the rear of the building. Resistance has decreased but recommend your approach from the north or west. How copy?"

"Solid copy on all. Jadeite 9-1, redirecting flight path to a safer approach."

"Razor. LZ is marked by yellow smoke. We'll keep the perimeter secured till you arrive." Raizo notified.

"I see it. This is Jadeite 9-1. Approaching Hazbin Hotel." I heard over the radio as my radar detected an allied aircraft approaching from the west. It was a twin tiltrotor transport helicopter that belonged to the Royal Air/Aerospace Force with the tail code displaying it was from Merrick Air Base. The closest thing identical to it would be the V-22 Osprey, but with a more unique configuration to it. And it was armed to the teeth for defensive and offensive purposes.

Suddenly, I heard Ozren shout out, "RPG! Eastern tree line!" before the sound of his rifle going off.

But it was too late. The rocket barely missed the extraction bird but landed dangerously close to where Angel Dust stood. I saw him jump and panic a bit before diving to the ground.

"Hostiles are flanking from our east! Returning fire!" Raizo relayed.

Back to focusing on providing air support, I turned my head over and could see tracer rounds from small arms coming from the tree from the east side of the hotel. Without hesitating, I provided air support to lighten up the offensive while the WarDogs on the ground moved away from the extraction chopper to fire back. Which was odd because if they were all outside the hotel, they could've flown out quickly without encountering the enemy flank.

"Jadeite 9-1. Descend down to the deck and extract immediately. I'll keep these guys below the dirt." I ordered their extraction pilot while still pounding away at the insurgents with my autocannons.

"9-1 copies. Landing sequence proceeding. Vermilion and Shinobi, clear the landing zone."

"Razor, Vermilion Actual. Solid copy. Spot is all yours." Raizo notified.

At that moment, I kept my autocannon hot as thermal was detecting even more enemy foot mobiles continuing their flank. However, I was able to keep everyone behind me from receiving effective fire. No signs of any MANPADS were being used, which I could only assume were all out of commission due to my previous runs. Things seemed to be going down nicely. Until…

"Colonel, we have a problem here!" Ozren said on the radio. "Ma'am! On the line with him now!" He said to another with him.

My head turned over to see everyone was no longer in the back, where I assumed they all were onboard. But… "Oz? What's going on? Why are you guys still down there?!" I asked as the helicopter remained aground.

"It's Charlie! I don't know where she went!" Vaggie replied on Ozren's radio as she was clearly in a panic.

"I think I recall her running back inside." Ozren told both her and me.

"¡No puedes hablar en serio! (You cannot be serious!)" Vaggie groaned to herself. "Why didn't you stop her?!"

"We were under fire while I was near the front." Ozren replied. "Call her. Make sure she's safe or almost ready for extraction."

"Okay, okay. I'll call her right now." She replied.

"Oz, remain exterior and keep that perimeter secured until Lotus gets onboard. I'll keep hammering down the advancing insurgents as much as I can."

"Ten-four. Nothing is getting by this bird." He acknowledged while I could hear him move and carry his heavy sniper in the background.

"Mongrel; Vermilion 2. Coming out to assist." Melodie assisted on Ozren's behalf.

I kept the bird leveled further back of the hotel to avoid letting their extraction be in the center of enemy focus fire. With ammo reserves now reaching ¼ of capacity, I conserved my shots to the most important enemies. From LMGs to rocket wielders. The latter being the most common compared to the other due to their objective being to shoot me or the extraction bird down.

A rocket was launched deeper inside the tree line as it was able to hit the fountain behind Ozren and Melodie, resulting in stone debris and dust hitting them. "Oz! Mongrel! You guys okay?!"

"Jesus Christ! Persistent little bastards with their explosives, aren't they?!" Melodie growled. "Mongrel. I'm good. Dusty as hell though."

"All good here too..." Ozren responded. "Bот дерьмо! (Shit!) It's like Bakhmut all over again!"

"Amen to that. Minus the mud and shit." I replied to Ozren's comment.

"Hold on, you were there too…?"

"We can catch up on previous experiences later. Focus fire on the enemy."

"Uhh…Copy that. Scoping 'em out." Ozren dropped the subject.

Keeping up the fire, I was about to switch to one of the ARCH-60 Astral missiles, an arsenal from the Kingdom of Heaven. However, the systems on this bord detected an error on the IR laser which is used to guide it in-flight. Of all times, it had to be in the worse situation while Charlie was still inside for whatever reason. It was either damaged on the way to the hotel, or that time I was hit with one of the MANPADS earlier.

"Shinobi Actual to Glory Hound. What's your status?" Ayase contacted.

"Ammo is approaching dry. These guys are dug in deep. My guns won't be able to cause enough effect into those thick trees." I told Melodie and Ozren.

