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echotrinityme · 1 month

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Distrust Neutral ending: Agents of Despair

A/N: This takes place after chapter 21 and before chapter 22 onwards—warning: Violence and blood.

The Government and The Toppat have managed to capture the Cult of Desperationis and put each of them into a cell with high security. Dr. V has created a special room where the members can be in special pods and undo the brainwashing. The room is under high guard and no one but the General and Dr. V are allowed there.

However, not everything is back to normal.

The leader, Briar Bloodsworth, has not been captured yet, driving everyone crazy. Charles and Victoria were especially anxious. On the other hand, Rupert and Henry were doing what they were supposed to be doing. They were still giving intel to Briar and in return, Briar gave them instructions on what to do next. No one was none the wiser.

But someone started to notice their strange behavior and decided to investigate.

The night sky was on display and the stars were twinkling. There was a slight breeze and night creatures were awake doing their night routine. Everyone was asleep.

A noise jostled Jose Gonzales out of slumber, he looked around but it was dark. He stood up got dressed and looked outside. He found nothing since it was dark save for a few light bugs flying around. He was about to fall asleep when he spotted a figure walking into the clearing. Jose furrowed his brow, who's up at this time of night? He quietly followed the figure who went to the clearing, the figure kept walking but occasionally the figure looked behind them to see if they were being followed.

Jose crouched as he hid behind a bush so the figure wouldn't see him and it was dark so he was hoping he didn't get caught. The figure stopped in the middle of the clearing and took out what looked like a phone, the figure unlocked the phone and dialed something. The figure waited for the other person in the line to answer, the person answered, and the figure began talking to the person.

Jose was watching the figure discreetly while trying to figure out who the figure was, he kept watching to see if he recognized any features. He then spotted a blue earpiece and saw familiar white hair when the figure stepped into the moonlight.

It was Henry!

Jose was confused. Who was Henry talking to? And why is he acting off?"

Since Rupert and Henry were rescued from Briar, Jose noticed they'd been acting off. Like they weren't themselves, he saw that sometimes Rupert or Henry have listless eyes or seem to be in a state of "insanity" when training someone. Jose started putting pieces together while Henry was still talking on the phone. Jose was thinking about Rupert's and Henry's odd behavior when he sucked in a breath, Henry was looking in his direction. Jose felt his heart beating as Henry stared at him, he hoped that Henry didn't see him.

Henry kept staring at him and his eyes flashed with something Jose couldn't make out then he resumed speaking to the phone. Jose breathed a sigh of relief as he quietly stood up and was about to head back when he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, he looked down in confusion.

He saw red in his uniform along with a hand surrounding a knife, the person holding the knife took out the knife and Jose fell to the ground with a groan. Jose covered his wound with his right hand as he gazed up to find a pair of golden eyes staring down at him, Rupert's cold gaze upon Jose then it turned to his hand that was holding the knife covered in blood.

"Y'know..." Rupert said with a tone that made Jose shiver in coldness, "It's kind of rude to spy on someone's conversation,"

Jose blinked as he felt tears started to prick up, "R-Rupert? W-Why?"

"Let's just say it's fun to kill,"

Rupert smiled at Jose who felt his veins turn to ice. Rupert never smiled. He sometimes smiles but his smile here, it was not happiness. The smile was creepy and cold. Jose looked around to see if Henry was still there but to his horror, he was gone. Jose started to run away from Rupert who was still smiling when he cried out in pain, Henry stabbed him in his other lower half. Jose fell to the ground in pain, and Rupert calmly came over to them. Jose stared up at them with his blurry vision and saw their eyes were red and their faces full of insanity.

"Yo-u Y- You g-g-guys why?" Jose squeaked as he cried. Rupert and Henry both sneered at him, "Aw, c'mon Jose" Rupert replied with a chirp, "I thought we were having fun?"

Henry giggled as Jose started trembling in fear, the wounds in his lower abdomen were stinging and he needed to treat them or else they would get infected. He looked around to find an escape route when he felt something sharp against his leg, he screamed but his mouth was quickly covered with a hand.

"Don't scream," Henry said coldly, "You'll ruin the fun if you do that,"

Rupert pulled out his knife and stared at Jose's blood. Henry held up his knife and lunged at Jose while keeping Jose's mouth covered. Jose screamed into Henry's hand while his back was burning with pain, Henry chuckled in amusement.

