| Latest revision |
Your text |
| Line 17: |
Line 17: |
| | * ''' "Arthur" ''', July 06, 2006. | | * ''' "Arthur" ''', July 06, 2006. |
| | ** ''PREVIEW:'' ??? | | ** ''PREVIEW:'' ??? |
| − | ** ''RECAP:'' | + | ** ''RECAP:'' ??? |
| − | If I try really hard, I canstill remember when this all started for me. It wasn't when we woke up four years after Sep. 11th. It wasn't with the terrorist occupation and siezing of flight 283. It wasn't even the decision to get on the flight to California. For me, it started many years before.
| |
| − | "Allright men, this is the deal, we have two groups incoming in to make this deal. We cannot move until we have confirmation of the merchandice. Two cases of enriched weapon grade uranium. Orders are no survivors. You know your positions, we have about an hour till they are supposed to arrive. Any questions?"
| |
| − | "Yeah, why are we doing this? Isn't this more up Marine Special Ops' alley?"
| |
| − | "Normally yes, but we just found out about this and there isn't anybody else in range. So this is is now a Ranger's mission. Yu, I need you to take position about 500 yards out and your priority is to make sure no vechicle gets out. We'll handle the cleanup."
| |
| − | There is a well used phrase about the best laid plans not surviving the first contact with the enemy, and this was no exception. The truck with the Uranium was getting away and Yu's last shot tore through munitions in the cargo area. The resulting explosion spread the uranium everywhere and irradiated the whole site. Although we were told that our exposure was minimal enough and we should be fine...well, lets say that when they're wrong they're WRONG. And the proof of it showd up years later. Cancer. I thought i was the only one. And when I'm wrong...well,
| |
| | | | |
| − |
| |
| − | We were sitting around the meeting table at The Hopewell Foundation when I was told of a visiter. My old friend Yu had come to see me and I was for the first time since we woke up I was truly horrified and shocked. Gone was the happy scarcastic fellow that I served with all those years ago. Standing before me was a dyng man. Gaunt, pale, bald, and with open sores, Yu was the image of a man in his last days. I brought him to see the others and ank for their help finding a way to cure him. Two others of my old unit had already died. Then to my horror, he fell to his knees and begged me to make him better. He begged me to forgive him for doing this to us, and to "make it better". It was all I could do to maintain even a semblance of composure. Furtunately the others were quick to jump in and promise help. I hadn't felt a rush of gratitude and kinship I hadn't felt since my Army days. Also there was guilt. Here I was, in perfect health and filled with this power, and my old buddies were falling apart around me. Not only could I not help them, but I realized with chagrin that I hadn't even though about them since we woke up.
| |
| − | This would have to change. Things in my life had to change. I was starting to believe the hype about us. I was liking my power too much, and was losing touch with my fellows. Well, there were some things I could do about that. And first on the list was Julie. I had to stop thinking like a movie or story, where it's cool and neat to have your secrets. It never works out like that in real life. If I wanted even a chance with Julie I needed to be totally honest with her. Yet even in that I proved to be ac coward.
| |
| − | I showed up at her house just before dinner. After saying hi to the kids and Julie, the door opened again and Arthur 2.0 walked like he owned the place. In that instant, time froze for the world...except for the two of us. The bastard started telling me how he and Julie were getting on and how she wanted a real man. But he would make me a deal. He'll "let" me have Julie and my Father, but I change my name and stop trying to be Arthur. In short, I had to abandon my identity and concede that he is the legitimate one. I couldn't believe it, I told him "No, thats not going to happen. I don't think you are welcome here anymore."
| |
| − | A2 grins at me and says "I think thats more Julie's call not yours."
| |
| − | The response seemed cold and hard even to my ears. "I wasn't talking about this house. I don't know how I ever thought you were me." After a few more disparaging remarks about Julie and me he left., saying that we were going to resolve this real soon. Disconcerted I excused myself to the bathroom before Julie could notice my expression. While cleaning up I saw a half used birth control pill package sitting on the sink. The implication of this was more than I could take. The thought of her and him...I couldn't even finish the image. I just sat there on the edge of the tub and cried.
