Citizen's Demise

Citizen's Demise

Chapter 1: Enter Darkness



         "All key elements, move on my go." echoed a muffled radio in a seemingly abandoned subway station. It’s echo carried on throughout the tunnels followed by a hurricane of footsteps. Beyond the devouring darkness, eroding pipes, and puddled concrete floors, straddled a sudden and illuminating group of lights.  The fireflys were gun attached flashlights and several squads of SWAT and CIA carried them with ease and sway. The vast amount of footsteps echoing through halls and halls above seemed as if an army were massing and the starving rats and other nocturnal innocents trembled as the lights evaded and jumped from wall to wall, swashing through unsanitary liquids. The units splashed through the aged water and muck, breathing as hard as mustangs, each with a different mind set of violent reckoning. The crowd of black clad officers began to slow substantially  and send nods of approval to one another. Some began to slow down and ease their guns into a firing stance. Others crouched lower, easing to a stop. The hall’s once bleach white walls reflected bits of their persona. Soon the lights dimmed. The officers closest to the wall in this slim excuse of a tunnel turned their lights off as a means of evasion once an action was taken. The ones that remained on  began to narrow in on a single door: the very door that will lead to certain chaos and the remains and carnage of Anarchism.

         "Remember, DeltaFox (Edan Grey) has already infiltrated and was lost from contact several hours ago. His life may very likely be in our hands. Watch your fire, and watch your allies. And finally… Don’t hesitate in eliminating any hostiles. They won‘t offer any mercy…and, at that… neither will we." Stated loudly DeltaSwarm (Fireous Vespa)."Ready.." he looked into the eyes of the warrior closest to him, and switched to another directly behind him, not a hint of fear gripping him. He nodded in a vigorous manor, eyes filled with passion and contemplation. The squads grunted in approval. Fireous moved to the left side of the door, rusted and hanging, over a broken bottle which shimmered from the flashlights, but let off a corrosive smell. He alligned his gun at a position to break down the door and all units held their guns ready to fire. Just then a train several stories up screached by blaring horns and rumbling loose concrete leaving a dusty tremor. Crevices carrying remnants released dropping stones and small pebbles as well. "Bravo! Delta! Foxtrot! GO! GO! GO!" shouted Fireous as he destroyed the door and poured in SWAT units. Each unit came in one at a time, but at an alarming rate, starting at the right, then left, they filtered in. Once in, the units pivoted left and right, shining on rubble and loose debris. Beams became pillars of light, and small remains of newspapers, now airborne due to the sudden entrance, became suspected hostiles. The edge of the platform had been covered in law enforcement.

         Their guns were held high and pivoted left to right over and over shining any possible enemy. “Clear!" yelled out a Bravo unit as he finally reached the tracks of the station. Another walked quickly to the other side and held his position as well. Every entrance, exit, and path had been covered by at least two units in just a matter of seconds. Spreading like ants, they froze: almost immediately. Each steadying their breathing, cutting their air supply in half. They pivoted in confusion now, guns held at their sides. The squads were in an empty station. Several units began to lower their weapons immediately, faces seemed of disappointment. "The way I see it, we got three choices: The left desolated tunnel, the right nifty ass tunnel, or that maintenance entrance that looks like something out of a bad horror movie." said a Delta unit as he lowered his gun and paced slowly to the edge of the tracks, slowly turned and waited for Fireous’ answer. Fireous didn’t blink in acknowledging him. His eyes diverted to the ground where a small business card lay. “Faction Defiance: Denys’ your tactics.” said the small cut of cardboard. Fireous’ lip curled into a small grin, nodding his head side to side slowly. “Sir?” the Delta unit said hesitantly, looking at him over his own shoulder. He agreed in every sense. He looked back up to the units under his jurisdiction.  "Alright…Bravo, left tunnel, Foxtrot, right tunnel, and Delta, your with me, maintenance." Stated Fireous as he walked towards the edge of the platform. Fireous jumped without hesitation from the station to the tracks, and sprinted off to the entrance of the maintenance tunnel. He stopped for only a second and looked back. He checked both ways as a habit of sorts, sighed a stressed breath, and continued.

