Chapter 12: An End to All Things

Part 1 of 3: Dreaming of Oblivion

The military is an orderly unit. While one might commonly expect this, the exact level of orderliness may vary depending on what is being discussed. As well, how well one might detect the orderliness varies greatly from operation to operation. Some, like P.O.N.Y, do not seem to be very orderly at all. Granted, one might attribute this to the youthful nature of the primary operatives, as well as the numerous infiltrations and large-scale attacks launched on a monthly basis, but it should be noted nonetheless. In counterpoint, one might argue that P.O.N.Y. is, in fact, being run at a sufficient manner, but the constant distractions clutter the message.

Matthew Balle was ever so thankful that he did not have to deal with those types of frustrations, and, more importantly, was at a location that seemed to be run in a much more orderly manner. While the large circular room may have seemed confusing, in truth, it was the most organized he had ever seen from a government institute. The numerous monitors attached to the walls meant nothing to him. His attention was solely on the primary computer, which was currently running calculations on trajectory. Matthew felt himself compelled to take a rest, as the process would certainly take hours longer without a proper connection to the Pentagon, but something kept him awake, despite the late hours of the day. His heart was beating irregularly, and his fingers were tapping the board rapidly.

He could only assume that these feelings were anger, but after all of the hatred that had consumed his life, it became impossible to tell. Knowing that the end was so close kept his palms sweaty, and his mind racing.

"Are you still here?" a southern voice asked from behind. At once, Matthew Balle's shoulder's loosened.

"Can't sleep," he stated. "Too much to be done."

"You should probably rest," AJ said sternly, moving to his side.

"So should you, Anna."

"Fair point," she added, running her hands over the dashboard of the computer. "So, this is what's gonna launch the missiles?"

"Once its finished calculating," Matthew said. "I want to get it all done in three days."

"Three days? I thought you said it could launch sooner?"

"It probably could launch tomorrow. I don't want it to."

"Why not?" asked AJ, confused. "We've been waiting long enough as it is."

"Congress meets in three days," Matthew explained. "I want them in session when it happens. I want everyone to know at once what's going to happen to them. It's… poetic."

"I hate poetry," AJ said dryly. "Too complex, too extravagant."

"When you've been through as many things as I have," Matthew explained with a grin. "You'll find solace in the extravagant. It helps to forget the horrors of reality when you're locked in fiction."

AJ shrugged. She supposed she had no right to question her father's actions, given that he had in fact delivered her the truth. Even though she may have disagreed with it, it was the least she could do.

"How are the others?" Matthew asked.

"Pinky's toying around with that sniper rifle you gave her, and Rachel's sleeping," responded AJ simply. However, she quickly looked down at the floor. "But I am a little worried about her."

"She chose to resist, and that brings consequences," said Matthew, entirely uncaring.

"Yeah, but…" AJ did not know how to properly describe her friend's actions in any way that would not leave a frightful impression, so she immediately stopped trying. "I just hope everything will go as planned."

"Don't worry about it," Matthew whispered. "Just go back to bed." With a sigh, AJ nodded her head, and left the room, leaving her father alone with his thoughts. Her mind was still a cluttered mass of emotions. Betrayal haunted her. However, despite facing the end of the world as she knew it, and the complete revenge on those who stole away her life, her thoughts kept redirecting back towards two young women many miles away.

__________

March 19th, 2016

Tara hated waiting. She felt as if she had recently grown to like waiting, as if she had reached an epiphany, but she could not fathom why she thought like this. She couldn't rest. She couldn't eat. Her thoughts were like scattered ash, slowly clouding her mind in a black haze. She had yet to decide if she was furious or heartbroken. All she could hope was that Celestia's words would decide for her.

Until then, she was forced to lie in a hospital bed, with an IV jammed into her arm. Bandages were wrapped snuggly around her skull and chest, constantly reminding her of the beating she received mere ours ago. Supposedly, she had taken a severe blow to the back of the skull, or at least, that was what the doctors told her. She failed to recall when she would have gotten it, although given the number of times she was thrown into the ground, the possibilities were endless. However, she didn't feel any pain. She was far too enraged for that.

"Uh, Spark? You still in there?"

Tara briefly snapped out of her trance. She realized that she was staring at the wall with an angry glare for the past hour or so, and Dash, who stayed in bed next to her, must have gotten bored. The more athletic of the two girls had her share of bruises, but appeared to at least be in functioning condition. Dash sat upright, her legs dangling lifelessly off of the bed. Her downtrodden face gave hint to a deeper pain, although like most of the time, she was rather good at hiding true emotions.

"I mean, you're not even looking at the TV," she explained. "If you're trying to ignore me, I know you can do better."

"I'm not trying to ignore you. I'm just… distracted."

"Yeah, well, there's a lot to be distracted about."

Tara glanced at the TV. Dash had put on some children's television show. From what she could gather, Tank the Turtle was helping his bear friend learn the magic of sharing and friendship. Something like that, in Tara's mind, could not possibly seem more stupid.

"What time is it?" Tara asked.

"Four-thirty," Dash groaned. "I'm not even tired, though. That's the worst part. My arm hurts so bad that sleeping wouldn't be an option anyway."

Tara said nothing.

