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Speaker 1: Outer space, a vast unknown frontier. We don't yet know

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Speaker 1: the dangers that lark beyond the stars, but unfortunately for

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Speaker 1: Captain Sidney Owens and Jenna Prescott, they're about to find out.

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Speaker 1: Magmaal from I Heart Radio and Bamford Productions. Listen to

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Speaker 1: Magmaal on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast or

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Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcast. What's Up Guys on a

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Speaker 1: Shop Aloud and I am Troy Millions and we are

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Speaker 1: the host of the Earnier Leisure podcast when we break

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Speaker 1: down business models and examine the latest trans and finance.

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Speaker 1: We hold court and have exclusive interviews with some of

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Speaker 1: to Ernie Leisure on the Black Effect Podcast Network, I

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Speaker 1: Sasha Alexander hadn't seen it coming. He hadn't expected her

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Speaker 1: at all. The sound of his furious scream was the

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Speaker 1: most beautiful thing Sasha had ever heard. She hit him

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Speaker 1: again and again, and he fell back and then down

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Speaker 1: to the ground. Blood streamed from his nose in a

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Speaker 1: gash above his brow. His eyes looked unfocused, his lip

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Speaker 1: was split. He tried to scream or cry out or

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Speaker 1: beg her, but she didn't give him the time to

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Speaker 1: say one damn word. Instead, she hit him again and

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Speaker 1: again and again. She didn't make the conscious choice to

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Speaker 1: dive down on top of him, and in fact, Sasha

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Speaker 1: was rather surprised to find herself straddling the prone, broken

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Speaker 1: boy soldier. But once she was there, she kept hitting

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Speaker 1: him until she felt his skull give way and the

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Speaker 1: helmet had something soft, squishy and hot that lay beyond.

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Speaker 1: She sat back and for what seemed like a year,

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Speaker 1: just stared at the helmet and bedded in Alexander's ruined face.

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Speaker 1: Blood pulsed out from around the edges where it met

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Speaker 1: the skin. The way the blood bubbled up looked just

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Speaker 1: a bit like the water and one of the fountains

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Speaker 1: outside the hospital her mother ran. For some reason, that

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Speaker 1: similarity did more to raise her hackles than the act

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Speaker 1: of killing her. Ears still rang, and so it was

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Speaker 1: easy to lose herself. In contemplation of Alexander's body. Her

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Speaker 1: mind turned to the Book of John and the words

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Speaker 1: of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Do not be

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Speaker 1: like Kine who belonged to the evil One and murdered

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Speaker 1: his brother? And why did he murder him? Because his

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Speaker 1: own actions were evil and his brothers were righteous? Had

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Speaker 1: Alexander's actions truly been righteous? Sasha knew if she searched

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Speaker 1: the Bible she could find scriptural justifications for everything Alexander

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Speaker 1: had done. That's why she'd come here in the first place,

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Speaker 1: wasn't it The heavenly Kingdom was finally going back to

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Speaker 1: the letter of the Bible, the word of God. Only

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Speaker 1: now that she had seen what that looked like, Sasha

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Speaker 1: had found she could not abide it. Am I still

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Speaker 1: a Christian? She couldn't say. Her faith had been such

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Speaker 1: a part of her identity. It had been everything, And

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Speaker 1: now it felt like a Hi. What am I if

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Speaker 1: not a righteous servant of the Lord? Where do I

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Speaker 1: go from? Here? Eisash little problem? Here? Roland's voice jerked

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Speaker 1: her out of her contemplation. She looked back at the man,

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Speaker 1: and her mind recoiled in terror. His skin had been

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Speaker 1: shredded by gunfire. It hung in pale tatters down his

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Speaker 1: face and arms. His clothing had largely been shot away,

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Speaker 1: and The rags that remained were so drenched in blood

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Speaker 1: that they clung to him. He looked almost as if

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Speaker 1: he was clad in a single giant scab. One of

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Speaker 1: his eyes was unfocused, dislocated, and something had happened to

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Speaker 1: his left arm. It looked as if an enormous straight

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Speaker 1: razor had burst out of the forearm. Where did you

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Speaker 1: get that? She asked. Sasha was surprised and a bit

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Speaker 1: disturbed by her curiosity. Roland seemed surprised too this. He

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Speaker 1: looked at the blade. I really no, had sort of

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Speaker 1: forgotten it was in there. He lifted his arm and

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Speaker 1: its blood soaked blade up and looked at it like

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Speaker 1: a small child opening a prized gift on Christmas morning.

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Speaker 1: Then he flicked his arm down towards the ground, and

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Speaker 1: the blade slid back into the meat of his forearm

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Speaker 1: with a wet thwack look. He said, we got more

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Speaker 1: present ship to deal with right now. You're all those sirens.

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Speaker 1: She actually couldn't. Her hearing had begun to recover from

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Speaker 1: the gunfight, but Roland was just barely audible allowed tonight,

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Speaker 1: as hums still rang through her ears. Sasha was pretty

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Speaker 1: sure she'd suffered permanent damage. I can't hear much right now,

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Speaker 1: she said, the gun of fire, you know. Oh, he frowned.

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Speaker 1: I forgot that can happen to you folks. Well, uh,

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Speaker 1: there's a shipload of cops or martyrs or militia whatever.

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Speaker 1: A bunch of them are coming, probably two or three hundred.

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Speaker 1: They got tanks and drones and ship. God Almighty, Sasha

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Speaker 1: felt fear rise up in her heart again. Yeah, listen,

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Speaker 1: God's not really the dude to worry about right now.

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Speaker 1: Manny's all fucked up. I stopped his bleeding, but you're

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Speaker 1: gonna need to get him out of here. Manny, she'd

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Speaker 1: forgotten all about him. Sasha realized with a start that

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Speaker 1: she'd blotted the rest of the room from her mind.

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Speaker 1: She looked around and took it all in. Manny was

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Speaker 1: still lying where she'd left him, nursing a gunshot wound

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Speaker 1: to the belly. He was pale, sweaty, and he looked

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Speaker 1: to be in terrible pain. But he was conscious and alive.

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Speaker 1: That was more than she could say for Marigold. The

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Speaker 1: poor woman had been shredded by shotgun fire. Sasha couldn't

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Speaker 1: bring herself to look too closely at the shattered steaming remains,

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Speaker 1: but Marigold's friends were alive. The young man Rick was

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Speaker 1: unconscious and drenched in blood, but most of that blood

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Speaker 1: didn't seem to be his own. His head was in

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Speaker 1: Tullie's lap. She'd been wounded in the buttocks and bled

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Speaker 1: quite a lot, but the wounds seemed to have clotted.

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Speaker 1: There were tears and a haunted, pained look in her eyes.

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Speaker 1: Oh my god, Sasha said, once her mind started to

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Speaker 1: process the visual stimuli. Lord in Heaven, No, no, no, no,

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Speaker 1: that poor woman, that unborn child. How could this happen?

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Speaker 1: How could this be? Sasha? Roland shouted, This is a

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Speaker 1: very bad time for you to have emotions. Try killing

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Speaker 1: those for a while. How just think about the fact

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Speaker 1: that every one but me will die if he don't

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Speaker 1: get your ship together? And then get your ship together.

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Speaker 1: Her initial action was anger and frustration. Is he that

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Speaker 1: disconnected from humanity? Does he think people can just turn

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Speaker 1: their empathy off? Off? But then she stopped herself, listened

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Speaker 1: to him, and tried. She imagined herself putting on a

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Speaker 1: heavy jacket, something that blocked out pain and horror rather

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Speaker 1: than the cold. It worked, Okay, she said, what do

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Speaker 1: I need? To do. You need to take Monny and uh,

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Speaker 1: what's her name and what's his face? Touli and Rick right,

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Speaker 1: take the non dead people, run down and out the

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Speaker 1: back door and find me a car. Then you need

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Speaker 1: to a car. He stopped sifting through the dead men's

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Speaker 1: firearms to roll his eyes at her. Yes, a car.

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Speaker 1: I'm not going to carry all you lame bloods out

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Speaker 1: of here on my fucking shoulders. Were need a getaway vehicle.

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Speaker 1: I can't drive, she said. All the cars in the

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Speaker 1: am fete are autonomous. He shrugged, you'll figure it out.

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Speaker 1: Many moans just then, almost as if it was in

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Speaker 1: response to Roland's suggestion. Sasha knew it was more likely

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Speaker 1: she'd just been too focused on the big post human

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Speaker 1: to notice Manny's pained moans the whole time. Can he drive?

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Speaker 1: Sasha asked, sure, Roland said, with sudden cheer, He's only

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Speaker 1: lost what two quarts of blood? I gave him a

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Speaker 1: little mine. I'm sure be right his rain soon. Manny

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Speaker 1: moaned again, handed his blood soaked belly. He didn't appear

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Speaker 1: to be bleeding still, but he was pale, and his

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Speaker 1: face showed agony, too obvious to ignore, Sasha doubted he'd

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Speaker 1: be capable of driving a car in the immediate future.

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Speaker 1: I can drive, Tuli said, in a cracked, broken sounding voice.

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Speaker 1: Right Roland said, well, that's lovely. Get your asses up

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Speaker 1: and get moving. You've got about two minutes before ship

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Speaker 1: and fans start their lovely dance. The post humans good

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Speaker 1: humor was incongruous in this blood soaked room. Addressed to

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Speaker 1: two people who lost a friend today, he grabbed one

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Speaker 1: of the guard's pistols, which he shoved in his waistband

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Speaker 1: and handed it to Sasha. Safeties off, he said, cheerily,

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Speaker 1: So once you pull the trigger, stuff will happen. Sasha

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Speaker 1: took the gun and then went over to help Manny up.

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Speaker 1: Tually did the same thing with her wounded friend. Neither

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Speaker 1: Manny or Rick were in great shape, but Manny at

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Speaker 1: least seemed capable of standing under his own power. Once

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Speaker 1: Sasha got him to his feet, he stayed there. She

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Speaker 1: looked him in the eye, and while he seemed sort

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Speaker 1: of dazed and glassy, his pupils fixed on hers, and

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Speaker 1: he nodded. We have to go. She said, sitrat the tempoima.

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Speaker 1: He muttered what Sasha asked, said, it's about fucking time.

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Speaker 1: Just follow me, she said, with more confidence than she felt.

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Speaker 1: I'll take care of everything. Oh funck that, Manny said.

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Speaker 1: He put a hand on her shoulder and moved as

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Speaker 1: if to push in front of her and shield her

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Speaker 1: with his body. Then he grabbed a side, groaned, and

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Speaker 1: staggered back. All right, yeah, you lead the way men.

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Speaker 1: Tuli was up now. She had an arm around her friend,

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Speaker 1: and together they moved almost as fast as a single

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Speaker 1: elderly person with bad hips. Manny was not much more mobile.

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Speaker 1: Sasha looked back at Roland. Where should we meet you?

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Speaker 1: The next street behind this building is called Alma. Take

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Speaker 1: it and go left until you hit a road named

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Speaker 1: Cross Bend. I should be there by the time you arrive.

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Speaker 1: What if we can't find up, he cut her off.

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Speaker 1: Not finding a car is not an option. Talking more

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Speaker 1: is not an option. I have to go kill people.

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Speaker 1: You find something with wheels. Get Tullie in the driver's seat.

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Speaker 1: Sasha started to say something, but the sirens had drawn

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Speaker 1: very close. Indeed, she heard several shouts from outside the

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Speaker 1: front of the building. Roland cursed. He'd already gathered up

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Speaker 1: two of the rifles and slung them across his back.

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Speaker 1: He had a large pistol in his left hand. At

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Speaker 1: the sound of the shouting, he brought his right hand

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Speaker 1: up to his belly and dug it deep inside his skin.

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Speaker 1: Sasha watched in horror as he tore a heavy, blood

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Speaker 1: caked weapon out of his gut. Roland walked up to

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Speaker 1: the front window of the room and fired the weapon once, twice,

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Speaker 1: three times. Its report was deep and bassy, like the

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Speaker 1: sound of a heavy drum being struck. There was a

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Speaker 1: brief island of quiet, followed by a trio of explosions

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Speaker 1: that rattled the walls of the jail. Look. Roland said

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Speaker 1: as he glanced back to her, I gotta go be

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Speaker 1: a distraction. Find the car, get to cross bend in Alma,

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Speaker 1: I'll be therein He glanced out the window again and shrugged.

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Speaker 1: Ten maybe eleven minutes, okay should? Sasha started to ask

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Speaker 1: talking time is done. Toullie's flat voice interrupted, He moves,

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Speaker 1: We move now. She pulled her friend towards the door.

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00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,119
Speaker 1: There would have been something almost comical about the agonizing

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00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,160
Speaker 1: slowness with which they actually moved, but the gesture had

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00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:11,480
Speaker 1: its intended effect. Sasha took Manny by the hand. She

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00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:13,880
Speaker 1: let Tully lead the way to the door, but once

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00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:15,680
Speaker 1: they were in the hallway, the young woman had no

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00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,480
Speaker 1: idea where to go. Sasha took the lead then and

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00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,480
Speaker 1: guided her new comrades towards a flashing red exit sign

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Speaker 1: that she knew led to a rear stairwell. For a

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00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,840
Speaker 1: brief passing second, she'd been worried that they might encounter

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00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,760
Speaker 1: other guards or jailers during their flight. That concern proved groundless.

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00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:33,800
Speaker 1: Gunfire had torn through the walls of the examination room

225
00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,520
Speaker 1: and ripped apart the interior of the jail. She saw

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00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:38,680
Speaker 1: a few gouts of blood by the walls, and one

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00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,440
Speaker 1: sinister looking pool of it beneath a desk. It all

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00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,000
Speaker 1: drove an important lesson home for Sasha. Bullets don't stop

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00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,280
Speaker 1: when they miss. The stairwell was as deserted as the

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00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:50,760
Speaker 1: rest of the jail. They hoppled down at as quickly

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Speaker 1: as three wounded people could manage. Sasha stayed in the back,

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Speaker 1: under the instinctive assumption that it'd be best for morale

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00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,839
Speaker 1: if she didn't rush ahead. Their progress down the stairs

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00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:03,280
Speaker 1: was painfully slow, almost every step punctuated by the sound

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00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,040
Speaker 1: of gunfire out on the street. Below. It sounded like

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Speaker 1: a full scale war had broken out there. There was

237
00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:10,560
Speaker 1: a lot of screaming, and Sasha tried not to think

238
00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:12,760
Speaker 1: too much about which of the nice young martyrs she'd

239
00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:15,080
Speaker 1: met in the square were now dying by Roland's hand.

240
00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,800
Speaker 1: What about Anne, what about Susannah? You're abandoning them? Sasha

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00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,440
Speaker 1: shook the thoughts clear from her head. There'd be time

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00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:26,000
Speaker 1: for self loathing later. Tulli and Rick reached the bottom

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00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:28,959
Speaker 1: floor first. They leaned back against the wall together and

244
00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,480
Speaker 1: caught their breath. Rick was as white as a sheet

245
00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,319
Speaker 1: and looked like he could still barely stand. Tullie was

246
00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:37,120
Speaker 1: doing better, but not by a wide margin. When she

247
00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,199
Speaker 1: and Manny hit the bottom floor, he went straight for

248
00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,959
Speaker 1: the exit door. He clearly intended to be the first

249
00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:44,440
Speaker 1: out in case anyone had a weapon trained on the door.

250
00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:47,680
Speaker 1: Sasha stopped him. That wasn't hard, because he was only

251
00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,360
Speaker 1: a little more stable than Tulli. She pushed him back,

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00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:52,080
Speaker 1: put a hand on the door, and then drew the

253
00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:54,920
Speaker 1: pistol Roland had given her. She fixed Manny with what

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00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,760
Speaker 1: she hoped was a firm, fearless look. You're in no

255
00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,560
Speaker 1: state to be heroic, he looked, to her as if

256
00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:02,480
Speaker 1: he wanted to fight her, But then he looked down

257
00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:04,520
Speaker 1: at the shaking hand he had pressed into the sopping

258
00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:07,480
Speaker 1: wound in his side. Yeah, all right, you down to

259
00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,600
Speaker 1: do the hero stuff. Then she nodded, well, then be

260
00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,280
Speaker 1: my guest. Sasha didn't know how to use a gun.

261
00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:18,040
Speaker 1: The m FED band almost all private firearm ownership. Her

262
00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:21,040
Speaker 1: grandfather had owned a couple of bolt action hunting rifles,

263
00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,600
Speaker 1: and he'd let Sasha hold them a few times. That

264
00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,560
Speaker 1: was as close as she'd gotten to firearms training. She'd

265
00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:29,440
Speaker 1: never actually shot the darn things. Once he died, her

266
00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:31,480
Speaker 1: father had sold the guns rather than deal with the

267
00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:34,959
Speaker 1: hassle and expense of a license. So she burst out

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00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,120
Speaker 1: onto the street with the pistol held high in front

269
00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:39,720
Speaker 1: of her, like she'd seen in movies. It took her

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00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:42,760
Speaker 1: a few seconds to realize, sheepishly, that this behavior was

271
00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:44,720
Speaker 1: more likely to get her gun down than aid in

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00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,440
Speaker 1: her defense. Thankfully, there'd been no martyrs watching the rear exit.

273
00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:50,760
Speaker 1: Sasha waved for the others to follow her out and

274
00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,760
Speaker 1: stashed the pistol under her shirt. For a few minutes,

275
00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:56,520
Speaker 1: they'd ran, or rather hobbled, in what seemed like the

276
00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,480
Speaker 1: right direction. The city still rang with the sound of sirens, unfire,

277
00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,240
Speaker 1: and the occasional concussive blast, but it seemed to be

278
00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,719
Speaker 1: moving away from them. Plano wasn't exactly crowded, but there

279
00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:08,760
Speaker 1: were enough people out on the street to notice the

280
00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,120
Speaker 1: fresh wounds on Tulli, Rick, and Manny. No one approached them,

281
00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,040
Speaker 1: though Sasha wasn't sure if they passed unnoticed, but they

282
00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:18,280
Speaker 1: were able to pass through the city without incident. Fear

283
00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,360
Speaker 1: and the flight reflex were enough to carry them a

284
00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:23,120
Speaker 1: few blocks in relative haste. Once they were out of

285
00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,080
Speaker 1: sight of the jail. Rick put up a hand as

286
00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,200
Speaker 1: he slumped back against the wall. Tulli continued to hold

287
00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,600
Speaker 1: him up. She was pale, sweaty, and pained looking. Ryan

288
00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,120
Speaker 1: shook and shuddered. His eyes were unfocused and he was

289
00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:39,040
Speaker 1: clearly in shock. He needs to rest, Tulli said. Manny

290
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,760
Speaker 1: stopped next to them and leaned against the wall as well.

291
00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:44,800
Speaker 1: He dodded at Tulli and then looked back to Sasha. Yeah,

292
00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,120
Speaker 1: dit oh, I might prefer to lay down a die

293
00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:50,200
Speaker 1: at this point. We need to find a car anyway,

294
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,680
Speaker 1: Tullie said, as she helped lower Rick down to sit

295
00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,400
Speaker 1: against the wall. If I carry him for much longer,

296
00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:59,480
Speaker 1: I'm going to drop. Sasha realized everyone was looking at her.

297
00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:04,840
Speaker 1: Is that my job? Manny looked mortified, Tulie looked angry.

298
00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:08,960
Speaker 1: Rick bless Him, was too deep and shocked to react. Yes,

299
00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,680
Speaker 1: Tullie said, in a toneless voice that still somehow implied

300
00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,800
Speaker 1: deep disappointment. Okay, then Sasha said, when I find the car,

301
00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:19,920
Speaker 1: I assume you'll know how to hot wire it. Tullie laughed.

302
00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:22,960
Speaker 1: It wasn't a nice laugh. If you're hiding a real

303
00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:25,360
Speaker 1: nice deck somewhere in that's silly head of yours. Or

304
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,080
Speaker 1: you find a car that's older than my dad. Maybe

305
00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,000
Speaker 1: otherwise we're going to need something with keys in it.

306
00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:35,680
Speaker 1: What so I'm just supposed to carjack someone. Tullie stared

307
00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,640
Speaker 1: dead eyed at her. Manny gave a pained, helpful smile.

308
00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:43,080
Speaker 1: I mean you've got a gun, he said. Sasha felt

309
00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:45,560
Speaker 1: the heat rise in her again. Why not, I've given

310
00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,680
Speaker 1: up every other principle I have to day, I might

311
00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:51,000
Speaker 1: as well commit armed robbery, the guilt staying her guts,

312
00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,320
Speaker 1: but not as badly as it should have. Perhaps she

313
00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,600
Speaker 1: was still numb from watching Doctor Brandton. Marigold die. Or

314
00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,480
Speaker 1: maybe it's because I killed Alexander. Maybe I'm evil now

315
00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,160
Speaker 1: and this is what that feels like. There was no

316
00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,120
Speaker 1: time to mold the possibilities. Sasha left Manny and the

317
00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:07,400
Speaker 1: others to catch their breath and darted down an alley

318
00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,160
Speaker 1: towards a larger street that sounded like it might have traffic.

319
00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:13,360
Speaker 1: She passed two parked cars and looked inside with a

320
00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,920
Speaker 1: vain hope that, just maybe someone might have left their

321
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,480
Speaker 1: keys behind. It was to no avail. Sasha soon found

322
00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,360
Speaker 1: herself on the cracked and shell popped asphalt of Alma Road.

323
00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,040
Speaker 1: The buildings on either side of this stretch of street

324
00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,280
Speaker 1: had taken significant damage during the Heavenly Kingdom's birth Pains.

325
00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,040
Speaker 1: There were no people out on the sidewalks or visible

326
00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,120
Speaker 1: in the windows. Anyone alive had probably hunkered down to

327
00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,160
Speaker 1: avoid the shooting. There was still traffic on the road, though,

328
00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:40,720
Speaker 1: three trucks in a dented, fume spewing white sedan shot

329
00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:44,000
Speaker 1: by her at the speed of wartime traffic. Sasha drew

330
00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:46,520
Speaker 1: her gun, looked at it, and then hurriedly stashed it

331
00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,000
Speaker 1: inside her blouse again. When she realized how dumb that

332
00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:53,120
Speaker 1: had been, Godly women do not carry guns. A series

333
00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:56,240
Speaker 1: of four loud booms sounded in the distance. Sasha didn't

334
00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:58,560
Speaker 1: know enough about weaponry to guess what those had been,

335
00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,240
Speaker 1: but she knew they'd had something to do with Roland.

336
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:03,760
Speaker 1: People are dying, so I can find us a car

337
00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:07,359
Speaker 1: and get everyone to safety. She started walking down the street,

338
00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:11,000
Speaker 1: face pointed towards oncoming traffic, hands waving above her head

339
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,800
Speaker 1: in the international gesture for oh God, please help me.

340
00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,040
Speaker 1: Two more cars zoomed past without even slowing to check

341
00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:19,440
Speaker 1: on her. It was odd how that shocked her after

342
00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:22,280
Speaker 1: everything else she'd seen in the Heavenly Kingdom. The faithful

343
00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:25,760
Speaker 1: protect and support each other, Pastor Mike had claimed, But not,

344
00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,119
Speaker 1: it seemed, when a half human monster was on a

345
00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,680
Speaker 1: rampage through their city. That helped debate her guilt at least,

346
00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,280
Speaker 1: or it did right up until the moment a familiar

347
00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:36,920
Speaker 1: Jankie brown truck rumbled to a stop next to her.

348
00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,760
Speaker 1: Excuse me, ma'am, do you need She turned around, and

349
00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:44,359
Speaker 1: the man's face lit up in surprise, Miss Sasha. It

350
00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,040
Speaker 1: was Darryll, the kindly old foreman who driven her to

351
00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:49,680
Speaker 1: the House of Miriam on her first day in the Kingdom?

352
00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:52,720
Speaker 1: Was that really only days ago? It seemed like years.

353
00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:55,520
Speaker 1: Sasha felt like an old woman, even though she was

354
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,840
Speaker 1: just on the edge of eighteen. You hurt? He slammed

355
00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:01,120
Speaker 1: the car into park and open his door one sec

356
00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:02,879
Speaker 1: I got a first aid kit in the back. Where'd

357
00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,760
Speaker 1: you get hit? Sasha looked down at her chest and

358
00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,639
Speaker 1: realized she looked like she'd been badly injured. The blood

359
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:10,919
Speaker 1: wasn't hers, of course, but Darrell couldn't have known that.

360
00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,560
Speaker 1: He thought she was hurt and he was trying to help.

361
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,479
Speaker 1: Am I really going to rob a good Samaritan? She was?

362
00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,760
Speaker 1: Sasha waited until Darrel had closed the door, grabbed his

363
00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,399
Speaker 1: medical kit, and turned towards her. Then she drew her

364
00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:25,840
Speaker 1: pistol and leveled it at his weathered, grease stained, and

365
00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:30,439
Speaker 1: now thoroughly surprised face. Huh, I need your truck. I

366
00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:34,000
Speaker 1: need your truck, she said. Darrell dropped the medical kit

367
00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:37,040
Speaker 1: and put both his palms out. Oh now, girl, all right,

368
00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:39,720
Speaker 1: why don't you just put that gun down. Darrel ain't

369
00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:42,119
Speaker 1: gonna hurt you. I'll take you anywhere you need to go.

370
00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:44,760
Speaker 1: Let's just be real, calm, real slow about all this.

371
00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,760
Speaker 1: Did somebody hurt you. I need your truck. It was

372
00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:50,960
Speaker 1: so hard to keep her voice, even, so hard to

373
00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:52,919
Speaker 1: do this cruel thing to a man who'd only been

374
00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,919
Speaker 1: kind to her. Sasha could feel white hot tears streamed

375
00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:58,399
Speaker 1: down her face. I must look like a crazy person,

376
00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:02,520
Speaker 1: she thought. Maybe that will help now, Miss Sasha, Darrell said,

377
00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,399
Speaker 1: I'm a guess. You don't know how to drive a truck.

378
00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:08,080
Speaker 1: Mine ain't autonomous, it's old stick shift. Please, why don't

379
00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,680
Speaker 1: you let me take you where you need to go?

380
00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,639
Speaker 1: Sasha's mind raced. It was the same species of nervousness

381
00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,199
Speaker 1: that had always gripped her during major exams in college

382
00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,840
Speaker 1: admissions essays. She ran through and discarded a dozen different

383
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:22,120
Speaker 1: courses of action in her head. What if he won't

384
00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:24,679
Speaker 1: give me the keys, What if he takes another step forward?

385
00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,120
Speaker 1: What if he moved? It started with a single glance.

386
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:31,240
Speaker 1: Darrell's eyes darted towards the driver's side door of his truck.

387
00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,119
Speaker 1: She almost didn't catch it, but for whatever reason, the

388
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,520
Speaker 1: gesture rose goose pimples on the back of her neck

389
00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:42,520
Speaker 1: and forearms. I need your truck. Her voice was cold, strong, firm.

390
00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,080
Speaker 1: Darrell nodded at her, his body posture stayed the same,

391
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,399
Speaker 1: but his eyes changed. There was something hard and haunted

392
00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,879
Speaker 1: in them. Now, all right, miss Sasha, I'm just gonna

393
00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:55,960
Speaker 1: reach in here for m keys. He took a step

394
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,680
Speaker 1: back and moved towards the door. The bottom fell out

395
00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:00,919
Speaker 1: of Sasha's gut, and she screw aimed at him to stop,

396
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,240
Speaker 1: don't make another move. He dove for the door, pulled

397
00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,760
Speaker 1: it open, and reached a hand down beside the driver's seat.

398
00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:09,080
Speaker 1: Sasha saw a flash of metal in his hand, and

399
00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,840
Speaker 1: she opened fire. She wasn't sure how many times she

400
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,600
Speaker 1: pulled the trigger, but soon the gun was empty. Sasha

401
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:17,080
Speaker 1: watched as Darrell stumble back into the truck and then

402
00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:19,919
Speaker 1: slid to the ground. Most of her shots had gone wide,

403
00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:22,840
Speaker 1: very wide. She'd chattered two of the truck's windows and

404
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,560
Speaker 1: put four or five rounds into the vehicle's body, but

405
00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:28,080
Speaker 1: at least one had hit Darrell right in his throat,

406
00:20:28,359 --> 00:20:31,879
Speaker 1: a kill shot. He slumped to the ground, gagged on blood,

407
00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:35,160
Speaker 1: and jerked like an electrified marionette. Part of her wanted

408
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,000
Speaker 1: to run to him, to hold him while he died

409
00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:39,480
Speaker 1: and say she was sorry. Then she saw the gun

410
00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,480
Speaker 1: at his feet. It didn't dissipate her guilt. After all,

411
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:45,000
Speaker 1: she drawn on him first, but at least she hadn't

412
00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:48,360
Speaker 1: shot and killed an unarmed man. She'd killed an armed man,

413
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,959
Speaker 1: an armed man who only ever helped me. Sasha slumped

414
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:54,840
Speaker 1: against the hood of the truck and lost herself in

415
00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,840
Speaker 1: a storm of sobs. She didn't realize she dropped her

416
00:20:57,840 --> 00:20:59,960
Speaker 1: gun until it hit the asphalt with a dull clank.

417
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,119
Speaker 1: She couldn't control her hands or her breathing. Her frantic

418
00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,760
Speaker 1: sobbing had robbed all the air from her lungs. Her

419
00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:08,200
Speaker 1: legs weakened, and she started to stumble to the ground

420
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:10,639
Speaker 1: when a pair of warm, semi strong arms caught her

421
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,840
Speaker 1: from behind. Hey, Hey, it's all right, it's all right, Manny,

422
00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:18,720
Speaker 1: it's ok. You're gonna be ok. Her world went black

423
00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:21,239
Speaker 1: for a little while. Sasha felt Manny lift her up,

424
00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,760
Speaker 1: heard the sound of the truck's engine rumble back to life.

425
00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,199
Speaker 1: But she couldn't see, and she couldn't move, and she

426
00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:30,080
Speaker 1: couldn't stop crying. Time lost any sort of meaning. When

427
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,080
Speaker 1: she came back to herself, there were in motion. Manny

428
00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,439
Speaker 1: sat next to her, and Rick next to him, tully drove.

429
00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,879
Speaker 1: Sasha's eyes were drawn to Manny. He held Darrell's pistol

430
00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,320
Speaker 1: in his left hand. She couldn't help but stare at

431
00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:44,920
Speaker 1: the four spots of dried blood on the silver slide.

432
00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:49,080
Speaker 1: You all right, Sasha, Manny asked. His question passed through

433
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,639
Speaker 1: her ears without hitting her mind. Sasha couldn't stop staring

434
00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:56,240
Speaker 1: at Darrell's blood. I did that. I ended him. She'd

435
00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:59,440
Speaker 1: ended two men to day. She felt no guilt about Alexander,

436
00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,679
Speaker 1: but that was almost more disturbing. It seemed impossible that

437
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:04,800
Speaker 1: she had been a pampered suburban girl less than a

438
00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:08,800
Speaker 1: month ago. Now she was a murderer. Whoever sheds human

439
00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:12,480
Speaker 1: blood by humans, shall their blood be shed? Sasha felt

440
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,560
Speaker 1: as if a thick cloud of doom had fallen on

441
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,600
Speaker 1: her shoulders. The truck veered off to the right and

442
00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:20,920
Speaker 1: slammed to a sudden stop. Sasha was flung forward into

443
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,720
Speaker 1: the back of Tullie seat. A trio of vehicles zoomed

444
00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:26,760
Speaker 1: past them, speeding in the opposite direction, like several bats

445
00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:30,159
Speaker 1: fleeing the same hell. Sasha realized, with a moment's focus,

446
00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,399
Speaker 1: that there was an awful lot of traffic heading away

447
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:36,240
Speaker 1: from them as fast as possible, promp Tullie cursed and

448
00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:39,160
Speaker 1: fought with a stick shift. The truck lurched forward again

449
00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,600
Speaker 1: and made it back onto the road for a few seconds.

450
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,520
Speaker 1: Then another speeding car roared into the oncoming lane, and

451
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:46,600
Speaker 1: she was forced to veer off to the shoulder again.

452
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,480
Speaker 1: The sounds of gunfire grew louder. Sasha heard the thrumb

453
00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,680
Speaker 1: of helicopter blades too, a second before one buzzed right

454
00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,919
Speaker 1: over their heads. It looked like a military vehicle, painted

455
00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:00,399
Speaker 1: matt black and laden with weapons. Sasha watched as zoomed

456
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,560
Speaker 1: ahead and rose up over a pair of high rise

457
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:05,560
Speaker 1: apartment buildings near the horizon line. There was a loud

458
00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,359
Speaker 1: crump sound, and black smoke billowed out from the side

459
00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:10,960
Speaker 1: of the craft. It spun around drunkenly in the air

460
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,640
Speaker 1: for one very long second before slamming into the roof

461
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,840
Speaker 1: of one of the high rises. The resultant blast rocked

462
00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,399
Speaker 1: the truck. Two Lee veered left and right around a

463
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:23,200
Speaker 1: pothole at another speeding truck, respectively. Her knuckles were white,

464
00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,040
Speaker 1: her jaw was clinched. Sasha could see Tulie's eyes in

465
00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:28,679
Speaker 1: the rear view mirror. She looked terrified and angry at

466
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,640
Speaker 1: the same time, Rick moaned in pain with every shake

467
00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,399
Speaker 1: and jostle. Manny closed his eyes, shook his head, and

468
00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,160
Speaker 1: muttered something low under his breath. Are we close, Sasha

469
00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,520
Speaker 1: asked Manny. He squinted and looked out at the road

470
00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:44,560
Speaker 1: for a second. I mean, he shrugged. Yeah, probably, I'm

471
00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:48,480
Speaker 1: gonna guess. Rollands close to the explosions and also causing them.

472
00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:51,879
Speaker 1: Smoke now dominated the horizon, which grew less horizony and

473
00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,080
Speaker 1: more imminent with each passing second. In spite of all that,

474
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:57,520
Speaker 1: Sasha's eyes kept being drawn back to the gun in

475
00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:00,199
Speaker 1: Manny's hand and the dry red brown stains on the

476
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,720
Speaker 1: slide that was a good man's blood. She thought, how

477
00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:08,159
Speaker 1: did it come to this? Hey, Jesus girl, it was Tuli.

478
00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:10,840
Speaker 1: Sasha looked up to the rear view mirror and locked

479
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,560
Speaker 1: eyes with the other woman. But the funk up Chica,

480
00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,800
Speaker 1: Tuli said. For the first time, Sasha heard real anger

481
00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,560
Speaker 1: and not just cold indifference in her voice. The other

482
00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:22,960
Speaker 1: woman continued, My best friend was just shot to pieces,

483
00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,679
Speaker 1: My lover is bleeding out, and you're all fucked up

484
00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,960
Speaker 1: because you've gunned down some crystal fascist ship fuck Suck

485
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:30,879
Speaker 1: your heart into your guts. I don't know where you

486
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:32,960
Speaker 1: came from, girl, but you're in a hardass part of

487
00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:38,200
Speaker 1: the world. Now it's time to fortify. Fortify. Sasha held

488
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:42,320
Speaker 1: onto that word like a life preserver. Fortify survive. Then

489
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,640
Speaker 1: you can lose your head in tears and shame. Okay,

490
00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,760
Speaker 1: she nodded. She started to apologize, but was interrupted when

491
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:52,000
Speaker 1: the truck screeched to another's sudden halt and threw everyone forward.

492
00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:54,720
Speaker 1: Sasha's head hit the front seat again, and her world

493
00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:59,240
Speaker 1: dissolved into stars. Ship. Tulie cried something rammed the rear

494
00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,720
Speaker 1: of the truck. Sasha lost all orientation to reality. When

495
00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:04,760
Speaker 1: her head and eyes cleared, the first thing she saw

496
00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:08,199
Speaker 1: was Tullie nursing a broken nose. Blood poured down the

497
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,120
Speaker 1: other woman's face. Many seemed intact. Sasha looked behind them

498
00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:14,560
Speaker 1: and saw a small sedan had dashed itself against the

499
00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,959
Speaker 1: bed of their truck. It must have been following right

500
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,960
Speaker 1: behind when Tullie hit the brakes. Sasha swung her eyes

501
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:24,000
Speaker 1: front to see why they'd stopped. She saw Rowland. He

502
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:26,440
Speaker 1: stood maybe ten feet in front of the truck's hood.

503
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,439
Speaker 1: That arm raiser of his was extended again, but the

504
00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,520
Speaker 1: blade was cracked and half shattered. His other hand held

505
00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,000
Speaker 1: some sort of large, black assault rifle he hadn't been

506
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,000
Speaker 1: carrying in the jail. The pistol grip grenade launcher he'd

507
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:40,280
Speaker 1: been carrying was still with him, but he'd holstered it

508
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,160
Speaker 1: in an open hole in his belly. The left side

509
00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:45,320
Speaker 1: of his cheek had been ripped away. Most of his

510
00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:47,560
Speaker 1: hair was burnt off, and Sasha made out at least

511
00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,159
Speaker 1: one clear bullet hole in his forehead. There might have

512
00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:52,560
Speaker 1: been more. All the caked on blood and gore made

513
00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,840
Speaker 1: it hard to discern. His clothing had been mostly shot, burned,

514
00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 1: or torn away. The dominant colors on his body were

515
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,359
Speaker 1: black and red, with a few horrible spots of white

516
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,480
Speaker 1: where bones shone through. In the open air, the city

517
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:07,520
Speaker 1: behind him was all smoke and fire. Emergency lights from

518
00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,400
Speaker 1: several vehicles blinked madly in the miasthma, but there were

519
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,960
Speaker 1: no martyrs or emergency workers visible, at least none that

520
00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:18,000
Speaker 1: were standing. Sasha saw several terribly still bodies lying among

521
00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,480
Speaker 1: the piles of rubble. Roland staggered towards the truck and

522
00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,560
Speaker 1: flung the passenger's side door open. He slumped into the

523
00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,720
Speaker 1: seat bringing with him an overpowering stink of blood and fire.

524
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:30,840
Speaker 1: He leaned back in his seat and took three long breaths,

525
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,919
Speaker 1: and then he spoke, way, heads pretty clear, but you

526
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:36,399
Speaker 1: might want to hang a right and then take a

527
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:40,560
Speaker 1: left avoid the traffic. Truly nodded, and the truck jerked

528
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:46,120
Speaker 1: forward again. The riot out was so easy it scared Sasha.

529
00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:49,399
Speaker 1: In fact, it seemed to scare everyone but Roland. Manny's

530
00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,000
Speaker 1: knuckles grew whider and wider as they navigated their way

531
00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,919
Speaker 1: out of the old Metroplex. Toulli's expression didn't change, but

532
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:58,399
Speaker 1: her body shook with nervous energy, and her jaw was

533
00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:00,800
Speaker 1: set so tight that the veins on her neck bulged

534
00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,320
Speaker 1: from the strain. It was a mercy that Rick was

535
00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,800
Speaker 1: unconscious by that point. Convoys of military vehicles rolled past them,

536
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,920
Speaker 1: sometimes escorting ambulances and other emergency vehicles, sometimes bringing more

537
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,520
Speaker 1: soldiers to the chunk of the city. Roland had devastated

538
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,760
Speaker 1: Sasha's heart leapt into her throat every single time, but

539
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,359
Speaker 1: somehow no one stopped their truck. Roland assured them all

540
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:23,679
Speaker 1: that it would be fine. I kicked their asses so

541
00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:26,080
Speaker 1: hard it'll take him an hour to find their cheeks.

542
00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:28,800
Speaker 1: His only discomfort came once they left the zone of

543
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,560
Speaker 1: active danger. He seemed to deflate. Then, after a half

544
00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:35,320
Speaker 1: hour on the road, his wounds had mostly healed. The

545
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:38,640
Speaker 1: new skin that grew back underneath seemed weirdly dark compared

546
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,840
Speaker 1: to the skin above it. Roland scratched at it an irritation,

547
00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:44,199
Speaker 1: and then as casually as if he'd been tossing an

548
00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,960
Speaker 1: apple core, he ripped off his face in one smooth

549
00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:51,479
Speaker 1: emotion and tossed the bloody skin out the window. Jesus, dude,

550
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,800
Speaker 1: Manny said, disgusted. Couldn't you have waited until we weren't

551
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,320
Speaker 1: all in the car? Sasha stared in shock. Her hands

552
00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:00,520
Speaker 1: started to tremble, and she felt the eared to vomit,

553
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,000
Speaker 1: but she fought it down and forced her stomach to

554
00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:06,560
Speaker 1: an uneasy calm. You've seen worse than this now, and

555
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:09,399
Speaker 1: that was true. She looked back at Rowland and forced

556
00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:12,199
Speaker 1: herself to take in his new face, which she guessed

557
00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,239
Speaker 1: was really his old face. Neither iteration of him had

558
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:19,320
Speaker 1: been exactly handsome. She watched in queasy fascination as he

559
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:21,399
Speaker 1: picked the rest of the white skin from his hands

560
00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,960
Speaker 1: and tossed it out the window. When he'd finished, he

561
00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:27,600
Speaker 1: glanced up at Sasha. What he asked, Please tell me

562
00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:29,800
Speaker 1: you're not a racist. This would be a real bad

563
00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:32,919
Speaker 1: time for you to be racist. She's not racist, dude.

564
00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,560
Speaker 1: Manny said, you just ripped your skin off. That freaks

565
00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:41,440
Speaker 1: people out. Oh, said Rowland, right, Sorry, it's okay, She said,

566
00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:43,960
Speaker 1: this is just my first time seeing someone rip off

567
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:48,280
Speaker 1: their own skin. First. Roland grunted, but probably not last.

568
00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:51,840
Speaker 1: Sasha didn't have the guts to question him, so she

569
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,280
Speaker 1: kept quiet for the rest of the ride, so did

570
00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:57,000
Speaker 1: most of the other passengers. For a long time, the

571
00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:00,280
Speaker 1: only sounds inside the truck were Rick's unconscious moan and

572
00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:04,440
Speaker 1: Rowland's occasional directions to Tulli. He led them through underpopulated

573
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,880
Speaker 1: neighborhoods and around checkpoints, past blackened buildings and wrecks of

574
00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:11,560
Speaker 1: military vehicles destroyed during the Heavenly Kingdom's first Great advance.

575
00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,680
Speaker 1: Sasha was surprised at the emptiness of most of the city.

