#//'cause john is a brigade | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

scotianostra · 26 days

Text

On 5th April 1820 government forces defeated Radical weavers at what became known as the Battle of Bonnymuir.

The ‘Radical Rising’ or ‘Radical War’ of 1820, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest in Scotland that culminated in the trial of a number of ‘radicals’ for the crime of treason. It was the last armed uprising on Scottish soil, with the intent of establishing a radical republic.

Based in Central Scotland, artisan workers (such as weavers, shoemakers, blacksmiths), initiated a series of strikes and social unrest during the first week of April 1820. This pushed for government reform, in response to the economic depression. The Rising was quickly, and violently, quashed, and the subsequent trials took place in Scotland from July to August 1820.

The events of the Rising followed years of economic recession after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and considerable revolutionary instability on the European continent. As the economic situation worsened for many workers, societies sprung up across the country which espoused radical ideas for fundamental change.

In the early nineteenth century, Scottish politics offered power to very few people. Councillors on the Royal Burghs at this time were not elected to their position, rich landowners controlled county government and there were fewer than 3,000 parliamentary voters in the whole of Scotland, hardly a democracy.

It was recognised that the key to change was electoral reform, and the events of the American Revolution of 1776 and French Revolution of 1789 helped to promote these ideas. Radical reformers began to seek the universal franchise (for men), annual parliaments, and the repeal of the Act of Union of 1707.

Between 1st and 8th April 1820, across central Scotland, some works stopped, particularly in weaving communities, and radicals attempted to fulfil a call to rise. Several disturbances occurred across the country, perhaps the worst of which were the events at Bonnymuir, Stirlingshire, where a group of about 50 radicals clashed with a patrol of around 30 soldiers, while Bonnymuir is the most famous, or should I say infamous of the events during this period, it was by no means the only “uprising”

On Monday April 3rd a strike took force across a wide area of Scotland including Stirlingshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, with an estimated total of around 60,000 stopping work.

Reports were made of men carrying out military drill in Glasgow while foundries and forges had been raided, and iron files and dyer's poles taken to make pikes. In Kilbarchan soldiers found men making pikes, in Stewarton around 60 strikers was dispersed, in Balfron around 200 men had assembled for some sort of action. Pikes, gunpowder and weapons called "wasps" (a sort of javelin) and "clegs" (a barbed shuttlecock to throw at horses) were offered for sale.

In Glasgow John Craig led around 30 men to make for the Carron Company ironworks in Falkirk, telling them that weapons would be there for the taking, but the group were scattered when intercepted by a police patrol. Craig was caught, brought before a magistrate and fined, but the magistrate paid his fine for him.

Rumours spread that England was in arms for the cause of reform and that an army was mustering at Campsie commanded by Marshal MacDonald, a Marshal of France and son of a Jacobite refugee family, to join forces with 50,000 French soldiers at Cathkin Braes under Kinloch, the fugitive "Radical laird" from Dundee.

Government troops were ready in Glasgow, including the Rifle Brigade, the 83rd Regiment of Foot, the 7th and 10th Hussars and Samuel Hunter's Glasgow Sharpshooters. In the evening 300 radicals briefly skirmished with a party "of cavalry", but no one came to harm.

The next day, Tuesday April 4th, Duncan Turner assembled around 60 men to march to Carron, while he carried out organising work elsewhere. Half the group dropped out, however the remaining twenty five, persuaded that they would pick up support along the way, set out under the leadership of Andrew Hardie. They arrived in Condorrat, which was on the way to Carron, at 5am on April 5th. Waiting for them was John Baird who had expected a small army, not this bedraggled and soaking wet group. He was persuaded to continue the March to Carron by John King, who would himself go ahead and gather supporters. King would go to find supporters at Camelon while Baird and Hardie were to leave the road and wait at Bonnymuir.

What the leaders didn’t know is that the Government had placed spies and agitators among the crowds and they were lured to the confrontation with well-armed, trained soldiers on Bonnymuir,

The authorities at Kilsyth and Stirling Castle had however been alerted and Sixteen Hussars and sixteen Yeomanry troopers had been ordered on 4 April to leave Perth and go to protect Carron. They left the road at Bonnybridge early on April 5th and made straight for the slopes of Bonnymuir. As the newspapers subsequently reported:

"On observing this force the radicals cheered and advanced to a wall over which they commenced firing at the military. Some shots were then fired by the soldiers in return, and after some time the cavalry got through an opening in the wall and attacked the party who resisted till overpowered by the troops who succeeded in taking nineteen of them prisoners, who are lodged in Stirling Castle. Four of the radicals were wounded".

The Glasgow Herald mocked the small number of radicals encountered, but worried that "the conspiracy appears to be more extensive than almost anyone imagined... radical principles are too widely spread and too deeply rooted to vanish without some explosion and the sooner it takes place the better."

The end of the Rising

On the afternoon of April 5th, before news of the Bonnymuir fighting got out, Lees sent a message asking the radicals of Strathaven to meet up with the "Radical laird" Kinloch's large force at Cathkin. The next morning a small force of 25 men followed the instructions and left at 7 a.m. to march there. Among them was the experienced elderly Radical James Wilson who is claimed to have had a banner reading "Scotland Free or a Desart"

At East Kilbride they were warned of an army ambush, and Wilson, suspecting treachery, returned to Strathaven. The others bypassed the ambush and reached Cathkin, but as there was no sign of the promised army they dispersed. Ten of them were identified and caught, and by nightfall on April 7th; they were jailed at Hamilton.

I’ll leave things there for the moment, the aftermath will be told in further posts, one in a few days, and more as the ringleaders were made examples of as they were tried for their parts in the events.

The large memorial stone to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bonnymuir was unveiled in April 2021.

#scotland #scottish #history #weavers #socialism

20 notes · View notes

ginandoldlace · 1 month

Text

The fire and destruction of The Crystal Palace in 1936. I have just come across some amazing coloured pictures of the disaster, and pictures I havnt seen before. The Crystal Palace, made from cast iron and glass was originally built in Hyde Park to house the Great Exhibition in 1851. Remarkably, once the Exhibition had finished, a group of businessmen decided to move it, piece by piece to Sydenham Hill 1852. On the evening of November 30th 1936, a small fire had started in the women's cloakroom, two employees who had started fighting it, soon realised that it was getting out of hand and called Penge Fire Brigade. 89 fire engines and over 400 fireman eventually arrived to tackle the blaze, but within hours due to the high winds, it took only a matter of hours to destroy the building. (The fire had caught the timber flooring, and along with the huge amount of inflammable material within the building as well, accelerated the fire.) It was estimated that a crowd of 100,000 Londoners came to see the blaze during the night and following morning, including Winston Churchill, who said, "This is the end of an age" John Logie Baird had been using the the lower level of the Palace for testing his "Mechanical Television" experiments, and much of his work was destroyed in the fire. Laird suspected the the fire was sabotage because of certain objections to his work. But the true cause of the fire remained unknown. Certain demolition was done to make it safe, and both towers were brought down, it was rumoured because they could act as beacons to the predicted arrival of German bombers in the expected forthcoming war. Soon, I hope to eventually go and see the site and what's left of the Palace, it's always been a cause of great fascination to me. Pics, 1,2,and 3 show the morning after. Pics. 4, 5 and 6 shows the extensive damage. Pics. 7 and 8 show demolition work underway, and the one of the towers coming down. Pic. 9 shows the skeleton of the main building. Pic. 10. The Palace in all it's magnificence.

