| Funny Valentine vs Senator Armstrong | |
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| Season 1, Episode 12 | |
Vital statistics
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| Air date | 3/15/2022 |
| Written by | LakuitaBro01.2 |
| Directed by | LakuitaBro01.2 |
Episode guide
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| Previous | Next |
| Gamora vs Samus Aran | Darth Vader vs The Lich King |
Funny Valentine VS Senator Armstrong is a What-If?Death Battle by LakuitaBro01.2.
Description:[]
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure VS Metal Gear Rising! This presidential race is heating up as a debate between the top two presidential candidates explodes into a Stand-versus-Nanomachine battle inside the building! Will Funny Valentine commit a Dirty Deed on live television? Or will Senator Armstrong put America's name on the map by making election night a one man landslide?
Interlude:[]
Wiz: America. Founded after it's independence in 1776, it's stood as a symbol of peace and freedom; lending a helping hand to those that truly need it.
Boomstick: The American Dream has always been about bettering oneself for their country, whether it be through the work force or through the army, or even making babies.
Wiz: But as it stands there are politicians who would do anything to speed the process of building a stronger nation, no matter how nefarious the act is.
Boomstick: Like Funny Valentine, organizer of the Steel Ball Run to find the Holy Corpse.
Wiz: And Senator Steven Armstrong, the nanomachine boosted nationalist of America.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skill to see who would win a Death Battle.
Funny Valentine:[]
Wiz: The patriotism of early America showed no bounds. Young men from all families laid down their lives for the future of their country and for the lives of their families. One nameless man endured torture so intense that it eventually killed him, only keeping his mouth shut for his country and his family.
Boomstick: A true American Dad that would put Stan Smith to shame, the man's superior Captain Valentine visited his son, a kid named Funny. If you think about it, naming your kid that WOULD be a cruel joke.
Wiz: Captain Valentine imparted the importance of patriotism on the late soldier's son, who listened and learned everything told to him in that moment. Later the Captain would marry Funny's mother, and Funny Valentine would go on to honor his late father and step father by joining the army.
Boomstick: Funny Valentine had a rough start at the beginning of his military career. He was captured and tortured by the enemy and received lacerations on his back resembling the American flag, which is a damn fine tattoo design.
Wiz: Going on to survive the encounter, Valentine's company ventured into the San Diego desert on an army exercise, but as they had stumbled into an area known as a Devil's Palm, the company quickly perished one by one after, leaving Valentine who found an old, decrepit heart. Upon merging with it, Valentine survived once again and had gained an ability known as a Stand.
Boomstick: Deducing that there might be a whole body, the soldier wanted it all to himself. Afterwards he left the military and pursued a career in politics eventually making his way to becoming the 23rd President of the United States and secret backer of the infamous Steel Ball Run where he tasked Stand users to find the other parts of the holy corpse.
Wiz: And god bless anyone who got in his way. Funny Valentine's intense feelings of patriotism for America is only rivalled by his desire to do whatever it takes to bring only good fortune to the people of his country, going to any length to make sure their futures are bright.
Boomstick: Whether it be face tanking bullets, throwing himself under the wheels of a train, throwing himself in the ocean, backing a major horse race while using his people to run an errand for him, or committing interdimensional murder, Funny Valentine does it all for his country.
Wiz: Apparently so much so that he's maintained a 91% approval rating, something unheard of the history of American politics, yet his charisma alone boosted him that high. Though that's not to say being a veteran in a time where American patriotism was an absurd high doesn't help.
Boomstick: But it DOES help in other fields, such as physically since Valentine is way stronger and faster than your average joe. By himself he's able to physically overpower other grown men and react to Johnny's bullets.
Wiz: Speaking of bullets, Valentine's marksmanship is profound, being able to shoot Axl Row through the neck while purposefully missing all of his vitals while he was mid lunge.
Boomstick: That's some God given levels of skill there.
Wiz: Well speaking of God, while Valentine was in the middle of the Devil's Palm, the heart that merged with him was actually the heart of Jesus and yes we know how ridiculous it sounds.
Boomstick: The heart of All American Mormon Jesus granted Valentine the ability of a Stand, the manifestation of one's fighting spirit, which he named Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, or D4C, or to avoid copyright claims, FAARP.
Wiz: D4C grants Valentine a plethora of abilities to say the least. Starting off with the stand's main ability, which is Dimension Hopping, allows for Valentine and D4C to hop in and out of parallel universes as long as he's in-between two objects.
Boomstick: He's used flags, the wheels on a train, doors, the ground, debris, water of any amount, steam, you name it and he can do it. It doesn't need to completely submerge him for it to happen, he just needs to have part of his body in-between two objects and when he comes back he can appear from anywhere.
Wiz: That's the most simple part of Valentine's abilities as well. Venturing into these other universes allows him to bring back just about whatever he wants. This includes other versions of himself without D4C, the Stand of a fellow user, or another version of whoever he's fighting.
Boomstick: While Valentine can get all buddy buddy with the alternate versions of himself, any poor soul unfortunate enough to touch their alternate self will merge with them, eventually being obliterated entirely. For some reason they turn into Menger sponges as well. Observe! Oh DUMMI!
DUMMI: Yes, Boomstick?
Boomstick: Say "Hi" to your brother, DUMMI From an Alternate Universe!
(Boomstick tosses another DUMMI at the original DUMMI, turning them both into an explosion of Menger sponges)
Boomstick: That was awesome!
Wiz: Er, with his infinite number of copies he could pull from, should Valentine find himself with injuries too severe to recover from, he can just transfer his memories and motives to the next copy and continue his mission from there. The best way to put down the President is to either put a bullet in his head or obliterate him entirely.
Boomstick: But what Valentine hardly expected was for Mormon Jesus to be hiding an intense power when all of his body parts are reunited. So as long as Valentine remains around a dozen meters away from Lucy Steel, her Stand powers up D4C into D4C Love Train, one of the most bullshit abilities to exist.
Wiz: Love Train creates an invincible wall that deflects all misfortune across the world, ergo making Valentine invulnerable to all harm so as long as he stays in the barrier. Offensively, D4C itself can leave the barrier to inflict cuts that it can move to other areas of his enemy's body, like moving a minor cut on the arm to the heart.
Boomstick: D4C turns Valentine into a monster to put it lightly. He's able to go toe to toe with Johnny's Tusk Act 4 and Gyro's Ball Breaker, the former of which was able to defeat Diego Brando's version of The World.
Wiz: Which if it's anything like DIO's, it would be able to move at speeds far beyond light as well as put out enough energy to destroy entire buildings. Yet the President is not without his weaknesses, such as the functionality of Love Train itself.
Boomstick: Being reliant on the location of an unconscious 14 year old girl isn't exactly the greatest idea when your enemy is just a few feet away from your face. Plus, while having immortality is definitely a good thing, having to actively sandwich yourself between two objects in order to roll out the newest model will eventually stop working.
Wiz: Yet with the absolute crazy abilities of his Stand and his strengths, Funny Valentine could emerge as America's favorite President just like he always has.
Senator Armstrong:[]
Wiz: In the early 1970s, a secret organization known as The Patriots sought to unify the world through any means necessary. While the exact details aren't much needed, by the early 2010s, they had succeeded in global control via perpetuating a never ending war economy.
Boomstick: By funding and owning Outer Heaven, a PMC, or private military company, large and strong enough to rival the US Military, the Patriots had pretty much everything set in stone until a certain species of Snake kicked the leader's ass and disbanded the entire thing.
Wiz: Now with the PMC split into five, the next strongest PMC was World Marshall Inc. which made quick work of taking over the entirety of Colorado. Yes, we're serious.
Boomstick: All those hippies were unfortunately too high to notice that their newly elected Senator, Steven Armstrong, had effectively slashed the state's budget, allowing World Marshall to take over as the police force.
Wiz: World Marshall itself was a tyrant in Colorado, going as far as to cover civilian executions as crossfire casualties, but for Armstrong it was necessary in order to achieve what he wanted most; to make America great again. We're not joking.
Boomstick: Being as patriotic as any college football loving navy veteran would be, Armstrong believed America could be saved from its recession through all out war with Pakistan.
Wiz: As batshit insane as he could be when it comes to his nationalism and patriotism, the extents Armstrong has gone through to achieve everything he's capable of is no small feat.
Boomstick: Even before being infused with his nanomachines, Armstrong was a top athlete in college football, even turning down the pro league for fighting for his country in the navy. The fighting style he's adapted from that time is a brawler and grappler, focusing on heavy hits and grabs.
Wiz: It could be noted that Armstrong knows a bit of sumo wrestling, an ironic fact as he has a disdain for Japanese architectural styles such as cherry blossoms or zen gardens.
Boomstick: So while Armstrong would make John Cena blush, after being infused with nanomachines it's a whole 'nother story. Guy's physically above the most top notch of cyborgs and threw the god damn mega Metal Gear at Raiden.
Wiz: The nanomachines are able to do so much more than push Senator Armstrong's physique to the most impossible levels. For example, the nanonmachines "harden in response to physical trauma", meaning that as Armstrong is assaulted, his skin will turn black and night impenetrable.
Boomstick: Though Armstrong can also harden his body at will to make himself a living bulldozer or increase the power behind his punches!
Wiz: The other benefit to having your entire body be infused with nanomachines is that they heal as well. Any small cuts could be healed instantly, and and limbs can be reattached quite easily, like this.
(Wiz slices his good arm off and then reattaches it with no issue, leaving Boomstick shocked)
Boomstick: What the hell? Didn't that hurt?
Wiz: I removed my nerve endings two years ago.
Boomstick: I mean, I guess that works. Eugh. What Wiz didn't show in that example was Armstrong being able to harden his wounds into blades, like that one time he destroyed Sam's arm by stabbing it with his own cut.
Wiz: Furthering Armstrong's capabilities, he can store energy in his arms and release it as explosions in his punches, causing even more damage to his opponent and to the environment around him.
Boomstick: The All American senator is a beast of his own caliber to put it lightly. He's physically above Raiden as he was capable of completely destroying Metal Gear Excelsius himself, a feat equal to 20 kilotons of TNT, or enough of a boom to level Manhattan!
Wiz: And while he's slower, he's still comparable to Raiden and Sam, which if Raiden perceiving raindrops at a standstill for a few seconds is anything to go by should put him at Relativistic speeds. Plus he is incredibly knowledgeable as he's a career politician and mastermind behind the war in Pakistan.
Boomstick: But the Senator unfortunately has his own fair share of weaknesses, like his inability to accept that not everyone he's beat the shit out of wants to join his cause. He's always extending his hand to others expecting the best.
Wiz: The other weaknesses Armstrong has is that his nanomachine's hardening CAN be outpaced and if his heart is damaged it can potentially stop the use of his nanomachines, but the only instance of this was when it was ripped from his body and destroyed. Plus it takes a LOT of energy to absorbed in order to reach his full power.
Boomstick: But the sheer ferocity and power behind the brains of Armstrong may give him the edge over his foe.
Death Battle:[]
Presidential Debate Stage, Televised in front of the entire United States
Hail to the Chief - United States Presidential Hymn
This year's election cycle was the craziest America has ever seen. So many colorful faces made the limelight throughout the year and fell out of public attention, such as a man calling himself the Soldier, whose obsession with killing Nazis made him popular among some groups of the American people yet didn't make it far due to being seen as a joke pick for President, let alone any position in the military.
Or Amanda Waller, better known as The Wall, who was the crowd favorite for being viewed as a strong leader who was equally cold and calculated, but due to her public exposure on a suicide mission known as Project Butterfly she withdrew from the race and from the public eye all together.
Then there was Lelouch vi Britannia, a VERY charismatic character who came out of seemingly nowhere and was considered the underdog for a good several months until it was exposed that more than half of his votes were fraudulent in that no one remembered voting for him; a fact made worse by the exposure of his Geass ability which made people do whatever he wished.
Finally, the fourth runner who disappeared from the public eye was Senator Sheev Palpatine, who had no issues presented to the public, yet in the middle of the last big debate the cameras cut and he disappeared from the stage, leaving the final two runners to square off in the last big debate before the election was to take place.
The Republican's pick was Senator Armstrong, a massive, muscular hulk of a man whose love for America and Football rivalled his physique. Although he was recently under fire and under investigation due to ties to a PMC, he was on a surefire track to winning the election with little to no issue.
The Democrat's pick, albeit it was the incumbent president, was Funny Valentine, a man not quite as built as his counterpart but still stood tall wearing his pink coat. His wish for America to be the best country it could possibly be was apparent to his voters, yet the cross-continental race he just put thousands of people through was considered a huge waste of tax payer dollars.
Regardless, the two would succeed in ruining each other's reputation tonight as not even a minute into the debate things were getting heated.
"Here you go again with the whole napkin spiel, Mr. Valentine. The country is not a dinner party it's a system that needs to be ran by someone who sees the facts and not metaphors!" Senator Armstrong interrupted the incumbent, who coolly responded.
"Senator, surely you misunderstand my intentions. America may not be a dinner party but it was founded as a tea party, but I digress. This wonderful country had made the first steps in many fields that the rest of the world can only do so much to catch up to us. The 'napkin spiel' you oh so hate is just my way of saying that America itself is a driving force that makes the first decision on science, math, weapons, and every other field imaginable and we must continue to be that driving force."
The Senator fired back, "But what about the economy? All these new steps in technology is draining the bank accounts of our people with the unholy amount of taxes you've imposed! Food prices have gone up, rent, everything, and you expect us to be a driving force when in reality its YOU making these decisions for us? You claim to be America first, America this, America that, but when are you going to let the people of America decide for themselves?"
The President hardly cracked, "All of my decisions are based off polls done all over the country on what the people wish to see. The economy will eventually fix itself given time, forcing it in any way will do more harm to it in the long run."
"So that's your answer?" Armstrong began, "You know the American people are suffering and your answer is 'give it time'? Let me ask you, Mr. Valentine, what would YOU do for the economy if you were forced, no, what if I took the first napkin, what would you do?"
The President's eyes pierced Armstrong's, the cold blue staring deep into the Senator's gray.
"I suppose I'd have no choice but to follow you into war."
The stunned silence of Armstrong said it all. His smile faded, stared down at his podium, scoffed, and then looked back at his opponent.
"Okay, Val. Let me ask you. What happened to Waller?"
"What is your question?"
"I just asked you. What happened to Waller?"
Valentine dead panned. "I could ask you the same for Britannia."
The moderator for the debate, who was sitting in stunned silence, adjusted his big framed glasses and spoke up.
"Gentlemen we're going off topic."
Armstrong spun towards him and barked, "Can it cheese whiz!"
Valentine spoke up. "I've noticed right after Britannia's last debate some men in black had themselves a field day in digging through the votes to find them all signed with the exact same signature, revealing Britannia's power to the public, but it was peculiar that these strange, round robots were helping them."
Armstrong hardly flinched and continued his point. "Well, Waller had some VERY close ties to you and honestly, alien controlling people or not, you were okay with American politicians being slaughtered with no repercussions?"
The moderator, acting wise, was more curious with a question America was asking themselves.
"Well what happened to Palpatine?"
Both politicians turned towards him and, without context, spoke at the same time. "He's in space."
Then, seemingly at the same time, both remembered they were live on TV and they just made it sound like they made a man disappear into space for no reason. Armstrong began to seethe and gave the side eye to the rafters above the stage. All cameras went dark and everyone who weren't the two politicians ran from the building as fast as possible. Valentine, curious and cautious, summoned his stand behind him, which the Senator couldn't see.
"Ah, and here I was about to joke about your ties to World Marshall and Desperado."
The Senator responded by splintering his podium and chucking it at the President, throwing him against the wall.
"I don't care about the race anymore, we blew it anyway! I just want to see you as nothing more than a puddle of blood on the ground!"
Armstrong moved the podium away from the wall to look at Valentine's body, but there was nothing, not even a drop of blood.
"Huh?"
The Hot Wind Blowing - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Not even feeling it, Valentine emerged from Armstrong's back and walked across the stage. He loudly cleared his throat to get the Senator's attention, and he sure did spin around quickly to see the President standing there.
"Tada~!"
"How in the hell?" the Senator yelled, flabbergasted.
"Don't ask questions you wouldn't be able to fathom the answer to."
FIGHT!
The Senator slammed the ground with his foot, uprooting planks on the stage heading towards Valentine, but the Stand user sidestepped the shockwave and aimed his pistol at Armstrong. The Senator laughed and flexed his chest as the bullet was fired, merely bouncing right off of his pec.
“Hm,” Valentine thought, “That’s not natural.”
Armstrong quickly made his way in front of Valentine, throwing heavy handed punch after heavy handed punch at the President himself, but he was able to sidestep each attempt on his life. The Senator grunted angrily and slammed his foot, shaking the entire building and knocking loose ceiling panels down from high above.
“You speedy types are always the biggest pains in my ass!”
“And you brash types always give me such a headache.”
D4C surged forward and delivered a direct hit to Armstrong’s chest, launching the muscular behemoth into the back wall prop that hid backstage. The force from the blow sprawled him against it and he fell on his knees. He shook his head and stood up.
“That didn’t exactly hurt, Funny, but let me tell ya, whatever power you’re hiding sure is something. It’s not enough though.”
And with that he jumped straight into the air and grabbed ahold of a light fixture and absorbed the power out of it, causing the area to go slightly dim, and then jumped down with a massive overhead swing. With a small amount of time to react, Valentine aimed for Armstrong’s head and fired his pistol while D4C grabbed the open floor and used it to pull Valentine out of the way.
The President slid across the floor on his two feet as the Senator landed superman style. He looked at Valentien from in between his legs and smiled, revealing the bullet Valentine had fired, and spat it out at his foe. The force rivaled that of a gun and bullet found itself lodged in the President’s shoulder.
“What in the HELL?” Valentine yelled in surprise as he touched the wound.
Before he could even think to look back at Armstrong, the Senator had closed the distance and landed a heavy blow to Valentine’s torso, leaving a nasty, bloody imprint as he soared across the room into the back wall. The President hit the ground with a heavy thud and groaned, one hand clutching his stomach.
Armstrong laughed and slapped his knees.
“You went down in one hit, chump! You have the best vision for this country? You’re weak! It’s up to the STRONG to cull the WEAK!”
He cracked his knuckles as Valentine slowly crawled forward in tremendous pain. Before Armstrong could do anymore damage, the back wall fell on top of the President, further splintering the wood and kicking up dust.
Armstrong laughed. That was hardly even a fight and Valentine died due to a busted stage prop. What a way for a President to go out huh? But unbeknownst to him, Valentine wasn’t dead. He was far from it.
From around the corner of one of the curtains next to where the prop wall was stepped out a Valentine who was completely unscathed. The laughing stopped as he noticed his enemy reappear.
“What the fuck?” he yelled in frustrated confusion
“I see what my goals are, and I must see to it that the ends meet.” Valentine said coldly, side eyeing the Senator as he made his way over loose floorboards and splintered wood.
Still understandably confused, Armstrong flipped the prop wall back up to try and find Valentine’s corpse, but shockingly enough it’s not there. There’s no sign of it, not even as much as a drop of blood where he once was. The Senator smiled and turned to his mark, grinning ear to ear.
“Oh what are you, some kind of immortal being? Can you teleport? Man, that’s some top notch shit you got in the Oval Office!”
Armstrong flexed his chest once more and assumed a charger’s stance like in football, but from behind him two stray bullets caught him in the shoulders. Surprised, he turned around. From the seats emerged two more Valentine’s both with pistols drawn on him. Armstrong damn near gave himself whiplash from the amount of double takes he had to make in order to process what he was seeing.
“Well. This is surprising.”
The two Valentines opened fire on Armstrong, bullets now ricocheting off the man like he was made of metal. He tore through the seats of the debate hall, tackling one Valentine and cratering his head into a blood pulp before chucking a seat at the other hard enough to embed itself in his chest.
With a look of enjoyment in his eyes, started to charge towards the main Valentine on the stage, but more Valentines leaped out of the ground and threw themselves on top of Armstrong. This did very little to slow the Behemoth down, but it did succeed in making him angrier. The Senator leaped far above the now surging crowd of Valentine’s towards his main target.
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap!” Valentine screamed.
The Stand soared 6 feet up in the air and delivered a double handed over head swing down onto Armstrong’s skull, reversing his momentum and pushing him into the sea of Valentines as they swarmed him.
“The power you have is unlike anything I have ever seen before, Armstrong. But alas it’s for nothing against my Stand D4C. Come, Senator, let me show you something marvelous.”
Valentine swan dived into the pile and disappeared along with the Senator, taking several of the copies along with them. Where they ended up seemed to be a carbon copy of the debate hall. Armstrong flung himself away from Valentine and the other copies of him and looked around the room.
“Hey, where the hell did the rest of you go?!” he screamed angrily.
Valentine looked on as a large figure walked into the room from behind Armstrong. It was, in fact, another Armstrong.
“Hey, who the fuck are you?”
The OG Armstrong turned around and saw himself standing there.
“I’d ask you the same thing! Why are you impersonating me?”
“Impersonating you? You’re impersonating ME!”
The two got closer to each other, much to Valentine’s happiness. As they squabbled with each other, more Valentines appeared and shoved them into each other, causing a blinding light to shine in the room. The President covered his eyes as his plan had worked. The two Armstrongs would converge on each other and obliterate each other, as that was an extension of D4C’s ability.
