Divide And Conquer

The Traitor

Everyone stood in stark silence, while Jackson stood menacingly with the gun in his hand. The scene was almost surreal as time seemed to stand still, never flinching. Jackson stood poised with his finger tightening on the trigger.

“You pile of sodden shit, you’re a fucking Westee aren’t you” says Alvarez.

Black looks over to Alvarez “Damn Jay what was your first clue”.

“Everybody shut the hell up, were on my terms now. Alvarez throw me your radio…now!” shouts Jackson.

Alvarez unclips his radio and holds it out “Just take it easy Jackson…c’mon lets sing. I love you, you love me were a happy…”

“Goddamit don’t push me…throw me the fuckin radio!” says Jackson quivering with fury.

“It was worth a shot” says Alvarez as he tosses Jackson his radio.

“All the mining crews have cleared out for the day. Were gonna strip this place clean of ICE. Show you Eastern fucks whose really gonna win this war.” said Jackson.

“So who you gonna mine this shit with Jackson, Frosty the snow man, you have no back up” says Black.

“Vector 22 volcano base…requesting extraction team. There’s an Alliance cargo ship waiting on the northern shelf of the island.” says Jackson.

“But how, our sonar and detection units didn’t pick up any signals” said Cather.

“New S.A.M. cloaking, that’s another thing you Eastern bastards didn’t think of” says Jackson.

Alvarez slowly slides his hand to his side trying to stall the crazed gunman long enough to get to his own gun strapped to his calf.

“Now take it easy Jackson, your acting irrationally. What good is this gonna do, huh. You know nobody really wants this war…” says Alvarez.

The Eastern agent starts to slowly remove the gun from its strapped holster when Jackson notices his hand and fires at the agent striking him in the wrist.

“Aww shit!” shouts Alvarez clutching his shattered wrist, blood pouring out from the bullet wound.

“That was about the worst mistake you coulda made agent Alvarez” says Jackson in a cold voice.

Jackson re positions his gaze to President Cather, slowly raising the gun to meet his stance. The laser scope moves into it’s target zone on the President’s chest. The others watch in horror as Jackson eases the trigger back, the blast of the shot sounding off the walls of the ICE chamber.

In a split second choice Troy throws himself in front of the President and selflessly takes the bullet meant for the other man. The projectile hits it’s terrible mark on Troy as he is thrown back from the impact of the blast.

“TROY!!!!!!!!!” shouts Alvarez.

He runs to his brother’s side and nurses the gaping wound. Troy looks up at him in a forced smile as he coughs up blood. Black tries to lunge at Jackson but, the man simply grabs Black front behind and jams the gun barrel to the side of his head. Troy lets out one last breath before he dies in his brother’s arms. Alvarez slowly looks up to his brother’s killer, with hatred seething from his eyes.

“You wanna make it two Alvarez, cuz I can arrange that” shouts Jackson.

Alvarez slowly rises to his feet a look of burning anger shone from his face. At this moment he didn’t care if he lived or died. He was even willing to let his best friend be sacrificed. He unclips the gun from his holster and aims it straight for Jackson.

Jackson chuckled slightly and jammed the gun even tighter against Black’s head “C’mon tough guy…you shoot me and you loose another guy. C’mon go head…shoot me, pull the fuckin trigger”.

Black realizing his friend was not thinking rationally saw a no win situation here. He knew Jackson was going to shoot him if he was fired upon. With some boldness, quick reaction and a little self preservation he makes his move. Swiftly loosening Jackson’s grip on him he manages to elbow his captor in the stomach, whirl around slams his open palm into Jackson’s jaw…sending him tumbling back. The move delays Alvarez a few moments.

“Jay…no don’t do it” shouts Black.

Jackson recovers quickly and aims at Black firing off a few rounds. Black ducks and avoids being shot. Alvarez fires off a round into Jackson’s shoulder. Jackson drops his gun and darts out of the cavern. Alvarez follows in hot pursuit through the raging blizzard outside. Jackson runs frantic gripping his wounded shoulder and hearing gunshots from behind him. Alvarez fires blindly into the snow, he is a man possessed. One thing fills his mind now…revenge.

“Call off extraction, just have the ship ready to board.” says Jackson over the radio.

He looks back feverishly and sees Alvarez gaining ground rapidly. Jackson knows that if he is caught now, his head will be sent back to the Alliance states in a cardboard box. Desperately he runs towards the shore and the awaiting ship. Suddenly he stops and looks back at his dogged pursuer. Jackson holds out a small detonator and presses a button. A series of massive explosions screech out in rapid succession across the entire face of the ice shelf. Alvarez is thrown back violently from the explosions, that by now have weakened the ice to its breaking point. A vast chunk of the mainland breaks off leaving a canyon of endless void.

Jackson laughs sinisterly and waves to Alvarez “See you in hell”!

Alvarez looks up and sees his brother’s murderer becoming a fading dot in the blizzard. He runs to the edge of the ice cliff and drops to his knees.

“I’ll fucking chase you forever Jackson, you’ll never get away from me! I’ll rip your fucking heart out and eat it, you hear me! I’ll kill you, I swear to god I’ll kill you”!!!!!