Soldier of the Past
Contents
Episode 1
Soldier of the Past
The Awakening
By David Kean
UNDERWORLD
JULY 3, 2002
1500 CHICAGO TIME_
The Grim Reaper was looking over his list of souls he has collected thus far for the day. Things seemed to be going alright for someone like him, collecting souls to take to the afterlife. Then he looked at the location where all souls were gathering to be cast for whichever afterlife is destined for them. Then Grim heard a heavenly voice from behind him.
“Afternoon, Grim. I see you’re busy as ever,” the voice said.
Grim turned around and saw the queen, “Heh, figured it was you. How’s your afterlife treating you?”
“So far, it’s been just as it was told. Peaceful, tranquil, and quiet.”
“That’s good to know. Been able to visit friends from the past there?”
“Oh yes. They were glad to see me. When they first saw me in the afterlife, they were rather shocked.”
“Well, Serenity, people do die. That’s the way of life. Even your daughter has to know that.”
“I know, Grim, I know. But what can someone such as myself do? When I do appear with my daughter, time is rather limited,” Queen Serenity said.
“Well, that’s the price you pay for dying. Hate to say it, but many good people perished in that fight.”
“Indeed, Grim. Fortunately, there were survivors.”
“Yeah, but they have nothing to work with to rebuild. Only the senshi have that capability. You know that, right?”
“I do, Grim. I just hope Serenity II is able to take care of things properly when I’m gone.”
“Yeah, though in my opinion, many would say she’s incomp-“ Grim stopped and noticed something in the distance behind Queen Serenity.
“What were you going to say, Grim? Are you saying my own daughter is incompetent?” Serenity asked.
“Well, I was only saying there would be those saying she isn’t capable of doing a thing. But right now something more important came up, and it’s behind you,” Grim answered and pointed his bony finger towards what was going on behind her.
The Moon Queen turned around and was shocked to see a whirlpool behind her. It was a sight she had not seen before. Then she noticed blue spheres going through the wormhole-like spout. She knew something wasn’t right.
“Grim, why are there souls going through that portal?” She asked the reaper.
“What the…That’s a soul siphon!” Grim shouted in anger.
“A soul siphon? What is that? I’ve never heard of one of those.”
“That thing sucks souls I’ve collected to whoever is using it for their deeds,” Grim said and then growled. “Whoever’s doing this is gonna pay big time for this!”
“Couldn’t you do something about it?”
“Me? Hardly. But I do know someone who can, but he’s snoozing.”
“Snoozing? Whatever for? He should be doing something about this!”
“I know, I know. But thanks to that capsule he’s in, it’s not easy to wake him up.”
“I see. Just where is this capsule holding him?”
“Back on the moon. Where he’s been for millennia.”
MOON PALACE RUINS
JULY 3, 2002
1621 CHICAGO TIME_
A dark green haired woman was looking over the capsule underneath the ruins of a palace. She was making sure the device was in working order and information from around the world, including key world events, was flowing freely into the capsule, educating the capsule’s inhabitant. The woman also checked the inhabitant’s vital signs to ensure it was healthy. Then Queen Serenity and Grim appeared much to the woman’s surprise.
“Queen Serenity!” the woman said and then kneeled.
“Arise, Sailor Pluto. We need you to release him,” Serenity said.
Sailor Pluto stood up and said, “Release him? Are you sure? Could you wait a little longer?”
“No time, lady. We need him now. A soul siphon showed up in the Underworld,” Grim said.
“A soul siphon?” Pluto asked. Then she looked back at the capsule, “His family was the best family the kingdom could ever have. Whether it was in wartime, or during peace, his family did their job well. So the time has come.”
“Yes, Sailor Pluto. Please, release him. He is in dire need,” Serenity said.
“As you wish, my queen,” Pluto said as she bowed.
Sailor Pluto entered a coded sequence and the capsule began its shutdown process while monitoring the inhabitant’s health. Once the process was finished, the energy field holding it slowly rose up revealing an armored male soldier sitting on a seat while his swords were sheathed on his back. Then he slowly got up from the capsule’s seat, and held his head for a moment. Clearly, he didn’t look well.
“Ugh, what the hell’s going on here?” the soldier asked as his vision was clearing.
“Good afternoon. Did you sleep well?” Pluto asked.
“Sorta. I feel like I’ve got a massive hangover.”
Pluto giggled, “You’re body isn’t used to being in stasis for a long time.”
“No shit, Sherlock. What was your first hint?” he said as he held his head.
“I see your attitude hasn’t changed since the fall of the Silver Millennium. Regardless, how’re you holding up?”
“I’ll be fine in a second. My vision’s still blurry,” the soldier said as he tried to walk.
Sailor Pluto helped the armored soldier over to a seat as his vision slowly cleared. She noticed he wanted to get back to sleep but knew it wouldn’t happen. As he yawned, Pluto couldn’t help but yawn as well. Being a guardian of the Time Gate wasn’t as easy as Grim’s job as a soul collector. Both jobs were hard. Grim was bound to collect souls for the afterlife while Pluto’s was to watch over the Time Gate to make sure no invaders go through the doors. When the soldier’s vision finally cleared, he wasn’t surprised to see the ruins of the palace.
“I see nothing has happened since the fall,” the soldier said.
“No, it hasn’t,” Pluto replied.
When the soldier saw Sailor Pluto, he slowly stood up and saluted her.
“Sailor Pluto, Lieutenant David O’Cain of the Jolly Rogers Platoon reporting for duty, ma’am,” David said.
Sailor Pluto saluted back, “At ease. Welcome back, lieutenant. You’re skills will be needed.”
“How so, ma’am?” David relaxed.
“Well, I think someone else could better explain it,” she then pointed over to Queen Serenity’s spirit and Grim.
“Good afternoon, lieutenant,” Serenity said.
David’s eyes widened and immediately knelt before her, “Queen Serenity! How may I be of service to you?”
Serenity smiled, “As faithful and polite as ever, just like your father. Arise, lieutenant.”
David rose back up, “Your majesty, how may I serve you?”
“The Underworld has a problem. Grim spotted a soul siphon taking souls away and we have no idea who is behind it.”
“One thing’s for sure it ain’t that evil king. He’s long gone from my memory,” Grim said.
“Hey, Grim. Long time no see,” David said.
“Hey, David. It’s been a while. Did you sleep alright?”
“Alright? Hell no. Snoozing on a chair is not what I had in mind doing when I stepped in that damn thing.”
Grim laughed, “That’s the David I know. Doesn’t take crap from anyone.”
“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Grim. Anyway, what’s up with the soul siphon?”
“Well, a soul siphon showed up earlier this afternoon…”
“You’ve mentioned that. How do we plug it up?”
“That I’m not sure. Whoever’s doing it is pretty good. In fact, better than that evil king your six times great grandfather fought. Boy, was he a pain.”
“Yeah, my grandpa told me stories about him. He was quite a good fighter.”
“Oh yeah he was. One of the best O’Cains I’ve ever worked with. Your father comes in second, and sorry pal but you’re third on my list.”
“That’s okay, Grim. We got a hole to plug up but we also need to find out who’s doing it.”
Serenity stepped up to Grim and David, “Lieutenant, do you still have those upgrades you’ve obtained during the Silver Millennium?”
David looked at his left arm guard and saw nine symbols on it, “Yes your majesty. However, they’re still not as strong as what my father obtained.”
“Don’t worry. Soon you will be as strong and powerful as your father. It’ll just take a while.”
“Of course, your majesty.”
“You must hurry. The siphon in the Underworld must be stopped. You must stop whoever is using souls for their evil purposes.”
David bowed to his queen, “I will, my queen.”
“Lieutenant…I’m giving you the order to kill whoever is doing this.”
“At once, your majesty,” David said and saluted. “Come on Grim. We’ve got work to do.”
“David, if possible, try to find any remnants of our glorious army.”
“I will. I’ll do what I can to find them.”
“Good luck, David. The world is counting on you.”
David and Grim then teleported off of the moon, leaving Sailor Pluto and Queen Serenity behind. Serenity had a worried look on her face as the lieutenant and the Grim Reaper left. Sailor Pluto had taken notice of it and questioned it.
“My queen, is something wrong?” she asked.
“I’m just worried about him. He was one of the best soldiers the Moon Kingdom Army could ever have,” Serenity replied,” His family was also one of the best families the kingdom could have for sparring with the senshi. I fear that he might fail.”
“Don’t worry about him. If anything, it’s his resilience that will be a benefit for him.”
“I hope you’re right. It would be a terrible loss should he die.”
“Indeed it would.”
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
JULY 3, 2002
1732 CHICAGO TIME_
Grim and David appeared on an empty street in downtown Kansas City as the two were talking. David was catching up with the friend of his family from long ago. Both were doing their best to be upbeat about their soul retrieval mission. David and Grim were walking and talking at the same time.
“I can’t believe it’s been so long, old buddy,” David said.
“No kidding. I’m still sorry about your parents though,” Grim replied.
“Grim, I’m over that. You were doing what you had to do. There was nothing that could be done.”
“I know. But they do have a nice place in the afterlife though.”
“That’s good. As long as they’re happy in the afterlife, I’m happy,” David said and smiled at Grim.
Grim placed a bony hand on David’s shoulder, “No problem. Now let’s try and find some of those missing souls.”
“Right. But why here?”
“Well, not sure. It seemed like there were quite a bit of souls here.”
“I see. Where in this city shall we look?”
“Hmmmm,” Grim replied as he stroked his chin bone, “We could try the shopping centers. Those have a large concentration of people.”
“Yeah, but if an enemy attacks, there’d be casualties.”
“Oh, right. Well, I guess any business districts would be a start.”
David looked around, “Uh, were are in a business district.”
Grim looked around as well, “Heheh, sorry about that.”
“That’s okay, Grim. I guess we’ll have to start here.”