576
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:17,920
Speaker 1: She began to understand why Manny called this place Sioda

577
00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:21,160
Speaker 1: di Muerta. It took them two hours to escape the

578
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:23,800
Speaker 1: city sprawl and finally make their way out onto the

579
00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:27,360
Speaker 1: open plains. They avoided the main highway that linked Dallas

580
00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:30,320
Speaker 1: to Waco. Instead spider webbed their way across a series

581
00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,000
Speaker 1: of farm roads. Every few minutes they'd rolled past the

582
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:36,520
Speaker 1: bones of a rural town. Every town out here seemed abandoned,

583
00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:39,160
Speaker 1: as dead and dry as the acres of yellow grass

584
00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:42,400
Speaker 1: that swallowed them up. A little before dark, they rolled

585
00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,280
Speaker 1: over a decrepit bridge across a dry river bed. A

586
00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:49,920
Speaker 1: bullet riddled sign identified this area as Basqui County. Rowland

587
00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,360
Speaker 1: put a hand on Manny's shoulder and pointed towards a

588
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,560
Speaker 1: big metal barn on the horizon. Take us up there.

589
00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:59,600
Speaker 1: We should probably stop for the night. What Tullie spoke up?

590
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:01,680
Speaker 1: Why we could be at rolling fuck in an hour?

591
00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:05,320
Speaker 1: Roland shook his head. We got two routes back to

592
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,560
Speaker 1: the city. Either we find the main highway and deal

593
00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:10,560
Speaker 1: with Kingdom patrols, or we keep ride in these country roads.

594
00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:12,720
Speaker 1: That'll take at least another two or three hours and

595
00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:15,320
Speaker 1: a lot of time off road in the dark. There's

596
00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:18,040
Speaker 1: no better recipe for cracking an axle or blowing at tire.

597
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 1: Tuly fumed, but she rolled the truck up and through

598
00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:23,120
Speaker 1: a gap in what had once been the fence line

599
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:26,240
Speaker 1: of a farm. There were a lot of farmhouses around them,

600
00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:29,600
Speaker 1: stretched out across acres and acres of fields and pecan orchards.

601
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:34,040
Speaker 1: They all looked abandoned, devoid of light, half reclaimed by vegetation.

602
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:36,880
Speaker 1: The bar and Roland led them to was just as empty.

603
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:39,160
Speaker 1: There were large holes in the sheet metal roof, and

604
00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,240
Speaker 1: chunks of the metal walls had been peeled away for

605
00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:44,800
Speaker 1: scrap metal. The underlying structure had been built from metal girders,

606
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:48,000
Speaker 1: though it seemed solid. They got out of the truck,

607
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,960
Speaker 1: Roland helped Tully carry her lover across the last few

608
00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:53,880
Speaker 1: yards of field and into the old barn. The innards

609
00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,720
Speaker 1: of the building were dusty. Rusted tools hung from the wall,

610
00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:59,600
Speaker 1: and boxes of assorted goods littered the floor. Some of

611
00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,160
Speaker 1: them had ripped open by scavengers, but most looked like

612
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:05,880
Speaker 1: they'd sat unmolested since the property had been abandoned. Manny

613
00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,120
Speaker 1: found an old couch inside. Roland and Tullie helped Rick

614
00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,800
Speaker 1: on to it. Then Roland walked off into the middle

615
00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,080
Speaker 1: of the barn and started to root around in boxes.

616
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:16,400
Speaker 1: He came back a minute later with a load of

617
00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:18,440
Speaker 1: canned goods in one arm and a handle of brown

618
00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:20,800
Speaker 1: liquor in the other. He sat the whole lot down

619
00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:22,960
Speaker 1: on the ground next to the couch, held up a

620
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,840
Speaker 1: can labeled water in big red letters, and then punched

621
00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:28,240
Speaker 1: his finger through the top of the can. He handed

622
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:30,600
Speaker 1: it to Tulli and she helped Rick drink. He was

623
00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,360
Speaker 1: semi conscious now, Sasha thought there might be a little

624
00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 1: more color in his cheeks. Roland opened three more cans,

625
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,160
Speaker 1: one of water and two filled with some sort of

626
00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:42,600
Speaker 1: gloopy beef stew. He ripped the aluminum tops open with

627
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,880
Speaker 1: his bare fingers and then passed them around. Sasha was

628
00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:48,440
Speaker 1: still too deep in the throes of depression and adrenaline

629
00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:51,280
Speaker 1: dumpage to have any kind of appetite. The brown gray

630
00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:53,800
Speaker 1: color of the stew didn't help with that, but Manny

631
00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:56,040
Speaker 1: insisted she take a gulp, and as soon as the

632
00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:59,400
Speaker 1: food hit her tongue, Sasha realized she was starving. She

633
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,000
Speaker 1: took two were deep gulps of the salty, mushy mass

634
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,120
Speaker 1: before passing it along to Tulli. The crew ate and

635
00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:09,200
Speaker 1: rehydrated without conversation, although not in silence. The sounds of

636
00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:11,880
Speaker 1: gulping and lip smacking filled the barn for a few minutes,

637
00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:15,240
Speaker 1: Roland didn't join in the eating. Instead, he popped open

638
00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:17,360
Speaker 1: the liquor bottle and drained it dry over the course

639
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,640
Speaker 1: of about ninety seconds. The big man closed his eyes,

640
00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,240
Speaker 1: a smile crept up onto his features, and he gave

641
00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:26,280
Speaker 1: a deep, contented sigh. When the food was almost gone,

642
00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:28,480
Speaker 1: he stood up and staggered back into the piles of

643
00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:31,480
Speaker 1: gear to grab two more bottles. These ones were filled

644
00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:34,000
Speaker 1: with an off yellow liquid. He sat one down in

645
00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:37,360
Speaker 1: between Manny and Sasha and immediately began to gustle the second.

646
00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:40,800
Speaker 1: Many glanced at Sasha, then at Tulli, then down at

647
00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:43,120
Speaker 1: the bottle. He popped the top and took a belt.

648
00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:45,800
Speaker 1: Then he offered it to Sasha. If there was ever

649
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:47,760
Speaker 1: a time to dive into drinking, it's the day I

650
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:50,920
Speaker 1: killed two people. Sasha took the bottle and stared at

651
00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:54,080
Speaker 1: it for a second. The label said Talisker and identified

652
00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,800
Speaker 1: it as a product of Scotland. The bottle itself was

653
00:32:56,840 --> 00:33:01,840
Speaker 1: covered in dust. Hey, Rowland, she asked, suddenly curious, did

654
00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:04,720
Speaker 1: you know this place would have food and water and alcohol?

655
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:08,560
Speaker 1: Roland paused draining his second bottle and fixed Sasha with

656
00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,760
Speaker 1: his strange blue eyes. He looked tired for the first

657
00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:14,440
Speaker 1: time since she'd met him. Sasha wasn't sure if that

658
00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:16,720
Speaker 1: was due to the rampage he just carried out or

659
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:21,080
Speaker 1: her question. I've been here before, he half mumbled, years ago,

660
00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:22,959
Speaker 1: back before this old chunk of dirt was as much

661
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,719
Speaker 1: of a ship hole as it is now. Wait did

662
00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,640
Speaker 1: you used to live here? Manny asked, I don't know.

663
00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:31,920
Speaker 1: Roland shrugged. What do you mean you don't know? You

664
00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,160
Speaker 1: clearly know this farm. He shrugged and gave a vague

665
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,320
Speaker 1: wave with his free hand. I have memories of this place,

666
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,160
Speaker 1: bright lights at night, people dancing, drugs and wine, and

667
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:43,760
Speaker 1: people in songs. I have memories of packing the supplies

668
00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:47,640
Speaker 1: into boxes, buying ammunition. He nodded towards the still locked

669
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:50,320
Speaker 1: door of the barn. I remember locking that thing up,

670
00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:53,040
Speaker 1: but I don't remember why exactly. I might have lived here,

671
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:55,440
Speaker 1: it might have belonged to a friend. Either way, I

672
00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:57,280
Speaker 1: feel like the last time I was here was back

673
00:33:57,320 --> 00:34:01,760
Speaker 1: before the revolution. His mind is full of holes, Manny explained,

674
00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:04,280
Speaker 1: something happened to him a few years back. He remembers

675
00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:06,800
Speaker 1: pieces of who he is, what he's done, but not everything.

676
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,560
Speaker 1: Tulli kicked Sasha gently in the hip. She gestured to

677
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,680
Speaker 1: the bottle of whiskey. If you're not drinking past the bottle,

678
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:17,160
Speaker 1: some of us have grieving to do. On impulse, Sasha

679
00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:19,600
Speaker 1: took a pull from the bottle. She started to hand

680
00:34:19,640 --> 00:34:21,480
Speaker 1: it over to Tulli, but then the taste hit her

681
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:23,719
Speaker 1: and she gagged. It was like someone had lit a

682
00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:26,360
Speaker 1: fire in her throat, one that tasted of burning pete.

683
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:29,319
Speaker 1: She coughed and hacked for several seconds, while Tulli and

684
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:33,080
Speaker 1: Roland laughed. Once she regained her breath, Sasha finally handed

685
00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:36,480
Speaker 1: off the bottle. You'll get better at it, the woman said,

686
00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:38,680
Speaker 1: her lips twisted up into what might have been a

687
00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:44,359
Speaker 1: real smile. Whiskey is in acquired taste, like cigars nanarchy.

688
00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:47,920
Speaker 1: Tully took a very deep pole and sighed and satisfaction.

689
00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,920
Speaker 1: She handed the bottle off to Manny and started gently

690
00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:53,960
Speaker 1: petting Rick's face. The wounded man was asleep, but he

691
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,840
Speaker 1: seemed much healthier than he had been a half hour earlier.

692
00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:01,200
Speaker 1: How are you doing, Sasha, Manny asked. His eyes met hers,

693
00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:05,480
Speaker 1: and Sasha saw a deep concern in his gaze. I'm fine,

694
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:09,440
Speaker 1: she said, not really meaning it. She's all funked up

695
00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:11,920
Speaker 1: over the guy she killed for the truck. Toullie grunted,

696
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,560
Speaker 1: shouldn't be fucker picked the wrong side, So did I.

697
00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,240
Speaker 1: Sasha tried to keep the anger out of her voice.

698
00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,760
Speaker 1: At first. Darrow was a good man. He didn't deserve

699
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:26,800
Speaker 1: to die. Neither did Marigold, said Toulli. Neither did Major Parne.

700
00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,759
Speaker 1: Manny added in a quiet voice. They hung him on

701
00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:32,680
Speaker 1: the day you and I met. The whole world's full

702
00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:36,120
Speaker 1: of good dead people, said Tullie. My advice, don't cry

703
00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:39,440
Speaker 1: over someone you shot in self defense. That's a karmic freebie.

704
00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:42,800
Speaker 1: The guy had a gun, Manny added, seems like he

705
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,800
Speaker 1: just did what she had to do. Rowland was quiet

706
00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,600
Speaker 1: through all this. He kept drinking, but his pace had slowed.

707
00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,040
Speaker 1: His face took on a dark cast, and he slumped

708
00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:54,200
Speaker 1: down into his chair. He seemed to collapse in on himself.

709
00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:57,840
Speaker 1: A little look Cheka, Tulie said. There was a slight,

710
00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,680
Speaker 1: drunken slurry were words. Now. I know I gave you

711
00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:02,719
Speaker 1: a hard time, and it was dumb as fucky in

712
00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:04,920
Speaker 1: a mood of this kingdom. But I gave you credit

713
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:08,120
Speaker 1: for breaking free and for helping us escape. You might

714
00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:10,200
Speaker 1: be a little dumb, but you aren't bad people in

715
00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:12,880
Speaker 1: my book. Don't beat yourself up over doing what you

716
00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:16,040
Speaker 1: had to do. There was quiet for a little while

717
00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:19,280
Speaker 1: Manny passed the bottle to Sasha. She took another gulp

718
00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:22,160
Speaker 1: and managed to hold it down. This time. Tullie nodded

719
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:25,399
Speaker 1: an approval. When Sasha passed the whiskey on, Sasha found

720
00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:28,360
Speaker 1: her eyes drawn once more to Darrell's gun. It was

721
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:32,120
Speaker 1: tucked into Tullie's waistband. Roland cleared his throat and gave

722
00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:35,840
Speaker 1: a loud, flimmy cough. Sasha looked back at him. You

723
00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:38,279
Speaker 1: didn't ask me for an opinion, he said, but since

724
00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:40,759
Speaker 1: everyone else's way in and I might as well. There

725
00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:44,960
Speaker 1: ain't nothing wrong with feeling bad about murder, even justified murder.

726
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,520
Speaker 1: But personally, I don't think that's what's fucking you up.

727
00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:51,200
Speaker 1: What do you mean, she asked. He drained the last

728
00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:53,680
Speaker 1: of the whiskey bottle and tossed it off into the darkness.

729
00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:57,080
Speaker 1: It landed with a clank. I got real good senses,

730
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:59,120
Speaker 1: you know. I can't turn him off. So I heard

731
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:01,960
Speaker 1: your heart right. I smelled the narrow transmitters running through

732
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:05,000
Speaker 1: you synapses. I could taste the guilt wafting off you,

733
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,000
Speaker 1: but that's not the only thing I taste. He locked

734
00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:11,239
Speaker 1: his unsteady gaze on hers. Sasha stared into the cold

735
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:14,120
Speaker 1: blue of his pupils. A chill ran down her spine,

736
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:16,399
Speaker 1: Sweat beat it on the back of her neck. When

737
00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:19,200
Speaker 1: he spoke next, his voice was barely above a whisper.

738
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:22,360
Speaker 1: Back at the jail. When you crushed that guy's skull

739
00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:26,840
Speaker 1: with a helmet, you've enjoyed yourself. You liked it. Sasha

740
00:37:26,920 --> 00:37:29,160
Speaker 1: broke his gaze. She stared down at her lap and

741
00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:31,719
Speaker 1: struggled to find a reply, but there was nothing else

742
00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:40,960
Speaker 1: for her to say. Rowland was right. Hello and welcome

743
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,120
Speaker 1: to our show. I'm Zoie de Chanelle, and I'm so

744
00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:45,600
Speaker 1: excited to be joined by my friends and cast mates

745
00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:48,560
Speaker 1: Hannah Simone and Lamar and Morris to recap our hit

746
00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:52,040
Speaker 1: television series New Girl. Join us every Monday on the

747
00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:54,680
Speaker 1: Welcome to Our Show podcast, where we'll share behind the

748
00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:57,640
Speaker 1: scenes stories of your favorite New Girl episodes, revealed the

749
00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:01,239
Speaker 1: truth behind the legendary game True American, and discuss how

750
00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:03,920
Speaker 1: this show got made with the writer's guest stars and

751
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,680
Speaker 1: directors who made the show so special. Fans have been

752
00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:09,000
Speaker 1: begging us to do a New Girl recap for years,

753
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:12,000
Speaker 1: and we finally made a podcast where we answer all

754
00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:15,600
Speaker 1: your burning questions like is there really a bear? In

755
00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:18,839
Speaker 1: every episode of New Girl. Plus each week you'll hear

756
00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:22,319
Speaker 1: hilarious stories like this at the end, when he says,

757
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:24,719
Speaker 1: you got some Schmidt on your face. I feel like

758
00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:27,319
Speaker 1: I pitched that job. I believe that I feel like

759
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:29,000
Speaker 1: I did. I'm not on a thousand percent. I want

760
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,560
Speaker 1: to say that was I tossed that one out. Listen

761
00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:33,520
Speaker 1: to the Welcome to Our Show podcast on the I

762
00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:37,680
Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

763
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:42,400
Speaker 1: I'm Ev Rodsky, author of the New York Times bestseller

764
00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:45,759
Speaker 1: Affair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space, activists on the

765
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:49,239
Speaker 1: gender division of labor, attorney and family mediator. And I'm

766
00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:52,440
Speaker 1: Dr as eating A Rutcar, a Harvard physician and medical

767
00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:55,799
Speaker 1: correspondent with an expertise and the science of stress, resilience,

768
00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:59,640
Speaker 1: mental health, and burnout. We're so excited to share our podcast,

769
00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:02,879
Speaker 1: Him Out, a production of I Heart Podcasts and Hell

770
00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:06,560
Speaker 1: of Sunshine. We're uncovering why society makes it so hard

771
00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:09,520
Speaker 1: for women to treat their time with the value it deserves.

772
00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:13,000
Speaker 1: So take this time out with us. Listen to Time Out,

773
00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:16,120
Speaker 1: a fair Play podcast on the I Heart Radio app,

774
00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:21,600
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When P. T.

775
00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:24,720
Speaker 1: Barnum's Great American Museum burned to the ground in eighteen

776
00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:28,080
Speaker 1: sixty five, what rose from its ashes would change the world?

777
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:32,359
Speaker 1: Welcome to Grim and Mild Presents, an ongoing journey into

778
00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:36,880
Speaker 1: the strange, the unusual, and the fascinating. For our inaugural season,

779
00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,360
Speaker 1: we'll be giving you a backstage tour of the always

780
00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:44,120
Speaker 1: complex and often misunderstood cultural artifact that is the American

781
00:39:44,239 --> 00:39:47,000
Speaker 1: Side Show. So come along as we visit the shadowy

782
00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:49,759
Speaker 1: corners of the stage and learn about the people who

783
00:39:49,760 --> 00:39:51,920
Speaker 1: were at the center of it all in a place

784
00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:55,800
Speaker 1: where spectacle was king. We will soon discover there's always

785
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:58,840
Speaker 1: more to the story than meets the eye, So step

786
00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:02,000
Speaker 1: right up and get in line. Listen to Grim and

787
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:05,440
Speaker 1: Mile Presents now on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

788
00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:09,080
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to podcasts. Learn more over at

789
00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:17,040
Speaker 1: Grim and Mild dot com. Slash Presents Chapter twenty two.

790
00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:22,200
Speaker 1: Manny Rolling Fuck was as bright, shiny and chaotic as

791
00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:24,839
Speaker 1: it had been when he left, but Manny could see

792
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:28,400
Speaker 1: a real change among the citizens themselves. Gone were the

793
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:32,200
Speaker 1: lounging crowds of half naked people instead of the perpetual party.

794
00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,440
Speaker 1: A war camp spread out around the great superstructure of

795
00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:38,839
Speaker 1: the city. Hundreds of men and women were busy dawning armor,

796
00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:42,600
Speaker 1: applying war paint, and checking over stacks of weaponry. Manny

797
00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:46,200
Speaker 1: saw crates of guided mortars, piles of rocket launchers, boxes

798
00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:49,440
Speaker 1: of high velocity ammunition, and enough firearms to equip every

799
00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:53,120
Speaker 1: citizen a dozen times over. There was no discernible rolling

800
00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:56,520
Speaker 1: fuck uniform that Manny could see. Some of the city's

801
00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:59,759
Speaker 1: warriors war powered body armor, painted in garish colors and

802
00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:04,560
Speaker 1: bid decked with various quotations Fuck your Day seemed particularly popular.

803
00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:08,120
Speaker 1: Many of them wore pieces of pop culture costumery mixed

804
00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:12,000
Speaker 1: in with their gear. Manny recognized Darth Vader's helmet, hell

805
00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:14,880
Speaker 1: Boy's red right hand, and a surprising number of people

806
00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:17,760
Speaker 1: with Mickey Mouse's face spray painted on their chest armor.

807
00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:20,879
Speaker 1: An equal number of Fuckians wore no armor at all.

808
00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:24,120
Speaker 1: Some of them were dressed in their normal flowing lounge garments.

809
00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:26,640
Speaker 1: The weapons they wore were the only signs that they

810
00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:30,480
Speaker 1: had plans beyond debauchery. Others were naked or mostly so.

811
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:33,000
Speaker 1: He saw one man wearing the helmet of a Greek

812
00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:36,440
Speaker 1: hoplight and carrying two Viking axes on his back. He

813
00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:39,000
Speaker 1: saw a woman with a Dragonov rifle on her back,

814
00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:42,200
Speaker 1: an old German stallhelm on her head, an Ottoman mirror

815
00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:45,520
Speaker 1: armor on her chest. She waved at them, excited. It

816
00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:49,000
Speaker 1: took Manny a second to recognize Topas's face under the helmet.

817
00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:53,799
Speaker 1: They're here, there, she stopped. Tullie had stopped too. She

818
00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:56,640
Speaker 1: cast her face down. Many could see the shimmer of

819
00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:59,840
Speaker 1: tears on her cheeks. A crowd gathered around them. In

820
00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:02,560
Speaker 1: a few seconds, they were encircled by dozens of heavily

821
00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:05,640
Speaker 1: armed post humans in a dizzying array of war costumes.

822
00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:08,239
Speaker 1: Skofucker Mike pushed his way to the front and ran

823
00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:11,600
Speaker 1: up to embrace Tulli. Manny was surprised when she started

824
00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:14,200
Speaker 1: to sob. The big man held her tight, but looked

825
00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:18,520
Speaker 1: to Rowland what happened. Roland gave him a look that said,

826
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:22,560
Speaker 1: you know, damn well what happened. But then he spoke, anyway,

827
00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:26,959
Speaker 1: your friend didn't make it schofucker. Mike's jaw went tight,

828
00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:30,000
Speaker 1: his eyes bulged, and he held onto Tulli a little tighter.

829
00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:32,640
Speaker 1: Manny thought back to the night they'd spent in brain

830
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:36,080
Speaker 1: Breakers and the things he'd said about Marigold. Manny hadn't

831
00:42:36,120 --> 00:42:37,919
Speaker 1: really known the woman at all, but he could tell

832
00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:40,600
Speaker 1: Mike had cared deeply for her. He looked around at

833
00:42:40,640 --> 00:42:43,040
Speaker 1: the crowd closing in on them, the dozens of half

834
00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:46,680
Speaker 1: human god monsters with helpless rage carved onto their faces.

835
00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:52,200
Speaker 1: What happened, Mike demanded. Roland opened his mouth to speak,

836
00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:54,919
Speaker 1: closed it and ran a hand over his bald head.

837
00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:58,000
Speaker 1: He opened his mouth again, managed to squeeze out an

838
00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:01,120
Speaker 1: eye before he slumped his shoulders and hung his head.

839
00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:05,959
Speaker 1: I wasn't fast enough, he said. Finally, they had better gear,

840
00:43:06,239 --> 00:43:10,400
Speaker 1: newer suits than I had expected. Schoolfucker. Mike stared at him.

841
00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:13,240
Speaker 1: Behind him, Topaz slid down to the ground and buried

842
00:43:13,239 --> 00:43:16,400
Speaker 1: her head on her knees. Murmurs swept the crowd, and

843
00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:20,960
Speaker 1: then Sasha spoke up, Your friends saved my life. Mike

844
00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:23,360
Speaker 1: looked over and seemed to notice her for the first time,

845
00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:27,840
Speaker 1: and who were you? His voice was not unfriendly, It

846
00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:31,959
Speaker 1: wasn't exactly warm either. My name is Sasha, she said,

847
00:43:32,120 --> 00:43:34,480
Speaker 1: her voice clearly on the edge of a sob. She

848
00:43:34,600 --> 00:43:37,200
Speaker 1: looked from Mike to Toulli, to Topaz, to the crowd,

849
00:43:37,239 --> 00:43:40,040
Speaker 1: and then back to Manny. He saw panic in her eyes,

850
00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:42,840
Speaker 1: barely held in check by a cage of steely resolve.

851
00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:46,760
Speaker 1: I made a mistake. I left my home for the Kingdom.

852
00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:48,759
Speaker 1: I thought it was the right thing to do. I

853
00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:50,799
Speaker 1: met Marigold while I was there, and she helped me

854
00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:53,920
Speaker 1: see how wrong I'd been. She pointed to Roland. I

855
00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,600
Speaker 1: tried to help him free your people. We all tried,

856
00:43:56,719 --> 00:43:59,719
Speaker 1: but they were ready for us. They shot him. She

857
00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:02,600
Speaker 1: estra to Rowland. They shot him a lot. They had

858
00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:05,000
Speaker 1: us all dead to rights, and then Marigold. I don't

859
00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:07,160
Speaker 1: know how, but she got a gun. She shot two

860
00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:10,399
Speaker 1: of them, and then they shot her. She died, saving us.

861
00:44:11,280 --> 00:44:14,360
Speaker 1: The silence that followed was louder than any artillery barrage

862
00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:18,399
Speaker 1: Manny had ever sat through. Finally, Skullfucker Mike nodded at her.

863
00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:21,719
Speaker 1: There were tears in his eyes, and Manny soon realized

864
00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:25,040
Speaker 1: tears on every face in the crowd. Some people fell

865
00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:28,920
Speaker 1: to their knees, others embraced and held their friends. One voice,

866
00:44:29,040 --> 00:44:32,000
Speaker 1: hoarse and heavy with pain, howled out in anguish. It

867
00:44:32,160 --> 00:44:34,640
Speaker 1: was met by another voice, and then another, and then

868
00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:37,799
Speaker 1: another as Fukky and after Fucian tilted their head back

869
00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:40,279
Speaker 1: and roared their grief out to the empty blue of

870
00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:44,960
Speaker 1: the Texas sky. Rolling Fuck preferred to mourn through activity.

871
00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:48,120
Speaker 1: The wailing and gnashing of teeth over Marigold didn't stop

872
00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:50,600
Speaker 1: the city's medics from taking Rick and Tully to whatever

873
00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:54,240
Speaker 1: buildings served as their equivalent of a clinic. Topaz stayed

874
00:44:54,280 --> 00:44:57,200
Speaker 1: behind with a gathering crowd of mourners while skullfucker Mike

875
00:44:57,239 --> 00:45:00,640
Speaker 1: gathered up Manny, Sasha and Rowland. There will be time

876
00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:03,399
Speaker 1: to process later, He'd said, as much to himself as

877
00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:06,120
Speaker 1: to them. There's a war council soon and they'll be

878
00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:10,240
Speaker 1: wanting to debrief you. Fine, Roland said, but I'm stopping

879
00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:12,360
Speaker 1: at the bar first. I need some opium and some

880
00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:16,720
Speaker 1: got him tequila. Manny expected skullfucker Mike to be angered

881
00:45:16,719 --> 00:45:19,799
Speaker 1: by that, given the circumstances, but the other chromed man

882
00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:22,560
Speaker 1: just nodded and said I could use a drink or

883
00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:25,879
Speaker 1: nine myself. They headed for the lift underneath the main

884
00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:28,799
Speaker 1: roller Manny started to prepare himself for the meeting with

885
00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:31,720
Speaker 1: this war Council, whatever that term meant. In a place

886
00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:35,560
Speaker 1: like this, whatever happens, it's bound to be weird. They

887
00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:38,640
Speaker 1: reached the lift skullfucker Mike opened the door and gestured

888
00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:41,839
Speaker 1: for everyone to enter, and so. Less than an hour

889
00:45:41,920 --> 00:45:44,800
Speaker 1: after arriving back in the City of Wheels, Manny, Sasha,

890
00:45:44,840 --> 00:45:48,040
Speaker 1: and Rowland found themselves seated around the same redwood table

891
00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:50,800
Speaker 1: where they had first met Nana Yazi and Donald Ferris.

892
00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:54,160
Speaker 1: The room was more crowded this time around, with two

893
00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:57,520
Speaker 1: new people he didn't recognize. One was a shirtless man

894
00:45:57,640 --> 00:46:00,439
Speaker 1: with writhing snake tattoos across his chest and a pair

895
00:46:00,440 --> 00:46:02,640
Speaker 1: of chaps that did nothing at all to cover up

896
00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:05,239
Speaker 1: his junk. It didn't help that the man's legs were

897
00:46:05,239 --> 00:46:08,319
Speaker 1: spread as wide as possible. He seemed to be deliberately

898
00:46:08,360 --> 00:46:12,080
Speaker 1: showing off. Manny looked away and found himself staring at

899
00:46:12,080 --> 00:46:14,920
Speaker 1: a very tall, very muscular, young seeming woman with a

900
00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:19,040
Speaker 1: mohawk made from thick chrome spikes. She had light brown skin.

901
00:46:19,239 --> 00:46:22,560
Speaker 1: Her cheeks were covered in several long, thin diagonal scars.

902
00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:26,040
Speaker 1: The woman's eyes had no pupils. They looked gray at first,

903
00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:29,160
Speaker 1: until Mannie realized they were actually just filled with static.

904
00:46:29,640 --> 00:46:32,000
Speaker 1: When Manny finally pulled his gaze away from her, he

905
00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:35,080
Speaker 1: was met with the biggest surprise of the day. Deshaun

906
00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:38,880
Speaker 1: Clark was seated two chairs down from Nana Yazi. Major

907
00:46:38,960 --> 00:46:42,800
Speaker 1: Clark many. The Major's lips cracked open into a wide

908
00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:45,359
Speaker 1: mouthed grin. The left side of his face was still

909
00:46:45,360 --> 00:46:47,680
Speaker 1: covered in hemostatic gauze, and the edges of the skin

910
00:46:47,719 --> 00:46:50,680
Speaker 1: around the gauze looked black and burnt. His right hand

911
00:46:50,719 --> 00:46:53,200
Speaker 1: was a smooth, angry pink color, a sure sign that

912
00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:56,400
Speaker 1: had been severed and regrown in the recent past. Major

913
00:46:56,440 --> 00:47:00,360
Speaker 1: Clark was bloody but unbowed. It's damn good to see him. Annie.

914
00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:02,200
Speaker 1: I can't tell you how proud I was to hear

915
00:47:02,239 --> 00:47:06,919
Speaker 1: you'd volunteered for this mission, Mr Pirrone, Manny started to say,

916
00:47:07,120 --> 00:47:10,480
Speaker 1: But Major Clark put up his hand, I know, he said.

917
00:47:11,360 --> 00:47:14,640
Speaker 1: Donald Ferris ahemmed, which Manny took as a gentle reminder

918
00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:17,640
Speaker 1: that now was not the time for personal business. The

919
00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:19,919
Speaker 1: old brit gestured first to the man with the riding

920
00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:24,399
Speaker 1: snake tattoos. This is Jim Shannon, he said. He heads

921
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:27,960
Speaker 1: up a small mercenary outfit. I'm the guy who roped

922
00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,360
Speaker 1: Roland into helping, Jim said with a wink. And this

923
00:47:31,600 --> 00:47:34,680
Speaker 1: cheery lass. Donald pointed to the woman with a chromehawk

924
00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:37,880
Speaker 1: is Kashore. She's been the city's elected wally too for

925
00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:41,920
Speaker 1: the past three years. And who might this young lady be,

926
00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:45,720
Speaker 1: Nanna Yazzi asked, nodding at Sasha. The old woman stood

927
00:47:45,719 --> 00:47:48,600
Speaker 1: and stepped forward to greet Sasha with a hug. Sasha

928
00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:51,880
Speaker 1: tensed up. She looked scared to return the embrace, so

929
00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:54,440
Speaker 1: Nana Yazzi backed off and favored the girl with a

930
00:47:54,440 --> 00:47:58,200
Speaker 1: warm smile. I'm sorry, child, I didn't mean to pressure you.

931
00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:01,799
Speaker 1: I'm just happy or hear with us. Sasha relaxed at that,

932
00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:06,600
Speaker 1: but she still didn't step forward. Her name, Sasha said Rowland.

933
00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:08,759
Speaker 1: She used to be with the Kingdom, now she's not.

934
00:48:09,360 --> 00:48:12,360
Speaker 1: He paused a second, considered his words, and added, she

935
00:48:12,480 --> 00:48:15,120
Speaker 1: beat one of em to death with a helmet. Oh my,

936
00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:18,759
Speaker 1: oh dear. Nana Yazzi tisked and shook her head. I'm

937
00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:22,040
Speaker 1: so sorry, Sasha, that must have been a terrible experience

938
00:48:22,080 --> 00:48:25,880
Speaker 1: for you. She enjoyed it, Jim said with a harsh

939
00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:28,600
Speaker 1: bark of a laugh. I'm sure Rowland smells it too.

940
00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:31,640
Speaker 1: Isn't that a radhun You loved killing whoever the fuk

941
00:48:31,719 --> 00:48:34,759
Speaker 1: you killed, and you feel shitty about that? Will let

942
00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:37,640
Speaker 1: me suit stop right now, or you'll leave this room.

943
00:48:38,200 --> 00:48:40,840
Speaker 1: Nana Yazzi's voice was firm, but devoid of any anger

944
00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:45,040
Speaker 1: or heat. Tomanny's shock, Jim stopped the Posthuman nodded and said,

945
00:48:45,400 --> 00:48:48,600
Speaker 1: I apologized, Sasha, that was a dick move, and then

946
00:48:48,600 --> 00:48:52,480
Speaker 1: he lowered his eyes just a little. In contrition. Nana

947
00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:55,360
Speaker 1: Yazzi offered Sasha a seat and then busied herself in

948
00:48:55,400 --> 00:48:58,160
Speaker 1: the corner, making Sasha a cup of tea. Once that

949
00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:00,520
Speaker 1: was done and they were all settled in, Anna sat

950
00:49:00,520 --> 00:49:03,919
Speaker 1: back down and looked at Manny. What happened, is all,

951
00:49:03,960 --> 00:49:08,200
Speaker 1: she asked. Manny started talking. He told her, and by extension,

952
00:49:08,200 --> 00:49:10,520
Speaker 1: the whole table, everything that had happened since he and

953
00:49:10,600 --> 00:49:13,960
Speaker 1: Rowland left rolling fuck. He told them about their trouble

954
00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:16,520
Speaker 1: with the checkpoints on the way into town. He walked

955
00:49:16,560 --> 00:49:19,359
Speaker 1: them through the intake process, his and Roland's few days

956
00:49:19,400 --> 00:49:21,799
Speaker 1: as martyrs in training, and what he'd seen in the

957
00:49:21,840 --> 00:49:24,320
Speaker 1: few sections of Plano he'd been allowed to haunt during

958
00:49:24,360 --> 00:49:26,960
Speaker 1: his time there. The woman with the Chrome Hawk was

959
00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:29,600
Speaker 1: particularly interested in what he and Rowland had to say

960
00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:32,800
Speaker 1: about the Kingdom's preferred assault tactics. They're not going to

961
00:49:32,880 --> 00:49:36,200
Speaker 1: be kicking indoors in fighting house to house, Roland explained, No,

962
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:38,920
Speaker 1: just start shelling at the first sign of resistance. They

963
00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:42,800
Speaker 1: don't care about civilian casualties. When Manny explained what the

964
00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:45,520
Speaker 1: Kingdom had been doing at the old Tesla factory, almost

965
00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:49,520
Speaker 1: everyone looked horrified. Donald Ferris spat at the ground. Most

966
00:49:49,520 --> 00:49:51,800
Speaker 1: of the others cursed or at least shook their heads.

967
00:49:52,239 --> 00:49:56,080
Speaker 1: Nana Yazi teared up. Jim, though seemed almost enthusiastic about

968
00:49:56,120 --> 00:50:00,640
Speaker 1: the revelation. Fascinating, he muttered just loud enough for Manny

969
00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:04,400
Speaker 1: to hear. Once everyone was caught up the table fired

970
00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:06,880
Speaker 1: off a few questions at him and more towards Rowland.

971
00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:09,399
Speaker 1: They seemed mostly curious as to what they'd been able

972
00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:12,440
Speaker 1: to glean about the number of recruits in the Heavenly Kingdom.

973
00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:15,319
Speaker 1: Manny didn't have much useful there, so he shut up,

974
00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:18,680
Speaker 1: leaned back, and let Rowland give the answers. An awkward

975
00:50:18,760 --> 00:50:22,759
Speaker 1: silence descended on the table. After a few minutes well,

976
00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:26,640
Speaker 1: Donald Ferris said, finally, I suppose we were fools to

977
00:50:26,680 --> 00:50:29,520
Speaker 1: hope for much more than what you've got as it stands.

978
00:50:29,520 --> 00:50:31,760
Speaker 1: Were left grappling to try an account for the sheer

979
00:50:31,840 --> 00:50:34,760
Speaker 1: number of men the Kingdom has deployed to assault Austin

980
00:50:35,960 --> 00:50:38,919
Speaker 1: twenty thousand Madas Jim spoke up and give a take

981
00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:43,680
Speaker 1: a grand Manny's blood went cold. The SDF at its

982
00:50:43,719 --> 00:50:46,520
Speaker 1: height hadn't been more than six thousand fighters, and those

983
00:50:46,520 --> 00:50:49,680
Speaker 1: were spread out across the serried battle grounds of North Texas.

984
00:50:50,080 --> 00:50:52,440
Speaker 1: The whole free city of Austin didn't have more than

985
00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:55,640
Speaker 1: five thousand people in its full time defense corps. Twenty

986
00:50:55,680 --> 00:50:59,960
Speaker 1: thousand men was impossible, he said, that's just fucking impossible.

987
00:51:00,680 --> 00:51:03,520
Speaker 1: I'd be inclined to agree with you, kid, said Jim,

988
00:51:03,760 --> 00:51:06,440
Speaker 1: if my own men hadn't double checked the count for us.

989
00:51:06,840 --> 00:51:09,600
Speaker 1: The Kingdom's already marshaled half of that force on the

990
00:51:09,600 --> 00:51:12,759
Speaker 1: outskirts of d'a f w near Lancaster. They'll be in

991
00:51:12,800 --> 00:51:16,000
Speaker 1: Waco tomorrow if no one stops him. Hell, they could

992
00:51:16,000 --> 00:51:20,000
Speaker 1: be pound in Austin with artillery by doc Donald Ferris

993
00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:24,400
Speaker 1: nodded mister Shennon. Here he gestured, to Jim, as agreed

994
00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:27,279
Speaker 1: to lend a hand along with several dozen of his mercenaries.

995
00:51:27,640 --> 00:51:29,959
Speaker 1: Add that to the warriors of Rolling Fuck, and we've

996
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:33,440
Speaker 1: got seven hundredish post humans. It's a large enough force

997
00:51:33,520 --> 00:51:38,160
Speaker 1: to hold Waco and badly bloody their nose. But Cushuri

998
00:51:38,239 --> 00:51:40,719
Speaker 1: spoke for the first time. She had a deep, gravelly

999
00:51:40,800 --> 00:51:43,239
Speaker 1: voice that sounded like she'd been eating cigarettes for the

1000
00:51:43,280 --> 00:51:46,600
Speaker 1: last ten years. Rolling Funck is not in the business

1001
00:51:46,600 --> 00:51:50,480
Speaker 1: of volunteering for our own Vietnams. My people aren't signing

1002
00:51:50,600 --> 00:51:53,520
Speaker 1: up for a war. I can guarantee our presence on

1003
00:51:53,560 --> 00:51:56,560
Speaker 1: the battlefield for up to forty eight hours, enough time

1004
00:51:56,640 --> 00:52:00,600
Speaker 1: for vengeance, she continued. After that, you're her in cats.

1005
00:52:01,520 --> 00:52:03,960
Speaker 1: Is that a problem, Manny asked, I mean I saw

1006
00:52:04,080 --> 00:52:07,200
Speaker 1: Roland lay waste to half a city, six hundred of him.

1007
00:52:07,400 --> 00:52:10,840
Speaker 1: There's only one of him, Kishore said. Jim nodded in

1008
00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:15,600
Speaker 1: agreement and fixed Manny with his uncomfortable gray eyes. Let see, kid,

1009
00:52:15,760 --> 00:52:18,719
Speaker 1: he said me. Anyone a Roland Fox war is as

1010
00:52:18,719 --> 00:52:21,439
Speaker 1: good for a few dozen normal troops in a straight fight.

1011
00:52:21,680 --> 00:52:25,360
Speaker 1: More of we're talking half trained partizans, but nobody is

1012
00:52:25,480 --> 00:52:29,160
Speaker 1: like Roland. Many looked over to Roland. The big man

1013
00:52:29,280 --> 00:52:32,960
Speaker 1: seemed distinctly uncomfortable with all the attention. He stared down

1014
00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:35,480
Speaker 1: at his hands, which seemed to be occupied with tearing

1015
00:52:35,560 --> 00:52:38,399
Speaker 1: up a paper drink coaster. The Matas have a lot

1016
00:52:38,400 --> 00:52:42,680
Speaker 1: of half trained potizans, but they've also got tanks, artilleryous suits,

1017
00:52:42,880 --> 00:52:47,000
Speaker 1: the resources of a nation state or close enough, rolland

1018
00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:49,240
Speaker 1: fuck can hold that off for a while. But without

1019
00:52:49,320 --> 00:52:51,960
Speaker 1: rolland the best they can do is delay the inevitable.

1020
00:52:52,560 --> 00:52:56,080
Speaker 1: Now with Roland, Jim continued, this is a two hour

1021
00:52:56,239 --> 00:52:59,279
Speaker 1: five tops. We set up our troops in some little

1022
00:52:59,320 --> 00:53:01,880
Speaker 1: chunk of the city and stop dropping mortars and rockets

1023
00:53:01,960 --> 00:53:04,719
Speaker 1: on the van God. They pull up and circle us

1024
00:53:04,719 --> 00:53:08,399
Speaker 1: and start deploying their artillery to bombas to kingdom. Come then,

1025
00:53:08,600 --> 00:53:11,520
Speaker 1: when they a good and packed together, we dropped Roland

1026
00:53:11,560 --> 00:53:15,080
Speaker 1: on the asses. Because Shore He nodded, yes, She said,

1027
00:53:15,280 --> 00:53:17,640
Speaker 1: he'll hit them and disrupt their whole order of battle

1028
00:53:17,680 --> 00:53:20,960
Speaker 1: while our cavalry rolls around their flanks and charges. That

1029
00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:23,439
Speaker 1: should be enough to make them panic. Then we'd chase

1030
00:53:23,520 --> 00:53:27,520
Speaker 1: them down until they lose cohesion. Roland's heads stayed down.

1031
00:53:27,800 --> 00:53:30,239
Speaker 1: He didn't speak. Manny looked from him to Jim to

1032
00:53:30,320 --> 00:53:34,280
Speaker 1: Nanna Yazzi and Donald Ferris. So what's the problem, Manny asked.

1033
00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:36,520
Speaker 1: If Roland and Rolling Funk are all in, there should

1034
00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:39,880
Speaker 1: be a walk in the park. Rowland, Nanny Yazzi said,

1035
00:53:39,960 --> 00:53:43,799
Speaker 1: prefers not to fight. But I just saw him. You

1036
00:53:43,960 --> 00:53:46,800
Speaker 1: just saw me break a long streak of not killing people.

1037
00:53:47,120 --> 00:53:50,359
Speaker 1: Roland's voice sounded odd, hollow and dry, and utterly without

1038
00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:52,480
Speaker 1: any of the mirth or mischief Manny had come to

1039
00:53:52,520 --> 00:53:55,600
Speaker 1: expect from the chromed man. I did that to get

1040
00:53:55,640 --> 00:53:58,319
Speaker 1: my memories back, Manny, he shrugged, And I did it

1041
00:53:58,400 --> 00:54:00,640
Speaker 1: for you because you're my buddy. But I got no

1042
00:54:00,719 --> 00:54:03,240
Speaker 1: stake in Austin. But you know what the Heavenly Kingdom

1043
00:54:03,239 --> 00:54:05,920
Speaker 1: will do if they take the city, Manny protested. You've

1044
00:54:05,920 --> 00:54:07,880
Speaker 1: seen what they did to Plano. They'll do that to

1045
00:54:07,960 --> 00:54:10,279
Speaker 1: millions of decent people if they can. You have the

1046
00:54:10,320 --> 00:54:13,840
Speaker 1: power to stop that. You're telling me you won't. Roland

1047
00:54:13,840 --> 00:54:17,840
Speaker 1: met his eyes and just said, yes, Hugh, son of

1048
00:54:17,840 --> 00:54:20,640
Speaker 1: a bitch. Manny felt the anger well up inside him.