21 notes · View notes

loving-n0t-heyting · 1 year

Text

Maybe it’s different in the books, but one thing that’s strange looking back on the Alec guinness John le care adaptations (spoilers) is how little the partisans of capitalist democracy—that is, the protagonists—seem to believe in anything. The communists certainly believe things! They believe things very ardently, and just about every scrap of dialogue from a real committed communist drips with it (as long as they’re not undercover). The true reactionary militants (Gen vladimir et al) from smileys ppl in league with our protagonists also seem to believe things (albeit insane things), as do some other assets of the circus (like ricki tarrs Christian gf).

But smiley and friends themselves never seem to evince any deep ideological devotion to anything or anyone. They never break into rhapsody about the humane efficiency of the free market, nor do they even seem to care that much about Britain, except as their employer. Nor are they “negative nationalists” defined in opposition to the madness of socialism: there are as few tirades on the evils of collectivism as there are paeans to individual liberty. When connie late in life openly wonders whether the communists were in the right all along, it doesn’t even come across as shocking or offensive, just a bit world weary. In fact, smiley consistently sneers at avowals of zeal or ideological devotion as such (with Karla, obviously, but also for his friend Gen vladimir, as well as lesser figures), and seems unwilling to elevate his ideological commitments above his enemies’ in categorical terms. And of course, given that they are all spies, they’re hardly prone to exalt personal loyalty and friendship where grand visions fail them; personal relationships are seen as principally an avenue for emotional manipulation and blindness. The profession, as they all repeatedly indicate, exerts a selection effect about that

And what makes this strange is they are all still absolutely, fanatically committed to their work. They are willing to kill, bleed, and die for a cause they all sort of casually settle into by default. And you can’t brush it off as charge of the light brigade-style “following orders whatever our opinions on them” Duty-worship either: smiley is portrayed as the perpetual outsider underdog who doesn’t play by the rules, forced to subvert and sabotage his superiors in their own best interest. He cares about protecting the circus’ stakes at all possible personal costs, when he can’t once pressed offer up anything better in their defence than “seems better on balance than the opposition”. Lifetimes of cunning and sacrifice, all for the sake of… nothing

#the court chaplains of democracy indeed

97 notes · View notes

forabeatofadrum · 10 months

Text

Hello hello, Happy Out of Touch Thursday and thank you @cerriddwenluna (yes, you beat me!), @aroace-genderfluid-sheep, @blackberrysummerblog, @artsyunderstudy, @nausikaaa, @ivelovedhimthroughworse and @you-remind-me-of-the-babe for the tags.

And yes, tag back @caramelcoffeeaddict and @coffeegleek! Honestly, I like that I have the reputation of the one who tags.

I was out and about all day yesterday cause there was a city wide queer event so I bought a lot of goods from independent queer shops. Then there was a march and some (disappointing) parties. Good thing they were disappointing, cause now I didn’t feel bad for dipping to see Barbie and guys, Barbie was so fucking good. You could constantly hear laughter from the audience. It was a blast.

You know who isn’t having a blast? Matt Christopher Davis, or as @cutestkilla said, Matty Chris D. (I laughed so hard when I saw that reply, I need to find a way to get it into the fic.). A small (re-)introduction for the new people or people who forgot about him. MCD is just a guy. That’s it. A guy. Who goes to Watford during all the years that Simon and Baz are there. The story of MCD is basically a third person view on the Snowbaz drama, from a viewpoint of someone who doesn’t care. MCD just wants to learn magic, maybe find a girlfriend, have fun with his best friend who happens to be Check Please!’s John Johnson and graduate one day.

I do not really pay attention to the rumour mill at Watford. I have enough stuff to deal with, namely my parents inevitable divorce. I am so glad to be at Watford and away from home. I realised something was off during the summer.

Another issue that I have is that I have to admit that Arnold was right about one thing: I like looking at Agatha Wellbelove.

Quite funny. The first situation makes me lose all doubt in romance, but the second one turns me into a hopeless romantic. I got paired up with Agatha during an experiment for Elocution and it went terrible, since I couldn’t speak around her.

So yeah, I have a lot on my mind.

This is why it completely escaped me that our Chosen One is out here telling people that his nemesis Tyrannus is a vampire.

I will be leaving for Italy tomorrow, so I think I won’t write for three weeks. I’m leaving my laptop behind, but if I am struck by inspiration I will have my phone. We shall see. Also, I finished Ljubim te and instead of taking a breather I stumbled heads-on into two summer challenges, so oops?

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos @blurglesmurfklaine @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @captain-aralias @takitalks @justgleekout @tea-brigade @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @ionlydrinkhotwater @1908jmd @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @cutestkilla @martsonmars @facewithoutheart @shrekgogurt @boyinjeans @rockitmans @bitbybitwrites @whatevertheweather

#wip wednesday #tagged in #no but really barbie was so good #i actually do not know if have already shared this snippet cause it's been a while

23 notes · View notes

tobiasdrake · 1 month

Text

Alright, we've gathered the keys and have an hour left to go. Where do we go from here?

Okay. So. Before reality was rewritten via whatever the fuck just happened, Yuki coded the "emergency escape program" which will let us set everything back.

I. Feel like. We need to have a group discussion here. Once the choice has been made to use it or not to use it, the program will be erased. Yuki wanted the group to decide for themselves whether to stay in this reality or return to the old.

Obviously Haruhi would want to go back to a world of magic and aliens and shit but. Like. There are very good reasons for why we should let this pass us by.

Remember how we fucking killed Ryoko? Like. She is for realsies dead now. Are we really about to return her to her grave?

Remember Haruhi nearly deleting the universe because she was jealous of Kyon?

Remember when we had to cheat at a baseball game so Haruhi wouldn't destroy the city with closed space?

Remember 15,000 time loops because Haruhi wanted to help Kyon with homework?

What about Mikuru nearly decapitating Kyon with a photon laser?

The old timeline was a horror movie. I mean. Obviously he makes the choice.

We're supposed to want this. We're supposed to want Kyon to go back, I know, but. I. Don't? The only good things that happened in the other timeline were the relationships he had with other people, and he can make those again. Hell, Haruhi's literally gung-ho right this second about reforming SOS Brigade.

I have not heard a compelling argument for why Closed Space and Mikuru Beams and World-Cramping are things we should want for the world we live in. This world is much better for the people who live in it.

And just like that, we're world-cramping again. Here we go. Let's make mistakes.

Never mind. Time travel. Gotcha. I get it. The escape program is a time travel device because Haruhi having met John Smith in this time period proves that these events were insulated from the change in history.

Uh. Somehow.

That doesn't sound like changing history. That sounds more like someone cosmically reshuffled reality, similar to the world-cramping.

Haruhi's awakening was previously described as a massive time-quake. So. Is there another Haruhi out there now?

