Heroes

The Ending

At nine o clock, I have the order. The mission was underway!
The guards started taking down LR unit troops, and the three of us hooked up to Rivio's window.
"Here we go lads and lasses! No going back!" Reggie said.
We'd attached a grappling hook to the top of the mountain. The weather was not on our side, as rain fell quickly and effectively. Shit! This would be difficult!
"Everyone okay?" I shouted down to Reggie and Aria.
"Yep.....just......peachy." Aria replied.
About halfway up, disaster struck. A guard reached us on Reggie's radio. We were dangling from the mountain when he answered.
"Alright. What's up?"
"There's a guard, he's got a......rocket launcher. He's seen you three. We're gonna try....to take him out!" The feminine voice shouted over the radio.
"Okay! Good luck!"
We carried on climbing, but this time we were slower.
A orange light flew towards us! Crap! Rockets!
Our ropes shook, and Reggie dropped. I grabbed his hand, narrowly saving him from dying. Aria carried on climbing, but faster. She asked if she could help but I told her to carry on.
"Hold on!"
"Well, what else am I gonna do?"
The guard shot another rocket, and my grip loosened.
"Reggie!"
"Fucking hell! Let me go! I'll grab onto something."
"You sure? I mean-"
"Just do it!"
Heart pounding, I dropped Reggie. He clung onto a loose rock, but this would be one hell of a difficult climb for him now.
His radio crackled.
"We got rid of the bugger."

Finally, we reached the top. Aria was perched on one of three windows we'd hooked up to, and I had to wait another twenty minutes for Reggie to catch up. He reached the top, red-faced and panting.
"I.....never want.....to climb.....ever again."
We unlocked the windows and climbed in, expecting to be in and out in fifteen minutes.
We ended up taking four hours.

The room we'd entered was large. A dining table lay at the centre, a chandelier swung overhead, and four guards patrolled casually. This would be easy!
The three of us took care of the guards.
"Guys.....look." Aria said, and directed our attention to a whiteboard.
It turns out this house was an entrance to an underground base. Damn!
"Well.....this is gonna take a while." Reggie said angrily.

The main house was empty, except for one guard who'd fallen asleep on the toilet. It was difficult not to laugh!
"Here! Look at this shit!" Reggie shouted while we were inspecting the kitchen. A small table was covering an iron trapdoor.
The three of us lifted it off, and headed down. Reggie suddenly shouted as we were climbing down the ladder.
"Shit. My radio. It's on the damn table."
"Go get it. We need backup, if this goes down wrong!" Aria hissed.
Reggie pushed against the trapdoor.
"Come on....come on......why won't it move? Fuck sake!"
"We're locked in?" I asked.
"Locked in, and without backup. Great!"

The ladder took us ten minutes to reach the bottom! We were inside a damn mountain.
Dim yellow lights lit up Rivio's underground base.
"Guys.....quiet!" I heard footsteps up ahead.
And then the lights went out. I instantly threw myself to the right, but others weren't so lucky. A thick white gas surrounded them, and they both collapsed. Oh no!
"Grab them. And let's move. Jun and the others will be close by." I heard Rivio's sharp voice.
The dim yellow flights flickered before returning.
I followed Rivio, and two of his guards through the base. We ended up in a small open room, with two chairs. Aria and Reggue were both strapped to these chairs.
"Make them see things how I see things. Then find Jun."
Rivio was brainwashing them to think the same way he did. I couldn't let this happen!
Aria and Reggie were screaming! I had to help!
"Rivio, stop! Just fucking stop!"
"You've come to join me? Or here to kill me?"
"I'm here for neither. I'm here to bring you back to Letti with me."
"You always were a funny guy, Jun."
He paced over to me, and was about a foot in front of me. We'd all packed light weapons for this mission, so I only had a silenced pistol. He hadn't seen it, so maybe I could get a shot in.
"Join me, Jun. Join me, and we can rule the country together, like we used to. A few changes in the laws, and that's it. War brought back. Is that too much too ask? Humans, we've always evolved through battle. Bringing war will strengthen the country in the long run."
"What happened to you? The Rivio I knew wouldn't have ever said that."
"The Rivio you knew was a coward, who let himself get ruined by love for his friends."
I saw Aria wince at that. She'd loved him, but it sounds like Rivio's true feelings were coming to light right now.
"The Rivio you knew, fought like a coward, and died like one too. I, have seen the way forward. War!"
His eyes were alight, burning with insanity. I whipped out my pistol, but Rivio grabbed it.
"Stop. I'm begging you. Join. Me"
I kicked Rivio's legs, and he stumbled. Pistol in hand, I shot him in the stomach. He ran at me and grabbed my throat, before wielding a knife.
"Die, then! Die like Aria and Reggie will."
"Do it then! Fucking kill me! Kill your best friend!"
He readied his knife, before slouching.
"Damn it, Jun. I can't control it. I can't. It's like I'm just a damn puppet!"
"You can fight it. It's not you! It's the brainwashing! Just keep fighti-"
He stabbed me in the shoulder.
Aria and Reggie had broken free. But Rivio was putting up one hell of a fight. Eventually, the fight culminated in Rivio setting fire to Reggie's jacket.
"Argh.....shit!' He shouted.
Aria had been knocked out, a thick purple bruise forming on her eye.
Rivio walked over to me.
"I can't fight it.....I'm sorry......" He set fire to my trousers. I had grenades strapped to my belt and I fumbled for them. As Rivio walked away down the corridor, I loosened one, pulled the Lin and threw it at him. As the explosion lit up both Rivio and the room, I cried like I'd never cried before.
Rivio Agani. My best friend. We'd built houses out of blocks, walked along beaches, fought side by side, and taken over the country together. And here, it all ended. With just one damn grenade.
I carried Aria over my shoulder, and woke Reggie. The base was collapsing, My grenade had torn the foundations apart. After darting through hallways, we found a way out. A large one sided windows that faced a waterfall. The three of us smashed through, leaping over the waterfall and into the lake below.

I regained my clarity on a small beach by the sea. We were all coughing up water and soot.
A helicopter landed nearby, and we were all lifted on.
The night came to a climactic end when Reggie muttered.
"Well......that was fucking different."

The country was at peace again. The LR unit was demolished. Hell yeah!
I carried on living in my house. Reggie moved in next door, and Aria lived in her old house. We met every day at the newly established Place Of Politics. The name was creatively given by Reggie!
The three of us watched over the country, developing and setting examples for the next generations.
No more war! No more battles! We could all just kick back and relax, for good this time!
And to the country, we were known as heroes!

Hey guys, there's one more chapter that just ends the story on a happy note! I'd like to know what you guys would like to see in a happy ending for Jun, Reggie and Aria! Thanks for reading!!
Also BrionyT andCharlotte8421 smell.