Henry glanced at Rupert, "Should we numb him?" he asked as he brought out a mini black bag.

"Nah, let him feel it," Rupert answered with a wicked smile, "Just use an adrenaline shot on him,"

Jose's eyes widened in fear as Henry pulled out a liquid needle. Henry plunged the needle into Jose's neck and Jose cried a little. Jose felt a burst of energy, his heart beating faster. Jose stared at them with a questioning look and muffled "What did you guys do to me?"

They laughed darkly, "We just put an adrenaline shot into you, nothing special," Henry answered.

Jose felt sweat as he cried, why were they doing this to him? He thought they were friends?! Then he remembered their behavior and their rescue from Briar. He read a file report on how Briar's brainwashing affects a person's behavior, a more broken version of themselves replaces their behavior. Jose's eyes widened, and Rupert and Henry were brainwashed by Briar!

Briar brainwashed them before they got to them. Jose needed to get out of here and warn everyone about them! But.. how?

Rupert and Henry were trying to figure out what to do with Jose, Henry's hand moved away from Jose's mouth. Jose saw this and he opened his mouth and bit Henry's mouth hard. Henry cried out in pain and held his hand. Rupert was about to help Henry when he felt something hard on his face, he fell on his back with an oof. Jose kicked Rupert and he quickly ran deeper into the clearing. Rupert cursed in Russian as Henry stood up, and they ran after him.

When he was far away, he stopped at a tree and looked behind him. He didn't see them and he sighed. He leaned against the tree to try to rest but couldn't stay there long or else Rupert and Henry would find him. Jose looked at his wounds as black dots started forming in his vision, the adrenaline had worn off.

"Fuck! Not now!" he thought as he felt dizzy, he had to move and contact the general. He then remembered his comms. He reached into his pocket but couldn't find his comms. "Shit! I must have left them back at my tent!" he whispered. He searched around again but no signs of Rupert or Henry. He got up and quickly headed back to base. He didn't get far as he got tackled by Rupert who found him, Henry was behind him.

Rupert and Jose struggled since Jose was putting up a fight this time. Rupert was getting impatient, Henry saw this and went over to them. Henry held Jose down, and Rupert brought out his knife. Jose was losing blood as he felt his consciousness lifting away, Rupert smirked.

"Good night, Jose," Rupert said as he plunged the knife.

June was holding a tray while waiting to get her breakfast. In front of her was the Bukowski twins and behind her was Sarah Connifers. She frowned as she looked around, she was worried. Sarah noticed this and also frowned.

"Oi, what's the matter June?" Sarah asked with her Scottish accent.

"I wonder where Jose is, he's usually up at this time," June replied.

Sarah looked around but didn't spot Jose, she spotted Charles, Ellie, Henry, Rupert, and Victoria sitting at a table together. She knows the drama between Rupert, Henry, and Victoria and has Victoria's sympathies. She looked for Jose again but alas, she didn't see him.

"I'm sure he's fine, June," Sarah said happily, trying to calm June down, "I think he's just sleeping still,"

"I know but he never oversleeps,"

"Look, if he's not here by a certain time, we can go over to his tent and see if he is ok," Sarah said, "Okay?"

June nodded as she got her breakfast and Sarah sat at a table. They talked while they ate, and the others did the same. After a while, June and Sarah finished their meal. They cleaned up and headed out to find Jose. They were going to Jose's tent when someone stopped them, "Oi, the General wants us for a meeting," Rupert said.

June and Sarah stared at Rupert who smiled at them, they blinked as they stared at his smile. He never smiles unless it's with Henry or something he enjoys. The girls looked at each other and then at Rupert, "Is the meeting now?" June asked.

Rupert nodded, "C'mon, let's go,"

"But we were-"

"Now!" Rupert snapped, making the girls flinch, and quickly went with Rupert. They didn't forget about Jose and decided to visit him after the meeting. The meeting was in the cafeteria because it was bigger and fit the soldiers and Toppat clan members.

The General and Victoria were discussing what to do with the former members of the Cult of Desperationis, Reginald and Right Hand Man were beside them. They were thinking of putting the members in jail or the Wall. Sarah and Rupert paid attention but June had other things on her mind. She was worried about Jose and she wanted to check up on him. She looked over at Rupert who looked bored, and she frowned. She sighed and whispered into Sarah's ear. She quietly got up and went outside.

