This is one of the Lost Chapters, in it's pure form. Considering they were written last year, and I can still publish them, with very little editing of either the Lost Chapters or the current story, it would seem that I have not written all that much for a while. Sorry about that.
"Hey, do you know what this meeting is about?" asked a Private. "No. No I don't. Only the Senior Command Staff have been told. Now, will you please bugger off to your own seat?" Snapped Corporal Faraday. He had been slightly annoyed ever since his brother, the Lieutenant, had come home with the amnesia that seemed to be affecting the older kids. Now, he was hoping, Command would be announcing that the R+D people had figured out what caused it and how to reverse it.
As Darrell came up onto the platform at the front of the meeting hall, a rumble of applause rolled around the room like thunder. No cheering though. That honour had yet to be earned. There was also a muttering of surprise, for Darrell was wearing the Lord Admiral's peaked hat and cloak.
"Fellow troopers! I come before you today to tell you: We have been betrayed! How many of you have heard of Decomissioning?" No hands went up, and no voices yelled out. "And yet, already many of our number have been Decomissioned by our lord and masters, the KND! My brother, the First Lord Admiral, may have joined us with the KND, but this latest betrayal is yet another reason for me to undo his terrible mistake!" Each of Darrell's statements was being met with a growing chorus of agreement. "Why must we protect and serve the Kids Next Door, if they fail to tell us that at the age of thirteen, we will be removed from duty, and forcibly stripped of all our memories of our time as troopers, operatives, or enemies of the Kids. But I say; Nay. We shall not give up our time as troopers of the cause so easily! We must withdraw our membership of the Kids Next Door! And when their pathetic Command tries to Decomission us, we shall strike with the fury of a thousand avenging Dragons! Do this, not for the memory of my brother! Not for the Cause! Do this, for your own memory of our times together! Do this so that we can look back on our time and say 'I remember that!' Together, we shall make the Kids Next Door rue the day they decided to trick us out of our rightful place onboard our ships! Are you with me? I say are you with me?!" The response almost blew out the windows. "Then I say, we hall remove the Kids Next Dead from their ill-gained position above us, and we shall spread our wings above this land, and rule like never before!"
"Da-rrell! Da-rrell!" Chanted the crowd, and then Corporal Faraday shouted "When do we do away with our false leaders?" This question, totally unexpected by the crowd, caused an almost total silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and in fact did when a Security person cocked his weapon at the 'troublemaker'. Darrell quickly waved him to stand down. "Soon, Corporal. All our lost brothers and sisters shall be avenged soon. But for now, we must keep up the facade of obedience to our false masters. When the time is right, we shall give them cause to regret their lack of worth."
As Darrell walked back off the stage, it was all he could do to suppress a smile. He had just employed the oldest trick in the book. He had just successfully taken advantage of group mentality to reach the decision he wanted. Darrell had organised it so that small groups of 'yes' men had been stationed around the auditorium. This meant that no one in the hall was any more than five seats away from three or more people who already knew what was going on, and knew exactly where to agree. And Corporal Faraday and that guard had played their roles perfectly.
Considering I get less hits than than the fat guy who forgot to shower at the speed dating thing, I'm not expecting too many reviews. Do feel free to exceed my expectations though.