1049
00:54:20,760 --> 00:54:24,359
Speaker 1: It merged with his grief over Major Pirone's death, Oscar's death,

1050
00:54:24,560 --> 00:54:27,319
Speaker 1: and his rage at the Heavenly Kingdom, the martyrs and

1051
00:54:27,360 --> 00:54:29,919
Speaker 1: every other group of assholes who'd helped turn his young

1052
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:33,480
Speaker 1: life into a parade of nightmares. Hugh absolute, son of

1053
00:54:33,480 --> 00:54:37,680
Speaker 1: a bitch, You fucking coward. Manny didn't think, couldn't think.

1054
00:54:37,800 --> 00:54:39,719
Speaker 1: He pulled back his fist and swung as hard as

1055
00:54:39,719 --> 00:54:42,839
Speaker 1: he could for Roland's face. The chrombed man didn't move,

1056
00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:45,360
Speaker 1: didn't even blink. Manny hit him right in the nose.

1057
00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:48,480
Speaker 1: He was softer than Manny would have guessed, didn't feel

1058
00:54:48,520 --> 00:54:51,719
Speaker 1: any different from punching a normal human. Manny swung again

1059
00:54:51,760 --> 00:54:54,400
Speaker 1: and again until he felt something crack in his knuckles.

1060
00:54:54,719 --> 00:54:56,759
Speaker 1: He cried out from the pain and pulled back to

1061
00:54:56,880 --> 00:55:00,120
Speaker 1: nurse his wounded hand. For a few seconds, Manny or

1062
00:55:00,120 --> 00:55:02,480
Speaker 1: God about the rest of the room. He closed his

1063
00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:04,680
Speaker 1: eyes and let his thoughts dissolve into an ocean of

1064
00:55:04,719 --> 00:55:08,480
Speaker 1: physical pain. The agony of his broken hand was almost soothing.

1065
00:55:08,880 --> 00:55:11,480
Speaker 1: It was better than thinking about Mr. Pirrone. It was

1066
00:55:11,520 --> 00:55:14,919
Speaker 1: better than thinking about Alejandro or Oscar. It was better

1067
00:55:14,960 --> 00:55:18,120
Speaker 1: than thinking about his soon to be shattered home. Manny

1068
00:55:18,200 --> 00:55:20,880
Speaker 1: felt a hand on his shoulder. The sensation pulled him

1069
00:55:20,920 --> 00:55:23,480
Speaker 1: out of his spiraling thoughts. He looked up and saw

1070
00:55:23,600 --> 00:55:27,759
Speaker 1: nanny Azzi. She smiled, her sad smile and said, Manny,

1071
00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:32,239
Speaker 1: everyone here understands your pain. Not me, said Jim, I've

1072
00:55:32,320 --> 00:55:36,120
Speaker 1: never been a big fan Austin too, damn rolland threw

1073
00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:38,399
Speaker 1: his empty pint glass at the other post human's face.

1074
00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:42,160
Speaker 1: It shattered on impact, embedding shards deep into Jim's cheeks

1075
00:55:42,200 --> 00:55:45,560
Speaker 1: and forehead. His head snapped back and he blinked in shock.

1076
00:55:45,600 --> 00:55:49,880
Speaker 1: A few times. Sorry, he said, I deserve that, and

1077
00:55:49,960 --> 00:55:53,720
Speaker 1: I deserved that. Roland said to Manny, no hard feelings

1078
00:55:53,719 --> 00:55:56,760
Speaker 1: I get while you're pissed, But kid, you gotta understand something.

1079
00:55:57,200 --> 00:56:00,440
Speaker 1: Austin's home to you, to me, it's just another city

1080
00:56:00,640 --> 00:56:03,839
Speaker 1: held by just another side. Half my remaining memories are

1081
00:56:03,840 --> 00:56:05,880
Speaker 1: of one cause or another asking me to go murder

1082
00:56:05,920 --> 00:56:09,280
Speaker 1: in their name. I'm fucking done with it. Minnie looked

1083
00:56:09,320 --> 00:56:12,520
Speaker 1: to Major Clark, the STF officer's eyes were lit by

1084
00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:15,200
Speaker 1: a familiar cold fire. He spoke in a tone of

1085
00:56:15,239 --> 00:56:18,960
Speaker 1: barely controlled anger. That is, you're right, of course, you

1086
00:56:19,000 --> 00:56:21,279
Speaker 1: can choose to leave, just as I will choose to

1087
00:56:21,360 --> 00:56:26,200
Speaker 1: fight and die. I wonder what Manny will choose. Manny

1088
00:56:26,280 --> 00:56:29,280
Speaker 1: hadn't really settled on that himself. Before he could stumble

1089
00:56:29,320 --> 00:56:33,920
Speaker 1: through his response Sasha spoke. I'll fight, she said. I

1090
00:56:33,920 --> 00:56:36,040
Speaker 1: don't know much about guns, but I'll do my best.

1091
00:56:36,640 --> 00:56:39,319
Speaker 1: Roland slumped back in his chair and tossed his arms

1092
00:56:39,400 --> 00:56:43,320
Speaker 1: up in a dramatic show of frustration. At two, Jesus, girl,

1093
00:56:44,280 --> 00:56:47,239
Speaker 1: i'll fight, Manny said to Major Clark, doing his best

1094
00:56:47,239 --> 00:56:50,839
Speaker 1: to talk over Roland. I'll choose to fight too. This

1095
00:56:50,880 --> 00:56:53,160
Speaker 1: isn't gonna work, you know, Roland said, I'm not going

1096
00:56:53,200 --> 00:56:55,800
Speaker 1: to be shamed into fighting again. It's just not going

1097
00:56:55,880 --> 00:56:59,640
Speaker 1: to fucking happen. Jim leaned in. He fixed Roland with

1098
00:56:59,680 --> 00:57:03,240
Speaker 1: a look that seemed almost hungry. I think it will happen.

1099
00:57:03,680 --> 00:57:06,680
Speaker 1: I think the peculiar arc of your moral compass won't

1100
00:57:06,760 --> 00:57:09,880
Speaker 1: let you leave these kids to die. He seemed surprised

1101
00:57:09,880 --> 00:57:14,840
Speaker 1: by the revelation. Huh, fascinating enough of that. Donald Ferris

1102
00:57:14,880 --> 00:57:17,760
Speaker 1: sounded angry. I won't stand to see this man badget

1103
00:57:17,880 --> 00:57:20,320
Speaker 1: and press it into fighting against his will. We might

1104
00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:24,880
Speaker 1: as well dissolve the counsel for now and reconvene without Roland. Good.

1105
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:27,520
Speaker 1: Roland stood up and stomped over to the exit. That's

1106
00:57:27,520 --> 00:57:29,200
Speaker 1: all you people need for me. I'm gonna go get

1107
00:57:29,240 --> 00:57:31,880
Speaker 1: good and pissed. And start my walk back to Arizona.

1108
00:57:32,280 --> 00:57:34,160
Speaker 1: He flipped his middle finger out at the room and

1109
00:57:34,200 --> 00:57:37,280
Speaker 1: slammed the door behind him. As he left, all eyes

1110
00:57:37,360 --> 00:57:41,640
Speaker 1: turned to Manny. I should probably go talk to him.

1111
00:57:42,560 --> 00:57:46,200
Speaker 1: Don't do anything you're not comfortable doing. Emmanuel Donald said,

1112
00:57:46,800 --> 00:57:50,439
Speaker 1: fuck that. Jim said, the bestard's on the ropes. Shame him,

1113
00:57:50,480 --> 00:57:53,880
Speaker 1: shame him good. As he headed for the exit, Mannie

1114
00:57:53,880 --> 00:57:56,800
Speaker 1: looked to Major Clark. The old soldier's one good eye

1115
00:57:56,920 --> 00:58:00,400
Speaker 1: was narrow and focused. Manny, he said, if he didn't

1116
00:58:00,440 --> 00:58:02,280
Speaker 1: want to tuck, he wouldn't have gone up to the bar.

1117
00:58:02,520 --> 00:58:06,080
Speaker 1: He'd have just left. There's no honor lost. In another conversation,

1118
00:58:06,520 --> 00:58:11,000
Speaker 1: another try, Roland was three beers in by the time

1119
00:58:11,040 --> 00:58:14,480
Speaker 1: Manny reached him, and knowing rolling fuck that could mean

1120
00:58:14,480 --> 00:58:17,480
Speaker 1: he'd already ingested enough acid to kill a large octopus.

1121
00:58:18,160 --> 00:58:22,560
Speaker 1: Hey man, he said, heybody. Roland replied in a voice

1122
00:58:22,600 --> 00:58:27,360
Speaker 1: that was just super stoned. Sorry about getting angry. Back there,

1123
00:58:27,680 --> 00:58:30,320
Speaker 1: the post Humans spun his empty pint glass around on

1124
00:58:30,360 --> 00:58:32,880
Speaker 1: the bar table. It was a strange sight to see.

1125
00:58:33,320 --> 00:58:35,919
Speaker 1: Manny had gotten so used to seeing Roland is something

1126
00:58:35,960 --> 00:58:40,040
Speaker 1: akin to a Greek god. He certainly wasn't omniscient or omnipotent,

1127
00:58:40,160 --> 00:58:43,480
Speaker 1: but he was unspeakably powerful and just as irresponsible to

1128
00:58:43,560 --> 00:58:46,920
Speaker 1: leave out around humans. And yet here he was fiddling

1129
00:58:46,920 --> 00:58:49,520
Speaker 1: with an empty pint glass like a nervous college freshman

1130
00:58:49,640 --> 00:58:52,439
Speaker 1: standing at the back wall of some house party. Many

1131
00:58:52,520 --> 00:58:56,000
Speaker 1: felt a surge of sympathy. It's okay, man, I think

1132
00:58:56,040 --> 00:58:58,760
Speaker 1: I actually get it, he said, like I've had plenty

1133
00:58:58,760 --> 00:59:00,960
Speaker 1: of chances to join I of the SDF or the

1134
00:59:01,000 --> 00:59:04,640
Speaker 1: Austin Defense Forces. I never did. Maybe some of that's

1135
00:59:04,640 --> 00:59:07,439
Speaker 1: because I'm scared help. Up until like a few days ago,

1136
00:59:07,920 --> 00:59:09,720
Speaker 1: my plan was to get the funk off this continent

1137
00:59:09,720 --> 00:59:12,360
Speaker 1: as soon as I could afford it. Manny paused and

1138
00:59:12,400 --> 00:59:15,320
Speaker 1: bit his lip. It was an instinctive gesture, his gut's

1139
00:59:15,360 --> 00:59:18,640
Speaker 1: reaction to a sudden burst of self awareness. Manny hadn't

1140
00:59:18,640 --> 00:59:22,160
Speaker 1: thought about any of this before. I don't know, he said.

1141
00:59:22,320 --> 00:59:24,560
Speaker 1: This ship has been going on basically my whole life.

1142
00:59:24,640 --> 00:59:26,600
Speaker 1: I can't remember a time when I wasn't scared of

1143
00:59:26,680 --> 00:59:29,560
Speaker 1: something like this happening. I didn't understand any of it

1144
00:59:29,600 --> 00:59:31,760
Speaker 1: as a kid, but I can remember being seven or

1145
00:59:31,840 --> 00:59:34,720
Speaker 1: eight years old and just being so angry at the soldiers,

1146
00:59:35,040 --> 00:59:38,200
Speaker 1: even our soldiers. I thought, if all you assholes would

1147
00:59:38,200 --> 00:59:40,400
Speaker 1: just refuse to be led into battle, none of this

1148
00:59:40,480 --> 00:59:44,040
Speaker 1: could happen. You know, that's not how it works, Ryan

1149
00:59:44,400 --> 00:59:46,800
Speaker 1: Roland asked as he turned away from Manny and waved

1150
00:59:46,800 --> 00:59:50,480
Speaker 1: at the bartender. We love this war ship. At least

1151
00:59:50,520 --> 00:59:52,840
Speaker 1: someone us due those of us who were Oh the

1152
00:59:52,880 --> 00:59:56,360
Speaker 1: bartender arrived, Roland ordered my time mixed with the margharita

1153
00:59:56,400 --> 00:59:58,320
Speaker 1: and one of those what you got him column? Oh yeah,

1154
00:59:58,320 --> 01:00:02,720
Speaker 1: a fucking mohito Roland. Manny's voice was gentle but firm.

1155
01:00:03,120 --> 01:00:05,240
Speaker 1: How many beers did you drink before I got here?

1156
01:00:06,200 --> 01:00:09,560
Speaker 1: No beers, Roland said in a casual voice. Mushroom rum,

1157
01:00:09,760 --> 01:00:12,280
Speaker 1: sweet but not bad. He licked his lips as he

1158
01:00:12,320 --> 01:00:15,360
Speaker 1: watched the bartender work through the herculean task of crafting

1159
01:00:15,400 --> 01:00:19,560
Speaker 1: his request at beverage. Roland Manny said, and the chrombed

1160
01:00:19,560 --> 01:00:22,840
Speaker 1: man turned back to him. Ah, sorry, it's just been

1161
01:00:22,880 --> 01:00:25,600
Speaker 1: too long a stretch of sober for me. I got excited.

1162
01:00:25,760 --> 01:00:28,600
Speaker 1: What the funk was I saying? That war is fun?

1163
01:00:29,000 --> 01:00:31,320
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, as long as you don't think you will die.

1164
01:00:31,760 --> 01:00:34,120
Speaker 1: That's why all throughout history he had so many generals

1165
01:00:34,120 --> 01:00:37,320
Speaker 1: and politicians kicking off conflicts because they felt safe and

1166
01:00:37,400 --> 01:00:40,479
Speaker 1: when you're pretty sure you'll live, war is an absolute hoot.

1167
01:00:41,080 --> 01:00:44,480
Speaker 1: That's the problem with me and fighting the problem as

1168
01:00:44,520 --> 01:00:47,400
Speaker 1: you like it too much. Roland grabbed his hand. The

1169
01:00:47,480 --> 01:00:50,240
Speaker 1: chrombed man moved so fast Manny didn't even see the

1170
01:00:50,320 --> 01:00:54,160
Speaker 1: motion blur. Roland's hand was just wrapped around his wrist, immovable.

1171
01:00:54,480 --> 01:00:57,680
Speaker 1: He squeezed hard enough that it hurt. Roland's eyes bulged

1172
01:00:57,680 --> 01:00:59,800
Speaker 1: out and stared into Manny with a man of intense

1173
01:00:59,840 --> 01:01:03,640
Speaker 1: at that was frightening. I fucking love it. It's like

1174
01:01:03,760 --> 01:01:06,280
Speaker 1: sex on heroin and bungee jumping and getting rammed in

1175
01:01:06,320 --> 01:01:08,080
Speaker 1: the assid and that first shadow liquor you is snake

1176
01:01:08,120 --> 01:01:10,360
Speaker 1: when you're fourteen, all at once, and mixed with the

1177
01:01:10,400 --> 01:01:13,560
Speaker 1: best actual battle drugs the most bloated military budget and

1178
01:01:13,600 --> 01:01:17,040
Speaker 1: history can buy. He loosened his grip and turned half

1179
01:01:17,040 --> 01:01:20,000
Speaker 1: away from Manny. That's why I shouldn't do it, because

1180
01:01:20,040 --> 01:01:22,920
Speaker 1: I'll get carried away like I got carried away in Dallas.

1181
01:01:23,320 --> 01:01:25,400
Speaker 1: Maybe this time I won't be able to stop when

1182
01:01:25,400 --> 01:01:28,720
Speaker 1: it's time to stop. Many kept his eyes on Rowland's.

1183
01:01:28,960 --> 01:01:31,080
Speaker 1: The big man turned a little further to the left,

1184
01:01:31,160 --> 01:01:33,960
Speaker 1: but he didn't look away. How do you know that

1185
01:01:34,000 --> 01:01:37,080
Speaker 1: your intervention won't make things better, Manny asked. Maybe if

1186
01:01:37,120 --> 01:01:39,000
Speaker 1: we can kill enough in the martyrs, their power will

1187
01:01:39,040 --> 01:01:41,760
Speaker 1: be broken forever. Maybe your intervention will be the first

1188
01:01:41,760 --> 01:01:44,600
Speaker 1: step towards making this a more livable part of the globe.

1189
01:01:45,240 --> 01:01:48,080
Speaker 1: Roland laughed. It started as a low chuckle that then

1190
01:01:48,160 --> 01:01:52,000
Speaker 1: cascaded into a series of rolling, rib cracking howls. Manny

1191
01:01:52,040 --> 01:01:54,200
Speaker 1: didn't get the joke, and he couldn't find any humor

1192
01:01:54,240 --> 01:01:56,880
Speaker 1: in his words, so he sat tight until Roland's mirth

1193
01:01:56,960 --> 01:01:59,720
Speaker 1: subsided and the chromed man had recovered enough to explain

1194
01:01:59,800 --> 01:02:04,680
Speaker 1: him self. Sor right, sorry, he said, between chuckles. It's

1195
01:02:04,720 --> 01:02:07,680
Speaker 1: just a ship. Kid, you're too young to know how

1196
01:02:07,760 --> 01:02:10,720
Speaker 1: funny that is. Roland straightened up and wiped a tear

1197
01:02:10,760 --> 01:02:13,600
Speaker 1: from his eye. So you're talking about me the exact

1198
01:02:13,680 --> 01:02:16,000
Speaker 1: same way people talked about the U. S. Military back

1199
01:02:16,000 --> 01:02:18,880
Speaker 1: when I was a kid. The bartender came by and

1200
01:02:18,920 --> 01:02:21,720
Speaker 1: sat down Roland's drink, an enormous jug filled with a

1201
01:02:21,800 --> 01:02:25,320
Speaker 1: multi hued mix of alcoholic beverages. The post human took

1202
01:02:25,320 --> 01:02:27,840
Speaker 1: a deep poll from his my Tai garito man. He

1203
01:02:27,880 --> 01:02:30,480
Speaker 1: took the chance to ask a question I thought you

1204
01:02:30,520 --> 01:02:33,000
Speaker 1: didn't remember anything further back than a few years ago.

1205
01:02:33,880 --> 01:02:36,560
Speaker 1: I don't remember anything clearly, Roland said, But I do

1206
01:02:36,640 --> 01:02:39,120
Speaker 1: remember bits and pieces, and I remember being a young

1207
01:02:39,160 --> 01:02:41,680
Speaker 1: man and watching the news break in an off base bar.

1208
01:02:42,200 --> 01:02:45,640
Speaker 1: Some election had gone bad in Bolivia. The president announced

1209
01:02:45,640 --> 01:02:48,680
Speaker 1: he was sending in soldiers to keep the peace. Did

1210
01:02:48,680 --> 01:02:51,640
Speaker 1: it work, Manny asked, I don't, no kid, would your

1211
01:02:51,640 --> 01:02:54,800
Speaker 1: school teach you about Bolivia? That there was a genocide

1212
01:02:54,800 --> 01:02:57,920
Speaker 1: at oh Man, he said, as Roland's points sunk in

1213
01:02:58,520 --> 01:03:02,400
Speaker 1: right yep. Roland grunted and took another deeper pull from

1214
01:03:02,400 --> 01:03:06,040
Speaker 1: his ridiculous beverage. They were quiet for a while. Mannie

1215
01:03:06,040 --> 01:03:08,520
Speaker 1: took the opportunity to take a long look at Roland.

1216
01:03:08,800 --> 01:03:11,040
Speaker 1: His face held only a few lines around his eyes

1217
01:03:11,040 --> 01:03:14,280
Speaker 1: and lips, and yet he still looked old, positively ancient.

1218
01:03:14,640 --> 01:03:17,400
Speaker 1: There appeared to be a tremendous weight to the man's eyes,

1219
01:03:17,640 --> 01:03:20,760
Speaker 1: accentuated by the deep wrinkles underneath them. It looked as

1220
01:03:20,800 --> 01:03:23,439
Speaker 1: if the chrombed man's face was sagging underneath the weight

1221
01:03:23,520 --> 01:03:27,440
Speaker 1: of what he had seen Rowland. Mannie asked, do you

1222
01:03:27,440 --> 01:03:30,480
Speaker 1: have any idea of where you came from? I think

1223
01:03:30,520 --> 01:03:34,320
Speaker 1: I was born round Mississippe ba No, Manny interrupted, not

1224
01:03:34,480 --> 01:03:36,480
Speaker 1: like where you were born, but how you became what

1225
01:03:36,560 --> 01:03:39,120
Speaker 1: you are to day. You said, you've been disconnected from

1226
01:03:39,120 --> 01:03:41,040
Speaker 1: the internet for the last ten years. I've got a

1227
01:03:41,080 --> 01:03:43,400
Speaker 1: guess your implants or even older than that. But the

1228
01:03:43,440 --> 01:03:47,160
Speaker 1: way everyone here talks about you, you're still king shit ah.

1229
01:03:47,280 --> 01:03:50,320
Speaker 1: Roland said, yeah that. I got no real idea what

1230
01:03:50,440 --> 01:03:52,240
Speaker 1: happened there. I know I was in the army. I'm

1231
01:03:52,240 --> 01:03:56,040
Speaker 1: pretty sure that's when the tankering started, sure, Manny said,

1232
01:03:56,240 --> 01:03:58,160
Speaker 1: but didn't A lot of the road people start as

1233
01:03:58,280 --> 01:04:01,920
Speaker 1: especial forces who went rogue. Why are you special? You

1234
01:04:02,000 --> 01:04:04,480
Speaker 1: had no clear answer to that, buddy, He smiled, as

1235
01:04:04,520 --> 01:04:07,160
Speaker 1: if he just remembered something good. I guess I've got

1236
01:04:07,160 --> 01:04:09,840
Speaker 1: that surgery coming up. Once I get my memories back,

1237
01:04:09,840 --> 01:04:13,040
Speaker 1: I'll let you know what I find out. Manny laughed too,

1238
01:04:13,080 --> 01:04:16,080
Speaker 1: but his was cold and bitter. Sure, I'll probably be

1239
01:04:16,120 --> 01:04:20,120
Speaker 1: in a refugee camp at that point, or dead, damn kid.

1240
01:04:20,640 --> 01:04:24,160
Speaker 1: Roland said, yeah, man, he said, I'm really not trying

1241
01:04:24,200 --> 01:04:26,760
Speaker 1: to manipulate you here. It's just now I get it.

1242
01:04:26,840 --> 01:04:29,960
Speaker 1: I get and Roland waved him off. It's fair. You

1243
01:04:30,040 --> 01:04:32,600
Speaker 1: get every right to be piste. I just can't. He

1244
01:04:32,720 --> 01:04:36,040
Speaker 1: trailed off many put a hand on Roland's shoulder. He

1245
01:04:36,080 --> 01:04:38,960
Speaker 1: didn't understand how the post human felt. How could he?

1246
01:04:39,280 --> 01:04:41,760
Speaker 1: Man He couldn't even conceive of having that kind of power.

1247
01:04:42,160 --> 01:04:44,240
Speaker 1: But he could see why it was a difficult choice.

1248
01:04:44,880 --> 01:04:47,520
Speaker 1: There was a part of Manny, a dark, manipulative chunk

1249
01:04:47,520 --> 01:04:49,320
Speaker 1: of his soul, that knew he was on his way

1250
01:04:49,320 --> 01:04:53,240
Speaker 1: to changing Roland's mind. This was essentially the same strategy

1251
01:04:53,280 --> 01:04:56,040
Speaker 1: he used on the job. You built empathy with people

1252
01:04:56,080 --> 01:04:59,720
Speaker 1: through a combination of shared experiences in regular engagement. That

1253
01:05:00,040 --> 01:05:02,720
Speaker 1: but he paid dividends when you needed some lieutenant's approval

1254
01:05:02,760 --> 01:05:05,800
Speaker 1: to cross the checkpoint. It would pay dividends here if

1255
01:05:05,840 --> 01:05:09,920
Speaker 1: he was careful and consistent. As fucked up man he thought,

1256
01:05:10,000 --> 01:05:12,320
Speaker 1: you're manipulating your friend into killing a bunch of people.

1257
01:05:13,240 --> 01:05:15,600
Speaker 1: You know what, Manny said, I'm sorry, I didn't mean

1258
01:05:15,640 --> 01:05:18,640
Speaker 1: to Roland drain the rest of his mug beuched and

1259
01:05:18,640 --> 01:05:22,000
Speaker 1: looked over at Manny. He looked unsteady, half conscious. The

1260
01:05:22,080 --> 01:05:24,640
Speaker 1: chrombed man put his left hand over Manny's hand while

1261
01:05:24,640 --> 01:05:27,240
Speaker 1: it rested on his shoulder. He fixed Manny with his

1262
01:05:27,280 --> 01:05:31,120
Speaker 1: half focused eyes and nodded FuG it. Roland said, I'll

1263
01:05:31,120 --> 01:05:33,200
Speaker 1: fucking help you and be a dick if it didn't.

1264
01:05:34,200 --> 01:05:37,280
Speaker 1: Thank you, Manny said with a nod, I know, do not

1265
01:05:37,240 --> 01:05:39,680
Speaker 1: not say anything else, kid, I don't really want to

1266
01:05:39,680 --> 01:05:43,440
Speaker 1: think about what I just promised to do. Man He

1267
01:05:43,520 --> 01:05:46,440
Speaker 1: found Sasha sitting around a fire pit outside the city,

1268
01:05:46,480 --> 01:05:50,080
Speaker 1: proper deep in conversation with Donald Ferris. She sat on

1269
01:05:50,080 --> 01:05:53,000
Speaker 1: the ground, legs splayed out wide with her button the grass.

1270
01:05:53,520 --> 01:05:57,240
Speaker 1: Donald sat in a folding chair. It wasn't cold outside precisely,

1271
01:05:57,400 --> 01:05:59,320
Speaker 1: but it had cooled off a great deal from the

1272
01:05:59,320 --> 01:06:02,080
Speaker 1: heat of the day. The air held just the barest

1273
01:06:02,120 --> 01:06:04,200
Speaker 1: hint of winter. It was shaping up to be one

1274
01:06:04,200 --> 01:06:06,760
Speaker 1: of those odd September days where Texas seemed on the

1275
01:06:06,800 --> 01:06:10,520
Speaker 1: verge of an actual seasonal shift. One look at Sasha's

1276
01:06:10,520 --> 01:06:12,800
Speaker 1: face told him that she was at least as unsettled

1277
01:06:12,840 --> 01:06:15,160
Speaker 1: as Roland. He didn't want to crowd her, so he

1278
01:06:15,200 --> 01:06:18,960
Speaker 1: squatted down on the other side of Donald. Emmanuel. The

1279
01:06:19,000 --> 01:06:21,240
Speaker 1: old man's voice was as smooth and rich as Manny

1280
01:06:21,320 --> 01:06:24,600
Speaker 1: remembered from the narration of his documentary, It's good to

1281
01:06:24,640 --> 01:06:27,720
Speaker 1: see you. Sasha's been telling me her story. She actually

1282
01:06:27,800 --> 01:06:32,560
Speaker 1: just turned to the subject of you, eh. Manny asked, yes,

1283
01:06:32,720 --> 01:06:34,960
Speaker 1: she was telling me how she met you and Marigold,

1284
01:06:35,000 --> 01:06:37,200
Speaker 1: and how you both helped to find her way free

1285
01:06:37,240 --> 01:06:40,680
Speaker 1: of the kingdom. Oh, he said, and looked at Sasha.

1286
01:06:41,120 --> 01:06:43,680
Speaker 1: I never really met Marigold. I didn't realize you knew

1287
01:06:43,680 --> 01:06:46,920
Speaker 1: her well. Sasha shook her head. I only knew her

1288
01:06:46,960 --> 01:06:49,360
Speaker 1: a little while. I was just supposed to be administering

1289
01:06:49,400 --> 01:06:51,960
Speaker 1: tests to her. But I couldn't stop her from talking,

1290
01:06:52,000 --> 01:06:54,960
Speaker 1: and she made sense. She made more sense than what

1291
01:06:55,000 --> 01:06:57,960
Speaker 1: was going on out in the Kingdom every day. Sasha

1292
01:06:58,040 --> 01:07:01,000
Speaker 1: stared down into the fading embers of the fire. I

1293
01:07:01,040 --> 01:07:04,600
Speaker 1: feel stupid forever believing in that place. What do you

1294
01:07:04,640 --> 01:07:08,760
Speaker 1: believe now, Donald asked, I don't know, She said. It

1295
01:07:08,840 --> 01:07:11,800
Speaker 1: seems arrogant to decide that God doesn't exist just because

1296
01:07:11,840 --> 01:07:14,400
Speaker 1: I let myself get taken in by a colt. M

1297
01:07:14,880 --> 01:07:17,240
Speaker 1: The old man nodded. The good news is you're young.

1298
01:07:17,480 --> 01:07:19,840
Speaker 1: You've got plenty of time to figure things out. Again,

1299
01:07:20,280 --> 01:07:22,479
Speaker 1: his cheeks turned up into a smile and his face

1300
01:07:22,560 --> 01:07:26,160
Speaker 1: blossomed with wrinkles. Now he looked up at Manny, what

1301
01:07:26,280 --> 01:07:29,720
Speaker 1: have you been up to, my dear boy talking to Roland.

1302
01:07:29,760 --> 01:07:32,600
Speaker 1: Manny said he agreed to help. By the way, he's

1303
01:07:32,720 --> 01:07:36,880
Speaker 1: going to fight. Donald Ferris's smile turned into a frown.

1304
01:07:37,320 --> 01:07:40,480
Speaker 1: Manny hadn't been expecting that. How did you do it,

1305
01:07:40,720 --> 01:07:44,840
Speaker 1: he asked, in a somber, grave voice. We just talked

1306
01:07:44,880 --> 01:07:47,800
Speaker 1: for a while, Manny said. He explained why he didn't

1307
01:07:47,800 --> 01:07:51,080
Speaker 1: want to fight. It sounded very reasonable. Manny paused, and

1308
01:07:51,080 --> 01:07:53,800
Speaker 1: then made the choice to lie just a little. I

1309
01:07:53,880 --> 01:07:56,200
Speaker 1: wasn't trying to change his mind. I didn't ask him

1310
01:07:56,240 --> 01:07:59,200
Speaker 1: to help. That last part was true. At least. I

1311
01:07:59,240 --> 01:08:01,800
Speaker 1: do feel bad, though, I'm sure he changed his mind

1312
01:08:01,880 --> 01:08:04,760
Speaker 1: because of me. Is it really on you if he

1313
01:08:04,840 --> 01:08:08,160
Speaker 1: chooses to fight, Sasha asked, I killed two men. Both

1314
01:08:08,160 --> 01:08:10,439
Speaker 1: of those deaths are on me. But you didn't order

1315
01:08:10,560 --> 01:08:14,840
Speaker 1: Roland to do anything. No. Donald Ferris agreed, But I

1316
01:08:14,960 --> 01:08:17,599
Speaker 1: doubt Roland would have made the decision to intervene if

1317
01:08:17,640 --> 01:08:23,160
Speaker 1: Manny hadn't pressed. That's probably true, Manny admitted. Donald looked

1318
01:08:23,160 --> 01:08:27,040
Speaker 1: from Manny to Sasha. There's a war ritual peculiar to

1319
01:08:27,080 --> 01:08:30,000
Speaker 1: the men and women in whatever's of this community. I

1320
01:08:30,040 --> 01:08:34,559
Speaker 1: think you'd benefit from seeing it. A ritual, Sasha asked,

1321
01:08:35,120 --> 01:08:37,800
Speaker 1: not a religious one? I assure you, but yes, they

1322
01:08:37,840 --> 01:08:40,680
Speaker 1: call it their war ritual. He extended a hand out

1323
01:08:40,720 --> 01:08:43,599
Speaker 1: to the field around Rolling Fuck. Many looked out at

1324
01:08:43,600 --> 01:08:45,680
Speaker 1: it for the first time since coming out here and

1325
01:08:45,720 --> 01:08:49,360
Speaker 1: realized that people seem to be packing up right now.

1326
01:08:49,560 --> 01:08:52,519
Speaker 1: Donald said, the citizens are packing up their tints and

1327
01:08:52,560 --> 01:08:55,799
Speaker 1: their arvis and preparing the city for departure. It's moving

1328
01:08:55,800 --> 01:08:58,960
Speaker 1: out with their army. They'll drive that thing. He jerked

1329
01:08:58,960 --> 01:09:01,000
Speaker 1: a thumb in the direction of the City of Wheels,

1330
01:09:01,560 --> 01:09:04,479
Speaker 1: right up to the damn battlefield. It'll be behind them

1331
01:09:04,520 --> 01:09:07,160
Speaker 1: the whole time they're fighting. I think they've stole the

1332
01:09:07,240 --> 01:09:11,640
Speaker 1: idea from the ancient Celts. Anyway, he said. Once the

1333
01:09:11,640 --> 01:09:14,320
Speaker 1: city's in position, they'll open up these little boxes that

1334
01:09:14,360 --> 01:09:16,400
Speaker 1: look quite a lot like bee hives, and they'll let

1335
01:09:16,400 --> 01:09:19,559
Speaker 1: out a swarm of about a thousand little drones. Those

1336
01:09:19,600 --> 01:09:22,840
Speaker 1: are mostly just facial recognition cameras attached to wings and

1337
01:09:22,840 --> 01:09:26,400
Speaker 1: a wee engine. They'll record everything and send data on

1338
01:09:26,439 --> 01:09:29,120
Speaker 1: the faces of every enemy fighter to a central computer

1339
01:09:29,240 --> 01:09:32,519
Speaker 1: in the city. What did does that do, Manny asked.

1340
01:09:33,080 --> 01:09:36,320
Speaker 1: It gives us a chance to identify those men or women,

1341
01:09:36,439 --> 01:09:39,679
Speaker 1: so we can scrape their social media profiles and display

1342
01:09:39,720 --> 01:09:43,280
Speaker 1: pictures and videos from their lives. Once they die, the

1343
01:09:43,320 --> 01:09:47,400
Speaker 1: whole city, everyone who isn't fighting turns out to watch that.

1344
01:09:47,400 --> 01:09:50,960
Speaker 1: That sounds fucking terrible, Manny said, what do we gain

1345
01:09:51,040 --> 01:09:54,680
Speaker 1: from watching the home movies of dead men? A memorial?

1346
01:09:55,600 --> 01:09:58,639
Speaker 1: Manny didn't understand, but he could see that Donald Ferris

1347
01:09:58,640 --> 01:10:01,840
Speaker 1: was revving himself up for an all explanation. He let

1348
01:10:01,920 --> 01:10:05,880
Speaker 1: the old man speak. I was a small child when

1349
01:10:05,880 --> 01:10:08,759
Speaker 1: my country invaded a Rack, along with the United States

1350
01:10:08,760 --> 01:10:11,439
Speaker 1: and a few other nations. The war was news, yes,

1351
01:10:11,479 --> 01:10:14,040
Speaker 1: but that's all it was. Even our own soldiers were

1352
01:10:14,040 --> 01:10:17,479
Speaker 1: more numbers than real people. I'd hear that two Royal

1353
01:10:17,560 --> 01:10:20,200
Speaker 1: Marines had died in a roadside bombing, and it meant

1354
01:10:20,280 --> 01:10:22,360
Speaker 1: less to me than when my neighbor broke his legs

1355
01:10:22,400 --> 01:10:26,120
Speaker 1: slipping down the stairs. War isn't like that for us,

1356
01:10:26,280 --> 01:10:28,599
Speaker 1: Manny said, I don't know anyone in Austin who hasn't

1357
01:10:28,640 --> 01:10:31,160
Speaker 1: lost a friend or family to the fighting. It affects

1358
01:10:31,240 --> 01:10:34,320
Speaker 1: us all, So it does, my boy, So it does.

1359
01:10:34,400 --> 01:10:36,360
Speaker 1: And if any of our warriors die to day, you

1360
01:10:36,400 --> 01:10:39,320
Speaker 1: can bet it'll affect everyone in this social experiment we

1361
01:10:39,400 --> 01:10:42,519
Speaker 1: call a city. But you didn't let me finish. The

1362
01:10:42,600 --> 01:10:45,839
Speaker 1: first thing that was truly toxic about my childhood knowledge

1363
01:10:45,840 --> 01:10:49,200
Speaker 1: of war is that it erased the other side. Our

1364
01:10:49,280 --> 01:10:52,320
Speaker 1: boys didn't do body counts, so there were seldom reports

1365
01:10:52,320 --> 01:10:55,479
Speaker 1: on how many civilians we killed, how many enemy fighters died.

1366
01:10:56,000 --> 01:10:58,840
Speaker 1: That information was out there, but you had to look hard.

1367
01:10:59,280 --> 01:11:03,120
Speaker 1: Most people ever did. Donald Ferris shrugged and then winced

1368
01:11:03,120 --> 01:11:06,599
Speaker 1: from the motion. It's easy to get people to care

1369
01:11:06,640 --> 01:11:09,360
Speaker 1: about their own soldiers, but if you want to stop wars,

1370
01:11:09,520 --> 01:11:11,439
Speaker 1: or at least make them less common, you've got to

1371
01:11:11,439 --> 01:11:13,600
Speaker 1: get people to give a shit about the soldiers on

1372
01:11:13,600 --> 01:11:16,720
Speaker 1: the other side. That, my young friend, is where your

1373
01:11:16,760 --> 01:11:19,360
Speaker 1: people are even worse than my own. You're close enough

1374
01:11:19,400 --> 01:11:21,680
Speaker 1: to the war to not just feel indifferent about these

1375
01:11:21,720 --> 01:11:25,200
Speaker 1: martyrs marching off to die. You actively want them to die.

1376
01:11:25,600 --> 01:11:30,240
Speaker 1: That's understandable, but it's also poisonous. When you dehumanize others,

1377
01:11:30,320 --> 01:11:34,320
Speaker 1: you become less human yourself. Many nodded, not sure of

1378
01:11:34,360 --> 01:11:38,360
Speaker 1: what to say. In my youth, Donald Ferris continued, the

1379
01:11:38,400 --> 01:11:41,519
Speaker 1: country that occupied this continent was the most powerful nation

1380
01:11:41,600 --> 01:11:44,480
Speaker 1: on earth. They held the keys to the deadliest military

1381
01:11:44,520 --> 01:11:47,880
Speaker 1: machine ever constructed. It was easy to get Americans to

1382
01:11:47,880 --> 01:11:51,160
Speaker 1: support involvement in a thousand little conflicts, because each only

1383
01:11:51,200 --> 01:11:54,640
Speaker 1: required a small fraction of the nation's military power and

1384
01:11:54,760 --> 01:11:58,439
Speaker 1: only risked a few American lives. But millions of people

1385
01:11:58,479 --> 01:12:01,840
Speaker 1: around the world died, women and children and old men

1386
01:12:01,840 --> 01:12:05,080
Speaker 1: and dumby young boys, from Yemen to Turkey to Guatemala.

1387
01:12:05,520 --> 01:12:08,759
Speaker 1: To justify those murders, Americans had to make those people

1388
01:12:08,840 --> 01:12:12,120
Speaker 1: less than human. And once they've done that, it wasn't

1389
01:12:12,120 --> 01:12:14,320
Speaker 1: such a great jump to do it to their neighbors.

1390
01:12:15,240 --> 01:12:17,639
Speaker 1: He stared up at the setting sun, and Manny saw

1391
01:12:17,720 --> 01:12:21,200
Speaker 1: tears in his eyes. What you're going to see tomorrow

1392
01:12:21,400 --> 01:12:24,400
Speaker 1: is the best attempt I've seen so far to bridge

1393
01:12:24,400 --> 01:12:34,040
Speaker 1: the empathy gap between a people and their folds. Look

1394
01:12:34,080 --> 01:12:36,960
Speaker 1: for your children's eyes to see the true magic of

1395
01:12:37,000 --> 01:12:40,679
Speaker 1: a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look

1396
01:12:40,760 --> 01:12:43,519
Speaker 1: and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of

1397
01:12:43,560 --> 01:12:47,040
Speaker 1: a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see

1398
01:12:47,120 --> 01:12:50,320
Speaker 1: treasure and pebbles, They see a windy path that could

1399
01:12:50,400 --> 01:12:54,439
Speaker 1: lead to adventure, and they see you. They're fearless. Guide

1400
01:12:54,600 --> 01:12:57,880
Speaker 1: is this fascinating world? Find a forest near you and

1401
01:12:57,960 --> 01:13:00,960
Speaker 1: start exploring it. Discover the forest dot Org brought to

1402
01:13:00,960 --> 01:13:03,559
Speaker 1: you by the United States Force Service and the AD Council.

1403
01:13:04,400 --> 01:13:07,560
Speaker 1: This is Roxanne Gay, host of The Roxanne Gay Agenda,

1404
01:13:07,720 --> 01:13:11,680
Speaker 1: the Bad Frominist Podcast of Your Dreams. Now, what is

1405
01:13:11,760 --> 01:13:14,760
Speaker 1: the Roxanne Gay Agenda, you might ask, Well, It's a

1406
01:13:14,800 --> 01:13:17,960
Speaker 1: podcast where I'm going to speak my mind about what's

1407
01:13:18,040 --> 01:13:21,960
Speaker 1: on my mind, and that could be anything. Every week

1408
01:13:22,080 --> 01:13:25,679
Speaker 1: I will be in conversation with an interesting person who

1409
01:13:25,720 --> 01:13:28,800
Speaker 1: has something to say. We're going to talk about feminism, race,

1410
01:13:29,280 --> 01:13:33,760
Speaker 1: writing and books and art, food, pop culture, and yes, politics.

1411
01:13:34,160 --> 01:13:37,720
Speaker 1: I started each show with a recommendation. Really, I'm just

1412
01:13:37,760 --> 01:13:40,240
Speaker 1: going to share with you a movie or a book,

1413
01:13:40,479 --> 01:13:43,200
Speaker 1: or maybe some music or a comedy set, something that

1414
01:13:43,280 --> 01:13:46,000
Speaker 1: I really want you to be aware of and maybe

1415
01:13:46,040 --> 01:13:50,040
Speaker 1: engage with as well. Listen to the Luminary original podcast,

1416
01:13:50,439 --> 01:13:54,679
Speaker 1: The Roxanne Gay Agenda, The Bad Feminist Podcast of Your Dreams,

1417
01:13:55,080 --> 01:13:58,800
Speaker 1: every Tuesday on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

1418
01:13:58,920 --> 01:14:05,120
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcast. What grows in the

1419
01:14:05,200 --> 01:14:08,960
Speaker 1: forest trees, Sure no one else grows in the forest.

