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Episode
172
“And so our scene must to battle fly,
“It’s 1:28 in the morning.” Armand observed to Everett.
“How the hell can there be a line?”
Standing
before the two knights was a large mass of travelers and tourists, dressed
in all manner of clothing for every weather type and clinging closely to
the warm neon light of the only real restaurant still open in the airport
terminal. “Well, I don’t see anywhere else that’s open, so I guess
it’s only logical.”
“Logical
my ear.” Armand grumbled. “It’s a cheap, fast-food burger joint. Why
do so many people want to eat here?”
“Why
do you?” Everett asked. He waited a moment for a retort, then grinned.
“See?” He started to dig through his pocket. “Get me two good-sized
hamburgers.” He said, pushing a few bills into Armand’s hands.
“I’ll be back in a second.”
Ledger jumped to his left across the cheap, worn carpet, cocking
his gun in his hands as he leapt. A fast shot and the red alien hit the
ground hard, but the door behind it burst open at the seams and three
green aliens came rushing in. Ledger cursed under his breath and shot the
power-up, giving his shotgun flame bullets. Three fast shots and the
aliens all fell in overly violent, fiery deaths.
A
quarter slid into the slot next to Ledger. The black knight looked over as
Everett came up next to him, taking hold of the other gun. “I never
played this one before.” Everett said, cocking the gun. “I played the
first two, but this is four, right?”
“Four
point three.” Ledger corrected, his eyes scanning the screen for any
sign of the aliens. “This is the one with the hidden levels and the APEX
rounds that you can find.”
“Didn’t
this one also have the platinum aliens?”
“Only
after level four. You’re thinking of four point five.”
“Ah.
Right.”
Six
aliens dropped down from the ceiling, their razor claws and yellow bodies
frightening the two game players. Entire clips were unloaded and five of
the aliens fell. The sixth rushed off screen. “Shoot him! Shoot him!”
Ledger yelled, but Everett didn’t hit the target. “There’s gonna be
more now, soon.”
“It’s
okay. I keep telling game designers they need to make these games have
back-up guns, just for situations like that.”
“I’m
sure they listened.” Everett chided. He stepped back from the game.
“I’m going to go find the others. Play me, okay?”
“Sure
thing boss.” Ledger said, taking hold of the other shotgun’s handle.
He moved into the center of the screen, letting Everett leave in piece.
Edgar and Sydney sat together in a small booth in the back of the
airport’s only open coffee bar. Sitting with tiny cups between them, the
two knights waited with casual words between them. “No real food to be
had?” Everett asked as he came up behind the dame.
“Only
caffeine in a cup.” Sydney said, drinking half the small cup in a single
sip. “Of course, it costs seven fifty a cup, but hey. We’re not
getting any sleep for awhile.”
“Sleep
on the flight.” Edgar offered. “That’s what I plan to do.”
“A
few hours of sleep would only wet my appetite for a bed, not help to
quench it.” Sydney smiled with slightly red eyes. “Besides, I want to
be awake in case Roland decides to get romantic.”
“Valid
concern.” Edgar admitted.
“In
less than six hours, we’re going to launch the largest knightly
offensive in years, maybe centuries.” Everett said. He looked at Sydney
and Edgar. “Either of you excited?”
“Delighted.”
The elder knight said sarcastically.
“Wouldn’t
miss it for the world.” Sydney grinned, equally sarcastic.
“Right.”
Everett said, standing up from the two. “I’m going to go find Morgan
and make sure he hasn’t snuck out the back door while we weren’t
looking.”
“Last
I saw him,” Edgar said, chimed in, stirring still more sugar into his
coffee. “He was in the magazine stand around the corner, looking at the
new video game magazines.”
“Biggest
nerd ever.” Everett laughed. He turned away from the two. “I’ll see
you guys at the terminal.”
Roland sat against the wall of the airport, a small crowd of young
kids boxing him in. In front of his lap, he shuffled three cards back and
forth over and over again in as confusing a pattern as possible. “Come
on, guys. Find the red queen, win twenty bucks.” The knight chanted.
“Twenty bucks for the red queen. Red queen wins all.”
