~ chapter three ~ part three ~
In the gathering wind, the Guardsmen push the blacklist tales out from the bunker on gurneys to the HumVs.
Morgan bursts out laughing for no reason and rolls over dropping her bottle.
Andromeda - "Oh yeah. I am definitely wounded."
Gearworkers give each other demolition gurney rides, crash and start beating each other up.
Kurukulla's back cannons crawl, carrying her passed out, dragging Wilhelm sleeping by the wrist like a teddy bear.
Daphne and Cassandra ride soldiers piggy back with their guns over the shoulders making gun sounds.
Amelia - Smoking on her back on the gurney, "So what the hell is this even supposed to be !? Is it a goddamn video game or is it a movie or what the hell is it ?"
Lieu Hanh - Carrying Virginia, "It's total propaganda."
Xquic - Follows walking normally, then stares at a guardsman strangely walking by ... "But for whom ... ?"
Lieu Hanh - "Did you just say 'whom' ?
Priest - To the Guardsman, "This is where we part."
Guardsman - "Ghosting ?"
Priest - Puts his hand on his shoulder and smiles, "Scary demons are gone now. You'll be alright. Make that run."
He (with a blunt over his ear now, unnoticed) watches a car pull up stopping, door opening. Priest gets in, door closes, they file out.
____
The map pulls back, the Warriors making a row to the west, out residential. The Guardsmen load, the excess already heading south.
Enemy cars gather and pour from all around.
~ The warriors back their cars into garages in a cul-de-sac.
To the south ahead of the departing Guard, a wall of Abrams tanks awaits.
~ Garage doors close to darkness.
To the north a hard line of speed graded military buggies pushes from behind.
~ Headlights turn on, in the swamp outside Erzulie's club.
Far south offshore, the storm twists closer.
~ They drive, Legba walking out watching, taking a shot.
('Sweet Dreams' by The Eurythmics)
Nocturne hovers over the active game world, unseen, drop-ships circling.
~ Lucretia looks over the maps gathered from the armor, compiling and overlaying, attempting to focus a view to a particular place within a place dimensionally, cycling through.
Nocturne holds out her hands, the polygons collecting around her forming clothes and armor, the gamers below fading in and out as wisp-like ghosts.
~ Lucretia continues to cycle dimensional views over the same region, triangulating on a globe.
The world beneath Nocturne begins reconstructing, polygons rearranging shapes. A drop-ship moves past, players diving in, taking new forms in the collecting shapes, drop ships reforming.
~ Lucretia focuses through a swarmed layer ...
As the fields overlay the different server populations, the wisps of players becomes thick like a smog around a gathering castle.
Landing in front, she enters the high arched doors, furnishing unfolding in the mist. Past a throne and through the back, a bedroom, Doe sleeping. She smiles.
~ Lucretia - "Got you."
________________
The engines start, starting to depart, the Nautilus looms over and past. Naamah walks to the bow, watching the high wall of storm ahead.
She draws her arm along the sight, the other circling in and under. She whips out a finger with her right hand, then a second and third, draws the hand along the storm cloud wall, then drawing them back to her core like a claw.
Her method through the storms is half like a Tai-Chi / Kung Fu, half like a passionate tango with tornadoes (which do dance, I know, I grew up in Minnesota).
Three tornadoes emerge from
the cloud.
('Fantastic Voyage' by Lakeside)
The
random and brightly colored nazi clown cars fan through the streets, a
residential neighborhood, market area leading several miles south to
the beach head.
To the south, the tanks stand pointed for the beach, spread across two blocks, guns in reverse, sighting the approaching Guard HumVs.
Naamah uses her arms to guide the tornadoes past the the tank line, splitting two off from the three, leaving on churning at the beach head.
The tornadoes pour into the low buildings on either side of the Guard's path, grinding at the buildings and concrete in passing, tail winds from the storm wall hitting hard.
____
The Guardsmen accelerate through the destruction, lead gunner spots the tank line ahead, checks back at the gathering clowns beginning to fire.
"Hard Right !"
Morgan, Andromeda, Amelia - Packed in a back seat in the sway turn, laughing "! Whooo !"
____
Lead tank captain sights the line turning a block, away from view, the gathering nazi clowns behind.
A-Captain - "Hold ..."
The last Humvee passes.
A-Captain - Smiles, "All fire."
____
The cars are blown, tossed and thrown with the concrete, crushed beneath the surrounding buildings.
Captain - Into the comm, "B-Line, all yours."
B-Captain - Comm, "Copy that, having fun."
____
The second line fires the already gathered nazi clowns, holds fire as the HumVs sway into view.
Guardsman - (lead driver, blunt still over ear) "Fuck."
