by Tom Jones
Arcades and Jason began lifting their equipment off of the boat. They placed it on the platform’s main deck as they went back and forth from the boat. They did not want to leave all of the equipment just sitting inside of the boat. The Prince questioned, “What do you guys have in there?” The fox replied, “All of my tactical gear, my clothes, and everything else.” The Prince looked at the collection of stuff that was being brought onto the platform, “Looks like you guys have quite a lot. Why did you bring all of that here?” The fox answered, “I had a feeling that Omega would be trying to look for me, and I didn’t want to leave any of my stuff left at base. They would probably either destroy it, or take it for themselves.” The Prince then asked, “What would they want to take from you guys?”
The fox unzipped one of the rifle bags, and he pulled out his Salient GRY. The Prince noticed the unconventional parts that were on the rifle, “Bloody hell, that thing looks expensive.” The fox nodded, “Yes, this is my main rifle. The Salient Arms International Tier One AR-15 GRY rifle. I call it the Salient GRY for short.” The Prince saw the EOTech sight on the top rail, and the EOTech PEQ box that was sitting further down the rifle, “You buy those attachments for it, as well?” Arcades nodded, “Yes. Everything else on this thing is either made by EOTech or Magpul.” Arcades placed the rifle back into the bag, and he zipped it up.
The Prince then asked, “Well, Kurt. What would the Omega Foundation do with one rifle?” Arcades stood up and looked at the human, “For themselves? Nothing. I just didn’t want to leave them anything that they could use to track me down with or anything.” The Prince asked a different question, “What did you leave back at your base anyways?” The fox replied, “We left nothing. We cleared out everything, and I mean everything.” The human looked at the equipment that was sitting on the deck, “For your PMC company, this is all that you have?” Arcades frowned, “Jason and I are the only two left. Everyone else decided to quit. We’re not really a company anymore at this point. I’m probably not going to even bother going back to our old location. I dunno if Omega is setting a trap, or if they destroyed the place all together.”
The Prince raised his eyebrows, “Damn. How many people did you have before they all quit on you?” Arcades answered, “Around forty something people. We were always pretty small.” The Prince asked, “Why didn’t you leave some of this stuff at your house or something? I mean, I don’t always stay here at Sealand.” Arcades answered, “I lived at my base. Only Jason and I lived there. Everybody else has their own house somewhere else. Omega likely destroyed our base. I guess you could say that they destroyed our home.” The Prince shook his head, “Shit… Sounds like quite a week you guys went through.” Arcades nodded, “I guess you could say that. We went from fighting fake Neo-Nazis in Berlin, to uncovering this whole ordeal. Now, the Foundation is out hunting me down.”
The Prince spoke, “Look on the bright side, they haven’t pinpointed you here. I really doubt they will, too.” Arcades sighed, “I just wish that I could do something about the Omega Foundation. You see, the thing is that most people don’t even know that they exist. The ones who do know they exist don’t have a clue about what they do. Since I know what they do, I feel as if I’m obligated to do something about it.” The Prince replied, “Kurt, you’re just one fox.” Arcades frowned again, “I know I am. That’s what sucks. I wanted to reach out for CDI to help me out, but they decided against doing so.” The Prince shrugged, “Well, they are a company. You know that. You didn’t offer them any money, and that’s probably why they didn’t bother to come and help you. I bet if you paid them enough, then they would be happy to fly out there and deal with it.” Arcades looked down at the platform while he slowly shook his head, “It’s really unfortunate. Now, I have basically nobody to help me.” Jason looked at the fox and made a suggestion, “Kurt, maybe there is someone else that you can trust.”