June took deep breaths and she calmed down. She felt nervous inside the cafeteria since Rupert was acting more aloof than usual, and felt a sense of anxiety by being near him. She shook her head, "C'mon June, it's probably that he is still angry about Briar's escaping," she thought.

"I guess I better find Jose," June said to herself. She walked to Jose's tent and found the tent flap open. She blinked as she looked inside, it was dark and she saw no sign of Jose.

"Psst! Jose?" June said tentatively, "Are you there?"

She went inside but didn't see him. She turned on the light next to Jose's bed but Jose was not there. June immediately panicked and went out of the tent. She was about to call the General when she looked down and saw a bootprint, she then looked and found more bootprints. She followed them into the clearing, she kept following them until they stopped.

"Huh?" she thought, "Why do they stop?"

She looked up to find trees but one of the trees had something hanging off the branch.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" June screamed.

Everyone from the cafeteria heard her screaming and went out to find her. Charles was the first to find her and was about to ask what was wrong when she collapsed. She pointed in a direction and Charles followed what she was looking at. His eyes widened as he felt his blood run cold and his face turned a sickly green. The General caught up with them along with the others, he was panting as he gulped up a breath.

He calmed down and demanded, "What's going on? What happened?!"

Charles and June pointed in the same direction and he glanced at what they were seeing. His eyes widened and everyone gasped in horror.

Hanging on a tree branch was a figure tied up in a rope, wearing a green government uniform and a green hard hat. The figure was covered in blood and its head was hanging off to the side and his eyes were open. Everyone immediately recognized it was Jose Gonzales hanging off the branch. The General and Victoria went up to him quickly to check a pulse but he was dead. Charles went up to them while Sarah and the others comforted June.

Charles cringed at the wounds Jose had sustained, it looked like he was stabbed a lot. Charles closed his eyes to mourn him but opened them again when he saw a piece of white hanging out of Jose's front shirt pocket. He gently took the paper out and looked at its contents. He growled as he felt his blood boil, Victoria and Galeforce approached him.

"Charlie?" Galeforce said, "Whatcha got there?"

Charles handed them the paper and he and Victoria saw what made Charles angry. They both gasped in shock and horror.

"We're still here," was written in blood on the paper.

Everyone dispersed into different places because of Jose. Some went back to their tents, some hung out with friends, and some were in the bathroom emptying their contents from their stomachs cause of the gore. Charles, Ellie, Victoria, Rupert, Henry, and Galeforce were watching soldiers taking down Jose's disemboweled corpse. Galeforce sighed as they put Jose into a body bag and wheeled him off to the morgue. Galeforce glanced at everyone with a solemn look, "I will inform Jose's family of his death,"

Galeforce left them alone, leaving Charles and everyone else staring at the tree where Jose was hung up. Fear and anger clouded their faces, they stayed quiet until a voice spoke up.

"Who would kill him? Ellie asked.

"And have the gall to kill him near our base?" Victoria added.

Charles, Henry, and Rupert didn't answer her as they stared at the tree. Charles glanced at Rupert who looked angrier than usual, Rupert clenched his fists and walked out of the clearing. Everyone gave him sympathetic looks and left him alone. They always know that when Rupert is upset, it's better to leave him alone. June and Sarah were at the medbay to get June checked out. June was in shock and Sarah was comforting her.

Later, Charles found Rupert hiding behind a boulder. Rupert had his head down and was standing up.

"Rupert? Buddy?" Charles said hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Rupert replied but didn't lift his head.

"You okay?"

"..."

Charles frowned, Rupert was brooding. He knew that Rupert and Jose had a mentor/student relationship and were friends, so Jose's death hit Rupert hard. Charles approached him and Rupert glanced up at him. "We will catch the killer, Rupert," Charles said, "I promise,"

Rupert didn't say anything, and Charles sighed. "I'll leave you alone,"

Charles said his goodbyes and left Rupert alone. After Charles left, Rupert cracked a smile. Poor, stupid Charles. He just finished talking to Jose's killer.

A couple of days later, Charles, Victoria, and Galeforce were investigating Jose's death in the General's office. His funeral was two days ago and they want justice for Jose. They looked over his file and morgue report.

"It still makes no sense," Victoria said, "How can he be killed a couple of miles away from the base?"

"And who killed him? Why would they kill him in the first place? Everybody loved him," Charles added sadly.