"You have Astral missiles, right? Can you use them to make a precise shot? Or maybe take out some vegetation?" Melodie asked.

"Negative. Something's wrong with the IR beam on this thing. Probably got damaged on the way here or from that evasion earlier." I replied while continuing to use the rockets and autocannon. "I can fire it unguided, but that's not going to do enough effect."

"Shinobi Actual. I don't think you have to worry about that anymore. Looks like they're falling back from that last pass."

And Ayase was correct. When the dust finally started to drift away, I saw the insurgents beginning to move south of the hotel as if they were heading to the choke point to escape. Normally we let our enemies escape when they have taken this much of a beating. But no matter. These were insurgents and they attacked the Kingdom of Hell first with clear intentions and didn't deserve mercy. So, I kept firing down at the retreating forces. If few end up surviving, better to take them prisoner for interrogation.

"This is Jadeite 9-1. Looks like the zone is cleared of heat. Awaiting Lotus to get onboard."

"Copy, Jadeite. Colonel Adler, this is Brigadier General Durant. Switch your comms to Tact 3. QRF will be notified on requested imminent strike." Durant said.

"Roger. Switching." I complied and linked comms to the same channel with the approaching QRF and Durant. "Glory Hound. Linked?"

"This is Stallion 6-1. Loud and clear, sir." A voice spoken, which was assumed to be the leader of the quick reaction team coming in. "Glory Hound. We're on the path heading up Hazbin Hotel, but we're taking effective fire from light armor at our 12. Requesting air support. How copy?"

"Solid copy, Stallion 6-1. Be advised: Ammo is approaching dry." I warned. "Holo-Ordinance follows: 45 thirty mike-mike, 3 Arrows (rockets), 4 Astrals; deadeye. Over." I referenced the latter having a malfunction with the IR laser onboard.

"We hear you, sir. Just neutralize that armor and we'll take care of the enemy foot mobiles. Stallion continuing assault. Out."

"Glory Hound, I'm requesting an ARCH-60 strike to that last enemy armor so QRF will have an easier time getting to the hotel. Do you copy?" Brigadier General Durant asked.

"Affirmative. IR Laser is out of commission, but an unguided shot is green."

"Astral authorized. You are cleared hot."

"Solid copy. Approaching target."

I turned my Zephyr over towards the uphill path, facing the hotel and positioned my shot where the HUD displayed where my missile is predicted to hit. As expected, the IR laser was still inoperable.

But then, I fired.

IR Laser: Active.

The moment it was released, I was really perplexed. But then alerted as I saw the missile start to direct its flight path upwards and away from its intended target: the light armor obstructing the QRF's path. Then I felt terror as my heart just stopped upon realizing it was heading towards Hazbin Hotel! Charlie was said to be still inside for whatever reason! I tilted the Zephyr to try and interrupt the flight path where the missile followed my supposedly "functional" laser. But nothing.

It only took almost five seconds for the nightmare I expected to happen.

*BOOM!*

I could make out easily where the missile hit.

Top floor. Facing the front where all of Pentagram City could be viewed. The biggest room compared to all of the others. It could only mean one thing.

Charlie's room…

Everything around me just suddenly went silent. The sound of combat seemed to have just gone dead as if it never happened. All I could do was stare at the horrifying sight of the top of the hotel spreading debris, smoke, and some flames across the air. And before I could try to convince myself that Charlie wasn't in that room, I heard this over the comms.

"OH FUCK! MISSILE STRUCK HAZBIN HOTEL! I SAY AGAIN, EXPLOSION AT HAZBIN HOTEL!" Raizo shouted on the radio.

"Watchtower copies. Where did that explosion happen?!"

"Top floor! Lotus is still interior!"

"CHARLIE!" Vaggie cried out over Raizo's radio.

Hearing Vaggie's heartbreaking cry was the final hit to shatter my frozen state, now reaching the point of full realization of what just happened.

I didn't do that…

I didn't do that!

I SWEAR TO GOD I DIDN'T DO THAT!

"FUCK!" I cursed and pull the helicopter down harshly. Due to the already existing damage of the chopper, the moment I touched down in front of the hotel was when the entire systems shut down.

My priority was to run inside of the hotel and rescue Charlie while praying she was alive. But with the amount of damage from the missile, it was terrifyingly slim. All I did was get off the Zephyr, ran inside and up the stairs, and called out to Charlie if she was on each floor. But I was welcomed with no response and the sound of the hotel's damage and small fire the more I reached the top. Reaching the last floor and into the room I recognized as hers, I forcefully kicked it open to see the grimmest sight I've seen in my career.

There she was. Laying on the floor with a pile of debris on top of her while she was not conscious and covered in scratches and burns. Not to mention the concerning amount of blood on her clothes.

