30 minutes later.
The dust clears up around the fortress as every Zlocan symbol is erased and removed in most ways as much as the UEF can do. Every surviving prisoner and hostage are escorted to safety to most of the remaining Blackhawk helicopters alongside a few arriving Ospreys, some even rounding up surviving Human Inquisitors, already left behind by most Zlocans while being left with little to no weaponry to defend themselves against the invading UEF. And most certainly, the red and black flags and banners of the Zlocu are steadily replaced by the green, yellow and blue of the globe, united for one single purpose.
Near one of the factories where the EW took their stand, most members are inspecting every corner of the place to check if there's any order trap left to deal with. Seiner in particular holds his pad as he scans the area. At the same time, Tany tends to his teammates with every cut and bruise they received in battle, especially Logan, where Amira and Rian hold him through his shoulder as he steadily breathes while being healed by Tany's healing spell. Seiner's device then beeps with a green light as it finishes scanning.
"So, I'd take that it's all cleared up, I guess," Jack says as he holds a Zlocan rifle in his arms.
"With an attack of this scale, you can pretty much guarantee that the Zlocs have dried all their chances," Seiner replies with a smirk on his face.
"Certainly so, man. And plenty to capture too," Jack replies as he chuckles for a bit as Seiner puts the device back in his pocket.
"Yep, plenty to use in future battles, most likely in Los Angeles. I would love to see their looks once they see us with their weapons against them." As Seiner chuckles as well, Ed and Andrei pack some bags carrying a certain amount of food and supplies, tightening them up so as to make sure they don't go off.
"At this rate, the food and drinks will dry up, which is the least we need when most of the factories are still in repairs. But oh well, I'll let it pass this time, right old man?" Andrei asks as he glances at Ed.
"Damn straight you are, boy, some little bits of booze won't hurt our enjoyment one bit, especially for the gals!" Ed says as he laughs for a bit while glancing at girls like Tany and Amira, who are still near Logan.
"I told you that I want the poppy cherry sodas and juicy juices, Eddie!" Tany retorts as she pouts.
"Oh, don't worry Tany, I'm sure you can find some good ways to get the celebration of your life when it comes to things like this," Malak replies while wiping some of the blood caked in her blade while smiling for a bit.
"Celebration you say...?" Amira asks with a near whispery tone, all while glancing away from Logan and Rian.
"Whaddya mean, Ammi? We won today against the Zlocan meanies!"
"Just... look there..." The group glances in Amira's direction, where they see a group of soldiers carrying a handful of bodies that remain stale and motionless, full of dry bleeding and even some missing limbs, with most of the soldiers wincing at their sights as they carry them to the nearest transport they can find. This makes most of the Warriors frown while Logan grabs Amira's hand and holds it tenderly while looking at Amira, whose eyes are looking puffy too.
"I know it hurts so much, but I can assure you that didn't die for nothing."
"Are you sure about that...? Because all those people, those outside the base, deserved much more than this... Especially..." Amira says with a quivery tone, even trembling a bit as she tries to muster the strength to utter a name that makes her tremble.
"I'm sure he'll be proud too, Amira. To complete this mission means he and others were avenged, maybe not fully, but at least it's as close as it can be," Rian replies while glancing at Amira, this time without the usual tone he carries, for as he knows well of what occurred on that fateful night, what they witnessed, what they heard.
"I hope so, Rian... I really hope so..." Amira replies as she sniffles for a bit while glancing away from the line of soldiers carrying the others. But before Logan can reply, a buzzing sound is heard in the intercom placed in his ear, where a few words can be perceived.
"Logan, this is Delta 2, do you copy?" the female voice says, to which Logan swiftly places his hand in the intercom as he keeps a composed stature.
"Logan here. What's the report?"
"Well, we managed to locate Su Hyon. More accurately, his remains..." the female voice replies while sighing as well. This makes Logan's eyes widen as he contemplates the word he just heard from the soldier. A father who wanted to rescue his own daughter from Zlocan captivity, no matter how dangerous it looked, is now out? The others glanced at Logan as he stares at the distance with his blinking expression.
"Hey, what's the matter now?" Rian asks as he goes near Logan.
"Su Hyon. He's..." Logan tries to explain yet can't complete it. This alone, however, is enough to get the team to realize what he means, which makes them frown, with even Jack shaking his head while muttering under his breath, with Ed and Malak sighing. They did win, yet with one steep price for them to bear.
"Is there something wrong, Logan?" the female soldier asks once more.
"Nothing it's just really unfortunate after all. But have you managed to find a trace of her daughter?"
"Negative, unfortunately. But, there's something odd. The CD he was carrying... It's gone." This alone makes Logan stand up while pressing his finger to the intercom while taking a deep breath.