Or so he thought.
A big, meaty hand gripped the ground, and another appeared on the opposite side. The two Armstrongs began to pull themselves away from each other, undoing the process. The Valentines were shocked as they just stood up and gave each other a air high five.
“I know that strength from anywhere! You’re like the brother I never had, me.”
“You know, me, these guys are a real pain in the ass. What do you say we give ‘em the ol’ college football locker room treatment?”
"You got it, me!"
The two Armstrongs stood their ground against the many Valentines, who all simultaneously realized just how screwed they could be.
Nemesis - Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite
While one of the two bear-sized linebackers took off and began to slaughter all of the Valentines, the original Armstrong absorbed all the power in the building, causing everything to go dark. One Valentine had his head crushed like a can in the Senator’s fist while another was slammed on the ground so hard his head exploded.
Realizing just how screwed he could be, the main Valentine hid behind a podium as his copies were severely brutalized around him. At one point a hand flew by his face, lightly splattering blood in his hair and in his eye. Deciding the best course of action was to just leave, D4C grabbed the flag and attempted to pull it on top of Valentine.
“Not so fast!”
One of the Senators grabbed the podium and splintered it, startling Valentine long enough for Armstrong to take a hold of the flag, preventing his escape entirely. He finally looked at the devastation surrounding him. Corpses were strewn about the stands and a pair of the same massive man were glaring down at him, covered in his own blood. He took a deep breath and let it out.
“You’re dead meat, Funny.”
“Perhaps so.”
Before either of the two Armstrongs could lay a hand on Valentine, the President reached into his coat pocket and drew out a Cream Starter, spraying it directly into the mouth of the alternate Armstrong, blocking his throat.
“The hell did you do to me?” the OG Armstrong yelled.
Valentine took off running down a long corridor with Armstrong giving chase. D4C did everything in its physical power to slow down the Senator, whether it be chucking pots, vases, shelves, or anything detachable and big enough to toss. Alas, this did not slow down Armstrong as he was able to gain on Valentine with each passing second.
Yet another lucky break was around the corner for Valentine: another American Flag. The Stand yanked it off of its pole and handed it to the President. Right as he was about to cover himself in the flag, the other Armstrong burst through the wall, foaming at the corners of his mouth and going beat red in the eyes all the while gurgling angrily.
Deciding that the time was now, Valentine lifted up the flag to cover himself, but right as he did the OG Armstrong tackled him in a bear hug. With no other option, Valentine brought himself, along with Armstrong back into the main universe.
Funny Valentine - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven
The two combatants appeared out of thin air with Valentine being on the receiving end of what looked to be a VERY nasty powerbomb. Armstrong raised the President above his head and slammed him towards the ground, resulting in an earth shattering crack that definitely did nothing short of shattering Valentine’s spine, yet at the last second Valentine escaped through between Armstrong’s arms into another universe.
The Senator cracked his neck as he looked over his shoulder to see Valentine once again standing there unharmed.
“You’re a slippery bastard, Valentine.”
He turned around slowly to face him completely. Valentine’s demeanor had gone back to cool as it seemed his determination had been renewed.
“Senator, I implore you to go no further. You clearly have the superior physique and even with my Stand I have no chance of harming you, yet at the same token you can not truly put me down for I will always come back.”
Armstrong hardly listened, he had already absorbed the power from this debate hall as well.
“I’m not one to back off, Funny. I will keep killing you and killing you and killing you over and over until you give up!”
The Senator struck the ground with incredible force, causing an explosion that leveled the entire building and shook the area for miles around. Everything went up in flames and smoke as the Senator emerged without his shirt, the nanomachines visibly surging along his skin to heal him.
And likewise, Valentine was still standing. But it wasn’t as if he slipped away last second to avoid the explosion because his shirt too had been burned off completely, revealing the scarring on his back.
“That’s a pretty sick tattoo, where’d you get it?”
“Protecting the country.”
Nearby a building exploded seemingly randomly. D4C flung itself forward and cut the Senator’s skin, but the nanomachines surged and covered the wound, healing it completely. Very confused, D4C kept doing it over and over but the wounds kept healing.
“What kind of power is this?”
The senator laughed. “Power? It’s the power of nanomachines, son!”
Armstrong sprung forward in a massive sprint, throwing a punch right at Valentine, but he stood there unblinking. As if he hit a literal wall, he was stopped in his tracks completely, and right as it happened a line of cars nearby blew up in a line.
Before Armstrong could even get a word out, Valentine laughed, his cold demeanor finally breaking.
“My power, D4C, has evolved, Senator! Any misfortune you wish to inflict upon me will be sent elsewhere! This is the power of D4C: Love Train!”
“Bah, what’s up with you and your music?”
Armstrong ran forwards and wailed on the interdimensional wall between the two of them as Valentine laughed even louder. The sheer force caused misfortune to affect the environment around them as the floor beneath them began to split.
Eventually, what looked like a body appeared from underneath the rubble. It was that of a young woman and she damn near looked like a corpse. Armstrong noticed her in the middle of his attack and realized he hadn’t seen her before. The laughing in his ears crescendoed as misfortune began to affect him as a sheet of metal was launched fast enough to slice his hand off.
“Gah, you BASTARD!”
The wound hardened into black metal as the Senator stood his ground, albeit he slid backwards a good few meters.
“Time out, Valentine! Where’d that girl come from!?”
The President froze and turned to look. The girl, Lucy Steel, had surfaced due to the repeated misfortunes. Subconsciously, Valentine moved to block the view of her, his cold, quiet demeanor returning to his face.
Through these actions, Armstrong realized there may be a connection.
“You know her?”
Valentine said nothing.
“...And you haven’t moved from that spot…”
Armstrong thrust his arm into the ground and began to deadlift the very Earth itself. Valentine took a good several steps forward as D4C sprung forth to deliver a cut to Armstrong’s chest, but the Stand’s hand merely bounced off of the Senator’s chest as it had hardened on impact.
“Checkmate, Valentine!”
Armstrong successfully tableflipped the Earth beneath Valentine with one hand, sending him soaring up into the air. Before Valentine could even touch the ground, Armstrong picked up Lucy one-handed and did what he did best back in his college days: play ball.
“Go long!”
He chucked her with the force of a predator missile, sending her over the horizon quickly and removing Love Train from Valentine. The President landed on his back and sat up, the Senator standing above him. He cracked his knuckles and smirked.
“It’s over, Val.”
It Has to Be This Way - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Before Valentine could move, Senator slammed him in the chest with his jagged wound, sending him soaring into a cloud of smoke. Yet he returned, now with a shirt on, and tried to use his Stand to reach in and grab Armstrong’s heart, but no, the Senator uprooted the Earth itself, causing it to splinter into his abdomen.
Once again using the smoke, Valentine appeared once more good as new, but Armstrong was quick to kill him once again. In-between Valentines, Armstrong reattached his arm and proceeded to clobber the next President’s head in. There was no end to this slaughter.
Finally, Armstrong chucked a Valentine on the floor and hammered away at his face, and although it was enough to bruise him and splatter the ground with his blood, Armstrong was just playing around at this point.
The Senator raised his fist high up in the air, ready to kill Valentine again, but instead he got up and cracked his back.
“Pick yourself up, Mr. President.”
Confused, the broken Valentine used the smoke to disappear and reappear with a new body. Understandably wary, he stood on edge as the Senator took time to stretch before continuing on.
“I now can tell you are a man of conviction. You love your country dearly and the drive you have to keep going is insane. I killed you how many times? It had to be at least thirty, and you came back each time to attack at a different angle.”
Valentine eased himself a bit, interested in seeing where this was going.
“You were right. I’m a goddamn unstoppable force of American ingenuity and you are an unkillable God among men. I have an offer you wouldn’t be able to refuse.”
“Go on.”
Armstrong smiled. “The American Dream is dying. We both failed to keep ourselves in check during the debate and spilled each other’s corrupt secrets to the American people, but it’s not too late. We can operate from the shadows, stimulate the war economy to bolster the country to its peak! You think the next President will be as great as you? Or me? No! They’re going to throw some fucking bozo bureaucrat in as a puppet so they can jack off over memes, or social justice!”
Valentine was clearly thinking it over.
“What are you trying to get at?” he questioned.
“The point is that you and I are one and the same. We both give everything for this God blessed country, even if it’s the hardest shit to do. Join me in saving this country before the weak do permanent damage.”
Armstrong extended his hand for a handshake. Valentine eyed it suspiciously.
“It’s not a trick! I know when I’ve met my match! Do it for America, Funny. What do ya say?”
With slight hesitation, Valentine gripped his hand, or as much as he could since the sheer size of Armstrong’s palm wrapped around his. While the Senator was smiling, Valentine’s look grew to that of his original cold demeanor, staring up at his adversary.
“...But let's circle back to my original statement, shall we?”
Suddenly a massive palm stretched out of the closed space in the handshake, an entire Armstrong came out and became interconnected with the original Armstrong once more.
“Valentine, what the FUCK!?”
“Silence, you imbecile! You were never fit to do ANYTHING for this country. You hardly fought for your own country when you were in the navy and you have the audacity to compare us? Shoving this great country into needless wars to boost the economy? What a dull brute you are! I have met Jesus himself, and the Holy Corpse is what we need to accomplish my goals! We won’t have any use for your petty wars, and furthermore we will not have any use for you!”
The two Armstrongs began to pull themselves apart once more.
“Fuck you Valentine! You tried this before and it didn’t work! Me and I will turn your ass into mush when we break free!”
Valentine approached him with his flag neatly folded and got close to his face.
“Consider this the first napkin.”
Valentine unfolded the flag and out fell a THIRD Armstrong who promptly fell onto the other two. The added weight and third body pulled them all together in a flash of light so bright you could see it from space. The agonized screams of all three Armstrongs echoed as it culminated in a bloody explosion that scattered Menger sponges everywhere.
KO!
Valentine took a moment to breathe before he left the scene. Later he would prove innocence by “not knowing” about what Waller did, and with no other candidate available they were forced to have the Soldier run against him once again, just for Valentine to win in a landslide.
Results:[]
Boomstick: Nanomachines, noooooooooo!
Wiz: This was a shockingly close fight, and we’ll start with what Armstrong had on Valentine. First off, the Senator’s bulk and strength meant that Valentine wouldn’t be able to do any damage to him, and any minor cuts that could lead to heart damage like what Love Train could do would be healed almost instantly by the nanomachines.
Boomstick: If Valentine somehow took off a limb, Armstrong could just cut off the blood loss by focusing his nanomachines in that area and continue on fighting. Plus with Armstrong being way smarter than he looks, he could easily deduce that Love Train’s weakness had to do with Lucy being in the area.
Wiz: Even if he didn’t, Love Train more than likely wouldn’t be able to do any lasting damage to Armstrong either since, as previously mentioned, the nanomachines would just heal any damage done to his body.
Boomstick: While those advantages are pretty hefty, what Valentine had on the roided out Senator was enough to take him down. Starting off with D4C itself, the chances are Armstrong would never be able to take out Valentine because of it. He’d have to kill him in very specific ways and because of the speed advantage that would never happen.
Wiz: We know Valentine died who knows how many times, but realistically he shouldn’t have been touched once. With dimension hopping, a speed advantage, and the ability to make use of the Cream Starter Stand, the President already seems to be nigh unkillable for someone like Armstrong and in any other situation this fight would be a forced stalemate, but luckily for Valentine he had a trump card.
Boomstick: Those god damn sponges man. Because Armstrong never interacted with an alternate version of himself and was fine, it’s safe to assume that he too would get caught by the instant death inflicted by the merging effect and Valentine would definitely find a way to get that to happen. No amount of nanomachines would save him from total obliteration!
Wiz: Senator Armstrong is a truly terrifying politician backed by his wits, strength, and nanotechnology, but he was no match for the equal wits, speed, and abilities of Funny Valentine.
Boomstick: In times of great despair, you can always count on the President to strong arm the arm strong Senator.
Wiz: The winner is Funny Valentine.
Senator Armstrong vs Funny Valentine is an episode of SoMaShadow's Death Battles. It features Senator Armstrong from the Metal Gear series, and Funny Valentine from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series.
| Senator Armstrong vs Funny Valentine | |
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| Season | TDB |
| Season Episode | TDB |
| Air date | TDB |
| Written by | SoMaShadow |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous |
Next TBD |
Description[]
Metal Gear vs JoJo's Bizarre Adventure!
Interlude[]
Senator Armstrong[]
Funny Valentine[]
DEATH BATTLE![]
Conclusion[]
Trivia[]
| “ | These two patriots are going to make sure that there will be justice for all! | „ |
| ~ Tagline |
Funny Valentine VS Senator Armstrong is the 7th episode and season finale of The Year Of MGR:R by HyperSsonic, featuring Funny Valentine from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series and Steven Armstrong from the Metal Gear series in a battle between very patriotic American politicans.
Intro:[]
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Wiz & Boomstick by Brandon Yates  
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Wiz: Funny Valentine, the napkin holding president from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
Boomstick: Steven Armstrong, the nanomachine ehnanced senator from Metal Gear.
Wiz: Few men are able to hold power over many, but sometimes, just because they are the ones who call the shots, doesn't mean all of their goals will be good ones.
Boomstick: And that especially includes these two unkillable politicians! He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
Funny Valentine is going to take the first napkin in DEATH BATTLE!:[]
Boomstick: You know, Wiz, I got to say, I truly do love America. We got guns, beer, all the goods, there’s a reason we’re known as the land of the free! Yet, we have to always remember how we were able to get here, so let’s rewind the clock a bit, alright? Time to head back to the civil war!
Wiz: Well, a number of years before that is where we need to go. We need to go to the date of September 20th, 1847, for it was on that day, America would receive one of its most impressive leaders to date.
Boomstick: Or should we say, one of the funniest leaders to date! Yep, we’re talking about Funny Valentine!
Valentine: Dojyaaa~~n!
Wiz: Despite his unusual first name, his surname isn’t the one he received at birth. You see, he was born to a mother and father who, from what we can tell, had a nice relationship until his father went into the war effort. Which is where he would end up being caught by the enemies and tortured to death for the enemies were all hellbent on recieveing whatever information they could from him.
Boomstick: Yeah, but Funny’s dad was easily one of the most resilient men I’ve ever heard about! The guy was getting tortured for who knows how long, all because those other pieces of shit wanted that sweet information, but this guy basically told them to screw off! Well, he didn’t even say a thing! Or, at least, I think, either way, this man was dedicated as all hell!
Wiz: And after he died, a fellow soldier and friend of his, Captain Valentine, he went and was able to take the handkerchief Funny’s father had.
Boomstick: Yeah, that’d seem like a nice gesture to take except if it weren’t for the fact it was literally hidden behind his eyeball! How the hell do you do that? And how did Valentine even get it from him? You know what? I don’t want to know. Whatever the case is, Valentine arrived at the household of his fallen comrade to deliver the news.
Wiz: And while he did, he gave the handkerchief to the young Funny, and taught him about patriotism, taught him what it meant to be a true patriot. Showed him the date of Funny’s birth on the handkerchief to let Funny know that his father had a motivation to keep fighting. Not just for his family, but his pride, and arguably most important, his country. Letting Funny realize he was truly one of the many sons of the patriots of America.
Boomstick: Yeah, and then the captain probably banged Funny’s mom cause the two got married and caused Funny to gain his Valentine surname. Heh, if Funny ever had a kid, you’d think he’d name him Funnier Valentine? How about when Funnier has a kid? Is that guy going to be the Funniest Valentine? And if Funniest has one? Funniester Valentine?
Wiz: Whatever the future Funny had layed ahead of him, after this, he was ready, for now, he had new ideals, new goals in life. After this revelation of patriotism, he realized one thing, and it involved a napkin.
Boomstick: What?
Wiz: Well, think about it, you’re at a dinner party, everything is set up, what do you do first? Well, if someone else does something before you do, like take the left napkin, wouldn’t you follow what they did? They take the first napkin, so you would have to follow what they do, right?
Boomstick: Really? I just get my plate and start chowing down pig in a buffet style like I was taught to.
Wiz: Of course you’re that kind of person, but for any civilized person, the left napkin is the supposed correct one you’d have to take first, but when someone takes the right napkin first, everyone else is going to assume they got to do that exact same thing. This is the idea that Valentine had figured out.
Boomstick: Oooh, so you mean mindless dogs!
Wiz: How do you get that out of an actually somewhat decent philosophy?
Boomstick: Lots of drunken thoughts. But, even if I am drunk, I won’t deny the amount of damn patriotism within this guy’s heart, seriously, just being willing to join the military already takes balls, but in those times in the past? Yeah, that’s even braver than anyone I know. And he must’ve been good considering how he can move so quietly around. Though, maybe not quiet enough as he himself got tortured like dad, leaving him with scars on his back that look like the damn U.S flag!
Wiz: Wait, what about me when it comes to bravery? I’m usually creating numerous things that would far surpass anything Valentine has done in terms of danger.
Boomstick: There is a difference between how you two put yourselves in danger, Wiz. You willingly do it for your own beneficial gain, Valentine did in the name of somethng bigger than him. He didn’t need to go to some sort of evil scientist college or whatever, no, he was just ready to fight in the force, even if that meant trenching throughout the time of a civil war, as well as through the desert land of the Devil’s Palm.
Wiz: Right, you see, Valentine and his men were all trying to excavate it, but all of the other ones died due to how horrid the conditions were, with Valentine being the only one left, and on the verge of dying as well. Yet, he pushed on, he had the heart to push on till the end, well, maybe it wasn’t his own heart that got him to survive.
Boomstick: Yeah, instead, it was some other corpse’s heart that had fused itself with him!
Wiz: However, this was not mere corpse, but instead the literal corpse of Jesus Christ himself! And given its very mystical properties of being, well, the literal heart of God’s son in human form, after it fused with Funny, it gave him a short-ranged Stand, a physical manifestation of himself. The Stand not only is unseeable to non-Stand users, but it can still interact with things, similar to that of what many would consider a ghost. With this one would be called D4C, or as it is more commonly known as:
Valentine: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap!
Boomstick: And it probably has one of the most broken abilities ever! It gave Valentine the ability to travel from universe to universe with him being able to bring things into his universe or bring things to other universes. Even better when you factor in the Laws of This Universe!
Wiz: Due to how this bizarre world works, there are infinite parallel worlds, with the immeasurable amount of everything coexisting in their own world, but if one thing were to be brought into contact with itself from another universe, it would explode on impact, likely on a molecular level. With Valentine being the only one immune to this fusion due to his Stand.
Boomstick: Yeah, and depending on how heavy or light something is, it can change how fast the fusion can occur! The lighter it is, the faster it will attract to one another even from a distance away while larger objects would likely need to be super close if not already touching the moment one enters a new universe just so that it can work. So, yeah, the heart of Jesus did this, folks!
Wiz: Now, there was something else Valentine recieved from it outside of the heart itself and his Stand, but he realized, if there is one part in America, couldn’t all the parts be out there across the nation as well? And better yet, if one part of the body could help him, imagine what an entire corpse could do for the country! So, with this knowledge and power, he would eventually become the 23rd president of the United States.
Boomstick: And so, Valentine, not only gaining himself a wife in Scarlet earlier on, he would take this oppertunity to sweet talk Steven Steel into letting him help, and practically orchestrate the entire ordeal of the Steel Ball Run horse race across America, despite it being Steven’s idea. All so he could find the Corpse Parts himself, well, not entirely by himself, he had his subordinates to help him.
Wiz: He had many different people in the race out there to find the Corpse Parts for him, and get it where he could achieve a higher power, there was the likes of Pork Pie Hat Kid, Ringo Roadagain, Magent Magent, and many out there in the race helping him, with some being more notable than others.
Boomstick: That would include the likes of Diego Brando, this world’s very own version of the egotistical vampire with daddy issues and wanting to rule over a number of pigeons, but this one can turn himself, and anything he touches, into a goddamn dinosaur! Though, only after he got his hands on part of the corpse and took the Scary Monster Stand from some random doctor to make it his own after that other guy died. But, holy shit, I need to get that power! And then after he bit the bucket from fighting Valentine, Valentine brought in an alternate world version that somehow had the infamous time stopping Stand, THE WORLD! Though, he could only do it for 5 seconds, it's still cool as hell!
Wiz: Then there’s the Eleven Men, which, as it implies, is a group of eleven men wearing the same style clothing who are weirdly very good at coordinations as well as sharing the same Stand of Tatoo You! which allows them to do something similar to D4C, but only with themselves using each other as portals.
Boomstick: And also Soundman, or Sandman as he is mistakenly given the name of by a white man, a Native American who went into the race wanting to win back his tribe’s land. He also has this unique running technique which I totally understand, and the In a Silent Way Stand, allowing him to put sounds into whatever. So, he could take a feather, and put a damn blender sound on it, and if you touch it, yeah, your hand is going to get cut the fuck up!
Wiz: And finally, there is also Blackmore, one of the closest hencemen to Valentine, and with his Stand Catch the Rainbow, which allows him to manipulate natural rain water in whatever way he wants, whether it’s to heal his own wounds, turn into sharp objects to hit others, or even act as a staircase, he can do it. All of these make it seem like Valentine would have an easy time getting the corpse, if it were not for one Johnny Joestar.