| |
| − | My father was meeting us here fore dinner and cards later and was playing the slightly crazy old man routine to the hilt. After dinner while Dad cleaned up and the kids were in bed, I tookJulie outside to talk. I told her everything, well almost everything. She didn't need to know that Brian was the one that killed Maggie, she was upset enough with him as it was. I'm not the best speaker, nor am I the most diplomatic, and within a few sentances I said something wrong, and I knew it. Not knowing weather or not it would work I tried moving time back to just before I saying how I wanted to kill Daniel. It took many tries, but I finally managed to tell her everything without screwing up. Her response was more than I could have imagined. She simply took my hand and led me upstairs.
| |
| − | Next day I come downstairs to be greated by the smell of breakfast cooking and my father whistling merrily. I could have done without the smug look on his face. "Morning son. You and Julie seemed busy so I decided to stay and make sure the kids were ok, and take care of breakfast. He he." Great. I could have really done without this.
| |
| − | "Thanks Dad, but I need to get going, I have to talkto the guys about Yu and tying up some loose ends. I'll grab something quick." Back at the "Office" I was in for a whirlwind of revalations. I get hit with the triple whammy of Julie being pregnant, and everybody knew but me. And finally, DNA tests showed that Maggie was indeed my child, but with no explanation of how. I think my ability to be suprised anymore got a bit overloaded at this point. I was already a father? Did Julie know this part? I didn't think I was prepared to tell her this one yet. The next few weeks kind of blurred by. My other friends had crices that needed help including Brian's mother being taken hostage by Mongrel. I'll tell THAT story some other time. The biggest problem was Arthur 2.0's upcoming fight with El Cuchillo. I knew he didn't have the self-control to restrain himself and not do some major damage. So, while publicly I disapproved of the match, I was makingplans to take care of it. On the evening of the fight, I excused myself from my friends who were all watching on Pay-Per-View, and went down to the arens to have a few last words with A2. I tried to appeal to him to now go overboard and keep it a gentelmans match. He said that El Cuchillo threw down the challange to anybody, normal or Godlike and he was not going to hold back. That was what I was afraid of and ready for. When his back was turned, I dosed him with chloroform and left him in a locker. Putting on his costume and going out in his place I readied myself for anything. I held back to feel El Cuchillo out so as not to hurt him too much. The fight was almost dissapointing. He was tough and had good reflexes but in the end, he was just too slow. And as I finished the pin, everything fell apart. A2 Came out of nowhere and grabbed me growling "We settle this NOW!!" Then the world dissapeared.
| |
| − | Slowly everything came into focus, and I found myself sitting on top of a building on a sunny fall day. Looking around I saw that I was not alone. Sourrounding me was thousands of...me. Everywhere I looked there was me. And for some reason they were all looking at me. There was a chorus of voices all saying the same thing. "This is where it starts and ends. This is the fracture point. Only one of you can exist, we don't care which one but a choice MUST be made." I was confused until I looked off to my right and only then did i realize which building I was on. This was the North tower of the World Trade Center. Across the way was A@ standing amongst his own crowd of Arthurs. Off in the distance I saw what looked like a lowflying plane headed our way. "Oh shit. Not here, not now. This can't be happening."
| |
| − | "It IS happening Arthur!" Yelled A2. We're here because of you. If you had just let me take my life back over, this would never have happened. But we're here and I sure as hell am NOT going to let you have my life anymore!"
| |
| − | I shook my head and called back to him, "You know, before that day in Julie's house, I would have probably let you. I know this is not your fault an you have just as much of a right to live as I do...But after the was you talked about Julie and your Father and how you dismissed Yu, there is no way I would EVER let you loose in this world. Fine, this ends here. Goodbye Arthur!" And as one, we both ran twoards the edge and leapt into space. Impossibly, we crossed the distance between us and just as we collided, I could see the madness in his eyes. Then the world went white.
| |
| | | | |
| | * ''Game Called: July 13, 2005, Cancelled.'' | | * ''Game Called: July 13, 2005, Cancelled.'' |
| | * ''Game Called: July 20, 2005, Cancelled.'' | | * ''Game Called: July 20, 2005, Cancelled.'' |
| | + | |
| | | | |
| | ===issue # ''' 38 ''':7=== | | ===issue # ''' 38 ''':7=== |