1420
01:14:09,200 --> 01:14:13,120
Speaker 1: Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds

1421
01:14:13,160 --> 01:14:18,679
Speaker 1: grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect

1422
01:14:18,720 --> 01:14:23,360
Speaker 1: with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is

1423
01:14:23,400 --> 01:14:26,439
Speaker 1: closer than you think, find a forest near you and

1424
01:14:26,479 --> 01:14:29,800
Speaker 1: start exploring. I Discover the Forest dot Org. Brought to

1425
01:14:29,800 --> 01:14:32,879
Speaker 1: you by the United States Forest Service and the ad Council,

1426
01:14:36,120 --> 01:14:42,200
Speaker 1: Chapter twenty three. Sasha Rolling Fuck trundled forward, crunching its

1427
01:14:42,200 --> 01:14:44,519
Speaker 1: way over the Texas Plains and leaving a carpet of

1428
01:14:44,520 --> 01:14:48,240
Speaker 1: flattened grass and broken trees in its wake. And Sasha Marian,

1429
01:14:48,439 --> 01:14:51,000
Speaker 1: situated in a little purple building atop one of the

1430
01:14:51,000 --> 01:14:55,360
Speaker 1: city's tallest spires, couldn't quite believe her eyes. In spite

1431
01:14:55,360 --> 01:14:57,640
Speaker 1: of its many wheels, the city didn't look like the

1432
01:14:57,720 --> 01:14:59,840
Speaker 1: kind of thing that should be able to move. It

1433
01:15:00,120 --> 01:15:03,160
Speaker 1: was as if the Empire State Building had taken up jogging.

1434
01:15:04,080 --> 01:15:06,400
Speaker 1: Sasha had been more or less alone since the War

1435
01:15:06,439 --> 01:15:09,240
Speaker 1: Council had concluded. She'd wanted to go up to the

1436
01:15:09,240 --> 01:15:11,559
Speaker 1: bar with Manny and Rowland, since they were the only

1437
01:15:11,600 --> 01:15:14,680
Speaker 1: people here she even sort of knew, but their conversation

1438
01:15:14,760 --> 01:15:17,519
Speaker 1: had seemed a private sort of thing. At first, she

1439
01:15:17,640 --> 01:15:19,840
Speaker 1: thought that her hosts had made an oversight in leaving

1440
01:15:19,840 --> 01:15:22,479
Speaker 1: her unwatched. Surely they wouldn't let someone who had been

1441
01:15:22,520 --> 01:15:24,960
Speaker 1: their enemy just a few days ago wander freely through

1442
01:15:25,000 --> 01:15:27,920
Speaker 1: their home. But as the hours went by, it became

1443
01:15:27,960 --> 01:15:32,360
Speaker 1: clear that's exactly what they'd done, so Sasha explored it

1444
01:15:32,439 --> 01:15:35,400
Speaker 1: had been exhilarating. Actually, every inch of the city was

1445
01:15:35,479 --> 01:15:38,559
Speaker 1: different and strange and new to her. Across the gantries

1446
01:15:38,600 --> 01:15:41,400
Speaker 1: there were numerous market stalls with fresh meat and produce.

1447
01:15:41,760 --> 01:15:44,719
Speaker 1: At first she recognized all the foods, but the higher

1448
01:15:44,720 --> 01:15:48,120
Speaker 1: and further she went, the stranger everything seemed. The meat

1449
01:15:48,160 --> 01:15:51,320
Speaker 1: went from beef and chicken to alligator, in, zebra and mammoth,

1450
01:15:51,360 --> 01:15:55,200
Speaker 1: and eventually something Sasha thought might be from an actual dinosaur.

1451
01:15:55,760 --> 01:15:57,880
Speaker 1: She was sure it was all lab grown, and the

1452
01:15:57,920 --> 01:16:01,439
Speaker 1: produce was certainly gene modified. At one point, she came

1453
01:16:01,439 --> 01:16:03,799
Speaker 1: across a kiosk filled with fruit that had been tweaked

1454
01:16:03,800 --> 01:16:06,880
Speaker 1: to take the shape of gigantic erect penises. There were

1455
01:16:06,880 --> 01:16:10,760
Speaker 1: penis watermelons, penis oranges, penis apples, and even bags of

1456
01:16:10,760 --> 01:16:14,800
Speaker 1: tiny penis shaped grapes. She knew she should have felt disgusted.

1457
01:16:15,080 --> 01:16:18,639
Speaker 1: Two weeks ago, Sasha would have been horrified, but somehow

1458
01:16:18,680 --> 01:16:22,439
Speaker 1: she just wasn't. She felt a vague sense of unease

1459
01:16:22,520 --> 01:16:25,280
Speaker 1: awkwardness at the sight of so many genitals, but after

1460
01:16:25,320 --> 01:16:27,759
Speaker 1: all she'd seen in the heavenly kingdom. It didn't exactly

1461
01:16:27,840 --> 01:16:31,640
Speaker 1: horrify her either, how could it. The fondel boats were

1462
01:16:31,680 --> 01:16:34,920
Speaker 1: another matter. The sight and the strange, musky, sweet smell

1463
01:16:35,000 --> 01:16:37,680
Speaker 1: that wafted out of the grinding, groping crowd inside it

1464
01:16:37,760 --> 01:16:41,000
Speaker 1: made her queasy. This is exactly as depraved as Pastor

1465
01:16:41,000 --> 01:16:43,960
Speaker 1: Mike said it would be, she thought. But she also thought,

1466
01:16:44,479 --> 01:16:46,679
Speaker 1: is this really worse than all that violence and death?

1467
01:16:46,960 --> 01:16:51,000
Speaker 1: Who were they hurting? The Lord? Said a shrill, small

1468
01:16:51,080 --> 01:16:53,639
Speaker 1: voice in the back of her mind. Why would God

1469
01:16:53,680 --> 01:16:56,759
Speaker 1: hate this and not the hanging of good people? Sasha wondered,

1470
01:16:57,120 --> 01:16:59,400
Speaker 1: Why would this make him angry but not the butchery

1471
01:16:59,439 --> 01:17:03,400
Speaker 1: inside that factory? You know what the Bible says, Sasha,

1472
01:17:03,640 --> 01:17:06,479
Speaker 1: There is no getting around that. The scriptures were clear.

1473
01:17:07,120 --> 01:17:10,360
Speaker 1: Well maybe they're wrong. Then maybe they've always been wrong,

1474
01:17:10,600 --> 01:17:12,880
Speaker 1: or maybe I read them wrong. Maybe they didn't say

1475
01:17:12,920 --> 01:17:16,080
Speaker 1: what I thought they said. It was odd, how freeing

1476
01:17:16,160 --> 01:17:20,880
Speaker 1: that thought was. She made her way past a fondo boat, and,

1477
01:17:21,000 --> 01:17:23,880
Speaker 1: for no reason beyond curiosity and the desire to stretch

1478
01:17:23,880 --> 01:17:27,559
Speaker 1: her muscles, Sasha started to climb upwards. The gantries that

1479
01:17:27,600 --> 01:17:30,000
Speaker 1: made up the bulk of rolling fox walking space were

1480
01:17:30,080 --> 01:17:33,559
Speaker 1: fairly easy for a human to traverse. They had high walls,

1481
01:17:33,600 --> 01:17:36,200
Speaker 1: so even the very drunk were unlikely to fall, and

1482
01:17:36,280 --> 01:17:38,839
Speaker 1: in spite of the city's clutter and bustle, its designers

1483
01:17:38,840 --> 01:17:41,240
Speaker 1: had done a good job of making two clear lanes

1484
01:17:41,280 --> 01:17:44,599
Speaker 1: for foot traffic. But the gantries only gave Sasha access

1485
01:17:44,640 --> 01:17:47,439
Speaker 1: to a handful of the strange, glittering buildings that dotted

1486
01:17:47,479 --> 01:17:51,120
Speaker 1: the city's rolling superstructure, so she left them and she

1487
01:17:51,240 --> 01:17:54,400
Speaker 1: climbed up. It was not an easy climb. Here and

1488
01:17:54,400 --> 01:17:56,720
Speaker 1: there she found small sections of ladder or not a

1489
01:17:56,840 --> 01:17:59,519
Speaker 1: rope to ease her passage. For the most part, though,

1490
01:17:59,560 --> 01:18:01,839
Speaker 1: she climbed aimed hand over hand up the criss crossed

1491
01:18:01,840 --> 01:18:05,479
Speaker 1: metal girders. She passed several buildings filled with people drinking

1492
01:18:05,520 --> 01:18:09,240
Speaker 1: and partying. Sasha didn't stop to talk. The climb was hard,

1493
01:18:09,240 --> 01:18:12,080
Speaker 1: but at least it allowed her to avoid awkward conversation

1494
01:18:12,160 --> 01:18:15,400
Speaker 1: with whatever manner of creatures lived in this place. By

1495
01:18:15,400 --> 01:18:17,759
Speaker 1: the time she reached the top of the spindle, Sasha's

1496
01:18:17,760 --> 01:18:20,240
Speaker 1: body was drenched in sweat and her arms were too

1497
01:18:20,280 --> 01:18:22,960
Speaker 1: sore to pull her up one more foot. She was

1498
01:18:23,000 --> 01:18:25,680
Speaker 1: grateful to whoever had decided to cap this spindle. With

1499
01:18:25,720 --> 01:18:28,479
Speaker 1: a tiny purple shack, and she was even more grateful

1500
01:18:28,479 --> 01:18:32,320
Speaker 1: that the shack appeared unoccupied. Sasha pulled herself inside and

1501
01:18:32,400 --> 01:18:35,000
Speaker 1: collapsed on the floor for a while. It was all

1502
01:18:35,080 --> 01:18:38,200
Speaker 1: she could do to regain her breath. She wondered, in

1503
01:18:38,240 --> 01:18:40,719
Speaker 1: a vague sort of way, if she'd just broken into

1504
01:18:40,800 --> 01:18:43,720
Speaker 1: someone's home. Nobody had warned her that there would be

1505
01:18:43,800 --> 01:18:46,559
Speaker 1: certain places she couldn't travel here, but no one had

1506
01:18:46,600 --> 01:18:49,280
Speaker 1: told her much of anything at all. After she'd arrived,

1507
01:18:49,320 --> 01:18:52,640
Speaker 1: Sasha took stock of her surroundings. The interior of the

1508
01:18:52,720 --> 01:18:56,400
Speaker 1: room was plush. The walls were carpeted in thick, cushiony velvet.

1509
01:18:56,720 --> 01:18:58,800
Speaker 1: The floor below her seemed to be some sort of

1510
01:18:58,840 --> 01:19:01,880
Speaker 1: black shag. There was a framed picture on one wall.

1511
01:19:02,200 --> 01:19:04,800
Speaker 1: Sasha didn't recognize the artist, but it looked like a

1512
01:19:04,800 --> 01:19:08,200
Speaker 1: cross section drawing of a handgun with fetuses as the bullets.

1513
01:19:08,720 --> 01:19:10,599
Speaker 1: The sight of it made her feel a bit sick,

1514
01:19:10,880 --> 01:19:12,880
Speaker 1: but there was also something about the art that drew

1515
01:19:12,920 --> 01:19:15,679
Speaker 1: her eyes. The center of the room was a low,

1516
01:19:15,840 --> 01:19:18,920
Speaker 1: flat table that appeared to be made entirely of mirrored glass.

1517
01:19:19,280 --> 01:19:21,280
Speaker 1: There was a pile of white powder on the center

1518
01:19:21,280 --> 01:19:23,880
Speaker 1: of the table, along with a strange, rectangular piece of

1519
01:19:23,920 --> 01:19:27,400
Speaker 1: green paper. Sasha picked up the paper and stared at it.

1520
01:19:27,400 --> 01:19:31,040
Speaker 1: It took her a moment to realize what it was. Money,

1521
01:19:31,280 --> 01:19:33,760
Speaker 1: said a voice from behind her. Oh, it used to

1522
01:19:33,800 --> 01:19:38,759
Speaker 1: be once upon a time. Sasha frose stiffened. She turned around,

1523
01:19:39,000 --> 01:19:41,679
Speaker 1: not sure what to expect, but with an apology already

1524
01:19:41,720 --> 01:19:44,280
Speaker 1: spilling out of her mouth. I'm sorry, sir, I didn't.

1525
01:19:44,760 --> 01:19:47,280
Speaker 1: Something in the man's smile and the relaxed slump of

1526
01:19:47,320 --> 01:19:49,880
Speaker 1: his shoulders made her stop talking. He stood in the

1527
01:19:49,920 --> 01:19:52,160
Speaker 1: doorway of the little building, just a few feet in

1528
01:19:52,200 --> 01:19:54,599
Speaker 1: front of her. She had no idea how he could

1529
01:19:54,600 --> 01:19:56,920
Speaker 1: have climbed up and in there without her hearing him.

1530
01:19:57,280 --> 01:20:00,000
Speaker 1: She didn't remember the man's name, but she recognized him

1531
01:20:00,040 --> 01:20:03,639
Speaker 1: from the war council. Those writhing snake tattoos identified him

1532
01:20:03,640 --> 01:20:07,240
Speaker 1: as clearly as a name tag. I'm she trailed off.

1533
01:20:07,400 --> 01:20:09,920
Speaker 1: He smiled at her. There was something about his eyes

1534
01:20:09,960 --> 01:20:14,200
Speaker 1: that seemed off wrong. She couldn't place it. His pupils

1535
01:20:14,240 --> 01:20:16,840
Speaker 1: were somehow different than they should have been when he spoke,

1536
01:20:16,880 --> 01:20:21,200
Speaker 1: though his voice was warm and friendly. You are Saschamarian,

1537
01:20:21,400 --> 01:20:23,439
Speaker 1: the girl who was brave enough to flee her home

1538
01:20:23,479 --> 01:20:26,160
Speaker 1: and family for the heavenly Kingdom, and then brave enough

1539
01:20:26,200 --> 01:20:28,559
Speaker 1: to leave it when she realized what it truly was.

1540
01:20:29,320 --> 01:20:33,000
Speaker 1: His head dipped down into a slight bow. I'm Jim Shannon.

1541
01:20:33,160 --> 01:20:36,800
Speaker 1: It's an honor to meet you, miss Marian. Jim squatted

1542
01:20:36,800 --> 01:20:39,080
Speaker 1: down on his haunches and dropped his arms in between

1543
01:20:39,120 --> 01:20:42,240
Speaker 1: his legs. It was a casual motion, but he executed

1544
01:20:42,280 --> 01:20:45,280
Speaker 1: it with almost mechanical precision. There was something to his

1545
01:20:45,360 --> 01:20:49,120
Speaker 1: movements that spoke of terrible potential energy, kinetic force just

1546
01:20:49,240 --> 01:20:53,479
Speaker 1: waiting to be unleashed. It's nice to meet you, she said,

1547
01:20:53,800 --> 01:20:57,240
Speaker 1: because what else could she say. Jim smile didn't change,

1548
01:20:57,360 --> 01:21:00,599
Speaker 1: but his eyes did. His pupils contracted and then changed

1549
01:21:00,680 --> 01:21:04,559
Speaker 1: shape from a circle to a spiraling rounded star. No,

1550
01:21:05,000 --> 01:21:08,679
Speaker 1: it's not, he said. That's not a lie to each other, Eh, Sasha,

1551
01:21:08,920 --> 01:21:12,639
Speaker 1: I'm weird. I move wrong. My eyes. As he spoke,

1552
01:21:12,720 --> 01:21:15,639
Speaker 1: his star pupils started to spin in a hypnotic spiral.

1553
01:21:16,040 --> 01:21:19,080
Speaker 1: Are wrong. They don't look human. I can hear your

1554
01:21:19,080 --> 01:21:22,400
Speaker 1: hotbeat elevate as we speak. I can smell codazol in

1555
01:21:22,439 --> 01:21:25,679
Speaker 1: your brain and elevated levels of blood glucose. I can

1556
01:21:25,720 --> 01:21:28,439
Speaker 1: see in your eyes that me saying this has made

1557
01:21:28,479 --> 01:21:33,240
Speaker 1: you even more nervous. Yes, she admitted, Yes, you're right,

1558
01:21:33,600 --> 01:21:37,680
Speaker 1: you scare me. That's perfectly normal, miss Marian. It is

1559
01:21:37,720 --> 01:21:41,120
Speaker 1: not an act of weakness to admit fear. Quite the opposite.

1560
01:21:41,400 --> 01:21:45,360
Speaker 1: You feel better now, don't you? She actually did. There

1561
01:21:45,439 --> 01:21:47,599
Speaker 1: was a queer sort of relief in admitting her fear

1562
01:21:47,640 --> 01:21:51,639
Speaker 1: and discomfort in this man thing's presence. I do feel better,

1563
01:21:51,800 --> 01:21:55,840
Speaker 1: she said. Why is that? Admitting fear is the first

1564
01:21:55,880 --> 01:21:58,880
Speaker 1: step to conquering it. You don't strike me as someone

1565
01:21:58,920 --> 01:22:01,600
Speaker 1: who wants to live in fear, miss Marian. You do

1566
01:22:01,800 --> 01:22:06,080
Speaker 1: strike me as someone who seeks control, strength, power over

1567
01:22:06,120 --> 01:22:10,160
Speaker 1: your own life. I, she sputtered, I don't. I don't know.

1568
01:22:10,479 --> 01:22:12,240
Speaker 1: A week ago, i'd have told you God was in

1569
01:22:12,280 --> 01:22:15,400
Speaker 1: control of my life. Sasha looked down at her lap,

1570
01:22:15,560 --> 01:22:19,040
Speaker 1: suddenly embarrassed. It wasn't very long ago, but it feels

1571
01:22:19,080 --> 01:22:22,839
Speaker 1: like a lifetime. It was so peaceful, just handing over control.

1572
01:22:23,720 --> 01:22:26,200
Speaker 1: Jim nodded and leaned his head forward a few inches.

1573
01:22:27,240 --> 01:22:31,200
Speaker 1: That didn't end well, though, did it. Sasha shook her head.

1574
01:22:32,080 --> 01:22:34,400
Speaker 1: You traveled to the heaven the Kingdom with a certain

1575
01:22:34,439 --> 01:22:38,520
Speaker 1: set of beliefs about the universe. Those beliefs met reality,

1576
01:22:38,920 --> 01:22:42,920
Speaker 1: Reality broke them into little pieces. There's no shame in that.

1577
01:22:43,240 --> 01:22:45,639
Speaker 1: It happens to all of us. Now you're a bit

1578
01:22:45,680 --> 01:22:49,479
Speaker 1: older and a few bits wiser. She looked up at him.

1579
01:22:49,520 --> 01:22:53,000
Speaker 1: His smile seemed somehow softer. Now she felt like opening up,

1580
01:22:53,200 --> 01:22:56,519
Speaker 1: confiding in this stranger. Sasha wondered if that was another

1581
01:22:56,560 --> 01:23:00,000
Speaker 1: aspect of his modifications, some alteration of his body chemists

1582
01:23:00,040 --> 01:23:02,439
Speaker 1: tree in physical appearance that allowed him to seem more

1583
01:23:02,439 --> 01:23:06,760
Speaker 1: familiar and trustworthy to her. She opened up anyway, I

1584
01:23:06,800 --> 01:23:08,519
Speaker 1: just don't know what to do now. I guess I

1585
01:23:08,560 --> 01:23:10,320
Speaker 1: could go home, but I don't think I was wrong

1586
01:23:10,320 --> 01:23:12,040
Speaker 1: in leaving home. I don't want a life in the

1587
01:23:12,080 --> 01:23:16,200
Speaker 1: American Federation. I know that. I just you don't know

1588
01:23:16,320 --> 01:23:19,519
Speaker 1: what's right, Jim finished, in a voice that was gentler

1589
01:23:19,520 --> 01:23:21,599
Speaker 1: than she would have guessed he was capable of sounding.

1590
01:23:22,200 --> 01:23:25,200
Speaker 1: She nodded as she struggled for her next words. I

1591
01:23:25,280 --> 01:23:27,360
Speaker 1: know I can't go back. I don't know where to

1592
01:23:27,400 --> 01:23:29,920
Speaker 1: go next. I don't have any money or really any

1593
01:23:30,000 --> 01:23:33,640
Speaker 1: useful skills, so I can't go to California or Cascadia.

1594
01:23:33,800 --> 01:23:36,160
Speaker 1: I doubt this place will take me. She gestured down

1595
01:23:36,200 --> 01:23:38,679
Speaker 1: at the rolling city below them, and even if they would,

1596
01:23:38,800 --> 01:23:43,120
Speaker 1: I don't really feel comfortable here either. Hmm. Jim nodded

1597
01:23:43,200 --> 01:23:46,360
Speaker 1: and leaned back. Perhaps he said, you should wear a

1598
01:23:46,479 --> 01:23:48,880
Speaker 1: less about where you want to end up and more

1599
01:23:48,920 --> 01:23:52,280
Speaker 1: about what you want to end up doing. I don't

1600
01:23:52,320 --> 01:23:55,679
Speaker 1: have any options, Sasha said, fighting down a rising panic

1601
01:23:55,760 --> 01:23:58,120
Speaker 1: that tickled the back of her throat. I didn't even

1602
01:23:58,120 --> 01:24:00,599
Speaker 1: finish high school. I've spent the last two years preparing

1603
01:24:00,640 --> 01:24:02,240
Speaker 1: to join the Kingdom. I don't know how to do

1604
01:24:02,320 --> 01:24:05,960
Speaker 1: anything useful. That's where you're wrong, Jim said, in a

1605
01:24:06,000 --> 01:24:09,320
Speaker 1: firm voice. You lied well enough to hide your intention

1606
01:24:09,360 --> 01:24:12,320
Speaker 1: from your parents and am fed law enforcement. You did

1607
01:24:12,320 --> 01:24:15,800
Speaker 1: that for years. Sasha wanted to argue that she hadn't lied,

1608
01:24:16,080 --> 01:24:18,760
Speaker 1: not according to Pastor Mike's definition of the word, but

1609
01:24:18,880 --> 01:24:22,240
Speaker 1: she stayed silent while he spoke. You escaped from one

1610
01:24:22,240 --> 01:24:25,280
Speaker 1: of the most fortified bodhas in the world, Jim continued,

1611
01:24:25,479 --> 01:24:28,400
Speaker 1: and you did useful work in a medical facility. Then

1612
01:24:28,439 --> 01:24:31,439
Speaker 1: you helped facilitate the escape of several prisoners from a

1613
01:24:31,520 --> 01:24:35,240
Speaker 1: Kingdom jail. You functioned effectively in a firefight and killed

1614
01:24:35,240 --> 01:24:38,040
Speaker 1: a trained soldier in hand to hand combat. Then you

1615
01:24:38,120 --> 01:24:40,760
Speaker 1: killed another man and stole a vehicle to aid your

1616
01:24:40,760 --> 01:24:44,960
Speaker 1: comrades in an escape. Am I missing anything? Sasha looked

1617
01:24:44,960 --> 01:24:48,160
Speaker 1: down again. She didn't speak. She felt bad about taking

1618
01:24:48,160 --> 01:24:51,920
Speaker 1: praise from murder, especially for Darrell's murder. She did, however,

1619
01:24:52,040 --> 01:24:54,800
Speaker 1: feel a tiny swell of pride at Jim's words. It

1620
01:24:54,840 --> 01:24:58,240
Speaker 1: was immediately accompanied by a flood of guilt. Killing is

1621
01:24:58,320 --> 01:25:02,280
Speaker 1: not something to be proud of, she said, Oh, I disagree,

1622
01:25:02,560 --> 01:25:06,400
Speaker 1: Jim chuckled. Killing is a highly technical skill, and you've

1623
01:25:06,400 --> 01:25:09,960
Speaker 1: proven yourself a talented amateur. With some training and a

1624
01:25:10,000 --> 01:25:13,840
Speaker 1: spot of chrome, you could really be something. He trailed off.

1625
01:25:14,160 --> 01:25:17,040
Speaker 1: Sasha was quiet for a moment. She looked into Jim's

1626
01:25:17,040 --> 01:25:19,920
Speaker 1: eyes and tried to read something in them that proved

1627
01:25:19,920 --> 01:25:22,559
Speaker 1: a fool's Errand there was nothing in those orbs but

1628
01:25:22,640 --> 01:25:25,960
Speaker 1: cool confidence, And even that might be false. What did

1629
01:25:25,960 --> 01:25:28,439
Speaker 1: any gesture or look mean from a man who could

1630
01:25:28,439 --> 01:25:31,679
Speaker 1: control every aspect of his body right down to his pupils.

1631
01:25:32,439 --> 01:25:34,760
Speaker 1: I don't want to get better at killing, she told him.

1632
01:25:35,040 --> 01:25:38,680
Speaker 1: I don't want to fill my body with unnatural things.

1633
01:25:38,720 --> 01:25:42,080
Speaker 1: Just thinking about it makes me feel ill. And yet

1634
01:25:42,680 --> 01:25:46,160
Speaker 1: Jim said, what do you mean? And yet, she asked,

1635
01:25:46,920 --> 01:25:50,240
Speaker 1: And yet that thought intrigues you too. It's no use,

1636
01:25:50,280 --> 01:25:54,439
Speaker 1: hadn't it? I can taste deceit. Sasha shuddered a little

1637
01:25:54,439 --> 01:25:56,639
Speaker 1: at that, but she couldn't deny that he was right.

1638
01:25:57,080 --> 01:25:59,120
Speaker 1: As much as the idea repulsed her, she had spent

1639
01:25:59,160 --> 01:26:02,920
Speaker 1: too much time hourless to not crave power. I'm not

1640
01:26:03,000 --> 01:26:05,880
Speaker 1: looking to push you into anything, Sasha, but I would

1641
01:26:05,920 --> 01:26:09,519
Speaker 1: like to provide you with a unique opportunity. What do

1642
01:26:09,560 --> 01:26:13,280
Speaker 1: you mean, she asked. He smiled, plopped down on his butt,

1643
01:26:13,320 --> 01:26:15,439
Speaker 1: and swung his legs in to sit cross le get

1644
01:26:15,439 --> 01:26:18,320
Speaker 1: on the shag carpet. Jim stuck a finger into the

1645
01:26:18,320 --> 01:26:21,560
Speaker 1: thick black fibers of the carpet and started tugging at them.

1646
01:26:21,640 --> 01:26:24,400
Speaker 1: It was an idle, nervous gesture, and Sasha found it

1647
01:26:24,400 --> 01:26:27,719
Speaker 1: oddly endearing. Part of her suspected that had been his goal.

1648
01:26:28,760 --> 01:26:30,760
Speaker 1: I mean that I would be willing to take you

1649
01:26:30,880 --> 01:26:36,480
Speaker 1: on as a project. A project, he nodded. My organization

1650
01:26:36,680 --> 01:26:40,400
Speaker 1: has access to skilled surgeons, military grade agmatics, and vat

1651
01:26:40,400 --> 01:26:43,320
Speaker 1: growing organs. I'll front the bill and I'll train you,

1652
01:26:43,720 --> 01:26:47,839
Speaker 1: and in return, you'll work for me forever. She asked.

1653
01:26:48,280 --> 01:26:50,840
Speaker 1: Jim laughed. She felt a little annoyed by that, and

1654
01:26:50,880 --> 01:26:55,160
Speaker 1: it must have shown on her face because he stopped. Sorry, sorry,

1655
01:26:55,479 --> 01:26:59,040
Speaker 1: he said, It's just that'd be dead slavery. You must

1656
01:26:59,080 --> 01:27:01,559
Speaker 1: not know this, but helped kill the last country that

1657
01:27:01,600 --> 01:27:04,840
Speaker 1: lived on this land in that sort of thing. So

1658
01:27:04,880 --> 01:27:08,439
Speaker 1: how much time would I owe you, Sasha asked, five years,

1659
01:27:08,640 --> 01:27:12,120
Speaker 1: he said. Sasha's heart trembled with excitement at the offer.

1660
01:27:12,560 --> 01:27:15,000
Speaker 1: When she thought about the way the adrenaline had coursed

1661
01:27:15,040 --> 01:27:17,320
Speaker 1: through her during the fight in the clinic, she wanted

1662
01:27:17,400 --> 01:27:20,400
Speaker 1: to say yes, But when she thought about Darrell bleeding

1663
01:27:20,439 --> 01:27:23,480
Speaker 1: out next to his car, the shame inside her overwhelmed

1664
01:27:23,560 --> 01:27:27,240
Speaker 1: everything else. Sasha knew she couldn't handle more weights like

1665
01:27:27,280 --> 01:27:30,559
Speaker 1: that on her conscience. I don't want to kill people,

1666
01:27:31,000 --> 01:27:34,680
Speaker 1: she said in a tiny voice. Shame dripped from every syllable.

1667
01:27:35,560 --> 01:27:40,280
Speaker 1: That's fine, Jim said, his grin widening. We always need medics.

1668
01:27:40,439 --> 01:27:43,400
Speaker 1: You've shown an aptitude for that already. I have a

1669
01:27:43,400 --> 01:27:46,800
Speaker 1: feeling you'll take well to combat engineering. There's plenty for

1670
01:27:46,880 --> 01:27:50,240
Speaker 1: you to do without pulling a trigger. If I work

1671
01:27:50,280 --> 01:27:52,719
Speaker 1: for you, Sasha said, I have a feeling I won't

1672
01:27:52,720 --> 01:27:57,400
Speaker 1: be able to avoid pulling triggers. None entirely, Jim shrugged.

1673
01:27:57,640 --> 01:28:00,040
Speaker 1: But any shooting you do would be an immediate it

1674
01:28:00,160 --> 01:28:03,479
Speaker 1: self defense, and you'd have the right to refuse an

1675
01:28:03,520 --> 01:28:07,320
Speaker 1: emissions that violate your moral code. I know that's important

1676
01:28:07,360 --> 01:28:10,400
Speaker 1: to you. The way he said that last bit set

1677
01:28:10,439 --> 01:28:14,360
Speaker 1: the hackles on her neck. Arise, Is it not important

1678
01:28:14,400 --> 01:28:18,760
Speaker 1: to you? She asked, morality? I mean? He swung his

1679
01:28:18,840 --> 01:28:21,519
Speaker 1: hands out to the side, palms up in a vaguely

1680
01:28:21,520 --> 01:28:24,760
Speaker 1: Buddhic pose. When I was a young man, not much

1681
01:28:24,760 --> 01:28:27,320
Speaker 1: older than yourself, I knew a lot of gallant men

1682
01:28:27,360 --> 01:28:30,519
Speaker 1: who claimed to live by codes of honor. Such things

1683
01:28:30,520 --> 01:28:33,559
Speaker 1: were fashionable in the warrior culture of a Diyan empire.

1684
01:28:34,120 --> 01:28:36,519
Speaker 1: None of those codes stopped the men I knew from

1685
01:28:36,560 --> 01:28:39,880
Speaker 1: serving that great beast we called a state. When you

1686
01:28:40,000 --> 01:28:43,519
Speaker 1: see enough good moral men enable war crimes, you stop

1687
01:28:43,600 --> 01:28:47,920
Speaker 1: seeing value in the term morality. So what matters to you,

1688
01:28:48,200 --> 01:28:52,879
Speaker 1: Sasha asked, what do you believe in change? Miss Marian?

1689
01:28:53,160 --> 01:28:56,679
Speaker 1: He smiled, revealing rows of pearly white teeth, the snake

1690
01:28:56,720 --> 01:29:00,400
Speaker 1: tattoos on his chest and shoulders, writhed in excitement, I

1691
01:29:00,479 --> 01:29:03,519
Speaker 1: believe in change. I grew up in a time when

1692
01:29:03,560 --> 01:29:06,679
Speaker 1: the climate changed and my home became a deadly broiler.

1693
01:29:06,920 --> 01:29:11,640
Speaker 1: Politics changed, and democracy became a dictatorship of capital. For

1694
01:29:11,680 --> 01:29:14,639
Speaker 1: a time, I believed in the promises of change handed

1695
01:29:14,640 --> 01:29:18,680
Speaker 1: out by progressive politicians and scent of old revolutionaries. But

1696
01:29:18,800 --> 01:29:20,840
Speaker 1: every one of them was either co opted by the

1697
01:29:20,880 --> 01:29:24,760
Speaker 1: system or killed by it. He shrugged and cast his

1698
01:29:24,840 --> 01:29:27,600
Speaker 1: eyes down to the carpet for a while, just a

1699
01:29:27,640 --> 01:29:31,400
Speaker 1: moment his mask slipped, Sasha saw a deep, yawning pit

1700
01:29:31,439 --> 01:29:33,600
Speaker 1: of despair in the tight lines at the edge of

1701
01:29:33,600 --> 01:29:35,880
Speaker 1: his lips, and the subtle twitch of muscles below his

1702
01:29:35,960 --> 01:29:39,519
Speaker 1: left eye. It passed, and a black velvet smile took

1703
01:29:39,520 --> 01:29:42,880
Speaker 1: its place. Then I met a man who showed me

1704
01:29:42,960 --> 01:29:46,320
Speaker 1: the way. Nothing new could grow on this continent until

1705
01:29:46,360 --> 01:29:48,439
Speaker 1: the weeds of the old were pulled out by the

1706
01:29:48,560 --> 01:29:52,240
Speaker 1: root and tossed into the compost pile of history. So

1707
01:29:52,640 --> 01:29:56,160
Speaker 1: he said, forget the old debates about what system should

1708
01:29:56,160 --> 01:29:59,760
Speaker 1: replace capitalism. Kill the state, and the seeds of a

1709
01:30:00,000 --> 01:30:03,320
Speaker 1: OUs the new worlds will sprout on its corpse. You've

1710
01:30:03,360 --> 01:30:07,160
Speaker 1: seen two of those sprouts already, Sasha shook her head.

1711
01:30:07,479 --> 01:30:11,200
Speaker 1: If you're referring to the heavenly kingdom, it's a nightmare.

1712
01:30:11,680 --> 01:30:15,120
Speaker 1: The old Us can't have been worse than that, Jim shrugged.

1713
01:30:15,479 --> 01:30:19,400
Speaker 1: Depends on your perspective. I suppose tell miss Sasha, you

1714
01:30:19,560 --> 01:30:23,320
Speaker 1: left the Amphid, the old u SA's most direct successor state.

1715
01:30:23,880 --> 01:30:27,439
Speaker 1: Why was that? Because it's a soulless pit, She said,

1716
01:30:27,680 --> 01:30:31,200
Speaker 1: the words almost leaping from her throat. Jim smiled at that.

1717
01:30:31,920 --> 01:30:35,320
Speaker 1: This isn't though, is it? He gestured out at the

1718
01:30:35,320 --> 01:30:39,760
Speaker 1: city of wheels below them. No, Sasha said, whatever else

1719
01:30:39,800 --> 01:30:43,920
Speaker 1: it was, rolling fuck was not soulless. Nada is the

1720
01:30:44,000 --> 01:30:48,000
Speaker 1: Navajo nation, Jim said, or Cascadia the black Stone Nation.

1721
01:30:48,120 --> 01:30:51,040
Speaker 1: Even the moments are up to some interesting things these days,

1722
01:30:51,400 --> 01:30:54,600
Speaker 1: one faction at least. So which do you believe in?

1723
01:30:54,880 --> 01:30:58,599
Speaker 1: Who do you fight for? He grinned again, Night the child,

1724
01:30:59,160 --> 01:31:02,240
Speaker 1: As I told you, I fight for change, to cast

1725
01:31:02,320 --> 01:31:05,040
Speaker 1: down the ossified bones of the old world and make

1726
01:31:05,120 --> 01:31:08,719
Speaker 1: space for the new. I owe allegiance to no national

1727
01:31:08,800 --> 01:31:14,400
Speaker 1: god save perhaps Lady Airis, who he smiled. A bit

1728
01:31:14,400 --> 01:31:17,400
Speaker 1: of smugness leached into the expression. She could see it

1729
01:31:17,479 --> 01:31:20,200
Speaker 1: clear as day right around his eyes. It should have

1730
01:31:20,280 --> 01:31:23,679
Speaker 1: repelled her more than it did. Heiris was the Greek

1731
01:31:23,680 --> 01:31:26,880
Speaker 1: goddess of discord, back when people cared about what the

1732
01:31:26,920 --> 01:31:30,759
Speaker 1: Greeks believed. She set the spark that lit the Trojan walk.

1733
01:31:31,080 --> 01:31:33,040
Speaker 1: I know it's a bit sillier reaching back to that

1734
01:31:33,160 --> 01:31:37,320
Speaker 1: old mythology, but I can't help myself. There's something about

1735
01:31:37,360 --> 01:31:40,840
Speaker 1: those old gods that calls to me. I can identify

1736
01:31:41,040 --> 01:31:44,040
Speaker 1: with them. He leaned in. There was an eagerness to

1737
01:31:44,080 --> 01:31:47,800
Speaker 1: his posture, his tone, his eyes. The snakes jerked and

1738
01:31:47,880 --> 01:31:51,680
Speaker 1: spun on his muscled chest and arms. I'm offering you

1739
01:31:51,800 --> 01:31:55,280
Speaker 1: a chance to join us on Olympus. Dear Sasha, you've

1740
01:31:55,280 --> 01:31:58,439
Speaker 1: spent your time in worship. It's time to embrace your

1741
01:31:58,439 --> 01:32:02,960
Speaker 1: own godhead, lee of your antique books behind, and rewrite

1742
01:32:03,000 --> 01:32:06,720
Speaker 1: the world with your will. I don't know if that's

1743
01:32:06,760 --> 01:32:10,200
Speaker 1: what I want, Sasha said in a still small voice.

1744
01:32:10,760 --> 01:32:13,080
Speaker 1: She tried to ignore how much part of her ached

1745
01:32:13,160 --> 01:32:16,320
Speaker 1: for what he promised. The thought of killing again nauseated

1746
01:32:16,360 --> 01:32:18,719
Speaker 1: her as much as it excited her. But the thought

1747
01:32:18,720 --> 01:32:21,719
Speaker 1: of having power, the kind of power she'd seen Roland

1748
01:32:21,760 --> 01:32:27,200
Speaker 1: exercise that was intoxicating. She hated how badly she'd started

1749
01:32:27,240 --> 01:32:31,200
Speaker 1: to want it. Well, you don't have to decide now.

1750
01:32:31,520 --> 01:32:34,800
Speaker 1: Jim shrugged his shoulders and gave an amiable smile. The

1751
01:32:34,880 --> 01:32:38,519
Speaker 1: floor rumbled underneath them. There was a loud clattering wine

1752
01:32:38,560 --> 01:32:41,000
Speaker 1: as the whole structure of Rolling Fuck came to a

1753
01:32:41,040 --> 01:32:44,599
Speaker 1: slow stop. Jim waited for the scrunching noise to cease

1754
01:32:44,640 --> 01:32:48,040
Speaker 1: and said, come and watch what we do today, then

1755
01:32:48,200 --> 01:32:55,679
Speaker 1: make you call Rowland. Dawn broke just as Rolling Fuck

1756
01:32:55,760 --> 01:32:58,360
Speaker 1: pulled to a long, slow stop by the shore of

1757
01:32:58,439 --> 01:33:01,439
Speaker 1: Lake Wago. The city had taken the long way around

1758
01:33:01,439 --> 01:33:03,840
Speaker 1: the reservoir, which had added at least an hour to

1759
01:33:03,880 --> 01:33:06,759
Speaker 1: their journey, but also put a sizeable water barrier between

1760
01:33:06,840 --> 01:33:10,480
Speaker 1: Rolling Fuck and the advancing forces of the Heavenly Kingdom.

1761
01:33:10,640 --> 01:33:12,760
Speaker 1: It had been a tight fit at several points, and

1762
01:33:12,880 --> 01:33:15,960
Speaker 1: Roland had enjoyed watching the wheeled city crunch over several

1763
01:33:16,000 --> 01:33:19,240
Speaker 1: abandoned homes in many a street lamp. But eventually the

1764
01:33:19,280 --> 01:33:22,400
Speaker 1: pilots and navigators had found a suitably large public park

1765
01:33:22,479 --> 01:33:25,960
Speaker 1: and brought Rolling Fuck to rest there. It's a nice sunrise,

1766
01:33:26,240 --> 01:33:29,040
Speaker 1: Manny said. The kids stood next to Rowland on a

1767
01:33:29,080 --> 01:33:32,560
Speaker 1: wooden deck built onto the side of the main roller Skofucker.

1768
01:33:32,560 --> 01:33:35,400
Speaker 1: Mike had assured them this spot provided the best advantage

1769
01:33:35,400 --> 01:33:38,120
Speaker 1: point to watch the rising sun. It looked like he'd

1770
01:33:38,120 --> 01:33:40,400
Speaker 1: been right on that. The sky around them was a

1771
01:33:40,400 --> 01:33:43,040
Speaker 1: heavy blend of red and orange that brought up fragmented

1772
01:33:43,080 --> 01:33:46,919
Speaker 1: memories of my ties and fireballs and Roland's head. Clouds

1773
01:33:46,920 --> 01:33:49,559
Speaker 1: clustered at the top of the horizon ripe to bursting

1774
01:33:49,560 --> 01:33:51,639
Speaker 1: with the color and light of the new days sun.

1775
01:33:52,600 --> 01:33:56,720
Speaker 1: Roland nodded. Yeah, the shame no one who lives here

1776
01:33:56,760 --> 01:33:59,120
Speaker 1: gets to see it. Manny said, I've never seen the

1777
01:33:59,160 --> 01:34:02,599
Speaker 1: city this empty. Roland looked over at his young friend.

1778
01:34:03,000 --> 01:34:04,960
Speaker 1: The boy had seen a lot for his age, and

1779
01:34:05,080 --> 01:34:07,920
Speaker 1: Roland could see how much it pained him. Sorrow had

1780
01:34:07,920 --> 01:34:11,120
Speaker 1: assent all its own. The plunging levels of nora panephren

1781
01:34:11,160 --> 01:34:13,840
Speaker 1: and serotonin brought out the sharp stink of cordozol in

1782
01:34:13,880 --> 01:34:17,839
Speaker 1: the greasy odor of opioids. Lurking just below those smells

1783
01:34:17,880 --> 01:34:21,000
Speaker 1: was the odd, spicy tinge of the I L eighteen protein.

1784
01:34:21,520 --> 01:34:24,400
Speaker 1: Roland could almost hear it weaken the valves of Manny's heart.

