by Tom Jones
“Let’s get to it,” Arcades said as he bent down to unzip the duffel bag. Jason remained standing; he was going to let the fox have all of the honors. The wolf, from his standing position, was able to see the full contents of the bag as it was opened: There were plenty of lower receivers of all sorts of firearms. The wolf immediately recognized most of the items contained in the bag, for he had used a great deal of them himself when he was working for Kurt Hofmeier. However, now that he was living with Saint Arcades, the bag contained mostly sour memories from the Invisible War. Jason did not really know what he was getting himself to when he agreed to work for Fox Security back in late 2027, but looking back at his choice, he definitely did not regret doing so. Jason always had a particular liking for the fox, and he was glad that Arcades was still willing to have him as a brother rather than just as a mere employee. The wolf also was thankful that the fox was as patient as he was, for he knew that most people would probably not have been too forgiving if they were on the receiving end of what Jason attempted to do not even a full year into his employment.
Arcades reached into the bag and retrieved the stripped lower receiver of a select-fire Heckler & Koch HK416A5. The fox brought the illegal firearm up to his chest and inspected it. After a short moment of silence, Arcades began to speak while still looking at the lower receiver, “I remember getting this one. It was one of the first guns I bought when I first got my SOT. I got it because you could get them from HK for under two thousand dollars. To put things into perspective, the civilian MR556 that’s a bit of a downgrade went for over three thousand dollars. It’s weird, but that’s just the unfortunate reality of things.” Jason also shared memories of the rifle, “I remember that one. Didn’t Bobby use that back when we went to Berlin in 2028?” Arcades nodded, “Yep. It’s the same rifle. The HK416 was always a weapon which I thought looked pretty nice. The A5 model has this canted magwell that looks more like what you’d get on a standard AR-15. It was done that way to accept more magazines.”
Arcades had stopped talking, and Jason had nothing else to add. The wolf looked towards the water, but before the fox dropped the weapon into the water, Jason did say, “At least we made a pretty decent amount from selling the parts from it, right?” Arcades nodded, “Yeah. It’s been a hot minute since that happened, so I don’t remember how much it sold for. However, I do know that I didn’t really lose too much on this rifle. It held up really well, and it sure served its purpose. I just really wish I didn’t have to do this.” Jason replied to the fox’s last statement, “I wish so as well, but I think we both can agree that being detained by an actual law enforcement agency is not as fun as being detained at our discretion.” Arcades could not help but subtly chuckle at the wolf’s statement, “Heh. Too true...” Though the wolf’s comment did somewhat lighten the mood, the fox’s smile quickly disappeared as he held the firearm over the water. Neither of the anthros knew how deep the water was, but they were sure that the firearms they were dropping would not be found by anybody anytime soon. The fox finally built up the courage to drop the firearm, and he watched as it sunk into the water and completely disappeared within seconds.
“There it goes. It’s gone,” the wolf said, watching the firearm fade away into the water. Arcades closed his eyes and took a deep breath; he was not enjoying this moment, but he knew that he really had no other choice. The wolf noticed that the fox was visibly distressed, so he spoke up, “Hey, come on, Kurt. We’ll be better off without that stuff anyways. When were we even going to use it now that the war’s over, anyways?” Arcades opened his eyes, and he looked back up at the wolf, “We wouldn’t be planning on using it, but I still liked keeping them around. They were fun to play with.” The wolf replied, “Those haven’t even been assembled for over a year now, mate. We’ll be fine without ‘em. I can all but promise you that.” Arcades gave one more sigh before retrieving another gun from the bag; the fox knew that what the wolf said was true.