"So, uh… you wanna hear a story? You know, to pass the time? I could tell you anything ya want…"

Tara remained silent, choosing to vent her frustration by staring at the wall.

"C'mon, Spark," Dash begged. "Neither of us is getting any sleep. We both need someone to talk to. Besides, I can't even remember a time when we were both able to talk without wanting to rip each other's throats out."

"I've never wanted to rip your throat out," Tara groaned. "We're friends, hard as it may be for you to understand."

"Hey, you made a snide remark! That's progress. Go ahead. Say something else about me."

At once, Tara stopped talking. Dash scowled.

"Fine. I get it. You don't want to talk. I'll stop bothering you. Just… you do feel alright, right?"

"Rebecca…"

"Okay, okay," Dash said quickly, lying flat on the bed. "I just wanted to be sure."

The pair spent the next hour in relative silence. Dash no longer paid mind to the television, opting to gaze at Tara with mild curiosity. Occasionally, she attempted to garner attention by banging her hand against the wall, or talking to herself bitterly. Soon, it became painfully clear that no progress was being made, and so Dash decided to stop trying entirely.

Fortunately, the silence did not last long, as Celestia, at roughly six in the morning, quietly entered the room.

"About fucking time you showed up," Dash muttered. "Seriously, what's your problem keeping us waiting like that? You do know that—"

Dash suddenly noticed something different about the chairwoman. Her eyes were surrounded with rough markings, and she held herself up against the wall for support. Based on the constant pained expressions she was making, she had a terrible headache, which only got worse as time went on. Dash could hardly believe her eyes.

In a great moment of satisfaction, Dash came to the conclusion that Celestia was hung over.

"You, uh, had a little too much to drink last night, chief?" Dash asked mockingly.

"Turn the TV off," Celestia whispered. Dash chuckled to herself as she grabbed the remote, and the television went black.

"It's morning," Tara said dryly. "It's time you tell us what's going on."

"I'm getting to that," Celestia said, tiredly. She rubbed her temples. "If you excuse me, last night was—"

"I don't care what happened last night," Tara snapped, a little too loudly for Celestia's liking. "While you were busy drinking away your problems, I've been dealing with a concussion and five bruised bones. Unless you've forgotten, one of my closest friends, and your best agent, has decided to turn on us, and, not only that, but ambushed us last night, stole information that I guess has some importance, nearly beat us to death, started rambling on about her family, and then kidnapped our friends. Honestly, we're dealing with a threat who's kicked our asses every single time we've met, and I still feel like I know nothing. Worse, I feel like you have all of the goddamn answers we're looking for, and are holding them away from me. I'm not having this anymore. Spit it out, or I swear to God, I will get out of this base, and tell the news networks every freaking detail of what went on in this place."

Celestia sighed. "What… what exactly did AJ say last night?"

"She said, very specifically, that you were hiding the real truth about her family, and the MACER Device. Now, am I fair to say that you've been directly lying to us for the past several months about these things?"

"You… you might be able to say that," Celestia admitted, keeping her head hung low, almost ashamed. But Tara wasn't falling for it. She had officially decided to be angry, and that also led to a large degree of doubt to everything her superior said.

"So what the fuck really happened?" Dash asked. Celestia looked around the room nervously.

"Okay, everything I'm about to tell you is top-secret information. If anyone ever found out I said this to you, theoretically, we could be thrown in jail."

"If you're not lying to us," Tara sneered. Celestia felt a pang of guilt in her throat.

"I'm assuming that, since AJ knew about her family and the MACER Device, she probably knows about Matthew Balle, her father, and what he did for us. He was the one who constructed the MACER Device fifteen years ago. And, of course, the reason why AJ ended up with us was… well, we killed him."

"Wait," said Tara, completely confused. "You killed her father? She said he died—"

"In a fire at her house, I know," Celestia groaned. "We were the ones who started that fire. We had to."

"I'm sorry, but clearly, I have no idea what the fuck is going on here," Dash said. "So… AJ's dad created the Device, and then you decided to kill him in a fire… I guess. And I suppose that AJ bought some big cover-up that made her think it was an accident so that she would join you."

"She was five. She wasn't that difficult to fool," Celestia stated. "Listen, this is all sounding very bad when put like this—"

"When put like this!?" Tara shouted in rage. "What else would it sound like!? I'm not sure if you're registering this, but you killed an entire family in cold blood! How is it supposed to sound?"

"Tara, don't make assumptions on something you clearly don't understand. The current situation is bad enough as it is without you slandering everything we've done."

"Are you kidding me?" Dash asked. "Seriously, are you fucking kidding me? You finally get called out on doing bullshit moves in the past, and you say it's justified? How is that understandable in any way?"

Celestia sighed. She explained slowly and softly. "Matthew Balle… was a genius. When we were presented the idea of using the MACER Device, we jumped at it. Honestly, who wouldn't? We thought it would be able to advance humanity so far ahead that we put millions into funding research for it. One thing led to another, and our opinions were divided. Balle was still single-minded. He only wanted to use the Device for healing the sick. I was told to direct him towards using it to help our military. He saw it as unnecessary, and left the project. Still, we saw no harm in selling the secrets of the Device to our allies overseas."

"For money," Dash stated.

