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117 - Blood in the Wells III

 
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:23 pm    Post subject: 117 - Blood in the Wells III Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

[p:cydhch1a]The flight back to Ohio was one of mixed emotions. Wight had been released and was accompanying them. Red and Blue were subsequently in tears for a while, and then finally fell asleep. It would have been a good time for Akira and Wight to explain what all had happened between them, but everyone was too apprehensive. They'd gotten the news that Akigiyama sent in armor units and took out that first One Nation regiment, then seemingly disappeared, but everything else would have to remain a mystery until they could land in Ohio and contact the outside world.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]And Palmer came along. That was the most telling sign of all. It had become obvious that he too had no idea what Holmes was up to, and had some suspicions. Holmes' flight was thoroughly incriminating, but why Ohio of all places? Why not travel to some safe haven where he could evade international law? Unless he had unfinished business...[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]The UN jet took a low slow pass over eastern Hamilton as they approached. Everything looked strangely empty from the air. After hours in flight, everyone was expecting to see some huge battle. But from a distance at least, it looked like One Nation soldiers were scattered haphazardly all over the eastern shore. Andrew could make out UN peacekeepers mingling among them... and no sign at all of Ohio.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]The plane finally touched down next to Holmes' own private jet, now unoccupied. They were about a mile from Croft's western headquarters, at the nearest feasible landing site. Kevin was waiting, and came rushing up to meet them. "Did you hear the news?"[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"What happened?" Marcus asked as the group ran down off of the plane.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Karn Tzimisces is dead. I knew he had to recruit some bad seeds into service, but jeez. I guess a fight broke out between his loyal soldiers and a bunch of bandit conscripts. He was overpowered, and they hanged him." Kevin seemed astonished at his own words.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Wow..." Andrew shook his head. "No wonder we didn't see any fighting. One Nation have already won."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Do you know where David Holmes went?" Marcus asked.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"He took off in an awful hurry," Kevin shrugged. "In the direction of Croft's headquarters though, so that's my guess."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"This is going to get interesting," Glenn said. "Let's go."[/p:cydhch1a]
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[p:cydhch1a]"Let him in." Croft sat behind a cluttered desk in an occupied home in west Hamilton. A guard shrugged his shoulders and opened the door. It was David Holmes.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Can I speak with you privately?" he asked before entering.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]Croft nodded to his security team. "...Are you sure about this?" one of them asked.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Did you verify his identification?"[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Yes. We confirmed his visit through the UCPA headquarters, and he is unarmed, but still..." The guard eyed Holmes suspiciously.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"As long as the UCPA have confirmed his arrival, I will respect his request. See to it that this has been documented." Croft motioned for him to step inside, and the guards exited the room, shutting the door behind them.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Clarence Croft..." Holmes stood in front of the desk and let out a long sigh. "I don't believe we've met."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"A first and a last encounter I suspect." Croft sat back in his chair, ignoring Holmes' extended hand.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"I suppose you consider this a victory," Holmes stated.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Not yet, but I can see the end."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Do you think these new armor units in Akigiyama will return?" Holmes asked.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Yes yes, I suppose as the leader of an international 'protection agency' that ought to concern you." Croft looked down at his nails. Still trimmed. Still neat. "But I don't think I personally will be encountering them again. And they won't dare attack UN peacekeepers. Why, have they not been following your orders? I hear General Tzimisces has met his maker."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"I didn't want this war to happen..." Holmes shook his head.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"That was my soul uncertainty." Croft smiled an odd, peaceful smile. "Then I believe we have an important matter of business to address."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]A confused, almost frightened look crossed Holmes' face. Croft closed his eyes and lowered his head, still smiling. "...Just tell me, tell me why you have to unite this country."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Because there is no hope in chaos." Croft's pose remained the same. "Some have suffered because of me. There is blood on my hands. I have taken on that responsibility, and if I am cold hearted it is only because my role demands it. I have conditioned myself to accomplish the first step on the long road to reconstructing society. Have you conditioned yourself to accomplish the next? I know why you are here." Holmes turned pale and began to shake. "If you do this," Croft added, "your organization will be ruined."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"You aren't going to stop me?" Holmes asked.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"How could I be so selfish?" Croft leaned back in his chair and opened his desk drawer.[/p:cydhch1a]
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[p:cydhch1a]"President Lizar? What's going on?" a guard outside Croft's command headquarters asked. "...Akira Kusanagi?"[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Is David Holmes here?" Glenn asked, panting from the run.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Yes, he's in a meeting with Croft..." The guard looked over the contingent of heroes, astonished. A number of One Nation soldiers had begun to gather around them, curious about the commotion.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"I'm not sure what this is about, but it can't be good," Marcus said. "You have to let us inside."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]The guard obliged, joining the pack of onlookers behind them. Palmer just barely caught up as they went inside. "What do you think you're doing?" another guard outside Croft's door asked before he could recognize the group.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"This is an emergency." Andrew flung open the door, and the Freedom Fighters stormed inside. David Holmes was crouching in the corner, his head in his hands. Clarence Croft's lifeless body leaned backwards in his chair, his white shirt covered in blood.[/p:cydhch1a]
...

