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Her eyes slowly peeling back her eyes open Laura felt her body aching as she tried to move herself feeling something soft and warm drape over her body, Laura found herself lying on a cot bed in a room that was cold and damp. One singular lamp hung directly in the middle of the room the only thing lighting the space she occupied and then the lamp swung when what could only be an explosion as Laura felt the room tremble with dust falling from the ceiling. When the room settled voices outside the door started shouting til finally the door gently flew open as a full grown man came walking into the room, his hair turning grey and the wrinkles under his eyes made him look worn and angry. Along with his clothing as he was dressed in dirty boots, cameo pants, and a vest with magazines lining up the front.
"Who are you?! Why have you taken me?!" Laura demanded.
"I'm, Colonel Madison, and It's nice to meet someone from the outside for a change," Madison greeted, "Don't worry you're not a prisoner, you're our guest."
"How did I get here?" Laura followed up.
"You were about to be taken in by the authorities by my men intervene and brought you here."
After he explained the fact a second explosion went of in the distance shaking the room again.
"What's going on outside?" Laura asked.
"If you wanna know come walk with me," Madison beckon.
Laura threw off the blankets seeing she was still in her uniform, she saw the Colonel waiting for her by the door she jumped to her feet walking out with him into a rundown hallway with all the paint chipped away from time, and dust collecting in the corners. People were seen sitting in the middle of it in dirty clothes and blankets most of them women, children, elderly, and the hurt. The hurt had bandages wrapped on the heads, arms, or the torso, with blood being absorbed into the rapping, with younger and more able women were up and about carrying food and medicine to all who need it. All with the sounds of men screaming and shouting among the deafening sounds of gun fire coming from outside.
The scene of it all looked grim and dark until suddenly it all fell silent without warning, then voice from outside started shouting.
"IT'S OVER! IT'S OVER!" a man cried out in glee.
Everyone heard the man's voice and with glowing faces smiled at the sound, people started to lift up to their feet and started to move towards the growing sound of cheering. When Laura and Madison finally made it to the door Laura saw that she was no longer in Los Angeles as the beautiful tall buildings and lavish streets filled with clean and well dressed elites were now replaced with damaged towers, crater filled streets littered with shattered glass, bullet casings, and blood. Dozens and dozens of men armed with rifles held their arms up high as they made their way down the streets to a local crumbling court house with a giant hole in its side. Soldiers could be seen laying their guns down and their hands up over their heads as they surrender the last stronghold in the city.
After the captured soldiers were taken in the men of Madison's army hoisted the America flag on a makeshift pole over the courthouse.
"Where... am I?" Laura said in shock.
"You've been out for a while little Missy," Madison commented, "Welcome to Denver."
"Wait! Denver... ? that's like at the center of the country."
"Almost, but we're not stopping here."
"Why am I here?"
"To show you what's really going on behind the curtain the "New Rule" put up," Madison said, "When the women in charge took control and started putting their people in charge of food, money, and security, I started to see empty shelves at grocery stores, money for infrastructure suddenly disappear, and so everybody suffered for it. And people started to get mad. Soon after the government revoked all of our god given rights, the people thought they were bluffing... no. They were dead serious. People tried to protest, but the government stomped it out before it was time for breakfast."
"What about the news? journalist?" Laura tried to bring up.
"How do you think they still have their jobs?" Madison said and a he pulls out a front page with him on it, "They run everything to make the state look good and me look like public enemy number one."
Laura takes the page reading the title "U.S Colonel Turned National Terrorist" in bold letters as the news story seems to try to frame Madison and his people as domestic terrorist with a violent uprising, but so far how could she believe this piece with what Anthony told her and what she's seeing now. Indeed the city is in ruin, but the woman and children all came out of their hiding places cheering as they reunite with their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons when they finished the battle.
"Senor Colonel! como te va?" Said a new voice with a Latino accent.
Looking over the other way a darker man dressed in a red blazer and his hair slicked back wearing cowboy boots with few other men with a similar complexion armed with AK-47s as they stroll down the street.
"I see it was a good day for you and your boys," the man complimented.