"For trust," the chairwoman corrected. "Apparently, someone had leaked news of our tests to the Chinese, and they went along and told everyone else. We couldn't allow them to think that we were raising an army of super freaks… no offense. Unfortunately, things went wrong very quickly. A couple of poor tests, and suddenly, we were accused of purposely allowing them to create 'destruction forces of nature'. A few days of controversy and one major cover-up operation later, we agreed that someone needed to take the blame for the entire ordeal, or risk the news of the MACER Device getting leaked to the public. I think you know what we chose. It was the right thing to do."

Tara stared at Celestia, entirely baffled. "The right thing to do? The right thing to do!? I'm sorry, but nothing you said makes this sound justified at all!"

"Do you know what would have happened if something like that got out to the public?" Celestia asked accusingly. "People are cruel. They lack all forms of compassion and understanding. Imagine, just for a moment, what would happen if Macers became commonplace in society. It would be like the fifties all over again."

"No way that would happen," said Tara. "People aren't like that anymore. We've changed as a society. I seriously doubt that entire nations would be that opposed to a group of human beings."

"Can you honestly say that? Don't tell me you don't see what would happen. Would you let your child go to school with a boy who can shoot fire out of his hands? Would you feel one hundred percent comfortable walking alongside a person who can infect anything he touches with disease? Would you even feel alright letting those people live in the same neighborhood, or the same city, or the same country as you, knowing that if any one of them has a bad day, they could kill dozens of people in an afternoon? Hatred exists inside all of humanity, even if we don't want it to. Unless I'm mistaken, one in every seven Americans hates the Jews, and they're not even a hazard to all of mankind. I don't care how far along this world has grown. Nothing is going to change the truth. Besides, don't tell me that you've never acted out of hatred in your life before."

Tara opened her mouth to say something, but closed it, recalling her own bitter words from a cheap motel in Haddonfield, West Virginia.

"I think you're missing the point," Dash interjected. "Honestly, who gives a fuck if some Macers are discriminated against? If they are so powerful, then I'm sure they can handle the criticism."

Celestia growled, although she was certain that the girls took no notice of it. "We'd prefer not to take the chance. So, we did what needed to be done. End of story."

"No, it isn't," Tara said sternly. She clenched her fist tightly. She couldn't stand listening to this any further. Everything about Celestia's lack of remorse infuriated her. She could not possibly understand why someone could be so hasty to sentence someone else to their death, even when she knew it was undeserved.

"You… you're insane," Tara said bitterly. "It doesn't matter what excuses you make. You killed an innocent family for your own selfish needs. Not only that, but you went ahead and brainwashed a little girl into becoming your personal toy soldier, lied to her about how you killed the people she loved, and then fucked up everything else along the way! You should be ashamed of yourself."

"You're making this sound very one-sided—"

"How is it not one-sided? How can you even claim this is arguable that you did the right thing!?"

"It was the right thing!"

"How? By damning your own allies just for trying to do good?"

"We potentially saved the lives of millions! It was what we had to do."

"Not by sacrificing the innocent."

"We didn't have a choice."

"You always have a choice! If I were there, I would have come up with something, seen it from a different angle. Persuade them otherwise, or at least try something!"

"Don't you think we fucking tried everything!? Do you really think that we're that heartless that we wouldn't try to everything in our power to save them!? Don't you think I would have done something if I actually could!?"

Tara became silent. Celestia screamed everything in desperation, as if scared to let everything go. Tara, a mere second later, became shocked to realize that a tear was flowing down Celestia's cheek.

"Don't… don't you think… that maybe I didn't want to do it?" Celestia said softly. "It's… it's not like it was easy for me. That wasn't anything I signed up for. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. We searched for an alternate path for days, but every single time, we fund no new solution. We were on a timer that only seemed to get faster as the days progressed. In the end, it came down to two options: kill the Balle family, or risk the safety of our country. It wasn't like we chose easily, but deep down, we knew that, no matter how awful it was, someone was going to die."

Celestia took a deep, shaky breath, and then looked right into Tara's wide eyes. "Sometimes, someone has to die in order for a million to live. Sometimes, we have to make difficult choices that don't have a right answer. I know you think I'm a monster, and that I failed to save everyone I could, but… this isn't a movie. We don't have the luxury of happy endings. Sometimes… we make choices that we know we're going to regret. That's just how life works."

Tara looked hard at Celestia for a few seconds. She felt like she should have felt sorry for the chairwoman, yet she continued to feel nothing at all. She narrowed her eyes.

"Funny," she said, insultingly. "It almost sounded like you cared for a minute there."

Celestia had no response. Even with tears streaming down her face, the guilt had long passed by. She bent her head down, staring at the floor in a deep depression. Tara's features only softened when she began to feel pity for the woman next to her. It failed to make her feel better about the current situation at all. In fact, she felt a pang of guilt in the back of her mind, as if somehow she was someone responsible for the sins of the past. Her life simply seemed to get worse by the moment. It was Dash who finally broke the silence.

"If you two are finished self-loathing, can we please figure out how to save everyone who was kidnapped?"

"For starters, I would like to know what actually happened last night," Celestia said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"The Unknown laid an ambush for us. AJ proceeded to kindly beat the living shit out of us in the process. And then, he talked about controlling our minds, and started doing some weird glow-y stuff with his hands on Pinky's face. We got out just after that."