Boomstick: Goddamn those Joestars! Though this one only entered the race to find out about some other dude named Gyro Zeppeli’s, get this, balls... Yeah, this guy entered a horse race across the United States just to find out something about a guy’s literal balls of steel. Well, it was meant to let him find out how to fix his broken legs, but who cares?
Wiz: But, as time went on, Johnny found out about the Corpse Parts, and alongside others like Gyro such as Lucy Steel, he was planning on making sure Valentine wouldn’t get it. And he had the ability to do it. Not only was he a Stand user with Tusk, but a Spin user as well, which is a unique phenomenon that can create a unique type of energy.
Boomstick: Yeah, and with what he can do, I can see why he was a problem! With his own damn fingernail or whatever, he is about to literally outpace sound waves! And given our calculations, that’d be around mach 600! Hell, ignore scaling to others when Valentine has a Corpse Part, whereas the Spine of it can literally cause massive storms such as one that covered the entirety of Kansas City!
Wiz: Assuming the smallest estimate, as well as the storm being circular and the size of the city, that would mean a singular Corpse Part would be worth around 1 megaton of TNT, and given there are 9 Corpse Parts, we can estimate them all together could be worth 9 megatons in total.
Boomstick: Yeah, so, Valentine ready had his way around this stuff! Especially considering the Corpse Parts were literally causing nature itself to close in on itself just to get closer to them! So, yeah, Valentine had himself a real good time going around getting everything, even if Johnny kept getting in his way.
Wiz: But this all fails to compare to that of the true power of the Corpse Parts. Not only do they give a sort of “blessing” via merging themselves with the people, causing and then healing wounds just from being held, reverse other weird diseases or mutations, or unlocking someone’s Stand, Valentine got a hold of every piece, even one that had been enfused with Lucy, he-
Boomstick: Wait, didn’t he sexually assult her?
Wiz: Well, he went way farther than just that, though, what you’re thinking you think you remember about happened earlier on in the story. You see, earlier on, Lucy had witnessed Scarlet Valentine die, and with the help of the hand-held spray can Cream Starter Stand of Hot Pants that applies a fleshy substance to whatever it will mege with, Lucy would then take the role of Scarlet, though, before Valentine knew this, he still attempted to rape her.
Boomstick: Holy shit, that ain’t bizarre, that’s just straight up dark as hell. Well, trying to move past that, after everything was collected, Valentine received the power of God himself, or of some kind of goddess, whatever it was, he had it. It was a damn train! Or, as it is actually called, Love Train.
Wiz: Love Train is an interesting power, not only is it able to attract nature and more towards it to a much higher degree, as in, the entire world was centered around it! It creates a flat gap in space, acting as a two dimensional area where Valentine could enter, allowing him to freely move around, and not have to worry about getting hurt since Love Train had the ability to completely negate any kind of misfortune from Valentine.
Boomstick: Think of it like this, we have a bullet going towards Valentine inside of Love Train, it hits it, but instead of hitting Valentine, it instead directs somewhere else, where exactly? Who knows, Valentine doesn’t have control over it, but it doesn't matter since he is safe from it. Too bad he can’t really do much else as he can only use Love Train as a way to defend himself and it renders him unable to attack without leaving it. Yet, why would you? You’re fucking invincible!
Wiz: Well, almost invincible, despite its power, it was still able to be defeated by Johhny’s Tusk, now at Act 4, using its infinite rotation to break physics itself and rip through Love Train and get Valentine out.
Boomstick: So, yeah, Valentine was now stuck there, with his ideals dead as hell after losing it all, and Johnny was obviously pissed off by the fact that Valentine had done so much all in the name of justice, whether it was that thing he tried to do to Lucy, or the fact that Mr. Balls himself, Gryo, was dead, Valentine still tried to do what he could to persuad Johnny not to kill him.
Wiz: And it could’ve been possible, considering Valentine would recieve a 91% approval rating as well as convincing those like Diego to join him, even if it would inevitably result in Diego dying against Valentine in a duel. Yes, Valentine is still quite a fighter, being in the military and all of that made him a capable one, even wielding what appears to be a Remington 1875 or Single Action Army revolver, but in a fight between Stand users? Not as much.
Boomstick: Yeah, too bad for Valentine, Johnny figured that even if Funny were to bring in a new Gyro or whatever, it wouldn’t be the Gyro he knew, so before Funny could whip out his gun, Johnny shot him straight in the head, resulting in Valentine falling to the one weakness of D4C.
Wiz: While the ability is powerful, the problem lies in the fact that it isn’t a passive ability. It isn’t that D4C can just instantly bring in a new Valentine, as if that were the case, Valentine never would’ve been defeated, not to mention the fact that Valentine has to be between two different things for it to even work, so being in an open field really would not help him. So instantly killing Valentine as Johnny did, was able take out the president for good.
Boomstick: So there he went, an American patriot till the very end, even if he did some really fucked up things, he knew what he was doing, and he was making sure it was in the name of his country. So, God bless America!
Valentine: My heart and actions are utterly pure…! Everything I do is for justice!
Senator Armstrong is here to burn it all down in DEATH BATTLE!:[]
Wiz: Texas, the Lone Star State, when you ask someone outside of the United States to name a state, most of them would likely think about those Texas cowboys wrangling cows, riding horses, those types of things.
Boomstick: And you can’t forget the beer and guns! Them Texans are crazy, fighting for what they specifically want, it don’t matter if you’re neighbors or not, you can have a gun pointed at each other just because you disagree with something, and I love it! Especially one Texan who would be born sometime between 1968 and 1978.
Wiz: That man would be none other than Steven Armstrong.
Armstrong: (Laughs)
Boomstick: Yeah, Armstrong is definitely one of the most America-loving Americans you could ever lay your eyes on. With him being raised in the Lone Star, before, for reasons unknown to any of us, had to move to South Carolina, where he went to Pickens High School.
Wiz: It was here where his true love for his country would shine out above most others. Namely by how he would push himself to join the JROTC program of the school, wher ehe would actually prove to be really good at it, where he was able to reach the rank of Cadet Sergeant First Class. Though, after finishing high school, he moved back to Texas to go to the University of... Texas.
Boomstick: It was here where Armstrong was able to prove that not only was he probably really strong mentally, but physically by joining the football team there, being probably a star quarterback there. Hey, it’s never said he was a star, but considering his size, I would not be surprised in the slightest if he was somehow the pinnacle of the place.
Wiz: And it was during this time when he probably could’ve gone pro, he could have become one of the highest paid football stars out there if he wanted to truly push himself to do it, but, instead, he wanted to follow his own ideals rather than caring about football. Hence, he would then join the Navy.
Boomstick: Man, he could’ve gone pro if he didn’t join the Navy. I would’ve loved to watch him play, maybe I can find a video of his college days somewhere, I’ll have to remember to look for it later. But, he ain't one of those beltway pansies, so it's fine.
Wiz: Whether or not you can find actual videos of his time as a football player, it won’t compare to what he has done in the Navy, which was... admittedly, not much considering even though he did join it, he never did see any actual combat. However, even being able to join and get through the training and everything, that is still quite a feat not many people are even willing to ever try and get to.
Boomstick: Nevertheless, if he wanted to, he could’ve just served his country for a few decades and retire earlier than others, but no, Armstrong wanted, no, he NEEDED to do something more for his country, so after honorably discharging from the Navy, he moved to Colorado and would run to become the senator of the state, which he was actually able to!
Wiz: And it’s no surprise that he was, Armstrong is able to actually do it. He’s quite the talkative guy, being able to convince others to join his side after figuring out their ideals, and trying to warp his own to sound like what they are wanting to hear. To him, he can always find a way to speak to anyone he needs to, all that matters is the way you spin it around to make it sound good to the other person.
Boomstick: And so after he got into the office, he did what any normal person would do, and that would be to cut the budget of the entire state in half just so that he could let a private military company take full control of the police force, well, at least take over it in Denver from what we could tell.
Wiz: That PMC would turn out to be none other than World Marshal Inc. After the fall of the Big Five PMCs from Liquid Ocelot’s Outer Heaven, World Marshal would take over as the next big thing of the world in terms of having your own army at your grasp, with Armstrong supplying a lot of funds for the place, allowing him access to most, if not all of the company’s assets, whether it was from smaller robot units, numerous cyborgs, or even the infamous Metal Gear, Armstrong had access to it all.
Boomstick: Yeah, you know, casual things done by the senator of a state that is probably on the lower end of all 50 of them. Or not, whatever the case was, Armstrong had his state prepared for whatever could come his way. And not only did he have access to just random disposable cyborgs, but he had access to some of the deadliest ones to date!
Wiz: You see, while Boomstick did mention the Metal Gear Ray, it is not something that is apart of World Marshal, but instead hidden beneath the World Marshal mask, there lied another PMC, but one that was more focused on causing havok across the world, one that would lay waste to whatever they pleased, one that would frequently give aid to terrorists if they asked. That was Desperado Enforcement LLC..
Boomstick: Casually aiding terrorists and using children as test subjects! Classic evil 80s cartoon show plot. And, as I said, they have themselves probably the most dangerous cyborgs to date in that place! Not only does it have damn Metal Gears, but it has a group of like 5 people who are some of the wildest combantants for a fight we have ever seen in our lives. Hell, they all had an episode before this! We’re talking about the Winds of Destruction!
Wiz: Firstly we should mention the forgotten wind, that being Khamsin, the desert storm of the Middle East, similar to Armstrong’s own origin, he was a man who grew up being very patriotic for his country and was ready to fight for it for his life hoping for freedom for all, even if that meant breaking a few rules, which would actually lead to him getting discharged from the military, yet his will to continue fighting kept up to where he would eventually gain enough funds to get himself a cyborg body.
Boomstick: Not just a cyborg body, but a damn mech practically! Wielding a giant high frequency ax that even his own mech had trouble to lift up, which isn’t surprising since when Khamsin jumped into the air and slammed it into the ground, it literally caused the pavement to crack and break about! And yet, he still ended up dying to everyone’s favorite good boy robot, which was, of course, Blade Wolf. Too bad for him, when trying to achieve freedom for himself, he was stopped by the next person we’re talking about, the Cold Wind of France, Mistral.
Wiz: Mistral was a woman forced into the killing fields during the Algerian Civil war, forced to witness her own family’s demise, this is where most people would end up finding themselves broken, unable to cope with the events that had just unfolded before themselves. Yet, that wasn’t the case for this Algerian/French woman.
Boomstick: Nope! She instead found those exact people that killed her family, and she killed those fuckers! Now wielding the unique weapon that is the L'Etranger, alongside a Dwarf Gekko army, I’d almost say I feel bad for those fuckers, but if anyone got anywhere close to even hurting my mama, boy, they ain’t going to just get killed, they’re going to be sent beyond Hell from my shotgun, no, they’re going to go straight to the underhell for all I care.
Wiz: The underhell?
Boomstick: Don’t question it, it’s just what I call the boiler rooms for those who don’t deserve a purpose in life, but not like this next guy who sees no purpose in life at all!
Wiz: Monsoon, similar to Mistral, was a person who was forced to endure the onslaught of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, instead of trying to figure out some kind of purpose, instead of finding something to try and thrive for, Monsoon gave up on it all, becoming a nihilist who would see whatever happens as natural. Yet, even after events from him leaving a crime syndicate of human trafficing and drug deals, he learned to use his Dystopia sais, these two sais are helped greatly by his own new cyborg body he recieved after almost dying in a shootout.
Boomstick: You want to hit him? Too bad! He’ll just split himself apart so you can’t! And with the power to magnetically mess with shit, he can magnetically charge his sais with lightning and of the sort, even being able to telekinetically lift up objects of metal, even if they have little traces of it, up into the air and throw them at high speeds! Man, for a guy who doesn’t care about anything, he sure knows how to have a good time, but not like Sundowner!
Wiz: Sundowner was an average student in school, decent grades, all that all around, he was a pretty decent guy, but the moment he took up arms, he had such a love for causing blood, he named his two HF Machetes “Bloodlust” which could be turned into one giant pair of scissors. Hence why he would fight, just to witness this supposed bloodsoaked paradise he could then witness in the red sun that he would’ve caused.
Boomstick: At least he still knows why he is fighting, unlike everyone’s favorite Brazilian, Jetstream Samuel Rodrigues, wielder of the A VT7 High-Frequency Blade known as the Murasama, a legendary sword passed down for generations all the way back from Japan, which Sam would eventually inherit from his late father. Where he’d try to go after Desperado and Armstrong himself, before being absolutely dogged on after failing to win after losing in his interview.
Wiz: And yet, despite the numerous threats each of them was able to pose, they were all killed by an unlikely hero, a soldier born into the killing fields like Monsoon and Mistral, a hero who would at points, just love the bloodshed and pain he was causing to others like Sundowner, a hero who, at points, would question why he ever is still fighting, just like Sam. That man was the Ripper, Jack the Ripper, the rain transformed, it was Raiden.
Boomstick: Yeah, despite everything Desperado had, including the cyborgs, the custom ones excluding Khamsin cause he died to a robot dog, the strkers, the Gekkos, the Dwarf Gekkos, the Vodomerkas, the raptors, and the Winds, again, excuding Khamsin, Raiden would eventually find his way to Pakistan, where he would find Armstrong, piloting the biggest Metal Gear to date.
Wiz: That would be the Metal Gear EXCELSUS, armed with giant arm-blades, railguns, and even lasers, Armstrong was able to be a great pilot to it, even considering how he wanted to try and get Raiden to understand his side, but he didn’t mind killing Raiden, but despite facing off against the stadium sized Metal Gear, Raiden was able to hold his own, which is not surprising in the slightest.
Boomstick: Yeah! Raiden has stopped giant ships even when he was missing an arm in a weaker cyborg body.
Wiz: And there is the fact that he was able to upscale Old Solid Snake and Liquid Ocelot who was able to get an entire Metal Gear Ray to dodge a electron-free laser from the MG REX Snake was piloting, and given our calculations, that’d be a speed of just above 2.5 times faster than light!
Boomstick: And Armstrong was able to not only keep up, but literally turn around fully before Raiden could hit him! Hell, not only did Armstrong literally punch Raiden into Metal Gear EXCELSUS so hard it exploded with the force of 182 kilotons of TNT after failing to get him to join him after trying to explain his ideals, he was able to hit the ground so hard it causes magma to erupt from the ground!
Wiz: Now, we’ve seen many argue over if it is actually magma since not only have we seen Armstrong use powers such as electromagnetism, but we see him use pyrokinesis during the Sam fight, so shouldn’t it just be more fire? Surprisingly, no! If you look close at both events of him doing so against both Sam and Raiden, you are able to see a difference.
Boomstick: Yeah! You got Sam’s fight ones which are smaller, lighter in color, and you can clearly tell they are fire. While in the Raiden fight, they are bigger, darker in color, and you can literally see spews of magma flow out besides it! So, how powerful is it exactly?
Wiz: Well, according to our calculations with the size of Armstrong compared to the magma itself, the force it would take to get through just the continental crust at 40 kilometers and with the type of densities of magma with basalt being the most likely and using its lowest of 2,650 kilograms per meter cubed, as well as factoring in the at least 17 pillars he creates that would be, at minimum, 194.5 megatons of TNT! Enough to annihilate an entire mountain!
Boomstick: All thanks to some special power that makes him fuckin’ invincible! That’s right, we’re talking about the-
Armstrong: Nanomachines, son. They harden in response to physical trauma.
Wiz: After getting his heart literally infused with them, Armstrong was able to take electricity and such from other things ranging from helicopters and military vehicles to even the MG EXCELSUS.
Boomstick: Yeah, he can use them to literally buff up and enhance his physique to such a degree he could snap Raiden’s original HF blade like a Slim Jim!
Wiz: Remember, HF blades are things that vibrate at such a speed to where not only does the user have to physically vibrate at that speed as well, but it’s effects cause quantum decoherence to occur, resulting in the ability to negate an opponent’s durability, and Armstrong breaking it was said to have broken modern physics!
Boomstick: Yeah, Armstrong is stupidly powerful, which is why you definitely don’t want to fuck with him, hell, not only did the Doktor say that him breaking the HF blade was breaking physics, but that one hit from him could actually prove to be fatal to Raiden! Luckily, due to plot, he got his hands on the Murasama of Sam’s after his death, and took advantage of it being a regular blade before being converted to a HF Blade compared to his own which was made as an HF blade to take on Armstrong.
Wiz: You see, despite how utterly strong the senator is, the nanomachines, if he were to use too much power, could make the nanomachines run out of juice, leaving Armstrong vulnerable, it was how Raiden won, and how Sam could’ve won if he tried to outlast him. And due to machines like this, it can cause Armstrong to almost act like a berserker, resulting in a lot more power loss. And if you can attack faster than he can react, you can bypass the nanomachines pretty easily.
Boomstick: Hence why Raiden was able to rip out his heart and think that he won the day, but that was when Armstrong dropped the bombshell, Raiden was his successor! Yeah, Armstrong’s whole ideals was the survival of the fittest, and Raiden fit the bill just fine, and despite not agreeing with Armstrong’s dream or anything he had said prior about ending war as a business, Raiden would even have moments where he’d even quote his fallen foe!
Wiz: So, let it be known throughout all of this, despite the hardships everyone has faced, there will come a time when a selected few will stand above the blood-stained sand, with them being stronger than the rest. But, don’t fret because you were unable to help in making this new omlette of a world, just remember that even if you can’t help America be great again, sometimes in history, it has to be this way.
Raiden, having been injured from the EXCELSUS explosion, lays on the ground as Armstrong approaches while cracking his knuckles.
Armstrong: Alright, I think we’re about done here...
Intermission:[]
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Wiz & Boomstick by Brandon Yates
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Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set, we've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: IT'S TIME FOR A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION!!!
Pre-Debate:[]
The day in Colorado was just like any other, the sky is blue, the air is cool, the sun is hot, the vultures waits to see what rots, just the typical day in Colorado. Oh, and there were also debates going on about the presidential debate, so there is that. Oh, who are the candidates? Well, there’s a good number of them, but out of all them, there are two that stand out, not just in how good they are at what they do, but literally stand out from the crowd with their looks.
On one side of the presidential debate, we have the uniquely dressed President Funny Valentine, and on the other, there is the very fit and tall current Colorado Senator, Steven Armstrong. The two had been going at it for weeks, trying to dismantle one another’s arguments and prove their own. Even holding their own rallies for their campaigns. Each of them goes from state to state, trying to get their country onto their side, and as they do, each of them are able to sway that state to them.
Literally, anytime one is able to get one side of the country for them, the other drops in and takes it for themselves and makes it into a giant endless cycle of sorts. But yet when the other goes back there to reclaim it for themselves, the other goes back again and takes it from the other. Leading to them constantly going back to a certain state to win it back across, well, every single state practically. It was as if almost any other politician that was running for presidency was lacking far behind them no matter what. Eiter way, these two continue to fight over their nation’s mind continuously with Valentine seemingly starting to gain a lead until one day, Valentine gets a letter delivered to him.
“Mr. Valentine, I’m impressed with what you have done. Constantly swaying this nation’s states to your side. I’d love to have a personal chat with you soon enough. So don’t keep me waiting.” On said note, there was also an address as well as a time in some building in Denver, Colorado, where Valentine then waited for that day and time to then go to where he was told to go. He goes there, before looking up at the tall building that is World Marshal Headquarters, which is where his note told him to go.
Valentine walks in, and as he does, he looks around the giant interior of just the first room before seeing a U.S flag nearby. He decides to take it and hang it over his shoulder before a cyborg police officer there points a baton at him. “Hey, put it back where you found it. Just because you’ve been president, doesn’t mean you’re above the law,” The officer tells Valentine, who looks at the officer. “But is it truly a crime if I am only carrying the flag of my country over my shoulder? Signaling the burden I have had when leading this great nation?”
The officer stops and questions what Valentine just said. He tries to raise the baton, but, for some reason, is unable to do so, as if something was stopping him. So, he finally tells Valentine, “I, well, look, just put it back before you leave, alright?” The officer says, seemingly dumbfounded while he starts walking away. Valentine smiles as he starts walking up the stairs as he sees another cyborg, this time in different gear, signaling to him.
“You Mr. Valentine?” He asks as Valentine nods before the cyborg continues, “Follow me.” And so, Funny follows him into an elevator, where eventually the two reach a way higher floor. The cyborg gives him a note and points towards a direction, “Take a right there, and then you can follow where the note tells you to go.” “Alright, I thank you.” Valentine tells him, giving a slight bow as he then walks through the door of the elevator where it then closes behind him.
Valentine walks through the hallways of the building, even looking down at the ground far below where he is as he gives a small smile, “Ah, what a beauty to know how well this nation has prospered.” As he continues, he eventually rounds a corner, which leads him to some kind of office. He knocks on the door, but no response. He tries knocking once more, and this time, the door opens slightly, revealing a conference room inside of it.
The room was relatively dark, with only a few lights hanging over the actual table that were on, and on the opposite side of the room and table was Valentine’s major competition in winning the election, it was the Colorado Senator, Steven Armstrong. “Funny, thanks for coming in.” He says, welcoming Valentine into the room. “What are you planning on doing, Senator?” Valentine asks, which causes Armstrong to gain a small smile on his face.