Guilty look away from Kyon makes it sound like it's Mikuru. Maybe she did something to time so she'd finally be free of Haruhi's torments. Maybe she ate Haruhi or something so she could prove her thesis correct and make Itsuki lose the schism.

That can't be it. If anybody's suspicious here, it's Itsuki. Itsuki ate Haruhi so he didn't have to deal with closed space anymore? I dunno.

I do not buy that for a second.

They're still trying to convince us that the way the show treats Mikuru is Fine Actually because she secretly loves it and is enjoying every moment of it. This is so post-hoc justification it hurts.

Why? Did she eat Haruhi?

Watching this and expecting shadow blades to erupt from her like Pride from Fullmetal Alchemist Mangahood. This is weirdly tense just... knowing that one of us ate Haruhi and we don't know which.

Yuki sitting here wondering how many Kyon-With-Bookmarks she is going to send back to herself at this exact point in time. Her day has been full of Bookmark Kyons. This is the 17th! She is drowning her past in Bookmark Kyons.

She wishes she had someone to complain to but unfortunately she did this to herself.

This is so confusing.

So, on December 18th Present Year, somebody ate Haruhi and then used her powers to begin shifting time starting at some point in the three year interim and taking one year to take full effect.

Gonna say Mikuru is off the suspect list 'cause this is way too complex for her. That leaves either Itsuki the Plot Explainer or Yuki herself, the god-tier robot who understands all the things.

Mmm. Not liking that Past Yuki's been shut out from synchronizing with her future self the way she did in the Tanabata episode proper.

Did Yuki eat Haruhi? Why? I mean, I can believe Yuki eating Haruhi. Yuki's been wanting to study Haruhi's capacity for auto-evolution. She let the time loops fly without making any effort to stop them. She's morally ambiguous. I absolutely believe that Yuki would eat Haruhi.

It's the "using Haruhi's powers to rewrite the universe so none of the Haruhi Stuff ever happened" bit I don't understand. Did she just want to give everyone a happier life or something? We know she has a capacity for sentimental value.

Kyon: That's the restoration program!? Yuki: No. Tetanus shot. To stave off Time Diseases. Kyon: That's not a thing. Mikuru: Oh, no, that's a really big risk of time travel. Have you not been vaccinated? I thought everyone at least got the Time Rabies Shot. Kyon: OKAY WHEN ARE YOU FROM!?

You're really going to tell Kyon and not me. You prick.

What, did Kyon eat Haruhi? I am so mad right now at the selective information-delivery.

For real, though. It's gotta be Yuki. Right?

#the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya #the disappearance of haruhi suzumiya #drake watches haruhi suzumiya

5 notes · View notes

hollytanaka · 4 months

Text

Today is the anniversary of the U.S.'s military invasion of Panamá, which occurred on December 20, 1989.

Julio Yao writes in the article "Legacies of the U.S. Invasion of Panama":

On December 20, 1989, former president George H.W. Bush ordered the invasion of Panama. The U.S. 82nd Airborne division pummeled Panama City from the air, as U.S. soldiers from the 193rd Brigade clashed in the streets with troops from the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) and the Dignity Battalions, a militia of workers and campesinos. Thousands of civilians were caught in the crossfire as the heavily populated El Chorrillo neighborhood was set ablaze. By the time General Manuel Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990, 23 U.S. soldiers and 314 PDF troops had been officially killed in the fighting. Civilian casualties were estimated in the thousands. According to an independent investigation by former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark, as many as 7,000 people may have been killed. Mass graves were uncovered after U.S. troops had withdrawn, and over 15,000 civilians were displaced.

Despite the civilian body count, no Panamanian government since has authorized a commission to investigate the killings that took place during the foreign military aggression. No administration has attempted to demand reparations from the United States, nor filed a lawsuit against the United States before the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

Over twenty two years later, the U.S. “Christmas invasion” of Panama is being lost to memory, yet its legacy lives on in profound ways that continue to shape both domestic and foreign policy in Panama.

[...]

Panama’s tendency to submit to U.S. policy has resulted in a foreign policy devoid of independence. For example, Panama is one of the few countries in the world that has not established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, though it maintains relations with Taiwan in accordance with “checkbook diplomacy.” The U.S. government has prohibited Panama’s gestures toward diplomatic relations with Beijing.

Guided by this protectorate concept and right-wing policy, Martinelli’s administration [(2009-2014) had] offered its unconditional support to Israel and withdrawn all backing for Palestine. It [had] distanced Panama from the Central American process of regional integration, withdrawn from the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), and increased ties with France and Italy’s conservative former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was blackmailed by Italian arms company Finmeccanica into brokering a corrupt bilateral security agreement with Panama in which Panama was overcharged for military hardware, including helicopters, radar, and mapping systems. It signed a free trade agreement with the United States and Canada, and [had] given natural resources to foreign corporations, especially mining companies, including Vancouver-based Bellhaven Copper and Gold, Ontario’s Aur Resources, Toronto’s Inmet Mining, and New York’s Dominium Minerals Corporation. All of these actions [were] fully aligned with the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States.

This was, after all, the ultimate goal of the 1989 U.S. invasion. At a meeting on December 10, 1985, four years before Bush ordered Operation Just Cause, then U.S. national security adviser John Poindexter met with Noriega with several U.S. demands: (1) Panama should allow the training of Nicaraguan Contras in the Canal Zone; (2) PDF troops should invade Nicaragua to justify U.S. aggression toward Nicaragua’s Sandinista government; (3) Panama should help dismantle the Contadora Group, a regional initiative to resolve the military conflicts that were destabilizing Central America; and (4) Panama should consent to continued U.S. military presence in Panama.

[...]

The move [of the invasion] destroyed Panamanian sovereignty and the PDF, dismantled security structures, reformed the political system, and returned power to the old oligarchy. This paved the way for new forms of foreign domination, and the Panamanian people continue to suffer its legacy.

More Resources to learn about Panamá's Invasion:

Julio Yao's "Legacies of the U.S. Invasion of Panama," NACLA (March 22, 2012).

John Lindsay-Poland, Emperors in the Jungle (Duke University Press, 2003).

The documentary The Panama Deception (2002) on YouTube

The documentary INVASIÓN (2014)

Stephen Kinzer's chapter "You're No Good," in his book Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq (Times Books, 2007)

___

Photo Credits & Description: Images taken on the morning of December 20, 1989, when various parts of the capital city were under US military control | Images from Panamá Vieja Escuela or (@PaViejaEscuela on Twitter).

#panama #operation just cause #u.s. imperialism #imperialism #central america #history #latin america #martinelli is a piece of shit btw #my mom used to work for him before he became president #and she confirmed he's a major dick #on top of being a zionist neocolonial vendepatria #and yao's article is a bit too pro-noriega for me imo #like the batallones de digndad were death squads #not just militias of workers / peasants #like they were terrorizing people who were already living in misery #but i digress #just recognize that most panamanians hate noriega but also understand this invasion was overkill

9 notes · View notes

kvetchlandia · 2 years

Photo

Uncredited Photographer D.W. Parker, John Robinson and Langston Hughes on the Aragon Front During the Spanish Civil War 1937

Lincoln Battalion, International Brigades, November Something, 1937. Dear Brother at home:

We captured a wounded Moor today. He was just as dark as me. I said, Boy, what you been doin' here Fightin' against the free?

