The End of the Beginning
Chapter 74: Washing Our Hands

William, Vega, and Jake began walking towards each vehicle. Jake was on the left, Vega took the center burning car, and William took the right one, the closest one.

“Phillips tend to Abeo,” William ordered. “Get him behind the van. No one else moves until we give the all clear.”

“Yes, sir,” said Heather.

William kept his gun up and ready, pointing its laser sight on the mangled wreck. All four guardsmen in the vehicle were hunched over. All airbags had deployed. Every single window was broken. William walked right up to the car. He checked the pulse of all four guardsmen, putting two fingers on each of their necks. Vega and Jake jogged up together finishing their own searches.

“How are they?” Jake asked.

“The driver is dead,” said William. “The other three are alive but unconscious. What about with you guys?”

“Neither of us found survivors,” said Jake, shaking his head.

“We need to go, it’s not safe here anymore,” said Vega.

“How did they find us?” William asked Jake. “How could they know we were here? Were you followed?”

“No. I’m sure of it. They simply shouldn’t have known we were here.”

“Where could we go?” asked Vega.

“There is one more tank still under construction on the other side of the Port Section. We could go there.”

“Okay,” said William. “Let’s go then. We - ”

The guardsman in the back right seat reached out and grabbed William’s arm. Jake and Vega brought their guns up faster than a stroke of lightning. The guardsman was bleeding from under his helmet.

William remained motionless and just stared at the guardsman with anger and hatred.

“Why are you trying to kill my team and I?” he asked.

“Orders… Orders from, from Hernandez,” struggled the guardsman. “Just orders.”

William leaned into the window. “But why? On what grounds are those orders based? My people are innocent.”

“Hernandez…” The guardsman was struggling to breath. A piece of the door had impaled his abdomen. “He says you’re, you’re terrorist. You must… be, be eliminated… At all... costs.” William suddenly heard a subtle beeping noise. William noticed a grenade sitting in the guardsman’s lap with a blue LED light blinking faster and faster accompanying the beeping sound.

“Grenade!” screamed William.

The three sprinted away from the car back to the van. William turned back right when the grenade exploded, blowing out the interior of the car, killing all the remaining guardsmen.

“Everyone all right?!” yelled William.

“Yeah,” said Jake.

Vega nodded her head.

William walked back around the van to where his team was huddled. He pushed everyone aside to get to Abeo and Heather. He crouched down next to his fallen rescue officer. Abeo didn’t even have his glass tag for William to collect, Jake had told everyone not to bring theirs for security reasons. A blood pool surrounded Abeo’s upper body.

“There was nothing I could do, sir,” said Heather, closing Abeo’s eyelids. “He was dead before he hit the ground.”

William bowed his head into his chest. He grabbed Abeo’s hand. His eyes began to water and his nose sniffled. Heather started gently rubbing William’s back. A sad man however did not look up from this bow, an impassioned one did.

“Guess we have no choice but to fight now, eh Captain?” said Vinny.

“We never did have a choice Rescue Officer Mckay,” said Vega. She looked around at everyone. “Evil is unfair. Evil is cold. It never gives its victims a choice. Rescue Officer Lawal wasn’t given a choice when they put bullets in his back.” William stood up. “Sergeant Horbert is right, I’m afraid. We no longer have a choice as to whether or not we should fight because it seems that fight will come to us no matter what now. For as long as I have lived…” William looked at his gloves. They were covered in Abeo’s blood.

“For as long as I have lived my hands have been stained with the blood of those I love, constantly reminding me of my failures to save them, to protect them. I’ve never been able to wash these stains off. I’ve never been able to, to clean my sins. Perhaps, I never will.” William lowered his hands and looked up at his team definitely. He made sure he looked at each and everyone of them in the eyes.

“But that doesn’t mean you stop trying, that doesn’t mean you rest. I rested once, for six years, thinking the blood would stop, that the pain would stop. That’s why I went to the woods of Canada,” William stammered, “to hide. That’s where the supposed great Hope Giver went. I left to kill myself…” His team perked up in surprise. Some lightly gasped.

“That’s right,” William nodded shamefully,” that’s why I left, content and ready to take my own life. I was ready to just sit by from a lonely distance and watch the world burn. I didn’t care for what may happen to those in it. I didn’t care about the future of it and I certainly didn’t care for the future I had in it.” A tear rolled down William’s facing, landing on Abeo’s jacket. William crunched his teeth together and twiddled his fingers.

“And today, I am disgusted with myself for it. For too damn long this world and the atrocities and disasters in it have been because of people just standing by, as I did. For too damn long people having been willing to let the next person fight, hoping they would. For too damn long people I have been content with blood on their hands, selfishly willing to leave it there and just give up, as I did. Not anymore. I will never give up washing them! I will never give up trying to rid myself of their stain. I will never sit back again. I promise you, I will stop what is going to happen. I will stop Hernandez…” William knelt down again over Abeo and ripped off his jackets Velcro UNIRO seal. He held it up for everyone to see.

“I am a member of UNIRO, sworn to protect and rescue those in need from forces that may do undeserved harm and destruction. I think Terra Nova certainly counts.” Some of his team members nodded. Others grinned with soggy eyes.

“If we win today we won’t have saved a people or a country, we’ll have saved everyone, not just the many as Terra Nova intends with their genocidal ways. We won’t only be afforded the chance to wash our hands but the worlds and that is worth not resting for.” Seong stepped forward. “For us…” He fought his stutter. “For us, sir, there was never a choice. We…” Seong took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “We stand beside you, together, or we don’t stand at all.” William smiled, grabbing Seong’s shoulder. “Let’s get to work then.”

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