A muffled thud was heard in the holding cells followed by a low groan of irritation.
"How long is that jackass going to make us sit here…?" Edd growled, having slammed his fist against the brick wall, as his two friends just sat there, "I'm gonna go nutz just being stuck in here…" he hated himself even more now. He nearly abandoned Roxxi and Tally. They needed him. What was wrong with him….?
Tom rolled his LED eyes, finding it almost hard to believe that this now grouchy and suicidal man was actually his once happy and pun loving friend. "Maybe we wouldnt be here if you hadn'T TRIED TO COMMIT SECOND HAND SUICIDE!" Matt shouted both anxious and irritated. "I swear to god Edd… if Ricky and Maxxine become fatherless, I'm going to become a zombie again, and KICK YOUR FAT ASS!" with that the two got into an argument slash shouting match.
The shortest of the three kept silent, though he understood his friend's anger and panic, he himself was practically drowning in thoughts of Susan, Nicky and Theo. He hadn't been much of a crier since he was a child, but the thought of never seeing them again, made his throat tighten. They were waiting for him...
All three of them had kids and wives to go home to. Even though Edd had acted, very, very stupid and irrational, Tom could tell that he was now worrying about Roxxi and Tally.
Getting into the Red Base was easier for them than any other unfortunate idiots that had tried in the past. It wasn't until they had gotten to the lab that they somehow screwed up setting off the alarms.
Things hadn't gone as planned at all.
They had managed to do a time jump like they wanted, but things took a wrong turn with Edd's second hand suicide attempt. With all that had happened, they barely had enough battery power left in the second device to get back to they're time.
Course with their luck, things went from bad to worse, and he ended up getting caught and arrested for treason against the Red Leader and his army.
After being dragged to holding cells, they had been left waiting there awhile, leaving them to argue and let their minds wonder to what they're fate might be. When the war started, it started with a bang when Tord brought out the highest government officials in Britton and had a death squad gun them down on live tv, basically telling the world, 'Your Next.'
There were a few rebel armies besides the one they lead, but Edd, Tom and Matt were the closest any had ever gotten to Red Leader himself, they knew him better and that made them dangerous, so there was no light at the end of this tunnel. At Least not one they could see.
They were screwed, royally.
It was about another hour before anyone came down to the holding cells to get them. And the moment the soldiers set foot into the cells to cuff them, the three instantly went back to causing a ruckus for them, getting in a few hits before they were each pinned and cuffed again.
"You three really are a lot of trouble to deal with," a top tier Soldier said sighing, memory serves, that it was Yanov, and the three rebel leaders just glared at him. "But that aside, Red Leader want to talk to you, so I suggest you calm down before we have to shoot one of you." and with that the three of them we escored down a long hallway to a large room that was mostly empty besides a wide table and a few chairs. It was alot bigger than a police interigation room, but still left the men anxious.
There seated at the table was the War criminal known as Red Leader, but to those three, he was they're former friend. Oddly enough, he didn't have that irritatingly smug grin plastered on his half scarred face, and that unsettled the three more than anything. "Hello, old friends…" the deathly serious tone in his voice caused them to go stiff. And they did their best to keep straight, hardened expressions.
Edd, Matt and Tom were forced to take their seats in front of the man.
As shook as the three of them had become, Matt was the one closest to losing his cool and showing it. Just looking at him, Edd could tell, all the man was thinking about was what would happen to his young kids and his wife Amanda after Tord publicly executed them, like he did all to all rebels. Amanda was more fragile, but atleast Roxxi and Susan were there to support her. Edd wondered if Tally was old enough to understand why he was around anymore, or if she'd behave for her mom.
"It's been sometime since we've all been at the same table together" he said with an almost nostalgic, melancholy tone, "It's too bad it had to be under these circumstances …"
"Oh Cut the pleasantries Tord!" Tom snapped at him as the LEDs in his goggles turned red giving away his irritation, "Just tell us why we're here…!" but his tone gave away his panic more clearly. Tord raised a brow, "I'm pretty sure you're here, because you three trespassed on a private military base…" the norwiegan snapped back still straight faced. " And there's no reason to raise your voice, I'm less that 6 feet away, Thomas."