One
boy moved forward, laying a peanut-laden candy bar down in front of
Roland. “Alright, my fine boy, which is the red queen, the red queen of
fate, the lovely and educating red queen?” He moved his hands back from
the cards, letting the boy have uninhibited access. The boy thought for a
moment, then reached over and took the card on the far right. Black
Queen
“Sorry, son.” Roland said, taking the candy bar with agile and
rehearsed precision. “Sorry, but no luck tonight.” He said as the
other boys made fun of the loser. Roland began to shuffle the cards again.
“Red queen my boys, red queen, who’s going to be lucky enough to find
the red queen?”
A
twenty-dollar bill landed in front of Roland.
The
white knight looked up to see Everett standing over the boys. Roland
grinned and moved his hands. “Which is the red queen, mister?” He
asked as all the boys looked up in silent awe. Everett reached out and
turned over the center card. Black
Queen
“Sorry,
man.” Roland said, reaching for the twenty, but Everett stepped on the
bill. He looked at Roland, and then reached out again. Black
Queen Black
Queen
“Hey!” Yelled one of the boys. “You cheated.”
“Not
true.” Roland said, as he stood up, collecting his bounty professionally
with two hands. “I said for you to find the red queen, I never said she
was one of the cards I was shuffling.”
“A
knight scamming little kids.” Everett said, shaking his head as he tried
not to laugh. “You are such an embarrassment.”
“What
can I say?” Roland shrugged. “I’m colorful.”
Everett opened the door to the large bathroom to find Morgan
standing over his carry-on suitcase, staring down into his past. In his
hands, he held the silk red shirt that came to symbolize the knights’
uniform. The former knight looked over at Everett, and slowly began to
slide the shirt on.
“What’s
wrong?” Everett asked, as he watched Morgan paused halfway through
slowly putting the red shirt on.
“It’s
red.” The former knight said, with one arm through the shirt, staring at
his reflection. Dressed in a black under shirt, he seemed to carry a
demonic presence with his intense, sorrowful eyes. “I haven’t worn a
red shirt in a long, long time.”
“It’s
for unity.” Everett said clearly. “Don’t think about it.”
“How
can I not?” Morgan said, turning his head over his shoulder to look back
at Everett. “This is a uniform. The Knights’ uniform. This is holy. Or
it was. Once.” Morgan turned back to the mirror. The red shirt hung
limply off one arm. Morgan swallowed, then closed his eyes, taking a deep
breath. With a fast motion of his right arm, he flipped the shirt up onto
his back. Draping down in front of him, the red clashed harmoniously with
the black.
Morgan
stood in the aftermath of the shirt, staring at its reflection. Almost
unconsciously, he began to button it up. “I have sacrificed a lot for
what I believe in.” Morgan said. “And when I was with Arthur, I wanted
to believe it all over again. I really did.” Morgan turned from the
mirror, looking at his friend. “Everett, when all is said and done,
please, you at least try to remember that I gave my all for the Oath.”
Morgan
looked down, a defeated look in his eyes. “I wanted to get away from all
of this, Ev.” He went on. “I wanted to just make music and never again
deal with this. But it found me. It always found me.” He looked into
Everett’s eyes. “I have sacrificed so much for the Oath. So much for
what I thought was right and fair and just and moral.”
Finally,
Everett saw the darkness in Morgan’s eyes, the detachment, the sorrow.
The tears. “I have given everything I believe in for this cause,
Everett.” Morgan said, forcing no emotions into his voice. “So when it
comes down to it, don’t let them say I wasn’t willing to make
sacrifices.”
Everett
stepped forward, putting his hand on Morgan’s shoulder supportively.
“We’ll get through this together. After that . . .” He let it hang
there for both of them to feel. Morgan gathered up his bag and turned and
headed out. Everett was left standing as the former and returned knight
left. With only a moment of thought, he stepped into motion and headed out
as well.
“Now boarding for flight 525.” Came the voice of the flight
attendant as she spoke into the intercom. “Please would all first-class
and silver-circle passengers come to the front for boarding.” Everett,
Sydney, and Morgan began to step forward.
“Wait
a damn minute!” Roland yelled. The three turned back to him and the
others. “You guys have first-class and we’re flying coach? That’s
not fair.”
“Get
a job.” Morgan retorted, turning back to the nearly empty line. Edgar
and Sydney shrugged and moved to join him, leaving the others behind.
“Is
it too late for a revolt?” Ledger asked, looking back to Everett.
The
knight sighed. “Ledger, I think it’s too late for anything.” |