"Hmmm, we don't know but let's safely assume it's not one of us," Galeforce replied.

"Or the Toppat clan members," Victoria said.

They kept thinking, looked at the clues, and eliminated any suspects but still found no answer. They kept digging until someone cleared their throat, they all looked up to see June July standing before them. She rubbed her arms nervously and she looked like she hadn't slept. The General had put her into the military's psychologist after she found Jose's corpse.

"What is it, June?" Victoria asked gently, "Everything okay?"

June didn't say anything at first, she stared down at the floor. Charles put a comforting hand on June, "Hey June? You okay?" he questioned.

"W-what if we didn't capture all of the members of the c-cult?" June asked coldly.

Galeforce, Charles, and Victoria blinked in confusion and shock. "What if there are more members than the ones we captured?" June continued angrily, "Like the ones who are not in the group?"

Charles's eyes widened, "Like agents?" Galeforce questioned.

"Yes," June answered, "Someone who we haven't identified,"

Everyone was thinking about who could be an agent of Briar, and then Charles and Victoria glanced at each other. They both have the same thought. Charles cleared his throat which made Galeforce glance at him.

"Yes, Charlie?"

"Sir. I think I know who can be an agent for Briar," Charles murmured.

"What? Who?" Galeforce demanded.

Charles stared at everyone and he closed his eyes.

Rupert followed Charles into the clearing, the same one where they found Jose's corpse. Charles came to Rupert's tent, told him he needed to talk to him, and led him to the clearing. They stopped inside the clearing. Charles took a deep breath and exhaled. He faced Rupert who crossed his arms, "So what did ya want to talk to me about, Charles?"

Charles didn't want to do this. Unbeknownst to Rupert, Victoria, and the others hid behind the clearing bushes. They wanted to catch Rupert in the act, and Charles was the one to do it.

"Do you remember the day we rescued you and Henry from the leader?" Charles asked slowly.

"Ya, thanks for that," Rupert replied, "What about it?"

Charles wasn't sure how to tell Rupert about his suspicions, he was in denial. He knew Jose had suspicions about Rupert when they rescued him and Henry from Briar. "Are you sure you didn't find the leader?" Charles asked softly.

Rupert frowned, "Yeah,"

Rupert's tone was cold and clipped, drawing Charles that something was off. Everybody including Charles knew Rupert wasn't a social butterfly and preferred to be alone. He does hang out with Charles and Victoria, he and Henry are a couple and are always together. Charles frowned, speaking of Henry, how come he hasn't noticed Rupert's strange behavior?

Rupert's eyes flashed red and he was about to question why Charles asked him this question when he heard rustling in the bushes. The General, Victoria, and everyone else stood up from the bushes with their weapons aimed at Rupert.

"Rupert Price, you are under arrest for the suspicion of murder of Jose Gonzales!" Galeforce exclaimed angrily while holding his gun at Rupert.

Rupert growled as he glared at Charles, he put his hands up slowly. Charles gulped, Rupert's glare was cold and it made Charles feel guilty. "Charles... what is this?"

"Rupert, you are being accused of murder against Jose Gonzales," Charles stared at Rupert coldly, "Which is unbelievable! Are you a murderer?!"

A shadow appeared on Rupert's face as he hung his head down, he didn't answer Charles. The area was quiet and tense. There were no sounds except from the birds, and Charles could hear his heartbeat against his chest. "Rupert... please say something," Charles demanded.

Rupert didn't respond, but his body started trembling, and Charles heard a low laughter.

"Hehehe..." Rupert chuckled darkly, he was still trembling. Charles raised an eyebrow while everyone tensed up, "Hehe...HeHAHAHAHA!"

Rupert lifted his head and everyone's veins turned cold when they saw his eyes. His eyes were white with black swirls and his smile held insanity. Rupert stopped laughing as he kept smiling deviously, he stared at Charles. "Congratulations, Charles," he purred, "You caught me,"

Rupert's eyes flashed red while he showed his pearly, white sharp teeth. Charles started shaking, "His eyes... They are the same color as the eyes of the cult before we captured them," he thought.

"Rupert Price. You're under arrest for the murder of Jose Gonzales," Galeforce said as he had two soldiers handcuffed Rupert. Galeforce's face was neutral but Charles could see anger and disappointment in his eyes.