Then, Arcades remembered something very important, “That’s right! No, you’re right. There is someone else that I can trust. The one that I should have been trusting all along. The one who died for me, died for all of us. Jesus Christ!” The other three people were silent, but Arcades continued, ‘“I was a fool to put trust in men, when I should have been trusting in the Lord the entire time. Of course men aren’t going to help me take down the Omega Foundation. The Lord is, though. The Lord is who I need to truly get this done.” The Prince sarcastically spoke, “Now that’s bloody inspiring.” Jason then asked, “Kurt, what are you exactly going to do?” Arcades replied, “I am going to get in there some way or another, and I will free the anthros.” Jason widened his eyes, “Damn. Kurt, I dunno if I would be able to help you out with that.” Arcades smiled at the wolf, “That’s totally alright. I have the Lord to guide me.”
“Wait, Kurt. How would you even go about doing this anyways?” Jason asked. Arcades replied, “I’m not entirely sure. I’ll figure out something though.” The Prince looked at the HH-60 that was on the helipad, “Looks like you aren’t going to be able to use that. We can’t really get gas for it right now.” Arcades shook his head, “I wasn’t really planning on using that helicopter for this.” Jason looked at the fox and then asked, “So Kurt. What are you planning on doing then?” Arcades thought back to when he infiltrated the complex for the first time. He remembered bringing out a keycard from the facility. The fox immediately began rummaging through the equipment that was sitting on the platform. The wolf watched as Arcades dug through the contents, “Kurt, what are you supposed to be looking for?”
Arcades spoke as he rummaged through the equipment, “I remember taking a keycard off one of the guys in there. That’s how I was able to escape, for it seemed to open most doors that were electronically locked. If I still have the keycard, then I would be able to use it to get back in the facility.” The Prince and Sean watched as Arcades continued to search the bags. Arcades finally pulled out a red keycard with ‘LEVEL 5’ lettering on it. The Prince squinted as he took a closer look at the keycard, “Is that what you were looking for?” Arcades nodded, “Yes, this is it. This’ll be useful. I’m pretty sure they haven’t changed the doors since I’ve been there because it has only been a few days. I’ll be able to use this to get back inside.”
The wolf nodded in approval, “I suppose so, Kurt. However, how would you get back over there anyways? We’re all the way in Bloody England, and they’re in Utah.” The Prince perked up when he heard the wolf say England, “Ahem… We are currently in Sealand. Not England. This place is an independent sovereign nation.” Arcades decided it would be best to continue with what he was planning, “How about I get a one-way plane ticket to Utah, and I fly over there?” Jason widened his eyes slightly, “One way? Kurt, do you not plan on coming back?” Arcades shrugged, “I dunno. All I know is that if I trust in the Lord, He will guide me and protect me.”
The Prince chuckled, “Heh… Looks like Sealand will have its very own helicopter.” Arcades looked at the Prince. The fox was not sure if the human was only joking, “What if I make it back here?” The Prince slowly shook his head while he shrugged, “How would you expect to do that? Let’s say that you can accomplish whatever it is you want to do out there? What would you do to get back?” Arcades looked at the Prince in the eyes for a moment before replying, “I’ll find my way back. Somehow. If I walk by faith and not by sight, then I’ll be able to do it.” Jason did not really want to debate the fox, “How long should we give you before we consider you lost forever?” Arcades scratched his chin as he was thinking about a timeframe. The fox finally gave an answer, “Give me one month. If you do not hear from me in this timeframe, then you can consider me gone for good.”
The Prince had another objection, “Hey, wait. How would you be able to bring your weapons back to the US? How did you guys get them here in the first place?” Arcades answered the question, “We had a military transport fly us here. Now, for me going back to the US, however. Yeah, I wouldn’t really count on bringing any of my weapons to Utah with m
e.” Jason raised his eyebrows as he looked at the fox, “Wait, Kurt. No weapons? What if something happens to you?” The fox turned around to look at the wolf, and Arcades deployed a small smile. Arcades spoke, “Don’t worry about me, Jason. Whatever happens out there is the way it will be. You should focus on the Lord rather than me.”