"You have the weapons?" Madison went straight to the point.
"Who are these men?" Laura asked the Colonel.
"Them?" Madison pointed, "They're the Mexican Cartel."
"What are you doing with them? they're criminals," Laura said in shock.
"So am I according to the government," Madison countered, "In matters like these we have to look in the most questionable places for help."
"Yeah, little lady, it's strictly business between us," the man in red noted.
You have the equipment or not?" Madison reminded.
The man whistled and from the corner his men brought forth wooden creates, placing them down they removed the lids revealing them to be filled with A.T rocket launchers.
"I brought the merchandise, did you bring the cash?"
Madison waved his hands and a couple of of his men brought forth shacks of money as payment, the man in red open the shack taking out a stack to fan through the bills, and smiled.
"Viva la revolucion," he said as he and his men collected the money then leaving.
Madison's men then collected the weapons, dozen of creates being purchased from the cartel, and hauling them away as fast as they can.
"Where are they going?" Laura asked again.
"We're heading out to New York City the U.N is gathering within a couple of days from now."
"And you're just gonna crash it," Laura assume.
"No... you are," Madison corrected handing her a new flash drive, "When all the world leaders in attendant show them the truth, oh! and give young Bennett this, it'll help him with his shackles."
The second thing the Colonel gave Laura was a small little model that looked like a medieval tower that looked similar to the knight statue Anthony received in the mail.
"C'mon we have a train to catch," Madison said guiding Laura to where they need to be.
\In The Air/
Up thousands of feets into the sky Anthony and Chifuyu sat in their seats patiently as Pink Panther was being played for the passengers with Steven Martian doing his stereotypical French accent while Anthony watched the movie Chifuyu was trying to read a magazine, but was having trouble reading through sentences. Much was on her mind and could barely think straight with much that was going on behind the public eye so she put the magazine away.
"Anthony," she called out, but he was too busy laughing, "Anthony!"
"What?" Anthony finally heard yanking the ear phones out.
"I can't think straight without thinking about..." she trailed off.
"What? the starving, dying people back in States."
"Keep your voice down," Chifuyu told him trying to whisper.
"They can't fucking hear us they watching the movie," Anthony reminded her.
"What are gonna do when we get to the meeting?" she wanted the answer.
"What you mean?"
"I know you're planning something because no one's this calm when flying into a war zone."
"You're the greatest IS pilot in the world, I why are you suddenly being chicken about it?" Anthony asked and that moment a flight attendant came by.
"Excuse me, but-"
"Fuck off," Anthony cuts her off making the attendant go away, "Look just get your shit together or your gonna make the boss suspicious."
"I know, but how can you play it this cool?"
"Think of someone you love and getting back to them," Anthony advised her as he laid back in his seat.
"... Ichika..." Chifuyu said softly thinking of the little boy her younger brother used to be, "Anthony?"
"Hmm?"
"Who are you thinking of?"
"... Hatsu... my Hatsu..." Anthony said, "When I come back... I'm gonna ask her to marry me..."
"That's wonderful Anthony, are you gonna tell your father?"
"I'm not having him any part of my life."
"You can't stay mad at your father forever, Anthony."
"I'm sorry, but did your dad sell your soul to the devil?" Anthony rhetorically said.
"He wanted to save you, and you survived what countless others dies."
"He's a fucking mad scientist, when we get to that meeting they're gonna present me as an alternative to IS that'll put ladies like you out of work, but the women in charge gonna be pulling our fucking strings."
"Cola?"
Looking over their shoulders the two spotted Tabane standing over them with cans of sodas in her hands and a big smile in her face.
"Seriously... ? we were having a conversation," Anthony told her.
"... Soda... ?" Tabane offered waving the red can in front of his face which Anthony finally took, "What movie are we watching?" she then asked squeezing into the seat between Anthony and Chifuyu.
"Pink Panther."
"The first or the second one?"
"The first," Anthony answered.
"Ooh! he's about to pronounce hamburger."
Tabane quickly put on her ear phones and immediately started laughing obnoxiously loud and Anthony and Chifuyu's conversation was over sitting in (mostly) silence for the rest of the trip.