“Like I said on the note, son, I’m here for a chat, and just that. So, please, take a seat.” Armstrong says, signaling Valentine, who is still near the door to the room, to take a seat at the other side of the table. Valentine sighs before closing the door behind him. Leaving the area around him dim, but still allowing Armstrong to faintly see Valentine across the room. However, as Valentine walks, he ends up standing near a flag on a pole that was already in the room.
This flag was way bigger than the one he had, and he stands there, and holds onto the flag, before basically putting himself between the flag and the one he had with him. “Heh, are you done dancing with the flag?” Armstrong jokes, questioning what Valentine was doing. “Hmm? Oh, right, this is just my way of letting myself remember how much one must embrace their own nation for them to lead it.” Valentine says as he swings out from the flag before walking to the table, now in the full light.
“Well, I can agree with ya there, gotta understand what your nation is for you to lead it, but I wouldn’t say that is the best way to express it. Even more so when you’d be trying to force the nation to all do the same thing.” Armstrong says, before pulling out a cigar as he starts to smoke it. “Well, shouldn’t we embrace our nation when we lead it? And then should not the people follow behind the one that is to lead them?”
“No. What you describe is them blindlessly following someone. Blindlessly following someone would only result in a war among the people. Compare our first president George Washington to King George III of Britain when we decided to become independent from him. The king would make people fight for causes they didn’t believe in, go into battles that served no purpose. Those who think others should follow behind them and not think they should fight for themselves make me sick.”
Valentine then sits down as Armstrong continues, “But, look at Washington, he didn’t force them to follow him. They CHOOSE to follow him to battle. THEY wanted the battle. THEY wanted their independence from Britain. And look at where that brought us. Look at what happens when someone has people fighting willingly for them compared to someone forcing others to fight with them.” Armstrong finishes as Valentine gives a nod.
“I respect what you say, Armstrong. However, without anyone to lead them, what prevents an army from taking over what a ragtag group of people not knowing the same things? Look at the Alamo in Texas. They fought valiently, they did, but they were just a small group that wanted their independence, similar to Washington’s group. However, the main difference is that either way, the real army was a force that was night-unstoppable. Washington’s group, while luckily being able to be the reason why we got our nation today, were able to fight long enough and fight behind a leader guiding them, but in the Alamo, they didn’t have a real leader, did they? There were those such as James Bowie, William B. Travis, and David Crockett, they all fought till their last breath, but were any of them a leader? Or were they all just a group with few people making quick decisions without one to lead the real charge?”
Valentine looks over at Armstrong, who slowly blinks while holding his cigar in the air, as if he was almost taken back by what Funny had said. “Well, I can’t ignore a good point, they didn’t have a real leader. But that’s the thing, having a leader who forces others can only do much. We’ve seen that with a lot of different civil wars. The leader makes them follow blindlessly behind them, not looking back at their nation. Just doing what they believe is right, but that is directly ignoring the people’s crying out to you. You’d ignore their tears, you’d let them die for a cause they don’t believe in. At least the ones in the Alamo fought for 13 days straight. They fought doing what they all chose to. They all volunteered to join the cause. How do we know that someone on the side of Mexico didn’t want to help them?”
“Because they knew that if they did try and betray their country, they’d die. You spoke of a traitor, is that what you hope for our nation? A nation full of people betraying one another, fighting to try and survive, while those who cannot fend for themselves all perish? If so, then you have lost my respect. I want our nation to have prosperity. Where we all work as one, being able to keep our nation running like it’s a well maintained machine.” Valentine tries to reason as Armstrong takes another puff of his cigar, “But what if someone doesn’t want to help in that cause, Valentine?”
“Then they do not understand what it must take to make a nation the greatest it can be. A nation cannot rely simply on the luck of hoping your neighbor is willing to betray their nation at any second, but by those who are willing to work hand in hand together, ready to follow their leader’s footsteps exactly.” “So, what will then happen to those that are still not willing to follow you, but instead carve their own path?” Armstrong asks, before tipping his cigar into the ashtray. “Then they are similar to that of a traitor. If they are not willing to listen to what is needed of them, then they may as well be following the wrath of their own, letting them destroy what others continue to try and mend.”
Armstrong chuckles, “I’ll be blunt, Valentine, I do not agree with you in any sort of manner. I think you’re delusiomally optimistic. You expect people to just follow your own cause, none of theirs. You are believing that they will all just follow you without considering their own beliefs.” “And I believe that you are a traitor, Mr. Armstrong. You are wanting everyone to fight for themselves. You are telling me you’d rather our nation’s people always be willing to kill one another, to always be ready to stab their brothers and sisters in the back if they didn’t agree with their beliefs instead of letting them all be working together in harmony.”
Armstrong stands up and slams his hand down on the table, causing the table to crack slightly, “Because you should know damn well that that would never happen! You think everyone believes the same thing? Then tell me, why is it that while you, a president, have been in office, all these things still happen? Why do all these crimes still occur? If you want everyone to work together in ‘harmony’ then why do we still kill one another?” He says, in an almost angered tone before Valentine starts reaching into his pocket as Armstrong laughs, “What are you gonna do shoot me? Well, go ahead then, prove to me that your cause i- What is that?” Armstrong stops himself midway through his sentence to see what Valentine put onto the table.
What was it that Valentine placed down? It was some kind of handkerchief. Valentine has it on the table, before picking it up once more and folds it up while then placing it back down. “It is my late father’s handkerchief. He fought for our nation. He wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of our nation’s prosperity. He ended up getting captured by those he was fighting. Where they’d try to get information from him, and while most men would to make sure they can survive longer, my father did not. He allowed himself to be abused, tortured, maimed, all to allow his nation’s safety. And he hid this very same handkerchief behind his eye before then killing himself, to make sure the enemy wouldn’t be able to get anything from him. It was only when Captain Valentine, the man who would go on to marry my widowed mother and give me my new surname, took it and gave it to me.”
“And what does that have to do with what you are trying to say? I will admit, your father was a real American. And I respect him for the lengths he was willing to go to to make sure his nation didn’t fall, but why do you bring this up?” “Because it proved to me that even alone, a single man can cause inspiration to all, and lead them to believe in a higher cause. A cause that could be described as ascending to Heaven itself in a sense. Where we could be standing alongside Jesus Christ himself. A single man can change the views of all. And my late father could be seen as that. He proved that just a single person could lead a point of view of non-stop patriotism. He was able to show that if others follow in his footsteps, then everyone could reasonably, and willingly, be able to follow behind someone without questioning it, where they are able to follow the cause of a singular person. The single person could be seen as the new father of our nation, and all those under him can be seen as the daughters and sons of the patriot that saved us all.”
“Well, I can’t stop you from believing that, and I see no problem with that, you at least fight for what you believe in. But with what your cause is, I do see a problem with. But even then, I can see why they elected you as the leader. And you are admittedly the one person who is able to stand in my way of becoming this nation’s leader, all those other candidates, they are nothing. They’re just saying what they know will get the people to vote for them. They don’t care for anything else except power. I’d almost argue that you do as well, but at least you are giving speeches about what you actually believe in. You are telling the nation what you want to say, not what they want to hear, and it is working. Albeit, there are a few of those other canidates that are saying what is on their minds, but they aren’t going to go anywhere without some giant amount of luck as if a god themself were to get them to that point.”
Armstrong then grabs his cigar from the tray before he goes and stands next to a window before opening the blinds, looking over the city of Denver as he gets another puff of his cigar. “This nation, it’s a thing that is beaitful, but yet so full of filth that I’d honestly want to try and revert it back to zero. Put our nation back to how it originally was, and to see if changing a few things in the beginning would result in a better world, but that ain’t happening anytime soon.” Valentine then looks up at Armstrong, who actually then turns back around and closes the blind as he continues speaking, “But, I think we all know history has been set, and we can only change the future of it, and when I become president, I’ll make sure that our nation could resurge into what it should be.”
Armstrong then goes up to Valentine and holds out his hand for a handshake. “Now, even if you win the election again, I’ll follow you wherever you lead us, Mr. President.” He tells Valentine, who then gives a slight smile at what is happening. Valentine stands up and gives Armstrong the handshake, with the two opposing parties giving a smile of acknowledgement of one another’s ideals and philosophy. Armstrong then goes back to his side of the table as Valentine sits back down. Armstrong sits down as he then puts his hands together, while leaning forward on the table. “However, if you do really win, I will follow your orders, but I won’t follow your cause. There is a difference in what I will follow, but that’s only if you win.”
Valentine gives a slight chuckle as he holds onto the flag that he took from entering the building. “And tell me, what if my cause and my orders were to be one in the same? Would you just become like a traitor? Are you really willing to do that?” Valentine asks as Armstrong pushes up his glasses, “I do whatever it takes to remake our world to be great. Even if it requires a war to end war, I will do what I need to do. And if you think I wouldn’t sacrifice a few eggs in this omlette that I am cooking for this nation, then I may as well dump out the current carten and get an entirely new one.’
“Oh, so you are willing to abandon your nation’s original purpose to form it into what you want? You talk about those wanting only power, and yet you still stand here, talking in a sense as if you are a person that you have already stated that you despise. Then that tells me that you should not even be a leader of this nation. It makes me wonder how you are even able to write speeches to get the people to elect you as president, let alone being elected senator of this state.” “Well, not all speech writers are the same, right? You can’t expect everything? To expect the future to be exactly like you envisioned is utter bullshit, you can only change it to be like what you want, but not completely. And even if that were the case, you’d have to be really lucky. And I don’t know anyone to be that lucky.”
“Oh, but I know I am able to win over what is needed. And as long as I draw breath, the people will follow behind me in what I believe.” Valentine says as he stands up from his chair. “Then that means today is the day they quit following you, Valentine.” Armstrong says in an almost smug-like attitude. “And what would make you say tha-” Before Valentine could finish his sentence, a cyborg appears behind him, where it is apparent he turned off his stealth camo to prove a point. And as Valentine tries to fight back, the cyborg uses a knife to cut Funny across the neck. Valentine slumps back into the chair, coughing out blood, trying to stop the bleeding by covering his neck, but as he does, Armstrong walks towards him and looks down upon him. “You made a single flaw, Mr. President, you let your guard down, which only makes you look more idiotic when you do it next to who you are going up against.”
Valentine reaches out towards Armstrong, as if to try and grab him, but as he does, he falls to the ground, and as he tries to push himself up, he finally falls, signaling the death of the president. Armstrong then looks at the cyborg and then down at Valentine’s corpse. “Take the body out of the city, place it somewhere where no one can find it.” The cyborg nods as he makes a signal, in which another cyborg appears, where the two then pick up and take the body of Valentine out of the room. Armstrong then stands there alone, looking down at the pool of blood before looking at the handkerchief and grabbing it. He starts walking out of the room himself, he sees the flag that is still on the pole from earlier and then looks back at the one Valentine left in the chair. He goes back, grabs the one that Valentine had grabbed and then looks at the handkerchief and throws it on the ground near the flag on the pole.
But as he does, he closes the door behind him, leaving it in the dark area of the room. Yet, the handkerchief then seemingly starts to float upwards, and as it does, from behind the flag, a hand grabs a hold of it. And as it does, it takes the handkerchief behind the flag where the figure stands there for a moment before a seeming gust of wind causes the flag to move around a bit until it then falls down to the ground, as if there was nobody, or anything there.
Some time later:
On this day, it is now raining in Colorado, the sky is dark, with the warm rain pouring down upon the area. And yet, inside the building, a multitude of cyborgs still roam within it, getting ready for whatever they are needing to get done. And in one room, the reception area, Armstrong walks through it, alongside Monsoon. “So, are you still aligned with your previous ideas?” Monsoon asks, as Armstrong looks at him.
“About the cherry blossoms, I presume?” Armstrong asks as Monsoon looks up at them and answers, “Yes, the cherry blossoms, do they still make you sick as you once said?” “Yeah, they still make me sick. I already told you, everyone in Washington thinks they’re so beautiful, and yet they die so easily. What’s the point of even having something that can be destroyed so easily?” Armstrong asks as Monsoon uses his magnetic power to lift his arm up and grab a blossom himself before bringing it back down.
“And as I said once before, nature is not pretty or ugly. It merely exists in a world where many judge it for what it is. There is no such thing as pretty or ugly, only preferences. As that old saying would go, ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’ It is signaling the idea that our ways of seeing what deserves to live and what doesn’t. Some will say it is beautiful.” Monsoon tells before throwing the blossom into the air, as it then starts to gently fall back to the ground.
“However, there are those who would rather see that same thing be destroyed. You can have a tree, but it is bent in such a way that it poses a unique image. There will be those that call it a magical experience of nature proving what it can do, but then you have those who will find it deformed, disgusting, and would rather it be cut down to pieces instead of letting it thrive in this world. They’d rather it be destroyed under their shoe.” And when he finishes that time, Monsoon looks at the cherry blossom as it then falls onto the ground, where he crushes it under his foot before he then looks up at the petals of other cherry blossoms falling down before continuing.
“However, despite there being two sides, black and white, there is still a gray area, an area where people like I exist, where we see those things as, well, merely existing. The only thing that is forever consistent is time itself. Only time can decide what is to survive, and what is to die. With those things that die, being merely examples of things that are stains of time. Things that happened, and are eventually washed away and forgotten, similar to some people’s ideals, their memes. Those memes, they were not meant to be. However, some things such as gravity, they are a harness for us. They are one of the few things that is more consistent than not in our world.” And as he says that, he starts to separate his body to where the bottom half of him is now walking in front of the two and then stops while his top half continues to float next to Armstrong.
“But yet, even a harness can be harnessed. I’ve seen it first hand. Despite some things, from the average perspective, being seen to be forever be like that and can't be altered. Then there are those who are still able to manipulate it, those who are able to change what is to be believed. Just because something is constant, it doesn’t mean it will always be that way. It could be seen as singing in a way, the universe’s way of telling you something. The universe itself will sing, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t ignore it, or interpret it in a different way compared to others around you.” Monsoon finishes as his body reconnects with a snap.
Armstrong stays silent so that he could consider all that Monsoon has said, before he asks Monsoon a question. “So, tell me, what’s stopping the black or white area from overtaking the entire thing?” Monsoon pauses for a moment before looking down at the small river in the area. He then makes himself walk over it. Using his powers, it was almost as if he was really walking on water. As he does, he then bends down and picks up a blossom, which is soggy at this point, but as he does, he throws it up like before, but instead this time he pulls out one of his sais to pull it back down.
“Just as I showed, if one tries to ascend beyond their own self, they will end up being pulled back down to their place, because no one side can win in this kind of conflict. But, that’s only if they do it by force. If they use their memes, their words, the black and turn the white gray so it can overtake, or the white can lighten the black to a point of gray for it to take over. It all comes down to which memes are able to overpower the other side’s own memes.”
“Well said, well said. But then how does one side, say, the black side, use their memes to persuade the masses?” “Well, that is easy to answer, they tell not only their side, but the gray area, who are unable to choose. But with the one side’s memes, they can make the gray on their side, turning them to a darker shade, letting the gray then slowly consume the white, turning it darker and darker till it is all one color. Black, by nature, is the color when all other colors are present at once. Letting all that can happen, happen. All different colors, all different memes in one, which would cause all amounts of carnage under it. And even when some colors die out, the darkness that is black still looms over it all in the end.”
“Hmph, so then what if the white side were to win?” “It’d be a higher hill to climb for the white side. They’d have a singular meme working on it’s own, they have one ideal, one goal, and to try and win over the gray is not that difficult, taking over the black, that would provide a higher challenge. Given the black is a collection of memes, but all those memes would also have their own wars against themselves if anything were to go wrong, which would leave them vulnerable for the white to be able to win. But if there were to be a victor in the end between both sides, it is impossible to tell which side would end up winning.”
Monsoon then looks towards Armstrong, “I’m guessing you’re wondering due to President Valentine’s return? Despite watching him die right before you?” “Yeah, I saw his neck get slit and yet he’s back, and, from what I’ve been told, been taking the train a lot around the nation. Even apparently heading to other countries to try and promote himself, making himself seem like he’s in it for the entire world. For all I know, he might’ve manipulated a man physically and mentally into being like him, just to make sure he can survive.”
Armstrong and Monsoon start walking up a set of stairs, and as they continue, Monsoon then asks Armstrong about what he is going to do about this. “What are you planning on doing? Are you going to send some agents out there to kill him, again?” “That probably is the best we can do, and since he is in a different country, it makes it a lot easier for us to send some cyborgs down there. But, I don’t want to just send them to be slaughtered by the people protecting Valentine.”
“Then what? Send a Metal Gear after him directly? Since that wouldn’t risk anyone dying?” Monsoon asks, wondering what Armstrong has planned. “No, we’re going to send soldiers, but we need to make sure Valentine doesn’t escape. So, we’re going to have to be smart about this one.” Armstrong tells as the two end up walking out of the reception area, and into some more basic hallways before Armstrong starts talking about their options.
“Mistral could work, she’s already near that area, and I believe that other guy, Khamsin, those two are viable options, but Mistral already has her own hands full with having to deal with that place going rouge, and Khamsin, he’s probably going to end up staying just so he can spread freedom. Or whatever Mistral told him. He’s a good soldier, but he’s too naive to even see what is happening.”
“Then what else is there? There’s Sam and Sundowner, and they have done something similar to N’mani, so aren’t those two the last options?” Monsoon asks, which Armstrong chuckles. “Well, we can already try having you go out there, and let you try and wash away all your anger against them.” Monsoon gives a sadistic smile at the comment before shaking his head. “It is an option, but I feel that those two would provide better at the task that it is, especially considering those defenses Valentine has, as said earlier.”
“So, what, Sam and Sundowner it is then? I guess it is the only viable option we have at this point. I am still wondering how the hell Valentine returrned.” “Nature works in mysterious ways. Whether it is something like the immortal jellyfish in the sea, where it can reset itself back to its youth. Or even humanity finding interesting ways to prolong their own lives. Wasn’t there a group in the U.S army that was filled with multiple people that were unique in that sense?” Monsoon asks as Armstrong nods at it.
“Yeah, the Cobra Unit, despite being almost wiped from history, I was able to get some information out of some secured folders, and the unit is what led to that Big Boss guy to succeed in his own ideals, his own world. But it is also what led to him dying in that Outer Heaven area. Or was it in that Zanzibar Land? I’ve tried looking into it, even trying to get to George Sears himself a long time ago, who was apparently close to Big Boss.” Armstrong says as the two continue to walk through into a large room.
“And so what was the Cobra Unit exactly? I’ve never been that developed into America’s hidden history, with me not being born here, but born into the bloodied battle that was in Cambodia.” Monsoon tells, while Armstrong gives a confident smile. “Well, there was of course the Boss, or the Joy as she was also called, the mentor to Big Boss, and despite being wiped from the public eye, I’ve gotten some information from people up there, and from what I was told, she was the real first American in space, and while up there, she apparently had a dream, a dream of uniting the world as one.” The senator speaks, as he then pulls out a cigar before continuing.
“Then you had the Sorrow, that guy was probably the most unique one out of them all. He had the ability to talk to ghosts from what I was told, being able to use them to his advantage, with that name of his reflectng what he brought to the battlefield. The Fury, he was the actual first person in space, sent by the Union, but he, he lost his mind to pyromania when his ship caught fire and he was mentally gone after that one. The Fear, he was weird, but in a different way, more akin to a spider of all things. That bastard was apparently one freaky fucker. Almost as bad as the Pain, that guy had some sort of thing to manipulate insects and use them to his advantage.” Armstrong continues before taking yet another puff of his cigar as Monsoon asks a single question, “And isn’t there one more?”
“Yeah, the End, that old son of a bitch was from the 20th century, and yet he kept fighting like it wasn’t even a problem, he just kept humming along after everything to where he’d be seen as the father of sniping. That unit was something else, doing the dirtiest wet work that America had to offer, to where they had a bomb planted inside of each of them in case they were ever found. Except for Joy, she had it taken out or something so that nothing would happen to ol’ Snakey there.” Armstrong finishes at last while throwing his cigar into a nearby trash can. “And so do those things give possible reasons to why Valentine is still alive to this day?” Monsoon asks Armstrong before the latter gives a look of if it was an obvious question.
“Well, given we had snipers going till their hundreds, a guy talking to ghosts, a man who was like a spider. At this point, this world is so full of bullshit that Valentine survivng isn’t even surprising. But this time, we’re going to have direct eyes on him, to make sure he is actually dead this time.” “So, what are you going to do?” “I’ll have Sundowner and Sam alongside some cyborgs that have their codes where they are unaffiliated with Marshal or Desperado. We are going to make sure this fucker stays dead.” Armstrong says as Monsoon gives a wide smile, “Then it appears that in this kill or be killed world, Valentine is the weak one.” The cyborg speaks as the two continue to walk through, with Armstrong giving a smile, “Yeah, and this time, he’ll have no way to return after this encounter.” The two then continue to walk as they enter another room, with the door closing behind them.
Some time later:
In some other country, we see an old fashioned steam train chugging along, and inside of it, we see Funny Valentine, sitting down and looking out the window. And as he sits there, he looks down at the handkerchief he has had, so he continues to keep a hold of it until putting it back away into his pocket. Before looking forward, seemingly, it was to face someone else.
“I presume you still want what you requested?” Valentine asks, as the other then responds to the question at hand. “Mayorship of Manhattan? Yeah. I want to stand above this flock of pigeons that they are and control them. Make sure they listen to someone who actually knows hardship.”