He answered something in a language I couldn't understand. But somebody told me he was sayin' They nabbed him in his land

And made him join the fascist army And come across to Spain. And he said he had a feelin' He'd never get back home again.

He said he had a feelin' This whole thing wasn't right. He said he didn't know The folks he had to fight.

And as he lay there dying In a village we had taken, I looked across to Africa And seed foundations shakin'.

Cause if a free Spain wins this war, The colonies, too, are free — Then something wonderful'll happen To them Moors as dark as me.

I said, I guess that's why old England And I reckon Italy, too, Is afraid to let a workers' Spain Be too good to me and you —

Cause they got slaves in Africa — And they don't want 'em to be free. Listen, Moorish prisoner, hell! Here, shake hands with me!

I knelt down there beside him, And I took his hand — But the wounded Moor was dyin' And he didn't understand. Salud, Johnny

-- Langston Hughes, “Letter from Spain” 1937

75 notes · View notes

hxllblazer · 11 months

Text

❛ stop that. i don't want you to talk about yourself like this. ❜ || @vigilwo

“Stop that? No, you stop that ‘cause I don’t need the bleedin’ Goldie brigade right now, I need you t’ actually listen to me for once for two fucking seconds!”

It’s… definitely a lot sharper than it was supposed to be about three seconds ago in his head, but John was frustrated. Frustrated with this, frustrated with the situation, frustrated with who was getting dragged with him. God, how could John be so stupid?

How could he be so fucking stupid?

The twinge of fibers burning tickled his nose, making him frown in the direction of the door. “Should’ve known…” At least he was nice enough to give him time for once. “Don’t got long. Fuck… alright, Elliot, if you’re not gonna listen t’ everything else then listen to this at least: you’re gonna turn and face the corner, cover your ears, and count t’ 50.”

He swallowed, trying to reign in some solidity but damn was this already making his knees feel like jelly. “Don’t turn around for anything until 50.”

#vigilwo #prattling along «✦» ( in character #disaster con «✦» ( main #dear johnny «✦» ( asks #sorry elliot he's going on a firey vacation 8)

14 notes · View notes

youraveragedeltafan · 11 months

Text

First book spoilers ahead! (please tell me there's prequel book fans, I can't stop thinking about it)

The first Road 96 prequel book is the most interesting thing in the tri-state area to me because of Robert, John, and the fact that it's kinda left up to interpretation whether or not Jarod was a good dad. There is a scenario in which he slaps Lola. Was it just that one instance or a pattern? (and a reason why Robert, a former teacher, could manipulate her into running away)

It's clear that Robert looks for vulnerable people to take advantage of, like Kaito's family and the Kims later on after they join. Notably, we know for almost a fact that both Naomi and Stephen were having second thoughts about the "plan" (I feel like ppl forget that the Brigades didn't cause the attack in '86 but they did try). It's clear that all the adults with Lola were self aware too, as they bring up their concerns about her being in danger at least once.

But here's the interesting part-it's not all Robert (In fact, he's said to have gone missing in dialogue, right before the attack too. How convenient). I know that it's said in the game that John used to be like him, but I think it's in a whole other lens reading it in the prequel. To me, it almost adds more to his guilt in the game when seeing him be kinda mean to Lola or manipulate Naomi and Stephen (who legit have a 5 year old with them) into going through with their mission despite everything.

Anyway, that's why the book is very funni and good and adds to the game. Read it if you haven't. Yes I'm talking to you random person who doesn't care about spoilers and read this because new post in the road 96 tag (Me. I am calling myself out)

Oh, also Stan and Mitch can potentially do the stupidest thing in the world, and they BOTH do it no matter who you side with so it PROVES that they share one braincell depending on who you're nice to. I know I like to write Stan as if he never has done a violence in his life, but he shoots his gun at the most random crap in the book and at the worst times. He is responsible for at least 2 game overs that I know of and it's funny every time

Side note: I really want to add the wacky misadventures Florres had in the book into the wiki but I am too distracted by other stuff atm and also are the books even canon??

#road 96 #these thoughts are beyond scattered I just use word finder on the book pdf and find every instance of a characters name now #choose your own adventure books are wild like that #Road 96 prequel book 1 my beloved #I just realized there's technically a really bad thesis statement in here but I swear this wasn't supposed to be an essay

11 notes · View notes

deeptrashwitch · 3 months

Text

Operation Firewall (2016)

Objective: Anwar Carabalí.

Note (2016): Due to the lack of information about the individual, is probable that he's using a fake name

The weapon trafficant, Anwar Carabalí, born in Sudan. No register of a date nor a location. His first appereance was two years before the operation, at first he did the usual things inside the black market. Sold rifles, grenades, mostly things for light infantry, but slowly started to expand the "bussiness".

Gunnery, drugs, humans, it became worst as the time passed. Soon the american intelligence had reports about a special cache, a nuclear cache on his power. And since they knew about the hate he had against the mere concept of the US, it was a priority to stop him and get the location of the weapon cache.

The CIA and the USSOCOM went after him during almost a year before having especific locations, six countries where he could be, and six sets of coordinates to look in. Morocco, Chad, Egipt, Lebanon, Congo and Angola.

As well, six teams were assigned to raid every location and go looking for the objectives. Information and Carabalí. Their orders about him? Eliminate him, no witnesses, no evidence.

The teams selected were:

SEAL Team 3: Officer in command, Captain John Cooper. Assigned to arrive in Casa Blanca, Morocco. Eight soldiers including the Captain.

Note (2018): Sergeant Blackwell's old team. Does he knows about Broken Statue?

Team 8, Third Ranger Batallion: Officer in command, Captain Taylor Smith. Assigned to arrive in Beirut, Lebanon. Ten soldiers including the Captain.

101th Combat Aviation Brigade: Officer in command, Captain Michael Woods. Assigned to arrive in Yamena, Chad. Twenty soldiers including the Captain.

Note (2018): Sergeant Jackson was part of it. As far as I'm aware, he's an old friend of Alicia. How much does he know?

4th Group, Second Raider Batallion: Officer in command, Captain Nick Sawyer. Assigned to arrive in Cairo, Egypt. Thirteen soldiers including the Captain.

720th Group, USAF Special Operations: Officer in command, Captain Janette Lahiffe. Assigned to arrive in Brazzaville, Congo. Nine soldiers including the Captain.

Task Force 267, First Raider Batallion: Officer in command, Captain Alicia Marchant. Assigned to arrive in Luanda, Angola. Seven soldiers including the Captain.

The result were variated and also were the times. Inside the Sahara Desert there was little to no result regarding the objectives. SEAL 3, the 101th and the 4th found basically nothing during the raids and went back to the bases they were assigned to. On the other hand the 720th found some information, not about the cache, but about the specific cities it was planned to be used.