The fox proceeded to discard many of the weapons which he did not have too great of a connection to. As the fox continued to drop more and more weapons into the water, he was finding it easier to abandon the weapons. However, Arcades seemed to be specifically avoiding the weapons which he held more of a personal connection to, even though he knew that he would have to end up tossing them into the water anyways. The heavier weapons such as the FN MAG and FN Minimi were not hard for the fox to toss; it was not like Arcades liked to lug around such heavy weapons to begin with. The fox hesitated a bit before throwing out the FN SCAR and the HK G36, but he was able to part ways with the weapons. Arcades threw out his SIG Sauer MCX Spear without too much trouble. The MCX Spear was the last weapon the fox had obtained in 2030, and he did not even get to shoot it more than once. Nevertheless, Arcades wished that he would have the opportunity to fire the weapon again, but he knew that keeping the firearm was not an option since he would likely be caught with the weapon eventually. Jason mainly sat back and watched as all of the weapons plummeted into the water, and he could also tell that Arcades still appeared visibly upset while he discarded his collection of weapons, even if they were not even assembled to fire any projectiles. The wolf was not too upset since he did not come from a culture which loved firearms, but he still found himself saddened by seeing Arcades so upset. The fox did not even have a chance to keep his civilian legal firearms since he had to sell literally all of them to be able to make enough money. Jason knew that he would make it up to the fox once they returned home.
After throwing out the auto sear from the Glock 17 and the lower receiver from the KRISS Vector, Arcades was now out of all of the weapons which held lesser significance to him. All the fox had now were weapons which were very important to him on a sentimental level, and there were only three of them. Arcades reached into his bag and pulled out the first weapon, the Heckler & Koch 433. Jason recognized the rifle when he saw it, and he was starting to wonder where the weapon was. The fox held the lower receiver of the weapon in front of him, and he spoke, “I bet you know about this weapon, don’t you?” The wolf nodded, “I sure do, mate. Both of us have used it.” Arcades nodded, “Yep. This thing has not let me down. I remember bringing this one to Berlin just like with the HK416 and the G36. You used this weapon when we went to the Congo in ‘28. It’s just a shame that we’ll have to drop this one here with the rest.” Jason really wanted to do something to comfort the fox, but Arcades was just a couple inches out of the wolf’s reach. Jason could only give his brother words of encouragement, “What matters is that we’ll be able to move on and have a better future. I know you’ll feel better when it’s all done and over with, mate.”
Arcades frowned while looking at the weapon part, and he finally let go of the weapon after holding it over the water for probably a couple seconds longer than he should have. Both anthros watched the receiver disappear in the water, and at that point, they both knew that it was now on its way to join the rest of the illegal weaponry at the bottom of the water. With the HK433 now gone as well, there were only two more weapons left in the bag. Arcades reached into the bag and pulled out the most complete weapon out of the entire collection, the XMP-1. The XMP-1 was only lacking its scope and two magazines, but everything else was still held together since most of the weapon’s assembly was not compatible with more familiar weapon systems that would be found in the civilian or military market. Since the XMP-1 was still mostly assembled, the fox was able to pull the charging handle back and watch the bolt cycle. The fox frowned as he looked at the unique weapon, “The Foundation’s rifle…”
Jason looked at the weapon as the fox played with it, and he spoke up in response to the fox’s description of the weapon, “Prolly the last thing we have to remember the Foundation by. When we get rid of it, I guess we’ll be truly free from the Foundation for good. We won’t even have their rifle to remember them by.” Holding the weapon over the water with both hands, Arcades wanted to share his closing thoughts about the Foundation before letting go of the XMP-1, “Y’k
now, I just wish that we could’ve done more. All those anthros trapped in the Foundation, and we couldn’t get them all out. It’s a true shame.” Jason replied, “At least we got Jackie out, right?” Arcades nodded, but he was not satisfied, “True, but she ended up moving away.” Jason then said, “Yeah, but I’d say that’s probably because she’s quite young compared to us two. She still has a great deal of her life to live, and she’s not retiring in her early thirties like we are.” Arcades examined the XMP-1 again; he knew that he would never see the rifle ever again after he dropped it in the water. The fox was wondering how much the weapon would sell for, but he also knew that he would not even be legally able to sell the rifle without his Federal Firearms License and Special Occupational Tax. On the topic of Jackie, Arcades had one last thing to say, “I just pray that she accepted the Lord. I’d hate for her to endure damnation.” Jason said, “That’s between her and the Lord, mate. You know it’s not our job to make people accept Christ or not. All we have to do is just get the word out. They’ll have to choose for themselves.” Arcades took a deep breath and finally let go of the XMP-1. The rifle, being more massive than the others, quickly disappeared into the water and sank.