He sees the tornado approaching a couple of blocks over, the other further to the let, one straight ahead sitting there. The blunt falls into his lap.
____
The nazi clowns caught in the streets over swerve in the high winds, SUVs lifting slowly and dropping to escape until caught up, whooping and honking.
As the retreat gathers in their lane ~
"! Hard Left !"
Soldiers, Daphne, Cassandra - Packed in the backseat with the sway, Gearworkers driving and gunning, "! Whooo !"
They swerve into sight of the other tornado as it passes, nazi clown cars twirling and throw, they swerve to dodge into the next turn. Cannon fire past behind, few clowns make the turn, the other tornado passing behind them.
Naamah watches from between, guiding the tornadoes through the pursuers, closing their gap. She draws them together when the ground is cleared, dissipating in their fusion.
She turns to the last on the beach with a smile and returns below decks.
____
The HumVs pass the tank line, the tanks start to roll, still firing at the approach.
________
At the beach head the last of the landers wait, others departing in the chop, the last tornado off distant on the shore.
Beach ops - "So there were ... thirteen ... civilians. In total. In this entire city."
Patrol - Stiffing a giggle, "Sir yes sir."
Ops - "And ... clowns ... ?"
Patrol - "About a million sir. The entire city."
They try to stifle laughs and fail.
...
Ops - "We got any mortar left ?"
Patrol - Smiles, "Sir yes sir."
_______
The lead tank opens it's hatch at the beach head turn, looking up at the tornado ...
____
A nazi clown stands through the sunroof of an SUV looking up ...
____
Alison Dorothy look down from the farmhouse at the edge of the tornado, watching. The SUV get swiped up, tank escaping. Sunroof clown gets pulled from the car, impaled by a Middleton street sign.
The landers slam full, one after the next filling and departing in the high chop, nazi clowns spiraling behind as the tornado covers the back.
____
A nazi clown (the first in the opening) drags it's gun watching the destruction through the city as the tornado passes.
It turns to the sea, the last of the landers rounding the beach, away. It peers through the storm front, a growing roar.
~ last after credit ~
A man sleeps ...
He dreams wandering through an antiquated chapel, down the spiraling stairs with his candlestick and robes. A periodic shaking of the building creates dust and a stumble as he makes his way.
Through the library archives, the sound of turning pages and quiet joy. At the center of the archive, seated at a reader's table. Smiling as she turns the pages of her book, touching each page. She looks up at him.
Keeper - "Pontifex."
The Sanctuary Chapel walks through the woods ('The Reformation Epilogue' is leaked online here).
To the south, the tanks stand pointed for the beach, spread across two blocks, guns in reverse, sighting the approaching Guard HumVs.
Naamah uses her arms to guide the tornadoes past the the tank line, splitting two off from the three, leaving on churning at the beach head.
The tornadoes pour into the low buildings on either side of the Guard's path, grinding at the buildings and concrete in passing, tail winds from the storm wall hitting hard.
____
The Guardsmen accelerate through the destruction, lead gunner spots the tank line ahead, checks back at the gathering clowns beginning to fire.
"Hard Right !"
Morgan, Andromeda, Amelia - Packed in a back seat in the sway turn, laughing "! Whooo !"
____
Lead tank captain sights the line turning a block, away from view, the gathering nazi clowns behind.
A-Captain - "Hold ..."
The last Humvee passes.
A-Captain - Smiles, "All fire."
____
The cars are blown, tossed and thrown with the concrete, crushed beneath the surrounding buildings.
Captain - Into the comm, "B-Line, all yours."
B-Captain - Comm, "Copy that, having fun."
____
The second line fires the already gathered nazi clowns, holds fire as the HumVs sway into view.
Guardsman - (lead driver, blunt still over ear) "Fuck."
He sees the tornado approaching a couple of blocks over, the other further to the let, one straight ahead sitting there. The blunt falls into his lap.
____
The nazi clowns caught in the streets over swerve in the high winds, SUVs lifting slowly and dropping to escape until caught up, whooping and honking.
As the retreat gathers in their lane ~
"! Hard Left !"
Soldiers, Daphne, Cassandra - Packed in the backseat with the sway, Gearworkers driving and gunning, "! Whooo !"
They swerve into sight of the other tornado as it passes, nazi clown cars twirling and throw, they swerve to dodge into the next turn. Cannon fire past behind, few clowns make the turn, the other tornado passing behind them.
Naamah watches from between, guiding the tornadoes through the pursuers, closing their gap. She draws them together when the ground is cleared, dissipating in their fusion.
She turns to the last on the beach with a smile and returns below decks.
____
The HumVs pass the tank line, the tanks start to roll, still firing at the approach.
________
At the beach head the last of the landers wait, others departing in the chop, the last tornado off distant on the shore.