David looked at the street sign and they were standing at the intersection of Truman and Grand. The place was quiet for a downtown area. Cars were still rolling by on the interstate, but the people didn’t bother looking.
“Well, I guess we’ll begin our search at this intersection and split up from here,” David said.
“Sounds good, but since it’s just you and me we’d better stay together,” Grim said.
“Good idea. I guess we can head north and go in a spiral motion in a ten block radius.”
“Good enough for me. You’re the one in charge, heheh.”
“Gee, thanks Grim,” David said sarcastically.
The two soul retrievers began walking northward ten blocks up from Truman. Then they went west along another empty street when suddenly they heard a gunshot from a distance. Both stopped in their tracks and looked around trying to figure out where it was coming from.
“Did you hear that, Grim?” David asked as he ducked behind a building.
“Yeah, sounds like someone’s having fun,” Grim answered.
“True, but we’re not sure if it’s a homicide or an assault.”
“It’s possible.”
David and Grim looked around from behind a building and then heard more gunshots go off. David then ran to the other side of the street with Grim in tow. David had his M-16 out as he scanned the area while gunshots kept going in the distance. When the direction was determined, they both moved in the direction where they thought the shots were coming from. When they arrived near the scene, they both saw several police officers firing their guns at a couple of people. However, the bullets didn’t do anything. The two calmly walked over to the officers and caused destruction, knocking them all over the street.
David and Grim then intervened with a steady shot from David’s rifle to get the couple’s attention. Both of the women stopped whatever they were doing and looked at them.
“Hey, who brought these two?” one woman asked the other.
“I don’t know. Whoever they are, they’re ruining our fun. Let’s get them,” the other replied.
“Grim, what’ll we do?” David asked.
“I guess we fight them since you got their attention,” Grim answered.
“Figured as much.”
“You there! Who the hell are you ruining our fun?” one of the women yelled.
“I am Lieutenant David O’Cain of the army! I order you to cease and desist immediately!”
The other woman scoffed, “Like you have anything to stop us. You’re just nothing more than an army soldier.”
“Oh really?”
David then aimed his rifle at one of the woman’s head and fired. The bullet hit squarely on the forehead, right between the eyes. The woman’s head reared back and she fell to the ground. David smiled seeing her go down but was shocked to see her get back up. The woman noticed blood drip off her nose and looked at her friend.
“He shot me. That little bastard shot me!” the woman yelled as she took out a spear.
“Let’s get him!!” the other said as she drew out a sword.
“Crap. Not what I was expecting,” David said before firing more shots at the two women.
Then both women charged at David with their weapons forward. David closed his eyes as he brought his rifle up to defend himself when he heard a loud clang. He slowly opened his eyes to see Grim in front of him, crossing the scythe’s blade with the spear and sword. Both women were shocked to see Grim stop their weapons.
“Come on, ladies. Play fair, huh?” Grim said.
“H-how did he…?” one woman stammered.
“I-I don’t know. It’s not possible for him to actually exist,” the other said in shock.
“Hey, David. A little help here,” Grim said to his friend.
“Right,” David answered as he drew one of his bastard swords.
David then rushed at the women and Grim moved out of the way to avoid getting in the crossfire. Meanwhile back at the destruction, the officers were making sure each one is okay while the group’s leader was watching behind her car. She was viewing the fight through her binoculars.
“Sergeant, all officers are okay. A couple of personnel are seriously injured. What do we do?” a male officer asked.
“Get an ambulance here quickly. Make sure no one gets close to this site other than EMTs,” the female officer said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The woman kept close watch of the fight from her distance. She could clearly see that the man who showed up was fighting the women alongside with a skeleton in a cloak wielding a scythe. Back at the fight, David was having a hard time getting hits in on his current target. Grim, on the other hand, wasn’t having as much trouble.
“Heh, you’re pretty good, lady,” Grim said.
“You’re not bad yourself, Grim Reaper,” the woman said.
“Who are ya anyway?”
“Like I’m gonna tell you.”
“You know who I am. Tell me who you are.”
“Very well. I’m Commander Miranda. That’s all you’ll get out of me,” she said.
“How nice. Give up already.”
“Not a chance.”
David was having problems with his target. She was quicker than he was and David was left no choice but to go defensive. As the fight went on, he noticed something about her eyes. They were solid black.
“GRIM!” David yelled.
“What?” Grim said.
“This one’s got black eyes!”
“So? Some folks have black eyes. Literally.”
“Not that! The eyes are solid black!”
“Solid…black? She was revived from that soul siphon!”
“Now you tell me!”
David put some distance from the revived woman fighter. Then he drew his other sword and went back into fighting. The woman he was fighting was still quick in her attacks, keeping David busy defending himself. Miranda smirked and kicked Grim away.
“You’d best help your friend. Clearly you and I are evenly matched,” Miranda said.
“I’ll deal with you later. It’s been a while since someone was good enough to fight me,” Grim replied.
Miranda then disappeared as Grim flew towards the woman fighting David. Grim swung his scythe at the fighter’s back, making a gash. The woman screamed in pain and took a swing at him. Grim easily blocked the swing and David then fired a blast of energy at her. She staggered towards Grim and growled at David. She charged towards him, swung at David, and then felt a blade enter her chest. David had blocked the attack with his left sword and had thrust his right sword into her heart. She backed away and slowly went into a full-blown laugh.
“You fool! Did you think you could kill me that easily?” the woman asked.
“It was worth a shot,” David answered.
“A shot wasted! There will be nobody to stop this world from becoming a place filled with undead. Undead led by our illustrious leader!”
“Is that so? Too bad you won’t be joining that army.”
The woman looked at David in surprise only to see a blast driving the sword further through her heart. The woman winced in pain and screamed as she pulled David’s sword out. Then she threw it back at him, but David caught it with telekinesis. Then he pressed a symbol on his left arm guard and shot a blast of fire at her. The zombie screamed an unholy scream as she was burning. When the fire was put out, she was nothing more than bones and armor.
“You fool! You have no idea what you have done!” The skeleton yelled.
“I do. Putting you out of your misery,” David said and fired one last shot.
The skeleton screamed as she turned to dust and the armor fell to the ground. David walked over to the pile and examined it. The zombie was truly destroyed. As he moved the armor, he saw a blue sphere floating about the ash. Grim looked at it and took a hold of it.
“Well, she’s freed. It’s back to the Underworld for her,” Grim said.
“Man, I’m really rusty from that long nap,” David said.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be back to your old shape. Not sure when that’ll happen. But you did good in freeing that soul.”
“Thanks, Grim. One thing still bothers me. Who is leading this group of undead?”
“Not sure. But that Commander Miranda woman might hold a clue.”
“That’s who you were fighting?”
“Yep. You, on the other hand, need to be trained.”
David was steaming mad at Grim, yelling obscenities as the female officer was walking over towards them. When she heard a little bit of the yelling, she was angry with David.
“Excuse me?” the officer said.
David stopped and looked at her, “What the fuck do you want?”
“What was that about women being weak?”
“That? Um, look, it was at the spur of the moment. I really didn’t mean it.”
Then David was slapped across the face hard. The facemask only softened the blow a little bit. The woman held her hand in pain as David held the side of his face. Grim only laughed the both of them. Then David and the woman loomed over Grim in anger. Grim cowered a little and stopped laughing.
“Look, lady. I’m sorry about the insult. I wasn’t directing it at you or anyone. It was at Grim here,” David said.
“That’s alright. God, your helmet’s hard,” The woman said.
“Titanium alloy. It’s meant to be hard and strong. Still, that slap stung.”
“Heh, so is my hand. I’m Sergeant Iris Gainsburough of the Kansas City Police Department. Are you from the army, like you said?”
“Yeah. It was a pleasure meeting you sergeant. You better take care of what is going on down the road.”
Iris looked back at the scene where the ambulances had arrived, then turned back around only to see David and Grim were gone. She looked around and shrugged as she made her way back to the police cars. David and Grim were on top of a building watching her.
“Grim, is it just me or was she familiar looking?” David asked.
“I think so. She sure has a fiery attitude like an old friend of yours,” Grim replied.
“Yeah. Even down to the name. You don’t suppose it’s really her, is she?”
“Possibly. Who knows?”
“Yeah. Come on. Let’s get outta here.”
“Right behind ya.”
Meanwhile, Miranda was back at her group’s hideout and her leader was scolding her for failing. From her leader, it was clear failure wasn’t an option. She was knocked backwards into a wall and groaned in pain.
“Do you realize how much I hate failure?” the woman in a black sailor fuku said.
“Yes, ma’am. You’ve said failure wasn’t acceptable,” Miranda answered in pain.
“And one of my best soldiers has died. That means the Grim Reaper has returned the soul back to the Underworld and the afterlife. I hope you won’t disappoint me, Miranda. Now, who was it that defeated her?”
“It was Lieutenant David O’Cain of the army.”
“Lieutenant O’Cain?!”
“Yes ma’am.”
The woman shot Miranda again. She screamed out in pain and fell to a fetal position. The woman stopped and then blew on her fingers. Then she looked at a device, which souls were flowing out of it. The woman gently leaned against the console, watching the souls.
“Miranda, make sure you don’t fail again. Eliminate any that get in your way,” the woman said.
“Yes, Sailor Hades. I shall do as you command,” Miranda said and left.
Sailor Hades continued to look at the flowing souls and smirked. Then she observed her massive undead army. She knew that she would need a large army for her world domination plans. What better way than with an undead army? Then she addressed it.
“Soldiers of the Hades Regime! Soon the time will come for us to overthrow the Moon Kingdom and take over this forsaken planet! Once we have conquered Earth, we will then begin our galactic conquest!” Sailor Hades said.
The undead cheered at her words as they continued doing their training and work. The zombies and skeletons are practicing their targeting and sword fighting. Sailor Hades then sat down on a throne. She was also watching a replay of the fight involving her soldier and commander. She could see that Grim and David were fighting well as a team and separate.