1785
01:34:25,439 --> 01:34:28,200
Speaker 1: I imagine this sucks extra much for you. I mean,

1786
01:34:28,479 --> 01:34:32,679
Speaker 1: you've been where they are right twice, Manny said. Roland

1787
01:34:32,720 --> 01:34:36,720
Speaker 1: nodded again, exactly recall, he admitted. But I expect I

1788
01:34:36,720 --> 01:34:39,960
Speaker 1: had something to do with the first time Manny looked

1789
01:34:39,960 --> 01:34:42,880
Speaker 1: over to Roland, chemically, it was clear the kid was

1790
01:34:42,920 --> 01:34:47,519
Speaker 1: battling a maluge of sadness, trauma, and anxiety. His actual thoughts, though,

1791
01:34:47,680 --> 01:34:49,680
Speaker 1: were just as hidden from Roland as they would be

1792
01:34:49,720 --> 01:34:53,479
Speaker 1: from any stock human, perhaps more so. There were moments

1793
01:34:53,479 --> 01:34:56,040
Speaker 1: when Roland feared he was losing the ability to read

1794
01:34:56,120 --> 01:34:59,280
Speaker 1: human emotions or even display them properly on his face.

1795
01:35:00,600 --> 01:35:04,040
Speaker 1: Was that look you've given me? He asked? Finally, what

1796
01:35:04,160 --> 01:35:06,720
Speaker 1: do you mean? I can't tell what a look on

1797
01:35:06,760 --> 01:35:10,160
Speaker 1: your face means, Roland explained, And I'm curious. Are you

1798
01:35:10,200 --> 01:35:14,200
Speaker 1: angry at me? Manny shrugged, and then he sighed. His

1799
01:35:14,280 --> 01:35:19,400
Speaker 1: shoulders slumped, his head drooped forward and down just a bit. No,

1800
01:35:19,920 --> 01:35:22,960
Speaker 1: he said, I'm not angry. What would I even be

1801
01:35:23,040 --> 01:35:25,519
Speaker 1: angry about? If you can't remember what you did back?

1802
01:35:25,560 --> 01:35:28,320
Speaker 1: Then are you even the same person who did those things?

1803
01:35:28,760 --> 01:35:30,840
Speaker 1: And even if you are, maybe you were doing the

1804
01:35:30,960 --> 01:35:33,720
Speaker 1: right thing. I assume someone was at some point in

1805
01:35:33,720 --> 01:35:37,839
Speaker 1: that fucking mess of a war. Maybe everyone was, Roland offered.

1806
01:35:38,240 --> 01:35:40,639
Speaker 1: I know the heavenly Kingdom think what they're doing is right.

1807
01:35:40,760 --> 01:35:43,160
Speaker 1: Manny said, I also don't give a shitting dick what

1808
01:35:43,240 --> 01:35:45,840
Speaker 1: they think they're murderers. They can all sit and spin.

1809
01:35:46,880 --> 01:35:48,960
Speaker 1: You're confident in me murdering the lot of them? Is

1810
01:35:49,000 --> 01:35:51,840
Speaker 1: there anything to do? Then? I'm confident it's better than

1811
01:35:51,920 --> 01:35:56,000
Speaker 1: letting them win, Manny said. Roland nodded quietly and stared

1812
01:35:56,000 --> 01:35:58,960
Speaker 1: out at the rising sun. The red had faded and

1813
01:35:59,000 --> 01:36:01,439
Speaker 1: the orange had grown rider He could see the shape

1814
01:36:01,439 --> 01:36:04,200
Speaker 1: of the sun behind the clouds missed rose off the

1815
01:36:04,240 --> 01:36:06,439
Speaker 1: field in front of the man. Across the lake, a

1816
01:36:06,520 --> 01:36:09,000
Speaker 1: low light fog rolled in over what appeared to be

1817
01:36:09,000 --> 01:36:13,719
Speaker 1: an old golf course. You're probably right about that, Roland said,

1818
01:36:14,080 --> 01:36:17,040
Speaker 1: But where does it end. It ends when they're beaten

1819
01:36:17,200 --> 01:36:21,040
Speaker 1: and Austin is safe. Manny's words were forceful, but he

1820
01:36:21,080 --> 01:36:24,360
Speaker 1: looked down and away from Roland when he spoke. You

1821
01:36:24,439 --> 01:36:27,439
Speaker 1: know that's not true, Roland said. I forget my own

1822
01:36:27,520 --> 01:36:29,000
Speaker 1: name a lot of the time, and I still know

1823
01:36:29,080 --> 01:36:31,960
Speaker 1: you're full of it killing these fox buys Austin time,

1824
01:36:32,120 --> 01:36:34,479
Speaker 1: and probably not a lot of it. There are still

1825
01:36:34,520 --> 01:36:37,639
Speaker 1: millions of guns and millions of piste off desperate people

1826
01:36:37,640 --> 01:36:41,320
Speaker 1: in this ragged chunk of country. So what are you saying, Roland?

1827
01:36:41,479 --> 01:36:43,400
Speaker 1: It'd be better to just let the one place around

1828
01:36:43,439 --> 01:36:47,719
Speaker 1: here that isn't terrible get eaten by darkness, no, Roland said,

1829
01:36:48,080 --> 01:36:51,000
Speaker 1: but read the writing on the damn wall this place.

1830
01:36:51,360 --> 01:36:53,720
Speaker 1: He waved a hand out in a gesture that encompassed

1831
01:36:53,720 --> 01:36:57,320
Speaker 1: the whole horizon is fucked. Don't stay here and die

1832
01:36:57,400 --> 01:37:00,839
Speaker 1: with it. Manny crossed his arms in front of himself

1833
01:37:00,880 --> 01:37:03,479
Speaker 1: and leaned forward onto the railing of the deck. His

1834
01:37:03,560 --> 01:37:05,760
Speaker 1: head slumped into his hands, and he was quiet for

1835
01:37:05,800 --> 01:37:08,759
Speaker 1: a while. Roland knew the army of the Heavenly Kingdom

1836
01:37:08,800 --> 01:37:11,400
Speaker 1: was less than forty miles distant. The scent of that

1837
01:37:11,560 --> 01:37:14,720
Speaker 1: vast ramshackle horde had grown more prominent over the last

1838
01:37:14,800 --> 01:37:17,559
Speaker 1: few minutes. His nose took in the stink of diesel,

1839
01:37:17,680 --> 01:37:20,960
Speaker 1: the ozone odor of discharging batteries, and the cumulative reek

1840
01:37:21,000 --> 01:37:24,120
Speaker 1: of hundreds of vehicles worth of engine oil. Behind those

1841
01:37:24,160 --> 01:37:27,280
Speaker 1: prominent smells lurked the foul gangren, a stench of ten

1842
01:37:27,320 --> 01:37:30,200
Speaker 1: thousand men, sweating fear and stress out of every pore.

1843
01:37:31,200 --> 01:37:33,800
Speaker 1: Roland looked down over the deck and onto the yellow

1844
01:37:33,840 --> 01:37:35,840
Speaker 1: grass that led up to the shores of the lake.

1845
01:37:36,400 --> 01:37:39,599
Speaker 1: The warriors of Rolling Fock had started to assemble themselves. There,

1846
01:37:40,160 --> 01:37:42,240
Speaker 1: a large group of men and women had started to

1847
01:37:42,360 --> 01:37:46,080
Speaker 1: unpack dozens of quadrafracts. The four legged robots had been

1848
01:37:46,080 --> 01:37:49,080
Speaker 1: built by Boston Dynamics back before the fall of the

1849
01:37:49,120 --> 01:37:52,240
Speaker 1: Old US. They'd been meant to ferry men and equipment

1850
01:37:52,320 --> 01:37:55,960
Speaker 1: up steep Afghan mountain sides. Roland stared at them, and

1851
01:37:56,320 --> 01:37:59,000
Speaker 1: he stalked through the lab, a razor sharp machete in

1852
01:37:59,040 --> 01:38:01,479
Speaker 1: one hand and a machine pistol in the other. The

1853
01:38:01,600 --> 01:38:04,240
Speaker 1: air reeked of blood ahead of him. He could smell

1854
01:38:04,280 --> 01:38:06,840
Speaker 1: the fierce weat wafting off two engineers as they hid

1855
01:38:06,840 --> 01:38:10,640
Speaker 1: beneath an overturned metal table. Pieces of robotic equipment were

1856
01:38:10,640 --> 01:38:14,000
Speaker 1: scattered on the floor. Roland reached out his senses and

1857
01:38:14,080 --> 01:38:16,439
Speaker 1: felt that these were the last two people alive in

1858
01:38:16,479 --> 01:38:19,840
Speaker 1: the facility. He stepped forward, swinging his blade in an

1859
01:38:19,920 --> 01:38:23,439
Speaker 1: arc that he knew would end in flesh. Roland shook

1860
01:38:23,439 --> 01:38:25,880
Speaker 1: his head and pulled himself out of the past. The

1861
01:38:25,960 --> 01:38:29,680
Speaker 1: flashes of memory were growing more frequent. Guilt came with them.

1862
01:38:29,720 --> 01:38:32,040
Speaker 1: It took some effort to force his mind to focus

1863
01:38:32,080 --> 01:38:35,120
Speaker 1: again on the world around them. Roland looked back out

1864
01:38:35,160 --> 01:38:39,439
Speaker 1: at the mustering yard. Warriors dawned armor, a fantastic array

1865
01:38:39,520 --> 01:38:43,280
Speaker 1: of old fashioned polished steel plate mail, ultra modern powered

1866
01:38:43,320 --> 01:38:47,160
Speaker 1: body armor, antique flack vests, and a significant number of costumes.

1867
01:38:47,640 --> 01:38:50,240
Speaker 1: He watched a man in armor that mixed the aesthetic

1868
01:38:50,280 --> 01:38:53,760
Speaker 1: of a polish winged hussar with an Imperial stormtrooper help

1869
01:38:53,760 --> 01:38:56,360
Speaker 1: a woman in a crop top Neil green GIEI suit

1870
01:38:56,400 --> 01:38:58,640
Speaker 1: as she locked a pair of rocket launchers onto the

1871
01:38:58,640 --> 01:39:01,559
Speaker 1: flanks of one of the four leg at robots. Over

1872
01:39:01,600 --> 01:39:03,760
Speaker 1: to his left, another group of warriors had started to

1873
01:39:03,800 --> 01:39:07,680
Speaker 1: assemble the city's vehicle pool. Ramps had descended from garages

1874
01:39:07,720 --> 01:39:10,360
Speaker 1: in the bellies of the rollers. A slow, steady stream

1875
01:39:10,400 --> 01:39:12,920
Speaker 1: of armored vehicles motored their way down the ramps and

1876
01:39:12,960 --> 01:39:15,880
Speaker 1: into the ragged lines on the field. The bulk of

1877
01:39:16,000 --> 01:39:19,160
Speaker 1: rolling Fox vehicles were either modified a PCs or armored

1878
01:39:19,200 --> 01:39:23,000
Speaker 1: motorcycles sporting portable field guns or automatic grenade launchers on

1879
01:39:23,080 --> 01:39:26,240
Speaker 1: side cars. There were tactical arguments for the use of

1880
01:39:26,280 --> 01:39:29,439
Speaker 1: such vehicles in open field combat, of course, but Rowland

1881
01:39:29,520 --> 01:39:31,840
Speaker 1: suspected they had mainly been picked because they were fun

1882
01:39:31,920 --> 01:39:35,280
Speaker 1: to drive. Almost every vehicle's engine had been souped up

1883
01:39:35,360 --> 01:39:38,679
Speaker 1: well beyond any potential battlefield benefit. Most of them also

1884
01:39:38,760 --> 01:39:42,599
Speaker 1: had nitrous oxide tanks, although Roland suspected those were more

1885
01:39:42,640 --> 01:39:45,599
Speaker 1: for huffing than they were for speed. Where did they

1886
01:39:45,600 --> 01:39:49,679
Speaker 1: get all this stuff, Manny asked Roland. I had no idea,

1887
01:39:49,920 --> 01:39:52,679
Speaker 1: Roland said, But when the old government fell left behind

1888
01:39:52,720 --> 01:39:56,240
Speaker 1: a lot of equipment, basses and basses full of mothballed ordinance.

1889
01:39:56,680 --> 01:39:58,680
Speaker 1: I guess as these guys got in early before the

1890
01:39:58,800 --> 01:40:01,559
Speaker 1: rush and grabbed what they could good. At that moment,

1891
01:40:01,640 --> 01:40:04,719
Speaker 1: Roland caught sasha scent moving down one of the spindles

1892
01:40:04,760 --> 01:40:07,479
Speaker 1: above the main roller. His hind brain guessed she was

1893
01:40:07,520 --> 01:40:10,799
Speaker 1: headed to the deck he and Manny occupied. Roland couldn't

1894
01:40:10,800 --> 01:40:13,360
Speaker 1: smell Jim, who was good at staying hidden, but he

1895
01:40:13,439 --> 01:40:15,600
Speaker 1: knew that Sasha couldn't have known where they were on

1896
01:40:15,680 --> 01:40:19,040
Speaker 1: her own. That meant Jim had likely sniffed Manny out

1897
01:40:19,280 --> 01:40:22,439
Speaker 1: and made the same assumption about Roland's location that Rowland

1898
01:40:22,479 --> 01:40:25,839
Speaker 1: had made about Jim's. It wasn't long before the sliding

1899
01:40:25,840 --> 01:40:28,719
Speaker 1: metal door slid open and Jim and Sasha walked out

1900
01:40:28,760 --> 01:40:31,880
Speaker 1: onto the deck. Jim was in his familiar battle gear,

1901
01:40:32,240 --> 01:40:35,200
Speaker 1: his blood red chaps almost shone in the blinding light

1902
01:40:35,240 --> 01:40:38,360
Speaker 1: of the morning sun. He had a smug self satisfied

1903
01:40:38,400 --> 01:40:41,479
Speaker 1: grin and gigantic pupils that spoke of recent drug use.

1904
01:40:41,720 --> 01:40:45,200
Speaker 1: Beside him, Sasha looked disheveled and exhausted but jittery. He

1905
01:40:45,240 --> 01:40:49,000
Speaker 1: could smell the coffee wafting from her pores. Hey fuck nuts,

1906
01:40:49,200 --> 01:40:52,880
Speaker 1: Roland said, Hey, Sasha. She looked confused for a moment.

1907
01:40:53,160 --> 01:40:57,160
Speaker 1: Jim just nodded and said, hey, shit bird, Hey manny

1908
01:40:57,400 --> 01:40:59,840
Speaker 1: Manny waved vaguely at them, without turning his head to

1909
01:41:00,040 --> 01:41:02,200
Speaker 1: eat them. He continued to look out at the army

1910
01:41:02,240 --> 01:41:05,360
Speaker 1: assembling in the field. It's a pretty cool showdown there,

1911
01:41:05,560 --> 01:41:08,120
Speaker 1: Roland said. I kind of wish I had some dissociatives

1912
01:41:08,240 --> 01:41:10,960
Speaker 1: and maybe a blunt. Now would be the time for one.

1913
01:41:11,800 --> 01:41:15,880
Speaker 1: Ah she, Jim said, Just so happens, I got both.

1914
01:41:16,360 --> 01:41:19,400
Speaker 1: He stepped up alongside Rowland, extended his full arm, and

1915
01:41:19,400 --> 01:41:21,640
Speaker 1: then tapped his left index finger to the back of

1916
01:41:21,720 --> 01:41:24,479
Speaker 1: his right hand. The tip of that finger detached and

1917
01:41:24,600 --> 01:41:27,280
Speaker 1: rolled up onto his knuckle. A line of white powder

1918
01:41:27,320 --> 01:41:29,720
Speaker 1: poured out onto the back of Jim's other hand. He

1919
01:41:29,840 --> 01:41:33,800
Speaker 1: offered it to Roland. Sure, Roland said, and railed the line.

1920
01:41:34,600 --> 01:41:38,000
Speaker 1: Ketamine wasn't Roland's favoritest of drugs. He preferred m x

1921
01:41:38,040 --> 01:41:40,040
Speaker 1: C if he was going to snort a dissociati event.

1922
01:41:40,160 --> 01:41:42,640
Speaker 1: In all honesty, a big bottle of d x M

1923
01:41:42,680 --> 01:41:45,639
Speaker 1: heavy cough syrup mixed with vodka was even more his speed.

1924
01:41:45,920 --> 01:41:49,800
Speaker 1: But hey, drugs was drugs. Once Roland had finished, Jim

1925
01:41:49,840 --> 01:41:53,120
Speaker 1: poured out another line and offered it to Manny. No thanks,

1926
01:41:53,400 --> 01:41:56,880
Speaker 1: said the fixer. It's pretty good stuff, Roland said, in

1927
01:41:56,880 --> 01:42:00,479
Speaker 1: a helpful tone. Ketamine goes well with unspeakable violence. Might

1928
01:42:00,520 --> 01:42:02,519
Speaker 1: be fun to watch the battle that decides the future

1929
01:42:02,560 --> 01:42:06,200
Speaker 1: of your people from inside a cahole. Manny looked defended.

1930
01:42:06,920 --> 01:42:09,599
Speaker 1: Roland shrugged. He glanced at Jim, who gave him an

1931
01:42:09,640 --> 01:42:12,720
Speaker 1: I don't know why you're looking at me. Look, I'll

1932
01:42:12,720 --> 01:42:16,080
Speaker 1: try some, Sasha said, I mean, fuck it, why not?

1933
01:42:17,160 --> 01:42:19,599
Speaker 1: It was a little cute how she stumbled over the fuck.

1934
01:42:19,960 --> 01:42:22,879
Speaker 1: Roland found it in daring. It seemed Manny did too.

1935
01:42:23,040 --> 01:42:26,519
Speaker 1: The cocktail of dopamine, testosterone, at oxytocin that waffed it

1936
01:42:26,520 --> 01:42:30,040
Speaker 1: off and made his feelings as clear as day. Hell yeah, girl,

1937
01:42:30,400 --> 01:42:33,880
Speaker 1: Jim said, with an exaggerated Southern twang. Get all over

1938
01:42:33,920 --> 01:42:38,320
Speaker 1: here and rail this. That means snorted, Roland said, helpfully.

1939
01:42:38,960 --> 01:42:42,040
Speaker 1: Sasha approached Jim's arm. She looked him in the eye,

1940
01:42:42,200 --> 01:42:45,040
Speaker 1: then looked over to Roland, and last to Manny. Then

1941
01:42:45,120 --> 01:42:47,000
Speaker 1: she stared down at the powder as if she was

1942
01:42:47,040 --> 01:42:49,880
Speaker 1: hoping it would say something to her. It didn't, but

1943
01:42:50,040 --> 01:42:52,320
Speaker 1: she leaned in any way and snorted about half of

1944
01:42:52,360 --> 01:42:55,200
Speaker 1: it before she sneezed and then wretched, and then staggered

1945
01:42:55,200 --> 01:42:57,439
Speaker 1: to the side of the deck and vomited over the side.

1946
01:42:58,360 --> 01:43:01,760
Speaker 1: Jim and Roland laughed in your joy. Manny, being a

1947
01:43:01,800 --> 01:43:04,160
Speaker 1: good person, moved to hold her hair back and help

1948
01:43:04,160 --> 01:43:07,519
Speaker 1: her deal with the pukey aftershocks. While the humans engaged

1949
01:43:07,520 --> 01:43:09,840
Speaker 1: with their frailties, Roland and Jim did a couple more

1950
01:43:09,880 --> 01:43:15,120
Speaker 1: lines each. That was terrible, Sasha said. A few minutes later, heah,

1951
01:43:15,600 --> 01:43:19,040
Speaker 1: Jim chuckled, It takes some getting used to, and then

1952
01:43:19,040 --> 01:43:22,439
Speaker 1: the door slid open again. Skullfucker. Mike walked out onto

1953
01:43:22,479 --> 01:43:26,360
Speaker 1: the deck. Boy ass hats, he called out, We're about

1954
01:43:26,360 --> 01:43:28,280
Speaker 1: to war up. You should get down to the field

1955
01:43:28,320 --> 01:43:30,240
Speaker 1: as app if you want to see the face taking

1956
01:43:31,520 --> 01:43:35,479
Speaker 1: what Manny asked, Excuse me, Sasha said. At the same time,

1957
01:43:35,840 --> 01:43:38,280
Speaker 1: Mike just laughed and clapped them both on the shoulders.

1958
01:43:38,600 --> 01:43:40,920
Speaker 1: I'll explain down in the field. Get a move on.

1959
01:43:41,240 --> 01:43:43,840
Speaker 1: He nodded to Sasha and added, there's a puke wash

1960
01:43:43,880 --> 01:43:48,000
Speaker 1: station just inside into the right, next to the bathroom. Right.

1961
01:43:48,360 --> 01:43:51,120
Speaker 1: Jim rubbed his hands together in excitement. Why don't you

1962
01:43:51,280 --> 01:43:53,880
Speaker 1: kids go roll with skull fucking Mike. I've got to

1963
01:43:53,880 --> 01:43:56,160
Speaker 1: get rolland up to my mechanics so we can suit

1964
01:43:56,240 --> 01:43:59,880
Speaker 1: him up. Roland didn't like the eagerness in Jim's eyes

1965
01:44:00,120 --> 01:44:02,280
Speaker 1: or the excitement in his voice when he said that

1966
01:44:02,600 --> 01:44:05,600
Speaker 1: there was something indecent about it. But a promise was

1967
01:44:05,640 --> 01:44:08,400
Speaker 1: a promise, so Roland nodded and gave Manny a little

1968
01:44:08,439 --> 01:44:11,960
Speaker 1: squeeze on the shoulder. I'll see you soon, buddy, This

1969
01:44:12,040 --> 01:44:18,760
Speaker 1: won't take long, Manny. Schoolfucker Mike Manny asked as the

1970
01:44:18,840 --> 01:44:21,720
Speaker 1: chromed man led them through the gantries and towards the elevator.

1971
01:44:22,320 --> 01:44:25,080
Speaker 1: What exactly is so special about Roland? I mean, he's

1972
01:44:25,080 --> 01:44:27,400
Speaker 1: a nice guy, but what makes him so much scarier

1973
01:44:27,479 --> 01:44:30,680
Speaker 1: than the other chromed folks like you and Topaz? What

1974
01:44:30,760 --> 01:44:33,880
Speaker 1: do you know about Roland's past? Mike asked? In return,

1975
01:44:34,640 --> 01:44:37,760
Speaker 1: very little Manny admitted he doesn't seem to remember much

1976
01:44:37,880 --> 01:44:39,720
Speaker 1: I've sussed out that he was in the army back

1977
01:44:39,760 --> 01:44:42,800
Speaker 1: before the revolution. He's talked about fighting in Turkey, but

1978
01:44:42,880 --> 01:44:45,120
Speaker 1: also in Dallas and Denver and a bunch of other

1979
01:44:45,160 --> 01:44:50,000
Speaker 1: American cities. Mike nodded, Yeah, we met in Dallas back

1980
01:44:50,040 --> 01:44:54,240
Speaker 1: before it was Muerta. I had just been dishonorably discharged

1981
01:44:54,240 --> 01:44:57,680
Speaker 1: from the Marine Corps for He frowned, shook his head,

1982
01:44:57,720 --> 01:45:01,160
Speaker 1: and continued, it doesn't matter what. For I was broke

1983
01:45:01,200 --> 01:45:03,680
Speaker 1: and I had a body fellow, Uncle Sam's chrome. He

1984
01:45:03,800 --> 01:45:06,600
Speaker 1: wanted it back. I wound up taking shelter in the

1985
01:45:06,600 --> 01:45:09,920
Speaker 1: White Rock Commune. Roland was there too. He was pretty

1986
01:45:09,920 --> 01:45:13,040
Speaker 1: political back in those days, always quoting baccoon In and

1987
01:45:13,080 --> 01:45:17,160
Speaker 1: Asealon and Red John. Did you guys actually know Red John?

1988
01:45:17,320 --> 01:45:20,439
Speaker 1: Sasha asked. Up until that point, she'd walked quietly in

1989
01:45:20,439 --> 01:45:22,960
Speaker 1: the rear of their little group. The few times Manny

1990
01:45:23,040 --> 01:45:25,479
Speaker 1: had glanced back, she'd had her head down, stuck in

1991
01:45:25,520 --> 01:45:28,760
Speaker 1: her own little world. But now she was alert and engaged.

1992
01:45:29,200 --> 01:45:31,400
Speaker 1: Many guessed it was hearing the name of the famous

1993
01:45:31,439 --> 01:45:35,640
Speaker 1: revolutionary that had done it. That's odd, he thought. I

1994
01:45:35,720 --> 01:45:38,559
Speaker 1: never met the guy, Mike said, But Rowland did. He

1995
01:45:38,680 --> 01:45:41,000
Speaker 1: was in real deep with that whole circle. So was

1996
01:45:41,040 --> 01:45:44,040
Speaker 1: that weird fucker Jim. I was tight with Roland, but

1997
01:45:44,040 --> 01:45:46,599
Speaker 1: I've never gotten to the political side of things. I

1998
01:45:46,680 --> 01:45:50,760
Speaker 1: liked smashing stuff and they needed stuff smashers. How does

1999
01:45:50,800 --> 01:45:55,599
Speaker 1: this relate to why Rowland's Rowland? Manny asked, Well, I've

2000
01:45:55,600 --> 01:45:57,680
Speaker 1: known old Roland for a while mag when he was

2001
01:45:57,680 --> 01:46:01,000
Speaker 1: still fully himself. He was always cage about his background.

2002
01:46:01,080 --> 01:46:04,040
Speaker 1: But we had our theories, and mine was that he'd

2003
01:46:04,040 --> 01:46:08,559
Speaker 1: been part of Project Orange. What was that, Sasha asked,

2004
01:46:08,840 --> 01:46:13,240
Speaker 1: Holy fuck? Manny said he'd heard of Project Orange, although

2005
01:46:13,240 --> 01:46:16,400
Speaker 1: he wasn't surprised Sasha hadn't. The am FED was the

2006
01:46:16,439 --> 01:46:19,719
Speaker 1: closest descendant of the old United States. They'd have kept

2007
01:46:19,760 --> 01:46:23,120
Speaker 1: most of the bad stuff out of their history books. Well,

2008
01:46:23,200 --> 01:46:26,439
Speaker 1: you know, Mike said. Through the twenties, the military struggled

2009
01:46:26,439 --> 01:46:30,120
Speaker 1: with declining enlistment numbers. All the little resource wars climate

2010
01:46:30,200 --> 01:46:33,120
Speaker 1: change sparked created a need for a capable, nimble force

2011
01:46:33,160 --> 01:46:36,439
Speaker 1: that could project power without requiring a public commitment of force.

2012
01:46:37,080 --> 01:46:39,320
Speaker 1: So back in the late thirties, the U. S Military

2013
01:46:39,360 --> 01:46:42,719
Speaker 1: started fucking hard with gene editing tools and bio mods.

2014
01:46:43,200 --> 01:46:46,559
Speaker 1: At first, it was just basic upgrades to select combat units.

2015
01:46:46,600 --> 01:46:49,360
Speaker 1: Early versions of the healing suites, y'all both have now.

2016
01:46:49,760 --> 01:46:52,559
Speaker 1: Then they moved on to carbon fiber laced bones, bullet

2017
01:46:52,600 --> 01:46:57,240
Speaker 1: resistant skin, nanohaling suites. The end result was Project Orange,

2018
01:46:57,400 --> 01:47:00,080
Speaker 1: the best warriors in the whole military loaded down with

2019
01:47:00,160 --> 01:47:05,840
Speaker 1: experimental self adapting, neural and physiological upgrades. Yeah, man he added,

2020
01:47:05,920 --> 01:47:07,880
Speaker 1: it was a real success, right till they wiped out

2021
01:47:07,880 --> 01:47:11,799
Speaker 1: a whole city. Schofucker. Mike nodded and looked back to Sasha.

2022
01:47:12,280 --> 01:47:15,960
Speaker 1: He's talking about the Battle of Inserlik. I've heard of that,

2023
01:47:16,040 --> 01:47:18,960
Speaker 1: Sasha said. A US air strike hit a giant munition's cache.

2024
01:47:19,360 --> 01:47:23,759
Speaker 1: Like ten thousand people died. Schofucker. Mike gave a noncommittal grunt.

2025
01:47:24,320 --> 01:47:27,439
Speaker 1: There was one version of the story, he said. The

2026
01:47:27,520 --> 01:47:30,920
Speaker 1: story I heard, the story everyone told back then, is

2027
01:47:30,960 --> 01:47:34,320
Speaker 1: that it was Project Orange. They blew up a city.

2028
01:47:34,360 --> 01:47:38,320
Speaker 1: Sasha asked, they didn't blow it up. Manny said, they

2029
01:47:38,400 --> 01:47:42,840
Speaker 1: just butchered everyone, mostly in hand to hand combat. The

2030
01:47:42,920 --> 01:47:47,720
Speaker 1: DARPA guys miscalculated. Mike nodded to Manny. They entirely revamped

2031
01:47:47,760 --> 01:47:50,519
Speaker 1: the endocrine systems of these soldiers and made them immune

2032
01:47:50,520 --> 01:47:54,120
Speaker 1: to exhaustion and gave them perfect situational awareness, but it

2033
01:47:54,200 --> 01:47:57,479
Speaker 1: also made bloodshed. He trailed off and frowned while he

2034
01:47:57,520 --> 01:48:01,840
Speaker 1: searched for his next word, A dick dive. So what

2035
01:48:01,920 --> 01:48:06,439
Speaker 1: happened to Project Orange, Sasha asked, Well, said Mike, The

2036
01:48:06,520 --> 01:48:10,000
Speaker 1: scientists did with scientists do. They refined things. They revised

2037
01:48:10,040 --> 01:48:13,120
Speaker 1: their hypotheses and tweaked their creations until the Joint chiefs

2038
01:48:13,160 --> 01:48:15,800
Speaker 1: had another job for the Orange team. They must have

2039
01:48:15,840 --> 01:48:18,160
Speaker 1: done well for a while, and Sir Luke was thirty

2040
01:48:18,240 --> 01:48:20,760
Speaker 1: nine and no one heard shipped from them until forty one,

2041
01:48:20,840 --> 01:48:24,400
Speaker 1: when they hit that protest in Denver, six hundred dead,

2042
01:48:24,680 --> 01:48:27,679
Speaker 1: Manny said, reciting the facts he'd memorized a half dozen

2043
01:48:27,720 --> 01:48:32,599
Speaker 1: times during his elementary education, including a sitting senator. They

2044
01:48:32,640 --> 01:48:35,679
Speaker 1: reached the lift doors, which slid open once they got close.

2045
01:48:36,000 --> 01:48:38,840
Speaker 1: Sasha and Manny stepped in first, and Mike came after them.

2046
01:48:38,960 --> 01:48:40,920
Speaker 1: He fiddled with the control screen on the wall for

2047
01:48:40,960 --> 01:48:43,280
Speaker 1: a moment. I'm just making sure this thing is set

2048
01:48:43,320 --> 01:48:45,920
Speaker 1: to normal human speeds. We don't want any more puke

2049
01:48:46,000 --> 01:48:48,840
Speaker 1: from yall today, Mike winked at Sasha. As the lift

2050
01:48:48,920 --> 01:48:52,040
Speaker 1: doors closed, there was a soft clump sound, and Manny

2051
01:48:52,080 --> 01:48:56,280
Speaker 1: felt the lift descend, So yeah, schoolfucker, Mike continued. The

2052
01:48:56,320 --> 01:48:59,120
Speaker 1: President deployed the Orange Team against a fortified camp that

2053
01:48:59,120 --> 01:49:02,360
Speaker 1: had blocked off access to most of downtown Denver. They

2054
01:49:02,400 --> 01:49:05,120
Speaker 1: cleared out the camp sure enough. After the bloodbath, some

2055
01:49:05,200 --> 01:49:07,879
Speaker 1: hackers with a Jesture collective took close to a terabyte

2056
01:49:07,920 --> 01:49:11,000
Speaker 1: out of the Pentagon servers. It contained a few files

2057
01:49:11,000 --> 01:49:13,760
Speaker 1: on Project Orange and a partly redacted report on the

2058
01:49:13,760 --> 01:49:20,080
Speaker 1: Insurlic massacre. And then Sasha asked, Mike shrugged. Then they disappeared.

2059
01:49:20,240 --> 01:49:22,439
Speaker 1: They weren't used during the revolution, and they'd have been

2060
01:49:22,479 --> 01:49:24,519
Speaker 1: pretty damn handy for the old US. At a couple

2061
01:49:24,560 --> 01:49:27,719
Speaker 1: of points midway through the war, we recovered some intel

2062
01:49:27,800 --> 01:49:30,880
Speaker 1: that they'd been wiped out some terrible accident in orbit.

2063
01:49:31,080 --> 01:49:37,040
Speaker 1: Only only Roland Manny said softly, yep, skullfucker. Mike nodded.

2064
01:49:37,400 --> 01:49:40,479
Speaker 1: That was certainly my suspicion, still is, But the fucker's

2065
01:49:40,520 --> 01:49:43,519
Speaker 1: never confirmed it or denied it, not that he remembers

2066
01:49:43,560 --> 01:49:47,320
Speaker 1: now Anyway. The lift reached the ground with a gentle bump.

2067
01:49:47,520 --> 01:49:50,679
Speaker 1: Its doors slid open to reveal an army six hundred

2068
01:49:50,680 --> 01:49:53,120
Speaker 1: people in three large clumps out by the shore of

2069
01:49:53,200 --> 01:49:56,240
Speaker 1: Lake Waco. To the left was the city's vehicle pool.

2070
01:49:56,400 --> 01:49:58,400
Speaker 1: In the center where the infantry but decked in a

2071
01:49:58,479 --> 01:50:03,200
Speaker 1: ridiculous melange of medieval weaponry, small arms and handheld field artillery.

2072
01:50:03,280 --> 01:50:06,200
Speaker 1: And then to the right were the quadrifracts. The sight

2073
01:50:06,320 --> 01:50:08,960
Speaker 1: of them took Manny's breath away. There were well over

2074
01:50:09,000 --> 01:50:12,160
Speaker 1: a hundred of the strange horse like robots. Most of

2075
01:50:12,200 --> 01:50:14,760
Speaker 1: them were still being fussed over by the riders, having

2076
01:50:14,760 --> 01:50:18,120
Speaker 1: bolts tightened, weapons belted on to their chassis, or, in

2077
01:50:18,160 --> 01:50:21,799
Speaker 1: a few cases old timy leather saddle strapped onto their backs.

2078
01:50:22,240 --> 01:50:24,639
Speaker 1: Manny saw one saddle with what looked like a large

2079
01:50:24,640 --> 01:50:28,519
Speaker 1: purple dildo attached to it. The quadrifract riders were the

2080
01:50:28,560 --> 01:50:31,880
Speaker 1: most uniform group of warriors on the field. While rolling

2081
01:50:31,880 --> 01:50:35,360
Speaker 1: Fox infantry wore everything from Roman legionary armor to bikinies

2082
01:50:35,439 --> 01:50:38,880
Speaker 1: made of bullets, the cavalry wore nothing. Even from here

2083
01:50:38,920 --> 01:50:40,880
Speaker 1: he could see that every nipple in the group was

2084
01:50:40,920 --> 01:50:43,559
Speaker 1: as hard as diamond. They were all covered in the

2085
01:50:43,600 --> 01:50:46,960
Speaker 1: same sort of led tattoos that Jim wore, but where

2086
01:50:47,000 --> 01:50:50,160
Speaker 1: his took the form of ever writhing snakes, theirs appeared

2087
01:50:50,200 --> 01:50:52,920
Speaker 1: in blotches of gray black static all up and down

2088
01:50:53,000 --> 01:50:58,280
Speaker 1: their bodies. What are they, Sasha asked, voicing Manny's thoughts too.

2089
01:50:59,160 --> 01:51:02,639
Speaker 1: The elite skullfucker, Mike said. The best of the city's

2090
01:51:02,640 --> 01:51:06,960
Speaker 1: warriors real tough motherfucker's mostly former soldiers who logmened their

2091
01:51:06,960 --> 01:51:10,080
Speaker 1: government issue upgrades way back in the day. Some of

2092
01:51:10,120 --> 01:51:12,880
Speaker 1: em have five or ten thousand hours of combat experience

2093
01:51:12,880 --> 01:51:17,280
Speaker 1: stored in their bodies. Why aren't you out there, Mannie asked, Eh,

2094
01:51:17,439 --> 01:51:21,680
Speaker 1: he grunted. Quadfracts make my ass look big. Besides, Tobez

2095
01:51:21,720 --> 01:51:24,040
Speaker 1: is a sniper. She keeps to the rear and I

2096
01:51:24,160 --> 01:51:26,400
Speaker 1: keep to her. It's not as fun as fuckin shoot

2097
01:51:26,479 --> 01:51:29,040
Speaker 1: up at the fronty front. His lips curled up into

2098
01:51:29,040 --> 01:51:32,040
Speaker 1: a wistful smile. But we all got to grow up sometime.

2099
01:51:32,960 --> 01:51:36,280
Speaker 1: While Sasha and Manny gawkeed, the main roller's other lift descended.

2100
01:51:36,600 --> 01:51:39,599
Speaker 1: The doors opened just twenty feet to their right. Nanni

2101
01:51:39,680 --> 01:51:42,920
Speaker 1: Yazzi was the first one out. She moved slowly. Some

2102
01:51:43,080 --> 01:51:45,479
Speaker 1: of that was surely due to her advanced age, but

2103
01:51:45,520 --> 01:51:48,000
Speaker 1: there was also a note of ritual to her movements.

2104
01:51:48,400 --> 01:51:50,600
Speaker 1: It was something in the arc of her spine, the

2105
01:51:50,680 --> 01:51:53,360
Speaker 1: cadence of her step, the way she held her head.

2106
01:51:53,720 --> 01:51:56,840
Speaker 1: The enormous gold bladed knife in her hand didn't hurt either.

2107
01:51:57,840 --> 01:52:01,280
Speaker 1: Behind her walk the citizens of Rolling Fuck. There were

2108
01:52:01,320 --> 01:52:03,680
Speaker 1: around fifty of them in the lift, but as that

2109
01:52:03,760 --> 01:52:06,760
Speaker 1: group walked forward, ropes and ladders began to roll out

2110
01:52:06,800 --> 01:52:10,040
Speaker 1: from all around the enormous wheeled city. Within a matter

2111
01:52:10,080 --> 01:52:13,240
Speaker 1: of minutes, hundreds and hundreds of people had descended. More

2112
01:52:13,320 --> 01:52:15,880
Speaker 1: continued to disgorge from the lifts. Under the main roller

2113
01:52:15,920 --> 01:52:18,639
Speaker 1: and the rear roller. The riders had all formed into

2114
01:52:18,760 --> 01:52:21,519
Speaker 1: ordered ranks. They stood at something very much like a

2115
01:52:21,560 --> 01:52:25,400
Speaker 1: military attention. It was the only time he'd seen posthumans

2116
01:52:25,400 --> 01:52:29,080
Speaker 1: do anything in an orderly fashion. Nanni Yazi stood in

2117
01:52:29,120 --> 01:52:32,000
Speaker 1: front of the cavalry, and the human civilians clustered behind

2118
01:52:32,040 --> 01:52:35,719
Speaker 1: her in a big semicircle. The other warriors gathered behind them.

2119
01:52:35,840 --> 01:52:38,360
Speaker 1: Mike maneuver their little group to a hill that overlooked

2120
01:52:38,400 --> 01:52:41,080
Speaker 1: the whole scene. It took almost twenty minutes for the

2121
01:52:41,240 --> 01:52:44,960
Speaker 1: entire city to gather. What are they doing, sculp fucker, Mike,

2122
01:52:45,439 --> 01:52:48,240
Speaker 1: Sasha asked, only stumbling a bit over the curse word

2123
01:52:48,280 --> 01:52:51,280
Speaker 1: and his name. This is what I wanted you to see,

2124
01:52:51,400 --> 01:52:58,040
Speaker 1: he replied, She's about to take their faces. Rowland the

2125
01:52:58,120 --> 01:53:01,200
Speaker 1: process of getting ready for war. The bile rise up

2126
01:53:01,200 --> 01:53:05,120
Speaker 1: in his gut. That was curious. Roland's stomach didn't still

2127
01:53:05,160 --> 01:53:07,639
Speaker 1: produce bile, not the same kind of violet had when

2128
01:53:07,640 --> 01:53:10,200
Speaker 1: he was human. It had been years since his nervous

2129
01:53:10,240 --> 01:53:13,000
Speaker 1: system had been natural enough to respond to anxiety with

2130
01:53:13,040 --> 01:53:16,400
Speaker 1: any kind of physical symptom, and yet there it was.

2131
01:53:16,720 --> 01:53:19,760
Speaker 1: The bile, or the hallucination of bile, curdled at the

2132
01:53:19,760 --> 01:53:22,439
Speaker 1: bottom of his stomach while Jim's men strapped him into

2133
01:53:22,479 --> 01:53:26,160
Speaker 1: the murder suit. The armor they'd constructed was altogether different

2134
01:53:26,160 --> 01:53:28,240
Speaker 1: from the powered armor he'd faced a few days ago

2135
01:53:28,320 --> 01:53:31,240
Speaker 1: in Dallas. It was also different from what little he

2136
01:53:31,280 --> 01:53:34,000
Speaker 1: remembered of the armor he'd warned as an American soldier.

2137
01:53:34,439 --> 01:53:37,479
Speaker 1: That made sense, of course. Roland's wet waar got better

2138
01:53:37,520 --> 01:53:41,200
Speaker 1: with time and experience. Gear did not age so well.

2139
01:53:41,800 --> 01:53:44,760
Speaker 1: He watched while Sardar bolted a gauntlet into place over

2140
01:53:44,800 --> 01:53:47,320
Speaker 1: his left forearm. In hand, he could tell it was

2141
01:53:47,400 --> 01:53:50,559
Speaker 1: made of boron nitride carbon tubes, but the weapon's blister

2142
01:53:50,680 --> 01:53:53,719
Speaker 1: carried a sextette of tiny rockets that were not familiar

2143
01:53:53,720 --> 01:53:58,080
Speaker 1: to him. Sar, what are these things? A smile split

2144
01:53:58,120 --> 01:54:02,840
Speaker 1: the little man's dark handsome features. Scatter rocklets, he said

2145
01:54:02,880 --> 01:54:07,120
Speaker 1: with relish. Each of them contains twelve guided solid fuel warheads.