The ones who got it worse were Team 8 and the 267, Lebanon and Angola. In Lebanon they found the information they needed about the cache, but it was a trap to cause the highest possible causalties. From ten soldiers, three died during withdrawal and two were severely injured, also the other five were hospitalized during weeks after they came back to the base.

Note (2016): It's suspected the use of chemical weapons. What does it mean for us?

But the Task Force 267 found their objective, unfortunately not the way they would have wanted. It had been an ambush at mid way, and they were captured under unknown circumstances. Just a day later they were reported MIA by the intelligence and pilot assigned to them. Almost three weeks later the recon teams intercepted a signal, weak, but with a code that only US troops knew and those pointed to especific coordinates.

Note (2018): What were those circumstances? And how Carabalí knew where to put the ambush?

A recon team was sent to look for survivors. There was one, Captain Alicia Marchant, who had in her hands the proof of the objective death. Soon they discovered the death of the rest of the Task Force, as well they found an extinguished bonfire filled with black bones. Later test revealed the identity of the remains, they were given back to their families for the private funerals.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archive 08341376: Case Broken Statue (July 15th, 2016). First interrogation since the rescue. 10 minutes.

▶️ ------------------------- 0:00/10:05

"Are you the missing Captain Alicia Marchant?"

"Affirmative"

"Are you the former officer in command of Task Force 267?"

"Affirmative"

"Who were your people?"

"Lieutenant Richard Porter, callsign Blade. Sergeant Leo Jameson, callsign Tiger. Sergeant Kate Petrova, callsign Hope. Corporal Sean Walker, callsign Marble. Private Arthur Greenhill, callsign Lotus. And Private Jason King, callsign...Runner"

"Right. You doubted in the last one, Captain"

"Wouldn't you doubt if you feel guilt?"

"Guilt?"

"We said nothing about this Command, they all died because of it. It should have been me"

"The recon team said you eliminated every person inside that place, including Carabalí"

"...I did"

"How did you do that?"

"..."

"I need a verbal answer, Captain"

"The way I did it, it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that Anwar Carabalí is dead and you have the nuclear cache coordinates"

"You know about the cache?"

"He was frustrated because of the raid in Lebanon, the reason was just simple logic"

"Why didn't he kill you?"

"I have no idea, but it was his mistake"

"You brought your team's tags with you"

"They deserved to be near their family, not inside that hell"

"What about yours?"

"Guardian ceased to exist the moment I was in that room. She'll never come back to the surface"

"And who are you now?"

"Difficult to say yet"

"How did you fight with the wounds you had? The medical record shows you were seriously injured"

"I...rather not to think about it"

"You seem surprisingly calm"

"..."

"Captain?"

"Just because I don't scream, hit and cry, it doesn't mean I'm not in grief or boiling with anger, son. Look me in the eye and tell me. Am I Calm?"

"W-what they did to you?"

"Many things. It isn't something you want in tape"

"I see, did you find any other information?"

"Not that I'm aware of, it wasn't really my priority at the moment"

"Alright, I guess we ended h..."

"The other leaders, what about them? I just get rid of one"

"...Dead"

"Good to know"

"What would you have done if they were alive?"

"I think the answer is pretty much obvious"

"Again, I need the answer"

"I would have took care of them myself"

"...We ended here"

End of the recording.

Note (2018): Six leaders and Carabalí. If she got rid of one, where and how the other five died? Is there any proof?

Note 2 (2018): They didn't. For some reason they let them live. Well, not for much, not when Alicia learn about this.

Archive 08341377: Case Broken Statue (July 16th, 2016). Recon Team member interrogation. 6 minutes.

▶️ ------------------- 0:00/06:30

"Are you Private Mark Bauer?"

"Yes sir"

"Team?"

"SEAL 7, sir"

"What was your role during the rescue?"

"I was the escort in case there were survivors"

"You were the first one who saw what happened inside, weren't you?"

"...Yes sir"

"Private, what can you tell me about the state you found Captain Marchant?"

"It isn't something I want to see ever again"

"Elaborate"

"I heard before about the Captain, but I never expected she was so...brutal"

"Brutal?"

"She emerged covered in blood head to toes, and we still not sure if it was hers or not. Honestly, I don't understand how she was awake and walking with the kind of wounds she had"

"What do you think about it? It was hers or not?"

"Considering what she had in her hands? I'm inclined to think it wasn't"

"What she had in her hands?"

"A head. Carabalí's head to be specific. And a box, not that I'm aware what was inside nor I want to know."

"The head?"

"Yes sir. I'm sure it was, and later on we found the rest of the body inside an office"

"Alright, something else you can remember?"

"Her expression"

"Explain"

"Whatever that place made to her...she's not stable, I would be terrified if someone touches something of hers. Her eyes didn't have any trace of mercy or sanity. I'm sure she would have killed us if we did a wrong movement"

"We ended here"

End of the recording

Note (2016): A further psychiatric evaluation is required before even consider let Capt. Marchant be back to her duties.

Note (2018): The results were decent and she was approved to go back a year ago. However, she'll be required to see a psychiatrist every six months. I. Don't. Want. Incidents.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical record: Captain Alicia Marchant, patient 8-07

Sharp wounds: Arms, legs and torso

Cuts to the hipodermis: Face, back and legs

1st grade burns: Breasts and abdomen (partially healed)

2nd grade burns: Forearms (INFECTED) (Antibiotics were prescribed to control the infection)

3rd grade burns: Neck (There was minimal damage to the blood vessels, muscles and nerves) (Estimated recovery time: Six weeks to eight weeks)

Fractured bones: Fourth, seventh and tenth ribs, left fibula

Cracked bones: Right humerus, left radius

It might be needed run some test to discard any kind of infection due to the contact between blood and the wounds. Rehab is mandatory to recover the correct movility on legs and arms after the bone fuse back. The psychiatric treatment must be regular (if not daily) until the permission to go back to duty, and even after, it'll be sporadic.

Note (2018): There are days when I don't understand how Alicia is alive. I hope Blackwell can keep her alive and out of the hospital.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Information obtained

Coordinates (nuclear cache): Islas Turneffe, Belice. 17°28'27.4"N 87°48'50.6"W

Fire power: Three hundred and five kilotons, divided in eight bombs.

Objectives:

Houston, US.

Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Frankfurt, Germany.

Lyon, France.

Osaka, Japan.

Yakarta, Indonesia.

Bagdad, Irak.

Venice, Italy.

Medellín, Colombia.

Note (2016): We expected that, due to Carabalí's hate for America, there would be more of our cities in the list. It's a relieve this isn't the case.

Note (2018): Two years ago my superiors conducted an investigation to find the reasons of selecting this cities. I can understand why cities like Yakarta and Bagdad, capital cities, and Osaka, Rio and Medellín, big cities important for the country economy, were selected. I'll have to look for the archives and files with the investigation results, maybe I'm missing something about it.

Causalities: Nine soldiers and thirty four members of Carabalí's web.

Three soldiers from Team 8, Rangers. (Cause of death: Intoxication with clorhidric gas and sharpnel wounds)

Six soldiers from TF 267, Raiders. (Cause of death: Undetermined)

Note (2016): We might ask Captain Marchant about it. She might have the correct answer about it.