Usually he would have broken into a grin with a mouth full of smart ass remarks from making Tom lose his cool, but the straight face never broke. Tord was the type to gloat, monologe, and follow the normal evil villian trope for his own entertainment, that wasn't happening this time.
"But jokes aside, the reason you three haven't been executed yet is because I have something to ask you." he told them as he leaned onto the table with his elbows, seeing that he wasn't going to beat around the bush, the three stayed silent to listen.
"I want the three of you to sign this, and join the Red Army."
He said it so casually. So nonchalantly, straight faced and calm. It hit a nerve.
Edd was instantly standing, his chair falling back with a loud clatter as he slammed his still cuffed together hands on the table.
"Are you fucking serious, Tord…?" The cola addict growled with a low tone looking the other man in the eye as he heard his friend try to tell him to calm down, and it took whatever grip he had left to not punch the man across from him.
Honestly, he would have prefered Tord looking down on them smugly as he taunting tone when he had asked that, but Edd could tell, he was still completely serious. "Edward, please, sit bac-" Edd interupted him, " Are You Fucking Serious Right Now!?" he growled louder, "How can you possibly ask us that!?" sadly, he had never had complete control of his temper, and the war he was a part of didn't help him get a good grip at it either.
"Edd, please," Tord said again, ut in a harsher tone, "sit down, and lower your voice-" he could tell the man was getting irritated with him, but before the other man could open his mouth again, a small cry ripped into the air.
It startled the three rebel leaders, catching them off guard as all three of them looked to where the crying was coming from. Off in the corner, near the door, was a teenage boy, probably no older than 13, with a red bundle cradled in his arms. They watched as the boy gently rocked his arms, trying to calm the crying as a pair of tiny hands pawed at the air.
"Now look what you've done," Red Leader sighed, getting up from his chair, making his way over to the boy and the crying bundle.
They watched him stunned as he took the bundle into his arms, Tord's voice became soft and gentle as he gently hushed and cooed to the crying infant, who had apparently been woken up by Edd's shouting. The man brought the infant close to his face gently, nuzzling the baby's cheek to his. The closeness, and sound of his voice putting the infant at ease, and the crying soon quieted. "There we go, what a good little soldier…" Tord hummed as he let the baby rest in his arms.
The war criminal turned to them, his expression slightly softer than before, and seeing them stare at him shocked and confused, he decided to explain why there was a child in his arms.
"This is my son, Tobi," he informed them, "He's little more than a year old, and if I recall correctly, Thomas," Tom stiffened as Tord looked at him, "Your youngest son is about that old, am I correct?" Edd and Matt turned to look at they're shorter friend just in time to see the color drain from his face. Tom's hands clenched into tight fists as he gritted his teeth trying to keep his cool, "How…. h-how do you…" his throat tightened again as he tried to speak.
Lord gave them a slightly offended look, "Please… you really think I 'wouldn't' find out..?" he asked them taking a step forward, "That the three of you, in the middle of a 3rd world war, got married?" He raised his voice a bit,"or that two of you had fathered children of your own?" the look in his good eye darkened, "You three are my biggest threat, I'd be stupid not to know all that I can…" they're blood had turned cold, the faces of their love ones instantly coming to mind, and they felt more afraid of Tord than ever.
The air was now thick and heavy.
They honestly thought no one but those closest to them in the rebel army knew about their personal lives.
Matt bit his lip as he started to visibly tremble, "You know about my wife… and my kids…?" the ginger trembled out, and Tord simply looked down at his own child as the infact pawed up at him, making a small babbling sound.