         The squads followed, aligning themselves with the symbols on each of their backs. Fireous kept his gun tactically down and ran towards his checkpoint. "Foxtrot 1, Bravo 1, Keep all channels open and report any sightings or conflict." Fireous said one last time. He kicked open the door and charged in, pulling up his S.M.G. to firing stance, followed by his almost marine like force. Foxtrot 1 did the same, but ran more vigorously ignoring strategy, and decided to use the more abrupt method. Bravo 1 was just about to do the same when BravoShade (Typhon Steel) jumped from the station ledge to the tracks as fast as gravity would allow. He landed roughly and stumbled a bit. Recovering quickly, he dusted his pants and stood looking boldly at the squad of Bravo commandos.

          His face was a den of stress. His eyes looked as if he had lost his will to live.  “Which one of you is in charge?" Typhon said quietly, almost reluctantly. “…you are, BravoShade, sir." whispered Bravo 1, always knowing that C.I.A. members outrank them. He moved aside and Typhon stepped in front of the tunnel entrance. He turned and looked over his men, one at a time, switching focus smoothly, then turned back to the tunnel. “Do not fire…unless I give the order.” he turned his head back around over his shoulder. Breathing slightly, his eyes moved from agent to agent studying what was showing of their faces. “…And turn off your radios for a moment.” The squad did as ordered making little noise besides the buzz of a radio shutting down. “I’m not going to ask you to do anything you don’t know the truth of, and because of that, your each going to be facing an… interesting decision. Unfortunately, I’m marked for… something rather grim, so I can only show you so much before everything…changes.” he turned back to the tunnel, aligning his gun on his chest. “Turn your radios back on. Stay on my back.” The buzz echoed in the dark depths again.

         “Lets go.“ They began to run vigorously yet strategically correct down the left tunnel, guns held high, and various flashlights turned off, adapting their eyes to the dark. Each unit looked at one another in confusion, still moving quickly behind Typhon. No one said a word, but each secretly had their own opinion of what had been said or what was about to happen. The squad moved foreword courageously, stepping over tracks, keeping low, and shining in all directions making their existence quite noticeable. Track after track the unit moved as one. Scanning and pivoting, shining their fireflys of death at the slightest amount of movement that seemed sadistic, they marched loyally.

         Soon, Typhon stopped, wincing his eyes in a bit of disbelief. "Freeze!" yelled Typhon disregarding the order of killing on sight. All the fireflyed lights alligned on one very muscular man. He wore tactical marine pants, boots, and ammunition belt, but had an absence of shirt revealing freakishly tense and veined muscles. His head was shaved bald and his face seemed moderately scarred, but his smile is what gave the squad chills. His head was also tilted to the side to make him look all the more maniacal and insane. His height had to be around 6’6” for sure. It was quiet for several seconds until the large man opened a holster located on the back of his pants and brought into sight a very abnormal and large revolver. “Drop the gun!” Yelled Typhon. He arched his head again, and pulled back the hammer of his weapon, disregarding Typhon’s orders altogether. He then spun the round chamber of the revolver, making a very uncomfortable clicking noise that very slowly echoed through out this hellish cavern. “Hello, Typhon…“ the giant said slowly and grew an even larger smile. The squad jumped a bit, “Open Fire!!” yelled Typhon.

         

