Chapter 10
Alistair was petrified. They were on their way to the airport to fly to Washington DC, and he was absolutely terrified. What if the plane goes down? I don't wanna die in a bloody metal bird! When they arrived he was on the edge of panic, praying that their flight was cancelled or delayed so that he wouldn't have to fly.
"I don't want to fly," he whined. "Why couldn't we take the train with Sereda and Carmine?"
Serena sighed, "Because we are the ones leading this whole thing, love. Just relax, I promise you're making it out to be worse than it is. Just relax."
Alistair grimaced at the doors to the airport. "Easy for you to say, you've done this before!"
"Only twice. Just trust me, please? It'll be fun." She gave him the smile she saved only for him, the one that shows her perfectly imperfect teeth.
"Oh alright," he relented. "But if we die, I'm gonna kill you."
"I'll hold you to that, love," she laughed. "There's Isabela!"
He looked over to see Isabela at the baggage check, cell phone to her ear and tablet in her hand.
"No, I said I wanted both suites! Not just the one. You said I could book both when I called last week! Ugh, just get me both suites or I swear on all that is-oh, hey you two, go on and check your bags, I'm working out an issue with the hotel, -no, I'm talking to the people who are going to be saving your sorry ass here in a couple of months! Get them that damn suite!" Isabela walked past them with an absent wave, completely absorbed in her tablet.
After they got their bags checked, they went to the bar where Isabela was waiting for them. Alistair went to order himself a beer when Isabela stopped him. "No way, sailor. This is your first time flying; we don't need you getting sick on the plane."
"Why on earth would I get sick on a plane?"
"Anxiety, you goose. Now take this, it should help you relax without making your tummy go funny. I had to take them the first few times I flew."
She handed him a pill with a glass of water; he swallowed the pill gratefully, glad to know that someone else had been in his shoes once. When the loud speaker announced their flight would be boarding soon, he started to panic. Then Serena gave him a reassuring smile and he relaxed, walking through the terminal holding her hand.
SERENA
Alistair had handled the flight better than she'd thought, though most of it had to do with that pill Isabela had given him. He'd fallen asleep as soon as they were in the air.
She and Isabela had gossiped and giggled throughout the flight, scandalizing two unwary passengers when Isabela explained what those six things were that women were good for. Isabela had tried to pry out the details of Serena and Alistair's sex life, but was met with coy smiles and vague remarks.
They had little trouble at the hotel, Isabela's patented blend of tits, ass and a threat or two had gotten them the extra suite. When Serena opened the door, she noticed that the room was very spacious, complete with a desk and couches so they wouldn't be sitting on their bed to get any work done or watch TV. The bed was large, at least a king size, with big fluffy white pillows and a rich brown, blue and gold patterned comforter.
Serena set her bags down on the couch and flopped onto the bed, relishing in the softness of the mattress. "Ooooh, I could die here. When this is all over, we are so getting a new mattress!"
Alistair set his bags next to hers and joined her on the bed, pulling her close. "Wow, you're right. This is nice." He paused. "So, we have that meeting with the President and his generals, right?"
"Yep, we head to the White House tomorrow, why?"
"I guess I'm nervous. I mean I know we've been trained the best we could be, under the circumstances, but these men have been training for decades! What if they don't take us seriously because of it?"
Serena pondered that for a bit, knowing that there was a chance that he'd be right and they'd just write them off as morons. Yet another part of her knew that they were clueless about what they were facing and Serena and Alistair had the knowledge that the generals didn't have.
She knew they would do just fine, "Alistair, these people are scared. Genuinely frightened; they have no idea what they're facing, and since we are the only ones with those answers, they will listen."
"I suppose so; I guess it's just nerves. I can't believe I'm back to being one of the last Grey Wardens again. Only this time it's just two of us on the entire planet! Not just in one country. It's a bit…overwhelming."
