| Jonathon Riggs |
Jonathon was watching his squadron on the training grounds, rushing through hoops and difficult challenges, both physical and mental. The pale mid-day sun was cool, a gentle breeze came as a constant reminder of the outside bliss that those above felt as opposed to those below. Jonathon just watched as his squadron went through the course, he was an officer, he received his training through experience, but sadly, half of his squad died on the last excision, and the other half were severely injured, so he was stuck with all new recruits. Not once did he complain, nor did he ever feel the need to either, those were his orders, and that was indeed what he would do.
-One week earlier-
A routine mission in Project 21, seven children were not present in the last scanner run, so four squads were sent down to search for them.
"Sir!" Jonathon's second-in-command began, "We have reports of gun fire from the first squadron's patrol route."
"They must have come in contact with one of the targets," Jonathon said, in his usual monotone, emotionless manor.
"Well sir, a scout from the third squadron reported that seven children, matching the descriptions of the seven missing children, attacked and killed all the soldiers there.
This surprised Jonathon, but he did not show it, "Seems a militant group has been formed with the seven outlaws, tighten the perimeter, be prepared for an assault from all sides."
"Yes sir!" his group yelled, following his orders.
After ten more minutes along their patrol group, the group of children attacked, rocks and trees and energy blasts were thrown from all sides, Jonathon's men began to fire upon the assaulting children as they appeared. The skirmish lasted only a few moments before the children retreated, two of their numbers lied dead on the ground, three more were definitely injured.
Jonathon rushed threw his squadron and counted three dead, two severely injured. To this he said, "Medic stay behind and care for these two while calling for the other squadrons to rendezvous at this position, you two," he pointed to the only two soldiers whom he hadn't given orders to, "Come with me, we're going to track them."
Jonathon and the two soldiers followed a trail of blood for about half a kilometer. The track converged on a small house. Jonathon pulled out his 10mm pistol and replaced the full metal jacket clip, with hollow point. He used hand signals to order his troops to ready grenades to be loped into the house from all windows.
He gave the order and the grenades were thrown inside, as the explosion resonated throughout the streets, the screams of children were heard, most likely losing limbs or being severely maimed in the blast. Two children ran out of the house unscathed, a 16-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.
"Come quietly kid," Jonathon said, raising his gun towards the boy, who was about 3 meters away from him.
He scoffed then asked, "The 'Iron Wall,' right?"
"My nickname is nothing, come quietly, or die, it's your choice."
"Or die? I didn't realize it was a choice in this discriminatory government!"
"Will you come quietly or not?" Jonathon asked, pulling back the hammer on his pistol.
The child made rocks shoot up through the streets, and surrounded himself and the girl with them, there was no area large enough for Jonathon to shoot through. The rocks surrounding him began to be launched from his shielding at Jonathon. In one single fluid movement, Jonathon not only twirled and sauntered through the barrage of rocks unscathed, but once the kid's shield was gone, Jonathon fired, the bullet piercing the child's forehead causing the back of his head to propell itself outward as he landed on the ground, a large splash of blood coating a small trail to his skull, signaling his inevitable defeat. Jonathon then moved towards the other child, a 4-year-old by the looks of her.
"I suppose you'll go quietly..." He said, raising his gun to her forehead.
She smiled, then Jonathon heard a scream from behind him, be looked back, one of his men was pummeled to death by rocks, the other was being pushed on the ground with an increasing amount of force, he was being crushed. The girl's power was to control gravity, Jonathon tried to raise his gun back to her head, but the force of gravity around him became too great for him to lift the gun. She continued to smile as he heard the bone's of his last soldier crush and break. He felt immense pain all over his body as he struggle to get free, He lifted his gun up at an angle of just enough, then fired, the bullet pierced the girl's arm, nearly causing the limb to fall off from the force of the hollow-point.
The girl screamed and held her arm, the pressure lifted from Jonathon's body... He lifted his gun towards her forehead and said, "It's only orders..." then fired.
-Present Day-
Jonathon took a large drink from his flask, the burning sensation appeasing his conscience, for a time. He had done much worse, but it was just the most recent. Their faces continually haunt him while he is sober, hence his persona, the "Iron Wall," an ultimate force of good for adults, the emotionless, thoughtful leader that is needed to get everyone home, which is what Jonathon tried to always did. The worst part about the mission wasn't killing a 4-year-old, it was that they killed so many of his own men... He took another drink from his flask and put it away. He moved over to the new recruits of his, and began to bark orders at them, as was expected of the commanding officer...