         "Edan, call your HQ and request the opening of Emergency Exit B-4 Section A. " said the notorious James Tameheart, a widely known Anarchist in a nation where the mere mention of crime could be considered taboo. "The steel doors right in front of you lead to a place hidden away from the world, but your higher ups. They trust you, Edan. James said almost speech-like turning to Edan. "The things that are done to men in this place…am I getting to you at all, Edan? I‘ve told you the things done here…and procedures done to protect its existence. Can you honestly tell me that you’re standing for something being chained and beaten?” James said as he bowed down a bit moving his face to meet eye to eye with Edan. Edan had been chained to this concrete pillar hours before, being stripped of seemingly all his weapons and equipment. His two .45 hand guns laid vacant along with his neck set radio on a wooden table next to the steel doors. His Kevlar armor pressed against him harder and harder as the chains around him sunk deeper with each hit taken. His face, fists, and hands were bruised and bloody, dripping of agony and pain. Edan's black semi-long bangs exceeding over his black bandana dripped with sweat, covering his face. His breathes were short and fast, and every five minutes he would be pummeled in the face again. "Edan, stop playing. I‘m sure we could meet in a place of better conditions if you would just cooperate. Your dying and you don’t even know why, Edan. Just call them and hand the phone to me, maybe? Tameheart stated with his usual sense of humor clasping his hands behind his back, hoping the agent would cave even a bit. Edan had been studying the station his entire torture session, and devising an escape plan had been the rather simple (in Edan‘s opinion). James, despite his lawlessness, death defying tactics, and deadly behavior, had never been recorded as a murderer. Supposedly, he was behind the deaths of thousands by now, but Edan knew James well.

         Tameheart was recorded as a mass murderer years ago in a maximum security prison. A number of his Anarchist troops were sent here, and, of course, he went to rescue them. Sneaking in with a deadly army, James was said to have rescued his men, set the prison ablaze, and took many other prisoners as hostages just in case. The bodies of the hostages were supposedly found and disposed of, but there was never any media coverage of it, or evidence for that matter. Edan knew there was more to it, because he’s met this man many a time, and not once has he seen him or his men kill someone execution style or at all. Edan saw no sadistic intentions in this man, only a complete disregard for law and order. The point being he wouldn't have him killed. To Edan, Tameheart was a man who had a philosophical style and method to doing things. But he was still a criminal, and even though had no intention of ending a human life, he was still endangering them. After thinking for several seconds, Edan threw his head up flinging sweat in all directions. There were three Anarchists in the room: One by the tracks carrying a AK-47, the other two were to the right of the pillar, opposite the table containing his guns, also carrying AKs. James was pacing back and forth between him and the steel doors looking at him occasionally. Edan studied a little longer and had his plan made. James stopped and stared at Edan. "…Did you just have a ceasure?" James looked at Edan and his sudden burst of energy confusedly.

         At the very beginning of the chaining, Edan had concealed his tactical combat knife in the back of his boot so it would be easier to reach. Unfortunately, thinking he could hold the chain in place, Edan picked the lock to the chain early. Here Edan stood holding several layers of chain. "Bash!" the anarchist closest to him punched him in the face again spilling even more blood. "(static) Immediate need of assistance! This is Bravo 4! We have contact! Target is one bald male carrying...(static)" blared Edan's stripped neck radio on the table. Gunshots suddenly erupted and echoed throughout the tunnels. Stray bullets flew through the tunnel, some even hitting the steel door in front of them.

         Then, only seconds later, they stopped. “Drop your guns and stand against the wall." Edan said calmly as he shifted his weight to the right side of the pillar. "Edan, do you know why I’m doing this, these bombings, these burning of buildings, sudden disappearances of random people not known of any crime. You’re being deceived. You all are." James said in a more sincere voice. Edan, often loosing consciousness for several seconds and then waking again, opened his eyes fully and formed a glare. He stared at only James.

         He, in a swift motion, dropped the chain all at once grabbing one end of the chain and swinging it around the pillar. The two anarchists looked up at the last second to be smashed in the face by the bulk of the chain. They spilled to the floor flinging there guns toward Edan. The anarchist to the left reacted fast and showered the pillar that Edan took refuge behind. Edan bent down one knee, dusted his tactical black pants, and gained a breath of releif. The men he had just hit were definitely unconscious. He looked at them only for a second to make sure there was a puddle forming under their faces. “Concussions at most.” he whispered to himself.  He looked at them for several seconds until a short smile fell upon him. He then jumped out and put his hands in front of his body as if he were doing a dive. Surprisingly, as the anarchist’s rain of bullets followed Edan, he was untouched. Edan landed his hands on the handle of an AK and did a cartwheel toward James. While almost in a standing position, Edan fired off three rounds: two entering the gunner's leg and another in the neck. The Anarchist spilled to the tracks screaming and his blood followed him down. Edan spun around quickly the second he landed on his feet and aimed at James.

