The Chronicles of Exodus 2: Wrath of the Fallen

Chapter 12 Outpost 170

Hellfire gently soared high in the air. His wings carving shapes in the dark sky. I lay on his back, one hand over my eye and the other on my thigh. I sighed and pulled a knife from my belt and dug it into my thigh. I poked around before tapping the bullet. I used the knife to flick the bullet from my leg and toss it away. Hellfire dived towards the Earth. The clouds parted revealing Sydney base. I smiled and watched as Hellfire circled the giant building. On one side there was a huge rectangle which had a large antenna atop it, while the other side was a ginormous metal dome with six large doors which led out to sea. Hellfire glid down to the land side of the outpost and touched down on the small helipad. There awaited the rest of the group. Mimir clapped his hands and smiled. "Jira, I believe you have finally delivered us to Sydney base!" He yelled with excitement. I smiled and stepped off Hellfire to join them. The area was bustling with noise and loads of people. Forklifts drove around, carrying various assortments of items, people crowded around, soldiers marched around the perimeter and helicopters flew in from over yonder. I spotted a few civilians sitting against the wall next to the door opening. The door was rusted and made entirely with metal. The group and I approached the door but were stopped by the guards. "All who enter this facility must be identified, we need to see your identification and driver's license before we can allow entry." The first soldier stated. I nodded and gestured for the others go first, after all, I didn't need this, I didn't need to be here only the others. They deserve this, to be here, to have their freedom. Mimir approached the guard, reached into his pocket, and retrieved his ID and license. He passed it over to the guard and stood aside. "Mimir Scafford," the guard said. "Aright, in you go." He gestured for him to walk through the metal detector and enter the building. I turned to Freyr and stepped aside allowing him to walk past, but he refused and shook his head. "Jira, you got us here, you protected us, you deserve this, go through and see freedom." He said smiling. I smiled and walked up to the guard. For the first time in years, I actually had to use an ID. I reached into one of the pouches on my belt and fiddled around. After a few seconds, I retrieved it and handed it over to the soldier. "Hmmm", the soldier examined the ID card, flipping it over and turning it around. He tapped the side of his head and looked me in the eye. He recoiled after realising I was missing an eye. "Jira Hahn." He said. "It is an honour to stand beside you again, captain." He stood up straight and saluted. "At ease soldier", I smiled and held out a hand, which he shook. I noticed a scar on the soldier's face, just below his nose. "We fought together in Operation Greenlight." He said. I nodded. "I remember, Daryll." I wrapped an arm around him and patted his back. He smiled. "Head on through mate, there's somebody that wants to see you." He saluted again as I walked up to Mimir. Together we entered the building. The inside was lit by a dim heat lamp, candles, and lanterns. Rust covered the machinery and a couple bullet holes dotted the door and walls on the inside. The light above flickered as we pushed forward. We passed through a hallway and entered a large main area. It was crowded but still had enough room to breathe. I covered my wounded eye as much as possible as we continued walking. "Mimir, can you stay here and wait for the others?" I asked. He looked at me before nodding. So, I pressed on, walking through the halls before coming to classroom. This looked like an area for children and students to learn while the outside area was recovering. But then I spotted a figure standing in the room, with only the light of his phone to light his silhouette. I knocked on the door and stepped in. A wave of sadness crashed over me. The set up, colours, it all looked identical to my old school classroom when I was young. I put a hand on one of the desks and felt the peeling paint. Ahum. I looked up. The person was looking right at me. I looked at their face, their clothes. "Can I help you?" They said. "Apologies, I'm new around here." I said, still covering my eye. But then, something clicked. No fucking way. A tear began to form in my eye. I breathed hard. "General Maddren?" I spoke up. Their expression changed drastically. He almost tripped as he stepped down from next to the whiteboard. "Jira?" I almost dropped to my knees. I clenched my teeth before leaping at him and wrapping my arms around him. "Sir, I-I thought I lost you forever!" A couple tears dripped down my cheek. "It's been a while, hasn't it." He chuckled. "Seven years, four months ago we were inside an attack helicopter with some US soldiers, flying over Russia preparing to give backup to the Ukraine soldiers." I said, I wiped my eyes, getting blood on my sleeve. Emotions overrun my mind. "Sir, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for every damn thing I did. Every mission I screwed over, every shot I missed, every life I couldn't save, I'm sorry." I burst into tears and collapsed onto the floor due to my thigh injury. "Jira, what happened?" He asked, kneeling next me and resting a warm hand on my shoulder. "Mr Maddren, you have no idea..."