"Hmm. Well, I guess that wipes aside all doubt then on who The Unknown is. Wish that information would have provided a few months ago."

"Hey, we did the best we cou—"

"Dash. Shut up," Tara instructed forcefully. The words were said with such power beneath them that Dash, for once in her life, complied with utmost haste. "So Balle is a Macer too?"

"I… I actually don't know anything about that," Celestia admitted. "I'll look into it as much as I can. Mind control wouldn't be too surprising, after all."

"Fine," Tara stated. "Also, Balle mentioned something about having nuclear weapons in Vitrumia. Anything else you want to tell us?"

Celestia considered this. It was without question that Vitrumia had grand access to a wide assortment of minerals. She also knew full well that the United States had thrice been refused to inspect certain mining facilities that were accused of human rights violations, although some well-placed money kept the incidents out of the media's hands.

"That assessment seems probable," she said. "If so, then—"

"Balle would have a reason to align himself with Daltenoss," Tara continued. "Plus, he made an arrangement to gather rocket fuel from McCarther a few months ago. I… I think we both know what he's planning to do."

Dash watched as Tara and Celestia both went silent. The pair remained in utter silence, only of thinking of the horror that reality had brought upon them. Dash herself may not have been the brightest person in the world, but she caught on quick enough to the truth.

"Holy shit…" she muttered underneath her breath. "I mean… holy shit! You guys can't be fucking serious right?"

"It all makes sense now," said Celestia. For a brief moment, Tara thought she saw a smirk flash across the woman's face. "No wonder he kept his allies foreign. But given the fuel he's gathered—"

"He's planning on launching the missiles from Vitrumia," Tara stated. "If he's smart, he'll launch it towards Washington. Wipe out the whole capital in one strike, and get revenge."

"Guys," Dash interjected. "How the fuck do we know he's not launching a nuke at us right now? Every moment we waste is another second that we could get attacked."

"Dash, hold on for a second," Tara said sternly. She had no idea why, but something was still off to her. Sure, the plan made sense from a practical standpoint, but she couldn't help but feel that she was missing something important. It was if something was staring her right in the face, yet she couldn't make it out. The irrational part of her brain was panicking, telling her that she was about to lose everything she cared about. However, the small bit of rationality she held onto begged her not to act rashly.

"Spark, if you're about to spit out a random moral at me—"

"Just wait a second, will you?" Tara snapped. Dash growled in response. "Something's off. Ma'am, is there anything else about Balle that you're not telling us?"

"I told you everything," Celestia said honestly. "If there was anything else, I would surely have said it by now."

Tara groaned, and then shot out of her bed, leaning in close to a shocked Celestia. "We are about to get nuked by a vengeful psychopath! If you have anything to tell us—"

"Just trust me for once, will you!?" Celestia screamed back. "You're getting out of hand."

"And why shouldn't I be?" Tara shouted. She momentarily recognized that her anger was getting out of hand, but she pushed the thought aside. "We're in serious trouble! We need information!"

"No," Dash stated harshly. "What we need is to fly the fuck back to Vitrumia, and stop that nuke from firing! We don't have time for details."

"Not a chance in hell you two are going to Vitrumia," said Celestia. "Neither of you are in proper physical condition to fight Balle, and possibly even your own friends. I refuse to risk your lives over something so pointless!"

Tara paused for a moment, and stared at Celestia in great confusion. Celestia quickly realized her mistake, and looked towards the television.

"What… what do you mean by, 'pointless'?" Tara asked. Celestia swore under her breath. She sighed, and tilted her head down.

"It's pointless because… well, there is no danger of us being attacked," Celestia said, her voice full of guilt.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tara asked bitterly. Celestia opened her mouth to speak, when suddenly, the door opened up, and a man stepped inside. His eyes danced about the room, and his face was dull.

"Project Heaven's Fall has been operational since October, 1992," Scotchingson Hue stated. He walked into the room, now staring straight ahead at the wall. "The perfect anti-nuclear defense system. After Regan's failed 'Star Wars' project, several years were built developing an advanced, radar navigated failsafe on the off occasion that a country bearing nuclear arms ever decided to launch a frontal assault on United States soil. Using laser-guidance systems and high-frequency electromagnetic waves, the Heaven's Fall satellite hovers over the continental United States detecting unwanted presences over the mainland. If any ballistic missile comes within one hundred miles of the mainland, it is immediately disabled and destroyed. No one in the world is supposed to know that we possess this form of technology."

Hue took a brief glimpse at Celestia, who failed to hide her shame. "Thank you ever so much, Bridgette, for feeling that these irresponsible, 'nonpareil' youths have the appropriate clearance to be deemed worthy of protecting such information from prying eyes. I feel ever so glad that we hired you. Also, I highly recommend that you ladies stop shouting. I could hear you from the opposite side of the base."

Tara blinked, and then blinked again. She stared at Hue with such distaste that she did everything in her power from lunging at him. Perhaps it was a bit radical to try and kill someone she had just met, but the energy hadn't exactly left her system just yet, and her fingers still twitched occasionally.

"Excuse me, buddy," Dash said, insultingly. "But I don't think you have any right to deem us irresponsible considering the fact we saved the fucking world at least a dozen times."

