Chapter Text
The wall explodes in pieces, throwing away the soldiers behind it. Screams and sounds of broken bones resound in the air, quickly covered by the deafening sound of Elliot’s guns. It’s only a matter of seconds before every soldier is dead, and Tyson is focused on Jonah.
The man is hiding behind a corpse, asking them– no, demanding that they stop shooting, that they wait. Though he’s not happy about obeying the son of a bitch, he does stop, motioning to Elliot to hold his fire as well. Jonah lets the body fall in front of him, his gray eyes locked on Tyson. The mercenary holds his stare, feeling Elliot growing restless near him.
Here he is. The man who destroyed everything. And who will do it again, his eyes hazed with psychosis. How can a man so lost in his fantasies can create and control a plan so grand, so deadly?
“This is the detonator for a nuclear bomb located in the heart of that city. I let go and seven million people die.”
“Bullshit!” Elliot shouts at him, taking a few steps forward, his guns still aiming at the terrorist’s head. Tyson grits his teeth.
“Shoot me, then,” Jonah dares them, “I wonder if you’d be such a tough mercenary with the blood of seven million lives on your hands.”
This… is too much for Tyson, and he catches Elliot by the shoulder, his gun on the other hand locked on Jonah. But he hesitates. Seven million lives?
“Salem,” he warns, his voice low, but the threat more aimed at Jonah.
“What now?” Elliot now screams at him, and Tyson feels he disinterested himself in Jonah for a couple of seconds only to glare at him. But the mercenary can’t bring himself to look at his partner.
This is the moment Jonah chooses to talk.
“Have you noticed the way people are behaving in this… society that we live in?” He spits the last words out before continuing, turning his back on the two soldiers without any fear. “Animals, all of them. Take away the shell of governments, these… laws, and people are nothing but beasts, completely selfish and infinitely ignorant.”
Tyson says nothing. What could he say? Those are the words of a man so drowned in his fanaticism he can’t hear a thing about others’ point of view. But Ellie doesn’t seem to realize it as he walks closer, angrier and angrier at every second.
“What the hell are you talking about?” he spits at Jonah’s face.
The terrorist rises from the desk he was hunched over to turn towards Elliot, facing him but not really seeing him. The man’s a lost cause. But a dangerous lost cause, holding millions of lives in the palm of his hand.
“I’m talking about honor ,” he says, believing in his words. “Sacrifice. Something you know nothing about.” He emphasizes his last words by pointing at Tyson.
Elliot stands between them, his gun aimed at Jonah but his eyes go back and forth between the two. Tyson doesn’t want to leave Jonah out of his sight for a damn second.
“I release this trigger and seven million people die,” Jonah repeats. “Unless I give the order, my men continue to execute civilians. You have no power.”
There’s a but. Right?
“ But , if one of you is willing to show me sacrifice, I will order my men to pull out. We will leave, and I will disarm this bomb.”
Now that’s new, Tyson thinks. He wasn’t prepared for that, and doesn’t know what to do with this.
“What sacrifice?” he tries. “What are you talking about?”
“If one of you has the will to shoot the other, sacrifice your partner for the greater good , I’ll do what I said. Kill your partner. Kill your friend, and all of this ends.”
Taken aback by the proposition, Tyson frowns and growls at the man.
“You’re out of your mind.”
“You have ten seconds. TEN SECONDS or I will make the decision for you!”
What?
WHAT??
Tyson has ten seconds to choose between seven million lives… and his Ellie.
Said Elliot is frozen on the spot, his gun pointing aimlessly in front of him, and for once in a long time, he’s at a loss for words. The seconds drop dramatically.
Seven… Six… he can’t think. For the first time Tyson can’t. Think . Four… Three…
Tyson’s brain shuts down, and without even realizing it, he aims at Elliot and shoots. Ellie looks at him with such… betrayal in his eyes, before dropping dead on the ground… it physically hurts . He raises his gun and talks to Jonah, a little louder than he expected, like he’s trying to cover the sound of the gunfire still ringing in his ears.
“Give the order!!”
Jonah replies something to him, indecipherable under the now deafening sound in his head. Mostly Elliot’s name going in a circle between his two ears.
He shot Elliot. He did it, he did it on purpose, he did it, hedidithedidit…
He killed Ellie.
Jonah turns his back on him, punching a few keys on his computer. But before even thinking about it, acting only on pure instinct, unable to understand what’s happening around him, Tyson shoots him while he’s occupied. Maybe the detonator will fall on the table and not roll towards everyone’s death .
The bullet goes straight to Jonah, and Tyson is sure he didn’t miss.
But Jonah turns towards him, unhurt, a gun in hand. He aims right and doesn’t shake.
What happened? Did I shoot too high? Did I… Miss?
This is the last question he asks himself silently before the gunfire echoes in the room and through his brain.
Everything fades to black.