         "It was nice talking to you again, Edan…Our meetings are always a bit…eventful… but really…what do you think happens to the ones you bring in? Are they put in prison with a reasonable term, given fair punishment, released weeks later for their minor faulty crimes or are they executed? What if I told you, none of them were executed…none were held captive…but never truly released. Edan, the men you capture are..." James was interrupted. "James Tameheart, relieve yourself of any weapons you may be carrying and get on the ground. Edan said sternly, anger and weariness hidden deep in his voice. His deep blue eyes were known for their stone cold glares which really either looked two ways to others: Offensive or lost in thought. His solemn stare at James suddenly ended that sense. His glare seemed very hostile. His eyes rolled left slowly.  Footsteps. A faint but noticeable tremor of very large footsteps seemed to be approaching from the left tunnel, but the anarchist's screams were blocking out the sense of how near they were.

         James smiled a bit, “Edan, I need people like you. I‘m fighting a losing battle and rivals aren‘t my concern.“ Edan backed up to the table containing his guns, keeping his AK facing James. He reached towards the table and returned his signature duals to their holsters by his waist. He also grabbed his radio which seemed to be not working. "What did you do to it?" asked Edan who seemed to be getting the goose bumps at the approaching footsteps. "Don’t look at me. Not my gear." said James with the usual sinister smirk on his face. Edan threw the radio to the ground and recentered the AK on Tameheart. The footsteps seemed make even greater and greater tremors. The man's screams had subsided. He either died or went into shock. Edan hadn't the time to worry about it. He knew which tunnel it was coming from now so he aimed his AK toward the left tunnel. The echoes suddenly stopped. The footsteps stopped too. “Order whoever that is to stop or you die.” Edan said sternly, never looking at James but keeping his eye on his sights. Then the sound of a screeching, decrepit door opening filled the air around them. Then it was silent again. Everything became tranquil. "Edan, we've been silent acquaintances for some time now, I‘ve lost today in more ways than you could ever know. One more time, Edan. Just call your HQ. I‘m tired of making sacrifices." James said grimly, eyes piercing Edan seeming without fear. “Why are you still talking to me like I’m your prisoner?” Edan said in a stern authoritative tone.

         Instantly afterward, the maintenance door behind Edan sprung open revealing the strongest man he had ever seen. Edan turned quickly but was too late. The brute picked him up by straps of his flak jacket and flung him into the steel door leaving a bloody print on it. He slid to the floor quickly. “…Because you are…“ he said quietly. Edan struggled to get in a sitting position but failed. The blood and sweat dripped into his eyes now and consciousness was the most important thing for him to grip. His vision became fogged and hazed. Consciousness was now the most precious thing on earth. He saw the man coming back for him. He sprung up a little reaching for his gun ,but when he finally reached and grabbed a hold of the stock, his neck was grabbed ,and gravity defyingly, thrown across the station again through the table which once held his equipment. The debris, dust, and years aged water flung against the wall right with Edan. He had landed in a sitting position this time, so pulling up his gun would be easier. Barely conscious, Edan searched through dazed eyes and debris for the AK-47 failing several times in the brief few seconds, but he found it. He was sitting on it. He rolled over fast grabbing the barrel of the AK and rolled back into sitting position, too tired to stand. The brute was tracking him again. He was nearly on Edan, but he had finally armed his rifle and let it loose. Bullets showered the giant. Every single bullet had sunk into his chest and even a few in his head. The weapon recoiled and bounced, up and down, letting off a loud automatic spray. Dust began to constrict Edan's surroundings and his vision was fading again too. Soon he heard the all to familiar click of a chamber looking for another bullet, failing yet clicking again.