Beach ops - "So there were ... thirteen ... civilians. In total. In this entire city."
Patrol - Stiffing a giggle, "Sir yes sir."
Ops - "And ... clowns ... ?"
Patrol - "About a million sir. The entire city."
They try to stifle laughs and fail.
...
Ops - "We got any mortar left ?"
Patrol - Smiles, "Sir yes sir."
_______
The lead tank opens it's hatch at the beach head turn, looking up at the tornado ...
____
A nazi clown stands through the sunroof of an SUV looking up ...
____
Alison Dorothy look down from the farmhouse at the edge of the tornado, watching. The SUV get swiped up, tank escaping. Sunroof clown gets pulled from the car, impaled by a Middleton street sign.
The landers slam full, one after the next filling and departing in the high chop, nazi clowns spiraling behind as the tornado covers the back.
____
A nazi clown (the first in the opening) drags it's gun watching the destruction through the city as the tornado passes.
It turns to the sea, the last of the landers rounding the beach, away. It peers through the storm front, a growing roar.
('Earth Angel' by The Penguins)
The
sea rises over the skyline, the nazi clown (from the opening) looks around at the massive
audience all around, just above that. The soldier in the motel with Mab
stares out the window while she sleeps. The wave strikes.
What remains of the city is note by note demolished, nazi clowns drowning with chunks of buildings and turning cars. Inside the motel, the soldier watches the clowns and buildings swirl past like an aquarium.
____
The fleet rounds the outer edge of the arena, working its way through the ice.
____
The last of the city is buried in the destruction, a splash across the crowd to their roaring cheers.
A deep iron crunching sound echoes across as a massive grate drops beneath the city, dropping it into the water. The gate slams shut again, the city glitches and statics back in, fresh.
____
The fleet escapes, the island flickering, then disappearing behind.
~ The Baron carves his walking stick, pulling out out the open door to the hanging confederates from the trees, watching the viewer.
A sleeping man, nose begins sniffing in the dark, "B. B. Ba. Batl .. B ... Battle ?"
Nameless walks out of his hut, yawning and stretching, looking around.
An eye looks to the left. Hundreds of giggling ninjas running in the fields holding their ice cream cones high ...
"What the ..."
An eye looks to the right. Unicorns are dancing with people in pajamas.
"Who ... ?"
Hundreds of witches on brooms streak over to circle the tree, crowded with students along university walkways.
The door slams. The sound of a heavy chest dragged across the floor, shaking the door when it hits. A bed flop sound.
~ begin credits ~
What remains of the city is note by note demolished, nazi clowns drowning with chunks of buildings and turning cars. Inside the motel, the soldier watches the clowns and buildings swirl past like an aquarium.
____
The fleet rounds the outer edge of the arena, working its way through the ice.
____
The last of the city is buried in the destruction, a splash across the crowd to their roaring cheers.
A deep iron crunching sound echoes across as a massive grate drops beneath the city, dropping it into the water. The gate slams shut again, the city glitches and statics back in, fresh.
____
The fleet escapes, the island flickering, then disappearing behind.
~ The Baron carves his walking stick, pulling out out the open door to the hanging confederates from the trees, watching the viewer.
Dark, the red heart neon from Erzuli's club flickers in, then out.
____________________
________________
~ mid credit ~
A sleeping man, nose begins sniffing in the dark, "B. B. Ba. Batl .. B ... Battle ?"
Nameless walks out of his hut, yawning and stretching, looking around.
An eye looks to the left. Hundreds of giggling ninjas running in the fields holding their ice cream cones high ...
"What the ..."
An eye looks to the right. Unicorns are dancing with people in pajamas.
"Who ... ?"
Hundreds of witches on brooms streak over to circle the tree, crowded with students along university walkways.
The door slams. The sound of a heavy chest dragged across the floor, shaking the door when it hits. A bed flop sound.
____________________
________________
~ end credits ~
~ end credits ~
('My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time' by Doris Day)
~ credits ~
Clowns
and wreckage floating underwater. Extinct life swims while the ships
settle in, bloopers and behind scenes on pop screens.
(words on blackscreen)
"The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution."
"The solution to so many of our problems at all times and in all places is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids."
'Senator Mike Lee on climate change'
~ last after credit ~
A man sleeps ...
He dreams wandering through an antiquated chapel, down the spiraling stairs with his candlestick and robes. A periodic shaking of the building creates dust and a stumble as he makes his way.
Through the library archives, the sound of turning pages and quiet joy. At the center of the archive, seated at a reader's table. Smiling as she turns the pages of her book, touching each page. She looks up at him.
Keeper - "Pontifex."
The Sanctuary Chapel walks through the woods ('The Reformation Epilogue' is leaked online here).