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The Gate-Way: Chapter 15 - Burning Bridges

Leo grabbed a large bag from his station and began to follow the security force currently dragging an unconscious Matt and the feral Jake to the hospital.

"Leo, I need to talk with you for a moment." Trevor whispered into his ear,

urgently tugging on his labcoat.

"Can it wait? I really need to attend to Jake now." The red panda replied, concern flashing across his features.

"No, Leo it can't. It's in relation to the mission." Trevor explained carefully, trying hard to keep the strain from his voice.

Leo was skeptical, what could possibly be so important. Sighing he handed his medical bag to his his assistant and followed the fox away from the group. "Now what's this all about? Jake needs urgent attention."

"It was Brad." Trevor breathed, his voice cracking as panic beginning to slip through.

"What?" Leo asked, confused. "What was Brad?"

"Brad betrayed us to the Corporation! He's the reason everything went so wrong!" Trevor moaned, his ears flattened against his head as he looked up at Leo.

"That's preposterous. Brad has been with us for years! He'd ne-"

"And I'm telling you I heard it with my own ears! He was telling Ethan that-"

"Ethan?! " Leo exclaimed, his mind flashing back to the wolf's haggard appearance as he stepped through the portal.

"Y..yes, Ethan had received some kind of transmission and I followed him. I was going to tell Jake when I got back, but everything went off the deep end." The fox's voice was shrill.

"Is Ethan a part of this as well then?" A low growl forming in Leo's throat.

"I...don't know, Leo. I ran off before they finished talking."

Leo sighed heavily. It was not what he wanted to hear. Shaking his head he looked to the security detail, they couldn't allow a potential spy to run free. He gestured a paw towards Ethan. The security troops moved forward in unison toward the surprised wolf, binding his paws behind his back.

"What's going on?!"

"Ethan, you are hereby under arrest." Leo stated plainly, a flicker of disappointment passing across his features.

"For what?!" Ethan demanded.

"You are relieved of duty, until such time as your involvement with the traitor, Bradley, has been determined." Leo said, turning away as Ethan was dragged off to a holding cell.

"Wait you can't think...No! I had nothing to do it! You have to believe me! Trevor! Tell them!" Ethan pleaded as he was pulled from the room, kicking and shouting in outrage. Trevor couldn't bring himself to look, hearing his friend's cries for help.

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Ethan sat motionless, slumped and shackled to a metal chair. His usually perky ears lay limp and lifeless to either side of his head. He dared not close his eyes, focusing intently on the floor. Each passing blink brought with it a new torture, as images of Brad flashed through the darkness of his mind. A single tear streaked down his muzzle and dripped onto the floor as his cell opened. He recognized Leo's scent as the red panda stood before him. "Why have you done this?" Ethan muttered, trying his best to remain coherent.

"We have to make sure you weren't involved in this." Leo stated, his voice forcibly neutral. Ethan finally looked up, hearing more footsteps as Trevor and a security detail entered his prison. The room was stark white, making it nearly impossible to determine the edges of the space. His chair faced an open surface in the wall where the door had previously blended perfectly. The guards stepped forward, one standing directly next to Ethan. The beast flexed his arms and cracked his knuckles, the paint on them chipped and worn.

"Trevor tells me Brad is responsible for this whole mess...What do you know about it?" Leo asked.

"Nothing." Ethan quietly responded. His words were immediately met with pain, as the clenched paw of the interrogator collided with the side of his muzzle. Trevor jumped at the sight, but Leo gritted his teeth and held in the pain he felt. This had to be done. The damage a spy could do had already been shown, and with another loose more people could die.

"What do you know about it?" Leo asked again.

"I told you I didn't know anything!" Ethan repeated, louder this time. Again he was in pain as the interrogator captain slammed a second fist into his head.

"Why should I believe that?!" Leo yelled.

"Because you know me!" Ethan pleaded before being knocked over in the chair by another blow.

"That's not good enough!" Leo exclaimed, tears in his eyes, marching forward to lift Ethan's muzzle. He forced the wolf to look directly into his eyes. "Why should I believe anything you say?" Ethan could hear the interrogator captain snarling in his ear.

"Leo...please..." Ethan begged. Tears began to form at the edges of his eyes. "You have to believe me."

"Like we believed Brad?!" Leo screamed, throwing the wolf's muzzle back to the ground. "We knew him just as long as you! How many are dead now because of him?! Jake has transformed into a feral monster and Matt is in critical condition! Brad betrayed us all and no one was closer to him than you!"

"Don't you think I fucking know that!" Ethan howled as the dam burst. The room went silent as the wolf snapped, angry tears streaming through his fur. "I devoted six years of my life to that man! Six years! Every touch! Every kiss! Every secret shared! I gave him my everything... and he gave it to them!"