"Alright. Just to make sure, search for any corner of this fortress to find his daughter by all means, because if there's one person who may have taken that CD, it should be her."
"We'll try our best. Still, glad that you survived, at least. Delta 2 out." With that, the communication ends as Logan sighs once more. Su Hyon may have bitten it, but there may be a chance that his beloved daughter is still out there, deep inside the fortress. But for now, it's another moment to think of as Logan steps away from the building alongside Rian and Amira, with the other Warriors following suit.
"Are you sure it's her? Could be a typical thief who wants to loot anything," Rian says while looking at Logan.
"I have faith, Rian. It can't just be a mere coincidence here. But let's think about that later. Seiner, is it ready?" Logan replies while glancing at Seiner's belt.
"Well, some hours had passed already, so it should have enough fuel by now." Seiner then takes out a chrome cube, one showing the hologram of the chopper it usually morphs into.
"I need some rest, that is all..." Amira says, still with a stooped posture. But just as Seiner is about to hurl the chrome cube to the ground so it can summon the chopper, a sudden voice is enough to stop him dead in his tracks.
"Hey, hold on now!" a familiar voice shouts, which is enough to get the EW to glance in the direction of the voice. Some raise their eyebrows while others widen their eyes as they observe two certain individuals who sprint in their direction. One is a dark-armored man with black hair, the other a young woman with a golden ribbon for her hair while covered in a towel, her skin looking splotchy as they pant heavily from the running.
Julian and Rita, now meeting the famed EW at last.
"Please, you have to take us in, we can't stay here for much longer," Julian says as he pants heavily.
"But, what for? What business do you have in this very fortress?" Seiner asks while raising an eyebrow, still unsure of what to make of Julian.
"Well, it may be hard for you to believe but... I was the one who leaked them, all the bases and files. Everything that led up to this." The others gasp in response to this, for they couldn't expect any other unexpected occurrence thrown at them like this. And probably a positive one too, after the string of misfortunes they got reported with.
"A youngster like you?! But you don't look like one tough enough for the Zlocu to get the files shared with ya. Or perhaps there's a big 'ol reason you got 'em, eh? Some familiar of yours or something?" Ed asks as he leans near Julian, which makes him step back for a bit, glancing at Rita for a moment, knowing the risks of them knowing his origins, but for the sake of the Human race, it is something that he most muster, for as he merely clears his throat before facing the EW again with a focused expression.
"It's... It's because of my dad, a big member of the inner circle of the Inquisitors. But first, you need to know our names. My name's Julian, and she's Rita Su. If you wondering why she looks like this, well, the Zlocu nearly transformed her into one of the Reborn," Julian explains with all the composure he has. The mere mention of Rita's name is enough to make Logan glance at her.
"Rita Su? Are you the daughter of Su Hyon?" Logan asks, to which Rita merely nods while trembling for a bit with her reddened eyes. Julian merely places his hand on one of his pockets, namely a rectangular-shaped object.
"Yes, she certainly is. But sadly..."
"Yeah, I know what happened... But at the very least, he fought bravely to the very end, right?" Logan asks once more. Rita merely nodded while still trembling, still unable to speak due to what happened.
"I think it would take a while for her to process it. Best we go to safety right now, Earth Warriors."
"Oh, you know our names too? Something tells me that this familiar of yours may be one we encountered in the past. Judging by your face... Just who the bloody hell you really are?" Seiner presses once more with his questioning, to which Julian gulps for a bit, expecting some kind of retribution for his answer, but still hoping for the best as he takes another deep breath.
"Full name is Julian Garreth... Son of Jason." This makes the others gasp once more, as if their twists couldn't get any higher by any second now. For Seiner, however, his eyes only protrude with one eye twitching as hears this. This can't be right, why would the son of one of their foes is turning up right here, right now? There is only one way to find out in Seiner's eyes.
"You... His son?! Your lies won't deceive me!" Seiner says as he pulls his golden blaster while aiming in front of Julian, but Jack and Ed grab him by his shoulders as he struggles to break free.
"Seiner, stop! I believe that this man has the key to it all, for our future activities, he can't be all Jason Jr. you know," Jack says as he keeps Seiner back.
"Like hell I would believe that! I know those types of bastards are well-indoctrinated enough to act according to their old men's beliefs, and he doesn't look different from him!" Seiner retorts back, all while Julian stands back, wincing at this sight, to which it makes Rita to step up, no longer trembling as he frowns at Seiner.
"Why can't you simply see him as himself instead of an extension?!" Rita finally says as she shields Julian from Seiner, still struggling to aim his blaster at him.