Then my instinct kicked in as I ran towards her to remove the debris that was literally crushing her. However, I made sure to remove them carefully while examining her for any severe injuries. All she had were lacerations, shrapnel wounds, and probably a concussion due to the blast. But the moment I moved her hair a bit, it was revealed that the right side of her neck was dangerously oozing with her blood. The clear cause was some of the window's glass shards as the only piece fell out of her wound. I quickly wrapped a bandage around her neck, but not tight enough to block her breathing, which was slow and faint.

All of a sudden, the floor beneath us collapsed as I grabbed a hold of Charlie's body and took the impact to the floor below to cushion her. But it didn't end just there. The floor then collapsed again before I realized we were still falling, revealing the part of the hotel the missile hit did enough damage to make this section collapse. I just kept Charlie's body close to mine to protect her from the debris, fire, and hitting the ground. As soon as I felt the grassy fields around the hotel, I realized we fell from the top to the ground.

Turning back over to Charlie, my heart dropped. "No, no, NO! SHIT!"

I growled at myself frustratingly as I tried to treat the wound to the best of my abilities. Due to the missile being from an angelic arsenal, its effects were much more damaging than a standard or Hell-made one towards demons. Her neck just kept pouring out blood, soaking through the bandage. If this keeps up, she's not coming back!

"I'm not going to lose another one like this…!" I declared, remembering the day of the ambush in Afghanistan years back. This was like the way Jaiden died. "Stay with me, Charlie!" I begged, removing the current layer of bandage and replacing it with a new one, which did immensely slow it down.

After that, I did whatever I could with the rest. Torniquet her most shrapnel effected limbs, bandaged her wounds, used one of my autoinjectors I had in my harness, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), everything. The only good sign was she had a pulse and was breathing slowly. But before I could check on her even further…

"HEY! HANDS UP! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" The shout from a Hell's Royal Army soldier was heard in front of me.

It was the QRF (Quick Reaction Force) that Brigadier General Durant sent to assist us to protect Hazbin Hotel. It was a five-vehicle convoy filled with regular soldiers from Hell's Royal Army. But it wasn't just them now. Vermilion Squad and Fireteam Shinobi were with them while cautiously keeping their distance from me. But something was off, and you could easily tell just by looking at their stances.

They were all aiming at me.

"Wh-what's going on…? I need help here!" I called out.

"Hands! Keep 'em away from her or you will be shot!" Another soldier threatened by raising his weapon to aim.

Then, I realized what was going on and was utterly horrified at their assumption. I had to clear this up fast. "Stand down! Th-This isn't-"

Raizo growled and shook his rifle aggressively. "Son of a Bitch…LET HER GO, OR YOU'RE TAKING TWO TO THE HEAD!"

Angel Dust was the first one to arrive from the hotel's group and growled at me. "What have you done?!"

Husk stepped forward too and aimed my own pistol at me. "I'd do what the guys with the big guns say."

"Colonel Adler! Final warning: Put your hands up! NOW!"

"Just listen to me! I didn't do this!" I shouted.

Before I could explain myself, Vaggie suddenly appeared and charged towards me ferociously, sending a powerful punch to my face, being able to knock one tooth out. While I was starting to slowly lose consciousness, I felt Charlie's body fall from my arms and before I hit the ground. Then, I just saw Vaggie holding Charlie in her arms while tearfully begging for her to wake up. Seeing Charlie in this state and Vaggie this devastated for the first time was, it hurt.

"Suspect neutralized. Detaining."

And that was the last sentence I heard before blacking out.

I was called a suspect.


Universe Trivia

(Morgan Adler's Entire Service History on Earth and Hell)

(2015-2018) United States Marine Corp; 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines (Homeland Deployment)

(2018-2023) US MARSOC; 1st Marine Raider Battalion (War in Afghanistan and Foreign Internal Defense)

(March 2023-April 2023) Non-Combatant/Civilian; Medical Volunteer for Ukraine (Russo-Ukraine War)

(April 2023-October 2025) [Unwillingly] Ukrainian International Legion; 3rd Battalion - Independent Mercenary (Russo-Ukraine War)

(December 2025-June 2027) [PMC] Arion Collective; 3rd Aerial Division -7th Fighter Squadron, Contractor Fighter Pilot (Siberian Rebellion)

(August 2027-June 10th, 2032) Hell's Royal Army; WarDog Counter-Terrorism Pack, Leader of Fireteam Taurus (2nd Wrath Ring Insurgency and Operation: Killjoy)

(June 15th, 2032-June 23rd, 2032) Hell's Royal Army; WarDog Enforcement Pack, Advisor for the Royal Guard (Peacetime)

(June 23rd, 2032-Present) Unknown. Transfer in progress.


Well, there it is. The turning point. Stay tuned.

*You may Favorite or Follow the story, if you like what you see so far.

Reviewing/Comments for this story is optional.