She understood his point, but also knew he needed to relax. I know something to help with that…Mmm. "Alistair?"
"Yes, love?"
"Let's break in the bed," she whispered, voice filled with want.
He flipped on top of her, whispering before trapping her lips in a kiss, "your desire is my command."
ALISTAIR
It was three in the morning when Alistair woke with a start. He sensed darkspawn, a lot of them. He shook Serena awake and jumped out of bed, grabbing his uniform and throwing it on.
"Alistair, what's going on?"
"Darkspawn are headed into the city, call Carmine and tell him to gather his men and Sereda. We'll grab Isabela on our way out."
He saw her leap from the blankets and ran straight to her bags; she was yanking on her boots when she called Carmine, placing him on speaker phone.
"Get everyone up and ready, we got darkspawn in the city."
"Understood, which way they comin' from?"
Alistair, in the most authoritative voice he could muster replied, "They're coming from the west, like we figured they would. I need you to prepare everything we got, RPGs, tanks, all of it. We'll also need someone in the air to see if the Archdemon shows up, I haven't sensed it but that doesn't mean it's not here."
"Already on it, where are we meeting?"
"DuPont Circle. We'll get Isabela on with The President to issue a lock down on the city and the Circle cleared. From there we march west, and we push as many of those bastards back as we can until the army can come in and fortify the city."
"Yes, sir! We'll meet you at DuPont Circle in one hour."
"Thank you, Carmine."
Alistair could feel the adrenaline course through his veins, the steady buzzing in his head signalling that the darkspawn were drawing ever closer to the city. With the woman he loved beside him; reminding him what he was fighting for, he left to retrieve Isabela and head off to battle.
While Alistair, Sereda, and Carmine stayed on the ground readying the men for battling the darkspawn, Serena and Isabela were flying overhead, searching the skies for signs of the Archdemon. News vans had pulled up behind Carmine's trucks, and reporters and cameramen poured out of them, headed straight for Alistair.
"Oh, shit!" he groaned before he was swarmed by reporters, all asking for a statement.
Carmine stepped between Alistair and the inquisitive mob bellowing, "ENOUGH! Now if you all would like to know what is happening, please turn on your cameras to live feed and step back! Alistair will make a speech, then you will all leave and head for safety!" Wait, I didn't want to make a speech!
"Hold on! I never said I'd speak to them!"
"Well sir, it's either this, or they put themselves in harm's way to get a shot of the darkspawn. Which would you prefer?"
"Damnit it all!" He'd been ambushed, either give them what they want and keep them alive or risk their lives to keep Warden secrets that anyone who'd picked up the game already knew. Well shit. He heaved a frustrated sigh. "Alright, gather all your people up too, they'll need to hear this."
He stood up on the bed of a truck, cameras and soldiers awaiting his next words. Thought I was done doing this shit... Ah well. Geronimo! He took a deep breath, and in the best authoritative voice he could muster, he spoke.
"Now I know that none of you know exactly what is happening or why. Monsters from a video game are attacking this country, leaving a trail of blood and evil as they march on your Capital. My name is Alistair Marcus Theirin; I am a Grey Warden of Ferelden. To my right is my friend and fellow Grey Warden, Sereda Illysa Aeducan of Orzammar. Together we can, and will, end this Blight!"
When he was met with silence he felt exposed. Ok...new game plan.
"Our worlds are connected by a thin barrier. So thin in fact, that there are tears in that barrier that allow us to cross over between the two. That's how the darkspawn got here."
A reporter piped up, "How do we know that you're not just some jumped up cosplayer trying a hand at being a hero?"
Alistair, struck dumb by the man's words, stood baffled. Oh you listen here you little shit!
"Alright answer me this then. How is it I would know that darkspawn are coming here before anyone else?"
