It should have been raining.
Prague, September 5th, 2073 was a dark day. Multitudes of innocent civilians got caught in the crossfire of a gangwar nobody saw coming.
Prague, September 5th, 2073 was the day the world's eyes opened to a new war, a war they never thought they'd have to care about. But there it was - in Prague.
Thousands dead, innocent and criminal alike, and the Reapers' reign began. No city, no government, no one was truly safe from them. Because what the Reapers wanted, they took.
So yes, September 5th, 2073 should not have been a sunny day with a light breeze keeping everybody cool and comfortable.
It should have been raining.
There was something about voices on a radio that made everything sound more official.
"Sync."
There were God only knows how many teams spread through the city, each one of them needed to start at the same exact time.
"Sync."
Bombs had been planted, snipers were in position, assault teams on standby.
"Sync."
Agent Marks and his team were going after the Salesman, kill or capture, as long as the traitors were neutralized.
"Sync."
It was almost time; everybody had the bandanas on, everybody had their parts and props. All that was left was to go.
"Sync."
That was the last one.
"Everybody on my mark." Marion's voice crackled through the radio, there was a brief pause. "Mark."
Agent Marks and his team were in a van in front of a hotel and then very suddenly they weren't.
There were security guards who tried to stop them. Then there weren't.
The hotel's restaurant was filled with crime bosses, then those crime bosses were filled with bullets.
Agent Marks thought he had the Salesman in his sights and then he didn't. Because Agent Marks recognized him - he knew the Salesman.
Lynch, it was Lynch, a man Agent Marks once trusted. And now didn't.
A man he pursued up the stairs of the hotel and onto the roof.
He didn't know what he expected when he cornered Lynch on the roof, but it wasn't what he found.
Lynch was sitting on the edge, his legs dangling over the street below.
"Have I ever told you where I was born, Nathan?" Lynch asked his former friend. "Vegas, I was born in Vegas. I've always been one to play the odds, wager more than anyone could afford to lose." The man shook his head, staring out over the streets. "Not this time."
Lynch stood up and turned on Marks.
"Marion thinks we can win the war if we play our cards right." Lynch shrugged, "And maybe he's right, Nathan, maybe we can. But what then?!" Lynch shoved a finger at Agent Marks' chest. "It never ends, there's never a final war!"
Lynch turned around and pointed at the streets below, gunfire from the other teams echoing.
"This is it, Nathan, this is the future! Mankind escalates, every time we think there's been a war to end all wars a worse one comes! Soon the only thing left to escalate to will be the nukes!" Lynch reeled around, turning in circles.
"I won't bet humanity's future on America bringing peace to the world!" he declared. "I won't! The world needs a restart, and in can't do that with giants like America, China, Russia, or England hanging over us. They need to end!"
Lynch turned on Agent Marks one last time.
"Say something!" he pleaded. All Agent Marks did was site Lynch and pull the trigger.
"You never were one for speeches," that was all Lynch managed to cough out before the end.
Agent Lynch used to be a good man. Then he wasn't
"So there it is." Allen said,spinning a empty glass on the table, "that's the whole story. Why the bandanna, what I learned and how I learned it."
Piper didn't know when he stopped telling her the story and just started telling for the sake of telling.
"You know what the worst part is?"
"What?"
"I can't help but think he was right in the end."
Allen held his hand out, gesturing not to the bar but to the world in general.
"Just look, here it is. The nukes got used, exactly what we were trying to avoid." He thumbed his nose. "And that's why I gotta do this, Piper, that's why I gotta keep moving. Find Shaun, ya'know? He was the best, purest part of me." Allen rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Maybe if I keep him - keep that part of me alive, I'd be more than one of the people who made all…" he gestured around him, "this."
Piper opened her mouth and closed it again quickly.
"I need some sleep," Allen admitted, standing up, "Back at it tomorrow."
He started for the rooms.
"Hey, Blue?" Piper called to his back.
"Yeah?" Allen turned his head, but didn't fully turn around.
Like an illiterate with a thesaurus, Piper was at a loss for words. All she managed to muscle out was, "Sleep well."
Allen gave a tired half-grin.
"Will do," he promised, giving her a little two fingered wave.