“Well. I see we have some resistance from the Moon Kingdom,” Hades said to herself, “And the Grim Reaper himself has shown up. Unfortunately, you two will have your hands full. My army will be unstoppable from your efforts. Not even the Moon Queen herself will be able to stop it.”
Then she slowly built up laughter and it rang throughout the room. A couple of guards standing outside could easily hear it.
“Heh, she’s at it again,” the left guard said.
“No kidding. She may be crazy, but the reward will be good,” the right guard replied.
“Oh yeah. Killing those fleshies will be sweet once we get to fight them.”
The left guard chuckled, “Yeah, we’ll certainly have a ‘bone’ to pick with them.”
Both guards laughed at the joke as Hades continued laughing like a mad scientist. Meanwhile back in KC, MO, David was sitting on a rooftop watching over the cityscape. He was in a meditative trance as Grim watched over him. Grim shrugged and kept a lookout for any more attacks. David then opened his eyes and turned to his ally.
“Grim, can I ask you something?” David said.
“Sure, name it,” Grim replied.
“Do you think it’s possible that she may have been reborn?”
“Who?”
“Sailor Zephyrus. Masaki.”
“Oooooh. Now I know who you’re talkin’ about. It’s possible that she is.”
“If so, then I just need to find her. God, it’s…it’s been so long.”
Grim placed a hand on David’s shoulder, “Don’t worry. You’ll find her. Also, I’m sorry about what happened in the past.”
David then had a tear form in his eye, “Please. Don’t remind me of that.”
“Alright. Still, I’m sorry about her.”
David wiped the tear away, “It’s cool, Grim. One day, we will be reunited.”
“No doubt about it. Come on. Let’s get moving to another spot. Nothing’s happening here.”
“Alright, Grim. Let’s go.”
David and Grim jumped from rooftop to rooftop to patrol Kansas City. A new mission has begun.
Next time… on Soldier of the Past. David and Grim have successfully defended Kansas City from evil. However, evil never rests. Sailor Hades has sent out another wave of attacks on the city. It is up to the lieutenant and the Grim Reaper to stop them. During the attack, a small group of allies show up to assist in the next episode: The Jolly Rogers. (R. Lee Ermey-like voice) You better stick around numb nuts! If you don’t, drop and give me 20!
Episode 2
Soldier of the Past
The Jolly Rogers
By David Kean
KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
JULY 16, 2002
945 CHICAGO TIME_
Iris was sitting at her desk looking over some files she had been collecting since the incident. Ever since she came across the undead, she and her small force was delegated to take care of any further cases. As she was looking at one file, she looked back at what happened.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
JULY 5, 2002
1450 CHICAGO TIME_
Sergeant Gainsburough was lying on the ground face first from getting punched in the face by the undead soldier. Things looked bleak for her until a sword came out of nowhere and stuck in the ground. Both the zombie and Iris looked to see David standing in the distance, and missing a sword. David held the remaining sword in his left hand.
“Hey, asshole! Why don’t you try me on for size?” he shouted.
“Come and get it!” the zombie replied.
David leapt towards his opponent and the two soldiers clashed as Iris looked on. Then she felt an arm pick her up and take her to an alleyway to be out of harm’s way. Her rescuer was Grim himself.
“Take it easy, kid. You ain’t dying on my watch,” Grim said.
“Th-thanks,” Iris said.
“No problem. You stay here and we’ll get you taken care of.”
Iris nodded and peeked around the corner to watch David and Grim deal with the zombie. Also there to cause more problems was Miranda herself. Grim went after her as David dealt with the other soldier. Some ways away from the battle, there were some other zombies and skeletons, but they had already been taken care of. The duels went on and on.
Finally, David had enough time to recall his other sword back into his hand and cut the zombie in half at the waist. The zombie screamed as it got cut and tried to crawl its way to David, intending to deal one last blow. Unfortunately, David was ready with a Colt Series 90 Double Eagle 10mm. He aimed the pistol and shot the zombie in the head. Then a blue orb flew towards David’s right arm guard and was sent back to the Underworld.
As Grim and Miranda fought, Miranda caught a small hole in Grim’s stance and stuck the spear into his chest. Grim lurched back to laugh. Clearly, this wasn’t what Miranda expected.
“What were you thinking? Did you really think I’m mortal like you?” Grim asked.
“I-impossible. How could it be that you can live from such a fatal blow?” Miranda asked back.
“Simple,” then got into her face, ”I’m immortal. I’m the Grim Reaper.”
Then David slashed at Miranda’s arm, and she yelped in pain. She held her hand against the wound to prevent it from bleeding any further. Then David aimed the pistol at her and looked for a good shot. Miranda staggered a bit, and disappeared just as David took his shot. Then Iris snapped back into reality when her boss showed up.
“Iris, is something wrong? You’ve been staring at that file for some time now,” he said.
“Oh. Sorry, chief. I must have been thinking about what happened,” Iris replied.
“Well, don’t let it interfere with your work. That lieutenant you’ve been mentioning has been a great help to this metropolitan. It’d been nice if he actually been a part of our police force.”
“Eh heh. I’m sure it would have been a benefit,” Iris said and smiled.
“At any rate, keep up the good work. These recent undead attacks have been really bothersome since they started.”
“Indeed, sir. My task force will be on top of things.”
“See to it that it is.”
“Yes, sir.”
The police chief walked away from Iris’ desk and she went back to work. The investigations had made Iris a hard worker to make the streets safe.
Meanwhile, on top of another building, David was taking some time to refine his combat skills with Grim as his sparring partner. Grim had noticed that David was a bit rusty in his sword strokes since he woke up from the long snooze. David swung his swords; Grim blocked and tried to counterattack. Every now and then, each would score a hit and keep going. When Grim had enough, David stopped, and sheathed his swords. They knew that David couldn’t practice firing his upgrades on the rooftops. It would attract too much attention. Instead, David would practice some martial arts as Grim rested and watched over him. Seeing David practice brought some memories back to Grim when David first started to fight for real.
MOON PALACE ARENA
AUGUST 18, 8113, BCE
845 UNKNOWN TIME ZONE_
David, as a child of ten years old, stood on the arena floor awaiting his opponent. His parents, the queen, and Grim watched in anticipation. Then a sailor senshi stepped into the small arena and looked at David. When stepping into the lights, his opponent was none other than Sailor Jupiter herself. Grim looked at the queen.
“Are you sure this is what you had in mind?” Grim asked.
“Of course, Grim. You’ve seen how much progress the colonel’s son has made in his training,” Queen Serenity replied.
“But to have the kid face Jupiter? Why not have Venus or Mercury fight him?”
“From what I saw, he would need a stronger opponent. The best on hand was to have Sailor Jupiter face him.”
Grim shook his head, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do, Grim. I do.”
Little David charged at Sailor Jupiter, and gave her an uppercut right square in the chin. However, she caught his fist. Then Jupiter backhanded him in the face and sent him flying to the other side of the arena. David’s mother looked on in shock as his father held her. David stood back up and got into a fighting stance. Jupiter ran at David, going for a clothesline. David wisely rolled away and gave her a sharp kick behind the knee. Her knee gave and then David kicked her in the face.
David’s parents cheered on their son as the fight went on. The fighting got intense within minutes. Both fighters were giving their best in the match, not giving up. It seemed it went on for minutes, maybe even hours. Finally, David went down Jupiter’s Oak Evolution. The referee began the 10 count as the only audience consisting of David’s parents, Grim, the moon queen, and three senshi watched. To everyone’s amazement, even Jupiter’s, David slowly stood up when the ref was at 8. David’s mother smiled, seeing her son would not give up so easily.
David was breathing hard and looked worse for wear. Burn marks and bruises were all over his body and dents on the armor. Then he stood in his fighting stance, waiting for Jupiter to come at him. Jupiter stood in her stance and motioned him to come. Then they charged at each other. The audience watched on as the two fighters collided. David had punched Jupiter in the gut while she was going for a knee in the gut. Both stood in the same spot for a while until David fell to the floor. The match was over.
David’s mother immediately rushed to her son’s side to take care of his wounds. Jupiter held her stomach as she coughed. His father aided her to a seat. The queen calmly walked over to David and smiled.
“You have done well, little soldier. I’m proud to see you fight,” Queen Serenity said.
David coughed a little, “But…I lost.”
“I know. But you never gave up. You fought until the end. Your family’s renown resilience was what kept you going.”
“Really, your majesty?”
Serenity nodded, “Indeed it was. For your excellent display of fighting against one of my strongest senshi, I shall reward you.”
“What’s that?”
Serenity calmly took David’s left hand, and placed his index and middle fingers on her forehead where the symbol would show up. A soft glow came as the fingers had touched her forehead and energy gently flowed in his left arm. The moon symbol appeared on the left arm guard and she removed the fingers from her head.
“What happened?” David asked.
“Your power that you inherited from your father copied my power,” Serenity answered.
“It did? Wow, that’s neat. But why?”
“Because, my dear, you deserved it. You have fought valiantly and bravely against Sailor Jupiter. Soon, you will have more senshi powers to obtain and they will grow with experience.”
Grim snapped back to reality as present David continued to practice. Grim knew that David was among the best the Moon Kingdom had to offer. However, evil never takes a day off.
UNKNOWN LOCATION, UNDERGROUND
JULY 16, 2002
1021 UNKOWN TIME ZONE_
Sailor Hades watched her army grow and grow, despite the losses she had suffered already. She then watched her soul siphon continuously take souls from the Underworld and bringing back soldiers long dead. Then Miranda entered the throne room and bowed to her superior.
“You summoned me, Hades?” Miranda asked.
“Yes, I did. Over the past few days, the Grim Reaper and the lieutenant have been returning the souls I have taken back to the Underworld,” Sailor Hades said.
“I have noticed that. The souls returned were nothing more than expendable soldiers.”
