King Spike Rules here and here is the next chapter in Lonesome War. Here we learn things about the Major and what fuels him as the group are near there, edging closer to their fight of destiny.


Chapter 25: Loyalty Found.

The Second Great War was hell to the many soldiers who fought in it. Millions upon millions died with their final moments spent thinking of their loved ones, their homes. Things they would never see again.

Among the numerous people involved in that war was one young man, a soldier in the US army. Though he lacked experience, he quickly climbed the ranks with his great bravery. In the heat of battle, he often disregarded his own life to save his squad mates. Their safety was the most important victory on those battlefields.

After long weeks of battle, his actions earned him the undying loyalty of his small band of soldiers; even if it meant hell on Earth, they would continue to fight for him.

Unfortunately, the young man was soon forced to test his own loyalty to his men. He was assigned a nearly impossible mission, one that would risk the safety of his entire team. So he refused the orders, with his squad immediately doing the same. Shortly afterwards, his team was abruptly removed from combat, instead being posted to a small fort on the island of Iceland. They would remain there for the remainder of the war. Though nobody voiced it, everyone knew this was a punishment.

This fort was built near the site of an old legend; a star, given to the earth by the Norse god Odin. Though the team heard about the legend from the townsfolk, the soldiers dismissed their words as superstition. That is, until the day when the young man found a crater in the snow. Calling over his team, they couldn't help but look on in awe. The crater was massive, stretching deep into the land, and they spent the entire day exploring it.

The next day, many of them fell sick for no clear reason. They suffered for many days in the fort's medical ward until the symptoms suddenly stopped, as though the entire experience had never happened.

Since that day, the young man and his squad had unique abilities, unlike anything they'd seen before. But the young man saw the potential in these powers. The potential to safeguard every future generation against the evil he'd come to know. The potential to change the world.


"Ahhhh! Why does that hurt so badly?!" Kite yelled, looking down to his hand, which Mary was using her stand to heal. Or at least, she was trying to.

"Sorry, sorry. But it's really strange; Birmingham has never hurt anyone like this before," she said, focusing on his hand and making sure it was firmly attached to his wrist. Yet to her utter confusion, it seemed like any other body part she'd healed.

The others were watching the duo with interest from their position across the diner. The others had caught up to John and Kite an hour after they defeated Whoolly Swamp. They'd headed to a roadside diner to refuel, and hopefully heal Kite's hand during that break.

"Maybe the metal in your wrist is making it hurt?" John offered. Kite's eyes widened, remembering how Renegades had stopped the bleeding by manipulating the iron in his blood. In hindsight, that technique was hardly the safest way to go about it.

"That could be it," Mary said slowly, extending the area of her Stand to cover the internal parts of his hand. Kite sighed, feeling the pain slowly disappear, along with the comforting feeling of having a fully functional hand.

"Thanks a lot John, I almost forgot about that," Kite said, holding his wrist in pleasant disbelief. As he gave a wide smile, the others were left confused at the shift in his treatment of John. Before anyone could comment on it, however, several stomachs seemed to growl in unison.

Kite rolled his eyes at the display, but his smile remained. "Alright, let's take some time to eat. After that, it's back on the road!" he said, getting up and leading the group towards the diner to fill their bellies with more food.


At an unknown location, a young man ran through the long hallways with a worried look on his face. Sweat dripped down his cheeks as he sped up, until he finally burst through a pair of doors.

"Major, we have a problem," he managed, panting with his hands on his knees. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up to see the Major resting in his bed. A plain music box filled the air with the calming sounds of a lullaby. A heart monitor stood beside the bed, with numerous pieces of medical equipment attached to the man's body. If not for the slow rising of his chest and the occasional snore, the messenger might have thought he was dead.

"What is it?" a voice whispered loudly from the other side of the room. He turned to see three more people standing there with worried looks on their faces, checking everything around the Major.

The young man stood, watching them for a few seconds until one of the trio spoke. "Well?" Based on his arrogant tone, this man was clearly the leader of the trio. His face was twisted with annoyance at the interruption.

"I have news...news about Mary," the young man said, finally catching the attention of the other two. They offered small smiles, hopeful for some good news. "She was last seen in a diner fifty miles from here." The smiles on their faces widened, but before they could celebrate, the young man took a deep breath and added, "But...I feel she is not with one of us."

"So you're saying they took out all the others?" one of them asked quietly. The young man nodded with a sorrowful look, causing two of the men to burst into worried whispers.

"It changes nothing," the trio's leader interjected with a quiet confidence. As the whispers halted and attention moved back to him, he smiled grimly and continued. "Between the Privates and the Corporals, do you think even one of them was unaware of the risks? No, they all knew that their lives were on the line when they first acted on this plan back in Chicago. Now it's our job to finish their work."

One by one, the others nodded in agreement. It was only in the ensuing silence that they noticed the snoring that once filled the room had stopped. The group turned to see a hand take hold of the bed frame, providing balance as the Major sat up on the bed. With careful movements, he stepped out of the bed and stood up straight. With his height and broad shoulders, he towered over the four, who gave him a military salute.

"Sir," the trio's leader began. "You should really take this time to rest. We haven't captured the target yet, so you should conserve your energy until we do so."

"No. I've rested long enough," the Major said, saluting back at them with a tired smile. He walked past them, opening a nearby closet and stepping inside.