2146
01:54:07,400 --> 01:54:09,800
Speaker 1: The left hand or all anti personnel built to blow

2147
01:54:09,880 --> 01:54:13,200
Speaker 1: up big the right hand rockets. He tapped the second countlet,

2148
01:54:13,360 --> 01:54:15,599
Speaker 1: which sat on the work table next to him. Those

2149
01:54:15,640 --> 01:54:18,639
Speaker 1: pack a tiny bronze dart. One will penetrate a Leopard

2150
01:54:18,640 --> 01:54:22,679
Speaker 1: Mark five's front armor. No problem. Roland's side and looked

2151
01:54:22,720 --> 01:54:25,120
Speaker 1: around at the Workshop of Death that Jim had flown

2152
01:54:25,160 --> 01:54:27,479
Speaker 1: out here. From the outside, it had looked a bit

2153
01:54:27,560 --> 01:54:30,920
Speaker 1: like a shipping container, but painted a glossy white. Its

2154
01:54:31,000 --> 01:54:33,720
Speaker 1: edges were rounded and smooth, and the whole thing looked

2155
01:54:33,760 --> 01:54:35,959
Speaker 1: slick enough that it could have been an apple product.

2156
01:54:36,600 --> 01:54:39,680
Speaker 1: Inside the box was wall to wall weaponry in armor

2157
01:54:40,040 --> 01:54:43,840
Speaker 1: Jim's personal stash. Roland couldn't actually name any of the

2158
01:54:43,840 --> 01:54:47,520
Speaker 1: weapons inside. Most were similar enough to older weapons systems

2159
01:54:47,520 --> 01:54:50,680
Speaker 1: that he could make an educated guess as to their capabilities,

2160
01:54:51,040 --> 01:54:53,520
Speaker 1: but there were strange new things on the walls that

2161
01:54:53,560 --> 01:54:57,240
Speaker 1: he'd never seen before. Jim sat in a comfy chair

2162
01:54:57,280 --> 01:54:59,840
Speaker 1: at the rear of the workshop and watched Sardar work

2163
01:55:00,000 --> 01:55:02,560
Speaker 1: while he sipped Scotch out of an enormous ram's horn.

2164
01:55:03,320 --> 01:55:06,000
Speaker 1: So this so, is this like your man cave or what?

2165
01:55:06,320 --> 01:55:09,720
Speaker 1: Roland asked him. Jim took a deep gulp and then smiled.

2166
01:55:10,720 --> 01:55:14,080
Speaker 1: I find it relaxes me, he said. I spent a

2167
01:55:14,080 --> 01:55:16,680
Speaker 1: lot of time carried in this collection over the years.

2168
01:55:16,920 --> 01:55:19,480
Speaker 1: I spent a lot of time working on that suit, too,

2169
01:55:19,600 --> 01:55:22,840
Speaker 1: So don't fuck it up. Something tingled at the back

2170
01:55:22,880 --> 01:55:25,800
Speaker 1: of Roland's mind. The suit had clearly been built to

2171
01:55:25,880 --> 01:55:29,520
Speaker 1: his specifications. That suggested Jim had been planning this for

2172
01:55:29,560 --> 01:55:32,840
Speaker 1: a while, but Roland had been retired at Cameltoe until

2173
01:55:33,040 --> 01:55:36,120
Speaker 1: very recently. So how hey, man, I need your port

2174
01:55:36,400 --> 01:55:39,120
Speaker 1: Sardar said. The squat mechanic held up a pair of

2175
01:55:39,160 --> 01:55:42,640
Speaker 1: fiber optic cables that terminated in peculiar boxy plugs. Not

2176
01:55:42,840 --> 01:55:46,160
Speaker 1: unlike old ethernet cable they were connected to a metal

2177
01:55:46,160 --> 01:55:49,200
Speaker 1: breastplate on the table. Roland pointed to a pair of

2178
01:55:49,280 --> 01:55:53,040
Speaker 1: lumpy white scars on his lower back. The input sockets

2179
01:55:53,040 --> 01:55:55,120
Speaker 1: are in there. They've scarred up. You'll have to cut

2180
01:55:55,160 --> 01:55:57,400
Speaker 1: him back open, but it should fit. But it should

2181
01:55:57,440 --> 01:56:00,200
Speaker 1: still fit. The nice thing about DARPA engineering that a

2182
01:56:00,200 --> 01:56:02,400
Speaker 1: little bit of blood and skin never gets in the way.

2183
01:56:03,280 --> 01:56:06,720
Speaker 1: Sardar set to work carving the sockets back open. Roland

2184
01:56:06,720 --> 01:56:09,120
Speaker 1: felt the pain as a distant sort of itch. He

2185
01:56:09,200 --> 01:56:11,680
Speaker 1: was having a hard time focusing his senses on his

2186
01:56:11,720 --> 01:56:15,480
Speaker 1: immediate surroundings. The smells of the advancing army presented an

2187
01:56:15,520 --> 01:56:19,280
Speaker 1: almost overpowering flood of data. Roland had loaded up on

2188
01:56:19,360 --> 01:56:22,280
Speaker 1: ketamine and vodka to quiet his hindbrain, but all that

2189
01:56:22,480 --> 01:56:25,800
Speaker 1: interfered with his introspection. He built this thing for me

2190
01:56:25,880 --> 01:56:29,360
Speaker 1: to wear. Jim, how long have you been planning this? Yes,

2191
01:56:30,000 --> 01:56:35,000
Speaker 1: Jim said, His forthrightness surprised Roland. Your pacifism is a mistake,

2192
01:56:35,400 --> 01:56:39,480
Speaker 1: Jim continued, brought on by your overactive conscience. There is

2193
01:56:39,560 --> 01:56:42,000
Speaker 1: still so much you need to do in the world.

2194
01:56:42,480 --> 01:56:45,600
Speaker 1: I figured at some point you'd realize that yourself, so

2195
01:56:45,720 --> 01:56:49,480
Speaker 1: I kept my men working. Sardar lifted the heavy metal

2196
01:56:49,480 --> 01:56:52,800
Speaker 1: breastplate up over Roland's head and settled it over his shoulders.

2197
01:56:53,320 --> 01:56:56,760
Speaker 1: The weight was comforting. A cold electric shock ran through

2198
01:56:56,760 --> 01:57:00,000
Speaker 1: his body as the armor connected to his central nervous system.

2199
01:57:00,240 --> 01:57:02,920
Speaker 1: Roland felt parts of himself wake up that he hadn't

2200
01:57:02,920 --> 01:57:06,920
Speaker 1: truly realized were asleep. Something in him had missed that feeling,

2201
01:57:07,120 --> 01:57:10,320
Speaker 1: and he felt guilty for that. I'm taking this thing

2202
01:57:10,400 --> 01:57:13,200
Speaker 1: off the instant. The fight's over, Jim. You wasted your money.

2203
01:57:13,880 --> 01:57:18,080
Speaker 1: Jim smile only deepened. You've forgotten how fun it is, Rowland,

2204
01:57:18,800 --> 01:57:20,440
Speaker 1: and you've forgotten what it is like to be a

2205
01:57:20,520 --> 01:57:24,200
Speaker 1: fucking human. Roland countered, Have you always been a sociopath?

2206
01:57:24,560 --> 01:57:26,640
Speaker 1: Is this what I was like back before whatever took

2207
01:57:26,680 --> 01:57:30,760
Speaker 1: my memories? Jim's amused, smiled and shift by so much

2208
01:57:30,760 --> 01:57:34,360
Speaker 1: as a nanometer. Roland felt a spike of irritation before

2209
01:57:34,400 --> 01:57:37,680
Speaker 1: he was distracted by Sardar. Raise your hand, please, the

2210
01:57:37,760 --> 01:57:40,640
Speaker 1: mechanic said. He lifted a four barreled machine gun on

2211
01:57:40,680 --> 01:57:43,640
Speaker 1: a circular frame and slid it around Roland's right arm.

2212
01:57:44,080 --> 01:57:47,640
Speaker 1: Sardar bolted the weapon into place while he explained it's

2213
01:57:47,640 --> 01:57:50,880
Speaker 1: a stack charged machine gun magnetically fired, similar to the

2214
01:57:50,880 --> 01:57:53,800
Speaker 1: old metal storm weapons. But this fucker's capable of putting

2215
01:57:53,800 --> 01:57:57,520
Speaker 1: out twenty thousand rounds per second. How long an a fire,

2216
01:57:57,960 --> 01:58:01,920
Speaker 1: Sardar laughed, but less than this second. The mechanic turned

2217
01:58:01,960 --> 01:58:04,440
Speaker 1: back to his table, and Roland tried to direct his

2218
01:58:04,480 --> 01:58:08,600
Speaker 1: wandering mind back to the conversation with Jim. You're going

2219
01:58:08,720 --> 01:58:11,480
Speaker 1: to love it, his old friend said, I know you've

2220
01:58:11,520 --> 01:58:13,880
Speaker 1: been lovin' it when you've fought your way out of

2221
01:58:13,960 --> 01:58:16,880
Speaker 1: that citia. I could smell the dopamine waftin off your

2222
01:58:16,960 --> 01:58:19,880
Speaker 1: brain from all the way out here. Sardar snapped a

2223
01:58:19,920 --> 01:58:23,400
Speaker 1: queasts around Roland's thigh. The armor also sported a bulky

2224
01:58:23,400 --> 01:58:27,240
Speaker 1: weapons blister on its outside edge gas grenade launcher. The

2225
01:58:27,280 --> 01:58:30,440
Speaker 1: mechanic explained, should co great with all the frag rocklets.

2226
01:58:31,040 --> 01:58:34,200
Speaker 1: Uh so we're committing war crimes now, Roland asked Jim,

2227
01:58:34,360 --> 01:58:37,800
Speaker 1: with more indignation than he really felt. Jim rolled his eyes.

2228
01:58:38,280 --> 01:58:41,280
Speaker 1: Is just he a gas? He said, mostly? At least

2229
01:58:41,640 --> 01:58:44,680
Speaker 1: I may have included some aerosolized L S D in there.

2230
01:58:44,920 --> 01:58:49,080
Speaker 1: I've been on a big psychochemical warfare kicked lately. For

2231
01:58:49,120 --> 01:58:52,200
Speaker 1: a little while, Sardar worked in silence, Jim drank and

2232
01:58:52,320 --> 01:58:55,520
Speaker 1: Roland stared near him, but not at him. The self

2233
01:58:55,520 --> 01:58:57,960
Speaker 1: inflicted haze in his head had cleared a bit. That

2234
01:58:58,000 --> 01:59:00,880
Speaker 1: meant his hind brain grew louder. By now it was

2235
01:59:00,920 --> 01:59:04,200
Speaker 1: all but shouting about the approaching army. Roland felt a

2236
01:59:04,240 --> 01:59:09,360
Speaker 1: trickle of adrenaline, oxytocin, and endorphins. His left hand twitched involuntarily.

2237
01:59:09,640 --> 01:59:12,160
Speaker 1: He felt the power of the weapons system around him,

2238
01:59:12,280 --> 01:59:15,000
Speaker 1: and he felt the power in his own body. Something

2239
01:59:15,080 --> 01:59:18,040
Speaker 1: like a rousal gripped him. Roland fought it down as

2240
01:59:18,080 --> 01:59:20,680
Speaker 1: best he could, but it lingered there at the edge

2241
01:59:20,680 --> 01:59:25,240
Speaker 1: of his consciousness. I've been remembering more, he said to Jim,

2242
01:59:25,320 --> 01:59:27,720
Speaker 1: as much to distract himself as out of a desire

2243
01:59:27,760 --> 01:59:31,320
Speaker 1: to get it off his chest. Jim cocked an eyebrow

2244
01:59:31,360 --> 01:59:34,800
Speaker 1: in interest. I've had a few big flashes of memories.

2245
01:59:34,880 --> 01:59:36,960
Speaker 1: Once when we drove into Dallas, past the side of

2246
01:59:37,000 --> 01:59:40,880
Speaker 1: the Lakewood Blast, I remembered. He locked eyes with Jim,

2247
01:59:41,040 --> 01:59:44,840
Speaker 1: and Jim nodded back his eyes said, I know so,

2248
01:59:45,040 --> 01:59:48,840
Speaker 1: Roland moved on. The memories come most intensely when I'm

2249
01:59:48,840 --> 01:59:52,640
Speaker 1: in combat. I remembered hiking with Topez. I remembered burning

2250
01:59:52,680 --> 01:59:55,400
Speaker 1: the TAZ in Denver. I got flashes of you and

2251
01:59:55,440 --> 01:59:59,040
Speaker 1: me in Mexico, and a lot more. I'm still certain

2252
01:59:59,080 --> 02:00:01,720
Speaker 1: through it. It's confus using because there's no timeline for

2253
02:00:01,760 --> 02:00:05,120
Speaker 1: any of this, just associated memories I know happened. At

2254
02:00:05,160 --> 02:00:11,360
Speaker 1: some point, Jim leaned forward, his eyes flashed with excitement. Interested,

2255
02:00:11,520 --> 02:00:14,240
Speaker 1: he said, tell me. Have you been able to draw

2256
02:00:14,320 --> 02:00:17,560
Speaker 1: any conclusions about who you were from what you've remembered?

2257
02:00:17,880 --> 02:00:22,480
Speaker 1: Have you gotten any insight into the old Roland? Roland frowned.

2258
02:00:22,840 --> 02:00:25,160
Speaker 1: He'd been so focused on trying to remember his old

2259
02:00:25,160 --> 02:00:26,960
Speaker 1: life that he hadn't given much thought to what the

2260
02:00:26,960 --> 02:00:30,000
Speaker 1: memories he had said about the man he'd been. As

2261
02:00:30,000 --> 02:00:32,880
Speaker 1: he pondered, Roland's mind lingered on the memory of shooting

2262
02:00:32,960 --> 02:00:35,880
Speaker 1: the chainey boy in the back of the head. I

2263
02:00:35,920 --> 02:00:37,680
Speaker 1: think I used to be a lot more like you,

2264
02:00:38,160 --> 02:00:42,160
Speaker 1: Roland said. Jim grinned, his lips curled up to reveal

2265
02:00:42,320 --> 02:00:46,680
Speaker 1: long rows of white, straight teeth. That's true, he said,

2266
02:00:47,080 --> 02:00:53,400
Speaker 1: Why else do you think I've missed you so much? Sasha?

2267
02:00:54,360 --> 02:00:57,480
Speaker 1: A part of Sasha had believed that after the Heavenly Kingdom,

2268
02:00:57,640 --> 02:01:00,960
Speaker 1: nothing she saw would ever shock her again. That part

2269
02:01:01,000 --> 02:01:04,320
Speaker 1: of her was proven wrong when Nana Yazzi's aged arthritic

2270
02:01:04,360 --> 02:01:07,480
Speaker 1: hand began to messily carve at the first warrior's face.

2271
02:01:08,080 --> 02:01:10,320
Speaker 1: Her target was the young woman with the chrome hawk

2272
02:01:10,400 --> 02:01:13,480
Speaker 1: Sasha had seen in the war council. The carving was

2273
02:01:13,520 --> 02:01:15,800
Speaker 1: a messy thing. It took the better part of a

2274
02:01:15,840 --> 02:01:18,440
Speaker 1: minute for her to slice and peel the skin free.

2275
02:01:18,840 --> 02:01:22,280
Speaker 1: Sasha noticed that there was very little blood. It was messy,

2276
02:01:22,600 --> 02:01:25,160
Speaker 1: but not as messy as it should have been. Once

2277
02:01:25,160 --> 02:01:27,920
Speaker 1: she was finished, Nana Yazzi stepped back with the woman's

2278
02:01:27,960 --> 02:01:31,280
Speaker 1: face in her hand. As she did, dozens of citizens

2279
02:01:31,280 --> 02:01:35,080
Speaker 1: stepped forward. They pulled out daggers, swords, straight razors, and

2280
02:01:35,120 --> 02:01:38,080
Speaker 1: switch blades of their own. Each civilian paired off with

2281
02:01:38,120 --> 02:01:40,880
Speaker 1: a warrior and began to carve. Some of them were

2282
02:01:40,920 --> 02:01:44,240
Speaker 1: quick and practiced. The motion of their hands reminded Sasha

2283
02:01:44,280 --> 02:01:46,560
Speaker 1: of an autopsy video she'd watched in one of her

2284
02:01:46,600 --> 02:01:50,040
Speaker 1: pre met classes, but the other citizens were cruder with

2285
02:01:50,120 --> 02:01:53,960
Speaker 1: their cutting. A few verged on brutal hacking and slashing

2286
02:01:53,960 --> 02:01:56,720
Speaker 1: at the faces and necks of their persons. None of

2287
02:01:56,760 --> 02:01:59,960
Speaker 1: the post human warriors showed any signs of pain or discomfort.

2288
02:02:00,440 --> 02:02:05,160
Speaker 1: They just stood, unmoving and without their faces, seemingly without emotion.

2289
02:02:06,120 --> 02:02:09,920
Speaker 1: I don't understand, Sasha said. She hadn't expected to say

2290
02:02:09,960 --> 02:02:13,880
Speaker 1: it out loud, The words just slipped out. It's a

2291
02:02:13,920 --> 02:02:18,360
Speaker 1: symbolic thing, scoffucker Mike explained. Before they leave, the city's

2292
02:02:18,400 --> 02:02:21,240
Speaker 1: warriors give up their identities to the group. They leave

2293
02:02:21,280 --> 02:02:24,160
Speaker 1: their humanity behind, and bloody tatters in the hands of

2294
02:02:24,200 --> 02:02:26,880
Speaker 1: their friends and loved ones. It's a way of making

2295
02:02:26,920 --> 02:02:29,880
Speaker 1: sure the city civilians don't leave a war without blood

2296
02:02:29,920 --> 02:02:33,000
Speaker 1: on their hands. And it makes em look fucking terrifying,

2297
02:02:33,280 --> 02:02:36,840
Speaker 1: someone said from behind them. Sasha turned around. A short,

2298
02:02:36,960 --> 02:02:39,640
Speaker 1: fit man approached them. He had a thin build, but

2299
02:02:39,760 --> 02:02:42,640
Speaker 1: his body was girded with lithe muscle. There was something

2300
02:02:42,680 --> 02:02:45,640
Speaker 1: familiar about his face, the short mop of curly black

2301
02:02:45,640 --> 02:02:49,160
Speaker 1: hair atop his head. The man smiled when Sasha saw him,

2302
02:02:49,320 --> 02:02:55,360
Speaker 1: revealing pointed metallic fangs. Hey wait a second, Low, Topez scoffucker,

2303
02:02:55,440 --> 02:02:58,760
Speaker 1: Mike said. Manny looked shocked as well. He stared at

2304
02:02:58,760 --> 02:03:03,160
Speaker 1: the man in surprise. Topaz, what happened? There was a

2305
02:03:03,160 --> 02:03:05,960
Speaker 1: woman with those exact same teeth yesterday when we arrived

2306
02:03:06,000 --> 02:03:08,920
Speaker 1: at the city. Sasha hadn't gotten a woman's name, but

2307
02:03:09,000 --> 02:03:12,160
Speaker 1: she'd borne a striking resemblance to this man. I felt

2308
02:03:12,160 --> 02:03:14,360
Speaker 1: like a man to day, Topaz said, what with the

2309
02:03:14,400 --> 02:03:18,839
Speaker 1: war and all? Sasha finally realized what had happened. Of course,

2310
02:03:18,960 --> 02:03:23,040
Speaker 1: she thought these people can change their physiology on a dime, Ah,

2311
02:03:23,240 --> 02:03:26,760
Speaker 1: Manny said with a nod schofucker. Mike walked up to Topaz,

2312
02:03:26,800 --> 02:03:29,800
Speaker 1: and the two embraced and then kissed. They twined their

2313
02:03:29,880 --> 02:03:32,960
Speaker 1: arms together, and a few seconds later, Topaz seemed to

2314
02:03:33,000 --> 02:03:37,080
Speaker 1: finally notice Sasha's presence. Sorry, he smiled as he spoke.

2315
02:03:37,240 --> 02:03:41,440
Speaker 1: But I don't believe I got your name, Sasha, Saschamarian.

2316
02:03:42,080 --> 02:03:45,760
Speaker 1: Topaz stepped closer. Well, Sascha Maarian, he said, in a

2317
02:03:45,800 --> 02:03:49,240
Speaker 1: low voice, How are you liking? Are strange ways and customs?

2318
02:03:50,040 --> 02:03:55,200
Speaker 1: They're interesting? Sasha said diplomatically. Do you find this place

2319
02:03:55,320 --> 02:03:59,040
Speaker 1: more to your liking than the heavenly Kingdom? Topaz stepped closer.

2320
02:03:59,320 --> 02:04:02,120
Speaker 1: Sasha took a step back and then another. The man's

2321
02:04:02,120 --> 02:04:04,400
Speaker 1: expression was friendly enough, but there was a sort of

2322
02:04:04,480 --> 02:04:06,960
Speaker 1: queer menace in the set of his shoulders. It may

2323
02:04:07,000 --> 02:04:09,360
Speaker 1: have had something to do with the very large rifle

2324
02:04:09,440 --> 02:04:13,760
Speaker 1: slung across his back. Sasha started to sweat. Fear gripped

2325
02:04:13,760 --> 02:04:18,400
Speaker 1: her mind. Topaz back off, schoolfucker. Mike's voice was devoid

2326
02:04:18,400 --> 02:04:22,800
Speaker 1: of anger, but firm. You're scaring her. Topaz stopped and

2327
02:04:22,880 --> 02:04:26,720
Speaker 1: stared at Mike. His expression went from placid smile to rage,

2328
02:04:26,720 --> 02:04:29,200
Speaker 1: and then back to a smile, almost faster than Sasha

2329
02:04:29,240 --> 02:04:33,560
Speaker 1: could process. Sorry, darling, he said in an artificially chipper voice.

2330
02:04:33,840 --> 02:04:36,120
Speaker 1: I just wanted to make sure our guest was enjoying

2331
02:04:36,120 --> 02:04:39,520
Speaker 1: her stay here. He looked to Sasha again. You are,

2332
02:04:39,720 --> 02:04:45,120
Speaker 1: aren't you? Yes, good, Topaz purred, Hopefully you won't be

2333
02:04:45,200 --> 02:04:47,640
Speaker 1: joining any more extremist groups to get my friends killed.

2334
02:04:48,280 --> 02:04:51,040
Speaker 1: He turned immediately to Manny, and with barely a pause

2335
02:04:51,080 --> 02:04:54,600
Speaker 1: for breath, embraced him and kissed his forehead. I'm proud

2336
02:04:54,600 --> 02:04:57,520
Speaker 1: of you, buddy, as far as I'm concerned your family.

2337
02:04:58,240 --> 02:05:00,920
Speaker 1: Manny mumbled his thanks and returned the hug, but he

2338
02:05:00,960 --> 02:05:03,920
Speaker 1: glanced at Sasha and they shared a what the hell look?

2339
02:05:04,440 --> 02:05:08,080
Speaker 1: Skullfucker Mike seemed to want a plaster over the awkwardness. Yep,

2340
02:05:08,280 --> 02:05:11,520
Speaker 1: he said, We've made some wonderful friends these last couple

2341
02:05:11,520 --> 02:05:14,360
Speaker 1: of days. He pantomime looking down at his watchless wrist

2342
02:05:14,440 --> 02:05:17,360
Speaker 1: and checking the time. Oh my goodness, he said, in

2343
02:05:17,400 --> 02:05:20,160
Speaker 1: mock surprise. Look at the time, Topez, We've got a

2344
02:05:20,160 --> 02:05:22,360
Speaker 1: war to get to. You kids had better find some

2345
02:05:22,440 --> 02:05:27,240
Speaker 1: decent seats. Topaz smiled at skullfucker Mike, his eyes lingered

2346
02:05:27,240 --> 02:05:30,640
Speaker 1: on the big man's face and then drifted back to Sasha.

2347
02:05:31,000 --> 02:05:36,280
Speaker 1: Enjoy the show, he said, with an empty smile, Rowland.

2348
02:05:37,400 --> 02:05:40,000
Speaker 1: It was windy. On the landing pad. He and Jim

2349
02:05:40,040 --> 02:05:43,560
Speaker 1: stood next to a heavy black feetoll aircraft, the steed

2350
02:05:43,600 --> 02:05:47,280
Speaker 1: that would carry him into today's massacre. Roland could taste

2351
02:05:47,320 --> 02:05:49,800
Speaker 1: the dying summer and the faint stirrings of a North

2352
02:05:49,880 --> 02:05:52,760
Speaker 1: Texas fall in the air. It was cooler than he'd

2353
02:05:52,760 --> 02:05:55,760
Speaker 1: have expected this time of the year, grayer too. A

2354
02:05:55,840 --> 02:05:59,000
Speaker 1: gust of chill wind blew across his face, and Roland

2355
02:05:59,000 --> 02:06:02,600
Speaker 1: found himself fall ling back in time again. He was shorter,

2356
02:06:02,800 --> 02:06:05,320
Speaker 1: The world seemed sharper, even though his senses were dim

2357
02:06:05,360 --> 02:06:08,400
Speaker 1: and unenlightened. Roland felt a hand abound his own. It

2358
02:06:08,480 --> 02:06:11,600
Speaker 1: felt big, powerful, and comforting. He looked up and saw

2359
02:06:11,600 --> 02:06:14,600
Speaker 1: a woman standing over him. She was tall, a giant.

2360
02:06:14,800 --> 02:06:16,920
Speaker 1: Her hair was brown and straight and long and clear

2361
02:06:16,960 --> 02:06:19,560
Speaker 1: as day in his mind's eye, but her face was blank,

2362
02:06:19,720 --> 02:06:22,680
Speaker 1: obscured even in memory. His head turned to track the

2363
02:06:22,680 --> 02:06:25,520
Speaker 1: passage of a blowing leaf. He felt chill winter air

2364
02:06:25,600 --> 02:06:27,480
Speaker 1: on his arm, and he watched as a red sedan

2365
02:06:27,560 --> 02:06:30,200
Speaker 1: rumbled past them, straining water into the airs and had

2366
02:06:30,200 --> 02:06:34,400
Speaker 1: a puddle on the asphalt. Rowland pay attention. Jim's voice

2367
02:06:34,440 --> 02:06:37,440
Speaker 1: snapped him back to reality. The other chrombed man held

2368
02:06:37,480 --> 02:06:40,280
Speaker 1: a paper thin table in front of Roland's face. That

2369
02:06:40,360 --> 02:06:43,040
Speaker 1: memory flash had been the most immersive yet, although not

2370
02:06:43,160 --> 02:06:46,000
Speaker 1: the longest. He was a little confused at that why

2371
02:06:46,040 --> 02:06:48,440
Speaker 1: that moment had it just been the similarity in weather

2372
02:06:48,640 --> 02:06:52,800
Speaker 1: or Rowland? Jim was angry. It was actually somewhat refreshing

2373
02:06:52,800 --> 02:06:55,640
Speaker 1: to see genuine emotion on the other man's post human face.

2374
02:06:56,200 --> 02:06:58,960
Speaker 1: Veins bulged at his neck and his eyes were fully open.

2375
02:06:59,360 --> 02:07:03,880
Speaker 1: Roland caught a harsh whiff of methamphetamine from his breath. Alright, alright,

2376
02:07:03,920 --> 02:07:07,320
Speaker 1: fucking chill, Roland muttered, what am I looking at? He

2377
02:07:07,440 --> 02:07:09,880
Speaker 1: needn't have asked. Once he focused on the tablet, it

2378
02:07:09,880 --> 02:07:11,960
Speaker 1: was obvious that it displayed a map of the area

2379
02:07:12,080 --> 02:07:15,960
Speaker 1: around Lake Waco. Rolling Fox warriors and vehicles were displayed

2380
02:07:15,960 --> 02:07:19,120
Speaker 1: in little blue pinpoints. Jim scrolled up a few inches

2381
02:07:19,160 --> 02:07:21,840
Speaker 1: and Roland saw a swarm of red. It was half

2382
02:07:21,880 --> 02:07:24,560
Speaker 1: over the Brazos right now, and it crept millimeter by

2383
02:07:24,560 --> 02:07:28,520
Speaker 1: millivater towards their position. The river slowed him down a bit,

2384
02:07:28,640 --> 02:07:31,200
Speaker 1: Jim said, but the bridges there was still in good order.

2385
02:07:31,360 --> 02:07:33,960
Speaker 1: I'd say they'll hit rock Creak in about ten minutes.

2386
02:07:34,640 --> 02:07:37,560
Speaker 1: Roland nodded and asked, couldn't we have killed those bridges

2387
02:07:37,640 --> 02:07:41,280
Speaker 1: bought some hours. Jim gave a careless shrug. Why would

2388
02:07:41,320 --> 02:07:43,920
Speaker 1: we want to slow him down? We're ready enough, No

2389
02:07:44,000 --> 02:07:47,520
Speaker 1: sense in dragging this out. There was a strong smell

2390
02:07:47,520 --> 02:07:50,000
Speaker 1: of ozone as the v Toal aircraft next to them

2391
02:07:50,000 --> 02:07:53,000
Speaker 1: woke up. Red lights glowed on the missile pods slung

2392
02:07:53,080 --> 02:07:56,120
Speaker 1: under its belly. The chain gun on its nose cycled.

2393
02:07:56,240 --> 02:07:59,000
Speaker 1: The whole thing hummed with potential energy. It was too

2394
02:07:59,040 --> 02:08:01,200
Speaker 1: modern for Roland to know the make and model, but

2395
02:08:01,240 --> 02:08:04,320
Speaker 1: it reminded him of the Russian Coba Assault transport, which

2396
02:08:04,320 --> 02:08:06,480
Speaker 1: had been state of the art back in the mid forties.

2397
02:08:07,480 --> 02:08:11,280
Speaker 1: So is the plan, he asked Jim. Well, his friend said,

2398
02:08:11,440 --> 02:08:13,640
Speaker 1: we know they've got at least a half dozen mobile

2399
02:08:13,680 --> 02:08:18,320
Speaker 1: antie batteries old U s Patriot threes inaccurate garbage. Nothing.

2400
02:08:18,360 --> 02:08:21,440
Speaker 1: I'm worried about. The name conjured up a ghost of

2401
02:08:21,440 --> 02:08:24,880
Speaker 1: another memory. A big Patriot battery wheeled around on its

2402
02:08:24,920 --> 02:08:28,080
Speaker 1: truck sized chassis. He heard the machine whine of the motors,

2403
02:08:28,080 --> 02:08:29,920
Speaker 1: and then the reek of fear hit his nose, as

2404
02:08:30,040 --> 02:08:32,760
Speaker 1: rich and heavy as Texas thunder. There were missiles in

2405
02:08:32,800 --> 02:08:34,680
Speaker 1: the air aimed at him as he fell. They were

2406
02:08:34,760 --> 02:08:37,240
Speaker 1: child's plate at dodge in his suit. He descended, his

2407
02:08:37,360 --> 02:08:39,880
Speaker 1: fear stink rolled up towards him from the soldiers below.

2408
02:08:40,200 --> 02:08:43,760
Speaker 1: The poor fucker's Rowland, Jim shouted, I'm not gonna have

2409
02:08:43,880 --> 02:08:47,200
Speaker 1: to find another murder guerilla to take your place. What No,

2410
02:08:47,800 --> 02:08:51,800
Speaker 1: Roland shook his head. Sorry, he said, just memories. Jim

2411
02:08:51,840 --> 02:08:54,480
Speaker 1: gave him a long look and if then you need

2412
02:08:54,520 --> 02:08:58,720
Speaker 1: to talk about right now? No, Roland said, it's just

2413
02:08:59,240 --> 02:09:03,480
Speaker 1: the memories are coming amy faster now, it's distracting. That

2414
02:09:03,520 --> 02:09:07,760
Speaker 1: makes sense. Jim said, I'd imagined stimula that reminds you

2415
02:09:07,800 --> 02:09:10,520
Speaker 1: of your past, could prompt your brain into a sudden healing.

2416
02:09:11,800 --> 02:09:13,880
Speaker 1: He reached into a bag at his hip. It looked

2417
02:09:13,920 --> 02:09:16,880
Speaker 1: like a standard dump pouch meant for half spent magazines

2418
02:09:16,920 --> 02:09:19,080
Speaker 1: in the heat of battle, but Jim pulled out a

2419
02:09:19,120 --> 02:09:22,560
Speaker 1: fully loaded crack pipe. Even unlit, it smelled like burning

2420
02:09:22,600 --> 02:09:26,360
Speaker 1: tires at a non percent peel. Jim held the pipe

2421
02:09:26,440 --> 02:09:29,680
Speaker 1: up to Roland. All right. Roland grabbed the pipe and

2422
02:09:29,760 --> 02:09:32,280
Speaker 1: lifted it to his lips. Jim reached out and flipped

2423
02:09:32,280 --> 02:09:35,040
Speaker 1: on the lighter built into his index finger. He held

2424
02:09:35,120 --> 02:09:37,600
Speaker 1: it under the glass bubble of the pipe. The rocks

2425
02:09:37,680 --> 02:09:41,200
Speaker 1: vaporized into white smoke rolland inhaled and felt the vapor

2426
02:09:41,320 --> 02:09:44,800
Speaker 1: dissolve into his blood stream through his mucus membranes. There

2427
02:09:44,880 --> 02:09:47,600
Speaker 1: was a tingle as the crack reached his brain's ventral

2428
02:09:47,680 --> 02:09:50,680
Speaker 1: tegmental area, and said, in essence, you know how much

2429
02:09:50,720 --> 02:09:53,440
Speaker 1: dopamine you were planning to produce? Make a shipload more

2430
02:09:53,480 --> 02:09:57,960
Speaker 1: than that. The happy chemicals flooded Roland's mind. His anxiety

2431
02:09:58,000 --> 02:10:00,640
Speaker 1: at the recently churned up memories faded, as did the

2432
02:10:00,680 --> 02:10:06,520
Speaker 1: memories themselves better. Jim asked, super good, Roland said, can I,

2433
02:10:07,000 --> 02:10:09,839
Speaker 1: Jim waved, show a man keep the pipe. In fact,

2434
02:10:10,080 --> 02:10:12,280
Speaker 1: he pulled his index finger free from his hand and

2435
02:10:12,320 --> 02:10:15,320
Speaker 1: gave it to Roland. Keep that. I'll grow a new one.

2436
02:10:16,000 --> 02:10:18,880
Speaker 1: Who Roland took the finger, flicked at a light, and

2437
02:10:18,920 --> 02:10:22,880
Speaker 1: took another deep pole of burning crack, so he said,

2438
02:10:22,880 --> 02:10:26,600
Speaker 1: as he exhaled a plume of crack smoke. The plan right,

2439
02:10:26,840 --> 02:10:29,640
Speaker 1: said Jim, like I told you, Rock creak is where

2440
02:10:29,680 --> 02:10:32,800
Speaker 1: we planned to hit him. The Edmund Fitzgerald. Here, Jim

2441
02:10:32,840 --> 02:10:35,000
Speaker 1: banged a hand on the side of the veetoll craft.

2442
02:10:35,280 --> 02:10:38,400
Speaker 1: It's gonna take you up to around fifteen thousand feet

2443
02:10:38,400 --> 02:10:41,240
Speaker 1: and then drop you right on the heads. I expect

2444
02:10:41,280 --> 02:10:44,160
Speaker 1: we'll take some flak afterwards, but this bird can handle it.

2445
02:10:44,440 --> 02:10:47,160
Speaker 1: And besides, he raised his voice and jerked his head

2446
02:10:47,200 --> 02:10:50,800
Speaker 1: towards the cockpit. Anderson's piloting it to day, and it's

2447
02:10:50,800 --> 02:10:54,040
Speaker 1: not like I give a shit if he does. In response,

2448
02:10:54,080 --> 02:10:56,280
Speaker 1: the nose gun wheeled around on its mount and locked

2449
02:10:56,280 --> 02:10:58,440
Speaker 1: on to Jim. There was a clinking sound as it

2450
02:10:58,520 --> 02:11:01,680
Speaker 1: ratcheted around into its chain er. Jim rolled his eyes.

2451
02:11:02,000 --> 02:11:05,320
Speaker 1: Fucking pilots. Anyway, me and my people will be with

2452
02:11:05,360 --> 02:11:09,120
Speaker 1: the Roland fuck folks getting shot at. He tapped Roland's helmet.

2453
02:11:09,480 --> 02:11:11,720
Speaker 1: When we're ready for you, I'll ping you both, and

2454
02:11:11,720 --> 02:11:14,840
Speaker 1: Anderson can drop you on top of the asses. So

2455
02:11:15,280 --> 02:11:17,800
Speaker 1: Roland asked, I've just got a fall on top of

2456
02:11:17,840 --> 02:11:22,040
Speaker 1: a hostile army and start shooting. Jim nodded, right, then,

2457
02:11:22,400 --> 02:11:28,520
Speaker 1: let's get started. Manny. Years ago and what now seemed

2458
02:11:28,560 --> 02:11:31,200
Speaker 1: like another life, Manny had gone to watch an outdoor

2459
02:11:31,240 --> 02:11:35,400
Speaker 1: movie at Silker Park in Austin Ghostbusters. He was pretty

2460
02:11:35,440 --> 02:11:38,880
Speaker 1: sure it had been Ghostbusters, hundreds and hundreds of people

2461
02:11:38,880 --> 02:11:41,720
Speaker 1: had shown up, families with children, and couples on dates,

2462
02:11:41,760 --> 02:11:45,160
Speaker 1: and so so many dogs. The sound hadn't been great,

2463
02:11:45,240 --> 02:11:47,839
Speaker 1: and the projectionist could have been better, but he remembered

2464
02:11:47,880 --> 02:11:52,960
Speaker 1: the evening fondly. Rolling fuck before a battle reminded him

2465
02:11:52,960 --> 02:11:56,320
Speaker 1: of that experience. The people were different. Very few of

2466
02:11:56,320 --> 02:11:59,680
Speaker 1: them were children, but clusters of citizens, friend groups and

2467
02:11:59,680 --> 02:12:02,280
Speaker 1: family leaves and families of friends had set up little

2468
02:12:02,360 --> 02:12:05,160
Speaker 1: viewing nooks across the wheeled city itself and in the

2469
02:12:05,200 --> 02:12:07,520
Speaker 1: field in front of it. The whole scene would have

2470
02:12:07,520 --> 02:12:09,920
Speaker 1: been idyllic if they weren't about to watch a battle.

2471
02:12:10,600 --> 02:12:14,240
Speaker 1: The vehicle's cavalry and infantry were already almost out of view.

2472
02:12:14,720 --> 02:12:17,720
Speaker 1: He could just barely see shapes out on the horizon

2473
02:12:18,080 --> 02:12:21,280
Speaker 1: setting up firing positions on top of buildings in Rock Creek.

2474
02:12:21,800 --> 02:12:24,920
Speaker 1: They moved so damn fast. Manny didn't think he'd ever

2475
02:12:24,960 --> 02:12:27,480
Speaker 1: get used to the pace of post human life. He

2476
02:12:27,560 --> 02:12:30,560
Speaker 1: knew Topaz and Skullfucker Mike were somewhere out there, he

2477
02:12:30,640 --> 02:12:33,480
Speaker 1: knew where they'd be soon, and in spite of their confidence,

2478
02:12:33,760 --> 02:12:36,760
Speaker 1: he worried for them more than anyone. He worried for

2479
02:12:36,920 --> 02:12:41,480
Speaker 1: Roland drinks for everyone. Donald Ferris said he had a

2480
02:12:41,520 --> 02:12:43,880
Speaker 1: tray full of drinks in his hands, fresh from the bar.

2481
02:12:44,240 --> 02:12:47,240
Speaker 1: He sat down next to Nanayazi and smiled. Manny and

2482
02:12:47,280 --> 02:12:49,400
Speaker 1: Sasha sat on the opposite side of them in a

2483
02:12:49,440 --> 02:12:52,240
Speaker 1: booth in the main roller's bar, looking out over Waco.

2484
02:12:53,040 --> 02:12:56,640
Speaker 1: Donald started handing out beverages, first bubbly drinks in long

2485
02:12:56,680 --> 02:13:01,520
Speaker 1: brown bottles that smelled familiar Coca cola, the old documentarian said,

2486
02:13:01,840 --> 02:13:04,600
Speaker 1: not the stuff they still sell all over, the original

2487
02:13:04,640 --> 02:13:08,120
Speaker 1: recipe with cocaine and alcohol. It's great ship. We go

2488
02:13:08,320 --> 02:13:11,680
Speaker 1: through gallons of it every day. Nany Yazzi took a

2489
02:13:11,680 --> 02:13:14,760
Speaker 1: sip from hers and smiled. It's quite good, she said,

2490
02:13:15,120 --> 02:13:18,840
Speaker 1: and the intoxicating effect is mild. Our chromed comrades have

2491
02:13:18,880 --> 02:13:23,040
Speaker 1: a stronger variant. Of course, we're all humans here. Donald

2492
02:13:23,040 --> 02:13:26,520
Speaker 1: smiled more or less. Manny took one of the cokes,

2493
02:13:26,640 --> 02:13:30,000
Speaker 1: sipped it, and nodded to Sasha. It's really good, he said,

2494
02:13:30,320 --> 02:13:33,240
Speaker 1: you should try it. It was good, and it didn't

2495
02:13:33,240 --> 02:13:36,120
Speaker 1: seem like it was too strong. Minny took another sip

2496
02:13:36,160 --> 02:13:38,760
Speaker 1: and smiled. As Sasha grabbed her bottle and took a gulp.

2497
02:13:39,120 --> 02:13:41,680
Speaker 1: She seemed to like it. There was a loud pop

2498
02:13:41,760 --> 02:13:44,920
Speaker 1: sound from somewhere up above. Minny tinsed up, but then

2499
02:13:44,920 --> 02:13:47,280
Speaker 1: he tracked its origin to one of the landing pads

2500
02:13:47,280 --> 02:13:49,640
Speaker 1: that extended from a gantry tower at least a hundred

2501
02:13:49,680 --> 02:13:53,240
Speaker 1: feet above them. Dozens of small black shapes flitted out

2502
02:13:53,280 --> 02:13:56,000
Speaker 1: from it and soared forward off in the same direction

2503
02:13:56,040 --> 02:14:00,480
Speaker 1: the army had gone spidrones. Donald Ferris explained, they'll be

2504
02:14:00,520 --> 02:14:03,440
Speaker 1: at the front by the time the fighting starts. This

2505
02:14:03,560 --> 02:14:06,960
Speaker 1: all seemed so weird, Sasha said, I think I read

2506
02:14:07,000 --> 02:14:10,120
Speaker 1: about people doing something similar during the Civil War. They'd

2507
02:14:10,120 --> 02:14:13,640
Speaker 1: set up picnic blankets on hills overlooking the battle. Donald

2508
02:14:13,640 --> 02:14:16,640
Speaker 1: Ferris grunted and shifted in his seat a bit awkwardly.

2509
02:14:17,040 --> 02:14:19,920
Speaker 1: Nani Yazzi smiled and said, it is a bit like that.