“And it appears that you truly do know what hardship is, and what it takes to take that position.” Valentine says to this mystery man. Who was it? Well, you thought it’d be some random guy, but it was him, DIO- Diego Brando. “Right, but you yourself are another one, just one that can benefit me in this, so don’t try and think you’re special.” Diego tells Valentine, who gives a slight nod.
“I understand your resentment towards me, but you have to understand that if either of us are going to get what we want, we need to work as one. There can’t be any sort of fighting between the two of us.” Valentine tries to explain, which Diego rolls his eyes to.
“You’re just lucky I haven’t gouged out your organs yet.” Diego jokes at Valentine, who somewhat covers his stomach, “I know, I am lucky, and once I get the Holy Corpse itself, I will have more than luck, I will have something more like a goddess of luck itself by my side.”
“And who’s going to say that goddess is going to work with you? Is it just because that corpse was something basically, literally made in heaven or something? Is that what it is? You want to ascend and be a god?” Diego asks in a somewhat mocking tone, which Valentine looks somewhat displeased about.
“My actions are that of justice, I do not care for ultimate power, I am doing everything I can in the name of my country. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure my nation is prosperous.” The President says triumphantly before returning back to a normal tone of voice.
“Traveling across the States has allowed most of the corpse to be found, with the only piece left that has yet to be taken is the skull. However, given my situation, I have an idea on where it is, but I shalln’t reach for it until the time is necessary.” Valentine continues before Diego looks at him.
“Then if you got practically all the pieces, why did you bring me and yourself to this other country?” Diego questions, which Valentine responds to in a way as if he was awaiting that question to be asked to him.
“Because there is another candidate in that country who is wishing for my demise. He wants to become leader of this nation as much as I, but he is willing to do whatever it will take to gain it. Even luring ‘me’ into his own building for him to assassinate me. However, I have the Heart of America, which allowed me to continue living as if there had been nothing that happened. So I need not to fret, but instead always be on guard.”
“If you were there, how did you even stay alive?” “Ah, well, not all filthy acts come at a reasonable price. And for him, his disgusting actions cost too much and he couldn’t get it done. It is why I am here now, to see how far he truly is willing to go. I do not care much about this place, or let alone anywhere out of my country, but being here allows me to see how desperate a man can be so that he can win.” Valentine says as he then looks out the window into the fields.
“So, what? He comes here and he rips you apart before I do?” Diego laughs, before Valentine reassures that he knows what he is doing at this time. “Most likely, but, I do not need to worry, for as long as I exist, at least somewhere here, I will be alright.”
“So, you’re just going to sit and wait to see what happens to plan around it, just because you think you have a trick always up your sleeve? I guess old habits can’t be fixed, similar to fate in a sense.” Diego says as he stands up.
“While the past may be determined, the future is still up for grabs. Whoever has the courage and the resources to control the course of history will be the ones to decide the fate of the future. I aim to make sure it is my country that holds that power.” Valentine says while holding out his late father’s handkerchief before he continues.
“He knew his own fate, he knew what he had to do to keep this country safe, and he took the risk, and I will forever respect him for that. But, fate is only a thing that those near the end of their run look at, people who are still lively and healthy, they are strong, they can change their own fate so that it cannot be told what is to happen to them.”
Diego then leans over on a chair as he speaks, “I don’t know, fate feels more like something that no one can change. Not even you. If anything, it’d probably be better for us to know our own fates beforehand, if that were ever possible.” Diego says while Valentine thinks to himself for a moment.
“But if that were the case, what would be the purpose of life? Free will? America would be nothing more than trains laying on a straight rail of track until they fall off a cliff into a revine. There would be no more purpose in life. There is a difference between what you just said, and what I plan on doing for this nation. What you describe is a world of anarchy, people trying to do whatever they could to change their fate, likely taking their own lives to stop it, but that would only be another part of their apparent fate.” Valentine tells, before then talking about how his ideals are different.
“But my ideal, while we all follow a single purpose, my purpose, it does not change the fact that they are all following behind what they believe is right. I do not make them believe it, they themselves see that their leader does something, and they follow after. I have no control over them, they choose to follow me.”
Diego, seemingly about to respond, instead starts walking away. “Where are you heading to?” Valentine asks, which Diego gives a quick response to, “Away from you, that’s what. I’m only working with you for Manhattan Island, and that’s all.” Diego says before he continues to walk away, where Valentine gives a slight chuckle. “If that is what you wish, then I will not try to stop you.” Valentine tells him, while Diego walks out of that train car, while Valentine himself continues to look out the window of the train car he was in.
Meanwhile, a distance away and above, there is a tiltrotor, holding a number of people. Namely, a bunch of cyborgs, and then also Sundowner and Jetstream Sam, the latter of which lets out a yawn.
“We there yet? To keep a blade waiting is not very nice of the user,” Sam says, while Sundowner laughs. “Now now, we don’t need to worry, when we get there, we can bathe in their blood!” “Oh, good! Why, that’s very good. Yes, I like that!” Sam then laughs as the two sit there.
And after a few more moments, they drop down, landing in a field, some distance away from a nearby town. “Wouldn’t it have made sense to just jump onto the train?” Sam asks, while looking into the distance. “Nah, Valentine’s gonna be getting out here from what we’ve been told, so we’ll have some climb aboard beforehand, and let them get ready to take out whoever returns.” Sundowner tells, while Sam shrugs.
“You’re the boss. Now, what are you and I to do?” Sam questions, to which Sundowner quickly responds, very enthusiastically, “Well, since he’s getting off, there’s bound to be a lot more security in this city, so we’re going to have a bit of fun going to town.”
“Then I like this plan very much. Shall we continue?” Sam says as Sundowner nods before he and a bunch of other cyborgs start running towards the city while Sam stands back for a moment, “If only I didn’t lose my bike on that train.” He tells himself before following right behind the rest of the cyborgs.
And while they were doing that, the train comes to a rest at a station, letting a bunch of soldiers surround Valentine, who gets out and takes in a deep breath of air. “It’s not like America, but it is still fine.” He tells himself before he starts walking around the town. He then enters a building, alongside some soldiers, still guarding him.
But as they do, Desperado cyborgs start going around the train. With them all, instead of killing the soldiers there, using their steath camo to sneak into the train. While some cyborgs stay and hang around with Sam and Sundowner, who are on the roof of a building.
“Alright then, it’s time we go ahead and do what we did to poor little N’mani a while back once more. This way, not only do we get rid of Valentine, but so that PMC demands start to skyrocket. LIKE THE GOO-” “Yes, yes, the good old days after 9/11.” Sam interupts as Sundowner looks down on him. “No fun.”
But even if Sam was no fun, he gives a sly grin as well as starts walking towards the edge of the building top. And as he does, he notices Valentine down there, walking out of the building. “Is that really who Armstrong’s up against? Seems like he came out of some kind of fashion convention rather than a president.” Sam laughs.
“Yeah, that’s him, but we don’t need to worry about him being some kind of conventionist or president when his time is up now.” Sundowner talks as he then gets onto the ledge of the building top, before getting his two blades of Bloodlust ready. “Now, let’s bathe in some blood!” He yells out while jumping down.
Valentine, unknown to this, hears a bunch of screaming before turning around to see Sundowner land on the ground, squashing one soldier, and then slicing apart another. Valentine starts to back away slowly. But as he does, he hears gunshots coming from behind him, and as he turns around to face that direction, it turns out that he is almost entirely cornered from each end.
Realizing this, he starts running into a different direction all together, into some kind of alleyway. The two sides of fighters continue to go at it, with Sundowner namely going and killing a bunch of them. Eventually catching one in Bloodlust’s scissor mode. He gives a sadistic smile as well as laugh before it seemed like he was going to slice off the guy’s head.
That was until Sam ran through and cut him in half, leaving a bunch of guts hanging from the remaining parts of his body that was still being held by Bloodlust. Sundowner cuts the guy’s head off, but looks at Sam, who gives his infamous cocky smile as Sundowner says only one word because of this, “Asshole.”
Valentine is still watching out, carefully, making sure there is no one around to take him out. But as he turns around a corner, a cyborg spots him, so he quickly pulls out his revolver and shoots the cyborg in the head, making the cyborg fall to the ground with a thud. Valentine continues to manuever around, making sure he can’t be seen.
Even at one point finding a box that he hid under while he slowly moved across the ground, making it appear that nothing was wrong, and was just a box scooting across in the grass. He was doing everything he could to make sure he stayed alive. But as he does, the people that were meant to protect him were being slaughtered.
Namely by Sam and Sundowner, who were just enjoying themselves at that point. But even so, the two continue to look around for Valentine. That is until Valentine finds himself stuck in an alleyway with a wall at the end. And as he turns around, there is Sam, standing there. Valentine tries to shoot Sam, but he continues to block each of the bullets like it was no problem for him.
“Now now, don’t be shy,” Sam taunts as he approaches Valentine, who has run out of bullets. Valentine looks at a nearby dumpster, and tries using it to jump over the wall, and as he does, Sam quickly runs at him, putting the Murasama into its sheath before releasing the trigger, causing it to fly out as Funny makes it over the wall.
As the Murasama reaches Sam’s hand, he slices the wall in half, causing a bunch of dust to make it hard to see. But when it finally goes wway, Sam looks across, revealing that Valentine had gotten away. “Lucky devil.” Sam jokes, looking down at part of Valentine’s jacket being torn and on the ground in front of him.
So, he then continues to slice up the wall a bit more so that he could then pass by it with no problem. And as he does, he sheathes the Murasama before bolting forward, trying to continue finding Valentine, wherever he is. Where did Valentine go? Well, he was just barely able to slither away.
But as all those people were fighting for their lives, Sundowner was merely having the time of his life. All these different soldiers were dying left and right, trying to combat the bigger cyborg, who was just cackling while slaughtering the masses. “I love this shit!” Sundowner yells out, showing that he is truly having fun while doing this, almost as if he has forgotten the entire point of his original mission.
“You done playing with your appetizer? The main course is getting cold,” Sam jokes as he appears behind Sundowner, who looks behind him to see Sam. But doing so, ends up causing one soldier to shoot a shot that ends up skimming the chin of Sundowner. Who, in turn, quickly turns around and slowly approaches the soldier, who starts backing away, trying to keep distance from Sundowner.
However, that doesn’t really help him that much, as Sundowner cuts off his arms as he screams in pain, but as he does, Sundowner can’t help but hear Sam make a quick little joke about the bullet that hit his chin, “Heh, did I catch you cutting yourself shaving?” Sundowner, deciding to as well mess around, instead throws the soldier at Sam.
Sam, instinctively, pulls out the Murasama and slices him in half, causing the two halves to fly past him, as well as leaving blood on Sam. Sam then takes a moment to shake off the blood that had landed on him, as well as wiping some off before Sundowner asks him a question.
“Sorry, was that important?” Sundowner asks, giving his own sly grin, which Sam finds amusing. But before he can try telling some kind of joke, the two hear the sounds of a train moving. The two look behind themselves to see the train starting to move again as Valentine is seen quickly boarding the train. Both Sundowner and Sam look at each other before running towards where it is, but more soldiers block their path.
The two, however, decide to take a shortcut. Sundowner ends up jumping high up and is able to land on top of a building while Sam, he starts slicing through the soldiers before turning into an alleyway and starts running on the wall. He continues before jumping from wall to wall, where he is eventually able to land atop of a building.
Sam looks over at Sundowner, who is on a different building nearby, but the two continue to jump from building to building, with Sundowner being able to make the leaps pretty easily, while Sam, in the middle of the air, is able to double jump to reach the next one. The two continue their pursuit of the train until Sundowner is able to jump far enough to land at the back end of the train.
Sam, however, he still is trying to, but sees there is no more buildings in front of him, so he goes and lands onto the ground, where there are some soldiers, but he is able to make quick work of them, he then continues running after the train, but as he does, he sees one more guard in his way, so he then uses that man as a platform for him to jump off of, so he could then do the second jump in the air and then land onto the end of the train.
“Cutting it a bit close?” Sundowner jokes, before Sam gives a response right after, “Yeah, I’ve been cutting it close for a while, you tell me the last time you had to face a bull head on and throw it around by the horns.” In which, Sundowner says his own response, “And you tell me the last time you had an entire building collapse on ya!”
“I... Forget it, let’s just get to this already.” Samuel tells the one memeber of the Winds of Destruction, who gains a sadistic smile while turning around. “Then let’s go!” Sundowner says enthusiastically while he starts jumping from car to car, with Sam following behind before saying to himself, “Ugh, this feels so familiar.”
Despite the situation being eerily similar to previous things for Sam, he still follows behind Sundowner, who ends up running into a pair of guards, those of which end up start shooting, but as they do, Sam runs past Sundowner, deflects all the bullets and slices one in half before the other could even realize what was happening at that current moment. However, it probably would’ve been best if he didn’t.
Because the moment he sees this, he turns his gun towards Sam, but before he can start shooting, he can only then see his arm get cut off by Sundowner, which results in him screaming in pain, but not for long as Sundowner then slices him apart and kicks him off the train, resulting in the multiple pieces of his body to hit the ground and fall apart like a Lego video game character.
The two mercenaries continue to travel across the trian, slaughtering all those that they come across, that is until they reach a flatbed car, which was filled with a bunch of logs, but as the two are about to cross, more soldiers start balancing on said logs to try and reach over there, but Sam yawns at this while then slowly putting the Murasama where it is touching the rope holding the logs on his side, and cuts it off, resulting in a lot of logs to start slipping around.
But to seal the deal, Sam throws a grenade, which lands on the other side, blowing up one man, and causing the rope on the other side to break, leaving the logs to start rolling around, as well as off the car, along with the soldiers who were unable to get off, letting them also pummeting to the ground as the train moves at such a rapid speed.
Sam and Sundowner then cross the flatbed, with Sundowner jumping to the roof of the one passenger car with ease, while Sam decides to run across the flatbed, that is until the door to the car behind them opens, and as it does, it reveals Diego Brando standing there.
Diego walks out, letting the door slowly close behind him, he stops a few feet away from Sam, who lets out a sarcastic and cocky response towards ths “Mind if we cut through? Sam taunts, trying to mess with Diego, but these attempts prove futile. “Huh, not much of a talker, eh? Finally, at least someone doesn’t need to do a mololauge before fighting, “Sam tells, trying to get a response from Diego, but still to no avail.
Diego then ends up throwing a single rock at Sam, who is able to easily evade it. He then turns to look up towards Sundowner, “Go on, no need to keep the president waiting,” Sam jokes, to which Sundowner gives a quick laugh, “He’s all yours, Sam!” And then Sundowner continues running ahead. “Alright, hope you show me a good time now!” Sam laughs while holding the Murasama at the ready.
But then we cut back to Sundowner, ready to go and slaughter Valentine with no remorse. No amount of soliders are able to stop Sundowner, he continues to go flying past each of them, one by one until he ends up in front of the car Valentine is in. How can he tell? He can see that weirdly shaped hair of Valentine in a seat.
Sundowner kicks down the door, making said door zoom across the area, and for that moment, everything is quiet except for the sounds the trains were making, as well as the sound of Sam fighting a distance back. As Sundowner approaches, multiple Desperado cyborgs unequip their stealth camo, in which all of them then go and start to gather around Valentine, who sits there, seemingly unbothered by what is happening.
Sundowner finally ends up right behind Valentine, in which Valentine stands up, and looks at the hulking cyborg in front of him. “Is there anything that you want?” Valentine asks, which Sundowner gives a slightly confused look about, given Valentine is unreasonably calm about what is happening before talking.
“I want you... dead.” Sundowner is finally able to say. Funny looks at him, before asking a question, “And why exactly do you want me to be dead?” “The world is just getting a bit too peaceful.” Sundowner tells Funny, who starts questioning the cyborg about this.
“And what exactly is the problem with that? The world without war, would that not be a paradise?” “No, it wouldn’t. How would an honest warmonger make a living in that kind of world? No, a warmonger needs to have a paradise under the red sun, covered in blood. Peaceful economies, you realize how that is already impossible to do? Everyone entitled to their own little bubbles.” Sundowner says, while he starts walking around before continuing.
“And alongside that, you have all those people talking about how things are immoral, and then others who are with that.” Wel, what if you were to instead of being a bringer of war, why not join the ranks of your militar-” Valentine tries saying, until Sundowner then grabs him by the neck and looks at him directly in the eyes before slightly turning his head.
“You ain’t listenin’.” Sundowner tells Valentine before letting go, resulting in Valentine to fall to the ground with a slight thud as Sundowner continues where he left off. “Even those sons of bitches in the army, they have their own ideas on what is right, and what is not. War crime this, code of conduct that, all of those things they try and use to prevent war from happening. Well, I say bullshit! War is just a part of who we are, why even try to fight it?” Sundowner says enthustiatically,
“But, wouldn’t war just ruin society more? Why would you need to initiate wars that would only tear more down than build things up?” Valentine tries to question which Sundowner is easy to respond to. “Because, as said, war is just a part of who we are, why should we even try fighting it? It’s just human instincts, there are those that fight, and those that run, and those that run end up getting sent to the slaughterhouse, and those that fight get to fight on the battlefield till the very end. Even then, what it really all comes down to is money.”
“Money is a big part of society’s survival, but why bring that up?” “Because, if you were listening as I would hope you to, you’d realize that even in war, it comes down to money. No matter what you try and say or believe, it’s going to end with it. People spending money, trying to help the troops out there, without war, there’d be no purpose, no worries, and knowing people, that would only spark out conspiracies that wars were all just that, conspiracies, which is not only bullshit, but it would just lead to even more wars in this world. Which I would not mind at all. Not one bit.”
Valentine hears these words, where he is now ready to try and speak once more, but Sundowner then ends up continuing what he was saying. “But, you wouldn’t get it, you think we’d all just believe any of your bullshit. Not even the ones who fight in the wars are willing to accept what is real. They say certain things are immoral, like microwaving a mouse. As I said, war crime this, code of conduct that. can’t eat the dry- Oooh, now I see what you’re doing! You’re trying to get me to think you’re right, right?” Sundowner says, with a smile growing on his face, which Valentine seems slightly concerned about.
“I am not trying to force you to do anything. You have been talking all on your own accord. You believe these ideals, and you want to speak your mind towards others, there is nothing wrong with what you are doing. The only thing is that you are promoting something that would destroy any chance at our nation having a better tomorrow. We can’t let wars control everything we’ve worked towards.” Valentine tries to explain, but Sundowner is having none of it.
“Let me ask you something, Valentine: What is the most cruel creature that exists?” “Well, that would have to be either wild animals or people who betray their homelands, both are equally cruel.” Funny says, believing his answer to be reasonable, but instead, Sundowner gives a slight chuckle as he holds onto one of the blades of Bloodlust.
“Wrong! Wrong answer. That is what you just gave me. The corroect answer is kids, they are the cruelest of all things. You can change them to believe whatever you say, letting them be as cruel as you want, and I am very in touch with my inner child.” Sundowner continues before grabbing Valentine by the neck and lifting up into the air, who is barely able to ask one last question. “And what does that have to do with what you are hoping for?” Sundowner readies the one blade of Bloodlust as he tells Valentine exactly what he means.
“All I’m saying is... GIVE WAR A CHANCE!” Sundowner yells out, before then shoving the blade of Bloodlust directly into the center of Valentine’s chest. Valentine slumps over, before looking at Sundowner one more time, until his head finally drops. Sundowner yoinks the blade out of Valentine, as his body flops onto the ground with a thud. And as that happens, Sundowner goes ahead and picks up the body of Valentine, and signals to the other cyborgs to go forward, as if to tell them to go and clear the other cars that are ahead of them.
And as they leave, going forward, a tiltrotor hovers above the train cars, in which all the other cyborgs hop onto, while Sundowner walks out and jumps onto the roof of the car, and as he does, he sees Sam in the distance from him, and so he slowly walks towards him. Sam, however, had been fighting in one of his strangest battles ever.
A little bit prior:
As Sundowner leaves, Sam is ready to face off against Diego, but as the two stand there, Diego ends up throwing a few more rocks at Sam, who is able to easily dodge them. “Going back to the stone age?” Sam taunts Diego, who snarls at him before Sam continues, “But don’t worry, I’ll let this dance be quick.” He says before throwing down a red phosphourus grenade, causing a cloud of smoke to fill the area.
Sam readies the Murasama, but as he does, he starts to hear a sound, it was the sound of some kind of claw scraping against the metal of the car. And before Sam can realize what exactly is happening, a dinosaur somehow comes out of nowhere and tries to slash at him, but he is able to evade the attack. “The hell?” He asks, questioning what exactly he saw, but he doesn’t get much time to think about it as he constantly has to manuever around the attacks.
The dinosaur continues to slice at Sam, who has to keep barely being able to dodge each of the attacks. Eventually the dinosaur goes in and tries to bite Samuel, who is able to barely grab the dino by the mouth, preventing it from biting down, but at the same time, Sam also has his hands placed so that he doesn’t end up getting hit by one of the dinosaur’s teeth.
He is barely able to keep it away as he is then able to push it back, allowing him to sheath the Murasama, but as he does, he then does a cartwheel to dodge the attack from it. “Aye aye aye, what did that guy do? Reverse me back in time or something?” Sam asks, while he continues to evade each strike.