“As well as the souls of some of our top soldiers, our best. Those two had better be taken care of quickly if we are to take over this god forsaken planet.”
“We will at once. I will see to it myself.”
“You better. You do know what happens to those that fail.”
“I understand the consequences. The lieutenant and the Grim Reaper will not interfere any longer.”
“Good. I await their end.”
“Yes, milady.”
Miranda exited the room and headed towards the war room. Several undead were working diligently to make plans for the Moon Kingdom’s destruction. She then stopped and talked to a soldier without even looking.
“Lieutenant Malice. Make sure our friends don’t cause any further trouble,” Miranda said.
“It shall be done,” Malice said throatily and disappeared.
Miranda smiled as she looked at the city map of Kansas City, MO. Then she gave the order, “Send several squads to assist our lieutenant.”
“You got it, commander,” a skeleton said and slammed its fist on a button.
When the skeleton moved from the button its hand fell off and the others began to laugh at it. It screamed for the hand to be put back on and at the others for laughing at him. Even Miranda chuckled at the skeleton’s problem.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
JULY 16, 2002
1338 CHICAGO TIME_
David and Grim were making their usual rounds from the rooftops, keeping out of sight from any civilians. David took a break from his patrol, removed his helmet, and prepared a Meal Ready to Eat (MRE). He sat against an entranceway in the shade as his meal was cooking. Grim sat across from David.
“Quite a day, isn’t it?” Grim asked.
“Yeah. Who’d have thought that it’d get so hot today,” David said.
“I told you to check the weather reports. If you had, you wouldn’t be so tired.”
“So I made a mistake. Thank goodness the water here’s great.”
“I suppose. Boy, we’ve searched all over and not a thing has turned up. Not even that Miranda chick.”
“Well, we did manage to get a little more information about where she’s stationed.”
“Yeah, it’s a start. But it could be anywhere underground. It could be in the north pole for all we know.”
“Indeed. I just hope we can find whoever is stealing souls from the Underworld and start searching for the Moon Kingdom Army.”
“Who knows? The soul problem could take months, maybe even years to get done.”
“I know. If only we had something to work from.”
David then started eating his lunch as Grim watched the streets from the roof. After David was finished eating, the soul retrievers went back to patrolling. David checked from one side of the roof while Grim was checking from the other. A few minutes later, David spotted a small group of undead. Both Grim and David went down to street level to ambush the little band of undead soldiers.
David walked out into the middle of the street and confronted the skeleton and zombie warriors. David fought the small group to the best of his abilities. When a skeletal warrior attacked, David jumped to the other side of the street. Then energy formed from behind him, and then launched towards his target. As he made his way past the soldier, David swiped at it with an energy blade and stopped a few feet behind him. The skeleton just stood there for a moment and looked at David.
“What was that? You call that an attack. That hardly did anything, fleshy. Now I’m gonna get ya really good this time. I’m gonna,” then it stopped as it was bringing its sword up to attack.
David stood up, the blade retracted into the top of his wrist, and the skeleton fell to pieces. A blue orb flew to David’s right arm guard, sending it back to the Underworld. The other warriors looked at each other and back at David. David turned around to face the rest of the group, and smiled underneath his helmet’s facemask. Then the undead yelled and ran away. David gave chase to finish off the small band of undead soldiers. When he turned the corner, he then stood face to face with an even larger group of undead soldiers.
“Oh fuck me,” was all David could say about the situation.
“Get him!” the lead zombie said and the group charged after David.
David ran as fast as he could, trying to put some distance from him and the undead. Grim was waiting from one of the corners for David. When the undead turned the corner, they saw David and Grim waiting for them.
“Hello boys. Miss me?” David said.
“So nice of you guys to join the party,” Grim said.
“Uh oh,” a random skeleton replied.
Then David and Grim began to slice and dice the large group of undead. As the fight went on, several figures some distance behind David and Grim showed up. They were all wearing armor and carrying rifles. The leader was in a magenta colored suit of armor with a motorcycle-like helmet. She stood in between two small groups and gave an order.
“Rogers ready!” she yelled.
“Ready!” the soldiers said in unison.
David looked behind him and saw the group of armored soldiers, readying their guns.
“Aim!” she yelled and they aimed at the group of undead.
“Shit! Grim, move it!” David yelled.
“What?” Grim said.
David pointed behind them and Grim saw the rifles aiming at them. Grim disappeared as soon as the next order was given.
“FIRE!” the woman yelled out and all of the guns fired a volley at the undead.
Several undead soldiers went down quickly and the souls immediately went to David. The armored soldiers fired another volley from their rifles at the undead. David immediately ran at the group, wondering what was going on.
“Who in the hell are you?” David asked.
“Sir. Sergeant First Class Iris Gainsburough of the Jolly Rogers Platoon, reporting for duty,” Iris said and saluted with the three small groups.
David saluted back, “Just what the hell were you thinking? You could have shot me.”
“I yelled loud enough for you to hear, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but still. You could have shot me.”
“Sir, we better take care of your undead friends first before we can continue our introductions.”
“Right. All right Jolly Rogers let’s get ‘em. Aim!”
The entire group aimed their M-16 rifles at the undead group. Then David gave the order to fire and the entire platoon shot a volley of bullets at the undead. Then they strapped their rifles onto their backs and drew their swords. David drew his bastard swords and Iris drew a serrated long sword from her sheath.
“Charge!” David yelled and the Jolly Rogers Platoon ran at the undead.
Both groups of soldiers clashed and fought a fierce battle. Even Grim lent a hand to eliminate the undead. As each zombie and skeletal warrior went down, the soul would go to David’s right arm guard and was returned to the Underworld. The soldiers fought for a while when the undead leader showed up and started to make his way through the undead ranks. He had wrist blades ready and made its attack. A few members of the Jolly Rogers were wounded and the leader spotted David.
It made its way over to him and made a swipe at David. David was able to move away in time and take a defensive stance. The undead leader kept attacking so fast, David couldn’t counterattack at all. David was finally able to kick the zombie away from him to regain his footing. The zombie took a fighting stance.
“I take it you’re the leader of this group?” David asked.
“I am. And I will make sure you will not stop the undead,” the zombie leader said.
“Is that so? You’ll have to try harder to do that.”
“I, Lieutenant Malice of the Hades Regime, will kill you.”
“Hades as in the Greek God of the dead?”
“Not even close mortal. Sailor Hades is our glorious leader. She will bring this world and the universe to its knees.”
“Not if I’m still around.”
David then attacked Malice and Malice returned in kind. Both warriors fought fiercely as the undead group and the Jolly Rogers kept fighting. Grim did his best to fight the undead. Soon he met up with Iris.
“Hey, Iris. Long time no see,” Grim said.
“It has been a long time, Grim. I’m glad we got reunited,” Iris replied.
“Where’d the platoon end up?”
“Would you believe we were in a bunker underneath the city?”
“At this point, I’d believe anything.”
“Well, that’s where we’ve been staying all this time. When David showed up, it was great news for us.”
“Glad to know the Jolly Rogers Platoon’s back together. Let’s show these undead what we’re made of.”
“You got it, Grim.”
The platoon kept fighting on as David and Malice kept their fight going. David was scoring a few hits while Malice didn’t get quite as much. David then sheathed the sword in his right hand, aimed his fist at Malice, and fired a fist-sized laser at him. Malice roared in pain as the laser burned his flesh, or whatever flesh is left. David fired again and knocked Malice against the wall. Then David began to charge energy into his fist for an even more powerful shot.
“VENUS UPGRADE!” David yelled as he aimed and fired a one-foot radius laser.
Malice roared out in pain from the burning. When the laser stopped, he slumped to the ground and was breathing hard. David walked up to Malice, and stood in front of him. Then he pointed his sword to Malice’s face.
“Surrender, Malice. It’s over,” David said.
“Never. The Hades Regime will take over this planet,” Malice said.
“Face it. You lost. Surrender immediately.”
“You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into. Hades will see you dead.”
“I’m afraid not.”
Then David sliced Malice in half, straight down the middle. Malice’s soul flew to David’s arm guard and got sent to the Underworld. Soon more souls were returned to the Underworld as the Jolly Rogers cheered in victory. David and Iris shook hands and gave each other a hug. The Jolly Rogers Platoon was back together.
UNDERGROUND BUNKER, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
JULY 16, 2002
1625 CHICAGO TIME_
David and his platoon were celebrating their victory with food and drink. Even members who were wounded joined in, though not as jubilant. Grim could only watch the group have their party. David sat next to Iris and began a friendly conversation.
“It’s been a long time, Iris,” David said.
“I know. I’m glad that the platoon’s back together from all those millennia,” Iris replied.
“No kidding. I thought I never would find you guys.”
“Well, now you have found us, or rather we found you.”
“And I’m glad you did. Grim and I would have had our asses kicked if you hadn’t shown up.”
“True. The fight would have lasted longer.”
“I would have been exhausted from fighting. Again, thanks for coming.”
“No problem, David. For now, let’s just kick back and relax.”
“And how.”
Meanwhile, Sailor Hades was absolutely furious about the day’s failure. Miranda’s body had been smoking from Hades’ blasts. Miranda struggled to stand up when another blast hit her hard and she screamed in pain.
“Once again you have failed me, commander,” Sailor Hades bellowed.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I thought it would be taken care of,” Miranda said while in pain.
“And it cost us one of our finest soldiers, Lieutenant Malice.”
“Please, milady. Forgive me for my failure.”
“You had better not fail me again. It will be your last.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Miranda disappeared from the throne room and another figure entered. He bowed to Sailor Hades in respect. Hades took notice and welcomed the soldier.
“Ah, welcome major. So good to see you,” Hades said.
“Miranda has been doing her best, milady,” the major said.
“Humph. She tries but it has ended in failure. You know I don’t like failure.”
“Of course I do. Would you like to hear what I have in mind?”