2510
02:14:20,480 --> 02:14:23,320
Speaker 1: The difference is that we're not doing this to be voyeurs.

2511
02:14:23,600 --> 02:14:28,120
Speaker 1: We won't see much fighting. What will we see? Just watch?

2512
02:14:28,320 --> 02:14:31,080
Speaker 1: Donald Ferris said, and reached for a tiny shot glass

2513
02:14:31,120 --> 02:14:34,320
Speaker 1: filled with a yellow brown liquid. But ever drink first,

2514
02:14:34,480 --> 02:14:37,680
Speaker 1: it'll help. Manny took one of the shot glasses and

2515
02:14:37,720 --> 02:14:40,280
Speaker 1: moved to belt it down, but Nanyazzie put her hand

2516
02:14:40,280 --> 02:14:43,920
Speaker 1: on his. That's fine, te quel, a son, I'd recommend sipping,

2517
02:14:44,920 --> 02:14:47,680
Speaker 1: so he sipped it, and it was good. The burn

2518
02:14:47,840 --> 02:14:50,080
Speaker 1: rolled down his throat and mixed with the cocaine and

2519
02:14:50,120 --> 02:14:53,879
Speaker 1: alcohol from the Coca cola, A comfortable, warm haze settled

2520
02:14:53,880 --> 02:14:56,800
Speaker 1: over Manny. He was about to encourage Sasha to try

2521
02:14:56,840 --> 02:14:59,960
Speaker 1: some when another sound intruded. The high hum of drone

2522
02:15:00,000 --> 02:15:03,560
Speaker 1: bones filled the air. Manny fought down an irrational surge

2523
02:15:03,600 --> 02:15:06,760
Speaker 1: of anxiety. He wasn't sure he'd ever feel comfortable with

2524
02:15:06,760 --> 02:15:09,840
Speaker 1: the sound of drones again. Each of these drones was

2525
02:15:09,880 --> 02:15:12,600
Speaker 1: the size and rough density of a rottweiler. They flew

2526
02:15:12,600 --> 02:15:15,080
Speaker 1: in pairs, connected by what looked like a thick, bindy

2527
02:15:15,120 --> 02:15:18,280
Speaker 1: white tube that hung between them. Several pairs settled in

2528
02:15:18,320 --> 02:15:20,600
Speaker 1: front of the main roller's bar in a stable hover.

2529
02:15:20,880 --> 02:15:22,760
Speaker 1: With a whirr and a click, the white tubes in

2530
02:15:22,800 --> 02:15:26,440
Speaker 1: between them opened up and unfurled into screens. A second later,

2531
02:15:26,640 --> 02:15:30,080
Speaker 1: the screens lit up. Manny took another sip of truly

2532
02:15:30,160 --> 02:15:34,080
Speaker 1: fabulous tequila and looked back across his new friends. Donald

2533
02:15:34,160 --> 02:15:37,440
Speaker 1: Ferris looked somber as Solomon gray as a granite wall.

2534
02:15:38,000 --> 02:15:40,880
Speaker 1: Nana Yazzi seemed almost excited, as if she'd reached the

2535
02:15:40,920 --> 02:15:44,160
Speaker 1: first jump scare in a good horror movie. Sasha hadn't

2536
02:15:44,200 --> 02:15:46,640
Speaker 1: touched her liquor. She didn't seem to have taken more

2537
02:15:46,640 --> 02:15:49,760
Speaker 1: than a few SIPs of the coke. Manny found himself wondering,

2538
02:15:49,800 --> 02:15:52,280
Speaker 1: what would happen to her after all this? What am

2539
02:15:52,320 --> 02:15:54,920
Speaker 1: I going to do after this? Manny realized with a

2540
02:15:54,960 --> 02:15:57,200
Speaker 1: bit of shock that Oscar's wife was the only person

2541
02:15:57,280 --> 02:16:00,080
Speaker 1: he'd messaged in almost a week. He hadn't sent anything

2542
02:16:00,120 --> 02:16:03,240
Speaker 1: to his family or his friends back in Austin. He'd

2543
02:16:03,240 --> 02:16:05,640
Speaker 1: had the excuse of his deck being deactivated when he'd

2544
02:16:05,640 --> 02:16:08,040
Speaker 1: been inside the Kingdom, but now that he was back

2545
02:16:08,080 --> 02:16:11,120
Speaker 1: and his deck was functional, his lack of communication felt

2546
02:16:11,200 --> 02:16:14,480
Speaker 1: less and less defensible. Just thinking about Ayisha and the

2547
02:16:14,600 --> 02:16:17,080
Speaker 1: terrible news he still had yet to deliver brought a

2548
02:16:17,120 --> 02:16:19,640
Speaker 1: spike of anxiety that was somehow worse than his fear

2549
02:16:19,680 --> 02:16:23,360
Speaker 1: over the coming battle. There's a certain sound that happens

2550
02:16:23,400 --> 02:16:25,800
Speaker 1: when a large group of people all noticed something at

2551
02:16:25,800 --> 02:16:28,880
Speaker 1: the same time. That sound shook Manny out of his

2552
02:16:28,960 --> 02:16:31,720
Speaker 1: contemplation and alerted him to the fact that something had

2553
02:16:31,720 --> 02:16:34,640
Speaker 1: started to happen on the screens. He looked up, and

2554
02:16:34,680 --> 02:16:37,160
Speaker 1: he saw that all the screens scattered around the city

2555
02:16:37,160 --> 02:16:39,920
Speaker 1: and hovering over the field now shared the same images.

2556
02:16:40,560 --> 02:16:42,840
Speaker 1: One side of the screens displayed a video feed of

2557
02:16:42,879 --> 02:16:45,720
Speaker 1: a man in full tactical armor, his eyes covered by

2558
02:16:45,760 --> 02:16:48,760
Speaker 1: goggles and his head protected by a black helmet. He

2559
02:16:48,800 --> 02:16:50,960
Speaker 1: was seated in the coupo law of an armored vehicle

2560
02:16:51,120 --> 02:16:54,480
Speaker 1: rolling fast over the highway. Next to that video feed

2561
02:16:54,560 --> 02:16:57,039
Speaker 1: was a picture of the same man, Sam's armor in

2562
02:16:57,080 --> 02:17:00,280
Speaker 1: more peaceful days. He was fair skinned, with red hair

2563
02:17:00,360 --> 02:17:03,160
Speaker 1: and an easy smile. He wore a shirt that Manny

2564
02:17:03,200 --> 02:17:06,039
Speaker 1: guest signified his allegiance to some sports team. In the

2565
02:17:06,080 --> 02:17:09,440
Speaker 1: am fed the images sat there alone for a second.

2566
02:17:11,400 --> 02:17:13,959
Speaker 1: Manny looked out at the horizon towards Rock Creek, where

2567
02:17:14,040 --> 02:17:17,440
Speaker 1: Rolling Fox soldiers had embedded themselves. He saw three black

2568
02:17:17,440 --> 02:17:20,080
Speaker 1: gray contrails rush out from an old office building and

2569
02:17:20,120 --> 02:17:23,400
Speaker 1: out towards the highway. The Heavenly Kingdom's forces were just

2570
02:17:23,600 --> 02:17:27,080
Speaker 1: barely visible to his naked eye, tiny ant size tanks

2571
02:17:27,080 --> 02:17:30,680
Speaker 1: and transports. All three rockets hit, and the black smoke

2572
02:17:30,720 --> 02:17:33,760
Speaker 1: of the detonations obscured the head of the vehicle column.

2573
02:17:34,560 --> 02:17:37,400
Speaker 1: And then on the video feed, a rocket burst right

2574
02:17:37,440 --> 02:17:40,320
Speaker 1: above the man in the cupola. Manny watched as he

2575
02:17:40,360 --> 02:17:43,320
Speaker 1: was torn apart in a hail of shrapnel. The video

2576
02:17:43,520 --> 02:17:46,240
Speaker 1: and the still image of his smiling face were replaced

2577
02:17:46,240 --> 02:17:48,560
Speaker 1: a second later by a looping video of an older

2578
02:17:48,600 --> 02:17:51,320
Speaker 1: man playing with a baby girl. He picked her up

2579
02:17:51,320 --> 02:17:53,520
Speaker 1: and spun her around, and the camera zoomed in on

2580
02:17:53,600 --> 02:17:56,840
Speaker 1: his joyous smile. Another video played of a younger man

2581
02:17:57,000 --> 02:18:00,800
Speaker 1: attending his high school graduation. More videos and still images

2582
02:18:00,840 --> 02:18:03,640
Speaker 1: popped up, displaying gentle moments in the lives of at

2583
02:18:03,680 --> 02:18:06,880
Speaker 1: least a dozen different men, and then all the screens

2584
02:18:06,920 --> 02:18:11,280
Speaker 1: cut violently to video of and exploding a PC. Manny

2585
02:18:11,400 --> 02:18:15,520
Speaker 1: jerked back in surprise. He saw that Sasha had reacted similarly.

2586
02:18:15,879 --> 02:18:20,600
Speaker 1: Nannyazi just sat and stared, her face unreadable. Donald Ferris frowned,

2587
02:18:20,840 --> 02:18:23,240
Speaker 1: and when he noticed Manny looking back at him, he

2588
02:18:23,320 --> 02:18:25,760
Speaker 1: waved a gentle hand towards the screen and mouthed the

2589
02:18:25,800 --> 02:18:29,960
Speaker 1: word watch. Manny turned back to the screens in time

2590
02:18:30,000 --> 02:18:33,199
Speaker 1: to see them populate with more faces and more looping videos.

2591
02:18:33,720 --> 02:18:37,600
Speaker 1: He watched his children open birthday presents and celebrated graduations.

2592
02:18:37,840 --> 02:18:40,680
Speaker 1: He saw young men pose with teammates or hug their kids.

2593
02:18:41,000 --> 02:18:44,160
Speaker 1: He saw pizza parties and Christmas Mornings and laughter and love,

2594
02:18:44,200 --> 02:18:48,280
Speaker 1: and then another vehicle detonated. The screen cleared, and then

2595
02:18:48,320 --> 02:18:51,880
Speaker 1: it populated again with scenes from four More Lives next

2596
02:18:51,879 --> 02:18:54,959
Speaker 1: to video of a detonating Leopard tank. The parade of

2597
02:18:55,000 --> 02:18:58,119
Speaker 1: shattered lives went on as rockets, mortars, and now gunfire

2598
02:18:58,200 --> 02:19:01,000
Speaker 1: lashed out from Rock Creak and towards the vehicle column.

2599
02:19:01,560 --> 02:19:04,279
Speaker 1: Rowland isn't even there yet. This is just the beginning,

2600
02:19:04,879 --> 02:19:07,680
Speaker 1: Manny stared out, numb and queasy, and watched as the

2601
02:19:07,680 --> 02:19:11,600
Speaker 1: Heavenly Kingdom's armored spearhead changed direction and began the drive

2602
02:19:11,640 --> 02:19:15,360
Speaker 1: to Rock Creek. They were firing now, too, pouring explosive

2603
02:19:15,400 --> 02:19:18,680
Speaker 1: shot and long range rockets into the neighborhood. This is

2604
02:19:18,720 --> 02:19:21,360
Speaker 1: what you wanted, he reminded himself, as the parade of

2605
02:19:21,400 --> 02:19:27,640
Speaker 1: death sped up Rowland. It was downright cold at fifteen

2606
02:19:27,680 --> 02:19:30,560
Speaker 1: thousand feet. Rowland relished the bite in the air and

2607
02:19:30,640 --> 02:19:33,520
Speaker 1: stared out the Edmund Fitzgerald's side window. As he hit

2608
02:19:33,600 --> 02:19:37,199
Speaker 1: Jim's crack pipe for the last time, his synapses bubbled

2609
02:19:37,200 --> 02:19:40,119
Speaker 1: with dopamine. Now he couldn't stop his lips from curling

2610
02:19:40,200 --> 02:19:42,120
Speaker 1: up into a grin as he looked out onto the

2611
02:19:42,160 --> 02:19:46,160
Speaker 1: distant fields below. Five minutes to drop point, the pilot's

2612
02:19:46,240 --> 02:19:49,320
Speaker 1: voice echoed through the cargo compartment. Normally it would have

2613
02:19:49,360 --> 02:19:52,000
Speaker 1: held an array of smart bombs are close as salt drones.

2614
02:19:52,360 --> 02:19:56,039
Speaker 1: Today it held only Rowland. He stepped forward towards the

2615
02:19:56,080 --> 02:19:58,680
Speaker 1: rear bay doors of the craft. The feeling of the

2616
02:19:58,760 --> 02:20:01,760
Speaker 1: cold deck under his feet and the elevated hemoglobin levels

2617
02:20:01,760 --> 02:20:04,280
Speaker 1: in his blood brought the threat of another rush of

2618
02:20:04,320 --> 02:20:07,440
Speaker 1: memory to Roland's mind. The dizzy glee of the crack

2619
02:20:07,520 --> 02:20:11,440
Speaker 1: Hi helped him shrug it off. Combat soon, battle and

2620
02:20:11,520 --> 02:20:15,560
Speaker 1: battle drugs. He tried to temper his excitement. He didn't

2621
02:20:15,600 --> 02:20:17,760
Speaker 1: want to crave that high as much as he did.

2622
02:20:18,160 --> 02:20:20,720
Speaker 1: It'll just take a few seconds, he told himself, and

2623
02:20:20,760 --> 02:20:23,920
Speaker 1: then I can disengage. He could already feel the Heavenly

2624
02:20:24,000 --> 02:20:27,480
Speaker 1: Kingdom's army far below settling in Their nose had been

2625
02:20:27,480 --> 02:20:31,800
Speaker 1: bloodied by rolling fox rocketry, but they'd suffered relatively few casualties.

2626
02:20:31,840 --> 02:20:35,199
Speaker 1: So far. The plan did seem to be working. Dozens

2627
02:20:35,200 --> 02:20:37,600
Speaker 1: of vehicles and thousands of men had already moved into

2628
02:20:37,640 --> 02:20:40,959
Speaker 1: position around the Rock Creek neighborhood. Roland could hear the

2629
02:20:40,959 --> 02:20:44,760
Speaker 1: sounds of their mortars, RECOILSS rifles and assault guns opening fire.

2630
02:20:45,480 --> 02:20:47,680
Speaker 1: He reached out with his senses and tried to find

2631
02:20:47,760 --> 02:20:50,760
Speaker 1: Topaz and Skullfucker Mike in the mess, but their scents

2632
02:20:50,800 --> 02:20:53,640
Speaker 1: and heat profiles were obscured by shell fire and smoke.

2633
02:20:54,200 --> 02:20:56,680
Speaker 1: Roland was able to locate Jim, as well as Bigsby

2634
02:20:56,680 --> 02:20:59,240
Speaker 1: and his assault team. They were hunkered down at the

2635
02:20:59,320 --> 02:21:02,640
Speaker 1: edge of the neighbor hood, embedded in an abandoned apartment complex,

2636
02:21:02,640 --> 02:21:06,080
Speaker 1: and engaged in a furious firefight with the Heavenly Kingdom's vanguard.

2637
02:21:06,600 --> 02:21:09,720
Speaker 1: Roland could smell the dopamine rushing into jim synapses from

2638
02:21:09,760 --> 02:21:12,920
Speaker 1: fifteen thousand feet in the air. His heart began to

2639
02:21:12,959 --> 02:21:15,920
Speaker 1: beat faster. He felt his left hand start to shake,

2640
02:21:16,240 --> 02:21:19,840
Speaker 1: not in fear, but in delirious anticipation of the battle drugs.

2641
02:21:20,280 --> 02:21:23,200
Speaker 1: Another flash of memory took him, and his hand shook

2642
02:21:23,240 --> 02:21:25,400
Speaker 1: so bad he could barely hold the needle straight. He'd

2643
02:21:25,400 --> 02:21:28,000
Speaker 1: already missed the vain troice. God damn it, God damn it,

2644
02:21:28,040 --> 02:21:30,840
Speaker 1: he cursed, before taking a deep breath and preparing himself

2645
02:21:30,879 --> 02:21:34,440
Speaker 1: to try again. Sixty seconds to drop. The pilot's voice

2646
02:21:34,440 --> 02:21:37,720
Speaker 1: pulled Roland back into the moment that memory had felt weird.

2647
02:21:37,959 --> 02:21:40,279
Speaker 1: It had been blurry in his mind's eye, but Roland's

2648
02:21:40,320 --> 02:21:42,920
Speaker 1: arms and hands had felt smaller than was I shooting

2649
02:21:42,959 --> 02:21:45,959
Speaker 1: up dope as a teenager? He knew the answer, based

2650
02:21:45,959 --> 02:21:50,400
Speaker 1: on his current predilections, was probably. Roland shook his mind

2651
02:21:50,400 --> 02:21:53,680
Speaker 1: away from the past and focused again on the war downstairs.

2652
02:21:54,240 --> 02:21:57,240
Speaker 1: The Kingdom had moved quickly. He guessed around four thousand

2653
02:21:57,240 --> 02:21:59,760
Speaker 1: of their men were already in position. These would be

2654
02:21:59,800 --> 02:22:03,480
Speaker 1: the elite, their most veteran fighters, the soldiers wearing power

2655
02:22:03,560 --> 02:22:06,320
Speaker 1: armor or writing in real armored transports and not up

2656
02:22:06,320 --> 02:22:09,119
Speaker 1: gunned trucks. He could feel the rest of the Kingdom's

2657
02:22:09,160 --> 02:22:11,880
Speaker 1: army flung out far behind them, in a long tail

2658
02:22:12,000 --> 02:22:14,920
Speaker 1: that stretched back to the brazos. How many of these

2659
02:22:14,920 --> 02:22:19,080
Speaker 1: men will die today? How many are already dead? Seconds

2660
02:22:19,640 --> 02:22:22,599
Speaker 1: his nose caught the distant gasoline wreek of a flamethrower

2661
02:22:22,680 --> 02:22:25,640
Speaker 1: opening up on a squad of advancing martyrs. That's gotta

2662
02:22:25,680 --> 02:22:29,440
Speaker 1: be Jim right. Five seconds the jump light turned from

2663
02:22:29,480 --> 02:22:31,879
Speaker 1: red to green, and the bomb bay doors opened with

2664
02:22:31,920 --> 02:22:34,480
Speaker 1: a rush of air and wind that cracked the uncovered

2665
02:22:34,520 --> 02:22:38,720
Speaker 1: skin on Roland's face. Three, said the pilot. He stepped

2666
02:22:38,720 --> 02:22:41,160
Speaker 1: out to the ledge and planted his feet. The world

2667
02:22:41,200 --> 02:22:44,720
Speaker 1: whipped by around them at a maddening speed. Roland looked down,

2668
02:22:44,879 --> 02:22:48,440
Speaker 1: focused and saw the Heavenly Kingdom's army underneath him. Dozens

2669
02:22:48,440 --> 02:22:50,840
Speaker 1: of vehicles and thousands of men had taken up position

2670
02:22:50,879 --> 02:22:53,800
Speaker 1: in a large park and several buildings surrounding Rock Creek.

2671
02:22:54,240 --> 02:22:56,880
Speaker 1: Two large gatherings of mortars in a trio of Leopard

2672
02:22:56,920 --> 02:22:59,360
Speaker 1: tanks made up the bulk of the artillery now pouring

2673
02:22:59,440 --> 02:23:03,040
Speaker 1: fire into rolling Fox forces. There were also several large

2674
02:23:03,080 --> 02:23:06,320
Speaker 1: field guns and rocket batteries currently being bolted into place

2675
02:23:06,320 --> 02:23:10,400
Speaker 1: in an old parking lot behind the park. Competent Roland

2676
02:23:10,400 --> 02:23:12,600
Speaker 1: was impressed by how the Kingdom's soldiers had parked their

2677
02:23:12,680 --> 02:23:15,840
Speaker 1: armored transports to help complete a fortress wall around one

2678
02:23:15,879 --> 02:23:18,920
Speaker 1: side of Rock Creek. They'd sent a few probing attacks

2679
02:23:18,920 --> 02:23:21,880
Speaker 1: of power armored troopers, but he could tell they wouldn't

2680
02:23:21,959 --> 02:23:24,880
Speaker 1: launch a full assault until they'd flattened the neighborhood to

2681
02:23:25,640 --> 02:23:28,840
Speaker 1: a trickle of endorphins and serotonin joined the soggy mush

2682
02:23:28,840 --> 02:23:32,200
Speaker 1: of dopamine and roland synapses. He closed his eyes and

2683
02:23:32,400 --> 02:23:35,720
Speaker 1: with a thought, activated the sundry weapons systems that Sardar

2684
02:23:35,800 --> 02:23:39,199
Speaker 1: had wired into his body. The missiles in their pods hummed,

2685
02:23:39,200 --> 02:23:41,720
Speaker 1: and the barrels around his right arm chimed in readiness.

2686
02:23:42,240 --> 02:23:46,440
Speaker 1: Lyrics from a half remembered song flitted across his mind.

2687
02:23:46,480 --> 02:23:52,200
Speaker 1: Time time, time for another peaceful war. One Roland stepped

2688
02:23:52,240 --> 02:23:54,680
Speaker 1: off the back of the craft and into the skies.

2689
02:23:54,720 --> 02:24:01,119
Speaker 1: Embrace Sasha. The faces flashed by, along with video clips

2690
02:24:01,160 --> 02:24:04,600
Speaker 1: and curated posts from social media, and of course, scenes

2691
02:24:04,640 --> 02:24:07,440
Speaker 1: of death. Some of the men died from sniper fire,

2692
02:24:07,560 --> 02:24:10,200
Speaker 1: cut down as they ran for cover. Others died in

2693
02:24:10,280 --> 02:24:13,840
Speaker 1: long range firefights or from shrapnel. The pace of death

2694
02:24:13,840 --> 02:24:16,920
Speaker 1: had gradually risen over the course of the battle. Some

2695
02:24:17,080 --> 02:24:18,959
Speaker 1: of that was due to the fact that the martyrs

2696
02:24:18,959 --> 02:24:21,520
Speaker 1: had sent in several assault teams to test the metal

2697
02:24:21,560 --> 02:24:25,080
Speaker 1: of the defenders. Those men had died fast and badly.

2698
02:24:25,640 --> 02:24:28,120
Speaker 1: Many of them had been burnt alive. The sight of

2699
02:24:28,120 --> 02:24:30,600
Speaker 1: it all should have horrified her. She wanted it to

2700
02:24:30,640 --> 02:24:33,360
Speaker 1: horrify her. Everyone else at the table had tears in

2701
02:24:33,400 --> 02:24:36,360
Speaker 1: their eyes. Even Nanny Yazzi was crying, and that lady

2702
02:24:36,360 --> 02:24:38,920
Speaker 1: looked like she'd been through some ship. Since when do

2703
02:24:39,040 --> 02:24:42,240
Speaker 1: you curse like that? Sasha felt a pang of guilt.

2704
02:24:42,280 --> 02:24:44,800
Speaker 1: At how easily the swear word had come to her mind.

2705
02:24:45,280 --> 02:24:49,280
Speaker 1: Then she felt really, really stupid. She was literally watching

2706
02:24:49,320 --> 02:24:52,960
Speaker 1: people die. She'd killed two human beings less than forty

2707
02:24:53,040 --> 02:24:56,720
Speaker 1: eight hours ago. What the fuck does cursing matter? But

2708
02:24:56,879 --> 02:24:59,520
Speaker 1: still the guilt was there. Perhaps what she felt was

2709
02:24:59,560 --> 02:25:02,200
Speaker 1: a betray ill of her past self, or maybe she

2710
02:25:02,320 --> 02:25:05,160
Speaker 1: was just dumb. Sasha shook it off. She tried to

2711
02:25:05,200 --> 02:25:08,480
Speaker 1: focus on the carnage. It was horrible, she knew that

2712
02:25:08,560 --> 02:25:12,600
Speaker 1: in a detached, academic sense. She couldn't quite feel the horror, though.

2713
02:25:12,959 --> 02:25:15,160
Speaker 1: It was as if shooting Darrell had opened up a

2714
02:25:15,200 --> 02:25:18,560
Speaker 1: great gnawing hole inside her heart, and that whole had

2715
02:25:18,600 --> 02:25:22,600
Speaker 1: spread like a black film over her entire body. All

2716
02:25:22,600 --> 02:25:26,360
Speaker 1: her feelings seemed so distant now. She wanted to cry

2717
02:25:26,400 --> 02:25:29,600
Speaker 1: about Darrell. She wanted to cry about this. She wanted

2718
02:25:29,640 --> 02:25:32,320
Speaker 1: to cry for Susannah and Anne, left alone in that

2719
02:25:32,400 --> 02:25:34,920
Speaker 1: living hell of a kingdom. She wanted to cry for

2720
02:25:35,000 --> 02:25:39,119
Speaker 1: herself too, but she couldn't, and so she didn't. Instead,

2721
02:25:39,280 --> 02:25:41,640
Speaker 1: she sat and watched as the warrior gods of this

2722
02:25:41,720 --> 02:25:45,840
Speaker 1: strange city helped the martyrs earn their title. Sasha looked

2723
02:25:45,840 --> 02:25:48,480
Speaker 1: out at the citizens of Rolling Fuck, most of the

2724
02:25:48,480 --> 02:25:50,840
Speaker 1: people she could see were crying, and even those who

2725
02:25:50,840 --> 02:25:55,280
Speaker 1: weren't looked shaken, horrified. The perpetual party atmosphere she'd come

2726
02:25:55,280 --> 02:25:57,959
Speaker 1: to associate with the City of Wheels was gone. It

2727
02:25:58,040 --> 02:26:01,240
Speaker 1: had been suspended to allow for pain. Sasha wanted to

2728
02:26:01,320 --> 02:26:04,440
Speaker 1: hurt with them, but instead she thought about the offer

2729
02:26:04,480 --> 02:26:07,240
Speaker 1: that man Jim had made. She thought about the squeaking

2730
02:26:07,320 --> 02:26:10,119
Speaker 1: sound of the razor blade ripping out of Roland's forearm.

2731
02:26:10,600 --> 02:26:13,080
Speaker 1: She'd seen the way he fought. She longed for the

2732
02:26:13,160 --> 02:26:15,240
Speaker 1: high that had come with the violence and the clinic,

2733
02:26:15,400 --> 02:26:17,800
Speaker 1: but she couldn't stand more of the guilt killing Darrell

2734
02:26:17,840 --> 02:26:21,120
Speaker 1: had brought her. I could be emetic, Sasha thought, Jim

2735
02:26:21,120 --> 02:26:24,240
Speaker 1: said so. She looked up to the screens again at

2736
02:26:24,240 --> 02:26:27,039
Speaker 1: the parade of Death. She wasn't sure if any of

2737
02:26:27,080 --> 02:26:29,880
Speaker 1: the dead had been rolling Fox soldiers. It didn't look

2738
02:26:29,920 --> 02:26:32,520
Speaker 1: like it, But as she settled back in to watch,

2739
02:26:32,720 --> 02:26:36,039
Speaker 1: something glitched on the screens. The stream of faces sped

2740
02:26:36,160 --> 02:26:38,480
Speaker 1: up well past the point where she could focus on

2741
02:26:38,480 --> 02:26:42,000
Speaker 1: any of them. Then the floe stopped, sputtered, the picture

2742
02:26:42,040 --> 02:26:45,920
Speaker 1: glitched out, and then righted itself. Whatever algorithm handled the

2743
02:26:45,920 --> 02:26:49,440
Speaker 1: show eventually stabilized and the individual images on each screen

2744
02:26:49,560 --> 02:26:53,200
Speaker 1: shrank to accommodate many, many more people, a flood of

2745
02:26:53,240 --> 02:26:56,160
Speaker 1: the dead and moments from their lives. The nature of

2746
02:26:56,200 --> 02:26:59,440
Speaker 1: their deaths changed too. Most of the first waves seemed

2747
02:26:59,440 --> 02:27:02,440
Speaker 1: to come from a sudden burst of explosive detonations, but

2748
02:27:02,480 --> 02:27:05,879
Speaker 1: the explosions stopped and the dying continued, and whatever was

2749
02:27:05,959 --> 02:27:09,160
Speaker 1: killing the martyrs now moved too fast to be clearly seen.

2750
02:27:10,080 --> 02:27:13,879
Speaker 1: What's happening? She heard Manny, ask, is something wrong? No,

2751
02:27:14,560 --> 02:27:23,240
Speaker 1: the old man said, that's just Rowland. Rowland. Forty five

2752
02:27:23,280 --> 02:27:26,160
Speaker 1: seconds after his feet hit dirt, Rowland was out of AMMO.

2753
02:27:26,560 --> 02:27:29,039
Speaker 1: He'd managed to do a tremendous amount of damage in

2754
02:27:29,080 --> 02:27:31,960
Speaker 1: that short span of time, decimating their mortar batteries with

2755
02:27:31,959 --> 02:27:34,760
Speaker 1: cluster rockets and clearing the martyrs away from their field

2756
02:27:34,760 --> 02:27:38,400
Speaker 1: guns with a mix of gas and fragmentation grenades. He'd

2757
02:27:38,400 --> 02:27:41,680
Speaker 1: emptied his machine gun and three long bursts, mostly aimed

2758
02:27:41,720 --> 02:27:44,119
Speaker 1: at the infantry who had been clustered behind the APC

2759
02:27:44,240 --> 02:27:47,880
Speaker 1: barricades when he landed. Then he'd taken to scavenging rifles

2760
02:27:47,920 --> 02:27:50,720
Speaker 1: from the dead and emptying those into targets of opportunity.

2761
02:27:51,280 --> 02:27:54,480
Speaker 1: By the one minute mark, Rowland's hindbrain estimated he'd killed

2762
02:27:54,560 --> 02:27:57,920
Speaker 1: or wounded close to a thousand men. The sheer ferocity

2763
02:27:57,959 --> 02:28:00,720
Speaker 1: of his initial assault sent the kingdoms for his reeling

2764
02:28:00,760 --> 02:28:03,080
Speaker 1: and cleared a circle of ground around him about two

2765
02:28:03,200 --> 02:28:06,600
Speaker 1: hundred meters wide. Rowland finished gunning down the crew of

2766
02:28:06,600 --> 02:28:09,240
Speaker 1: a Patriot battery and ran for an abandoned anti tank

2767
02:28:09,320 --> 02:28:12,760
Speaker 1: rifle lying next to a pile of bodies. Bullets smacked

2768
02:28:12,760 --> 02:28:16,240
Speaker 1: into him from all sides, diversionary fire meant to distract

2769
02:28:16,320 --> 02:28:19,520
Speaker 1: him from the uparmored maddess APC that suddenly gunned its

2770
02:28:19,560 --> 02:28:22,200
Speaker 1: engine and barreled towards him. They think they can run

2771
02:28:22,240 --> 02:28:25,879
Speaker 1: me over, Rowland realized, with something like glee, so he

2772
02:28:25,959 --> 02:28:28,959
Speaker 1: slowed down, reducing his sprint to something like a normal

2773
02:28:29,040 --> 02:28:32,600
Speaker 1: human running speed, while the vehicle closed the gap between them.

2774
02:28:32,640 --> 02:28:35,400
Speaker 1: He jumped at the last moment, landed on the APC's

2775
02:28:35,480 --> 02:28:37,720
Speaker 1: roof and punched a hole through the top armor with

2776
02:28:37,760 --> 02:28:40,520
Speaker 1: both of his fists. Then he gripped the ragged metal

2777
02:28:40,560 --> 02:28:43,200
Speaker 1: at the sides of the hole and tore the APC open.

2778
02:28:43,760 --> 02:28:45,600
Speaker 1: The smell of fear hid his nose as he tore

2779
02:28:45,680 --> 02:28:48,240
Speaker 1: through the concrete wall. The room held a dozen men,

2780
02:28:48,360 --> 02:28:50,760
Speaker 1: a mix of guards and officers. One man in the

2781
02:28:50,760 --> 02:28:52,920
Speaker 1: middle wore the stars of a general in the United

2782
02:28:52,959 --> 02:28:56,680
Speaker 1: States Army. Some of the soldiers screamed, a few opened fire,

2783
02:28:56,760 --> 02:28:59,640
Speaker 1: but the general just stood there while Rowland killed. He

2784
02:28:59,680 --> 02:29:03,720
Speaker 1: didn't even blink. No fear poured off him. It's our fault,

2785
02:29:03,840 --> 02:29:06,040
Speaker 1: the general said once they were the only men left

2786
02:29:06,080 --> 02:29:09,039
Speaker 1: alive in the room. This is all our fault, Roland time.

2787
02:29:09,360 --> 02:29:12,400
Speaker 1: A bullet hit his face and Roland snapped back to reality.

2788
02:29:12,920 --> 02:29:15,160
Speaker 1: The men in the APC below him were dead. It

2789
02:29:15,240 --> 02:29:17,440
Speaker 1: looked as if he'd shredded them with his bare hands.

2790
02:29:17,760 --> 02:29:19,880
Speaker 1: But while he'd been lost in a memory, two more

2791
02:29:19,920 --> 02:29:23,680
Speaker 1: APCs had roared up and disgorged a dozen power armored soldiers.

2792
02:29:24,400 --> 02:29:27,879
Speaker 1: They shot him with big guns, weapons meant to hurt monsters.

2793
02:29:27,920 --> 02:29:31,039
Speaker 1: He avoided some of their rounds, but not most. Roland

2794
02:29:31,120 --> 02:29:33,160
Speaker 1: lost the better part of his right hand, a chunk

2795
02:29:33,160 --> 02:29:35,720
Speaker 1: of his skull in his left knee. It hurt, but

2796
02:29:35,800 --> 02:29:38,440
Speaker 1: that didn't stop him. He leapt off the maddis and

2797
02:29:38,520 --> 02:29:41,240
Speaker 1: soon he was among them, ripping off armored plates and

2798
02:29:41,320 --> 02:29:45,080
Speaker 1: shattering bones with his bare hands. The battle drugs poured

2799
02:29:45,200 --> 02:29:47,480
Speaker 1: into his brain and lit his synapses up like the

2800
02:29:47,520 --> 02:29:51,520
Speaker 1: New York Skyline. Roland led out a terrible whooping cry

2801
02:29:51,600 --> 02:29:54,040
Speaker 1: that was half laugh and half scream, and he tore

2802
02:29:54,120 --> 02:29:56,400
Speaker 1: into the men as they tried in vain to do

2803
02:29:56,480 --> 02:30:00,200
Speaker 1: him real harm. It took nineteen seconds to elimin ate

2804
02:30:00,240 --> 02:30:03,360
Speaker 1: them all. As the last man dropped, Roland realized with

2805
02:30:03,400 --> 02:30:06,320
Speaker 1: some surprise that he could hear Jim's voice, distant but

2806
02:30:06,400 --> 02:30:10,199
Speaker 1: getting closer. His old friend was charging, screaming out war whoops,

2807
02:30:10,240 --> 02:30:13,320
Speaker 1: and firing those big dumb pistols. Then he heard the

2808
02:30:13,360 --> 02:30:17,119
Speaker 1: familiar crack of a Dragonov sniper rifle Topaz his rifle.

2809
02:30:17,400 --> 02:30:19,880
Speaker 1: He remembered it now the sound was as familiar to

2810
02:30:19,959 --> 02:30:22,600
Speaker 1: him as the voice of his own mother. Holy shit,

2811
02:30:23,160 --> 02:30:26,000
Speaker 1: Roland realized that for the first time in years, he

2812
02:30:26,080 --> 02:30:29,120
Speaker 1: could remember the sound of his mother's voice. Her name

2813
02:30:29,200 --> 02:30:31,480
Speaker 1: and face were still lost in memory, but all this

2814
02:30:31,640 --> 02:30:34,840
Speaker 1: violence was clearly knocking some things loose. He took a

2815
02:30:34,879 --> 02:30:37,920
Speaker 1: step back behind one of the intact a PC's to

2816
02:30:38,000 --> 02:30:40,400
Speaker 1: avoid a spray of heavy machine gun fire and take

2817
02:30:40,480 --> 02:30:43,680
Speaker 1: stock of the situation. Now that he focused, he could

2818
02:30:43,720 --> 02:30:46,800
Speaker 1: feel the hoofbeats of rolling Fox cavalry. He could sense

2819
02:30:46,840 --> 02:30:49,160
Speaker 1: that many of the city's infantry had charged out from

2820
02:30:49,200 --> 02:30:51,800
Speaker 1: their positions in Rock Creek to meet the martyrs in

2821
02:30:51,879 --> 02:30:55,520
Speaker 1: hand to hand combat. The Heavenly Kingdom was not in flight,

2822
02:30:55,920 --> 02:30:59,000
Speaker 1: not yet, but they would break soon. Roland knew it.

2823
02:30:59,240 --> 02:31:02,080
Speaker 1: He could smell it in the air. Time to stop, now,

2824
02:31:02,240 --> 02:31:05,000
Speaker 1: time to let schullfucker, Mike Topaz and the others finished

2825
02:31:05,000 --> 02:31:08,440
Speaker 1: the fight. He'd done enough, He knew he'd done enough,

2826
02:31:09,080 --> 02:31:13,480
Speaker 1: and yet the drugs. Even after just a few seconds

2827
02:31:13,520 --> 02:31:16,199
Speaker 1: out of direct combat, the high was starting to fade,

2828
02:31:16,400 --> 02:31:19,640
Speaker 1: and Roland wanted more. He thought about cracking another skull

2829
02:31:19,680 --> 02:31:22,080
Speaker 1: in his hand. Itched. He heard one of the martyrs

2830
02:31:22,080 --> 02:31:25,080
Speaker 1: open up with an automatic grenade launcher and thought about

2831
02:31:25,080 --> 02:31:28,040
Speaker 1: how good that gun would feel bucking against the meat

2832
02:31:28,040 --> 02:31:31,119
Speaker 1: of his shoulder. The man with the grenade launcher was close.

2833
02:31:31,520 --> 02:31:34,240
Speaker 1: Roland could close the distance between them and two maybe

2834
02:31:34,280 --> 02:31:38,080
Speaker 1: three seconds. No, you don't need to do this, stop.

2835
02:31:38,440 --> 02:31:44,000
Speaker 1: Fewer people will die if you just Roland charged. Manny.

2836
02:31:45,120 --> 02:31:48,160
Speaker 1: Manny had seen nine people killed by bullets or bombs.

2837
02:31:48,320 --> 02:31:50,600
Speaker 1: He'd seen a good deal more fresh corpses in the

2838
02:31:50,640 --> 02:31:53,920
Speaker 1: aftermath of firefights. He had a strong stomach, and he

2839
02:31:53,959 --> 02:31:57,640
Speaker 1: was not easily distressed by gore. The opening stages of

2840
02:31:57,720 --> 02:32:00,400
Speaker 1: this battle and the war ritual had been on settling,

2841
02:32:00,640 --> 02:32:04,400
Speaker 1: but not because of the violence that changed soon after

2842
02:32:04,520 --> 02:32:09,440
Speaker 1: Roland landed. He's just tearing people apart, Manny said, without

2843
02:32:09,480 --> 02:32:13,320
Speaker 1: really meaning to say anything at all. Donald Ferris replied

2844
02:32:13,320 --> 02:32:18,040
Speaker 1: with a grim nod. It's hard to watch, Nani Yazzi admitted,

2845
02:32:18,080 --> 02:32:20,800
Speaker 1: as another dozen lives and did messily on the screens

2846
02:32:20,840 --> 02:32:24,320
Speaker 1: before them. It'll be over soon, though. They can't take

2847
02:32:24,440 --> 02:32:27,440
Speaker 1: much more of this. I haven't seen any of your

2848
02:32:27,480 --> 02:32:32,560
Speaker 1: people die yet, Sasha said, Is that abnormal? No. Donald's

2849
02:32:32,640 --> 02:32:35,360
Speaker 1: voice was grim. There will be a lot of injuries,

2850
02:32:35,400 --> 02:32:39,920
Speaker 1: but I don't expect rolling fuck will lose a single warrior, good,

2851
02:32:40,240 --> 02:32:44,320
Speaker 1: Sasha said, is it? Donald asked, of course, it's good.

2852
02:32:44,320 --> 02:32:47,680
Speaker 1: You silly fuck. Nana Yazzi snapped, that was the first

2853
02:32:47,720 --> 02:32:51,560
Speaker 1: time Manny could recall hearing her angry. I disagree, the

2854
02:32:51,600 --> 02:32:54,560
Speaker 1: old man grumbled. We're on a precipice here, the edge

2855
02:32:54,600 --> 02:32:57,320
Speaker 1: of a deep cliff. Every time this happens, we get

2856
02:32:57,360 --> 02:33:01,480
Speaker 1: a little closer to falling off. What you mean, Manny asked,

2857
02:33:02,040 --> 02:33:05,039
Speaker 1: he means, Nani Yazzi replied with a bit of drunken

2858
02:33:05,080 --> 02:33:07,879
Speaker 1: slur to her voice. He doesn't trust the people of

2859
02:33:07,920 --> 02:33:10,360
Speaker 1: this city. He thinks they'll get a taste for war,

2860
02:33:10,480 --> 02:33:13,680
Speaker 1: and this whole experiment will turn into a nightmare. You

2861
02:33:13,800 --> 02:33:17,240
Speaker 1: can't trust the dark, Donald Ferris insisted, And we're in

2862
02:33:17,280 --> 02:33:20,120
Speaker 1: the dark here, he waved out at the field and

2863
02:33:20,120 --> 02:33:22,440
Speaker 1: the hundreds of people watching the faces of the dead

2864
02:33:22,440 --> 02:33:26,080
Speaker 1: and tearful silence. Right now, we've managed to lash together

2865
02:33:26,120 --> 02:33:28,959
Speaker 1: a chain of rituals that keep them peaceful. How long

2866
02:33:29,000 --> 02:33:32,640
Speaker 1: can that last? Naniyazzi glared at him, and then shifted

2867
02:33:32,640 --> 02:33:35,480
Speaker 1: her gaze to Manny. She pointed a finger at Donald.

2868
02:33:36,000 --> 02:33:38,920
Speaker 1: He thinks we should have let your people die. I

2869
02:33:38,959 --> 02:33:43,200
Speaker 1: think we have a responsibility to intervene. I'm not saying

2870
02:33:43,280 --> 02:33:47,320
Speaker 1: we don't, Donald Ferris insisted, I'm just saying I've seen

2871
02:33:47,400 --> 02:33:51,160
Speaker 1: how this story ends. History may not repeat itself, but

2872
02:33:51,280 --> 02:33:57,199
Speaker 1: it does rhyme pithy, Nanayazzi said, But oh. She stopped

2873
02:33:57,240 --> 02:34:00,959
Speaker 1: mid sentence and stared out into the screens. Manny looked back,

2874
02:34:01,080 --> 02:34:03,359
Speaker 1: just in time to watch the flow of dead faces

2875
02:34:03,400 --> 02:34:06,800
Speaker 1: speed up again. The screens jerked and shuddered to accommodate

2876
02:34:06,840 --> 02:34:10,040
Speaker 1: the new flow. Once they adjusted, Manny was shocked again

2877
02:34:10,080 --> 02:34:13,119
Speaker 1: at the violence on display. He saw men run through

2878
02:34:13,120 --> 02:34:16,440
Speaker 1: with lances, gutted by scimitars, burnt by napalm, and trampled

2879
02:34:16,480 --> 02:34:20,680
Speaker 1: under the spiked hoves of quadrufracts. Oh God, he moaned.