Eventually, he has enough space from the dinosaur to throw down another smoke grenade, and as he does, he has his one hand on the sheath and having the other above it, ready. Which ends up paying off, for when he sees the faint shadow of it charging at him, he presses the trigger on the Murasama, releasing it from the sheath, and as it shoots out, he catches it, slicing upwards, resulting in him cutting off the arm of the dinosaur, launching it back into the smoke.
And for a moment, everything is quiet, and as it is, Sam still stands on guard until all the smoke eventually fades away, revealing Diego, barely standing, now missing an arm, holding onto the stub that is his arm, except the only thing different is that he now has a tail on him, which Sam looks at and questions it before snickering at that fact.
“You turned yourself into a full dinosaur? And I thought seeing people who had animalistic features were weird, but now I think I’ve seen it all. But even then, you might’ve missed a spot.” And like that, Sam quickly runs behind Diego, before the latter could react and cuts off the tail, causing Diego to scream in even more pain from this.
And before anything else can end up happening, Sam activates Zandatsu, allowing him to start slicing apart Diego, with the last slice being a slice that ends up cutting off the head of Diego, before slicing it up a bit more and then kicking it, causing all of those pieces to go flying off the train, and into grass that zooms past.
Sam then jumps up, and notices Sundowner in the distance, in which the two eventually meet one another in the middle. “You got him?” “Yeah, I got him dead.” Sundowner responds, holding the corpse of Valentine on his shoulder. “Well, what are you gonna do with him?” Sam asks, to which Sundowner simply tells him a single word, “Catch.”
Sundowner throws Valentine’s corpse into the air slightly, as it then starts heading towards Sam, who has to activate Blade Mode yet again, and as he does, he notices Sundowner pulling out Bloodlust, so he quickly pushes Valentine’s corpse back, which ends up landing inbetween the two pieces of Bloodlust, allowing Sam to start chopping it apart much easier. And after he is done, and Blade Mode runs out, the pieces of Valentine fall apart in rapid succession, with the two Desperado members looking at the pieces flying past them, rolling off the train car and into whatever it lands in on the ground.
The two of them look at it before looking up and seeing a tiltrotor hover above the two, with them both seeing a line go down for them, as they end up being pulled up as it flies away with the train continuing before it starts to slow at the next station. As it does, it misses the platform, but still, a number of soldiers run to it, to see what is wrong, and when they enter, they see basically everyone there dead, except for one...
Some time later:
Armstrong is seen sitting backstage of some kind of studio, with the sounds of mumbling from behind his door being able to be heard. What was all this noise about? Well, it was apparent that Armstrong was about to have an interview with some kind of news channel. Armstrong sits there, about to smoke a cigar, but then sees a “no smoking” sign near to where he is, which he makes an audible groan about as he puts the cigar back into his back pocket.
And as he sits there, he gets a call on the codec, in which he responds. Who was it? It was one of his speech writers, but his name is unable to be seen, and his voice unable to be heard. “Uh-huh, don’t worry, I know what to say, I know how this planet runs, and I know I will be fine. There’s nothing to be worried about.” Armstrong says, reassuring the idea that he knows what he’s going to do before listening to the other on the other side.
“Yes, I know, you’re already worried about how the ties with Desperado, but no worries, they haven’t gotten anywhere far with that case. It’s going to be fine, and once I become president, everything will just fall into place.” He laughs, before then looking again at the “no smoking” sign before ripping it off the wall, along with some of the wall itself, and chucking it into the trash can next to him.
The voice on the otherside speaks yet again, to which Armstrong answers in an annoyed tone. “Yeah, I know, Valentine is still somehow alive. Don’t ask me how, Sundowner and Sam said they killed him personally, watched his corpse parts fall across the ground and get lost into the wild grass. It doesn’t matter, in the end of this, I’ll put an end to all his bullshit. Even then, they haven’t tried to associate me with any of it, thank Africa for not being peaceful most of the time for that.”
He then pulls out his cigar and starts smoking it as he sits in his chair once more. “So, as I said, son, there is nothing you need to worry about. Everything will be fine. Now then, I have to go, we’ll talk soon.” Armstrong says, before ending the call right there as he takes another puff from the cigar. He then stands up and stretches, seemingly getting ready for the interview of sorts that he is about to have.
And as he does, the door opens with a man who has a clipboard at hand and looks at Armstrong, “Mr. Armstrong, they’re ready.” He says, to which Armstrong gives a chuckle and walks towards the man while he then says “Lead the way.” The man nods as he leads Armstrong out of the room, but not before Armstrong throws his cigar away in a trash can in the room with the two now heading towards the set of the news show. And as he does, he can hear the two hosts talking, one male, one female. (Just gonna call one Jack and the other Rose)
“Welcome back to the news everyone! Now, today, we’ve been able to get the chance to speak with one of the candidates for this next presidential election! So, please, give a welcome to the current Colorado Senator, Steven Armstrong!” Jack says, in which Armstrong walks on stage and gives a wave to the people that are there. Some cheers can be heard, some boos can be heard, but still a reaction from the crowd nevertheless.
Jack stands up and looks up at the much taller senator, but it doesn’t stop a handshake between the two as a quick little hug happens between Armstrong and Rose as well. Armstrong then sits down looking at the other two on stage with him. “Great to be here, Jack. Ya know, you aren’t the first Jack I’ve had an interview with.” Armstrong laughs as Jack gives a smile.
“Well, maybe this won’t be the last time then,” Jack laughs as Armstrong gives a slight chuckle at it. “Yeah, maybe it won’t. But like I said, son, it’s great to be here.” Armstrong tells him, to which Jack gets a hold of some papers, preparing to start the interview in a sense.
“Alright, so, to start this special edition of the news with you, we might as well ask you about your beginnings, right?” Jack asks, which Armstrong gives a smile to, where he then leans forward a bit to elaborate on his beginnings, which, of course, starts at his birth in Texas.
“Heh, well then, I was born in Texas, and was also raised there, but then things happened, and ended up having to move. Where did we move to? South Carolina, son.” “Hmm, do you remember the reason why your family had to move there?” Rose asks, which Armstrong kinda gives a slight shrug.
“Can’t say, it’s been a few decades since then, so I can’t remember entirely. But, I still ended up going to Pickens HIgh School, one hell of a school that was, even went into the JROTC, or to those who don’t know acronyms, the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It’s about as simple to explain as it can get, just a junior variation of the regular ROTC that is allowed in universities and colleges, but this was in high school. Even got to the rank of Cadet Sergeant First Class. Worked my ass off to get there.” He laughs, before looking at the other two again.
“But then you moved back to Texas, correct? And went to college instead of actually joining at first?” Jack asks, to which Armstrong gives an explanation to it, “Well, Jack, I’m just as American as you are, and I had to get some kind of education, and went to the University of Texas, and not some ivy league school some might think I went to. Even played college ball.”
Rose then gives a slight chuckle, “Right, almost all Americans love football, although I haven’t been the biggest fan of it myself.” “And that is perfectly fine, we don’t all need to have the same goals or things in common. Not everything we have needs to be the same, we just need to all collectively agree that we are all American, and that’s it.”
Jack’s eyes widened a little, but still was impressed by what Armstrong said, “Well, that is right, no matter what, we are all American, no matter what way we spin it, we are all one in the same.” He says before Armstrong responds to that. “Well, I wouldn’t say we are all one in the same. Sure, some of us have similar styles, personalities, interests, hates, but none of us are truly the same. To some degree, two people might end up coming to the same conclusion, to where they can maybe be considered one in the same, but we are all different.”
Rose then questions this a little bit. “Then if that is all there is, why is America still holding together?” “Well, that’s simple, because we are all so different, we all can collectively agree that it is for the better, and what makes us different, is what makes us who we are. If we were all the same, following the same ideals, and having the same interests entirely, what would be the point in living, right?” Armstrong says, before he then continues speaking once more.
“Think of it like this, we have one man, and one woman, they have similar interests, similar styles, but different personalities in how they act. Their uniqueness might attrack then to one another, or it could seperate them depending on how it’d go. Now, if they were the same entirely, what would be the purpose? The two could get along, talking about the same thing, but wouldn’t that get boring?”
“But, if they liked, hated, and just everything the same, wouldn’t that attract them more to one another?” Jack asks, wondering how that’d be. “If they are entirely the same, wouldn’t that mean they’d be a perfect match?”
“Well, Jack, you have to remember, there is no such thing as truly perfect. No man is perfect, no line in the road is the perfect distance, no drug dealer can make the perfect meth, nothing is perfect. And if they were, that could cause some kind of conflict between the man and the women. They have the exact same ideas, same skills, everything. Why would they want to be together? They know the exact same things, everything would just end up going bland between the two of them. There’d be no spark.”
Armstrong continues what he is saying, with both Jack and Rose listening to him carefully, “Sure, the flames would have already been burning bright when they meet given how they both are, but if there is nothing else to that, that same flame would eventually die out. Now, that’s just how I see it. I can’t say for certain that I am right in this. I can only give my take on what can keep a spark going. If two people ever found another that is exactly like them and they have a happy end, then that just proves my point even better, not everyone is perfect, not even me, I can’t choose what can and can’t happen. I can only tell you what I believe in.”
Rose, “Well, that is certainly a way to put it, to say the least. But now, to get us back on track, how about you tell us about your football career? How did that go?” “Well, I was one of the best quarterbacks out there. Ok, maybe not one of the best out there, but still a really damn good one at that. Even had a chance to go bro, could’ve gone out there and maybe help the Cowboys some in their games considering how their luck has been these past years. But, no, I didn’t want that. Sure, playing ball was fun. But that isn’t what I wanted.”
Jack then asks, “Then what was it that you wanted to do? Because professional football players are some of the biggest names out there, money, fame, they have almost anything they want.” “Well, not to disrespect those that choose to go pro, but I ain’t one of those pansies, I wanted to serve my nation the best I could. So, I went and joined the military, or to be more specific, I went to the navy.” He says, before then going back to Jack bringing up money.
“Now, sure, as you said, Jack, those players, they can make a lot of money playing ball, they can gain millions of dollars within just a few years or less if they become some of the all time greats. But for me, I didn’t really care a lot about the money, I was just there cause I enjoyed me some football in college. But, like I said, the military was the way for me to go, there is nothing more that an American can do than join the cause.” He says with a wide smile on his face as he then leans back into the chair he was in before continuing.
“Now, that’s not to be rude to everyone else that didn’t join. They choose where they wanted to go, they chose their own path in life. Everyone is entitled to their own choices, you shouldn’t be some kind of sheep following the herd, last thing we need is some kind of collective consciousness controlling us. We all believe that what we do is our cause, and we let it be like that, and there is also nothing more American than that.” He finishes.
The three sit there for a few moments before Rose then looks up and asks, “But what if someone didn’t want to choose that path they’re on? What if they have been forced into certain positions? I think you already know, but until you reach 25, the military can drag you into there when they need you, despite you not wanting to. To a point where if you don’t do it, you could get arrested for it. What about those people?”
Armstrong thinks for a moment, pondering the question, before Jack himself speaks up. “But, that’s for our own nation’s sake. A higher cause would be bringing them there for something that they believe is right, something a regular person would have to accept, right?” But Rose disagrees with this. “But then what is the point of free will? If we are going to be forced into a position, then what is the point in trying to do what you want?”
Armstrong is about to speak up finally, but Jack then fully turns to Rose, also disagreeing with what she had to say. “That is because some things are beyond what we understand. Think about it, if a war breaks out and the U.S ends up getting involved, we need all that we can get, and that would also include more soldiers, so the U.S would need to bring in people. Maybe some of them didn’t even know what they wanted, and maybe the military would help them in what they wanted to do.”
Rose, continuing this argument, quickly defenses her stance on this. “But what about those who knew what they wanted? They had their path layed out, but then were forced into some other direction, some unknown place, they just lost what they believed they wanted to do, what about them?” “They just got to understand that some things have to be done so that our nation can stay great.” Jack tells her, before Rose continues to defend her stance on this.
“But then wouldn’t our entire livelyhood be built off of those who had to unwillingly sacrifice what they believed? Our world, it would be born off the backs of those who were forced into those positions, they didn’t have a choice, and that just isn’t just. We can’t let our nation be built off those kinds of things.” She says, before Jack quickly returns fire of his own beliefs yet again. “But that’s just the thing, life in itself, it is not fair. Life is sometimes rude, disrespectful, just plain cruel, and we have to accept what it has done.”
“But, then what is the point of living? Just to find out that everything you were wanting, everything you had been hoping for, all of it, for what? It was all just for people to take advantage of you, and not let you choose what you wish, just forcing you to be a puppet to them.” “Yeah, but it’s the puppetmaster that knows what is best, they know what needs to be done, they know what is the right thing to do. They know what goes where, how long it stays, and evertyhing. It will all work out in the end, you just got to believe in that, it is all it takes.”
“So, what? Are you just a puppet, Jack? Is that what you’re tellling me?” “What? No, I am not, I’m just trying to prove a point that those who were forced into positions they didn’t want to be in are people who were just serving a higher cause, even if they didn’t want to do it themselves. I had a choice to be here, I chose my path. I chose what I wanted to do, I am not a puppet, I am just a man who is free to do as I wanted to do. It’s as simple as that.”
Armstrong tries to intervene in this argument, but Rose continues to bring up more and more in this, “Yeah, but I didn’t want this! I didn’t choose to be a newscaster. I was just that both my mother, and grandfather, they were both newscasters before me, and they wanted me to be like them. I wanted to be a teacher, but here I am. I don’t mind it, I don’t. But I didn’t choose this. Does that make me a puppet? Really, am I? The only reason I am here is because I have lost my desire in doing what I originally wanted to do, so am I just a puppet now? Really, am I? And if I am, what does this supposed puppetmaster have planned for me?” Rose says, passionately, which Jack can only responde to with a stuttery voice of “I... I...”
But finally, after all that, Armstrong finally is able to speak up. “Alright, I think it’s about time you let me tell you both what I think, right? Afterall, this is an interview for me, correct? Then why would you guys focus on that?” He says, to which both Jack and Rose turn to him, and seemingly calm down. “RIght, right.” Jack says, along with Rose saying “Sorry.”
“Now, to put you both into what I think about this. I don’t believe in a puppetmaster. Everyone is free to follow what they believe is right for them. But, some people don’t know what they want, correct. There is nothing wrong with that. But sometimes, they need a push from some outside force, and that is what something like a letter to them to join the military could do. They could join, and that can help them maybe see what they wish to do, but if it doesn’t, then they can stay, or they can go back to how they originally were, without knowing what they wanted to do. If they can’t figure it out, then it is fine. Let them be that way.” Armstrong says, before continuing onto another point the two had talked about.
“Now, for those who did know what they wanted, and were forced into something else, is it a bad thing? To some degree, yeah, it is. But, it isn’t some kind of puppet master, it’s just how life works. Sometimes, life needs to put you into positions to test you. Test you for what? To test your willpower. You could be forced to work at some fast food resturant at 17 by your parental guardian, and at first, you’re fine with it, but it continues to get more and more rough, and eventually you get tired of it, and you want to put in you two weeks notice, is that a good excuse for you to quit? No. It isn’t. “
“Sometimes, you just have to realize that what you want to do is things you shouldn’t do, life is just something you need to always remember as a pain. It’s just how it is. Like how there is no perfect person, there is no perfect life. Whether you live a boombastic lifestyle, or live a quiet life, nothing truly stays the same. It’s just the rules of nature at work. You have to keep humming along with whatever nature has in store for you if that is the case. But, at the same time, nature isn’t just something that can’t be changed. Nature is more like guidlines that you are forced to at first be needing to listen to. But that is all it is.”
“All it tells you is what to do, but nothing about HOW you do it, you can choose how you do things, you can make sure that nature bends to your will. Nature was never meant to stay the same entirely. Everything will change eventually. Not all things can stay the same, and nothing is immortal. Everything can die, we just don’t know when. We just have to remember that what we do will be then set in stone, and that is all it is. Your past is what makes you you. Sure, people say they wish they could change the past, but it’s our mistakes that make us be who we are. All our failures, all our successes, they are the reason we are here today.
“If I had turned back time and instead went pro, I would not be here now, or I might be, I don’t know. But I sure won’t be the same Steven that walked onto this set. Just one change to the past can change the future. It’s why we need to just always remind ourselves that time is a constant thing, but nature is not. It’s just how things go, and there is nothing wrong with it. We need to choose what we want to do. And if life forces something before us, like some kind of giant metal door before us, we have to pry it open with our bare hands, no matter how long it will take.”
“We all see that life can be cruel. It is probably one of the most cruel things that could ever exist. Sure, we can try saying certain kinds of people, wild animals, all those things are the most cruel, but life is the cruelest thing any of us have to deal with. No matter what way we see it, it will always be cruel, even if it is nice to us, it can be cruel to someone else. Depending on what way the world tries to spin us around, we have to fight back, we have to push in the opposite direction. Because if you don’t, you end up in a cycle, or end up falling off, not ever having a chance to really see what life could have been like. So, yes, there is a chance that even if what you wanted to do isn’t what you ended up doing, we need to remember that. The founding fathers planted the seeds, but they didn’t choose what kind of seeds were planted, that is for the US to decide.”
“Whether apple, banana, hell, even coconut, we don’t need to let everything be chosen for us. We are the ones at the wheel now, and we can choose what kind of tree we come from. We are the gardeners here, we choose what kind of tree we want, we don’t let the past define us, WE define us, WE are the ones with the watering can. WE are the ones who can chop down the unwanted tree. WE are the ones that have the power to change what we want! Others may plant other seeds in the garden, and we are forced to see that one possible one grows more than our own, but we need to remember that no matter what, in the end, WE are the ones truly in control with other gardeners only helping us on the way.” He finally finishes what he was saying, which ends up gaining an applause from everyone in the studio.
“Now then, shall we go ahead and get back to my days in the navy?” Armstrong jokingly asks, which Jack blinks a few times quickly, before remembering that. “Oh, right! So, yes, Armstrong, you joined the navy instead of going pro, how was it there in the navy?”
“The navy, well, it was certainly one hell of a place. The bootcamp was a hell of a lot tougher than any sort of training for a ball game was, I can tell you that much.” Armstrong laughs about, which then the two others also give a chuckle about.
“But, after that, it was relatively simple and given I had already been in that JROTC program, that initial bootcamp wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. It was still a real workout, but man, having a somewhat idea of what it would be like at least made it somewhat easier to deal with in the end.” He says before then stretcnhing.
“Although, despite being there, ready to fight and die for this great nation, I never got into any kind of combat or conflict. Sure, that is a good thing, but, as I said, I was ready and willing to die for America. And yet just the time went by and nothing, but, at least I left the place on good terms.” He finishes before Rose then asks him another question.
“Alright, so, you left the navy, and went to Colorado of all places, why is that?” She asks, which Armstrong gives a slight shrug. “Well, I’ll be honest, I just wanted to help this nation in some kind of form, and politics were the way to go. But since my two other posible options of South Carolina and Texas had a lot of things on their plate, I figured that Colorado would be a good place to go instead. Even providing easier access to my home state.” He finishes.
Jack then decides to ask yet another question to Armstrong, “So, when you became senator, if I may ask, why did you initially slice most of the budget there? Especially considering that in that state, there is a PMC that has hold of some of the police, specifically in Denver.”
“Well, there’s a lot to discuss about that one. But, it is still relatively easy to explain. You see, Jack, our nation already has a lot on its plate, and given we got 50 states, or people in a sense, to feed, I figured that to help the rest, we can take our small plate and let the rest have what they need.” He says, before Rose then asks another question.
“But wouldn’t that hurt your state? Given a lesser amount of funds, wouldn’t that make it a lot more difficult for them?” “Well, Colorado is one of the more middle of the line countries when it comes to population, meaning it has a lot more than a lot of other states, but then also a lot less people than the bigger states. Given that, I figured that our state can spread some love to the ones under us.” He says before then actually answering the question.
“But, some might think it’d hurt the state, but I don’t believe it would. My state would still have a lot of what it has, just with more strict things. And a more strict area, would help the people realize what they need, and what they don’t. Think of it as this, a person can grab multiple cases of cereal off the shelf, each with their own benefits, unique taste, and each of them cheap. They can do that, or they can get a more generic brand that provides all those benefits, but a simple taste, and is just slightly more expensive than all the other brands. It would make them realize that sometimes, it is better to get what is needed, and what can be ignored. Hence letting my state prosper in health, both physical, and mental.”
“Well, that is one way to look at it, but then, why let a PMC run the police in Denver? Aren’t PMCs, well, a bit chaotic to take a hold of? Considering there are some that the entire purpose is to just kill someone a certain person or group wants dead. Yet, some are just there for the money, so why do it?” Jack asks.
“Well, think of it like this, a PMC is a lot less costly than a regular police force, most of the time, the PMC has their own weaponry, they have their gear, and as long as I can provide their pay, I am able to see what they are doing, and see that everything is running smoothly. That way nothing bad can happen such as if a PMC has illegal weapons of some kind. Sure, the regular police force is nothing to scoft at, but a PMC just provdes a lot more for a lot less.”
Rose then questions this reasoning provided by Armstrong, “But aren’t most of those kinds of things usually a lot more risky? Like buying some kind of food off some knockoff store instead of an officially licensed brand? A PMC that is like that could provde a lot of risk to not only the state, but to just the country as a whole. Especially if they were to get tired of what was happening. There’d be no way to control what would happen if they tried to do what they wanted, considering the police can't stop them because, well, they are the police.”
