RED
A Day Earlier…
JUSTICE
Arc stood tall, his firm gaze trailing over his men who stood straight in multiple rows, waiting for his orders. There are now only three hundred men in his army, when a week prior, he had nearly a thousand soldiers at his command. Despite every single one of them being the best among the elites, they aren't super soldiers, nor cyborgs or even someone like the Silver Marksman. They are human, and many of their bodies are lost at sea, rotting in the depths or food for the sealife. Arc's heart hammered, and his body felt the heat of rage.
It didn't take long for him to calm him down; he had to be strong. If his mission is to be accomplished, being blinded by emotions is the worst thing he could do. He closes his eyes, remembering that man, that foolish man. One that would condemn him, if he saw what Arc had become. No, never mind that person, he's been gone a long time ago.
Arc is what remains of him. With a deep exhale, his eyes opened, looking steely at his remaining soldiers.
"Men, we are the final straw. The scouts have located the bases, and we are to attack tomorrow." Arc starts.
The soldiers didn't move an inch from his words; they were still as a statue.
"We lost a lot of comrades, while the barrage of missiles and enemies will no longer fire at us. It would be dishonest of me to say that this will be easy. The Russian soldiers guarding the cores are just as skilled as any of you…"
Arc pauses, letting it sink in. While they have superior weapons and armour, along with the generals, it would be foolish to think that none of his soldiers will die. They are certainly dangerous, but that wasn't what he was worried about, no.
"As you know, I went to Canada to try to persuade a certain individual to stand down. A powerful being that surpasses everyone in the New World Order in terms of raw might. And tomorrow and maybe even today, he's coming to Russia to fight us."
This time, some of them stirred, their heads tilting to look at amongst themselves with worry.
"Yes, I'm talking about him…The Crimson Angel, The Red Justice."
Yes, the child. Arc wasn't sure if he was an alien or a human kid who gained powers. I mean, Espers exist after all. Regardless, he was the biggest obstacle to this operation. He was so powerful that in a straight fight, Arc or his other generals would not be able to beat him in a straight-up fight.
"A powerful obstacle. He may not be a killer or have battle experience or battle skills like us, but he is still a terrifying foe. But, regardless of the odds and challenges, we must complete the New World Order's goal, to topple the current Government and change it for the betterment of mankind!" With each word, Arc raised his voice.
"While the present may suffer, our kids and their children will never experience any of the flaws society has created! We will create a new utopia, and no one can stop us, not even Red Justice!"
He raised his fist in the air, which earned a howl and roar from his soldiers. They were motivated. It doesn't matter what Noah Ashwin thinks about his present self; what matters is to create a future for humanity. So no one could go through what happened to him.
RED
Present Day…
JUSTICE
I zoomed past Gavin's jet. My SEE Goggles were giving me directions on where to go. The plan is that I will go ahead, as soon as I reach there, I have to stand by and wait for Gavin's orders. Gavin is going to a secure, hidden base to land his plane and allow him to make contact with me. Inside the hidden base, I was told there were tools there to repair any damage to my suit and a boatload of food, the best Russia could offer, courtesy of Jason.
"Red, do you copy? Can you hear me right?"
"Yeah, all good from me," I said, before pausing.
"Red? You usually call me by my real name."
"Yeah, but this is different. The SEE Googles have the best system defences in the world, but could still be hacked. It would be best if I start calling you by your hero name, just in case someone's listening in."
I guess that makes sense. Arc and his pals would most certainly try to hack any piece of equipment I have for even a clue of my secret identity. After talking a bit more, Gavin said to speak to him once I arrived in Russia, before cutting communication, and I was alone with my thoughts. I could see the kilometre number shown in my visor is dropping quickly; it wouldn't be long until I got there. This will most likely be my biggest challenge yet.
Nervous doesn't begin to describe what I'm currently feeling. A part of me wants to run tail and go back home and pretend this never happened. I can't do that, though, not when countless lives are on the line. I took a deep breath as I held my chest. Five minutes later, I arrived in Russia, specifically at their largest rainforest.
It was one of the biggest in the world, making it a good place to hide three large military bases. My mind's eyes were assaulted by how much life there is in the forest. There are snakes, spiders and other animals; there are so many of them I thought I had gone to Australia instead. I crossed my arms and tilted my body to face the sky. I was still in the air, by the way. I'm now at the boring part: Waiting.
I already told Gavin that I was here, but now I have nothing to do. I'm not bored, though; instead, I was anxious. I was standing around doing nothing, while Arc and his army were doing god-knows what! At this point, even lying in the air was nowhere as relaxing as it usually is. I pushed my body to return to a vertical position.
I wanted to rush in and speed across the area to try to find the other bases. But I got to trust in Gavin and Jason. Not only would Cosmic Energy fly around the area, but I might get spotted by an enemy. The New World Order may suspect me of being here, but they haven't truly confirmed that I'm actually here yet, something we could use to our advantage. I had to wait for Jason to discuss the whereabouts of the bases with the Russian Monarch.