Ethan was now screaming with rage, his body racked with choking sobs. The entire room stared in awe of what they were seeing. Their friend who had always been so cheery seemed completely unhinged. Leo wiped his own eyes and gave a quick nod to one of the guards, who sat the wolf back up in front of them. Stepping forward, Leo knelt before Ethan's sobbing form and placed a paw on the wolf's leg.

"What happened, Ethan?" Leo asked, his voice softer now. His stern façade cracked and broken now.

"I killed him..." Ethan whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks as he choked on the words.

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Ethan charged through the forest. He didn't care about anything but getting to Brad. As the trees sped by, the wolf honed in on Brad's signal. He could only hope Trevor would find the portal quickly. They had to get out here. Opening the com channel, Ethan screamed for his love.

"Brad?! Where are you?!" He had made it to Brad's general location but didn't see the tiger anywhere.

"There you are!" Brad called rushing up behind him. The pair embraced as they met each other, suits clinking together.

"Come on! We have to get out of here!" Ethan demanded, pulling on Brad's armoured paw..

"I don't think that's a good idea just yet," Brad stated flatly.

"What? Why?" Ethan stammered, confused and scared.

"If we go back, we'll be intercepted and killed by Corporation operatives."

"All the more reason to get the hell out of her as soon as possible!" Ethan cried, the sounds of fighting continuing as fiercely as before

"I'm sorry I can't let you go, baby." Brad said, his eyes darkening.

Ethan waited for the rest of the joke, but it didn't come. He wasn't sure why, but Brad was deadly serious.

"Brad, look around...None of this was supposed to happen...We need to get back to base and figure out what happened!" Ethan screamed hysterically, trying to pull the tiger with him.

"That won't be necessary." Brad said, his words all the more disturbing for their calm delivery.

"Baby, you're starting to scare me, let's go."

"Do you know what scares me, Ethan? We've been doing this for years...and according to Allen will continue to do so for even longer. There's no end in sight!"

"We just have to keep fighting, I guess." Ethan said, confused.

"No I'm done fighting. I want to start a life with you; a real life away from Jake and his pointless revenge!" Brad snarled.

"What are you saying, Brad? We can't just abandon, Jake!"

"We won't have to." Brad's voice was deadpan.

"What have you done?"

"Nothing that wouldn't have happened sooner or later. Anyone who opposes the Corporation winds up dead. I just helped it along." Brad said vaguely as he shook his head.

"You did this?!"

"How do you think we even knew about this place? How do you think they knew we'd be here?"

"Brad..."

"I helped them plant information, using your computer." Angry it was so hard for his mate to understand

"Why?!"

"I did it for us! I did it so we could be together finally! Baby please...come with me. Run away from this pointless fighting! It's not our battle!"

"I...I don't..." His mind barely processing the information, releasing his grip on the tiger's paw as he took a step backwards

"I think I've heard everything I needed to hear." Trevor said, bounding into the clearing.

"Trevor. Now this is a surprise...almost." Brad said, looking over his shoulder to where the fox had been hiding. Quickly drawing his side arm, Brad took aim at the tree that sheltered Trevor, ready if the fox chose to flee.

"Brad put the gun down."

"Sorry Trevor, no hard feelings. I just can't afford to have you spoiling everything."

"Brad no!" Ethan dove for the tiger, knocking the gun upward. A stray bolt took out a limb in a nearby tree as Trevor dashed back to the trenches. The pair continued to struggle on the ground, wrestling with the gun.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!"

Suddenly, there was a loud echo. The pair stopped moving recognizing the sound of gunshot. It had been too close and they knew it. Looking down, Ethan found the wound. A large cavity where the bolt had discharged cut clean through Brad's suit. A smile flashed through the tiger's visor and he placed a paw on Ethan's helmet.

"Should have known you'd be too noble to walk away."

"Stop talking, you'll be okay." Ethan said, whimpering as tears began to patter against his visor.

"L-liar."

"Don't talk like that. We're getting you out of here."

"I love...I love y..."

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Ethan howled in anguish and fell forward against his restraints. Leo fell back on his haunches as Trevor held his head in his paws. Ethan's form was wracked with sobs as his pain poured out.

"I believe you Ethan," Leo said, kneeling forward he wrapped his arms around the wolf, holding him against his shoulder as the interrogator unrestrained him. Ethan fell forward and embraced the panda sobbing.

"Understood," A muscular doberman spoke into his com link, then looked to Leo. "Sir, you're needed in the hospital wing."

The red panda reluctantly released Ethan, unaccustomed to the stresses of his newfound leadership. "Trevor, stay with Ethan. After he's calmed down bring him up to the hospital to looked over."

The fox merely nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes, and took Leo's place next to the trembling wolf.