Betrayal

Chapter Two

Chanda, Monocracy Airbase, Secondary Control Room

The heavy doors of the control room closed shut behind them, the sounds of battle suddenly muted. Trickshot lay Six by the control panels, cuffing him.

Rush came over, and grabbed Six's shoulders. "Six. Can you hear me?"

He blinked, and his brown eyes zeroed on Rush. "Yes, Sergeant."

"What happened?"

"What...what do you mean?"

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Rush hissed.

Suddenly, Six's eyes became unfocused again, darting from face to face. He began to murmur deliriously.

"What is he going on about?" Five-two waved a hand in front of Six's face. He didn't react, staring through the medic's fingers at General Isle.

One of his sentences became clear. "Kill him." Six launched himself at the General, knocking Five-two aside. Isle held out a hand, and the sniper was slammed against the wall, caught in an invisible force. He struggled against it, but he didn't budge.

"We have to get him to a medical bay," Five-two said, getting up. Isle held Six against the wall for one second longer, then withdrew his hand, and Trickshot's brother slumped to the floor.

~~

Their medical frigate landed in Perseverance's docking bay, and two medics came over, bringing Six to the bay for examination. Five-two went with them, but the rest of Falcon Squad was held back. They paced in front of the door, none of them saying anything.

They were allowed in a few minutes later, seeing Six bound to the examination table.

He caught Trickshot's eye. "Trickshot. What's happening to me?" He tugged on the bonds.

"You don't remember?"

"No." Six looked panicked, worried. Trickshot came closer, laying his hand on his brother's arm. "You murdered General Risa."

"What? No. I would never-"

"Six. You did." He pushed down on Six's shoulder, trying to restrain him. He looked at General Isle. His expression was enough to get the answer Six needed.

"I don't understand. How could this happen? What's happening to me?" He tried to get free. A medical droid stabbed a sedative into his neck.

Six quieted down after a few seconds, and Trickshot withdrew his hand. He stepped back, next to the General.

"What do you think happened?" Rush asked.

"Did you check all of his scans?" Isle asked Five-two.

"Well...all of his scans are clear. All I can tell is that this might be combat related stress. It seems he's had some sort of breakdown."

"Five-two, you should know better. We were design to withstand any stress."

Trickshot turned around. "I agree. We've been through a lot together. It isn't like him. Maybe he's sick...or drugged."

"It could be...a virus, or a toxin. I can't be sure."

Isle eyed the medics in the bay, then motioned for Rush, Trickshot, and Five-two to come with him. "Let's talk outside."

Trickshot gave one last glance at Six's still body, then followed.

"You mean the enemy could have made him do this?" Blaze spoke up. He hadn't said anything since the incident. "There have been rumors that the Monocracy is trying to make an virus, to target our altered genes."

"We aren't sure. He has to be taken back to Nero. Only then, will we have our answer." Five-two said.

General Isle seemed to think about it, then nodded.

~~

They strapped Six to a gurney and floated him onto the medical frigate again, General Isle, Five-two, and Falcon Squad following. One of the medics turned to stop them. "I'm sorry, but you have been requested to stay. It'll be better for Six if you don't come along."

Blaze looked like he wanted to protest. "But-"

Rush raised a hand at him. Blaze lapsed into silence, then nodded. "Fine." He took one

last glance at Six, then turned away, the hatch closing behind him.

The frigate lifted into the air, and shot into space. They watched it go, taking their brother away.

~~

A medic's POV

The hold of the ship was dark. The only light was the emergency exit sign and the pilot's screen at the cockpit.

The silence was suddenly punctuated by the rapid beeping and red flashing light from one of the screens.

One of the medics ran to the front, and the screens showed a missile coming straight for them. The screen flashed, beeping more rapidly. The pilot tried to bank to the left, but he wasn't fast enough. The missile burst into three dozen spider droids, which landed on their windshield and began to drill holes into the side.

"We're being overwhelmed!" The pilot yelled. He got up and pushed the medic out of the cockpit, slamming the door shut.

He could hear the spider droids breaking into their ship. The sound of air escaping was audible in the silence. The pilot was gone. The hold was darker now, lit only by the red light. Their artificial gravity wasn't working anymore. Their ship had stopped moving.

They assembled in silence, taking oxygen tanks and attaching them to their armor. Another medic strapped an oxygen mask onto Six's face. The spider droids were closer now. They clattered over broken machinery, their searchlights sweeping the hold.

The spider droids came out of the door, and jumped all the men. They were suddenly gone, just like the pilot. He was the last one. He ducked behind a shelf, his blaster raised. He could see his comrades' dead bodies drifting past him. His oxygen mask fogged up with each breath he took. He hoped that the spider droids couldn't hear him.

He leapt out from behind the shelf, aiming at the first droid he saw. He didn't even get a chance to shoot. The second he felt the spider droid blaze a hole into his chest, he knew he wasn't going to live.

The last thing he saw was the droids swarming over Six's body, taking him away.