"For the record, Miss Dawson, I'm not sure if anyone who's spent that much time in Juvi has the right to make such a claim," Hue said with a slight smirk. Dash growled at him.

"Hey, don't talk about her like that," Tara said defensively. "Dash has done some bad things, but she's been one of the best soldiers I've ever seen. Why don't you judge what she's done now?"

"You're right, Miss Sullivan," Hue said dryly, not missing a beat. He never gave her the decency of looking at her. "Let's focus on the now. What has your little operation done since October? Let's see now… you've allowed the deaths of a dozen civilians by starting a city-wide manhunt, allowed the assassination of a major public figure, let your friend get captured and tortured, wasted three months getting revenge on mercenaries when you could have been hunting your target, allowed the deaths of your close family members, took a vacation, killed the political family of an African nation starting an international incident that could lead to the investigation of highly important government intel, and most importantly, allowed a psychotic terrorist with a deep hatred of America gain access to nuclear weapons technology and enough to fuel to launch one of those missiles into American soil, potentially killing thousands. So, I guess you are right after all, Miss Sullivan. I should be judging you based on what's you've been doing now."

Tara couldn't take it anymore. Every single failure climbed to the forefront of her mind, driving her over the edge. Before she even knew what she was doing, she let out a yell, and dove towards the man before her who barely reacted to the sudden attack. Just before she reached, however, Dash wrapped her arms around her, and held her back. Hue shook his head.

"Abysmal behavior, Bridgette," he stated. "Really, if this is how you train them, than no wonder why they fail to get anything done."

"You son of a bitch!" Tara screamed, struggling to free herself. Dash kept her grip as tight as possible, although she noticed that Tara seemed to be much stronger than she previously thought.

"Calm it, Spark," Dash instructed. "Stop wriggling around."

"I'll kill you, you stupid little prick! No one says that about me! I'll rip your eyes out!"

Hue sighed. "Yes. Quite. I should let you know that Price has found your practice room rather adequate, although he did feel like the swimming pool was a tad excessive. Starleston has been wondering around your mess hall for the past twenty minutes, looking at different soups. She's asked me to postpone the final judgment for an extra day, in order to perform, quote, 'further research'. I think she might have actually grown accustomed to this place."

"There's no point to this anymore," Celestia stated. "Look, if there is no threat, don't hold the girls accountable."

"Oh, but they let a valuable asset to the United States escape to a foreign nation," he replied. "That's not very good at all. Because of that, I think it would be without question that these girls be put on lockdown until a decision has been reached."

Tara stopped struggling. At first, she had not understood what Hue was referring to. She was already banned from going on missions after all. However, she quickly learned the crucial difference between a suspension and a lockdown. Hue meant to imprison her in the facility. Trapped inside an endless mass of grey, while everyone she cared about were being held against their will. She was being reduced to an animal. She, Tara Sullivan, considered by her peers to be one of the greatest youthful minds in the country, was now nothing less than a rodent scurrying along at her master's feet. And worse, Hue seemed to have no trouble playing that master.

"Are you fucking serious!?" Dash shouted in rage. Hue ignored her, turning towards the door.

"And please, don't try to exit the building," he stated with his back turned. "Or else I'll be more than glad to shoot you personally. Have a nice day."

With that final statement, Hue walked out of the room, and left the women to their own devices. Tara shook Dash off, sitting on the bed with her legs dangling off the sides. It was an incredible feat that her rage had raised to such levels. Her nails had dug so deep into her palms that they began to feel moist. Her body trembled violently, and she was quite certain that she was going to punch something within any moment. Celestia wisely chose to say nothing to her, opting to lean back in her seat and cover her face with her hands. Dash only lay on the bed in a discouraged mood, allowing an ever-growing vocabulary of swears leave her lips. To her, it was a surprise when Tara walked towards the door, and slammed it shut behind her. Dash briefly glanced at Celestia as if looking for acceptance, but was never met with a form of response.

Son of a bitch, she thought, getting up from her comfortable bed, and racing after her friend. She was shocked to discover that Tara was long gone, despite having only left a few moments before. Dash knew where she was headed nonetheless, but she had hoped that she would have the luxury of little movement. She picked up a gentle jog down the corridors, keeping a close eye on her stamina.

CRASH

Suddenly, Dash picked up her pace. No matter how much her muscles screamed at her to stop running, she was determined to move forward. She even managed to use her powers for a brief moment, gaining her an extra ten feet within a second. Dash turned the corner, and stared in shock. There, lying on the floor in front of her, was the door to the sleeping quarters, crumpled and torn off of its hinges.

"Goddammit!" Tara yelled loudly from within the room. Dash, feeling a deep sense of worry, peered inside. Tara stood in the center of the room, her veins resonating a dark purple. Her violet eyes produced a steady river of tears, as she threw a punch into the back wall, creating a large dent.

"Fuck them! Fuck them all!" she shouted, hitting anything she could. "How dare they do that to me!? Don't they understand anything!? Don't they know what this means to me!?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dash interrupted. "Spark, what's the problem?"

"It's not fair!" Tara continued to shout. "It's just not fair! After everything I've done for them… and now they just take it all away!" Tara slammed her fist into the wall, and the entire room began to rumble. All of the objects on the bunk rose out of the air, and remained fixed in place. The floor shook violently beneath Dash's feet, causing her to stumble to the ground.