Note (2018): They actually tried to ask her just days after the rescue. I guess they are lucky to keep their heads and limbs. Now part of my superiors are kind of scared of her.

Twenty two members of Carabalí's web dead in Lebanon. (Cause of death: Bullet wounds and blood loss)

Twelve members of Carabalí's web dead in Angola. (Cause of death: Slit throats, blood loss, crushed traqueas, broken necks and one with bullet wounds)

Note (2016): To whoever read this. DON'T ASK ABOUT IT.

Note (2018): I just went to talk to my superiors about this. I'm pretty sure at least two of them flinched when I asked about the time they "talked" with Alicia. They are terrified. This will be an amazing anecdote to tell the team.

Objective: Anwar Carabalí (KIA)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

#archives and extras #call of duty #cod oc #call of duty modern warfare #ocs #cod mw2 #team charlie #call of duty mw2 #cod mwii #oc

5 notes · View notes

weirdestroleplays · 3 months

Note

AYE MASSY! Enjoy reading the letter that some Mississippi missionary sent to Mississippi's old governor in regards to Delly. Because I think you'll have a good laugh about it now.

"Columbus, Miss.

Feby 19, 1861

Hon John Pettus

Dear Sir,

I intend to send you a formal account of my Mission to the Old Blue Hen & her Chicken. I have been delayed for the want of the Official Proceeding of the Delaware Legislature, which were to have been forwarded to me long before this.

Of course Delaware will Act with the "Border States",—but I was assurely surprised to find so many warm, open decided, and uncompromising of the Course of the "Cotton States"—My reception by the Gov. Burton, once the Officers of the state was in all respects gratifying—The instruction to address the Legislature, although founded on a Special Message of the Gov. was more than I Expected, as I had learned that many of the Members of the Lower House were Submissionists.

I had a crowded and intelligent audience; and my views on the state of the Country; and the policy to be pursued by the Southern States were well received by the Majority of those present—some disapprobation was manifested—but not from members to annoy me.

I yet trust that nothing will be done by the "peace convention" to divide the South—At all Events we must & will get along without the Border States.

In time they will, from interest, make Common Cause with us.

I have recommended my relative & friend Dr C. M. Morgan of Genl Alcorns Brigade for Surgeon—He is a gentleman of fine manners—

So soon as I obtain Proceedings from Delaware."

“Delly has been attempting to destroy all copies of this for years.”

2 notes · View notes

scotianostra · 1 year

Photo

Today we remember Sub. Officer Archibald McLay, 35, from Central Fire Station, Glasgow Fire Service, who tragically died in the line of duty, whilst attending a fire at the Scottish Television Studios, located at The Theatre Royal in Hope Street, Glasgow on November 3rd 1969.

Described as “an extensive and difficult fire” in the sub-basement of the studios, the alarm was raised in the late afternoon. The fire had started 30ft below ground. Within minutes, the fire crews arrived to find the building consumed with thick, black smoke.

At one point 90 firemen were fighting the blaze and the decision was taken to use, for the first time in Glasgow, high expansion foam to quell the blaze. Glasgow was the first city in the country to adopt the technique, usually used in mine fires, for regular firefighting.

Foam was pumped into the studios at such a rate that fresh supplies had to be brought in from Paisley.

Around 11pm it became clear that Archie McLay, who was 35 at the time, had not returned from inside the building. Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus went back in to studios, fighting their way through foam 6ft deep to search for him.

He was found under the stage, his breathing line out of his mouth. One of his colleagues told the Evening Times: “At some point the trap door on the stage must have been opened and he would have stepped back and disappeared through it.” A team of ten firefighters many of them seen to have tears streaming down their faces, recovered Sub. Officer McLay’s body from the building.

During the fire, three other crew members had collapsed from a lack of oxygen. A couple of their colleagues heard them fall and managed to pull them out. Later, sub officer John Jamieson, a friend of Archie’s, developed an alarm that would sound when firefighters were knocked unconscious or overcome by fumes.

It became known as the Strathclyde, was used by the brigade and fire crews still use a version of the original alarm, now called the Bodyguard.

The fire burned for 10 hours

Sub. Officer Archibald McLay was accorded a brigade funeral, with his coffin being borne to the church aboard a fire appliance.

The cause of the blaze was deemed to of been an electrical fault in the basement, which caused a large quantity of documents which were stored there to ignite.

The plaque outside the Theatre Royal is one of 12 on Glasgow’s Firefighters’ Heritage Trail, commemorating the lives of fire crews and members of the public who have been lost in fires.

The statue outside Glasgow Central called 'citizen firefighter' was commissioned by Strathclyde fire and rescue to honour firefighters past & present.

#Scotland #scottish #firefighter #fire #rip #Glasgow

14 notes · View notes

neon-lights-stardust-nights · 1 year

Text

I think I like how this idea of faers escape goes tbh

~.~.~

After Nygma received a panicked email from an account Crane had only ever used in short correspondences during tense alliances… Edward didn’t need to read the whole thing to know something was wrong. He’d recently gotten an actual chance to talk to Kronos again, and their conversation seemed to have the desired impact.

It’s Kronos. For the love of god, do not delete this email. I didn’t want to log into my own, I was afraid he’d notice somehow. Johnathan will likely still notice, but maybe he doesn’t read through his own sent emails very often? I’m stupid, who the fuck does that besides me.

It went on, I have decided. I want out. John’s not going to just let me go though, we both know that. I’m not asking you to send in the rescue brigade. You’ve been underground lately, laying low. I respect that. I just need help, somehow, someone. Doesn’t matter who at this point. Please, Ed.

And that’s all it said.

“Doesn’t matter who at this point,” that line stuck with him. For a moment, that felt like a subtle cry to send Batman in. Still, he wanted to review other options before jumping head first into the shitshow that might cause. Laid up in bed, legs bent to prop up his laptop while he typed away, Nygma spent a few days with headphones in on and off. Mostly doing research.

First order of business to him was if fae had any family worth scoffing at. Not really. He knew of faers Arkham stay, but next wanted details. He wouldn’t send Kronos to Arkham on purpose, but maybe emails and security footage could dig up anything. Any friends fae made during would be useful. A little part of him rooted for Two Face—Harvie was easy to negotiate with when you involved chaos, and Harvey’s malformed sense of justice could be manipulated. Getting into everything was easy (they really should up their cyber-security!) Nothing was worth looking at though. Everything mentioning faer never seemed to bring up anything worth scoffing at.

It was after that third day of combing through workers IMs emails and that Edward heard the phone ring. He wished the damn thing was less loud, heard well over the music he was playing. The volume button got a bit of abuse, him repeatedly pressing it to push the slider up until it hurt his ears a little. These things were cheap, but laying low meant not being able to replace his emergency over-ears for anything better.

Though Edward thought letting the phone ring out would be the end of it, he heard it over the roar of the bass drum regardless. Faint, covered by techno music, a sound from the outside world. His phone was ringing again. His eye twitched, focus on the transcripts of guards’ pointless banter wavering some as the annoying, shrill sound of his home phone played out.

The ringing ended. Edward held his breath, waiting. After a few moments, he let out the most contented sigh… Only to have such relaxation immediately shot dead by more ringing. The headphones came off, laptop pushed onto the mattresss.