The way Jason describes him, he sounds unpleasant and stubborn. It might take a long time. Half an hour has passed, and still nothing. I bit my lip. What if the bases are already being raided as we speak? I started to bounce mid-air to try to waste the adrenaline filling me, but quickly stopped once I saw a red thingy shoot up in the sky.
"What the-!?"
"An assist flare, damn, they started attacking earlier than we anticipated. Doesn't matter, let's roll, kid!"
I firmly nod. "Right!"
It didn't take long for me to get there. I stopped freezing as I saw a huge metallic wall. It's got to be fifty metres big, maybe even taller than that. It wasn't just big, either; it was thick. My SEE Goggles tells me it was made of a special titanium alloy, which disturbed me, not because of what the walls were made of. I was wondering what kind of weapon could melt a huge area to make an entrance. I see some broken-down tanks and other weaponry ditched to the side.
Hesitantly, I went over the wall, dropping down to stand on top of it while also crouching so as not to get caught. On the other side, there were multiple tents and metallic structures, the biggest one was in the middle, nearly as tall as the wall but having the width the size of a large school building. It was shaped into a black cube, an odd structure. My eyes trailed everywhere in the area. There were a lot of soldiers, but I have the feeling they aren't with Russia.
They were wearing power armour, a black power armour similar to Arc, though it seemed blockier and less advanced. On their shoulders, they showcase the New World Order symbol: The Phoenix.
Again, they wore a helmet similar to his, but the eye holes were rounder and looked similar to the gas masks Atlas' Titans wore. They were carrying heavy rifles and weapons, not only that, there were some piloting a large black mech.
"Damn, they have Paladins too?" Gavin clicked his tongue.
"What are they?" I whispered.
"They are an offshoot of the SURVIVOR series, though they are made in a later time, their durability still doesn't compare to the first one. Still, they are very dangerous. There looked to be four of them. And that's not counting eighty NWO soldiers around the area!"
My heart hammered, but with practiced breathing, I regained control, at least until I saw IT. I blinked. I didn't know what I was looking at the time. It looked like a gross-looking hill filled with garbage. But it didn't take long to tell me what that hill was…it was a mountain of corpses. I instantly recoiled from the sight, feeling sick.
Why? Why are they just dumping them in one place like garbage? My breathing became laboured and unsteady, and my throat felt like someone was squeezing it. My body felt cold, and I felt like I was dying.
"Red, get a hold of yourself!" It was faint, but I heard Gavin's voice amidst the ringing of my ears.
"Breathe, Red, breathe," Gavin said in a gentle tone.
I did what I was told. I slowed my breathing down eventually. I was calm now, somewhat. Still extremely rattled, but no longer feeling the cold touch of death. I lay down watching the sky, touching my chest where my heart is at. It was going fast, though eventually, like my breath, it calmed down. I just lay there silently, while merely a block away were the NWO Soldiers along with the rotting corpses of the Russians.
I felt disconnected from everything, and I feel tied; in fact, the thought of sleeping sounds more appealing by the second.
"Not a pleasant sight, eh? But, unfortunately, this is the world of soldiers. It's hell on Earth." Gavin said, but I didn't say anything back, he continued.
"This is what I wanted to protect you from. I knew if you stayed as a hero long enough, you would eventually see the cruelty that men can do. But, I wasn't expecting it this soon, I-I'm sorry."
Again, I didn't say anything. Instead, I was preoccupied thinking of the dead, staring at me with disdain. Even with my Mind's Eye, I could no longer feel their silhouette, only their outlines, similar to a non-living object. I clench my fists. This is my fault; I should have been here earlier. These people wouldn't have died if I came here instead of slowing down because I was nervous about the mission.
"I know what you're thinking, and it's not your fault."
I wanted to scream, call Gavin a liar, but I couldn't find the energy to follow through.
"What happened to them is tragic, and like I said, someone like you shouldn't be here, but you're the only one who could stop them. Please, get up."
My lips pursed. I knew, though he was right. I'm the only one here; I wanted it to be just me. I got up and turned to face the area, ignoring the decay in that one place. I have to keep moving forward.
I floated up to see if any Russian Soldiers were being used as hostages, but there were none. They truly didn't leave anyone alive. My eyes narrowed as I felt the familiar sickness and weakness from earlier. But I can't think about those people now. I looked at the pile of bodies one more time before offering a silent apology.
They are dead, they will never return back to life. What I can do is to stop Arc and his NWO, so these soldiers that died didn't perish for nothing.
"There is no point to being stealthy, now. Engage!"
As soon as he said that, I flew a bit higher, before crashing down in the middle, which caused the floor to crack and send dust all over where I fell. This action startled multiple NWO Soldiers who immediately pointed their rifle at me.
"Alright, pals…" I begin as the dust settles, seeing them flinch about seeing me, providing much-needed satisfaction.
"You'd better pray Arc provides health insurance!"
I shout, smashing my fist together.