The buzzing in his head got louder, almost to the point of roaring. "Listen, we don't have much time, I can't tell you everything but I can tell you this: if you cannot fire a gun or if you have children, who need you, stay in your homes. If you can fight, I ask you to speak to Carmine O'Donnell at the Joint Base Myers-Henderson Hall in the morning. We can beat this, we can fight it, and we will win. These darkspawn are evil, they are relentless and cruel, but like any other creature, they can be killed!"
He heard the familiar snarls and gurgled laughs of the darkspawn about one hundred feet down the stretch of road; he quickly pulled out his gun and boomed, "THEY'RE HERE! Civilians get to safety now! The rest of you, weapons ready! We've got to push them back as far as we can so the army can build up their defenses around the city. This spot's last; let's make sure they don't break through our line!"
He saw some men and women frozen with terror so he turned to face the road and he spoke with one final roar, "FOR AMERICA! FOR EARTH!"
That seemed to get the soldiers blood pumping just in time for the darkspawn to come into sight.
The creatures themselves had only gotten more disgusting since he'd seen them last, their flesh taking on a greenish purple hue rather than the usual reddish hue. His stomach threatened to evacuate its contents when he saw that most where wearing the clothes of this world, some of them even looking like they may have been children...he pushed his guilt down and replaced it with rage, his Berserker nature rising to the surface. He growled out, "Ready!"
He heard guns cocking and tanks engines flaring, "Aim!" The Darkspawn were nearly twenty feet away now, the smell of death and taint hitting his nostrils, making his anger flare all the more.
He lifted his weapon up and aimed at the head of a hurlock alpha before screaming, "FIRE!"
The sounds of gunshots and pained shrieks rang out through the empty freeway, the darkspawn horde quickly decimating under the soldiers' heavy fire. A voice piped up on his radio,
"Slattern to Chantry Boy, come in Chantry Boy."
He had to chuckle at Isabela's handle, she said it was out of affection for a human battering ram who turned out to be one of her closest friends.
"Chantry Boy here, how's it going up there, Slattern?"
"Not good. I see two big nasty's heading your way. Watch your ass out there, Chantry Boy. Slattern out."
"OGRES AHEAD! Ready the tanks!" he screamed behind him, praying he could be heard over the gun fire. Then the ground began to shake beneath him, 'Boom, Boom, Boom Boom' he turned to see the ogres stomping towards them. He screamed for the soldiers to get back, but it was too late. Each ogre had grabbed a soldier in each massive hand and squeezed, crushing the men and women in two before tossing them away and continuing on their path of destruction.
"God damn it why aren't the tanks ready yet?" he shouted at Carmine while throwing open a crate and pulling out a rocket launcher.
"The men are terrified sir; they've never seen anything like this before."
"Well, they'll have to get used to it, O' Donnell, because we are at war with these damn things! Get those tanks ready now!"
Alistair hopped up onto the roof of one if the armored trucks, rocket launcher strapped to his back, he loaded the device, aiming at the ogre who was about to crush a group of men with its foot. "Oi! Ugly!" The ogre turned to face him, half an arm hanging from its mouth. "Yeah I'm talking to you, big fella! I'm the one yah want. Come and get me!"
The ogre started bounding toward Alistair, fist up and clenched ready to strike. Alistair made sure his aim was right, and waited for it to get closer.
The ogre was only five feet away from him, he pulled the trigger but the weapon wouldn't fire. The damn thing jammed! He pulled out his gun and started firing. But the bullets only slowed it down.
When Alistair ran out of ammo he swore, knowing he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life, he tossed the gun to the side and braced for death. He closed his eyes, Serena's face in his mind's eye as he whispered, "I'm so sorry, I love you." He felt the creature grab his torso and squeeze before his world went dark.
Authors note: Thank you to Enchantm3nt for being my lovely beta. Also as a side note, Sereda's middle name is pronounced Ileesa, and it is the name of my very first Dwarven noble character that I ever played on Dragon Age :) also Alistairs middle name is a not so clever nod to his father, Maric. Lol See you soon! :)