"The gal has a point. Seiner, you should know this: The father's sins are not the son's," Ed adds, still using all his strength to restrain him while he clenches his teeth due to the pressure.
"He is no different than us. A victim of the system," Rian adds as well, likely from a kindred spirit he sees through Julian, of one man forced through circumstances beyond their control.
"Please, I beg you... I just want you to understand that I just want an end to this curse... The curse my dad wrought on me..." Julian says with a quivery tone as he kneels down, tears falling down as he tries to breathe heavily as much as he can in spite of the pressure he faces from someone who has no faith in him.
"I... just can't see someone like Jason, a racist bastard... raising someone like him who helped us..." Seiner says, still aiming his gun at Julian yet his grip relaxes bit by bit, still wondering about what to do toward Julian.
"Because he is not like him! Don't you see...?!" Logan yells as he grabs Sein by the collar, to which he twitches in response to that. As he glances at both Logan and Julian, his eyes widen the moment a certain scene plays in mind, one that is enough to make him lower his gun and even look down as thinks of what's happening between the two.
A treacherous son of a treacherous lawyer should never be welcomed here! The many thoughts entering Seiner's mind, all part of a similar situation he encountered, the same accusations before. But today, he may be willing to make sure they are not repeated, to which Seiner replies by merely placing his hand on Julian's shoulder.
"Sorry... Nearly made another big mistake for me. But even so, you better be careful with others in the base," Seiner says as Julian wipes the tears from his eyes.
"If any of those assholes try to talk shit or even lay a finger on him..." Rita says as she clenches her right fist in front of the EW.
"Relax, relax, if anything, I can tell my partner about the new conditions when it comes to you, so no harm comes in the way if they find out about your heritage, OK?" Jack says.
"Let's just go... I don't want to be in here anymore..." Julian mutters as he shields himself, trembling for a bit over the latest scuffle with Seiner.
"Got that right, at least."
2 hours later.
Back at the base, a big event is being held, but not one big party to celebrate, but instead, one of remembrance, as the majority of the soldiers, conscripts and mercenaries stand in line in one large room, enough to give space for lines and lines of caskets, each carrying the flag of the one who fell in battle. While the American one is commonly seen, other flags like those of Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico, Honduras and such are seen among the caskets, all while those who observe them either only stood firm and strong, while others can barely contain the tears flowing down while getting comforted by others.
In the center of the room, Sly takes the podium while guarded by a handful of soldiers with crossed hands, glancing at the whole room that has a distant range of emotions going on, with the EW, Julian and Rita near the casket where Hyon rests, the Crusaders and Luana near the ones with Australian flags and Rian and the other refugees being near the one of Adi. After a moment of silence, he clears his throat as he looks firm.
"We are assembled here today to pay our respects to the honored dead. The ones whose lives of potential of everything, were all robbed away from those who refuse to see the value of them, away from their loved ones and those they swore to protect. And yet it should be noted in the midst of our sorrow, these deaths take place on the eve of our final step to free this nation from the clutches of the Zlocu, a nation that has the potential to become greater for the gooddest of Humans, and for others to follow to know that the ways of saving will never be forgotten." As this happens, Rita merely places her hand on the casket as she sobs for a bit, clutching to the CD he was meant to give to her as a gift. Even when broken, it still carries a shining spirit for her to remember.
"Their sacrifices shan't be in vain for all what we could remember, for every loved one and unknown they felt, for as they will never be empty or futile. And we, the ones of the UEF, will never debate what their skills and souls brought for the time they were on this planet for as long as they could..." Sly pauses for a second as he tries to find the other words he can offer, his mouth quivering for a bit the more he goes further in his thoughts.
"Of all the promises we deliver on those we want to protect, let us ensure to keep this one, all the way until the day we die; Never forget." With this, Sly makes one slow salute in honor of the fallen, with the other warriors replicating the same motion, and right after that, those that were close to the fallen leave the caskets away, as the other soldiers are summoned to carry their assigned ones to a nearby graveyard outside the building, so they can rest well, and let the rest finish what they intended to start, one hopefully of hope and love for everybody.
As this happens, Amira exits the room, her eyes fully red and puffy as she tries to clear her tearful face, away from the EW and others she sits down on a wall, still sobbing from what happened, almost as if this is something of her making.
I am so sorry everyone.... really I am...! Mom, Dad, Varris, Adi, everyone... I am sorry that I am still unable to protect any of you... I am not even sure if I can... But if it is what Sylvester wants for us... Then I will gladly keep that promise... From this day on... I will ensure everyone is protected... So that no more families to grieve, nor friends, or loved ones... Not anymore... Not when I am still here... And I will do it, even if it breaks my whole body and soul...