Arcades spoke as he watched the last image of the XMP-1 fade into the water, “There it goes.” Jason was surprised that the fox was getting so upset over watching a piece of the enemy’s property go into the water, “I suppose that would’ve looked good in a museum. Too bad nobody even knows about this little war we had.” Arcades did not respond to the wolf’s comment; he only turned back around to retrieve the last item in the bag. The fox stood over the bag, and he bent down to retrieve it. When the fox emerged with the last item, he could feel his eyes beginning to water up. Jason laid his eyes upon the last item which the fox held, and he understood why Arcades waited to drop this specific weapon off last. Arcades examined the lower receiver of his select-fire Salient Arms International Tier 1 AR-15 GRY, and he knew that this would be the last time he would ever look at his favorite firearm again. The fox attempted to speak, but he could only let out a mild sob.
Arcades closed his eyes tightly while clutching on to the last firearm he had, and he could feel the tears running down his furry cheeks. Jason, seeing that the duffel bag was now empty, stepped over the bag and took the fox in for an embrace. The wolf still could not relate with the fox’s specific fondness for these weapons, but he understood that they meant a great deal to him. As Jason continued to hold the fox and embraced him, Arcades’ sobs only began to get louder. The fox buried his face into the wolf’s chest, and he hugged the wolf back while still holding the Salient GRY. The Salient GRY was the fox’s favorite weapon, and he never wanted to have to get rid of it. Jason never quite understood why Americans loved their firearms so much, but he did understand why Arcades was particularly upset about ridding himself of this gun. Jason always saw the fox with the rifle, save for some particular occasions, and the wolf knew that his brother always took great care of the weapon. Jason even remembered that when he was found for the first time in Alaska, Arcades was wielding the Salient GRY. The pair no longer even possessed the upper receiver for the weapon; they had sold it along with the entire inventory of their tactical items. Jason patted the fox on the back as Arcades continued to cry, and he just knew that he would have to do something to cheer the fox up when they got home. The wolf already knew what he had in mind, but he decided to not let Arcades know at the moment in order to give the fox a bit of a surprise even if the fox could predict what the wolf was thinking of.
After the fox cried into the wolf’s chest for a good few minutes, he finally lifted himself up and looked at the wolf in his eyes. Jason’s face clearly indicated his sympathy towards the fox, and the wolf spoke directly to the fox, “You’ll always have me, Kurt.” Arcades, throughout his teary eyes, managed to develop a smile on his face. The fox knew that an inorganic piece of machined aluminium could not love him, but the wolf embracing him already greatly loved him. Arcades knew what he had to do: The fox waited for Jason to back up a couple steps before holding the last firearm he had over the water. Arcades looked at the water, and he looked back at the Salient GRY. The fox closely examined the weapon’s receiver for the very last time, and he read the engravings in his head, ‘Salient Arms International. MOD: GRY. CALIBER: MULTI. SAI 002193. SAI: LAS VEGAS, NV.’ Arcades felt his eyes tearing up again as he felt the engravings with his thumb; it would be the last time he would ever see the engravings, let alone feel them.
Arcades felt the lower receiver over one last time. The fox had always relied on his Salient Arms GRY, and the weapon had never failed him. Being part of the AR-15 family, the GRY was already liked by the fox, and the rifle was fine-tuned to have everything Arcades wanted out of a weapon. The base rifle was already very expensive compared to most premium performance AR-15s, and it was also the rifle which the fox put the most effort and money into tuning to meet his likings. The fox wished that the legislation surrounding firearms were not as restrictive as they were, but there was simply nothing he could do to change the situation. Jason was still watching the fox hold the lower receiver. The wolf was not going to say anything to get Arcades to drop the weapon; he was going to wait until the fox was ready to drop it himself. Finally, Arcades took in a deep breath, and he finally loosened his grip on the weapon before it fell from his fingers and plunged into the water. The fox immediately looked down to the water as he watched his last remaining and most favorite firearm sink into the water before disappearing for good. The fox could only see the weapon for mere seconds while it sank before it disappeared from his sight forever. Arcades no longer possessed any firearms, whether they be legal or illegal. When the fox was finished, he could feel the wolf lightly grabbing his shoulders, “You did it, Kurt. It’s all over. Let’s go home.”