When he emerged, his night clothes were gone, replaced by a pair of dark green pants and a matching button-up shirt with a camo jacket. He buttoned it up and walked towards the window, opening it to reveal the sun setting over the mountains. The fading light shone on his tanned body as he fixed the cuffs to his jacket. Once he finished, he simply stared out at the horizon with strange, golden eyes. His long white hair and beard swayed with the gentle breeze, staring at them with yellow eyes and a broad build.

He stood there, soaking in the sun and fresh air while the others in the room remained silent, waiting for him to speak. "I know they will be here soon. I also know they will find out about my secret sooner than later."

"Then what should we do to stop them, sir?" the leader of the group asked, wondering what brilliant strategy would take care of their problem.

The major took a deep breath and turned from the mountains to give them a serious expression. "Stu, Tom, Doug." he called out the leader and the ones on his right and left, respectively. All three looked at him with eagerness plain in their faces, waiting for him to continue. "You three will watch out for them. I will see to it they fall by my hands."

"...Yes, sir," Stu said. He gave a final salute, the others quickly mimicking the motion. After the Major saluted back, the door opened. A woman bustled into the room, carrying a tray clearly meant for the Major. "We will let you eat up, sir."

The trio left, with the messenger following closely behind them. He was barely fast enough to avoid the door as it slammed shut behind him.

"We need to think of a plan," Stu whispered, giving the others an urgent look. He had to take a deep breath to process what he was about to do, but his resolve didn't waver. He couldn't allow events to simply play out.

"But shouldn't we listen to the Major and let them find him? Surely his Stand can take care of them?" the aid asked, looking at the group and they turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry, but what can your Stand do?" Doug asked with a derisive look. The trio seemed to loom over him as they waited for an answer. His eyes flickered from side to side, and he nervously rubbed his arm.

"T-track the target," he whispered, stepping back as soon as he managed to respond.

"Exactly. But of course, your pathetic Stand isn't even good at that. It only tells you where Mary is if she uses her Stand. So shut up and let the important people think," Doug said, turning to the others and beginning to discuss how they should go about taking care of the enemy. All the while, the messenger stood a few feet away, quietly watching them.


The group had stopped at a motel for another rest. Considering their previous experiences, they were all on guard, sharing two rooms directly next to one another. They weren't planning to get separated this time.

Doc sat cross-legged on one of the beds, tuning his guitar and humming under his breath. Keith was cleaning his gun in an unspoken promise to be ready for their next battle. Franky was in the bathroom working on his hair, and John sat next to Kite, who was looking at a map of San Diago.

"Any idea what we're going to do once we get there?" John asked with his arms behind his head. A long sigh escaped his mouth as he waited for Kite to answer him, but there was only silence. Kite's mind, so focused on planning out their next move in the trip, barely registered the question.

There was a knock at the door, the five nearly jumping out of their skin at the sudden sound. Keith shouted in alarm, but before he could shoot at the door, Mary's voice emerged from the other side. "Guys, it's me."

John opened it, revealing Mary with an annoyed look on her face. American Pie's speaker was plastered over her back. "I'm sorry I kept my contact with the CIA a secret, but did I really have to have a speaker on my body?"

"Either that or Franky in the walls," Kite said, looking up from his maps to raise an eyebrow at her. Mary let out a long sigh before closing the door behind her. Once she'd settled on the bed, Doc quickly used American Pie to remove the speaker from her body.

"Alright, I have news on Clearwater," she said, holding up a folder and placing it in front of Kite to read. "What we found out was...well, the good news is that the person we're looking for is definitely in San Diego. Has been for pretty much his entire life."

"So, town hall should know who this Clearwater guy is. Then finding him will be easy!" John said with a broad smile.

Yet Kite's eyes widened in horror, as if something returned from the dead in front of him. Everyone saw his reaction, and their celebrations cut short as they looked at him. Concern was visible in each of their faces, until John finally broke the silence with one question. "Kite, what's the matter?"

"I just remembered something I read about the California Governor. He's running for reelection," he said, though everyone seemed even more confused by his words than before. After a few minutes he continued, "But according to this, the one running against him is the mayor of San Diego. One Creedence Clearwater."

In the wake of those words, there was a tense silence. "So, to save America, we not only have to kill a war hero, but the mayor of San Diego," John summarized. They all remained quiet for a few moments, taking in the gravity of their mission.

"Okay guys, I'm gonna be honest with you. Clearwater has to be stopped..." Mary spoke, gaining the group's attention as she continued, "But none of you have to join me on this quest."

"No way," Kite said, cutting off anything else she was planning to say to convince them. "You hired me to do a job, so stopping now would hardly be fair of me. Besides, I really want to bash that guy's face in right about now."

"I'm not walking out of this at high noon," Keith added, giving Mary a smile and a tip of his hat.

"Me neither. I'm with you all to the end," Doc said, strumming his guitar for emphasis.

"I ain't never backed down from a fight and I sure as hell ain't starting now." Franky turned to John with a hopeful smile.

There was a brief pause before John returned the smile. "Well, I came this far. Might as well go all the way," he said. The group cheered, their spirits lifted by the knowledge that they'd be fighting together.

TBC.


That is it for this chapter. I feel good to be back and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. We are getting into the final stretch as the Major has been revealed and now all that is left is his Stand.