“Well, that’s IF they get tired. And I’ve already background checked everything about them, because why wouldn’t I? I can’t just choose some random group of people, no, I checked everything out, and I made sure it was all good. There is no need to worry. Even then, if they were to try and overthrow, I have others at standby in case any drastic measures are needed.”
“But is that even any better? Just to have more of them? What if those people decide that they want to work with the ones that have overthrown? Then what is there to do? What would there be to do at that point? Wouldn’t just having extras lead to a possible larger domino effect in occurring? What is exactly stopping PMCs from just taking this power they have been given and abusing it to the fullest extent that they can?” Rose continues to question, to which Armstrong still gives a response.
“Well, I guess that is something I can’t truly confirm. I can only say what I believe I can do. Human nature is something I can’t control, nor can I pick out every needle in each haystack from the PMC. I might be the one in charge of it, but I can’t choose every single person that joins. Just like what it is called, it’s a company. The higher ups might have control over it all, but they don’t directly pick things out like who can join the independent parts of it.” Armstrong says, before he then continues yet again.
“Like I said, so- kid, I admit, it is a risk to take when doing this, but isn’t that what makes us be able to do what we need to do? Was it not a risk for the people to act upon the tea tax and cause the Boston Tea Party? Some risks, they are needed, they are what is required to keep a nation thriving. Risks, while as the name suggests, is something that can possibly change something in a single instance, is still something that is to be considered when wanting to put the nation forward. It’s just how things work. Simple as that.”
This time, however, Jack then asks about it. “So, what, we should all take a risk whenever we can? Is that what you suggest for us? If that is the case, why do we still hesitate to do certain things?”
“I think you misunderstood what I meant, Jack. Yes, risks should be taken, but they shouldn’t always be the first thing on mind. It all comes down to a person’s instinct of fight or flight. I won’t lie, I am a fighter, but if you believe that you need to get out of there as fast as you can, then that is also reasonable. It’s the thing that keeps us from making actual possible dangerous risks. Now, yes, the risk of having a PMC run the police force is a bigger risk compared to most things, but it is fine considering that, as said, I have made sure I am working with the right people.”
“We’ve seen it happen in other countries, like, in Africa, while their leader did get killed by a rogue PMC, it was also a different PMC that helped the country rebuild itself from the ashes. So some dangerous risks are needed to make sure we can thrive. But, not all risks should be taken. Let’s say you are a lone man on a battlefield, fighting for your side, and there are still hundreds on the other side, what is the best option? Or better yet, how many options are there?
“I’ll tell you, you can either fight till your final breath, fighting constantly until you finally fall, and while there is a small piece of hope that you can win the battle, it’s still unlikely. You can do that, or you can make a tactical retreat, letting the opposing force win that battle. Either way, it is a risk. But, still a similar outcome that is still very different depending on everything. You fight till the end, and you die, then you could be seen as a hero, a man who was willing to continue the battle even against the odds, where you’d be remembered as a brave man.”
“But then if you somehow win, you also end up being seen as a hero. You were able to defy the odds, you fought till the end, and it proved that it was the right option, as you were able to win it. There is that, or you can retreat, which is a reasonable choice. Not all battles can be won, and sometimes you have to retreat to make sure you can survive. The point of a war is to see which side is correct, not to see which side can slaughter more of the opposing force. What I am trying to say is that even if a risk can be taken, it isn’t necessarily a thing someone should take, but still something that could be considered. There is no shame in running away, it was just an instance that you belived that it was too much, and you had to, which is alright. At least you survived.”
“Now, the risk can be taken, and you can fight till the end, but it doesn’t mean you will automatically win, no, we aren’t in some kind of story, it’s like a person I am aquanted with likes to say, ‘history will decide who’s right.’ We can only do so much, we can fight, we can fight, and we can fight till the very end of what we have, but even then, it can only be so much until we fall. Because none of us are immortal. We all age, we all change, nothing can stop that from happening, but what we can stop is needless conflict, that is what I want to achieve, I wish for our nation, no, our world to be able to be free of any kind of conflicts.” He finishes, but then Rose asks one more question.
“I admire what you say, Steven, but then, what if that single battle that you are in, the one where you are the final man, what if that is the final battle? The final battle determining how that war will then end? What about then? Is it still ok to retreat from that battle?” Jack asks, which Armstrong has to take a moment to think about before responding.
“Well, if that is the case, then even a retreat is reasonable. Not all wars are meant to be won. You can’t always expect to win everytime. If you do, then you are lucky. Similar to football, a team can have an undefeated streak going on, but then finally lose, does that make that team bad now? No, it just proves that not all battles cannot be won. You might’ve had skill, and some luck with that streak, but even then, as said, not all streaks are meant to be won. We fight, we stand, we all do it in the name of what we believe we can do, and if you don’t think you can do it, don’t. I’ve heard a saying, ‘If you doubt your ability in doing something, don’t do it.’”
“It’s one of the most reasonable sayings I have heard. You can push yourself to your limits, but that is exactly what it implies. You push yourself as far as you can, but that is as far as you can go. We aren’t some omnipotent creatures capable of everything. We can only push ourselves as far as we can, and maybe a bit more, but any more than that, and we will fall. But, here’s the thing, what exactly are you fighting for? I’ll tell you what, a real soldier does not fight because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
“If you truly care for what is behind you in that final battle, if you want to prove that you truly care, then you know what kind of call you need to make. Run or fight. What do you do? Because, remember, despite being covered in armour, beneath that armour, beneath the skin, beneath everything else, there lays a heart that is beating. And that heart has continued to beat from the beginning of your life, till the very end of it as well. And the more it beats, the more blood that rushes throughout your body, you cannot let just some asshats on the otherside stop you. You know what you must do. It doesn’t matter what it is, but you know damn well what is needed of you.”
“And that is another thing, you know what is needed of you. At one point YOU were the future, YOU were the one that could change everything that there was, but not everyone stays the future, because that same future you held, has become the past of others. You can fight, and it can help the future of the newer generation, but remember, this new group, they are the future now, not you. And as the one that has led them to that point, you must do whatever in your power to make sure that the new future is better than your own.”
“When we are born, there is a fire, a fire that burns bright. That fire is the future, but we need to remember that someone lit that fire for us. That fire that we had was because of the past, and it will continue to be a cycle till the very end. And it’s the promise that we make that will let us change reality. And some might say that a true warrior doesn’t run from a fight, but that is, pardon my language to those watching, but is utter bulls***! Dead men don’t make great warriors, that’s what I have found. Sometimes, you NEED to run away, sometimes, the best action is to not press on, but to realize where you stand, and be happy you made it, and then let those after you, take over, for where that is where you fall, that is where others stand!”
At this point, Armstrong actually stands up while he speaks. “Tell me, if 10 spears are thrown in a battle, and only one remains after the battle, what does that make of it? Does it mean the other 9 were weak? Was this one strong? No, it was just that this one had more determination, it was more hellbent on its cause. The other 9 had their cause, and they broke fighting for it, but this one was able to not break. It was the one that could survive the onslaught that had occurred. It was able to surpass all that was expected of it, it was able to fight another day, and if it does eventually break, does that make it weak now? If it were to have finally been broken after so much? No! It just means it has fought long enough so that a new kind of weapon can be made to take its place!”
“We fight, we all fight every single day. Even in the smallest battle, we all fight our own wars, not all wars are for money, oil, or any of that, we just have to constantly fight till the very end, we need to continue on till we can’t any more. We fight, and we fight, and we won’t stop! Even if we retreat, that is still a battle we have won, just not in the regular sense, but instead a battle that we won, and the reward for it was our lives. It will prove that even in a loss, we can still win in some way, and that means we can continue fighting for another day, and we shall never stop even if the entire world is against us! Together or alone, we all fight a war every single day!” Armstrong finally finishes, before looking back at the other two, who are at a loss of words at what has been said by Armstrong. Because what Armstrong has said was directly from the heart.
Armstrong, finally realizing what he was doing, he sits back down. “Heh, sorry, I can get a bit into what I am talking about.” Armstrong jokes, which the other two don’t seem to mind at all. “No, it’s alright. At least we know what you’re truly passionate about, right?” Jack jokes, with Rose nodding to that as well. “Yeah, a bit passionate.” Armstrong says, with a smile before they then continue on with the interview.
“Well, with that out of the way, I guess we should ask you about how even if you were found to have a PMC run your police force, how did you still get a chance to become president?” Rose asks, which Armstrong then gives a shrug to.
“I’ll be honest, I was hoping none of it would come to light, especially considering how controversial PMCs are, but, it’s something that is public, and I can’t deny it. I at least owe to what I have done. But this only goes so far. Even then, I believe I still have been lucky to be given a chance at becoming leader of the entire nation. But, I also believe the reason I am still able to not be taken to court over this is because World Marshal, while a questionable PMC, is not something that is known for violence. Unlike some kind of PMC like, say, that Desperado one. Those ones are the ones that sicken me.”
“They are there just for the reason to kill. Nothing more. They are only there to kill and kill and kill. Not even for money, but just to kill because they can.” He finishes, which seems reasonable. “Alright, that can make sense, but then that brings up another question people have had on their minds for a while. “Oh, and what would that be?” Armstrong asks, in an almost smug-like tone.
“Why did you travel to Mexico some time ago?” Rose asks, which makes the smile on Armstrong’s face go away right at that very instant, which he then gives a seemingly nervious chuckle, but still appears as a regular chuckle. “Well, that was just because I wanted to travel. Is that too much for me to wish for?” Armstrong says, trying to think of what to say now, but then Rose asks another question, which actually makes Armstrong’s eyes widen slightly.
“But, that place you went to, you do know that it has had a pretty interesting history, with one building being suspected to have things being run by that very same Desperado?” She asks, which Armstrong quickly has to think of a counter for, in which he takes a moment to readjust his tie, as well as figure out an answer to the question that had been layed before him.
“Well, I did not know that, no. Why would I even need to go to a place that is apparently running a most likely illegal opperation? That is the thing. I wouldn’t. I would not dare try and associate myself with a group that could potentially cause our nation to fall.” Armstrong says, to which Rose still questions him. “But, still, a person in charge shouldn’t really need to go somewhere else unless it has some kind of requirements of sorts. And given you’re only a senator, what kind of needs would you have to go to Mexico? It doesn’t really add up.” She asks, still trying to piece together the puzzle.
“Well, not all things can ever add up, right? Remember that one colony when America was being originally established? And yet when they were left alone, the people outside of it returned there, and what did they find? They didn’t find anyone there. Not everything in life can be explained. And yet not everything can be a conspiracy. Just because something doesn't add up, it doesn’t mean that it is something that is being hidden from the public.”
“And even if something is being hidden, it will most definitely be found eventually. We’ve seen that happen many times. But, still, some things do end up never being found, but it doesn’t mean we need to start some big ol’ conspiracy against it. It just means that some things are better left not to be recalled, they are just better to never be messed with. History is a mystery, and while some can try carving their names into it, a lot of others, they are forgotten. They disappear into the night, with only a shadow left behind of what once was there.”
“But yet, there are even those who don’t ever surface. Those that are never remembered at all. How do we know there wasn’t another at the table with King Arthur? Will we ever know who fired the shot heard round the world? Will any of that ever finally be found? Maybe, maybe not, but no one of us can be certain about it, it’s just how life is. Not all things can be remembered, not all things can be forgotten, not all things can be lost, and not all things can be found. It’s just the way of the world, Rose. It’s just nature at work.”
“But there is one thing, one thing we can do about things like this, and that is preserve. We can preserve what has been found. And even if some things can never be, at least we can try and assume what has been, or what has not. And let me assure you, I have no ties to Desperado or anything, I just wanted to take a trip for once that wasn’t a requirement like it was in the Navy. It was as simple as.” Armstrong finally finishes, before Rose gives a slight nod to it.
“Yeah, that’s true.” She says, before Jack gives a slight cough. “Hey, uhh, not to be rude or anything, but we only have a little bit of time left for our interview, so we should go ahead and ask probably our biggest question we’ve been hoping to ask you.” Jack says, to which Armstrong gives a nod and waves his hand while saying “Well, go ahead then.” “Alright, what are your thoughts on your oppoents for this presidential election?”
Armstrong chuckles at this one, already knowing damn well what he thinks of these others that are going against him in this election. “Well, I guess I should start with some of the not as big canidates, and then work up to my most notable opponent.” He says, before turning his head so it can crack.
“Well, to be entirely honest, the only notable one outside of Valentine is this one guy I can’t even remember the name of, but he has got to be one of the most unfit to be president I have ever seen. Claiming that under him, we would be united like an... onion? I believe he said that, we would be a union like an onion, that has got to be one of the worst sayings I have heard. Much more considering people specalate him to be some kind of Communist, who has had messages of his own leaked, saying he will bring the U.S.S.R back to its former glory, weather that was him joking or not, still tells me he can’t be trusted in office.”
“Well, I guess outside of not only him and Valentine, we have one guy claiming he is president of the world, even having himself a giant hat that’d probably make Lincoln jealous, but that is all he does. He just claims he is, or will be president of the entire world. That’s all he does, he doesn’t eleborate, he just says he will, and somehow people are voting for him. It makes me wonder what has happened to this nation. But, outside those two and Valentine, there isn’t much competition for anything. They all just say the generic things that a person would say to try and get control over it all. And that is it.” Armstrong says, so now Jack asks him.
“And so, what do you think of Funny Valentine?” He asks, which Armstrong sighs to while pushing up his glasses. “Well, Valentine is, as his name implies, funny. He certainly has a unique sense of fashion at the bare minimum, but he also believes in what he is doing is right. He has led the nation before, and he is willing to go for it yet again, which is fine, but I just don’t think he is fit enough to lead our nation into battle. He thrives for a better tomorrow, which is alright, but at the same time, the way he speaks, he almost sounds like he is trying to say a cryptic message under it all.”
“But, I will give credit where credit is due. He has fought for our nation before, fighting up front, even allowing himself to be tortured, but yet he didn’t give out anything. He has proved himself to be capable of fighting, but leading, I am not so sure about. Any simple man can fight, but only a strong man can lead others. There is a difference between the power to rule and the power to change. What Valentine has is the power to rule. He can rule this nation however he pleases.”
“But what is this nation all about? It is about change. Valentine, he only looks at it the same way, and tries to build it off of what has already happened, not trying to change it, not trying to fix it, he just sees it how it is, and he constantly builds on top of it. It’s like he is building a tower off of some pillars below made only of many toothpicks. They can maybe hold for a bit, but they sure as hell won’t last if anything bad truly happens. It’s just the nature of how things are, you can’t build something off of something broken.”
“If you want to build something, you have to tear down what remains, and then build off of that, that is somethng Valentine seemingly does not know. He constantly builds and builds and builds, but never tries to see the stability of his nation, he doesn’t ever look at the bottom, he just looks at the top, while everything else below it all is struggling. They are constantly struggling to keep it all standing, and Valentine doesn’t care. He just looks at the future. Which in itself, that is good, but he doesn’t look at the past either. It’s like the saying, ‘Those who ignore the past, are condemned to repeat it.’”
“Which is honestly a bit ironic considering his late father. I have heard about Valentine’s father. And he, he was a true American, one of the most heroic men I have ever heard of. He himself was tortured, just like his son, but he at least had a cause to truly stay alive, which was his own family. It was because of that, he was able to keep going, and as he does, he continued to endure the punishment that was put upon him.”
“Eventually, he made the ultimate sacrifice, he ended his own life, just to make sure those he was fighting would never get any information from him, and to make sure that his country would thrive. Hell, it was after this, a guy who worked with him, found his body, as well as a handkerchief hidden behind his eye, which is not only painful sounding, but it had a reminder of what he was fighting for. It was not only his country, but his family. And when that man brought it to the young Funny, it showed him what true patriotism means. It meant sacrificing what one has, so that he can save those they love. And it was then there where that man, Mr. Valentine married the widowed mother of Funny some time after, hence Valentine’s new surname. So, while I might not like Valentine as a leader, I respect him as a patriot.” He finally finishes.
“Well, thank you Mr. Armstrong for answering our questions.” Jack says, to which Armstrong replies with “It was my pleasure.” And like that, Armstrong stands up alongside the other two, a similar exchange of a handshake and hug occurs before Armstrong finally walks off stage.
Now, it is only a few days later, where a news article surfaced online, which was about the death of Rose, one of the two news anchors that had only just interviewed Colorado Senator Steven Armstrong a number of days prior. With her death being that she had died after having been in a car crash, where she ended up getting hit by two semitrucks that had both lost control. Which resulted in her being hit from two different sides, which resulted in a few conspiracy theories about her death, but yet nothing ever came from those conspiracies, with the only thing that did happen was a lot of mourning over her death.
Some time later:
After Armstrong’s own interview, Valentine then had his own interview. But, instead of it being in front of some kind of camera, or even in audio, it was instead done and then printed out on paper, as well as it being a special edition with a number of pages on it being just from the interview, and a lot of pages it was. Now, most seemed annoyed about it, especially since they weren’t able to see or listen to it themselves using an electronic device of some kind, and had to actually read something that wasn’t on a screen of some kind for once in their lives, but at least they got a transcript of how it went eventually online. Even with the title of the interview being called “A Funny Interview with Valentine, interviewed by newscaster Johnny”, with this being the following transcript of the event that was on the paper:
Johnny: Welcome, Mr. Valentine, it is great to be with you here.
Funny: It’s a great pleasure to be here with you as well. I hope all my answers are satisfactory for you and your team.
Johnny: *Laughs* No, no, you can just answer them honestly, you don’t need to try and think of what we want, just answer with what you believe to be right.
Funny: Well, then that is good to hear.
Johnny: Alright then, so, I guess we should go ahead and start from the beginning with ya. How was it growing up?
Funny: Well, it was like many different stories of childhood. I was born into a good home, and my father was a very patriotic man.
Johnny: So I’ve heard. If I remember correctly from the stories, your father chose to let himself be tortured rather than telling them valuable information?
Funny: That is correct, he was a man who knew what he had to do for his nation. He was truly a great person. Yes, he did allow himself to be tortured, he allowed it so that he would not let his country fall. He was able to continue on, he was able to survive the harsh conditions he was put through until the very end.
Johnny: I see.
Funny: Yes, he kept surviving the punishment they were putting on him until he could not stand anymore, he was just able to keep fighting until he made the ultimate sacrifice by ending his own life so that he would never break, because he would be gone then.
Johnny: Well, I am sorry for your loss then.
Funny: It is alright, I was very young when it happened, it was only when a friend of his, Captain Valentine would return and tell me and my mother the news about what happened to him. While I was young, I understood that that meant he was gone forever, and it was heartbreaking. However, Mr. Valentine taught about the thing that is patriotism. It allowed me to understand what my father was doing, and how he did it in the name of his nation. He was doing it for the greater good, and despite not knowing him for very long, I will forever respect him for that.
Johnny: Well, then that is at least good, yeah? Anything else happen?
Funny: Well, when Mr. Valentine came to break the news, he gave me the handkerchief of my father, which he had hidden behind his eye.
Johnny: Ugh, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I would ever be willing to allow that to happen, no matter what is happening at the current time, I don’t think I would ever be willing to ever put something behind my own eyeball. It’s already a pain to put in contacts, but to put something BEHIND my eye? Yeah, sorry, but I am not going to do that. But, sorry for the interruption, please, continue.
Funny: No, no, it is alright, and it is admittedly understandable, putting something behind your eye would definitely result in a lot of pain right there, but it was his reminder towards what he was fighting for. Not only was it to remind him of his own country that he was fighting for, but his family. A man who is fighting for something is one of the most resilient people that can ever be, and a man fighting not only for his country, but for his family, that is a man who knows what he must do to survive.
Johnny: Yeah, I’ve always heard that if a man either has nothing to lose, or that if he is fighting for something, then he is a guy who is something you really don’t want to mess with, because if he has nothing to lose-
Funny: Then he’d have no reason to stop himself from fighting, no reason to look back, he’d be a man who is just there, ready to slaughter whatever is in his path.
Johnny: Yeah, and if someone is fighting for his family, or anything-
Funny: That man, he’d continue to press on, continuing to fight so that those behind him can see another day while he might not.
Johnny: Wow, you really are thinking about these kinds of things. So, let me ask you, who is the more dangerous? The man with nothing to lose, or the man fighting for something?
Funny: Well, a man who has nothing to lose, it is easily said, he has nothing to look back to, nothing to return to, his only place would be on that battlefield, he would just continuously slaughter whatever was to get in his way. Now, a man fighting for something, he is going to make sure he stays, he wants to make sure he is able to survive, as well as be able to let those behind him survive so that they are able to witness a better future.
Johnny: So, which one would be more dangerous?
Funny: Well, they are both dangerous in their own way. The man who was to have nothing to lose would be fighting because he is there only to fight, he doesn’t care about anything else, he merely is there to just fight, and if he falls, he will fall without a care. But, a man with something to fight for, he is much like that, but he won’t stop, he will continue the battle, for if he falls then, how will he know if he was able to do enough? He wouldn’t. So, he would most definitely continue to fight till the battle is won, but if he simply cannot, he will at least think that he has done something good. And with that said, I personally think that a man fighting for something, he is the one that people should be more afraid of.
