Chapter 5: Worse Case Scenario

"Right, so what is the new plan?" Anna asks me as we board the gondola for the Hall of Heroes.

Elizabeth refuses to look at either of us, unlike Anna, she clearly is not used to this. Something that brings me pride and horrifies me. Anna looks expectant, I better answer before she gets creative, "Same plan, secure a hovercraft, steal an airship leave Columbia."

"You think there's something intact from the mysterious fighting ahead?" Anna asks.

"That's the hope, plus back-tracking isn't really an option," I point out, the fighting ahead has ceased, which causes concern, but can be to our advantage.

"What makes you think the City Police lost?" Anna asks a valid question as we get closer.

"They retreated while being chased by rockets, I saw it happen out of the corner of my eye," I tell them, well mostly Anna, she gets tunnel vision in combat.

"I was more concerned by the bird," she catches my lesson. Moving on she continues, "Anyways, is this 'Songbird' going to chase us the whole time?" she directs the question at Elizabeth.

She doesn't answer, I look at her, damn. She's got the eyes of one of them, like back with the Chinamen who survived the Boxers and the Eight Nations, the eyes that look beyond what was before them. The boardwalk might have pushed her too far.

I put my hand on her shoulder, Elizabeth seems so small. I turn her so I can look her in the eye, telling her, "Look. A lot is happening...I know you must be going through a lot. And...say something."

"It doesn't matter..." she says distantly.

"What doesn't matter?" I ask, looking over to Anna, she takes the cue to take leave the pilot box watch—we'll soon reach our destination.

"Songbird, my guardian, and those people, they'll just kill me," she's coming to a realization..."I was just a test subject to them after all," it's almost a tragedy in itself that she is smart enough to put the pieces together. Knowledge like that—"And I guess you two are serving some client as well," her eyes snap into focus finally meeting mine. I have seen those eyes before, "What is your true intention?" she asks.

I don't break her stare, you don't break contact with this kind of calculating eye. I answer, "Our job is given to us by the Luteces. They want you out of Columbia and in New York." You don't break contact with the eyes of a the a hardening soul.

"Do you know what happens next?" she asks.

"We're here," Anna states.

"Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt," I answer as I release her.

As we exit the gondola, she says, "Since you two are the only ones not trying to kill me in Columbia, I guess I need you t—"

She drops. The crack of a sniper's rifle sounds.

Everything moves in slow motion. As Anna and I drag her to cover, I can't help but note the lack of blood. I seen warriors, men, women, children, felled by the bullet, but never so clean...

Elizabeth opens her eyes and gasps for life. I look her over, she's not wounded?!

There is the the crack of another shot, this time from Anna beside me. She picked up a rifle from a fallen officer and is counter sniping.

"It felt like something stopped the shot..." Elizabeth muses, surprised at not being dead.

"That yellow shit worked!" Anna exclaims, "Now help me Dad, I can't find the bastard!" Anna swears as she ducks, the sniper has found her spot.

I look around, all I have is my hand-cannon, which is not good for this...bingo, I grab a...working—good, machine gun from a downed officer and tell them, "Elizabeth, keep your head down! Anna, I'll give you cover, he'll be as high as he can get!"

"Ready!" Anna says. I reply by popping the automatic out and firing upwards. I don't expect to hit anything, but he doesn't know that.

"Found him..." the crack of Anna's sniper rifle resounds, "And he's down!" She ducks back behind cover.

"Mr. DeWitt, it's a bit late but here!" Elizabeth has moved down a ways under our cover slides me a sniper rifle she found.

"Much obliged, there could be more than one," I reply. Checking the gun before I peek around and scan the building..."Clear," I state.

"Clear from here," Anna replies.

"Let's get search around," I state. Quickly we move out.

Inside Hall of Heroes

Well, this plan has gone to hell in a flaming hand basket. No hovercraft survived whoever was defending this place, no Columbian Police either. This is bad, real bad.

"Could the Vox Populi have holed up here?" I ask as we poke around the gaudy psycho-patriotism memorabilia.

