(This is Episode Five, Just joining in? Find Episode One @ Heroisms: Immortality or the Previous Episode @ Heroisms: Achilles Heel)

Alex clutched the two girls for what seemed like hours. As they wept, they could heard calls coming in over the radio but no one would go to respond. As they watched the television for some hope, the chopper landed and people began scouring the water for his body. They prayed no one would find one, but then the live coverage cut back to regularly scheduled broadcasting. Alex grabbed Brooke and Alison and lead them to Alison’s room. “Girls, do me a favour and stay here. I’m going to try and get some more information. Just try and relax.” The girls both burst into hysterics and hugged each other as Alex closed the door. His mind raced faster than it ever had before. What the hell was Jason thinking? Why did he kill a man? Why is he dead now? What about us? As he thought about these things, before long he was outside and finally noticed he was being yelled at through a megaphone. “Put your hands in the air and you won’t be harmed!” Alex looked around amid his confusion and raised his hands. As two men with special looking handcuffs rushed up to him, more rushed past him and into the base.

Dex stood near the edge of the water, staring downwind. A man in a suit walked up beside him, looking sharp as ever. “Is he…?” The man asked quietly, and Dex without glancing to him responded. “I’m a sure shot Vance. He’s dead.” As the man in the suit acknowledged the confirmation he turned his back to Dex and grunted. “That’s Sir to you Dex, and don’t forget who is in charge here.” As the man loaded himself back into a nearby chopper, Dex’s eyes never left the water. I’m sorry Jason, you were one of my only friends from that time… but sometimes secrets are worth ending. He turned his gaze to a jet black boat with men leaping into the water in diving suits. Good bye old friend. With that Dex returned to his chopper, and stared at the boat in the water as he thought back to the crime he and Jason had committed together. The crime for which he was still paying off the debt.

Jason and Dex had been in the desert for months when they finally stumbled across their enemy. “Well Jason, this is it.” Dex grinned as if to show he wasn’t nervous. Jason turned to him and nearly burst out laughing. “Look, Dex, if you’re trying to make me feel better just don’t. I’m going to run in, you’re going to cover me and everything will work out.” Dex sighed. “No pressure, what if I hit you?” Jason laughed almost loud enough that anyone could overhear. “Don’t worry about it. But if you shoot me, I will have to hurt you. Got it?” Dex swallowed hard. It was his first mission abroad, and he was stuck with this lunatic. “Whatever you say boss.” He watched through the scope as his boss burst into action. Dex was amazed at his precision and how quickly and efficiently he worked. “Jesus, this guy is some kind of new age ninja James Bond…” Suddenly a man with a huge automatic rifle caught Dex’s eye and with a quick trigger pull, fell to the ground. “Well, one for me, twelve for Jason.” He caught a few other guys and eventually the count ended at four to thirty seven. Dex rushed across the desert to meet up with the sole warrior against the town.

“So, you umm… do this often?” Dex stuttered as Jason tied up the last of his victims. Jason grinned, but concentrated on his knot. “You could say that. In fact, it’s just good to have company here.” A woman burst out of a nearby house and charged the two of them with a knife in hand. Dex raised the rifle, but Jason pointed it down and prepared for the woman. As she got near, Jason disarmed her and tossed the weapon to the ground at his feet. Dex stood staring, impressed by Jason’s skill. The woman was screaming something in a language Dex didn’t recognize. “What is she saying Jason?” Jason swallowed hard. “It seems this town was occupied by peace keeping troops from around here. These are all civilians fighting for their right to survive.” Dex’s stomach jumped into his throat. Jason had disarmed, knocked out or otherwise disabled the thirty seven he had fought. Dex had killed the four he shot. “Jesus, can you apologize for me?” Jason began his apology when suddenly the man he had just finished tying up was at his throat with a knife. Jason somehow kept calm and waved Dex off. Dex however, pointed the gun at the man with the knife and began shouting, “Drop it! Drop it now!”

The moment grew tense and finally the man with the knife couldn’t take it any more and slashed wildly at Jason’s throat. Dex pulled the trigger and the man soared backwards, landing on his back with a bullet to the head. Jason stared at Dex and immediately grabbed the gun from him. “We don’t kill, we aren’t supposed to kill! Not these people, not the peace keepers!” Dex stared at him, only confusion written all over his face. “How are you still alive?” Jason shook his head. “I’m invincible you idiot. I can’t be cut, stabbed or bludgeoned.” Dex fell to his rump as Jason walked around freeing people and explaining the situation to them. A few moments later Jason was approached by the woman who had originally come at him with the knife. She began jabbering to him about something and suddenly the color in his face faded away. Dex stared at him from the ground. “Are you okay?” Jason turned to him with rage in his eyes, but an uncomfortable look on his face. “No. Our military is nearby, and they’ve been robbing, raping and sacking any city they get near. We’re going to stop them.”

Dex snapped back from his thoughts to the concerned look of the man across from him. As he turned to look back to the water where Jason fell, he sighed. My family can never know that we killed twenty three of our own soldiers. My wife can never know that her brother was a rapist and a robber. No one can ever know that it was your idea, and that when you wanted to turn them in, my rage took their lives. Thank you for taking that secret to your grave. Dex sighed as if the world had been taken off his shoulders and he grinned at the man across from him. “You still haven’t missed, have you Dex?” The man across from him asked with a hint of hidden praise. Dex couldn’t help but grin. “Nope. I will never miss.” As the man looked away, Dex looked to his feet as the smile slowly drifted from his face. But sometimes, I wish that was a choice I could make.