~ chapter three ~ part one ~
The general wakes in an empty room, no windows or doors. He starts to stand, helped by Pragmatism.
General - "You. I saw you die."
Pragmatism - "Right back at ya."
General - "So that's it then."
Pragmatism - "Hm ? Oh no. People who die in the arena just wake up. But you're going back in to see more, so ... this is like a waiting room until your wandering mind returns to the dream."
General - "What are you waiting for ?"
Pragmatism - "For you !"
General - "Why ?"
Pragmatism - "To answer everyone's big question."
The general wakes in his Middleton hotel bed, the empty room furnished, windows and doors set, alone.
The general walks out to the observation, Aedera waiting, all in silence except the music, the arena circles around the cheering audience.
Lilith walks to the edge of the airship announcing, the cameras turn to him, his face on the screen, he doesn't notice, groggy.
His seat is surrounded with varied bouquets from audience, sitting he sees a sandwich with a bow on it and a card, 'Eat Me' on the outside.
He sits and nods to Aedera, and reads ~
"You just stage dived Hell and died. Eat your sammich."
(heart)
"Gijo."
(heart)
"Gijo."
____________
The Special Not a Valentine
~ chapter three ~
~ chapter three ~
As the camera circles the massive arena surrounding city and burbs, the bombers in the distance doing work.
('U.N.I.T.Y.' by Queen Latifah)
The view loops the other way around, to where the bombers demolish the last of the buildings, lobs from the beach head, Howitzers worked. Tanks advance the rubble.
The view turns under Lilith's airship (a bit of screen shows the general taking a bite of the sandwich) to show Sanctuary airships clearing the demons from the rubble, flushed from hiding.
____________
From the cam in the center, the distant skyline where Priest and the Guardsman were watching falls. Alpha and Delta teams staring ...
Under the ops tarp.
Priest - "Nothing but clowns to the west, I take it you've patrolled the other sectors."
Ops - "We have. Lite search, enemy distributed, no patrol to make us think they've got civilians there either. Checked north and kicked a lot of asses, nothing else. Beach head up from the south east and holding back."
A hard gust of wind hits, detritus blown, gear toppled and dealt with.
Ops - "And right where you said, two drones lost, patrol calls hot. Arial shows protection pattern around this block."
Pointing the map.
Ops - "Can't get a good shot in the storm but it could be a warehouse, a mansion ... hard to tell around here ... but we don't think they could have as many hostages as we expected. They're all there. Rest of the clowns are all spread out."
Priest - "Better gear up these kids then, we got this."
Ops - "You know they'll all be on you when you're gone, right ?"
Priest - "We've got air support."
Ops - "In this storm ?"
Priest - "From this storm."
____
Admiral - Looking out to the approaching storm, "One route captain. And get any slow asses in this fleet on their way, depot out. We're packing."
Captain - "Aye sir ... and call in the air ?"
Admiral - Staring out ... a sigh. "Agreed. There's no safe flying in this. Rack em up, carriers off the board."
The captain turns to the beach head view on the bridge, looks across, picks up the comm.
____
At the beach head the landing craft load gear, the raising wind and waves, last choppers lifting. Airlift from center returning.
A soldier looks up tho the hurried row of bulk vessels, supply, and carriers making way to the west, distance hugging the arena shores, toward the north west, ice in the distance.
________________
The general sips his coffee, takes in the surrounding flowers ...
General - "So ..."
Aedera - "Everyone knows you didn't understand. That you believed you would die. But only Abaddon, and these demons have, and your soldier will not remember this dream."
General - "Thank God."
Aedera - "And you. A hero, honored by Er'elim. Your armor recorded much in that kill. If it had been Er'elim, we would have learned nothing, and the finisher would not have survived it. But what you've recorded involves our next mission, and not one in which you will wish to partake."
General - "Sounds personal."
Aedera - "It is. And final. It's name has just come up on a map we know. Our next quarry." She looks at him and smiles, "But not here. And not today."
________________
A nazi clown walks through the alley scared, turns to run from a puff of smoke ...
"! Whoop ! .... Woop woop woop woop ..."
Looking beck is turns into the alley and stops.
A car with high crooked hydraulics and eyes painted on it's lights stares back ...
The clown stares ...
The car stares ...
A crunching metal sound behind, the nazi clown turns ...
Crushed by another car's hydraulic bounce. The patrol rolls through slowly creeping, HumVs mixed in, top guns targeting over the other low roofs.