[p:cydhch1a]Croft's personal security immediately surrounded Holmes, as the rest of One Nation stared in astonishment. "Let him speak," Andrew instructed.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]Holmes looked up, his face white as a ghost. "...The assassin was just a hired hand. He'd done some sabotage in One Nation's camp before, but always in a different disguise. He never told me his identity had been compromised..."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]Glenn's mind raced to the One Nation soldier at the scene of the depot sabotage, back at the start of all this--the same soldier that had carried out the assassination.... the same soldier that no one else in One Nation had recognized when Karn publicly accused Croft of the murder. "...But why?"[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"I couldn't let Reynolds make that speech. It would have been the end of the UCPA. I had to do something, and I found out on such short notice.... It should have just ended there. I didn't want to start a war. I didn't want people to die. If the assassin hadn't been recognized.... and then the counsel.... Oh God, I pleaded with them to not buy those weapons from Akigiyama, but how could I tell them I had ordered the death of Samuel Reynolds?" Holmes lowered his head into his hands. Everyone else just stared. "Here, take it. Reynolds' speech, I brought it with me. Do you think I want to see this conflict go on just to preserve the UCPA's good name? I sanctioned the death of one man, not thousands. Take it, do what you can with it." He pulled a wrinkled up sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Andrew.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Where did you get that gun?" the security officer finally found the nerve to speak.[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]Holmes didn't answer at first. He just looked up at the guard, eyes wide. "...He gave it to me."[/p:cydhch1a]
---------------------------------------

[p:cydhch1a]"We interrupt the regularly scheduled program to bring you breaking news from Ohio. UCPA President David Holmes, who plead guilty to the murders of both Samuel Reynolds and Clarence Croft only an hour ago, has been permitted to make a public statement."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"---here a copy in Samuel Reynolds' own handwriting of the speech that he had planned to recite on the day that he was killed." David Holmes stood alone in front of a press pulpit. "You have all heard the beginning. I feel that he would wish for you to hear the end..."[/p:cydhch1a]
[p:cydhch1a]"Citizens of the United States of America, let this day be remembered not as an end, but as the first step towards something greater. In fear my people resigned to isolation, and in that isolation we found temporary comfort, but that time is gone. Now we are geared for war, to fight that which we fear. Those things - corruption, misappropriation, greed - will surely consume us if we bow readily as a conquered nation. But we have not been defeated, and we will not give in. We will attack from new angles to rescue a higher cause. This, at its heart, is not a war for liberation or unification; it is a war to restore fading ideals." Holmes sighed. Reynolds had never been able to say the rest. "The United Countries Protection Agency have promised to supply Akigiyama weapons if I only agree to call off peace negotiations and attack One Nation, but I will do no such thing. The UCPA have mired America in a bureaucracy that prioritizes its image over the welfare of its citizens. This corruption is what Clarence Croft and I are both fighting, at heart, and it is unfair for Ohio to isolate itself from the problem; we must work together to fix it. I welcome One Nation as an ally in a greater battle - One that must be fought with ballots, not guns. May our solidarity unite this nation once more, not simply as colors on a map, but in spirit, practice, and purpose."[/p:cydhch1a]
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