“Go ahead. I’m listening,” Hades said as she sat on her throne.
“If Miranda fails in taking the city, perhaps we should try another.”
“And if those soul retrievers follow?”
“They’ll be dealt with in the utmost importance.”
“Good. The Moon Kingdom shall fall. I will be its new ruler.”
“I will always follow you to the end.”
The major bowed and left. Hades sat on her throne and watched the battle that took place earlier in the day. Then she turned it off and slammed her fist on the arm of the chair.
“Curse you, Lieutenant O’Cain. You may have won this time, but ultimately, you shall fail,” she said and then began to laugh.
Outside of the throne room, the two skeletal guards looked at each other.
“You know, that laugh of hers reminds me of someone, Larry,” the left guard said.
“Oh yeah? Who is it, Joe?” the right guard asked.
“I don’t quite remember. But the girl was really annoying.”
“Like that big boobed chick from Slayers?”
“Nah, not her. More like that one who thinks she’s elegant or something.”
“Oh her. Eh, she can’t be elegant. More like idiotically insane.”
Both guards laughed as Hades continued her laugh. Meanwhile, David sat on top of the roof, staring at the night sky. Iris made her way up and sat next to him. She had a small cooler of beer and offered one to him. David took the bottle and continued to look at the sky.
“Iris, can I ask you something?” David said.
“Sure. What’s on your mind?” Iris said as she took a drink.
“Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to go back to the moon?”
“Not really. Hell, I haven’t even thought about it. Why do you ask?”
“To be able to visit the home you once knew.”
“I see. Someday, we will be home. But for now, Kansas City’s our home.”
“Very true. God, it’s been such a long time since we worked together.”
“Yeah. The last time was… during the last battle of the Silver Millennium.”
David nodded and took a drink. “Well, better get back down to the bunker for the night. I could use the rest.”
“Me too,” Iris said and stretched, “Been a hard day’s work for the both of us.”
David and Iris climbed down the ladder and the stairs leading to the bunker housing the Jolly Rogers. They went to their separate quarters and went to bed. Grim looked over the place once more before he went back to the Underworld.
Next time… On Soldier of the Past. The Jolly Rogers have been reunited. However, the undead continue their attack. Miranda has decided to fight the lieutenant at an abandoned quarry. A member may take up the slack if she fails. The battle will be fierce in the next episode: Miranda’s Last Stand. (R. Lee Ermey-like voice) Did I say you can leave, you grabasstic load of crap? I didn’t think so! Stick around, or I’ll give you latrine duty for the next month!
Episode 3
Soldier of the Past
Miranda’s Last Stand
By David Kean
UNDERGROUND BUNKER, KANSAS CITY, MO
JULY 30, 2002
734 CHICAGO TIME_
The Jolly Rogers Platoon was up for their breakfast in the mess hall, and having regular conversations amongst themselves as they ate. David was sitting with Iris; both enjoying a round of waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage, fruit, hash browns, and whatever drinks were available at that meal. Then a woman with brown hair down to the middle of her back, around 5 foot 9 inches, and a figure similar to Real Bout High School’s main character with a bokken walked up to the table with her meal.
“Excuse me, sir. Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked.
“Not at all, Sergeant. Take a seat. You’re more than welcome to,” David answered.
“Yeah, Ryoko. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Iris replied with a smile.
“Thank you. I just hadn’t met someone as prestigious such as the Lieutenant,” Ryoko said and sat down.
“Tell me, Ryoko. What do you think of the platoon?” David asked.
“Um, I think it’s a very nice group you lead. I mean, we were the best among the best,” Ryoko said as she’s shaking.
“Uh, Sergeant Mitsurugi? Is something wrong? You’re shaking like a leaf on a tree,” Iris said.
“Well, I was nervous coming over here and seeing the two of you together and…”
David chuckled, “Don’t worry. If you’re thinking that Iris and I are an item, you’re wrong. My heart belongs to another…Masaki.”
Ryoko then looked at her leader, “Masaki? As in, one of the senshi within the Solar System?”
David nodded, “That’s the one. But, I haven’t seen her since she…”
“It’s okay David, take it easy. There’s no need to repeat it,” Iris said as she patted him on the shoulder.
David sighed and resumed eating his breakfast. Sergeant Ryoko Mitsurugi of Beta Squad sat in her seat and started eating hers as Iris gently tried to calm David down from remembering what had happened. Ryoko had remembered seeing her commanding officer holding a woman with red hair in a senshi outfit close to him after she had driven a knife through her heart. That particular memory was the worst memory anyone in the platoon could remember.
When breakfast was over, David immediately took off to the rooftops of the city to begin his patrol for undead, as the others had scattered to their original jobs to avoid any suspicion. Iris and Ryoko nodded to each other and followed him. When they got to the roof, they watched David take some practice swings of his bastard swords around. David’s movements were fluid and almost seemed like he was a graceful dancer. They both climbed over the barrier and sat in the shade of a fanning unit to watch him.
David kept going and going, swing after swing of his swords, and had kept up a relentless attack. When it was all over, his left sword was thrust forward as he held his right sword above his head, holding the blade parallel to the ground. All the while, he was in his armor and helmet throughout the whole session. Iris and Ryoko clapped for him as he lowered his stance and looked at his sergeants.
“David, that was amazing. Who knew you would move like that,” Iris said as she applauded him.
“Yeah, you were like a dancer on the floor with those swords of yours,” Ryoko added.
“Thanks, you two. You can thank my training with my father to be the way I’ve become. What brings you two here anyway?” David said.
“Well, we were wondering if you’d like to have a real workout with Ryoko and me,” Iris said.
“That would be great.”
Iris and Ryoko then got into their respective armors and drew their weapons. Iris had her serrated longsword in her left hand while holding a shield in her right arm. Ryoko only had her samurai katana with her and the two women took their stances as David took his to begin their practice session. Grim looked on and made sure none of the combatants were going to be seriously injured.
UNKNOWN AREA, UNDERGROUND
JULY 30, 2002
845 UNKNOWN TIME ZONE_
Sailor Hades, a pale skinned woman with flowing black hair to her knees, was getting fed up with Miranda’s efforts. No matter how hard she had tried, she failed. The Major that came into the throne room looked on from within his armor and helmet, waiting for Miranda to arrive. The 6-foot even, slightly muscular man stood patiently as Hades paced back and forth.
“She’ll come. You know she will,” the Major said.
“She had better. That Lieutenant of the Moon Kingdom is becoming very bothersome to my plans,” Sailor Hades said.
“That is true. But he has no idea how big our plans for this system is.”
“Maybe so, but if he constantly gets victory after victory, I’ll have your heads!”
“Don’t worry, milady. Eventually, he’ll no longer be a threat. If things don’t go well here, we can always find another location to start.”
“A back up plan doesn’t hurt, but the city will fall if the cards play well.”
Then a 5’8” tall female soldier with blue hair down to her waist, pulled back into a ponytail, walked in and bowed to her superior. When she stood back up, she looked at Hades straight in the eye. Miranda showed no fear.
“Commander Miranda, I hope you have a good plan this time to stop Lt. O’Cain from winning,” Hades said.
“I do, Sailor Hades. I have the perfect place to get rid of him once and for all,” Miranda replied.
“Tell me about this plan. I’m listening,” Hades said as she glared at Miranda.
“There’s an abandoned quarry just outside of the city. I intend to bury him alive in the rubble. With a few undead there as bait, the trap will be sprung.”
“And who will oversee this plan of yours.”
“I will see to this personally. I will be the one who brings down that bothersome insect of a lieutenant.”
“I hope you finish the job. You know the consequences of failure, Miranda.”
“Yes, Sailor Hades. I will not fail,” Miranda said and disappeared.
Hades sat back in her throne as the Major stood in front of her. Hades held her head as she gripped the arm of her throne in disgust. She wasn’t in the best of moods for failure of her soldiers. The Major was formulating a fall back plan as he spoke.
“Hades, if this city doesn’t fall, we can always try another,” the Major said.
“If so, where would we go?” Hades asked.
“Perhaps another major city within the country, like St. Louis or Memphis.”
“If Miranda does fail, I’m putting you in charge of the operation. I will control the kingdom with an iron fist. The undead shall rule.”
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
JULY 30, 2002
1159 CHICAGO TIME_
David, Ryoko, and Iris were still going on in their two-on-one fight. Ryoko and Iris teamed up against their platoon leader for the session. Grim casually looked on as the three fought. Iris quickly switched from sword and shield to her bladed battle fans. In one fluid motion, she sheathed her sword, took the shield off, broke it in half to form the fans, and stood in a one legged stance. Ryoko stood in her stance, pointing the tip of her blade at David’s chest as she held it over her shoulder. David kept his usual two-sword stance.
All three came at each other and unleashed a flurry of attacks, defending, and countering. The three combatants were moving at a blur even with Grim watching and trying to keep up. Ryoko found an opening and slashed at his leg, knocking him down. Fortunately for David, the armor on his leg took most of the blow, but the impact still took him down. All three breathed heavily as the fight is over.
“Nicely done, Ryoko. You’re pretty good at keeping up,” David said as he stood up.
“Thanks. Iris had been my sparring partner for quite a while. Shows, doesn’t it?” Ryoko replied.
“It does. Heh, you’re just as fast as her. That can be good.”
“I think so, too. Working on one’s speed can enhance the reaction time.”
The three sat down and put their weapons away as they talked away. Then they had an MRE cooking when an envelope floated down onto David’s lap. He picked it up and looked at the contents. Iris and Ryoko tried to get a peek at what David was reading.
“Lieutenant O’Cain, I’m issuing you an official challenge to a one-on-one fight to the death. You have caused me great pain in your victories. Soon, I shall have the upper hand. Meet me at the abandoned quarry three miles north of the city. Your time has come to an end,” was all that was written on the note.
“Somehow, I am not liking the looks of that note,” Iris said.