"Who knows, but they are good," Anna concludes, as we have yet to find a single Colombian Policeman body past the front door.

"Welcome to the Hall of Heroes!" a loudspeaker mounted in a George Washington statue speaks causing us all to jump.

"Here we remember our fallen Colombians who fought for freedom, fought for pride! They fought until they died! Under brave Comstock they have defended Columbia, true liberty, and prosperity!" it continues.

Memorials that follow then give glowing reports of the bravery of Comstock in battle and the slaying of barbarians despite long odds...Odd, I don't remember him having anything to do with the Boxers. Anna and I share a look, she knows this as well.

Elizabeth merely comments, "Comstock always was regarded as the vanguard of Columbian ideals."

We proceed until reaching a divide in the route. Three signs—one for a memorial at Wounded Knee, a center one for Lady Comstock, and the Boxer Rebellion.

"I get the Lady Comstock one, but I don't remember a flying city in China or at Wounded Knee..." I muse as I look at the timeline displayed...now that I think about it, I have never heard of Columbia until the Luteces offered this job...

"Corporal DeWitt, what are you doing here?!" a familiar voice over the intercom calls.

"Who's that Dad?!" Anna asks with concern. Anna knows that whenever someone recalls my army days, things never end well.

"You have a child! Golly Corporal! No wonder no one has heard from you! I never thought something like you would ever have children!" Cornelius Slate jeers.

"What do you want Slate?!" I call out before telling the girls, "This guy is Cornelius Slate, we served together in the Indian Wars out west."

"He was a prolific commander of Columbian soldiers. Though I read that he came to be at odds with Comstock and retired," Elizabeth adds.

"They called you the White Indian, you were a true soldier! Not like this lying glory monger Comstock. He took the credit for the blood, bullets, and tears shed of my brave troops," Slate goes on. He always was believed in merit as determiner of one's fate.

Clearly he wants to rant, "Can you help me out, I need to take these two as well as myself out of Columbia," I call out.

"You must have been the one that rampaged through town earlier today! Damn son, your reputation is half of the truth...perhaps you can help my men seek a true soldier's end," he continues ignoring me.

The sounds of boots sound from the three forks ahead, shit. I ready my machine gun, "I don't want to get involved with this mess!" I really hope he'll let us leave.

"Comstock has wasted brave, true soldiers! Now he wishes to send in tin men to do the work of real men! Are you a cowardly tin man, Corporal? Fight your way through, give me and my men an honorable exit in battle with a true opponent!" at that soldiers come around in and open fire!

I duck behind cover as Anna opens fire as well, gunning down several soldiers before taking cover herself.

"You raised your daughter to fight as well! Is she even half of what you were?! Only time in the crucible will tell!" Slate calls out happily. More soldiers pour in from the way we came, shit we'll have to charge into the thick of the mess. The flankers fire force us to move. Elizabeth follows Anna. I try to rejoin them, but rounds force me down my own route.

Machine gun blazing and skyhook spinning I attack the closest foes. My gun punches one down and out. While my skyhook deflects a bayonet from target two. I then bring the whirling claws down on the foe cutting through him like a hot knife. My mind shifts gears—kill. Anna will be safe if there is no one left alive.

Next target, he has a pistol I raise my machine gun to fire, only to find it empty, throwing it at him in distraction I launch forward with and behead him with my skyhook taking his pistol for my own. Spinning around I fire back at the soldiers behind me. One goes down, while the rest have cover and the sounds of more are coming up behind them. I keep firing to keep their heads down, Anna and Elizabeth have already proceeded without me—where, I have no idea. I take the route closest to me—Wounded Knee memorial route.

[Authors Ramble:

Well this is a bit short, I feel though I have a lot of content to cover, plus it is a good divider point...witty me—anyways the next chapter will be up in the future. Oh I also noticed, that I periodically mix up Soldier's Field and Hall of Heroes in earlier chapters...I'll fix it later.]