Rupert didn't say a word while handcuffed; he was still smiling, and his eyes weren't those disturbing swirls. They were red like blood. Rupert was still smiling as he was led out of the clearing. Charles and everyone stared after him with grim looks on their faces.

Charles was watching the General interrogate Rupert outside the interrogation room, Charles wanted to punch that smug smile Rupert was wearing. Victoria came up to him, standing next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder, "Charles? Charlie?" she said tentatively, but he didn't respond to her calls.

He kept watching Galeforce asking Rupert why he'd killed Jose.

(I was originally going to write the whole interrogation but I'm lazy and I want to get to the reveal where Charles and everyone else find out Rupert and Henry were brainwashed)

Galeforce pinched the bridge of his nose, he felt a headache brewing as he stared up at Rupert. Rupert smiled like he had done nothing wrong like he didn't murdered one of his own. Galeforce took a deep breath and exhaled as he gave Rupert a hard stare.

"Of all my time as a military officer," Galeforce started, his tone full of disappointment and anger, "I have never dealt with something like this,"

Rupert kept smiling which annoyed the General and pissed off Charles. "Rupert... why did you kill Jose Gonzales?"

Rupert chuckled darkly as he leaned in, and Galeforce leaned back. Rupert was handcuffed to the interrogation table so Galeforce had nothing to worry about... for now.

"He was about to ruin our plan," Rupert replied with a chirp," And we have to kill him for it,"

Galeforce furrowed his brows in confusion as Rupert's eyes became white with black swirls, Charles and Victoria felt a sense of dread when they saw his eyes. However, Charles noticed something that Rupert said.

"Wait, what does mean we?" Charles questioned, Victoria shrugged her shoulders and then she suddenly remembered some important information. "Hey, do you remember the reports on how the members of the Cult of Desperationis's eyes were red, and sometimes their eyes were white with black swirls?" she asked.

Charles nodded as he read through those reports a while ago. He remembered the victims were brainwashed to do Briar's bidding and the horrible stuff they did to other people. He also read how the victims were brainwashed which was horrifying and no one should be able to go through it. Then his brain gave him a thought about the brainwashing and the day they rescued Rupert and Henry.

Charles gasped as he felt his heart hammer against his chest and he glanced at Victoria who stared at him with fear in her eyes. Her eyes confirmed his suspicion.

"Rupert's been brainwashed," Charles murmured.

"No... by Briar?" Victoria replied.

Charles ran into the interrogation room without answering Victoria, Galeforce jumped while Rupert turned his head at Charles like it was a normal thing. "Charlie? What's going on? I'm busy with Ru-"

"Rupert's been brainwashed by Briar Bloodsworth!" Charles exclaimed angrily, Victoria came into the room as the General stood up, and Galeforce's eyes widened upon Charles's confession.

"What? Brainwashed?" he asked, he looked at Victoria who nodded to back Charles up.

"Yeah. The reports that contain how you can tell a victim of Briar has been brainwashed and Rupert's eyes match the documents," Victoria explained.

A deep, dark chuckle brought the trio to look in Rupert's direction, Rupert's eyes were crimson and his eyes lit up with insanity. "Congratulations, Charles," he said coldly, his eyes landed on Victoria, "And Tori... Another win for the Government," Rupert growled that last word which made Victoria shiver a bit.

The trio stared at Rupert who was smiling creepily at them. Charles frowned and was about to ask how Rupert was brainwashed when he remembered something else. "Hey, Rupert? Is Henry brainwashed too?" he asked hard.

The General's and Victoria's eyes widened.

Rupert clicked his teeth in response.

"Damn it..." Charles said angrily.

"Get Henry and bring him here NOW," Galeforce ordered Victoria in an authoritative tone.

"Yes, sir," Victoria nodded numbly.

Moments later, Victoria had the Bukowski twins bring Henry in and put him into another interrogation room. Victoria questioned him but got the same response from Rupert.

The General and Charles were back to interrogating Rupert.

"Rupert, where's Briar," the General questioned.

"Fuck you, old man," Rupert growled which stunned the General and Charles.

Victoria sighed as she looked at Henry who smiled at her but the smile was not happy. "Henry, do you know where Briar is?" she asked gently.

"No. Even if I did, would I tell you guys?" Henry signed even though he was handcuffed to the table. Victoria shook her head and stood up to leave the room. She closed the door as the General and Charles exited the other room. The trio stood in front of the room Rupert was in.