“My sentiments exactly. If this is indeed a one-on-one fight as the invite says, it may be a while before the winner is determined,” David answered back.
“What if there’s undead present?” Ryoko asked.
“All I can say is that you guys deal with them. Make sure that none of them interfere.”
“Yes sir,” Iris and Ryoko said.
ABANDONED QUARRY, KANSAS CITY NORTH, MISSOURI
JULY 30, 2002
1248 CHICAGO TIME_
The platoon had arrived near the quarry where a group of skeletons and zombies had gathered. As the Jolly Rogers moved forward, the group of undead stood there in silence. The group’s leader approached David with two other soldiers.
“What is your business here?” the leader asked.
“I was invited to a fight to the death. I even have the proof if you need it,” David said as he showed the zombie the note.
“Ah, Lt. O’Cain. You’ve been expected to come. However, your group of soldiers isn’t allowed.”
“I assure you, they will not interfere with this fight. I hope you and your soldiers will do the same.”
“Of course. This is between commanding officers. Please, go on through.”
The warriors moved away from the center and David and the Jolly Rogers proceeded to walk past them. Once they are several feet away, David signaled them to halt and to hold position. Iris nodded and the platoon saluted their CO. David saluted back and made his way into the quarry. All both sides can do is wait it out. David continued to walk into the quarry and standing on one of the mounds was his opponent. He recognized her immediately.
“Miranda. I should have known it was you who sent the invitation,” David said.
“Indeed I did, Lieutenant. This battle shall end your winning forever. The Hades Regime will conquer the entire galaxy,” Miranda said.
“I don’t think so. There is no way in hell I will allow the undead to rule!”
“Believe what you will, O’Cain. I shall kill you myself for the glory of Sailor Hades!”
Miranda leapt down towards David and held her spear, eager to drive the point into this body. David moved out of the way in time, as the impact caused a ripple in the gravel. Then he drew his swords and stood ready. Miranda stood up and pointed her spear at him. Finally, they charged at each other and began a flurry of blows. They did the best they could to defend themselves from the other. David got a slight diagonal slash in, only to cut Miranda’s uniform.
However, Miranda was quick enough to stick the spear into his chest. Unfortunately for her, the armor was strong enough to stop it from going any further. David was able to knock the spear away from him, but Miranda was able to fire an energy blast at him. David was flown back a few feet and landed on one of the rocky mounds. Then she leapt into the air and threw multiple spears at David and he rolled away as quickly as he can.
Meanwhile, the Moon Kingdom and undead soldiers were sitting around doing nothing. Some of the undead were getting antsy as they saw viable targets. The Jolly Rogers kept calm, knowing that David will give his best in the fight.
“Come on, let’s take ‘em now,” a skeletal soldier said.
“Nah, we shouldn’t. What good would it do anyway?” another asked.
“But they’re just sitting there. Easy pickings.”
“Will you two stop blabbering? We’ve been given orders NOT to attack,” the leader said.
“But sir. Those fleshies are right there. They’ve been stopping us from our victory over the Moon Kingdom.”
“You will stay put!”
Iris and the rest of the platoon sat on the ground and had a few poker games going. Even a few of the undead joined in. At one group, they were playing Texas Hold’em and Iris was among them. It was down to her and a zombie in the pot. Both looked at their cards as they tried to figure out what may be the outcome. Then the zombie made a bet of $5. Iris raised it to $15. Then the soldier re-raised to $25. Iris then made the all-in bet. The zombie looked at her in surprise and looked at his hole cards. Feeling that he had a good chance, he called the bet. Then he revealed his hand.
“Hah! 10 high straight! Come to daddy,” the zombie said as he started to scrap the money towards him.
“Not so fast there, buddy. I have yet to show my hand,” Iris said, causing the zombie to stop.
“Oh yeah? Whatcha got lady?”
“Sevens over sixes.”
The zombie looked at her cards to see she had a pair of sevens in her hole cards with a pair of sixes, an eight, a seven, and a four. The zombie had a 10 of diamonds and a nine of spades. One of the other undead soldiers looked at his cards and got angry for being out of the pot. He stuck a dagger into the ground and looked at Iris.
“I can’t believe you forced me out of the hand,” it said.
“Well, I made the bet, and you decided to fold. Nothing I can do to stop that,” Iris replied.
“I shall have your heart for this!”
Then hell broke loose. The undead moved back to their side of the field while the Jolly Rogers scrambled for cover. The fighting became fierce as wave after wave of undead bared down on the platoon.
David and Miranda were fighting a fierce battle of their own. David was looking worse for wear as Miranda didn’t let up her attack. She kept firing and firing energy blasts at him, forcing him to seek cover. David hid behind a crane as Miranda searched for him.
“You can’t hide forever, Lieutenant. I’ll find you and put an end to your miserable life,” Miranda said.
“You’ll have to find me first,” David said as he quietly moved away.
When she caught a glimpse of him, she fired a blast only to miss behind him. She pursued her prey like a lion and fired when she saw him. David did the best he could to avoid getting hit, but she was finally able to get a hit in. The blast went through his armor at his shoulder and chest, and he fell to the ground. Miranda smirked as she walked over to his body to make sure he is dead. She rolled him onto his back and surveyed the damage.
The blast pierced both sides of the armor, cauterizing the wound. She brought her spear up to stick the point into his heart, when he suddenly opened his eyes and telekinetically threw her away. Then he sat up Undertaker-like and disappeared in a bolt of lightning. She looked around in shock, wondering where he went. Then the Undertaker’s gong sounded off and dark clouds rolled in, covering the area. Iris saw the sky darken and told Ryoko she was in charge and to stay with the platoon. Ryoko nodded as Iris took off towards the quarry.
She stood at the top of the place and only saw Miranda looking around for David. Then the gong sounded off again and Iris gasped as she stared in horror, and recognized the familiar ambiance. Then a low fog, about knee deep, flowed into the quarry. Again, the gong sounded and lightning flashed across the sky. Miranda stopped looking around and briefly saw the flash of light in the clouds.
A few seconds later, the gong sounded off one last time and then thunder roared for all to hear in the quarry. Then a Graveyard Symphony can be heard playing from nowhere. Then a lightning bolt struck the ground and an Undertaker-like figure walked towards her. The eerie tune played for three minutes and the figure stopped in its tracks. Then it lifted its right hand in front of it, palm facing the sky, forming a skull from energy in the hand, and the figure raised its head to reveal David. Grim immediately appeared above and behind David, spreading his arms, and holding the scythe in his left hand.
David then lowered his head, and slowly took off the hat with both hands. When the hat was fully away from his head, a black helmet with a black visor appeared on his head. Grim offered his scythe to David; he took off his trench coat, and gave the hat and coat to the Grim Reaper. Then David took the scythe, spun it around a couple of times, set the spear end onto the ground, and a fiery circular wall appeared around them.
“Miranda…there is no escape,” David said in an eerily Undertaker tone.
“You don’t scare me that easily. I’ll put an end to you!” Miranda responded.
“It is too late. Your time on this Earth is up.”
“Never. I shall defeat you!”
“You have no idea who you are up against. Your soul…belongs…to me. You shall rest…in…peace.”
Suddenly, David flew at Miranda with Grim’s scythe and slashed at her when he got near her. Miranda barely jumped away in time, but David kept coming. His attacks were a total blur and Miranda kept up as best she could to defend herself. Finally, David slashed at her leg and she screamed in pain as the blade made a deep cut in the thigh. She fell to one knee, holding the wound. The last thing she saw was the scythe coming down at her in an angle, and then nothing. Miranda’s head rolled a little to the side with a horror filled look in her eyes.
Then a blue orb appeared over her body and David opened his hand to collect it. The soul flew over his palm, and he closed his fist sending it to the Underworld. Then he looked up at Iris, then turned and walked away. All Iris could do was stare as the dark side of Lieutenant David O’Cain left.
UNKNOWN AREA, UNDERGROUND
JULY 30, 2002
1429 UNKNOWN TIME ZONE_
Sailor Hades looked through her video screen, watching Miranda’s death. From where she sat, she witnessed what the dark side was capable of doing. From her information, David’s dark mode was considered the most feared form of anyone within the army. She closed the window as the Major knelt before her. Then she stood up and addressed him.
“Major, move our troops to another city. I’ve grown weary of that particular town,” Sailor Hades said.
“As you wish, milady. Our next target will not be so difficult to overtake,” the Major said.
“See to it that the move is made.”
“At once. The platoon won’t know what’ll hit them,” he said and laughed.
Outside, Joe and Larry stood guard at their usual spot in front of the throne room.
“Well, that’s a different change of pace. Instead of hearing her laugh, we get to hear the Major” Larry said.
“No kidding. At least his laugh isn’t like that one Major,” Joe replied.
“Oh yeah? You mean the one that’s married and was in love with a nurse?”
“Kinda. But our Major is more maniacal than that one.”
“Well, at least it wasn’t that elegant bitch!”
Then both guards laughed. Meanwhile, back at the Rogers bunker, everyone was in a celebratory mood from the recent defending of the city. Everyone was having a blast, but one. Iris couldn’t see David anywhere in the room. She decided to go look for him with Ryoko’s help. They searched high and low in the underground bunker. They searched the kitchen, the medical area, even the bathrooms. They finally found him lying on his bed with bandages on his shoulder and chest where Miranda had shot him.
Ryoko took his hand and held it for a while. Then he came to. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Beta Squad’s leader. She then put his hand on her cheek. David smiled as he lay there.
“Hey Ryoko. How’re you?” David said.
“I’m fine. I’m glad to see you are alive,” Ryoko replied.
“You took a nasty hit during the fight. It’s a wonder you survived,” Iris said.
“I know. I guess I got lucky,” David said.
“If Masaki was here, she would be taking care of you until you got better.”
“Knowing her, she would. So would my mother. However, they aren’t here, are they?”
“No sir.”