         He scurried to his feet, dropping the AK and alternated to one of his .45s. He pulled one up aiming in the general direction of the beast, but the smoke from the gun was terribly thick. Edan nodded his head to one side with a sense of approval, raising one eyebrow. “That was actually… pretty accurate.” Edan mumbled to himself, expecting to see a corpse in a matter of seconds. Then the smoke cleared and Edan choked on his next breath. His hands started to shake and his knees were finally giving into the pain. It wasn't so much the fear of the giant as it was, his body was thrashed to the highest extent. There the giant stood with a smirk and his head tilted. He was popping his knuckles when Edan realized that the very bullets that had came out of his gun, fell to the floor in flakes. Edan stood stunned for several seconds before he said under a ragged breath,” Awe…". As quick as a bullet the man moved his fist back and threw it at Edan. Edan easily moved to the side and tried to counter. He moved behind him fast and tried to kick the back of his knee which did nothing. The giant turned and did a kind of windmill punch, but Edan easily dodged it again and threw a roundhouse kick to his face which simply hurt Edan more. Edan fell to the floor in pain and felt the hand around his neck again. He was picked up and once again thrown in to the pillar causing cracks and loose concrete to fall, showering Edan in even more dust. Edan struggled to stay awake. He knew he should get up and fight but he couldn't. His arms felt like they were staked to the ground and his right leg, the one he kicked the brute with, felt like it was on fire, a searing pain from the knee down. The man was walking towards him again, but Edan couldn't do anything. His face was now cut and bruised to an almost gruesome extent. He winced his eyes every few seconds to keep the sweat and blood flow out, but he now knew this was the end. At this point, beating something this impossible would be just that. He watched helplessly as the giant finally stood over him and reached into a gun holster on the back side of his pants. When he brought his hand back, he revealed the biggest revolver Edan had ever seen. The brute slowly moved the gun upwards starting to smile again until it reached Edan's head.

         Edan now knew for sure this was the end. He thought of everything he was going to miss and...Edan sort of gave his mind a drop kick to the face when he realized: He’s not dead yet. Edan witnessed the hammer of the handgun drop from an angle no one has ever seen and lived to tell, almost as if a 6th sense had taken over, and he rolled to the right over on top of an unconscious body just in time to see the pillar explode into shrapnel and dust showering with stone. Edan covered his face as concrete fell. Through the corner of his eye, peering through the bend in his elbow, Edan saw a shimmer. Something had stabbed into a crack in the concrete directly next to Edan, standing straight up. It was his combat knife. He left in the lock so he wouldn't have dropped the chain. His eyes widened for a second. Just as he looked up, the hammer fell again. He  rolled over again to see the track wall desecrate itself from another magnum round behind him. He reached out for the knife, grabbing the blade and ripping it out. The completely out of proportion weapon sounded as if it were an explosion of dynamite or some other explosive.  The giant unloaded another round, just missing him and into the wall. More dust and rock shrapnel filled the air leaving dust clouds. He had no more time to think about it. He grabbed the end of the chain opposite the lock and flung it at the giant, hitting him in the head. Stumbling for only a second the giant faced Edan and grew a smile on his face again. Edan then felt his way to his feet and bursted into a sprint around this maniacal giant. He jumped over the unconscious anarchists, still holding tightly to the chain, and maneuvered over the remains of the pillar to the opposite side of the track. He heard the hammer drop again and dove into a somersault into the maintenance hall way the monster had entered through, and rolled from the concrete debris and shrapnel.

         The door was crumbled into the wall behind Edan with a crater that could be measured with yard sticks. The man’s face seemed to be lessening in the field of fun. He was now simply annoyed that such an insignificant government employed officer could make short work of him as he was. He then noticed the chain. It was sprawled around what was left of the pillar and went off in a tangent. It lead into the maintenance door.  Feeling irritated, the bald man grabbed the chain and pulled with all his might, making Edan defy gravity once again as he flew toward the giant. He was ripped out of the maintenance area into the open again. Edan’s stomach had felt left behind. His eyes were forced shut and a splash of sweat and blood seemed to stay in place as Edan was pulled without regard of life. The zeptosecond before colliding with the brute, Edan pulled his knife up and inserted it with surgeon's precision into the giant's right shoulder. This hit the brute like a grenade and along with Edan he flew into the track wall beside the hole made by his gun earlier. Edan slid to the tracks upside down, slamming the back of his neck on the railing and rolled over to notice, the giant hadn't fallen. His fogged vision allowed him to make out a …little bit more. He pivoted his head up to see the man pinned to the wall by his own knife. The brute tried strenuously to reach his gun and alternate to pulling the knife out, but he never made a sound. His legs began to kick and his muscles strained to pull the knife out, but Edan couldn't watch anymore. All he could think of was …James being long gone.