"Any luck?" The General asked, folding his arms.

"No," Victoria replied sadly, "I don't think they are going to tell us where's Briar hiding,"

"Oi!"

The trio glanced at Rupert in the interrogation room, looking in the mirror. They are unsure if Rupert knows they are behind the mirror but he doesn't care, "My phone is ringing and I think it's for you,"

The trio quickly entered the room and Charles took Rupert's phone out of his pocket. The caller id was unknown and Charles answered the phone. There was no call but a video and Charles played it.

In the video, a man with long hair with the color of deep blue was staring back at them. He was wearing something you would see at a Halloween party but more casual and his eyes were a scarlet. He was sitting in a white room and sitting on a chair.

"Why hello there!" the person on the video spoke, his voice was smooth and deep, "My name is Briar Bloodsworth, and congratulations for figuring out that two of your soldiers were my pawns the whole time!"

Galeforce growled as Charles clenched his fists in anger and Victoria gasped. "Now you may be wondering where I am and why am I sending you this video?" Briar inquired, waiting for a response but it was a recording, "Well, I can answer both questions,"

"My location is discreet but by the time you finish this video, I'm already in a different country. And the answer to why I'm sending you this video is that I wanna see the looks of despair on your faces,"

Galeforce picked up the phone in rage and gripped the phone tightly, "Do you have any idea who you are FUCKING WITH!" he shouted that last phrase which made everyone sans Rupert jump in shock. They had never him curse before. "Um...sir," Victoria said tentatively, "It's a recording,"

"You're probably wondering who I'm dealing with," Briar implored as if he heard the General's question, "I'm dealing with a defense force who in reality, sucks at their job,"

"I mean c'mon Government dogs," Briar continued, "You guys were supposed to take down the Toppat Clan and you keep failing every time! And you didn't even notice that two of your own were acting strangely because of me,"

The General looked away while Charles and Victoria felt guilty. "Don't worry though," Briar chuckled, "I find the stupidity of the whole Government quite amusing,"

Then Briar's expression turned serious, "Now we gotta talk about the elephant in the room. Why did Rupert and Henry kill Jose?" Everyone's ears perked up upon hearing Briar's statement, "Well you see... they got bored and so did I,"

"What?" Charles said incredulously.

"You see if I've planned out everything in hindsight, that would be so boring," Briar explained, crossing his arms, "So Rupert and Henry decided to mix things up to make a little point,"

"So Jose was not even part of your plan," Galeforce said softly, "It was a betrayal,"

"And I heard he and Rupert shared a mentor and student relationship which made his death take a whole new level of damn!" Briar finished, "I wonder how he felt when he was betrayed by his mentor... he must have felt an unhealthy amount of hope that he wouldn't be betrayed by his mentor. However, the feeling of hope was replaced by a feeling of despair,"

Everyone felt immense emotions all at once. Anger, numbness, sadness, and despair. The video was about to end, Briar clapped his hands together with a smile on his face. "Well, looks like we're out of time. I should be heading out," Briar stood up and took the camera with him, "Before I go, you will be getting a phone call from someone you should know, General,"

Galeforce blinked as Briar held up his fingers for a countdown, "You will get the countdown in three, two, one,"

As if on cue, June entered the room with a telephone. "Sir," she said emotionlessly, "the warden from the Wall wants to talk to you,"

Galeforce put down the cell phone and lifted the phone from the receiver, "Hello," he answered.

The person on the other end spoke to the General. Charles, Victoria, and Rupert eavesdropped on his conversation. They heard "No", "What", and "I see" from the General and then they heard "Thank you" and the General ended the call. He gave the phone back to June who nodded and exited the room. The video ended and the tension thickened.

"Who was that?" Victoria asked.

"It was Dmitri Petrov," Galeforce replied, tone void of emotion, "He told me that Briar Bloodsworth is in custody,"

"WHAT?!" Charles and Victoria exclaimed in unison.

"Is that what he meant that he's in "another country," Victoria inquired.

"Yes," Galeforce answered tiredly, he glanced over at Rupert whose head was down. His bangs covered his eyes, and he said nothing after the video ended. The room was silent for a few moments, "What now?" Charles asked, breaking the silence.

The General cleared his throat and looked at Charles, "We will put Rupert and Henry with Dr. V who will undo their brainwashing," he explained, "And then we will discuss what to do with them afterward. Charles and Victoria nodded and they both exited out of the room. Galeforce glanced at Rupert who still didn't look at him, he sighed and exited the room.