David then relaxed, “Miranda may be dead now, but there’s still undead to deal with. And Sailor Hades.”
“We know. The rest of the platoon’s celebrating. Why not join them?” Ryoko asked.
“Because I would rather recover from my wounds than party. I need this wound to heal before I can continue.”
“Understood, David. You get some rest. We’ll bring you something to eat later.”
“Thanks for coming you two. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime.”
Iris and Ryoko walked out of David’s room and went back to the party. He then closed his eyes and went to sleep. The battle may have been won, but the war against the undead is still going.
Next time on Soldier of the Past. The Jolly Rogers Platoon moves their operation after they received word that the undead are attacking in the south. A new officer has taken over in Miranda’s place. Will this new soldier be as difficult to fight or worse? Find out in “Vyle’s Reign.” (R. Lee Ermey-like voice) Did I say you could take a nap, maggot? You better get up before I light a fire under your ass! Stick around for more or I’m giving you PT for the next three months, ya swamp trudging shitbag!
Episode 4
Soldier of the Past
Vyle’s Reign
By David Kean
UNDERGROUND AREA
356 UNKNOWN TIMEZONE_
The Major
had been gathering up as much undead as he could to
move their operations from
UNDERGROUND BUNKER
834
A few members of the Jolly Rogers were in a communications room as the rest of the platoon went out on patrol. Each radio operator was checking the positions of the patrols, and making sure the section of the city was clear of undead. The task of monitoring radio transmissions was a boring, daunting job, but they were dedicated to their job for the platoon. Suddenly, a distress signal was picked up.
“Home base! Home base! Do you copy? This is bravo team!” the voice said.
The operator looked at her friend and mouthed the group name. The other operator could only shrug her shoulders in confusion. The operator that picked up the signal answered as best as she could.
“Bravo team, give your current location,” she said.
“Home base,
we’re in downtown
“Bravo team, stay calm. Reinforcements are on the way.”
“Hey, Carrie. What’s that all about?” the other op said.
“Sounds like we got some undead in the south, Jenny. We’d better tell the Lieutenant about this,” Carrie said.
“All right. We’ll see what he’s got to say,” Jenny replied.
“Lieutenant, sir. We received a transmission from another group.”
“Where’d it come from, Corporal?” David asked.
“Well, it
came from
“
“Yes, sir.”
“Radio the rest of the platoon and have them meet me back at the bunker. Sounds to me we’re moving.”
Later that morning, the entire platoon sat in the debriefing room to hear what their commanding officer has to say. Some speculated that the call was about undead, while others thought it may have been from a training exercise. Everyone quieted down when David stood at the podium. David cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ladies and
gentlemen of the Jolly Rogers, it has come to my attention that we got a
distress call from an outside source originating from
The whole
platoon was in an uproar about the news and David immediately signaled them to
be silent. “As commanding officer of the
platoon, I have decided that we assist those in
In the garage, the platoon was putting whatever equipment they can get into the humvees and trucks. Weapons, ammunition, medical and radio equipment were being loaded for the travel. David was getting his armor ready, when Iris stopped by.
“Hey, David. How’s the armor?” Iris asked.
“Looking pretty good, Iris. Just giving it a last look over to make sure it got fixed,” David replied.
“Don’t take too long. We gotta get moving ASAP.”
“I
know. Who knows what kind of havoc is
going on in
David had
finished up getting his things together, and climbed into the lead
vehicle. The doors opened and the
platoon was off to
DOWNTOWN
945
The Major was overlooking the scene from his position and is finding satisfaction from his troops’ efforts. Then he looked at another position and sent more to assist. As the battle raged, a zombie scout came up to the Major.
“Sir, the city will be ours,” the scout said.
“Good. Once we’ve taken care of the military here, this city will belong to Hades,” the Major replied.
“What of the rest of the town?”
“Wipe it out. Every single one of the authorities.”
“Right away, sir.”
The Major
grinned evilly as he watched the chaos within the city. Meanwhile, the Jolly Rogers Platoon was still
driving down the road going as fast as the vehicles can go. They got to
“What the hell are undead doing here?! I thought we cleared them out!” David shouted over the radio.
“I don’t know. They must have been planning in case of escapees from the nearby towns,” Iris said on hers.
David told another soldier to take the wheel and he climbed onto the roof of the humvee. He then went to a knee and took aim at a vehicle. He could clearly see the undead driving up to his vehicle. He fired an energy ball at the undead and put it out of commission. The undead scattered as the vehicle flew into the air from the explosion. Five soul orbs flew to him and returned to the Underworld.
Then David
took aim at another vehicle of undead and fired. More and more vehicles driven by undead went
after the Jolly Rogers during their travel from
There was leg of lamb, steamed vegetables, fruits, rolls, and drinks. However, David made the platoon not consume any alcohol for the travel. He would not stand for casualties as they headed towards the south. When everyone had their fill of food, some of the soldiers took watch as the rest of the platoon rested. Even though time is of the essence, even soldiers need their rest. David sat against his humvee, and nodded off to sleep.
An hour or two later, they were back on the road. The gunners kept an eye out for any enemy vehicles as the convoy rolled down the road. David also kept an eye out as he drove his vehicle. Then he saw a road sign and announced it on the radio.
“Ladies and
gentlemen of the Jolly Rogers, welcome to
Another hour of driving, and they had arrived at their destination.
1456
The city was a bleak spot to be in. Buildings had taken damage from a battle and large potholes were seen in the streets from mortars. David instructed his troops to drive carefully in the streets and some of the platoon walked alongside the vehicles in case of trouble. Iris took out a pair of binoculars to scan for any survivors. Suddenly, she spotted two heads pop up and then down just as quickly.
“David, I spotted someone,” Iris said.
“Send a team to check it out,” David said.
Iris sent first team of Gamma Squad to check it out. They made their way over to the site carefully, checking every corner to make sure they don’t get ambushed. The team got to the site and radioed in their findings.
“Ma’am, we found survivors,” the team leader said.
“Good. Any of them wounded?” Iris asked.
“One is wounded. They’ve been separated from their unit.”
“Get them over here quickly. Perhaps we can help them.”
The team carried the wounded soldier as they made their way back to the platoon. The rest of the group joined the first team to safety. The medics took the wounded, and managed to stabilize him. Then David walked over to the group and looked at the soldier.
“Looks like he’ll make it,” David said.
“Sir, are you the reinforcements?” a private asked.
“Indeed we are. Lieutenant David O’Cain of the 13th platoon.”
“The 13th?! The Jolly Rogers Platoon?!”
“The one and only.”
The team then saluted David and he saluted back. The team was elated to see fellow soldiers helping out.
“Sir, it’s an honor to be in your presence,” the leader said.
“Take it easy, Corporal. Who are you?” David asked.
“Sir, I’m Corporal Mark Ulrich, team leader of Bravo team.”
“Ah, so you must be the ones making the distress call.”
“Yes sir. They came out of nowhere. They caught us by surprise.”
“Who?”
“Undead, sir.”
“No doubt from the Hades Regime.”
“Yes sir.”
“You’re in luck Corporal. We’re here to help. We came as fast as we could.”
“Couldn’t have come at a better time. The city’s in chaos since they came. We had to evacuate civilians ASAP.”
“Good move. I’d like to speak with your CO.”
“Yes sir. We’ll take you there now.”
The platoon took Bravo team with them as they made their way through the streets of Dallas, Texas. They arrived at an above ground military base, housing many soldiers. They arrived at the gate, and the platoon was allowed in. As the platoon drove into the base, some of the soldiers guarding the gate looked at them cautiously. Iris didn’t liking it.
“Cap’n, I don’t like the looks of this,” Iris said.
“Steady as she goes, Miss Gainsburough. They’re making sure that no undead make it through,” David replied.
“Aye, aye, cap’n.”
David and his platoon made it to the base’s headquarters and dropped off Bravo team. Then David stepped out of his humvee and entered the building. Corporal Ulrich told the secretary that a visitor was here and buzzed them inside. A short, red haired Caucasian woman standing about 5’4” sat in her chair when her intercom buzzed.
“Captain,” the secretary said.
“Yes, Private?” the Captain said.
“Corporal Ulrich and his men returned to base, ma’am.”
“Ah, excellent. I feared we had lost them.”
“They came back with a platoon, ma’am.”
“A platoon? Was it one of ours?”
“No, ma’am. They were from outside of the city.”
“I see. Send in their commanding officer.”
“I’ve already done that, ma’am.”
“Really? I guess whoever it is must have taken the liberty of coming in.”
Corporal Ulrich came in along with David and they saluted the Captain. The Captain nodded to them and they relaxed. The Captain looked at David sternly and started to talk with him.
“Are you the CO of the platoon that came onto my base?” the Captain asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I am Lieutenant David O’Cain of the 13th platoon,” David answered.
“The David O’Cain?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Take a seat, have a drink. Corporal, pour some brandy for our guest.”
“Of course, ma’am,” Corporal Ulrich said and poured some brandy into a glass.
“Tell me, what brings you here to Dallas, Texas, David?”
“One of my radio operators received a radio transmission from your Corporal requesting some reinforcements and I provided that with my Jolly Rogers.”
“Good. We can use all the help we need. Those blasted undead practically ransacked the entire city. We had to get the civilians out before any further damage was done.”
“You made the right call in that, Captain. Keeping civilian losses to a minimum was the best choice in a situation like this.”
“Forgive me for being rude. I’m Captain Louise Higgins, commanding officer of the 66th Company.”
“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“Please, drop the formalities. You are our guest.”
“Very well. When did the undead attack?”
“This morning. Some of my soldiers reported that they came up from the ground and began their attack. They were being led by a man in dark violet armor.”
“I see. Any idea where he went?”
“Not exactly. All we know is that he’s positioned himself in the downtown area.”
“It’s a start. What groups do you have available?”
“Well, we’ve already sent out the 16th platoon, while having the 20th platoon on guard here at the base and placing the 17th on reserve.”
