The next couple days are slow. Stan shows Dariűse around his training facility. Dariűse especially enjoyed the augmented reality training. Stan spends the days researching everything he can about the G.B.P. while at night Dariűse drink, smoke, catch up on life, and remember the war days. One night Stan wakes up in a cold sweat. He makes his way to the bathroom. As he looks into the mirror something changes, something inside him breaks, and something inside him snaps. He punches the mirror, smashing it.
Stan sits and thinks to himself “This all has to mean something right? The G.B.P., my wife's death, Dariűse showing up. It must mean something.” Stan balls up his fist.
“And if it means what I want it to mean there's only one thing left to do before it starts.”
The next day Stan sits down with Dariűse they have a drink together.
Stan: Look I'm about to go on a trip, you can stay here if you like I own it so no one will mess with the building.
Dariűse: Well Where are you going?
Stan: I have an old friend I need to see.
Dariűse: Ohhh cool, I get to meet someone from your past. Finally! I can get some dirt on you. Stan laughs.
Stan: I guess I could use the company. But look, it's gonna be dangerous.
Dariűse laughs.
Dariűse: Would it be an adventure with you if it didn't involve some type of danger?
Stan: Then I guess it's a road trip.
Dariűse: ROAD TRIP!!! ROAD TRIP!!! ROADTRIP!!! Stan laughs.
The next day they find themselves out in the middle of what looks like it used to be a beautiful forest. But now it is burned and withered from the fallout of nuclear war.
Dariűse: I hate to judge, but who would live out here. Everything's dead and you can't grow anything good in this soil.
Stan: It's cold, destroyed, and no one wants to go out here best of all it's quiet.
Dariűse: But all this radiation.
Stan: Part of the reason he lives out here. Yeah it may be out in the open kinda but who would be dumb or crazy enough to come out here, let alone try and kill someone who lives in this type of environment.
Dariűse: Point taken, I guess.
They come upon an old cabin with the roof falling in.
Dariűse: IS that a bunker? Your nigga lives in a bunker? He was not playing! Stan laughs.
Stan: Actually it's a decommissioned missile silo. But no I have never known him to fuck around.
They walk up to the bunker door. A voice on an intercom speaks up, clearly an angry black woman.
Angry lady: Who the hell are y'all? And what the fuck do y'all want?
Dariűse and Stan exchange looks.
Stan: My name's Stan and I'm here to speak with the man in charge.
A buzzer sounds, Stan and Dariűse enter. It's a small hallway leading to a spiral staircase which leads to the corridor that would have housed a missile. They followed her through a maintenance hallway to where soldiers would have worked and been housed to see beautiful women from all different nations doing everyday activities.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Angry lady: So you see any men here?
Stan: I'm here to speak to Black.
All the women pull some type of gun or weapon from somewhere ready to kill. Stan holds his hands up as Dariűse reaches for his Nodachi.
Stan: Or the black man in charge I see? Stan holds back a small laugh.
Quiet: No one's called me that in years.
Quiet walks from behind a door. He takes one look at them. His first thought is who's the kid with the big sword. Then he thinks after all this time what could captain “save the world” Stan want. Quiet says nothing and leaves the room.
Stan: Really? And chases after him.
All the women go back to what they were originally doing. Dariűse finds a nice spot to sit and enjoy the view. When Stan finds Quiet he is sitting staring up through where the missile would shoot out.
Quiet: So what do you want? Saving the world not work out?
Stan: Actually, no, it isn't working out. Actually the world has pissed on me and set my world aflame. Look I'm sorry I left but there was nothing left for me here I needed to see what the world had to offer me. When I found out about everything you had been doing and how the world had fallen apart I quit the marines and I wanted to come back sooner but with the world at war traveling was so hard and with me being AWOL I had to hide from everyone I couldn't trust anyone. Then, when the world changed, you vanished.
Quiet tries to think about what Stan went through and feels sympathy for his old friend.
Quite: So what do you want now? Cause I doubt it was to say sorry.
Stan chuckles.
Stan: Actually, it was.
Quiet: You on some path of enlightenment or some shit?
They both chuckle.
Stan: Nah my wife has been murdered and I needed to see an old friend. Stan holds back a tear.
Quiet: I'm sorry, I had heard word has spread fast, unfortunately. Does this mean you want revenge?
Stan: I want war.
Quiet: He who goes seeking revenge should dig two graves?
Stan: Imma need a fuck ton more than two graves.
Quiet: I understand your anger. Wanna smoke?
Stan: It's all I wanna do -- well that and kill everything I can get my hands on.
Quiet starts to walk back inside. He chuckles.
Quiet: Still rightfully angry as always.
That night the women party but the men sit at a table. They pass around blunts and drink as the women continue to party around them. Finally Dariűse speaks.
Dariűse: So you want to die?
Stan: Not before I kill everyone who had anything to do with my wife's death.
They sit silently as they finish the blunt. Dariűse was trying to think of something to say. Quiet and Stan enjoying the blunt and the party. Before any of them can continue the conversation a few ladies walk over to try and liven the mood.
A couple ladies walk over to Quiet, they all whisper things to each other. Quiet gets up.
Quiet: Duty calls gentlemen.
As he walks away Stan and Dariüse laugh. Just then some asian women walk over to them.
Asian women1: Hey there big boy a friend of Quiet’s is a friend of mine.
Dariüse: I think she is referring to us.
Stan: (smirking) Actually I think she's talking to you, “big boy”.
Stan begins to walk away while the women and Dariüse talk. A woman approaches Stan.
Stan: Sorry, pretty lady, I don't think I would be very much fun tonight.
The lady gives Stan a hug which to his surprise makes him feel kinda better. Stan goes, sits, and stares up from where the missile would fire. As he looks into the night sky taking in all the sounds around him he begins to cry silently to himself as he rocks himself to sleep in the cold. Stan dreams of a never ending fire. Dariüse and Quiet enjoy their company till they're all exhausted.
BOOM!! The earth shakes and Stan jumps up. WACK!! Something smacks him in the side of the head. As he falls over he throws a sweep kick in the direction of the blow. Stan hears someone hit the ground just as he does. He launches himself in the direction of the sound. He lands on someone and begins to throw punches as he slowly regains some sort of awareness after being smacked in the head. A punch lands square on the jaw and puts the man out.
Stan finally gains his senses and realizes Quiet's bunker is being attacked. Sounds of gunfire, screaming, and explosions rush into Stans ears. He lets out a loud roar, picks up a gun the man had on him and rushes into the base. - End of third issue?