"I know that your youngest, Maxxine, is only 2 months old, and that she has one brown eye and one blue." Matt gulped hard, looking ready to break down at the drop of a hat, he had never been good at keeping his weak points concealed below the surface, becoming a husband and father just added.
As much as it sickened him, and turned his insides into a knotted mess, Edd bit the bullet and spoke up. "Alright… we'll sign the document…" he muttered just loud enough to be heard and his two friends stared at him, and he could see both shock and, somehow, relief. "Even if we manage to escape…. what's the point if our families are dead when we return…?" They looked down, ready to accept they were beaten.
"Your only half right Edd." he started walking closer to them.
"It would have been pointless to escape if the ones you were trying to go back to were gone," his tone had changed again and Edd looked him directly in the eye, realizing he was only two feet away. "However… that wouldn't have been my direct intention.'' After seeing confusion cross the rugged man's face, he invited them to sit down again so he could explain.
They all sat back down, Tord handed the infant back to the young soldier, and they listened to his explanation.
The army leader explained how he had a relationship with a female subordinate, Tobi's mother, Anya Volko. Anya had unexpectedly gotten pregnant, and sparing them the little details, Tord told them how a rebel group somehow found out about her. When she was in the hospital, they killed her and tried to kill Tobi, aiming to get a bit of revenge on Tord and his army. He even admitted to suspecting the green rebellion to be the culprits, and that made the three tense for a moment. They had known of Anastasia Volko, but not that her and Tord were intimate, let alone expecting a child at anytime. They knew she was a top soldier for her skills off and on the battle field, was brutal in combat, she even was the first callfor her inerrigation skills.
But the last thing known was that she had vanished a while back. The rumor was that she had deserted the army, no one knew if she had been dead or alive at the time though. She hadn't seemed like Tord's type, quiet the opposite. She was described a large built woman, with a muscular form, while Tord had been known to love wemon with "softer" figured. The way he talked about her, and the look on his face, it was obvious he had loved her alot despite what they assumed.
And herethey thought they still knew SOMETHING about their old friend. The surprises kept coming.
The tenstion settled slightly with what Tord had said next.
"My Anya... inspite of everything, and inspite of not even knowing any of you..." Tord had to take a deep, rattled breath for a second to gather himself, "Always wanted me to make up with you guys..." the formalities he had kept up were starting to slip. "Don't ask me why, I'll never understand for myself... maybe she thought, somewhere, that we could actually go back to being friend again..." Tord started at his hands when he said that, the look on his face made it seem like he was flooding with memories, and trying to sort himself.
"When I had discovered... that you three had not only gotten married but were starting families of you're own, even with the war going on, I lost my conviction.... "Tord sat up in his chair running a hand through his hair. "It was easier to see things in black and white... I mean... we've tried to kill eachother before, so... what was the difference..." The men watched as Tord started to crumble a bit, after so many years, he looked like his old self, just a little bit.
He was the Tord who was once theyre friend for a moment.
"But I can't fight you any more... atleast... not as easily... She wouldn't have wanted this if she had known... she would have hated me if she had..."
After the explanation finished, the three leader's looked at each other as Lord gave them they're only two options after taking a moment to put himself back together.
"Option one, join the Red Army, disband your rebel army, and move onto the base, so your wives and children will be safe."
"Or refuse, and I'll let you go back to your rebel army, but that will be my last act of kindness in this war."
"My Anya…" he paused for a moment having to bring her up again, before hardening the look in his eye, "Had a code she went by… 'Betray me once, and you won't have a second chance to try again.' so this is the only chance I'll give you. You have your kids to protect, and I have mine."
Tord was too far into the game to throw it. He was at the point giving up the throne he had worked so hard to get, was not an option, he was a war criminal after all. Honestly, they had gone into this war knowing all of that, that's why they had worked so hard to dethrone the leader before his reach stretched further.
But now they knew, they were the ones who were about to throw the game.
No, they had probably lost the moment they let themselves think they could have a family in the middle of the war's gunfire.
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