“Alright, fine!” He stormed over, yanking the thing off the hook. It came up to his ear, and he decided to just let them have it: “whoever the hell you are, you must have too much free time! Can’t you get that I’m busy?”

“Hello, Edward.”

His blood ran cold. Hugo fucking Strange? He’d been incredibly careful! “How the hell did you get this number?”

“You aren’t the only one doing digging,” was the response he got. “You, however, have been sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“And?”

“Why?”

Edward scoffed. “Rather domestic of you to just call me, isn’t it?”

“You’re dodging the question,” he pointed out.

“Because I’m not answering it,” Edward retorted.

“If what I’m being shown is correct, and I have every reason to believe it is… You’ve been snooping other places too.”

“Cut the crap, Strange. What’s stopping me from hanging up on you? Right here, right now?”

“Zacharie Ratkovic. Though, if I’m correct, fae prefers Kronos these days.” Edward’s silence was telling enough that he pressed further, “why?”

“What proof do you have that fae’s involved in this,” Edward bit back, a little too quickly.

“Practically everything I can trace back of your snooping is about faer. Legal information, medical documents, and the list goes on. I want to know why.”

“And I’m going to just tell you, because?”

Strange chuckled, “last I remember, Kronos escaped Arkham to reunite with a certain Johnathan Crane. Yet if your own emails are anything to go off of—“

“Jackass,” Edward groaned, grit teeth and exhaustion coming in clear through the phone.

Ignoring him, “—Kronos is looking to escape.”

“Whatever help you’re offering: no. I said I’d handle it, I’m gonna handle it!”

“I do not mean to trample your ego,” and the faux care put to his voice was nearly mocking to Edward. “But how exactly do you plan to wrench Crane’s prized possession from him without causing a ruckus?”

There was silence on both ends. Edward’s eyes narrowed as Strange broke it, smirk practically audible. “Don’t tell me you have no plan?”

“That’s what I was working on, you idiot! And I do have a worst-case-scenario sort of thing up my sleeve, but I’m obviously saving that for if nothing else looks promising!”

“And what is that exactly?”

“None of your fucking business, that’s what it is.”

Perhaps he was having a spot of fun, quoting the email at Nygma. “Doesn’t matter who at this point.”

“Oh my god, you’re looking right at it. You’re looking at the email right now, aren’t you? Rubbing it in my face. That’s exactly how you get a man to work with you, you insult him.”

“Quite frankly, I’ve put up with plenty of insults from you. I could always hangup, and pretend I never heard about this little escape plan.”

Edward sighed, rubbing at his forehead some with two fingers. He wouldn’t admit that the help would be nice, even if it weren’t Strange on the other end of the line. “What’s your grand plan, exactly?”

“Simple. I have the men and resources to storm his hiding place. They will either retrieve faer, or give faer the opening to escape on faers own.”

“Eloquent,” Edward mumbled with an eye roll, sarcasm dripping like honey from his words. “You just want faer to build you shit for yourself, don’t you? Bombs and bullets like what fae was supplying me, like what fae’s suck supplying Crane, and like fae could supply you.”

“It certainly sweetens the pot,” Strange mused, “but even if that is all I have to gain from this: do you have other options?”

“Sending a tip to Batman about a hostage sounds like an option.” Strange didn’t respond, which got a good chuckle from Nygma. “C’mon, didn’t you read it earlier? Doesn’t matter who it is I send to help, Kronos just wants out!”

“And send faer back to Arkham?” Strange tsk’d at him, “as though Kronos would forgive you from throwing faer from wolves to lions.”

“Shut up, alright?”

“You’re awfully intent on avoiding my offer.”

Edward threw an arm into the air, phone held to his ear by his other shoulder. “And you’re awfully intent to keep offering! Kronos is scared shitless of you, just as scared as fae is about a potential Arkham stay. How do we know he’s gonna do that, anyway? Maybe he’ll take pity on faer, drag faer back to wherever he lives. Poor thing’s probably gonna be six feet in fear toxin, and knowing him, he has a cure!”

“And there’s an equally likely chance that he will leave a hospital to sort out a very scared, drugged man. I simply would like to point out that either option will be uncomfortable, but pain often must be endured for the sake of progress.”

Edward paused. “Why am I arguing with you? You’re going to do this whether or not I let you.”

Something caught his eye. On his caller ID, another call that couldn’t come through because of Strange. With dawning horror, he realized that was Crane’s number. There’s only two reasons Crane could be calling right now…

“I may have already started the arrangements.”

“You got his IP address way before I ever started snooping through anything belonging to Arkham,” Edward whispered.

“Perhaps. Or I acquired it when I caught your wandering eye. You don’t really know, do you?”

“I don’t like the answer either way.”

“This has been fun,” and Edward was stuck staring back at his laptop. “Goodbye, Edward.”

He didn’t say anything. He just slammed the phone back into place, rushing to his living room. Anything that large scale would end up on television. Laptop with him, he closed out all those old transcripts. Now he was trying to hack into cameras, into anything that could at least let him make sure he didn’t doom faer.

#tangled web #riddle me this #sanya writes

2 notes · View notes

chayacat · 1 year

Text

Road96: Shandara’s Land (2)

Fandom: Road96

Rated M for Language and Violence.

***

A terrible silence descended on the square. On the entire Mont National even. people looked in horror at Tyrak standing in front of Flores, a big smile on his face, arrogant as ever. At his side, Merlina Yung, also smiling, standing straight. Flores remained impassive; she mustn't show the slightest weakness. But deep down she was worried, very worried about what Tyrak was going to do.

“Tyrak... How... How did you manage to get out? Security had been tightened!” said Flores calmly.

“Well. You will have to review your security service. It deserves some upgrades.” responds Tyrak, ironically.

“You’re not welcome here.”

“Oh Lupe. I believed that today was a day when everyone could be reunited, criminal or not. In the meantime, thank you for keeping my place warm. If you don't mind, I'll take it back.”

“Certainly not! Security!"

“If I were you, Miss Flores, I would think twice before acting.” Said Merlina with a smile before snapping her fingers.

Suddenly, some kind of soldiers surrounded the area, weapons in hand. By reflex, Stan and Mitch put Sonya between them, to protect her. Adam covered her back. John hugged Fanny, who hugged Alex. Jarod put a hand on the grip of his weapon, ready to draw. Anna stared at Merlina, a drop of sweat beading on her forehead. Two soldiers arrived behind Flores and without warning, made her fall to her knees pointing their weapons at her.

“I hope you enjoyed your little moment of glory. Because now you will know behind the scenes. Mr Tyrak...the stage is yours.” said Merlina.

“Thank you.” said Tyrak before looking at the public. “Dear Petrians, you disappoint me. I thought we would be a country united against Flores' democratic propaganda, but obviously you are weaker than I would have imagined. But that will change. I will take my place again and thanks to me, Petria will become a great Nation again! But first, our country will have to get rid of its enemies. Of its traitors.”