The wolf frowned, “But, Kurt. What if they catch you?” Arcades did not withdraw his smile, “Don’t worry. I trust that the Lord will protect and prevent something like that from happening.” The Prince looked the fox over again, “So, Kurt. What are you planning on bringing there? Since you’re going unarmed, what is your plan even supposed to be?” The fox began to explain, “All that I’m bringing is this keycard, my keyring, my multitool, and the clothes that I plan on wearing. Whatever else is out there will be procured on-site.” The wolf was not as optimistic, “Kurt, I honestly don’t think that you’ll make it out of there. You’ll either wind up dead or as one of their…” The wolf hesitated as he tried to imagine Arcades as one of the mindless slaves that Omega had manufactured. The wolf was having some more mixed feelings about this potential outcome.
Arcades spoke after Jason stopped himself in the middle of his sentence, “I don’t want you to think about it. Remember that the Kingdom of God is still at hand. If this is where my end is, then that’s how it is going to go. You need to focus on what God is calling you to do. I believe that He has called me to rescue these anthros that are being held in bondage by the Omega Foundation.” Jason continued frowning, “Kurt… How would you even go about contacting us if you do make it out there?” Arcades grinned slightly as he delivered his response, “Trust me. You will know it when you see it. I will make contact with you guys, and you will know that it is me.”
The Prince was the next to speak, “Alright, I guess I’ll take your word for that. We’ll be checking our communications and everything. I can’t guarantee how we would be able to bring you back here when you’re done, but I guess you have different things to think about.” Jason spoke, but his voice sounded noticeably disturbed, “Kurt… What if Omega finds us here?” Arcades smiled to reassure the wolf that he was going to be alright. The fox knew that Jason was now trying to come up with reasons why he should not go, “Jason. I need you to remember that Omega is looking for me. They don’t even know you or Bobby, or anybody else for that matter.”
The wolf moved closer to the fox, and he grabbed his right arm, “Kurt. Please don’t do this! When Jack died, you were the one that I always would turn to.” The fox gently grabbed the wolf’s hand, and he moved it off of his own arm, “Jason. I need you to remember something very important. That is to not put your trust in man. Rather, put your trust in God Himself. You see, mortal men and anthros such as myself have a sinful nature. None of us are perfect, as we all have fallen short of the Glory of God. That is the reason why we all need the Savior in the first place. Jesus Christ died on the Cross over two-thousand years ago for this. Put your trust in Jesus, not me. If you put your trust in me, then I will only fail you. I’m sorry, it’s just a result of the fallen world that we currently live in.”
The Prince watched as the wolf began to tear up before planting his face in the fox’s arms. The Prince shook his head slowly with a slight smile on his face, “Heh, that bastard is fucking inspiring.” Sean returned a comment to the Prince, “I guess this’ll be the last we ever hear from this guy, right?” The Prince nodded at the same rate that he shook his head, “Sure is. I kinda feel sorry for him, too. He seems to really mean well. Too bad he’ll either wind up dead or captured. If he is captured… Fuckin’ hell, I bet he’ll probably wish that he was dead considering what he showed me.” Sean asked, “How bad is it?” The Prince answered, “Shit, it’s bloody horrifying. That poor fox is going to get fucked big time. And I mean that literally, too.”
Jason was still crying in Arcades’ arms. The fox was hugging the wolf, and he was surprised that he was doing this considering what Jason had tried to do to him mere days ago. Arcades gently patted Jason on the back, “Jason, I’m still really sorry for what happened to Jack.” Jason replied saying, “Kurt, please! Just tell me that Jack went to heaven…” Arcades knew that he could not answer this question. The fox tried to answer the best way he could, “I don’t make the decision when it comes to that…” The fox paused. He knew that whoever did not repent and trust in Christ would be sentenced to eternal damnation in the lake of fire, but he was not even sure if Jack ended up doing this in his final moments. Arcades answered by saying just that, “A lot can happen in a minute. That I know for sure. That’s all I can confirm for you.” The wolf continued to cry into the fox’s chest. Jason’s tears were getting on Arcades’ arm fur, and the fox was able to feel this now.