Nothing mattered to Tara anymore. To her, the world was crumbling apart, and she simply didn't care anymore. The bloodlust was uncontrollable, and she honestly did not mind if she ended up destroying the whole base with her powers. It's not like it mattered anymore. It's not like she mattered anymore. So why not destroy everything? At the very least, it would give her less time to wallow in the agony of her life.

But then, Tara's thoughts were stopped short when Dash walked up to her, and slapped her in the face.

Tara at once fell to her knees. The room stopped shaking, and the blankets and pillows fell back to the earth. Dash stood above her, breathing heavily.

"Okay, you psychotic bitch," she began. "I don't know what the fuck that was about, but can't have you freaking the fuck out on me right now. This is a time of crisis, and we all need to work together. So, come on already. Tell me what's wrong so we can hug it out, or something."

Dash waited for an answer patiently for several moments. However, all Tara could manage to do was turn around, look at her through watery eyes, and barely whisper:

"You were right."

Dash blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Tara sniffled, sitting against the wall. She brushed her bangs out of her red face.

"You… you were right (sob) about me," she said somberly. "All of those (sob) things were true. I… I really am a (sob) failure. I've done nothing right (sob) since I've come here. Hell (sob), I'm not even sure if I've done (sob) something right for most of my life anymore. (sob) I can't do anything. I can't lead this (sob) team. I can't stay kind to (sob) my friends without snapping at them (sob) for something that I've screwed up (sob). I… I can't even avenge the death of my own brother (sob). I can't even fire a fucking (sob) gun to save the people I care about. And now (sob), because of me… people are going to die. I… I… I'm just a failure."

Tara broke down into a lasting fit of cries. She held her knees close to her chest, allowing them to soak up her tears. She didn't care anymore what Dash would say to her. It was probably correct regardless. However, Dash said nothing at all. She simply sighed, and went to lie down on the nearest bunk.

"I think I should tell you that story now," Dash said, staring up at the ceiling. Tara's sobs decreased.

"Dash," she said weakly. "I don't—"

"Yes. You do," Dash replied sternly. Tara instantly became silent, and stared at the floor. "See, I used to know this girl named… Beth. Beth was this little shit who thought she knew how the world worked, and planned to play it like a fucking fiddle. But Beth got in a lot of trouble in her past. She had a really rough home life, with shitty parents, no money, the works. She may have done some things that she regretted. But that didn't matter to Beth, 'cuz she knew she was queen of the world."

"So Beth tries real hard to be something good, but keeps fallin' back to hard times. Deep down… she probably knew that she would never make much of herself. But she was a stubborn little bitch. She flunked out of high school, got hooked on drugs, and was kicked out of her house, but she kept on trying to make it somewhere. She didn't give a shit about the cops, or her friends, or anyone at all. Beth lived a shit little life, and she was determined to make it ahead, no matter what. So, one day… Beth met up with this guy named Carlos, a computer hacker. She… she gave him every last fucking dollar she had, praying that this final chance could finally redeem her broken life. And… in return, he… he hacked into a college computer network, and enrolled Beth into the school for an all-expense free scholarship."

Tara instantly looked up, and stared at Dash with wide eyes. Although she couldn't make out her face, she had no doubt that Dash was showing deep resentment.

"You…" Tara stuttered out. "You broke into Ymerton?"

"I… I didn't really have a choice," Dash said softly. "There was no place left for me to go. I was practically dying on the streets. No one sensible would accept a juvenile delinquent into their mists when they know how horrible of a person she was. It's… it's not like it fucking mattered, right? Even when I was finally given another chance, I blew it immediately. I kept skipping classes, getting into trouble, hooking up with asshole friends. Honestly, if I didn't get swooped up into this mess… if I never met you guys… well, I don't even know what would happen to me."

Slowly, Dash rolled onto her side, and looked Tara directly in the eyes. "Spark, I want you to listen to me. You're a great person. You're probably the smartest person that I know in this world. You manage to stay compassionate to people when I would have already killed them. I know you feel like a failure, but trust me, you're the furthest thing from a failure that I know of. You still have a life out there. After this, you can go back to your family, start up at school, get a job, and make something of your life. I'm… I'm probably just going to wind up dead in an alley way somewhere. No one will remember who I was, or what I did, or even care in the slightest that some punk kid died fighting to survive. You're practically destined for great things. You'll probably end up us president or something, living a fantastic life with your family and friends, who would, without a doubt, support you in everything you did. Face it, Spark… if you really wanted to know what failure looks like… you're looking at it."

Tara didn't know what to say. She waited for Dash to burst into laughter, or make fun of her gullibility, or at least make some sort of snide remark. But there was none of that to be found. Dash simply rolled back on her side, and looked at the wall, leaving Tara alone to understand the full meaning of her words. Never before has she ever heard Dash sound anything close to sincere. It was like she was talking to a completely different person. Dash was confident, assertive, outspoken, and brash. She certainly was not this self-remorseful, caring young woman who believed in Tara Sullivan. If Dash were here, she probably would have said Tara was being too kind to herself. But to this, Tara had no proper response. She was stuck in a mental glitch.

"Do you…" Tara managed to say after a minute of silence. "Do you really think that?"