He looked at Merlina who, with a big smile, pulled out a remote control and pressed a button. three small flying robots arrived, two carried a kind of projection screen and placed themselves between Tyrak and Merlina. The third stood in front and turned on like a spotlight.

“Ladies and gentlemen, here are the traitors of the Nation!” said Merlina theatrically.

The screen then displayed, thanks to two other robots, the faces of the "criminals". the two little robots showed Sonya and Adam, as well as Fanny and John. Stan took his brother's crowbar and hit the robot while Mitch hugged his sister tighter, scanning the surroundings to make sure no one was approaching.

“Daggnabit...My sister is NOT a criminal!” say Stan toward the platform.

“Oh, she is. By filming the revolt on election day, she was guilty of high treason against her president. And you will join her, since you protect her. The same goes for you, Campbell. By not arresting this criminal, by putting yourself in a relationship WITH this criminal and his kid, you are therefore an accomplice of the Black Brigade. As the new President, I, Tyrak, decide that Sonya Sanchez and her two idiots, as well as Agent Campbell and his family, are sentenced... to death. And to all those who will not submit to my authority, it is the pit that awaits you!"

With a nod from Merlina, the soldiers prepared to shoot. That's when she saw Anna in the crowd. A big smile appeared on her lips.

“Well, well, Wheatherlaw... It's a small world. Catch the fugitives. Dead or Alive. And take the opportunity to catch Wheatherlaw, alive. That's an order. As for civilians, you heard Tyrak.” said Merlina in a talkie-walkie connected to the small Headsets that the soldiers possessed.

“Yes Madam!” Scream all the soldiers before rushing towards the crowd, causing general panic among them.

People started running to leave. But some were captured and handcuffed by Merlina's soldiers, others were injured by the bullets that were firing. Stan's group was running at full speed so they could hide Sonya as quickly as possible. Stan used his shotgun to shoot those who got too close, Mitch hit them with his crowbar.

“Come on, come on! We have to get out of here quickly!” said Stan, shouting at the soldiers, before avoiding a bullet. “Daggnabit!”

“Stan! We're not going to be able to beat them all!” shouts Mitch.

“Come on Sonya, we have to take you as far as possible.” said Adam taking her by the arm.

On the side of John's group, he and Fanny knocked out the soldiers and helped as many people as possible to escape. they had to reach Mr. Grizzly, John's truck. Alex run as best he could.

“Stay close to us Alex! John, I don’t see Mr Grizzly!” said Fanny.

“... Over here! Look!” shout John, pointing at the truck. “Come on! We have to go!”

“Wait! We can’t let Sonya Sanchez and all here...” said Alex, looking at his parents.

John and Fanny looked at each other for a moment, and with a nod of their heads, they nodded.

“First we reach the truck, then we go looking for them and then we get out of here.” said John.

On Anna's side, things were more complex. She was all alone, no one could protect her. So, she hid under the counters of the stands, without making any noise and tried to think of a solution. But while she was lost in thought, a hand suddenly comes to rest on her mouth, muffling her screams so as not to alert people. She trembled and tried to free herself with all her might, but the person holding her had a stronger grip. The latter made her turn slowly and although she was relieved to see that it was not Yung’s soldier who had found her, the person in front of her didn’t seem at first the most sympathetic. The man pulled on his cigarette while holding his gun firmly.

“Shhhhh. Don’t make any sound. Or else...those guys will catch you.” said the man before taking his hand out of Anna's mouth slowly. “They are after you it seems. Do you know them?”

“In a way, yes. It's a bit complicated to explain. Please, they must not find me.” responds Anna.

“Don't worry. I didn't intend to let them catch you. We have to leave this place. Stay close to me. Got it?”

“Got it. Thanks...I'm Anna.”

“...You can call me Jarod.” replied Jarod before getting up and shouting at a soldier who was close to them. “Come on. Follow me.”

“Quite extreme...let’s go.”

The soldiers put the prisoners in their vehicles, some large transport trucks. Among the prisoners, Flores and his prime minister, as well as the police forces present at the scene and some journalists.

“You’re gonna pay for it.” said Flores to Merlina.

“That’s what everyone said when they saw me. Enjoy your vacation in prison.” responds Merlina before closing the gate of the truck. “All we have left are your little fugitives.”

“They should already be in these trucks to go to the iron pit. Your men are slow.” Said Tyrak.

“Patience is the key, Tyrak. Patience is the key.”

The situation was escalating for Stan's group. Yung's soldiers surrounded Sonya's limousine, their only way to escape. If only the two brothers had come with their motorcycle...They were hidden a little further away and were trying to think of a plan.

“What do we do now? They’re everywhere!” said Sonya.

“I don’t know. But we can forget the limo. We have to find another way out." Said Stan.

“Maybe we can try to hide in a truck...” said Adam.

“Bad idea. They’ll surely search in every truck, car and others to find us.” responds Mitch.

Suddenly they felt that something was behind them, when they turned around, soldiers were pointing their weapons at them. As the click was heard, the sound of a truck was heard. Without warning, a truck drove into the soldiers, forcing them to run away. The side door opened, and Fanny beckoned to them.

“Get in! Now!” she said.

“Thanks. You saved us.” said Mitch, helping Sonya to get in the truck.

“You’re welcome.”

“Hey!!!!” said suddenly a woman voice.

“...Anna?!” said Stan happy to see her. But his happiness disappeared when he sees Jarod behind her. He pointed his shotgun at them "Anna! Move! Stay away from this guy!”

“What?”

“I said MOVE.”

“Stan...” said Sonya.

“I knew you was there...i will not let you kill Sonya. You don’t come with us.” replied Stan, ready to shoot at Jarod.

“What?? Stan no! He won’t do anything! He’s with me! He...he saved me. Please...” Said Anna.

“No way I let him in.”

“Stan...We don’t have time for this, we’re all in danger.” said Mitch.

“...Fine! He can come. But stay away from Sonya. Or else...” replied Stan without lowering his weapon.

“Fine by me.” responds simply Jarod.

But as everyone boarded the truck, soldiers arrived. Adam, who was not yet on board, turned to Sonya, seeming to think, stepped back and began to close the doors.

“Adam!!!” said Sonya trying to reach him but was held by Mitch.

“Go. Take Sonya to safety. I will retain them.” Said Adam turning his back to them.

“ADAM NO!”

“Go! Don’t worry for me! They won't kill me. They will put me in jail. The most important is that you are fine. Love you, Sonya.” replied Adam before closing the door.

Adam motioned for John to leave, and despite Sonya's screams, he complied and walked away. Adam faced the soldiers and surrendered. He understood that fighting would kill him, but he didn't care, at least Sonya was alive. He was arrested and taken away in front of Sonya who could see everything from the truck, which continued to move away. She was screaming, but her brother was holding her back. the truck left the scene, escaping Merlina Yung and Tyrak. Now the goal for them was to take shelter.

But in a country that is now once again under dictatorship, where could they hide?

***

(In less than a month, the prequel comes out. I can't wait so much to discover this day! in the meantime I play Hogwarts Legacy and One Piece Odyssey just to pass the time! I hope you’ll like it like the other ones! Feel free to tell me what you think about it! Have a great weekend to you all! See ya!)

2 notes · View notes