Charles was standing in front of the makeshift memorial for Jose at the tree where he had been found. He stared at it, looking at all the gifts and flowers the soldiers had put there. Charles's face was full of apathy, he crossed his arms and felt a headache brewing. Victoria, Ellie, and the Bukowski twins came up to him. Victoria put a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled sadly at him.

They stared at the memorial in silence.

"I can't believe they were brainwashed," Ellie murmured, breaking the silence.

"They played us like a fiddle," Calvin added darkly.

Charles clenched his fists as he looked up to the sky, he felt something wet in his eyes. He then let out a scream that frightened everyone around him.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Charles screamed until his voice gave out. Charles turned around and headed back to his place. Victoria noted that Charles was crying.

Rupert and Henry were cured of their brainwashing a couple of weeks later. However, the damage was already done. Several people have died by their hands and there was nothing they could do about it. They told the General and Dr. V how they were brainwashed. They were horrified that Briar put them through such a terrible ordeal especially for Rupert, since Briar had a lobotomy done on him.

"So... how long will you guys be gone?" Charles asked, watching Rupert and Henry put their stuff in the car. The president wanted to imprison Rupert and Henry, but the General thought they'd suffered enough. The General and the President decided that Rupert and Henry would live in exile. Henry was putting in a suitcase as Rupert approached Charles, Victoria, Dave, Johnny, and Ellie.

"Forever," Rupert replied bluntly.

Rupert frowned at everybody's grim faces, he knew they were disappointed about his answer but there was nothing he could do. "I'm sorry... it's for the best for us,"

"We know," Victoria said sadly, she looked like she was about to cry and so did Ellie. Johnny's expression was of anger and Dave wasn't looking at him. Charles's face was full of apathy. Henry was done packing their stuff into their car and approached the group. "Everything is packed into the car, Rupert," Henry signed sadly, he became completely mute upon returning to normal which made everyone's hearts break.

"Thanks... diamond," Rupert told Henry, they both turned to face the others. It was time for them to go but first, they needed to say goodbye to everyone. "I guess this is goodbye," Rupert muttered.

"Wait, before you go," Dave inquired, stepping closer to Rupert, "Where will you go?"

"We can't say," Henry responded as Charles and Ellie approached him.

"Oh..." Dave said softly, he faced Rupert and hugged Rupert. Rupert hesitated but quickly wrapped his arms around him. Johnny joined him and Victoria did too. The only people who aren't here to say goodbye to them are the Bukowski twins and June July. The Bukowski twins were scared of them and June refused to see them. She was still angry and hurt about Jose's death and even refused to speak to them.

A couple of minutes later, the group hug dispersed. Rupert and Henry headed to the car but before they could leave, someone stopped them. "Hey, before you guys go," Charles said, getting their attention, "Did you guys know you were killing people? And do you regret killing them?"

The tension was awkward and became heavy, "Charles!" Victoria reprimanded.

"It's ok, Tori," Rupert said tightly, he stared at Charles who crossed his arms and frowned at him, "To answer your questions, Charles," he replied, hanging his head down in shame, "I don't know but we do regret killing people who don't deserve it. Right, Henry?" Henry nodded sadly.

"Ok..." Charles said, begrudgingly accepting their answer, "Take care, you guys. It's been an honor serving with you before you were brainwashed," Charles waved at them and they waved back. They got into the car and left the Government base. Charles and the others watched them until they were gone. Johnny, Dave, and Ellie entered the base but Charles and Victoria remained outside.

"Charles?" Victoria said tentatively, "You ok?"

Charles chuckled and glanced at Victoria who gasped when she saw Charles was crying. "Yes, I am, Tori," he answered, voice cracking, "We captured Briar but we lost a lot of people, including Jose, Rupert, and Henry,"

Charles wiped his eyes and held out his hand for Victoria to take it, "C'mon... let's go. It's finally over... "

Victoria blinked at him in confusion but smiled, she took his hand while blushing. "Okay..." she replied softly. They made their way back into the base.

A couple of weeks later, Briar was found dead in his cell with no proper diagnosis of how he died.

A/N: And the Distrust series is done! I have done the good, and bad, and now the neutral ending of Distrust. Also, almost 6,000 words... And happy late THSC anniversary!

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