"I told you, I tell people what I think of 'em," Dash retorted. Then, with a sneer, she added, "If you have a problem with that, you can kindly go fuck yourself."

"Oh. Okay then," Tara answered, her voice small. After another minute of silence, Dash spoke up again.

"For the record, I still wouldn't vote for you if you were going to be president," she stated, with a bit too much defensiveness. Tara couldn't help but smirk.

"Of course you wouldn't," said Tara. "You wouldn't want something progressive like a woman in the White House."

"And I also wouldn't want something stupid like a nationwide ban of abortions, you stupid right-winged cow."

"Faithless underachiever."

"Fucking hypocrite."

"Ignorant liberal."

Tara and Dash paused for a moment, looked squarely at each other, and then burst into laughter. In a time of unbearable circumstance and dreadful hardships, it was amazing how good it felt for both of them to simply laugh for once at each other. If one had not known any better, it almost was if they had been close friends for many years. Every time the laughter died down, something intangible brought it back in full force.

Eventually, after their ribs hurt deeply and their cheeks were strained, Dash let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't fucking raise the gas prices when you're in charge, will ya? It's already shitty enough in this economy."

"Don't worry," Tara said shakily. "America has one of the largest natural resource stock piles in the world. In the future, things will be—"

Suddenly, Tara paused. Her eyes went wide. Something in the back of her mind clicked together perfectly. Something devastatingly important, that called out to her from the deepest depths of her mind.

"That's it," she muttered under her breath.

"What's it? What are you talking about?" Dash asked, still purging the last few chuckles from her system. However, instead of answering, Tara jumped to her feet, and burst down the hall. Dash immediately took off after her, wishing that her leg felt well enough to use her powers. When she finally caught up to her friend, she found her in the Briefing Room, hurriedly tapping away on the keyboard.

"Come on, come on. Where are you?" Tara asked to no one. Tara herself was not an expert with computers. She barely knew how to run her own laptop, let alone gain access to government files. She sorely wished Pinky was with her, but pushed on regardless. Finally, she discovered exactly what she was looking for. She couldn't be more terrified.

"Dammit!" she screamed, slamming her fist against the desk. Dash cautiously walked over, staring at the screen nervously. However, all she found were sets of numbers.

"What's going on?" she asked. Tara began to speak rapidly.

"Dash, tell me. What do you know about Matthew Balle?"

"Uh… he's tried to kill us. And he's AJ's dad. And he sent other people to kill us."

"He likes theatrics," Tara explained. "The man dresses up in a mask and has his own catchphrase. So, honestly, do you think a man like that would ever try to do something as simple as launch a nuclear missile at the capital?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Balle worked for top secret government projects for years, and then spent even more learning its secrets. Wouldn't someone like that consider that the US has a nuclear defense program?"

Dash paused for a moment. "Spark, what the hell are you getting at?" Tara pointed towards the screen.

"These computers are linked up with WMH Enterprises," she stated. "A company specializing in the international distribution of fuel sources. Hypothetically, if someone talented enough was able to gain access to this, they would have access to the locations of the world's biggest fuel reserves, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Of course."

"Don't you get it?" Tara asked in frustration. "When Balle attacked those servers last night, he wasn't trying to steal anything; he already had the information he was looking for. He was trying to tell us what he was really planning. That's why he had so little interest in the servers last night. It was all just for show. Last month, I caught Chrysalis sneaking around in here, at this terminal. She was sending him coordinates."

"For what?"

"Dash, let me ask you something?" Tara said, ignoring the question. "If you were the United States government, and someone attempted to nuke you, what would you do?"

Dash barely needed to think about her answer. "Probably nuke the fuck out of them."

"Exactly. But how would you possibly be able to do that with Heaven's Fall in place, a system that destroys all nuclear missiles near the US?"

Suddenly, Dash caught onto what Tara was trying so desperately to tell her. "I wouldn't be. But the government would never allow that to happen. So that would probably mean Heaven's Fall has a security loophole. Like a one-way street. We attack, they don't."

"And the places we would attack, are these…" Tara said, pointing specifically at the numbers. "Locations via latitude and longitude. All of them are oil reserves. Imagine what would happen if the United States launched an attack on all of these places. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nigeria, all of them… twenty percent of the world's natural fuel gone, completely irradiated and useless."

"The world would turn into a fucking meltdown," Dash said, bitterly. "Jesus fucking Christ. Gas prices would skyrocket."

"You're thinking too small," Tara said, fearfully. "I mean, what would really happen? We… we would be facing the biggest international catastrophe in history. The economy would collapse faster than the Great Depression, and might last for decades. There would be rampant power shortages, a rise in crime rates. With oil getting scarcer and scarcer, people would end up fighting each other in the streets. The Middle East, which already a freaking warzone, would break down completely."

"Wait, people can't freak out that much about it, right?" Dash asked, trying to stay hopeful. "I mean, it's not that much gone. Right?"

"Remember when oil got spilled into the Gulf of Mexico? This would be one thousand time larger, probably more. Think about it: one-fifth of all of our natural fuel wiped out completely. People are cruel, remember? They'll freak out."

"Son of a bitch."