2880
02:34:21,320 --> 02:34:25,560
Speaker 1: Ah yes, Naniyazi sighed, that would be the cavalry. It

2881
02:34:25,640 --> 02:34:32,039
Speaker 1: won't be much longer now they're here to finish the job. Rowland,

2882
02:34:32,920 --> 02:34:36,320
Speaker 1: the knights of Rolling Fuck were a sight to see. Truly.

2883
02:34:36,560 --> 02:34:39,480
Speaker 1: It wasn't often that Roland came across something that registered

2884
02:34:39,520 --> 02:34:42,800
Speaker 1: as completely new to the deep, battered banks of his memory.

2885
02:34:43,320 --> 02:34:46,080
Speaker 1: But there was no deja vous here, no sense that

2886
02:34:46,120 --> 02:34:49,920
Speaker 1: he'd watched anything like it before. Rolling Fox writers worked

2887
02:34:49,959 --> 02:34:53,120
Speaker 1: in two and three person squads, mostly using a mix

2888
02:34:53,160 --> 02:34:56,359
Speaker 1: of hand grenades, small arms, flame throwers, and melee weapons

2889
02:34:56,360 --> 02:35:00,840
Speaker 1: for shock value. Their timing was exquisite. One hundred riders

2890
02:35:00,920 --> 02:35:03,760
Speaker 1: hit the martyrs at the same time. They didn't seem

2891
02:35:03,800 --> 02:35:07,720
Speaker 1: to have specific targets or goals beyond causing mayhem, but

2892
02:35:07,800 --> 02:35:11,320
Speaker 1: they did this expertly, spiking armored vehicles and field guns

2893
02:35:11,320 --> 02:35:15,040
Speaker 1: with white phosphorus charges and scattering any clusters of martyrs

2894
02:35:15,040 --> 02:35:18,879
Speaker 1: they could find. The woman Kashore rode past him, her

2895
02:35:18,920 --> 02:35:21,400
Speaker 1: face skinned and weeping blood as she lobbed a hand

2896
02:35:21,400 --> 02:35:24,600
Speaker 1: grenade towards a group of martyrs hunkered behind the shattered

2897
02:35:24,640 --> 02:35:28,080
Speaker 1: remains of a public restroom. She pulled a maquah wheedle

2898
02:35:28,280 --> 02:35:31,480
Speaker 1: with an iron trunk and gleaming obsidian blades free from

2899
02:35:31,480 --> 02:35:34,000
Speaker 1: her belt. As her steed leapt over the burning wreckage

2900
02:35:34,000 --> 02:35:38,000
Speaker 1: of a jeep and bounded towards the survivors. Roland followed her,

2901
02:35:38,240 --> 02:35:40,640
Speaker 1: tearing a piece of rebar free from some rebble as

2902
02:35:40,720 --> 02:35:43,600
Speaker 1: he charged. The restrooms were at one end of what

2903
02:35:43,680 --> 02:35:46,160
Speaker 1: had once been a giant playground in a public park.

2904
02:35:46,600 --> 02:35:48,880
Speaker 1: It had been derelict for more than a decade, but

2905
02:35:48,959 --> 02:35:51,600
Speaker 1: the corpses of swing sets and remnants of slides were

2906
02:35:51,640 --> 02:35:54,880
Speaker 1: still visible. Several hundred of the martyrs had fallen back

2907
02:35:54,920 --> 02:35:58,160
Speaker 1: to this position, trying to create some sort of defensive line.

2908
02:35:58,840 --> 02:36:01,560
Speaker 1: Panic and mass death robbed them of a lot of cohesion,

2909
02:36:01,879 --> 02:36:04,320
Speaker 1: but they still managed to pour a lot of fire

2910
02:36:04,400 --> 02:36:07,840
Speaker 1: into Roland and Cashori as they charged. A rocket propelled

2911
02:36:07,879 --> 02:36:11,080
Speaker 1: grenade hit the chest of her quadrifract and burst, ripping

2912
02:36:11,120 --> 02:36:13,400
Speaker 1: off one of the machine's legs and sending the Chrome

2913
02:36:13,480 --> 02:36:16,840
Speaker 1: woman tumbling to the ground, gravel and rubble embedding itself

2914
02:36:16,879 --> 02:36:20,520
Speaker 1: into the red musculature of her bleeding face. Roland didn't

2915
02:36:20,520 --> 02:36:23,680
Speaker 1: stop for her. He charged ahead, absorbed a few dozen

2916
02:36:23,760 --> 02:36:26,200
Speaker 1: rounds of small arms fire, and dodged a handful of

2917
02:36:26,280 --> 02:36:29,440
Speaker 1: rocket propelled grenades. He hit a group of twenty three

2918
02:36:29,440 --> 02:36:32,760
Speaker 1: men clustered behind a long, still glass barricade and several

2919
02:36:32,760 --> 02:36:35,879
Speaker 1: heavy metal crates. These martyrs had been trying to get

2920
02:36:35,920 --> 02:36:38,320
Speaker 1: a trio of anti tank guns back into the fight.

2921
02:36:38,959 --> 02:36:41,280
Speaker 1: They gave up on that once Roland had closed to

2922
02:36:41,320 --> 02:36:44,120
Speaker 1: about twenty feet. One of them, an older man with

2923
02:36:44,160 --> 02:36:48,039
Speaker 1: a spine, shouted words of encouragement and charged forward, firing

2924
02:36:48,120 --> 02:36:51,360
Speaker 1: with a dozen of his men. These soldiers weren't wearing

2925
02:36:51,360 --> 02:36:53,720
Speaker 1: powered armor. They weren't good enough to hit more than

2926
02:36:53,760 --> 02:36:57,240
Speaker 1: one and twenty shots. They wore old, up cycled body armor.

2927
02:36:57,400 --> 02:37:00,160
Speaker 1: Only a few of them had bayonets. They present into

2928
02:37:00,360 --> 02:37:03,320
Speaker 1: no real threat. Twenty seconds and I can put every

2929
02:37:03,320 --> 02:37:05,480
Speaker 1: one of these fuckers down for the rest of the fight.

2930
02:37:06,000 --> 02:37:09,440
Speaker 1: No one needs to die. His hand twitched, the river

2931
02:37:09,560 --> 02:37:12,480
Speaker 1: of dopamine, and his synapses shrank to a babbling brook.

2932
02:37:12,959 --> 02:37:16,520
Speaker 1: Roland felt a craving rise, maybe just a few more

2933
02:37:17,320 --> 02:37:20,199
Speaker 1: he was among them. Roland found that brave old fucker

2934
02:37:20,320 --> 02:37:22,200
Speaker 1: picked him up by the skull and used him as

2935
02:37:22,200 --> 02:37:24,920
Speaker 1: a flail until the bones of his face came loose

2936
02:37:24,959 --> 02:37:27,959
Speaker 1: and Roland's hands. He deployed the razor in his wrist

2937
02:37:28,040 --> 02:37:31,039
Speaker 1: and started slicing off hands and ears. He moved on

2938
02:37:31,160 --> 02:37:34,680
Speaker 1: to slashing tendons and muscles, and eventually just hacked at

2939
02:37:34,680 --> 02:37:38,199
Speaker 1: his enemies like a drunken butcher. One boy dropped his gun,

2940
02:37:38,520 --> 02:37:40,720
Speaker 1: tried to back away, and fell on his ass as

2941
02:37:40,800 --> 02:37:44,440
Speaker 1: Roland stalked towards him, The protesters screamed and screamed. They

2942
02:37:44,480 --> 02:37:46,760
Speaker 1: swung sticks and tried to bash him with their shields,

2943
02:37:46,760 --> 02:37:49,360
Speaker 1: and he knocked their clumsy strikes aside and waded into

2944
02:37:49,400 --> 02:37:52,680
Speaker 1: the mass. Roland didn't even consider drawing a gun. He

2945
02:37:52,840 --> 02:37:55,680
Speaker 1: tore every fistful of human flesh, sent a wave of

2946
02:37:55,760 --> 02:37:59,360
Speaker 1: orgiastically bubbling through his brain. A young woman screamed and

2947
02:37:59,400 --> 02:38:01,440
Speaker 1: tried to run, and he grabbed her hair and pulled

2948
02:38:01,440 --> 02:38:03,560
Speaker 1: in the sound of her neck snapping almost made in

2949
02:38:03,640 --> 02:38:07,520
Speaker 1: shriek with joy. Please, said a different man, before Roland

2950
02:38:07,520 --> 02:38:10,240
Speaker 1: shattered his skull against the pavement and left up to

2951
02:38:10,320 --> 02:38:13,240
Speaker 1: chase down a trio of fleeing martyrs. He was back

2952
02:38:13,240 --> 02:38:16,200
Speaker 1: and in serlick, bloody and injured, an almost snowblind from

2953
02:38:16,200 --> 02:38:19,080
Speaker 1: the battle drugs, Roland shoved his way through the door

2954
02:38:19,120 --> 02:38:21,520
Speaker 1: and into the air raid shelter. He'd already pulled a

2955
02:38:21,560 --> 02:38:24,199
Speaker 1: grenade free from his harness when he found himself face

2956
02:38:24,280 --> 02:38:26,279
Speaker 1: to face with a room full of women and children,

2957
02:38:26,440 --> 02:38:31,400
Speaker 1: old men and young boys, civilians, unarmed and with sudden shock,

2958
02:38:31,840 --> 02:38:35,120
Speaker 1: Roland realized he didn't care about that last part. His

2959
02:38:35,200 --> 02:38:41,119
Speaker 1: synapses screamed for more. Roland obliged them, My god, stop stop.

2960
02:38:41,200 --> 02:38:43,640
Speaker 1: He came back to himself and realized he was on

2961
02:38:43,680 --> 02:38:46,359
Speaker 1: the ground and locked into a pretty darn good half Nelson.

2962
02:38:46,520 --> 02:38:49,160
Speaker 1: It took him a moment to realize that woman Kaushore

2963
02:38:49,520 --> 02:38:53,920
Speaker 1: was the one holding him. Oh, he said, what the fuck? Man?

2964
02:38:54,640 --> 02:38:57,400
Speaker 1: Roland looked around. None of the martyrs near him were

2965
02:38:57,440 --> 02:39:00,760
Speaker 1: still standing. It was hard even for his hindbrain to

2966
02:39:00,800 --> 02:39:04,360
Speaker 1: identify how many people had fallen around him. He guessed

2967
02:39:04,400 --> 02:39:07,320
Speaker 1: south of a hundred, but not far south. The number

2968
02:39:07,400 --> 02:39:10,280
Speaker 1: was shocking. It implied a longer blackout than any of

2969
02:39:10,320 --> 02:39:13,840
Speaker 1: the others. What was scarier was the sheer violence evident

2970
02:39:13,879 --> 02:39:16,520
Speaker 1: in these men's death. Most of them were in more

2971
02:39:16,560 --> 02:39:19,200
Speaker 1: than two pieces. Are you going to flip out? If

2972
02:39:19,240 --> 02:39:23,199
Speaker 1: I let go? Roland shook his head and CASHOREI released him.

2973
02:39:23,240 --> 02:39:26,080
Speaker 1: He turned around, still seated, and looked at the young woman.

2974
02:39:26,760 --> 02:39:29,160
Speaker 1: She was filthy with grime and blood, some of it

2975
02:39:29,200 --> 02:39:32,680
Speaker 1: her own. Her skinless face wept red, but even so

2976
02:39:33,040 --> 02:39:36,200
Speaker 1: he could still see the judgment in her eyes. That

2977
02:39:36,600 --> 02:39:42,080
Speaker 1: was not fucking necessary. She said, I'm sorry, I Roland.

2978
02:39:42,440 --> 02:39:45,640
Speaker 1: It was skufucker. Mike Topaz trailed behind him at a

2979
02:39:45,680 --> 02:39:49,600
Speaker 1: sizeable distance, sweeping the field with a rifle. Roland tried

2980
02:39:49,640 --> 02:39:52,160
Speaker 1: to catch his eye. He avoided Roland's gaze for a

2981
02:39:52,200 --> 02:39:55,400
Speaker 1: second or two, but then they connected and she stared

2982
02:39:55,440 --> 02:39:58,120
Speaker 1: at him with those big, brown, tear stained eyes. This

2983
02:39:58,240 --> 02:40:00,640
Speaker 1: isn't what I wanted, Rowland, This isn't what we said

2984
02:40:00,680 --> 02:40:04,040
Speaker 1: we were fighting for. This is just butchery. He felt

2985
02:40:04,080 --> 02:40:06,760
Speaker 1: angry at her blind rage that warred with his love.

2986
02:40:07,000 --> 02:40:10,119
Speaker 1: Of course, it's butchery, he screamed. The world is built

2987
02:40:10,120 --> 02:40:14,279
Speaker 1: by butcher's dude, Kashore. He slapped him hard, and Roland

2988
02:40:14,320 --> 02:40:18,080
Speaker 1: came back to himself. Skollfucker Mike was closer now. Roland

2989
02:40:18,080 --> 02:40:20,760
Speaker 1: looked for Topaz and found him. He was closer too,

2990
02:40:21,040 --> 02:40:24,560
Speaker 1: and looked worried, but he didn't say anything. Is Roland

2991
02:40:24,600 --> 02:40:28,879
Speaker 1: all right? Mike asked Kashouri. Was he hit? Sure? But

2992
02:40:28,959 --> 02:40:31,760
Speaker 1: that's not the problem, Kashore, he said, he just went

2993
02:40:31,840 --> 02:40:34,560
Speaker 1: bug funk on like a company of those guys, ripped

2994
02:40:34,560 --> 02:40:38,560
Speaker 1: them apart with his bare hands. It's a fucking relapse,

2995
02:40:38,800 --> 02:40:41,880
Speaker 1: said skullfucker Mike. He knelt down in front of Roland

2996
02:40:41,920 --> 02:40:44,760
Speaker 1: and put a hand on his shoulder. Buddy, he said,

2997
02:40:45,120 --> 02:40:48,280
Speaker 1: it's done. They're starting to run whole army. You'll be

2998
02:40:48,360 --> 02:40:51,280
Speaker 1: routed in a few minutes. You just sit here and

2999
02:40:51,360 --> 02:40:55,840
Speaker 1: catch your breath and routed. Roland looked around and realized

3000
02:40:55,879 --> 02:40:59,359
Speaker 1: his hands were shaking. He felt a vast, throbbing emptiness

3001
02:40:59,360 --> 02:41:02,400
Speaker 1: in his sinnapp this, he realized that the emptiness was

3002
02:41:02,440 --> 02:41:04,760
Speaker 1: always there, and had been for as long as he

3003
02:41:04,800 --> 02:41:07,600
Speaker 1: could remember. Most days, he hid it under a haze

3004
02:41:07,640 --> 02:41:10,280
Speaker 1: of narcotics, but now that he'd had it filled for

3005
02:41:10,360 --> 02:41:14,240
Speaker 1: just a minute, its emptiness hurt like an amputated limb.

3006
02:41:14,720 --> 02:41:18,680
Speaker 1: He looked out and saw that, yes, skullfucker Mike was correct.

3007
02:41:19,160 --> 02:41:22,039
Speaker 1: Several pockets of Martyr still held out, but the bulk

3008
02:41:22,120 --> 02:41:24,680
Speaker 1: of the vanguard was either dead or fleeing for the

3009
02:41:24,720 --> 02:41:28,280
Speaker 1: line of transports and technicals that stretched back to the Brazos.

3010
02:41:29,200 --> 02:41:31,320
Speaker 1: It felt like the rest of the army had started

3011
02:41:31,360 --> 02:41:34,800
Speaker 1: the slow process of halting and reversing its advance. The

3012
02:41:34,920 --> 02:41:38,280
Speaker 1: Kingdom had decided to pull back. Are you done or not,

3013
02:41:38,520 --> 02:41:41,160
Speaker 1: Roland asked an evil voice in the back of his head.

3014
02:41:41,440 --> 02:41:44,680
Speaker 1: If you're not done, if you want more, you'd better

3015
02:41:44,760 --> 02:41:49,240
Speaker 1: go get it. Roland leaned back. He looked from skullfucker

3016
02:41:49,320 --> 02:41:52,560
Speaker 1: Mike took a shore and finally to Topaz. Then he

3017
02:41:52,640 --> 02:41:55,480
Speaker 1: reached behind him, grabbed a busted rifle he could use

3018
02:41:55,520 --> 02:42:00,200
Speaker 1: as a club, and stood up Rowland. No, skulfucker, Mike

3019
02:42:00,320 --> 02:42:03,720
Speaker 1: started to say. Roland didn't hear the rest. He bolted

3020
02:42:03,720 --> 02:42:06,400
Speaker 1: off as fast as he could run in the direction

3021
02:42:06,560 --> 02:42:12,560
Speaker 1: of the fleeing martyrs. Sasha it was amazing how much

3022
02:42:12,560 --> 02:42:14,440
Speaker 1: she could tell about the course of the battle just

3023
02:42:14,600 --> 02:42:17,400
Speaker 1: from watching the faces of its casualties. The pace of

3024
02:42:17,440 --> 02:42:20,000
Speaker 1: the killing had escalated to a certain level and then

3025
02:42:20,040 --> 02:42:22,840
Speaker 1: started to slowly fall. More and more of the men

3026
02:42:22,920 --> 02:42:26,279
Speaker 1: died with their backs to the enemy running. Sasha guessed

3027
02:42:26,280 --> 02:42:28,280
Speaker 1: that meant the army or at least a lot of

3028
02:42:28,320 --> 02:42:31,320
Speaker 1: it had started to break. The pace of death slowed

3029
02:42:31,360 --> 02:42:35,920
Speaker 1: to a trickle. Well, then Donald Ferris grumbled, it seems

3030
02:42:35,920 --> 02:42:38,200
Speaker 1: like that's more or less settled. I'm going to get

3031
02:42:38,280 --> 02:42:41,039
Speaker 1: us another round. I think we've all eaten enough, guild father.

3032
02:42:41,600 --> 02:42:46,800
Speaker 1: He stopped, his jaw dropped. Oh no. Sasha turned back

3033
02:42:46,800 --> 02:42:48,440
Speaker 1: to the screen to see that the roll of the

3034
02:42:48,480 --> 02:42:51,720
Speaker 1: dead had started to increase again. These men were running too,

3035
02:42:51,920 --> 02:42:54,840
Speaker 1: but most of them weren't dying to arranged weaponry. They

3036
02:42:54,840 --> 02:42:57,760
Speaker 1: were being grabbed from behind, ripped apart, or club to

3037
02:42:57,800 --> 02:43:00,720
Speaker 1: death by something moving far too fast for humanized to

3038
02:43:00,760 --> 02:43:05,640
Speaker 1: focus on. Roland Manny said in a dull voice filled

3039
02:43:05,680 --> 02:43:09,080
Speaker 1: with sorrow. Sasha scanned the faces of her table mates.

3040
02:43:09,560 --> 02:43:13,000
Speaker 1: Manny looked almost overwhelmed with guilt. His eyes were watery,

3041
02:43:13,040 --> 02:43:15,840
Speaker 1: and he just kept shaking his head and muttering to himself.

3042
02:43:16,200 --> 02:43:19,560
Speaker 1: Nanni Yazzi's mouth was closed, her face looked tight and

3043
02:43:19,600 --> 02:43:23,920
Speaker 1: frozen in horror. Donald Ferris was quite clearly furious. His

3044
02:43:24,040 --> 02:43:26,800
Speaker 1: face was so red. Sasha worried his heart might give out,

3045
02:43:27,320 --> 02:43:31,760
Speaker 1: and yet she felt nothing. That's curious, isn't it. Sasha

3046
02:43:31,760 --> 02:43:34,280
Speaker 1: could remember how angry she'd gotten as a girl when

3047
02:43:34,320 --> 02:43:37,600
Speaker 1: she read some story about anti Christian brutality and Turkey

3048
02:43:37,680 --> 02:43:41,160
Speaker 1: or Illinois. She remembered being horrified by the executions she

3049
02:43:41,240 --> 02:43:44,240
Speaker 1: had witnessed, but she could only picture her emotional state

3050
02:43:44,280 --> 02:43:47,120
Speaker 1: and those moments from a great distance, as if she

3051
02:43:47,160 --> 02:43:49,320
Speaker 1: were staring at it through the fogged up lens of

3052
02:43:49,320 --> 02:43:53,000
Speaker 1: a telescope. Why am I not angry? Why am I

3053
02:43:53,040 --> 02:43:57,080
Speaker 1: not horrified? Her concern over this fact actually generated a

3054
02:43:57,120 --> 02:44:01,080
Speaker 1: stronger emotional reaction than anything happening out on that battlefield.

3055
02:44:01,600 --> 02:44:04,840
Speaker 1: Sasha stared out at the cameras and the continuing parade

3056
02:44:04,840 --> 02:44:08,320
Speaker 1: of violence. She heard Manny cursing under his breath. She

3057
02:44:08,440 --> 02:44:12,080
Speaker 1: heard Nana Yazi fight back a sob, but Sasha felt nothing,

3058
02:44:12,400 --> 02:44:18,560
Speaker 1: save perhaps a bit of jealousy. Rowland, the scene out

3059
02:44:18,560 --> 02:44:21,040
Speaker 1: by the Brasos felt less like a battlefield and more

3060
02:44:21,120 --> 02:44:24,320
Speaker 1: like a playground. This might be the highest I've ever been,

3061
02:44:24,640 --> 02:44:26,680
Speaker 1: he thought, as he broke a man's neck with the

3062
02:44:26,680 --> 02:44:29,560
Speaker 1: back of his hand. Bullets whizzed by as a few

3063
02:44:29,560 --> 02:44:31,840
Speaker 1: of the Braver soldiers tried to cover the retreat of

3064
02:44:31,840 --> 02:44:35,240
Speaker 1: their comrades. Most of them, even the drivers, had abandoned

3065
02:44:35,280 --> 02:44:38,760
Speaker 1: their transports. Hundreds of men were already wading into the river,

3066
02:44:39,000 --> 02:44:41,600
Speaker 1: tearing off their armor and tossing aside their weapons as

3067
02:44:41,600 --> 02:44:45,240
Speaker 1: they plunged in. The Heavenly Kingdom's army would not rally

3068
02:44:45,320 --> 02:44:48,760
Speaker 1: any time soon. A martyr turned and drew his knife

3069
02:44:48,800 --> 02:44:51,840
Speaker 1: in a feeble attempt at resistance. Roland caved in the

3070
02:44:51,879 --> 02:44:54,200
Speaker 1: man's stern hum with a fist and squashed his heart

3071
02:44:54,240 --> 02:44:57,199
Speaker 1: like a june bug. Ten meters ahead, he saw three

3072
02:44:57,240 --> 02:45:00,240
Speaker 1: soldiers preparing to make their stand behind, and overt earned

3073
02:45:00,240 --> 02:45:03,080
Speaker 1: a flatbed truck. As he ran, Roland grabbed at his

3074
02:45:03,200 --> 02:45:06,560
Speaker 1: garded rifle off the ground, a Thompson submachine gun. He

3075
02:45:06,640 --> 02:45:10,560
Speaker 1: realized it didn't feel like a reproduction either. Roland brought

3076
02:45:10,600 --> 02:45:13,280
Speaker 1: the gun up to his shoulder. The Thompson gun bucked

3077
02:45:13,320 --> 02:45:15,800
Speaker 1: in his hand. Roland laughed as he danced through the

3078
02:45:15,879 --> 02:45:18,720
Speaker 1: Charnel house that had once been a forward operating bass.

3079
02:45:19,080 --> 02:45:21,320
Speaker 1: Most of the National guardsmen were dead, but his nose

3080
02:45:21,360 --> 02:45:23,119
Speaker 1: told him one of them was still in the game.

3081
02:45:23,560 --> 02:45:26,120
Speaker 1: Roland turned past a hesco and saw the young man

3082
02:45:26,400 --> 02:45:29,520
Speaker 1: propped half up against a pile of sandbags. The boy

3083
02:45:29,560 --> 02:45:31,720
Speaker 1: held a hand to a bleeding hole in his gut.

3084
02:45:32,080 --> 02:45:35,680
Speaker 1: His black face was bloodless, pale, and young, so young.

3085
02:45:36,160 --> 02:45:38,360
Speaker 1: Roland didn't know if he'd ever seen a soldier who

3086
02:45:38,400 --> 02:45:43,320
Speaker 1: looked that young. There was something familiar about the boy's face, Rowland,

3087
02:45:43,680 --> 02:45:47,879
Speaker 1: the kid said, and recognition dawned in Roland's eyes, and

3088
02:45:47,879 --> 02:45:50,520
Speaker 1: then he was back. He was about fifty yards further

3089
02:45:50,560 --> 02:45:53,320
Speaker 1: ahead than he'd been before he blacked out. The Thompson

3090
02:45:53,360 --> 02:45:55,440
Speaker 1: gun was still in his hand, pointed at a man

3091
02:45:55,520 --> 02:45:58,000
Speaker 1: twelve yards to his left who was scrambling to get

3092
02:45:58,000 --> 02:46:01,480
Speaker 1: a wire guided rocket launcher into a ring position. Roland

3093
02:46:01,520 --> 02:46:04,280
Speaker 1: put a bullet through his brain. He turned past the

3094
02:46:04,320 --> 02:46:07,480
Speaker 1: burning wreckage of a semi truck. A dozen bullets impacted

3095
02:46:07,560 --> 02:46:11,680
Speaker 1: his chest inside. Then three martyrs charged him. Their bayonets fixed.

3096
02:46:12,000 --> 02:46:14,840
Speaker 1: The hit wasn't bad, nothing but a flesh wound schofucker.

3097
02:46:14,920 --> 02:46:17,360
Speaker 1: Mike looked worse. He lost most of his left arm.

3098
02:46:17,720 --> 02:46:20,039
Speaker 1: Topaz had taken three rounds to the dome, but she

3099
02:46:20,160 --> 02:46:23,400
Speaker 1: was still firing her dragon off. Roland's mind stretched into

3100
02:46:23,400 --> 02:46:25,560
Speaker 1: the city of Dallas around them. There were a lot

3101
02:46:25,560 --> 02:46:27,840
Speaker 1: of men coming their way, but those men were mostly

3102
02:46:27,879 --> 02:46:31,920
Speaker 1: police swat officers, nothing substantial, no one who could stop

3103
02:46:31,959 --> 02:46:34,280
Speaker 1: them from getting this bomb. Where it needed to go.

3104
02:46:35,160 --> 02:46:37,560
Speaker 1: Roland screamed as he broke his Thompson gun over the

3105
02:46:37,560 --> 02:46:40,400
Speaker 1: head of another martyr. Then he reeled back and dropped

3106
02:46:40,440 --> 02:46:43,680
Speaker 1: the gun. That last memory had felt different, like it

3107
02:46:43,840 --> 02:46:47,160
Speaker 1: unlocked something. Roland shook his head. The last martyr in

3108
02:46:47,160 --> 02:46:50,000
Speaker 1: front of him broken ran. Roland didn't even think to

3109
02:46:50,120 --> 02:46:52,800
Speaker 1: chase him. His head hurt in a way he couldn't

3110
02:46:52,800 --> 02:46:56,000
Speaker 1: remember it ever hurting before. What the hell is going on?

3111
02:46:56,400 --> 02:46:59,039
Speaker 1: It had all started the second he'd thought about the bomb.

3112
02:46:59,120 --> 02:47:02,680
Speaker 1: As small as nukes go, just about one megaton. It

3113
02:47:02,800 --> 02:47:06,359
Speaker 1: matches the ones that fought Leonarwood. The Guardian already released

3114
02:47:06,360 --> 02:47:09,680
Speaker 1: the hacked documents showing the government considered bombing several of

3115
02:47:09,680 --> 02:47:13,240
Speaker 1: the separatist camps. I think we can trust the American

3116
02:47:13,320 --> 02:47:17,560
Speaker 1: people to put two and two together, Jim smiled. Roland

3117
02:47:17,560 --> 02:47:20,440
Speaker 1: did not. This was his plan, but he didn't like it.

3118
02:47:20,760 --> 02:47:23,080
Speaker 1: He knew, though, that it was the only way forward

3119
02:47:23,160 --> 02:47:26,480
Speaker 1: for the revolution. There has to be another way, said

3120
02:47:26,520 --> 02:47:30,959
Speaker 1: skullfucker Mike. This feels wrong, really really wrong. The floodgates

3121
02:47:30,959 --> 02:47:33,520
Speaker 1: of Roland's mind opened, and a tidal wave of memory

3122
02:47:33,640 --> 02:47:37,080
Speaker 1: swept him away. He dropped to his knees, the martyrs

3123
02:47:37,120 --> 02:47:39,959
Speaker 1: around him continued to flee, too shocked and awed to

3124
02:47:40,000 --> 02:47:43,760
Speaker 1: take advantage of his vulnerability. The battle drugs were gone now,

3125
02:47:44,040 --> 02:47:46,959
Speaker 1: or at least he couldn't feel them anymore. Hundreds of

3126
02:47:47,000 --> 02:47:51,560
Speaker 1: memories assaulted his consciousness thousands. For the first time in years,

3127
02:47:51,879 --> 02:47:56,199
Speaker 1: Roland knew who he'd been, who he was again. I'm back,

3128
02:47:57,280 --> 02:48:01,160
Speaker 1: Roland stood. He took one halting step forward, and then another,

3129
02:48:01,520 --> 02:48:03,640
Speaker 1: and then he leaned against the frame of a broken

3130
02:48:03,680 --> 02:48:06,680
Speaker 1: ABC for a little while as he pictured his mother's

3131
02:48:06,720 --> 02:48:09,840
Speaker 1: face and voice for the first time in years. He

3132
02:48:09,920 --> 02:48:13,160
Speaker 1: wanted to sob, but there was no time. He knew

3133
02:48:13,160 --> 02:48:15,400
Speaker 1: who he was now, and he knew what he was

3134
02:48:15,440 --> 02:48:18,720
Speaker 1: bound to do if he stayed this way. Roland's conscience

3135
02:48:18,760 --> 02:48:22,160
Speaker 1: wouldn't allow that, so he trudged forward until he found

3136
02:48:22,240 --> 02:48:25,720
Speaker 1: the right tool, a handheld grenade launcher clutched in the

3137
02:48:25,760 --> 02:48:28,520
Speaker 1: dead hands of a martyr. He took the weapon and

3138
02:48:28,600 --> 02:48:32,840
Speaker 1: sat cross legged and the blood soaked Texas dirt. Roland

3139
02:48:32,879 --> 02:48:35,400
Speaker 1: looked up at the sky one last time and allowed

3140
02:48:35,480 --> 02:48:38,440
Speaker 1: himself a long moment to remember his parents and his

3141
02:48:38,480 --> 02:48:41,200
Speaker 1: brother in the day he and Topaz had first met,

3142
02:48:41,920 --> 02:48:51,800
Speaker 1: and then he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. Manny,

3143
02:48:53,200 --> 02:48:56,440
Speaker 1: Nanny Yazi, Sasha, Donald Ferris, and Manny had all rushed

3144
02:48:56,480 --> 02:48:59,160
Speaker 1: to a transport as soon as Roland's face showed up

3145
02:48:59,160 --> 02:49:02,160
Speaker 1: on the screen. It seems the drones either didn't know

3146
02:49:02,320 --> 02:49:05,279
Speaker 1: or didn't care enough to separate dead friends from dead foes.

3147
02:49:05,640 --> 02:49:09,199
Speaker 1: Maybe that was the point Nanayazi drove. It took about

3148
02:49:09,280 --> 02:49:11,560
Speaker 1: six minutes for the shiny green jeep to make its

3149
02:49:11,560 --> 02:49:13,879
Speaker 1: way over the broken roads and towards the side of

3150
02:49:13,879 --> 02:49:18,280
Speaker 1: the battle. No one spoke they reached the battlefield. There

3151
02:49:18,280 --> 02:49:21,280
Speaker 1: are so many dead people. Manny had seen a lot

3152
02:49:21,280 --> 02:49:24,280
Speaker 1: of carnage in his life, but nothing like this. The

3153
02:49:24,360 --> 02:49:27,520
Speaker 1: stinches of burning flesh, opened bowls, and burning fuel were

3154
02:49:27,560 --> 02:49:31,000
Speaker 1: so overwhelming they almost knocked him down. Donald Ferris and

3155
02:49:31,080 --> 02:49:34,560
Speaker 1: Nana Yazzi looked just as queasy. Only Sasha whethered the

3156
02:49:34,600 --> 02:49:37,800
Speaker 1: sights and smells with calm. She stayed focused enough to

3157
02:49:37,800 --> 02:49:40,760
Speaker 1: spot skullfuckor Mike and the mess and direct Nana Yazzi

3158
02:49:40,879 --> 02:49:44,920
Speaker 1: his way. Rolling Fox soldiers were out in force. They

3159
02:49:44,920 --> 02:49:47,600
Speaker 1: stalked through the killing fields in groups of four or five,

3160
02:49:47,920 --> 02:49:51,440
Speaker 1: searching for survivors or just looking for loot. Mike stood

3161
02:49:51,480 --> 02:49:54,080
Speaker 1: with Topaz and Cashore, and a couple of chrombed Manny

3162
02:49:54,160 --> 02:49:57,400
Speaker 1: didn't recognize. Most of them were seated by a handful

3163
02:49:57,440 --> 02:49:59,520
Speaker 1: of large metal crates in the center of what had

3164
02:49:59,560 --> 02:50:03,800
Speaker 1: once been a large playground. Oh God, the dead men

3165
02:50:03,920 --> 02:50:06,920
Speaker 1: here had been torn apart. There was so much blood,

3166
02:50:07,120 --> 02:50:09,879
Speaker 1: more than Manny had ever seen. It sluiced around on

3167
02:50:09,920 --> 02:50:13,000
Speaker 1: the concrete like some sort of macab kittie pool. The

3168
02:50:13,080 --> 02:50:15,560
Speaker 1: jeep came to a wet stop in front of the group.

3169
02:50:15,879 --> 02:50:18,440
Speaker 1: The act of breakings into spray of gore out across

3170
02:50:18,440 --> 02:50:22,600
Speaker 1: skullfucker Mike's legs. Hey, he said, what are you all

3171
02:50:22,600 --> 02:50:27,640
Speaker 1: doing here? Rowland? Manny said, what happened to Rowland? Mike

3172
02:50:27,680 --> 02:50:30,680
Speaker 1: looked confused. Topaz raised his head up to look out

3173
02:50:30,720 --> 02:50:33,760
Speaker 1: at them. Many was surprised to see tears rolling down

3174
02:50:33,800 --> 02:50:36,440
Speaker 1: his face. His lip trembled a bit, but when he

3175
02:50:36,520 --> 02:50:39,600
Speaker 1: spoke there was steel and fury in his voice. He

3176
02:50:39,800 --> 02:50:44,320
Speaker 1: decided to keep killing. I'm sure he's still killing now. No,

3177
02:50:44,680 --> 02:50:47,440
Speaker 1: Manny said, he's dead, or that's what the drone said.

3178
02:50:47,680 --> 02:50:50,040
Speaker 1: We have to find him. Get out of that seat,

3179
02:50:50,240 --> 02:50:53,760
Speaker 1: Mike said to Nanny Izzie, I'm driving in an instant.

3180
02:50:53,800 --> 02:50:56,840
Speaker 1: Topaz his tears stopped, and before Manny could say anything,

3181
02:50:57,160 --> 02:51:00,440
Speaker 1: Topaz hopped into the back seat of the jeep. Fast.

3182
02:51:00,640 --> 02:51:03,760
Speaker 1: Topaz told skullfucker Mike as he took over from Nana Yazzi,

3183
02:51:04,200 --> 02:51:08,160
Speaker 1: go very fast. It didn't take long to find him.

3184
02:51:08,360 --> 02:51:11,640
Speaker 1: Roland's route through the army was painted in red. Hundreds

3185
02:51:11,640 --> 02:51:14,120
Speaker 1: of dead men, maybe more than a thousand, made a

3186
02:51:14,160 --> 02:51:17,680
Speaker 1: clear path with their corpses. That path didn't end until

3187
02:51:17,720 --> 02:51:20,280
Speaker 1: they were almost at the brazos and they saw where

3188
02:51:20,360 --> 02:51:24,400
Speaker 1: Roland had fallen. Roland's armored body was splayed out limp

3189
02:51:24,680 --> 02:51:27,360
Speaker 1: next to the carcass of an old semi truck. There

3190
02:51:27,360 --> 02:51:30,120
Speaker 1: were two very dead men directly in front of him,

3191
02:51:30,280 --> 02:51:32,120
Speaker 1: but neither of them looked to have done him in.

3192
02:51:32,959 --> 02:51:36,240
Speaker 1: Roland hadn't gone down to enemy fire. He jammed a

3193
02:51:36,400 --> 02:51:38,800
Speaker 1: very large gun in his mouth and blown the top

3194
02:51:38,840 --> 02:51:41,959
Speaker 1: off of his head. To all signs and to all logic,

3195
02:51:42,280 --> 02:51:46,199
Speaker 1: he looked dead. Donald Ferris shook his head and muttered something.

3196
02:51:46,560 --> 02:51:50,480
Speaker 1: Sasha just stared. Nana Yazzi put her hand on Manny's shoulder.

3197
02:51:51,320 --> 02:51:54,640
Speaker 1: He was she started to say, but she was interrupted

3198
02:51:54,959 --> 02:51:57,640
Speaker 1: by Roland as he lifted his ruined head up to

3199
02:51:57,640 --> 02:52:00,960
Speaker 1: look at them. His eyes were still in foe. Blood

3200
02:52:01,040 --> 02:52:03,560
Speaker 1: drooled down his nose, out of his mouth, and down

3201
02:52:03,600 --> 02:52:06,720
Speaker 1: from the gaping exit wound in his forehead. He spat

3202
02:52:06,760 --> 02:52:10,480
Speaker 1: out several teeth. Many saw daylight through his skull, but

3203
02:52:10,600 --> 02:52:14,440
Speaker 1: still Roland was able to speak. How the funk are

3204
02:52:14,520 --> 02:53:50,960
Speaker 1: you people? He asked, m M. This is Roxanne Gay,

3205
02:53:51,200 --> 02:53:54,199
Speaker 1: the host of The Roxanne Gay Agenda, the bad feminist

3206
02:53:54,240 --> 02:53:57,760
Speaker 1: podcast of your Dreams. Each week I talked to an

3207
02:53:57,800 --> 02:54:03,039
Speaker 1: interesting person about feminism, race, writing in books, and art, food,

3208
02:54:03,240 --> 02:54:08,320
Speaker 1: have culture, and yes, politics, we can't escape politics. Listen

3209
02:54:08,360 --> 02:54:12,039
Speaker 1: to the luminary original podcast, The Roxanne Gay Agenda every

3210
02:54:12,120 --> 02:54:15,920
Speaker 1: Tuesday on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

3211
02:54:16,080 --> 02:54:21,720
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. Hey lead the listeners. Tig here.

3212
02:54:22,000 --> 02:54:25,160
Speaker 1: Last season on Lethal Lit, you might remember, I came

3213
02:54:25,200 --> 02:54:28,840
Speaker 1: to Hollow Falls on a mission clearing my aunt best

3214
02:54:28,959 --> 02:54:34,000
Speaker 1: name and making sure justice was finally served. But I

3215
02:54:34,040 --> 02:54:37,080
Speaker 1: hadn't counted on a rash of new murders tearing apart

3216
02:54:37,160 --> 02:54:41,320
Speaker 1: the town. My mission put myself and my friends in danger.

3217
02:54:42,040 --> 02:54:45,480
Speaker 1: Though it wasn't all bad, I'm going to be a

3218
02:54:45,520 --> 02:54:50,199
Speaker 1: reality tig. I like you, but now all signs point

3219
02:54:50,280 --> 02:54:53,520
Speaker 1: to a new serial killer in Hollow Falls. If this

3220
02:54:53,600 --> 02:54:56,920
Speaker 1: game is just starting, you better believe I'm gonna win.

3221
02:54:58,320 --> 02:55:03,240
Speaker 1: I'm tig Torres. This is Lethal Lit. Catch up on

3222
02:55:03,360 --> 02:55:05,959
Speaker 1: season one of the hit murder mystery podcast Lethal Lit

3223
02:55:05,959 --> 02:55:08,760
Speaker 1: A take Tara's mystery out now, and then tune in

3224
02:55:08,840 --> 02:55:11,560
Speaker 1: for all new thrills in season two, dropping weekly starting

3225
02:55:11,560 --> 02:55:14,920
Speaker 1: February nine. Subscribe now to never miss an episode. Listen

3226
02:55:14,959 --> 02:55:16,760
Speaker 1: to Leave the Lit on the I Heart Radio app,

3227
02:55:16,879 --> 02:55:22,360
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The art

3228
02:55:22,360 --> 02:55:26,560
Speaker 1: world it is essentially a money laundering business. The best

3229
02:55:26,560 --> 02:55:29,200
Speaker 1: fakes are still hanging on people's walls. You know they

3230
02:55:29,240 --> 02:55:33,000
Speaker 1: don't even know or suspect that their fakes. I'm at

3231
02:55:33,040 --> 02:55:37,240
Speaker 1: like Baldwin and this is a podcast about deception, greed,

3232
02:55:37,360 --> 02:55:40,920
Speaker 1: and forgery in the art world. I just walked in

3233
02:55:41,080 --> 02:55:46,039
Speaker 1: and saw this great red painting presuming to be a rothco.

3234
02:55:46,720 --> 02:55:50,400
Speaker 1: Of course, art forgeries only happen because there's money to

3235
02:55:50,440 --> 02:55:54,000
Speaker 1: be made, a lot of money. I'm listening to how

3236
02:55:54,040 --> 02:55:56,880
Speaker 1: what they're paying for the thing. It was an incredible

3237
02:55:57,120 --> 02:56:03,680
Speaker 1: mansome money. You knew the painting was fake. Um Listen

3238
02:56:03,760 --> 02:56:07,480
Speaker 1: to Art Fraud starting February one on the I Heart

3239
02:56:07,600 --> 02:56:12,000
Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts,

3240
02:56:12,920 --> 02:56:12,960
Speaker 1: M