         He had finally faded to a much nicer, unconscious state when Fireous and his team bursted through the mangled and distorted maintenance entrance. After this, Edan could only gather bits and pieces of his surroundings, but for the first time ever, Edan started to think about what Tameheart had said. He said that criminals weren't being punished but...He had cut him off. He never heard it. Edan was now being carried by Fireous through the continuous hallways of the subway station. His legs felt like they were on fire still. Edan drifted back to his thoughts. He had one last thought before complete loss of consciousness. Once before, in a previous encounter with James, James had said: "Sometimes you have to ask yourself: Is a crime free nation really all that free, or in accomplishing this free nation, have we become captives to it?"

         Edan had heard several words while being carried, but he couldn't make out one of them. He knew he heard an entire squad, Bravo, had been either desecrated or severely wounded, but he was too disillusioned to put it together . His eyes stopped drifting and he knew he was awake. " Aha! He’s alive!" Fireous said sarcastically as Edan began to move his head a bit. "Your pumped full of ERD (Extensive Recovery Demos) and you should be fully awake in a couple a minutes. Your words might be a little bit slurred, but just …keep your pants on." Fireous said with a stressed voice, seemingly attempting to be chipper. His short blond hair was covered in mud and his sunglasses were finally put up on his forehead. He‘s not stupid enough to wear them on missions in dark tunnels, one would think, but he always has a pair of spares in his Kevlar vest. His nose was bent to the left just a bit because it had been broken some time ago by an Anarchist. Now, apparently, he has an everlasting grudge, vengeance of the nose. Apparently, he concludes that the earth revolves around his face, so it was like the entrance of the ice age when he had been hit. "Edan, pants being kept on? We're almost there." Fireous said a little happier. "Bra..." Edan said disillusionalized and faded, trying with every fiber to finish a single word. "If your…wearing one, I‘d keep that on too…for reputation preserving purposes, of course…" Fireous said a bit confused and with a slight smile. Edan began to notice that the flat hallway had turned to stairs and they were going upward quite quickly.

         "…Fireous …What was behind the blast doors?" Edan finally gained the strength to make an entire sentence." Its an elevator, an emergency entrance…or exit more likely.” Fireous said with his positive smirk back on his face. They walked several flights more before Delta 1 started to speak. "HQ needs to up our funds. Random B.S. keeps happening to my gear. This ‘effing clip refuses to…aha! Its in. " Delta 1 shouted extravagated. The ongoing steps seemed to be getting a little on Edan's nerves. Finally, Edan stopped Fireous and stood on his own. The ERDs helped C.I.A. members substantially. They are specially designed drugs that double, sometimes even triple, the recovery rate of battle hardened combatants. Out of the four divisions of the Neo Central Intelligence Agency, only the top two divisions of the NCIA are allowed them.

         “Damn… There it goes…“ the sound of an clip half full, echoed as it fell down the steps, back into the black depths of the tunnels. Soon, light was in view. It was almost blinding even though it was only a crack in the door. They could tell it was still cloudy outside like it had been when they were dispatched, but when emerging from the darkness even the faintest light could mean nirvana. The steps ended and now Edan walked with a slight limp down the final stretch of the subway station. The doors neared and Delta 1 and Foxtrot 3 slammed the double doors open revealing a heavenly light which seemed blinding to the battle hardened Devil dogs, but their surroundings became familiar again. They had seemed to emerge from darkness, but into a world that may soon become just as black and devastating.