Ruthless Hearts-{TOMTORD/TORDTOM} (COMPLETED)

Chapter 3 - A New Purpose to Fight

A/N - This chapter takes one month after Tom and Tord's reconciliation and Edd joining the Rebellion!
Also, this image and the other artwork in this story are some of my older drawings! I drew this one about two years ago...Enjoy! <3

Edd's POV:

I stride into the dining area still taking it all in. I knew that I am just one of the new guys taking his part in stopping the tyranny of the Red Army and its sinister Red Leader. But I could not believe the sheer number of people who just want their homes and country back. I did not know Tom's and Matt's location, It hurts to think about this but I was told by many people that they are either dead or POWs (prisoners of war). I always groaned and explain that I already thought of this when I was cowering in my apartment bedroom, hands over my head...waiting for a Reddie to take my innocent sovereignty away. I sat down with my meal and my two glasses of homemade cola, which did not taste terrible but still, I hate that my real cola was all gone when Ryder sat down beside me to have a chat. 
             "Edd, I need you to come with me. This is very serious, one of our RA broadcast investigators thinks that she noticed your friends were on the stage where Red makes his weekly speech!" Edd gawked and replied, 
            "Really? Take me to this footage now! I'd like to 'see' my best friends again," I gesture with air quotes. 
             "Follow me," Ryder said while standing up with his hand extended towards me. I grabbed his hand and he dragged me to the small footage room with a keypad lock. Once Ryder unlocked the door there were three people already sitting in this cramped room, wearing fancy headphones and observing each and every broadcast, newspaper, record or even photograph of him to try and piece together who the Red Leader really is or what he is doing. 

As I sat down on his chair, beside Ryder he took a moment to think about the Union Rebellion. I joined the Union Rebellion for Great Britain, as I learned that there are more than just us across Britain who wants to be freedom fighters. Every country has at least one hundred people who want Red's head on an iron stake and his headless body on fire, to pay for what he has done to Europe.

Ryder put the aforementioned tape in the VHS player and it whirred to life. Muting the audio, Ryder puts on a serious face. Although there was the looming thought in the dark recesses of my mind...I have the suspicion that my missing friends were forced into being Reddie goons...Or worse. My dread swims intensely as the lady near us is pressing the fast-forwards button. We sat in from of the television playing this tape to find out what Tom and Matt were doing in Norway and with the Red Army. The lady stopped the speed up with Ryder giving a curt snap of his fingers.

We watched the tape for a while and Ryder paused the tape and said in a bitter tone,
            "Here," Ryder gestures, "look at the right side of the stage. Then I'll resume the tape and you will learn the horrible truth," I lean in towards the television screen to observe if Tom and Matt are really there. I kept looking for a good thirty seconds until I saw them, or at least I thought I did. 
              "I think I see them," I comment and sit up straight. Ryder nods and resumes the tape. 

The Red Leader is droning about the global domination status as I watch a no-name soldier come onto the stage behind the Red Leader...with a primed gun. Still not noticing the crazed soldier, the Tom lookalike stood up and tackles Red out of the way. The gunman shoots at Red and his lackey on the ground and they roll away. Standing up in an instant, the Red Leader puts a laser bolt through the gunner's chest. He fell limp as his singed flesh cools down. With a look of fury, Red snaps his fingers and Tom's lookalike stands up bowing his head in obedience to clear this mess up. As soon as the lookalike grabs an arm, the Matt lookalike bolts over to carry the other end of the corpse. It was a rush job and I saw something I could not fathom. On Tom's lookalike's sleeve, there was a black and white circle on it.
              "Oh no...Tom's symbol," I breathe heavily, "It can't be!" Ryder looks at me in sadness and sympathy. 
              "That's not all of it Edd..." Ryder says solemnly, "Listen to this".

Ryder turns up the audio to reveal what the Red Leader was saying. In a slightly familiar Norwegian accented voice, he exclaims,
             "Sorry about that...Unnecessary distraction, as I was saying, we are still looking for these people," The screen displays a series of names. Including mine... As this list runs for a few minutes the pair of men who dealt with the gunner approach the Red Leader and the Tom lookalike whispers into his ear as the Matt lookalike stands eerily still. When all of a sudden he pushes past the Red Leader with the stiff Tom lookalike and basically screams,
            "EDD! They want your head! Tor-I mean Red Leader is keeping us, prisoner, here! Help us! Please!" The colour in my face drains as I realize they were the people I know. My friends are prisoners and they cannot do anything to fight back from him...
             "How fucking dare you, Violet! You will be punished for this insubordination!" The Red Leader snarls in rage. Tom cowers by collapsing down into a huddled position with his hands on his head. Matt's one human eye shrinks in fear as he is dragged by Red's deputy creeps.
             "Save! Us! Please!" Matt pleas as the one with impeccable hair punch hard on his new metal mouth to shut him up. I am now pissed by this point. Tom is slightly behind Red to his left shoulder and with crossed arms Red steps up again to the podium. Like nothing is wrong...he proceeds to drone on for a few minutes as I stand up in a visceral reaction. While I turn off the television and escape the office-like room. My heart is pounding through my throat in agony. 
          "EDD! Edd please come back do you need to talk about it?!" I hear Ryder shout loudly from the door. 
           "LEAVE ME ALONE PLEASE!" I plead as I run towards my room. 

Scampering into my room, I lock the closet door so I can weep alone. 
           "Edd? Are you ok?" Santiago asks me groggily as I woke him up from his much-needed sleep. With a face redder than a tomato I whimper,
            "I-I am f-fine! Plus go back to sleep, you need to be ready for your night patrols".
            "Whatever you say Brit." Santiago retorts and falls back asleep, rolling the other way. 

           "Why does everyone I care about end up abused or hurt?" I sob and pull out my faded picture of us buddies together. Tom, Me, Tord and Matt. Seeing their now unrecognizable faces on the vinyl polaroid I look at Tord and something clicks in my head. I fume thinking about it.
         "That accent. His rough caramel hair is done up in a reminiscent devil horn style. That logo design the Red Army adorns..." I pause trembling in shock, "I thought that son-of-a-bitch was a goner from Tom's harpoon?" Fishing out my knife from my pocket I stab Tord's paper head with the knife and drive it onto the wall with some aggressive force. I snag my new phone and pulled up an image of him and comparing it...there is not a doubt of who he is!

"The Red Leader is Tord!" I howl in sadness. 

Crying is not a pretty look on me. I keep saying, why? Why? Why? Every few minutes pass away. When I feel nothing but the need for vengeance climbing out of the closet I march right over to Ryder's office. Down the hall, everyone gives me a concerned look as I have a look of bloodlust and I do not care right now. Swinging open the door I see Ryder, Terra and three other people in the midst of a meeting discussing whatever and interrupting I shout,
            "I know who the Red Leader is!" 
            "What?" Ryder stares at me in confusion. 
            "Come again?" Terra sounds and an awkward silence ensues.  
             "Tell us what you know." Ryder finally spoke up. 

I told him everything I know about Tord. From his eating habits to his addiction to guns and that stupid Hentai he's probably still addicted to, I told it all. There are no feelings left in my head except these three thoughts,

Begin anew and try to return to a semi-normal life.

Destroy Tord and free Tom and Matt from Tord's insanity!

Because of this, I now have a new purpose to fight.

A/N - Thanks for reading! Have an awesome day and/or night! <3

Word count - ||1536||