Arcades looked out at the night sky. He couldn’t really see any lights from the mainland, but Sealand was illuminated by some lights that were placed around the platform. He already had decided when he would go on his mission. The fox delivered this news to the wolf, “Jason. I’m leaving tomorrow for Utah. I just want you to know that. Alright?” This only made the wolf cry more, “No! Don’t go! Kurt, please… I-I’m sorry for what I did to you!” The fox moved his hand around the wolf’s back as he embraced him in an attempt to calm him down, “I am not leaving because of that. I’m leaving because I have a duty that is calling. I need you to remember that this mission is greater than everything that happened in the past week.”
As the Prince watched the wolf spill his emotions, he noticed that the wolf spoke as if he did something wrong to the fox. The Prince placed his hand on his chin, “Hmm. I wonder what happened between the two of them?” Sean replied, “Who knows. Probably best to not get up in their business about it, though.” The Prince nodded, “Yeah. Hey, how about we let them finish up out here. We should probably go inside. It’s getting kind of late out here already.” Sean nodded, “You got it, Sire.” The two humans turned and proceeded to enter Sealand’s main building. The fox could see them walk away, but he ignored them. He was mainly focused on calming Jason down.
The fox spoke to the wolf, “Look, Jason. All I want you to know is that I’m not holding that against you. Jesus has mercy, and I have mercy as well. I want us to be able to put this behind us. It really doesn’t help if we just dwell on it.” Jason shook his head that was still planted in Arcades’ chest, “I-I don’t understand. Why did you forgive me for that? I don’t deserve to be forgiven.” Arcades replied, “Nobody deserves to be forgiven. For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to die in our place in order to atone for all of our sins. Everybody deserves to burn in the lake of fire, but God died for us and rose on the third day so we don’t have to endure that. God is a very loving and merciful God, and I never want you to forget about that. Forget about me before you forget about God’s mercy and grace.”
Jason only replied with more sobs, “Kurt… I won’t forget you.” Arcades continued to embrace the wolf, “Just remember what Jesus did. He showed us mercy for all of our sins. It doesn’t matter what crimes you commit against one another. God is willing to forgive you if you truly repent and trust in Jesus for remission of sins. The only way to the Father is by the Son. There is no other way. Don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise.” Jason began to slowly drop to his knees as he continued holding onto the fox, “Kurt, this will be the last time I ever see you…” Arcades now was holding onto the wolf’s head, “Jason. This will not be the last time. If you do repent and trust in Jesus, then I will see you in New Jerusalem with all of the other saints.” Jason did not reply to this. Arcades was silent, but then he decided that he would say one last thing, “Jason. I want you to take my Bible. Read it. Study it. Make sure that you understand what it says. And one last thing… Remember that I still love you, Jason.” The wolf only cried harder when he heard the fox’s last sentence. He knew that Arcades would likely never see him again. The wolf did not want to lose another brother.
Chapter 15
Raid on Facility Five
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Arcades now had the complex in view. He was on foot, and he had walked from the airport in Salt Lake City all by himself. The fox had been able to remember the geography of the area to find his way back to the complex. Arcades took in the intimidating sight of the complex, and he wondered how he would be able to enter from the ground level. The complex had barbed wire fences that surrounded it, and Arcades understood this due to the fact that the complex seemed to be some type of prison that the Omega Foundation was covertly running. Arcades was hiding behind a tree, and he was peeking over in order to try and scope out the best way to make an entrance.
The fox briefly looked down at what he was wearing. He tried to look rather inconspicuous during the flight back from the United Kingdom. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt with short Multicam Black sleeves paired tucked into a pair of black tactical shorts. Arcades felt his pockets, and he checked yet again to make sure that he had everything he needed. His most important item for this mission was his Level 5 keycard which he had taken off of the man that he dropped a bookcase on. Arcades was wondering if that man ever realized that the fox still was the one who had the keycard. The fox moved the keycard from his wallet to a different pocket. Arcades wanted to make sure that it would be as convenient as possible for him to use the keycard.