"That's not even considering what could happen to the United States. To any outsider, it would look like America tried to wipe out the world's oil supply in an attempt to raise their own stock. We would never be able to prove our innocence. We'll be blacklisted by every first-world country, cut off from trade and military aid. There would be daily protests at the government buildings, mass exoduses, complete and utter chaos in the streets. Martial law, increased violent, separation from the country… hell, and all out civil war might break out for all we know! This… this is bad. Really, really bad."

Dash groaned, and leaned back against the wall. "So that's what Balle is planning. He isn't planning to destroy the world. He's fucking planning to let the world destroy itself."

"Of course he is," Tara nodded grimly. "He's a fan of theatrics. To him, it's the perfect symbolic end to the world. The fucked him over, and now, he just gets to sit back, and watch happily as the world burns itself to the ground. Just like his home."

The two girls stayed in dark silence for a while. None of them really knew what to say. They just let the darkness seep into their minds. Only one thing was absolutely certain to them: they needed to stop this. They only wished they knew how.

"We… we have to tell Hue about this," Tara said. "As much as I hate asking that bastard for help, we need to tell him what's really going on."

"Bullshit," said Dash. "I say we just fucking leave now, and take our chances. The longer we wait, the more time Balle has to launch those nuclear missiles. Who know how long we have?"

"Three days."

Celestia leaned against the doorframe, looking down at the floor though her blonde hair. Tara and Dash stared at her in surprise. They had not heard her footsteps, and did not know how long she had been listening. But they listened intently, hoping to find at least some guidance in the dark.

"There's a Congress meeting in three days' time," she stated with authority. "There's no doubt that Balle wants them in session when he decides to strike. That way, the public won't have to wait to take out their anger on the government."

"Are you sure?" Tara asked. Celestia nodded.

"You said it yourself. Balle is a man of theatrics. He'll wait, no matter how much it kills him."

"Okay, so let's go," Dash said very frustrated. "We're wasting enough time as it is."

"Don't be hasty, Rebecca," said Celestia. "First of all, you don't even know where the hell Balle is hiding out. Second of all, you two are still under lockdown, and I doubt Hue is going to let you run off."

"He would if we told him about what Balle is trying to do," Tara stated. At this, Celestia let out a small laugh.

"Clearly, you don't understand the mind of Scotchingson Hue. It doesn't matter how much evidence you compile. He won't believe a damn word you say. He has too much hubris to allow an eighteen year old to tell him off. Besides, it's not like your theory is overtly grounded in reality. Not many people would believe a plan to irradiate the world's oil supply."

"So, what do we do? We can't just stay here."

"I'm working on a plan," Celestia said. "But look, there's something else I needed to tell you. It's about your friends."

"What is it?"

"Well, I've been thinking about Balle's supposed power of mental manipulation. If he really can perform such acts, it probably explains AJ's sudden change in behavior. However… it also means that your friends might be siding with Balle as well. And, of course… you would have to fight them."

Tara looked at the ground. Fight her friends? How could she possibly be expected to do that? Those girls were practically her life. She supposed she should have given this more thought, but the anger had been clouding her judgment. But now that it was clear, she felt terrified. What pain would she have to inflict in order to stop them? Would they try to kill her? Would she have to kill them?

"So, I've been thinking of ways we might reverse the process, if one exists," said Celestia, resting her hand on her chin.

"Don't we just have to defeat Balle to stop the mind control?" Dash asked, partially sincere. "I mean, that works in video games."

"But this isn't a game," Celestia reminded Dash. "Killing Balle may not do anything to them at all. But that's what got me thinking. According to AJ's report, Quincius Daltenoss had turned against Balle back in Vitrumia. Unless I'm mistaken, Balle doesn't seem like the type of person to trust his allies that much. So clearly—"

"Quincius was immune," Tara stated, hopeful. "But why?"

"Well, this is just a hunch," Celestia said. "But I think it has something to do with his Macer capabilities. The United States did take his remains in for study. If I can get access to that, I think I might be able to reverse engineer a cure for Balle's powers."

"Do you really think you can do it?"

"I… I don't know. I hope," Celestia said honestly. "But I'm going to need at least thirty six hours. Maybe more. After its done, I'll smuggle you girls out of the base. After that… it all falls to you."

Tara nodded. She had three days left; three days before the world as she knew it came to an end. She looked at Dash. The rainbow haired girl had regained the look of confidence that she was so well known for. While usually it would have only brought Tara down, now it gave her more hope than ever.

She could do this. She had to.

"I need to be off now," Celestia said, heading for the door. "You two stay low until I come back. Remember, the fate of this organization rests in your hands. I have faith in you girls. Just… come back alive, will you?"

"Of course," Tara answered confidently. Celestia smiled faintly, and then left the room. Dash threw her arms up in the air, and yawned.

"Man, it's like five in the morning, and I haven't slept in ages," she said, walking away. "I'm gonna hit the sack. Hopefully my bunk isn't too fucked up."

"Dash, wait!" Tara called out. With a groan, Dash turned around. "I need you to do one last thing."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to get me a phone," Tara said with a smirk. Dash became puzzled.

"What the hell do you need that for?"

"I need you to look something up for me," said Tara confidently. "I figure, if this really is the end for us, why do we need to face it alone? What would be the trouble of getting a little… backup?"

"Spark… what are you talking about?"

"Just get me access to a phone and the internet," Tara spoke with a devious expression on her face. "There are some people I want to call."

To Be Continued…