The boat ride back to the shore took roughly the same amount of time as it did driving out in the first place, but the boat was able to go just a bit faster since it was not carrying as much weight. Jason and Arcades returned to the dock safely, and after securing the boat back to the post it was tied to in the first place, the two anthros proceeded up the dock carrying nothing but an empty duffel bag. The two anthros walked in silence as they made their way back to their vehicle. Arcades was still rather upset since he lost all of his guns to the Gulf of Mexico, but at the same time, he knew that there was truly nothing he could do. After losing his establishment thanks to an attack carried out by the Illuminati, Arcades had no other choice but to sell the guns that were legal for civilians to own and to abandon the guns which he could not legally own without an FFL and SOT. Fortunately for both anthros, they were able to make enough money from selling all of the guns they could, and after doing some jobs together around the city of Pensacola, they were able to move from a rental house to a permanent domicile which they owned. Both anthros still had a decent amount of money left over from the sale of their tactical gear and firearms, but they did not plan on buying any of the stuff back. After all, following the Invisible War, both anthros felt that they had enough of the tactical lifestyle. Their final mission had been completed.
Jason broke the silence as he walked with the fox, “Y’know, Kurt. I don’t recall you ever telling me how you got the name ‘Saint Arcades’. How’d that come about, mate?” Arcades replied, “Well… I don’t really think I even remember how I came with that. I just remember thinking about it a long time ago, and I just decided to roll with it.” Jason smiled and asked, “Why don’t I have a name like that? I’ve just been Jason.” Arcades said, “You don’t even call me Arcades in the first place. You just call me by my real name.” Jason nodded, “Yeah, I know, but what if I need a cool name like that to be referred to every once in a while?” Arcades shrugged while still carrying the empty duffel bag, “When would that be? We don’t need callsigns anymore.” Jason knew that they would not be participating in any engagements within the near future, so he knew he could not use combat as a reason, “Uhh… Y’know, I don’t th
ink I’ve thought about that, mate. I just want a neat name I can also be known as.” Arcades thought up a name off the top of his head, “Hmmm… How about Saint Photias? How does that sound?” The wolf was impressed, “I like it. How’d you go about making that one, mate?” Arcades replied, “Well… It’s probably not too far how I came up with Arcades. I kinda just came up with it.”
After about five more minutes of walking on foot, both Arcades and Photias finally returned to where they parked their 4Runner. Out of practically everything else that the two anthros lost during the Invisible War, they were at least able to keep their SUV. Arcades opened the rear door of the vehicle, and he dropped the empty duffel bag inside before closing the rear door. Photias was already making his way to the passenger seat, and by the time Arcades opened the driver door, the wolf was already sitting in his seat with his seatbelt on. The fox sat in the driver’s seat, closed the door behind him, put his seatbelt on, turned the key, and started the vehicle. As the engine started, Photias asked his brother a question, “Doesn’t that feel a bit better, mate? We can finally put this behind us for good.” Arcades shifted the gearbox out of park and began to pull out of the space he was parked in, “I suppose. However, I guess I’ll have to just get over it. I suppose there are better things for me to get involved with than guns.” Photias smiled, remembering what he had in mind, “I think you’ll come to get over it faster than you think, mate. I think we both know what you like better than playing with guns.” Arcades knew what Photias was referring to, but he did not exactly realize that the wolf was planning to treat the fox with exactly that when they made it back home. The fox would have to wait until they got back home before he would receive his treat from the wolf.