“I’d like your reserves to come with me. We’ll take care of the group holing themselves there.”
“Very well,” Louise said and buzzed her secretary, ”Private, get the 17th platoon to headquarters.”
“Yes, Captain.”
David left the office and returned to his platoon. The reserve platoon rolled up and both groups headed towards downtown Dallas. The undead that had stayed within the city took shots at the platoons, and the platoons took care of them. David kept his platoon in line with the 17th as they wound through the streets to the downtown area. Troops walked alongside the combat vehicles for added protection. They managed to find what remained of the 16th platoon, and observed the undead from there.
David took out a pair of binoculars as Iris took to the roof and looked through her .50 caliber rifle’s scope. Both soldiers kept watch of the enemy position and tried to formulate a plan. David gathered the other CO’s for a meeting.
“Okay, from what we’ve gathered we’re dealing with a substantial guarding unit. They’re well armed,” the 16th’s Lieutenant said.
“I saw that. This ain’t gonna be easy. As they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way,” David said.
“But how will we get in? They’ll sound the alarm when they see us,” the 17th’s Lieutenant said.
“You guys are in luck. You’ve got the 13th on your side.”
“You mean the Jolly Rogers? What good will you do?”
“Simple. We’ll distract the guards while you guys plow through. We’ll have the 16th and 17th go together while I send in Alpha Squad as a distraction. Once the guard force is smaller in number, we’ll overpower them with enough firepower and then make a heavy strike on the base.”
“Forgive me for saying this Lieutenant O’Cain, but that’s got to be the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard,” the 16th’s CO said.
“Just wait and see. Sometimes you got to think like these boneheads,” David said with a smile.
“I hope you know what you are doing.”
David set up his platoon within the other two platoons and immediately sent Alpha Squad as the distraction. The squad made a drive-by, and drove off with some of the undead behind them. The 16th platoon’s leader was astonished to see the plan is working. Then David gave the command to charge the gates. The entire force drove up to the undead, firing as they go. The Bradley fighting vehicles and humvees fired their guns at the undead as the foot soldiers charged forward. Alpha Squad joined in after having eliminated their targets. The three platoons fought as best they could against the undead troops.
As the battle went on, the Major stood on a small building, watching the fight as he wore his dark violet armor. He smirked and then joined in the fight. David yelled out orders along with the other Lieutenants to various positions on the battlefield, when a Bradley exploded. David looked at the vehicle and saw pieces of metal strewn about and the troops around it were calling for medics. David looked to see where the shot came from when another blast narrowly missed him and it hit a building. Then he recognized who the soldier was.
“Major Jonathan Winters. How dare you show your face?!” David said.
“I was in the neighborhood. You should leave while you still can,” Major Winters said.
“You dare turn your back on the queen you swore to protect and you return to this place? You are a disgrace to the army.”
“And you aren’t? I figured it was boring having to protect the queen day and night. So, why not have a little fun?” Major Winters said as he smirked.
“I’LL HAVE YOUR HEAD, TRAITOR!!!!”
David drew his swords and charged at Major Winters. Winters dodged each swing and then punched David hard in the gut. David fell to the ground, holding his stomach and coughing for air. Then Winters kicked him in the face. David flew onto his back and continued to cough.
“You weren’t made for the army. Give up now, and I may spare your life,” Major Winters taunted.
“Never,” David said as he coughed,” I’ll never surrender to the enemy. I’ll see to it that you pay for your crimes.”
“Too bad. You leave me no choice but to kill you. With you out of the way, Sailor Hades shall rule this godforsaken planet and then the entire galaxy!”
Both soldiers clashed head-on in a battle between good and evil. Both soldiers gave it their best as the large-scale battle went on all around them. David threw both swords at Winters and then fired a blast. Winters dodged the swords but got hit in the shoulder with the blast. He groaned in pain and then fired his shoulder-mounted laser cannon at David. David dashed away from the laser and telekinetically retrieved his swords. Winters then rushed at David and made a swipe at him.
David ducked in time and stabbed at Winters with his right sword. Winters backhanded David away as the blade went into his side. David was surprised that Winters didn’t go down from the kidney shot. Winters grinned at David and then fired the cannon. David flew backwards and landed hard onto his back. Then he was grabbed by the neck and was lifted off of the ground. David felt the hand squeeze his neck as he struggled to get air into his lungs.
“You see. I’m stronger than Miranda. I’m better than her. I shall kill you right now,” Major Winters said as he choked David with one hand.
David gasped for air and responded by shooting a ball of energy at Winters’ face at point blank range. Winters immediately let David go and covered his face in pain. David then saw Winters’ face was burned from the blast and then fired again. Winters staggered back from the shot and then fired another laser. David tried to block it, but flew back. Winters then took out a helmet and put it over his head. Then he slid it on, and had the appearance of Vile from Mega Man X 3. Major Winters looked at David through the dark visor.
“You pathetic fool. You will not survive this battle. The Jonathan Winters you knew long ago no longer existed,” Major Winters said.
“If you aren’t Major Winters, then who are you?” David asked as he struggled to get up.
“I…am…Vyle!”
Vyle then fired a laser as David tried to get up. Grim immediately swatted the blast away and it hit an undead soldier. Vyle glared at Grim. Grim stood ready with his scythe, waiting for Vyle to attack. Vyle then backed away angrily.
“You may have won this round, Lieutenant. I shall return to finish this,” Vyle said and disappeared.
“We’ll be waiting for ya,” Grim said.
David used a sword to help himself up. The remaining undead ran away when they realized their leader was gone and not many undead were left. Grim threw his scythe at the runners and the souls returned to the Underworld. The 16th and 17th platoons looked at Grim in fear. Grim looked at the groups and shook his head.
“Don’t worry folks. I ain’t after your souls…not yet at least. Right now I’ve got my own problems to deal with,” Grim said.
“Lieutenant, how is it that you are in league with the Grim Reaper?” the 16th’s CO said.
“He’s a family friend long ago. Don’t worry about it. He’ll be okay,” David said.
“Let’s hope so.”
David hobbled back to his vehicle and a medic took a look at his condition. Minutes later, they returned to the 66th’s base to recover. The soldiers on base celebrated their victory over the undead, but deep underground a senshi wasn’t too happy.
UNDERGROUND AREA
AUGUST 6, 2002
1649 CHICAGO TIME_
Sailor Hades kicked Vyle into a wall for his failure. Vyle slid down onto the floor. The armor softened the blow but he was still in pain. Hades’ aura was flaring around her. The city was in her grasp, but the Lieutenant forced a retreat.
“You had the city in our possession! How could you have failed me?” Sailor Hades said angrily.
“That blasted Lieutenant came, as well as the Grim Reaper himself,” Vyle answered.
“I think the Grim Reaper was more of a factor than the Lieutenant. You had the chance to get rid of that O’Cain, and you blew it!”
“How was I supposed to know he’d come? Victory would have been achieved if the Reaper hadn’t come.”
“Enough of your excuses! Get out of my sight!”
Vyle bowed to her and left the room. Hades sat on her throne and angrily crossed her legs at the knee. Then she folded her arms over her chest as she looked at the replay of the battle. With a wave of her hand, the video window disappeared. Then she smirked as she thought out loud.
“Well, Vyle, you have done well. Injuring the Lieutenant like that brought joy to me. I think I’ve found someone who may take my place should I fall. But, when the time comes, you’ll just be my second in command,” Hades mused and chuckled. “I will rule this system. My undead will be at the top, and the rest of this galaxy will be my subjects. The Hades Regime shall rule!”
Then she went into a maniacal laugh. Joe and Larry stood guard as usual, hearing her laugh all the while.
“You know what, Joe?” Larry said.
“What, Larry?” Joe said.
“This job ain’t so bad.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I mean we’re bad to the bone but she’s really bad. In an evil sort of way.”
“Oh no doubt about it. She’s the best. I wouldn’t mind her being my leader instead of a blonde bimbo or a teal haired witch.”
“You mean to say the dumb bunny and the sea witch!”
Both guards laughed at their joke as Hades continued to laugh. Meanwhile, David was lying on a bed in the base’s hospital with bandages on his neck, legs, arms, and stomach. He was looking worse for wear. Iris watched over him as he slept. Iris shook her head in disbelief that someone was capable of such destruction. She looked at her friend’s injuries and they were pretty bad. If David hadn’t done some quick thinking to get out of the strangle hold, he would have died on the spot. Louise knocked on the door and looked at David.
“How is he, Iris?” Louise said.
“He didn’t look too well when he was brought in. Moderate neck wound from Vyle’s hand, deep cuts on his arms and legs, and having been hit in the stomach from that kick, he was not moving around all that well,” Iris replied.
“I heard that a former Moon Kingdom soldier was leading the surprise attack.”
“You heard correctly. Major Jonathan Winters was one of the top military officers. But he got fed up with protecting the queen, and he snapped. The soldiers tried to restrain him from going mad, but he fled. Now we know what happened.”
“Indeed. I hope David can recover from this. He’s one of our finest within the army.”
“I know. Certainly takes after his father, doesn’t he?”
Louise nodded, “He does. We’re lucky to have as fine of a soldier family as the O’Cains. Served for generations.”
“Yep. Who knows? David may even take the lead of his father’s old group.”
“That would be an awesome sight for an O’Cain taking his rightful place in the military. For now, we’ll have to wait.”
Iris and Louise sat in the room, watching over David’s battered body. His healing factor slowly made its repairs to the injuries suffered during the fight. All the soldiers within the base can do is hope that David can be back to fight once again.
Next time on “Soldier of the Past.” Vyle has made his presence known. Hades has brought a new undead soldier to life to fight David. Dallas will be the battleground again in “Large and in Charge.” (R. Lee Ermey voice) Listen up, maggot! You weren’t ordered to leave just yet. Stick around for more or I’ll make you do some running!