Johnny: Yeah, that seems fair, but, if a man who has nothing to lose, why would he just fall and accept it right there and then? Wouldn’t he also be fighting till the bitter end? Just because he has nothing else?
Funny: That is the thing, if he has nothing left, why should he continue? Well, yes, he is more dangerous in the sense of unpredictability, he has no restraits, he will just continue on. However, when he is on death’s door, what would he have left to look back towards if he wasn’t ready to knock? He would see nothing there, it’d only be himself and the door. He could easily return to the fight instead, but he wouldn’t have that same kind of drive as a man who is fighting for something.
Johnny: And what exactly is that drive that is so different between the two? If I am going to guess, they are probably some kind of emotions? If I am right, what emotions are they, and why does it change how things are when in a battle? I know things like anger could make you restless in a pursuit to win, but what exactly is that drive that is different between the two?
Funny: The man with nothing to lose is most likely filled with anger, and anger, while it is one of the strongest emotions, it also comes at a cost. It results in a man to press on even past all the pain. Anger, wrath, or rage, all those are just different names for the same thing that can all result in the same story to play out: A man can continue to fight past even the worst pain, just to continue to press on, but eventually, that pain will finally catch up and prevent them from doing anymore. Everyone believes in the idea of surpassing limits, which is a great mindset that he should have. However, we are still only human, we can only go so far before we finally collapse. And anger, it is one emotion that does that, we push ourselves past our limits for a little while until we can’t anymore.
Johnny: Hmm, alright, that does make sense, but then tell me, what about the other guy, what kind of emotion does he have, and how does it exactly make it much better than the man with nothing to lose?
Funny: That man, he is filled with determination, you see, determination is almost like a combination of all different emotions into one. It gives you the power to fight on and even maybe surpass your own limits, much like rage, but it also keeps you level headed enough to not go out there as if you had your eyes covered, that is an idea of patience. Even more so, a man of determination knows what he is facing, and he still presses on, despite the idea of him losing, that is bravery within the man. A man is brave not because he lacks fear, but because he has fear and still presses onwards as well as having the perseverance to continue doing just that. That same man also has lots of integrity and justice to believe that what he is doing is right, and what he is doing it for is the ones that are correct. And to be doing this, all through his own sheer will, and all those things, integrity, justice, bravery, kindness, patience, perseverance, and even a piece of rage within, all of those add up into being that of a man filled with determination.
Johnny: Wow, I’ll be honest, I was never expecting that much to go into just the idea of determination.
Funny: And that is what is so intriguing about it. All these different things that are so different, they all come together for one thing. It is what would make a man fighting for something so much more frightening than a man with nothing to lose. The man with nothing to lose, he is a pure embodiment of a single emotion practically, but when it comes to a duel, what is more important? Being perfect in one aspect or being good in all of them? Think of this, we have two armies, one is an army consisting of only 50 men, all highly trained for combat and they know their battlefield, and they have been trained in every possible aspect for the fight. And then on the other, there is an army of 1000 men, but they have not been trained outside of how to reload their weapons, as if they were just taken the night before for this fight. The bigger group does consist of being superior in a single aspect, numbers, but they lack everything else that could make them a coherent team.
Johnny: Well, that does make sense, but due to their numbers, wouldn’t they be able to just outright overpower the 50?
Funny: That is what a normal person would most likely believe to be the most likely of outcomes. And, realistically, it could be, but the thing is, could that group even coordinate an attack plan? They could, but it would be a very basic one, and one the 50 would be able to defend against. And by that point, the men of 50 should be able to eventually win over the other side and eventually claim those grounds as their winning.
Johnny: But, since there is soo many, wouldn’t the 50 get tired of it all?
Funny: You must remember, these men have been trained, they know the rules of combat, they know how to initiate and how to engage the enemy. They are knowledgeable about everything there can be, and they know what to do, and they will realize that they all can’t be fighting at the same time while it all happens. They would probably then make a plan so that they are now having 25 on guard, and the other 25 sleeping. They will always be alert on what is happening at the time. Unlike the other side.
Johnny: And what exactly is happening on the other side?
Funny: Well, they are flailing around, trying to get something done, but they constantly get into one another’s way. They will constantly yell at each other, constantly trip over each other, and just overall, they will never be able to get anything done if they are untrained. There is also the chance that they will end up taking out their own men by mistake due to how foolish they are in trying to do what they are doing.
Johnny: But aren’t you underestimating them to some degree? Sure, they might at first be very clumsy, but they’re still human, they learn, adapt, and then they overcome, correct?
Funny: Well, that is true, but by that point, the 50 men would have already been completely planned out on how to operate. They would have everything they need to be ready from whatever angle they could ever get attacked by, and they are not simply going to fall, they are still filled with the idea of determination, and it will forever power empower them to continue fighting until the very end, and with how the battle appears, they will most likely win.
Johnny: But what if those other guys were to try and just blitz them? You know, just rush at them, even ignoring their own casualties? The ones in front would die by things that had been layed out, but it would leave room for the rest of them, which would still likely be in the hundreds, to get through the area that had been stopped by them. How would the 50 be able to get through something like that? The 50 can’t always be ready for every possible attack that is coming at them, can they?
Funny: Well, how would the much bigger army of lesser knowing men be able to even know how to use that strategy? If they had been something akin to drunks they found lying around in the streets or just finding certain people because they were just out at the wrong time. Tell me, how does a random person that exists in their own world even react to being forced into combat? Would they not be frightful the entire experience? How do we know they would not just be at a point of breaking?
Johnny: I mean, yeah, that does make sense.
Funny: Because it is the most logical sense, no man, woman, or anyone would want to be forced into some situation out of the blue. Once they are on the battlefield, they would only be able to contemplate on how they had ended up at that point. They would be focusing on that more than anything else. They can only do so much without being at a point of finally falling and giving up. But there could be a few that are just out of some kind of passion.
Johnny: What kind of passion?
Funny: Ego. That is what it is. Or, well, there is a bit more to it than that. Since there is ego, as well as those who only have pride or are only out there looking for bloodlust. Those ones do not care about anything outside of themselves winning whatever they are in. Whether it is in a battle to the deah or if it was something as simple as a race. Ego and pride, those two things can inflate someone’s mind into believing they can do whatever, even focusing so much more on winning instead of trying to look back into what they are fighting for.
Johnny: Ok, well, what about guys who are a lot more level headed and are more logical in how they think? They might not be as experienced as the others, but they certainly at least should be able to do something, right?
Funny: They could maybe try and form a reasonable idea and try to plan it out, but given the so much more commotion that is happening, it is still unlikely for them to be able to get their idea across, so it would also prove futile.
Johnny: So, is there any possible way for the thousand men to be able to beat the 50 actually experienced veterans?
Funny: No, there is no scenario in which the thousand can win, they can only get in each other’s way as well as constantly sabotaging one another, resulting in any possible chance that they would end up having to return to zero. They can keep trying, and trying to do fight, but all their efforts are going to fail considering how the original question was that we have men, all of which were practically taken right the night before, almost forcing them to participate into this effort, making it very unlikely that any of them would be able to survive in this. Most likely, some would be unable to handle the stress of the situation. Which is a very reasonable thing, but they end up taking their own lives due to not being able to handle that very same stress.
Johnny: So, what? Some of tem kill themselves, are they even going to be considered good? Because they still took part in a cause? How about your birth father? He ended up taking his own life, but he is still considered good in what he did, so tell me what the exact difference is.
Funny: The difference between how these men and my father is that my father did it for a cause. He did it because it was the only way he could make sure his side wins. He was doing it out of patriotism, unlike these men who would be doing it out of something like fear, these men do not have a cause to die for, they are only ever fighting because they are being forced to at this current moment in time, and if it were not for that, they would likely have survived, but due to them being forced into this situation out of nowhere, the stress from them would end up resulting in their demise. Yes, my father, he was very much likely under a lot of stress as well, but because he was afraid for his country, not himself. He was afraid for his country, his reason for fighting, he was stressed out about how he could lose all of it, but these people, they are only stressed because of the uncertainty of their own situation, resulting in them not wanting to even be there anymore, hence they end up taking their own lives out of fear instead of patriotism like my father.
Johnny: Alright, I guess that does make sense, but I just need to know, why are you so sure the 50 men are going to be able to win this? It makes sense that you are trying to prove the odds against even the most uncertain of instances, but if we were to live in an infinite multiverse of sorts, not all things would be the same, right? There are bound to be some kind of changes in them. We can’t just assume history is always the same everywhere.
Funny: The reason why I am in the belief that the 50 men win is to prove a point to you. It is not entirely impossible for the thousand men with a lack of experience to win this battle, but I am merely trying to explain to you how things like determination can result in things to have unexpected outcomes. As long as a man’s heart is in the right place, as long as he knows what he is fighting for, and as long as he can draw breath into his lungs, he will be able to win the day. But that is not to say someone forced into an unknown position can’t win as well. Being forced into a situation can also result in an influx of emotions. Not only determination, but fear, anger, every possible emotion could run through a man forced into that position, and while it would result in some more unorthodoxed tactics and more, it is not saying it wouldn’t help them win. In fact, it could be a reason they are able to win.
Johnny: And how exactly? I thought you said that determination was a combination of some of the biggest emotions?
Funny: I did say that, and I did say determination was a combination of some of the more important emotions, but it is not to say there can’t be determination within other emotions. Similar to that, something like rage, it is mostly the emotions of anger and wrath, but it also includes some determination to get what they want done. And even more so, all emotions can be considered combinations of other ones, there is no one true emotion that all can root back to due to how many there are, as well as how there are just enough for there to be too many possible correlations with one another. So, while determination is a strong emotion filled with many aspects of many other emotions, there are other ones that have a few less contributing factors but also have them in a lot more doses. So, all those thousand men, they could all have different emotions and can result in many other outcomes, it doesn’t change the fact that they still have a lot to work with in what they are hoping to achieve.
Johnny: So, the thousand men do have a decent chance at winning?
Funny: Yes, the way I see it, in every battle, the line between the two is cut in half, each side has an equal chance at winning when it starts. It doesn’t matter how different the teams are, every battle starts out with it being equal on both ends. So, all that truly matters in a duel is that the two sides both know what they're doing. Because as the battle continues to rage on, the percentages of either side winning will either diminish or or will thrive. The only chance for a duel to have a chance at ending how it started is if both sides end up retreating on both ends, both sides have lost everything they have, or they have come to make a truce. And yet, those three options, they all can change how things can happen, as well as how those main differences in a battle ending like that result in a change that is so conflicting that each one, while ending in a similar manner, can result in different outcomes.
Johnny: And what are those differences in outcomes?
Funny: A battle ending with both sides retreating would result in nothing being of value. That battle being an unnecessary one at that, what would be the point if both sides somehow retreated? What would the books of history say about it? There’s no point in having a battle ending with both sides retreating. But, it is a rare occurrence, a very rare one. I do not even believe that there have been recorded times of battles like that even happening.
Johnny: Then why even bring it up? If there is a chance that a battle like that has never happened, how can you be so sure of it?
Funny: Well, tell me, how much of history has been recorded? Not all of it, much like memories in our heads, history will lose some of the things it had that brought it to this time today. It is not a bad thing if something like that were to occur, but at the same time, it is very disheartening to know that some histories have truly been lost. There have been battles, moments, and even people forever lost to time. There can be people that can have ancestors from the past that are well known, but what about people who come from others that have no recollection of their history? We know not all things, but what we do know is the things that can change who we are. And then what about those from long ago that thought they would have an offspring, but yet there is nothing? How can we remember their time on this planet? That is the question some people like to ponder, and for good reason at that.
Johnny: Alright, so now what about the other reasons for a battle ending in a draw or whatever?
Funny: Well, if both sides end up losing everything, their supplies, their soldiers, what will history remember it as? History will remember it as a battle for the ages, but not in a good light. Some would think that something being called some kind of title means it was great, but if you have been in battle, you know exactly what it is like, and it is anything but great. We can be on the battlefield, fighting for all that we hold dear in our hearts as we watch friends die next to us, it is anything but great, a battle, is anything but good. But a battle that ends with both sides losing, it would have a title of sorts, but it would likely receive a name that is fitting for it, it’d be remembered as one of the bloodiest battles in history. If both sides end up killing off the other side, then there would have been no winner. But that is a very obvious answer. Despite this, people can recollect the thoughts of a battle with no winner as a time when both sides were at their peak performance. It would result in many to look back on it and remember all those who continued to fight till the very end of it all.
Johnny: Alright, and so what is the last one? The actual truce that could end it, what is that one like exactly?
Funny: A truce, that is when the options I have just said are going to likely be the end result of it, and the forces leaders would end up realizing this. So, they end up raising the white flag. Now, usually, that means one side has given up hope and the other side is considered the supposed winner, but a battle with no winner is still a very possible outcome, and people need to realize that. In battle, there can be a winner, no winner, or both could lose, in this case, both sides would have been considered the loser. If each side has given it all up, then there is no winner due to both sides having lost whatever they had and only having a little bit to remain to try and fight. There is nothing wrong with that, but to find both sides losing is astonishing. Not in a good way or anything, but it can happen, and that is what is sad, for all those men who died on the battlefield, they have lost their lives for the sake of what they were fighting for, and what was it all for? What would be the point of all that fighting, all that bloodshed? It would all have been in vain. No matter what, either if you were to have lived, or if you had died, you would have still lost the battle due to there being no winner.
Johnny: How exactly would it be considered a loss? If it were a draw, wouldn’t that mean there’d be no winner and no loser?
Funny: Well, think of this, in any kind of war, there truly is no winner. Despite what many want to believe, there is no such thing as a real winner in a war. A war is filled with so much loss that can that even be considered a win anymore? Tell me, can a win even be considered that if you had to lose all of that just for it? That is exactly what I mean, even if both sides were to find a way to have a truce, that would not have stopped all their previous bloodshed. It would only result in all that had died for that cause to have been in vain. If they’d’ve known that it would end in a truce, would they have still fought? No, they wouldn’t. Everything is a mere moment in history, and what is happening now, is what you will remember as the past. But, those that all died for this cause, they all died for what? No gain for their side. Nothing. All their hardwork, all of it, it was for no purpose, and all those lives could have been spared.
Johnny: But aren’t they still remembered for their sacrifice, even if it were in vain?
Funny: That is true, some of them are still remembered for their sacrifice out there, but not all of them are, now are they. Tell me, when it comes to most things that are built in honor of the brave men fighting for that cause, is that their face? Or is it faceless, or is it more of something that is an entirely unique face, different from any other that had actually been in battle?
Johnny: But, there are a lot of statues that have the faces of them.
Funny: Ah, but that is only a minor fraction of the people that have fought in these battles. When you look at those, aren’t they of the more well known people who participated in it? Because they are, but then what about those others that fought in it? They might have one as well, but it’s dirty and faceless, similar to them in the actual battlefield, they wait to hear the instructions that are going to guide them. Soldiers continue to fight for so many different reasons, it is what makes it so honorable to serve for your country. You put yourself on the line so that the future can be much brighter. You allow yourself to be thrown to the wolves and fend them off as others are able to get past and look towards the end of those dark woods. No matter what, you are fighting for what you believe is right, you have to constantly fight till the very end, and until your last breath, it will be proven that you are on the right track for victory.
Johnny: You mentioned that people are fighting for what they believe in, but what about people that are having to be forced into fighting? Because there are those instances of people being forced to fight for causes they might not believe in. They are instead just forced to fight in whatever they are being dragged into. Similar to those thousand men from earlier, what about them? Do they have a chance at getting victory or leaving those woods you spoke of? Or are they going to just end up being forced into being stuck in those woods for eternity?
Funny: Well, sometimes, some men are needed for a cause that is bigger than themselves. That is a problem I have noticed, many try to think that the world centers around them, as if they have some kind of armor that allows them to change fate towards them, but that is such a bad idea to have it’s almost laughable. Within our world, we can technically be seen as our own worlds, yes, but we are not the center of it. Some might say you are the center of their world, but that does not mean everyone is focusing on you. Everyone must try and remember that, but their own ego can get in the way of it. So, really, while they might be forced into a situation or battle they were not prepared for, it is likely for the better to help in a cause that they themselves might not have understood. But, it is still understandable as to if they were afraid of what is incoming. They are unable to realize what they are having to do, but they still do it because they are told to, and as long as they listen, it will be good for not only them, but for everyone else.
Johnny: But what about people that don’t want to and try to leave what they are having to do?
Funny: Then they are failing to realize that they are needed for a better tomorrow. The world, or just even the smallest thing as a group can require help from you, and if you reject them, it will only result in those that needed you to cave in and fall, and if that were to happen, then it will eventually cause a string of problems that would all relate back to you. Either that, or right after they end up falling, you will unknowingly fall as well due to your lack of trying to help those in need. For a better future to happen, you need to remember that you are needed to look towards something bigger than yourself, something on a much grander scale compared to anything you have ever looked towards before. We must all realize that we fight for a cause that is similar to what we all needed. We all do this so that our nation, our people, whether you are the president or just a farmer in the fields, you are needed to help.
Johnny: Alright, wow, you really know a lot about what it likes to be on the battlefield, huh?
Funny: But of course, I served in the army itself. I have learned the hardships of war first hand. It was an experience that I will never forget. The feeling of fighting for something larger than myself, it was as if I had the entire world upon my shoulders. It was a battle that I will never forget. All those times of training, I was always ready for whatever was to come. It is something I will never forget, nor will I ever want to forget. Those days, being a part of the army, that can change a man’s perspective on life. And it did for me, and it has for everyone else. Whether it is if you stayed and changed how you are, or if you tried out for the military of ours, but are unable to get through the training, it can only make you be inpressed and have some level of honor alongside respect towards those who were actually able to make it there.
Johnny: Oh, right, how could I forget? You were in the army! You fought alongside some of the bravest this nation had to offer, and it paid off. Tell me, how was it fighting for the people of our country?
Funny: It was truly a life changing experience, being able to fight alongside them. I always knew about men of patriotism since when I learned about my father, but during that time as well, I really understood what it all meant. The sensation that comes with fighting for a cause higher than your own self is something that simply cannot be forgotten when it first happens, nor can you ever experience it again. It was a time when I could really understand what it took to be American. I will also remember all those who I fought alongside with, they all proved themselves to be something of a real patriot. They never backed down, they kept moving forward at a rapid pace, as if they were like a train pulling along some cars. That train, it was them, and all those cars, they were each filled with the American people, all rooting and cheering for them. Because no matter what would have happened, they would continue to fight through whatever the world had to offer for them. Even if it meant being forced to fall off those tracks, they did what it took to take control of what was needed, allowing them to forever be remembered by me.
Johnny: Now, just to ask, but have you ever seen anyone try out for the military, but was unable to join? If that is the case, what do you think of them? If they tried to, but were still unable to do it? What is your take on something like that?
Funny: All those who have tried to enter our army and failed, there are two reasons for it. They are that that person was medically unable to fight and that they were unable to survive the training that they had to endure. The former of the two, is more honorable than I have seen in most, someone with some possible problem that could kill them, they still end up trying to go and join the fight, ready to go to war, despite their injuries. Whether it is an internal one or something like missing a leg, they kept doing what they could to try and get through to help the country. And the latter of the two, it is something that is reasonable, but sad, they wanted to fight for the nation, but they were unable to get through what was required to get there. I understand that not all men are created equal, despite what our founding fathers said, but some men are simply unable to survive the things that is thrown at them, making it where they can’t withstand what is happening, and then also resulting in them having then leave the possible thing they could have done to help the nation. It is sad, but it is understandable as to why.
Johnny: Alright, so, in your opinion, is there any sort of bad reason to try and join the army? I’ve heard people say there is a wrong reason to join, so I might as well ask you.
Funny: Well, that would have to be those out for glory. They care not for the country, only themselves, hoping that they can go out there and make a name for themselves. It makes me sick, but also saddens me to know that there are those only out trying to make people remember their name by force. The battlefield is not some kind of game that you can merely play with, it is a place where men fight for something that isn’t their own, but for something their people believed in. If you go out there to try and gain glory, then you will be severely mistaken. Because while you might be able to get more kills than your fellow men, it is likely that you could take it too far and they try sending you out because you try taking them out in inhumane ways. Yes, killing in itself is already inhumane, but it is also something that is just a part of war, but trying to find glory, you would instead torture those other soldiers, not caring about your own, but only for thinking of a future where your name will be forced into the minds of others. But, tell me, would you rather be remembered for your life that you sacrificed out there, or be remembered for being feared due to how horrid you were? It is not a difficult answer, because if you are remembered out of fear, it will make people hope to never be like you, as well as hoping that you could never be remembered in the first place.
Johnny: That is fair, although, you bring up the idea of torturing an enemy, is that something you consider to be truly inhuman? Even if it is to try and gain information for your own people?
Funny: Not to be rude, but that is a very simple answer, and it is yes. It is still wrong to do that. I understand that you need to make sure that your side is able to win, but to force pain and suffering upon another human being, that is sickening. Why would you ever allow another human to be forced under such events onto their physical body? Now, things like ending up getting shot in the stomach, that is something that is forced to happen during warfare, it is just another part of it, and there is not necessarily wrong with it in that context, but it is fairly different compared to trying to forcefully break a man’s arm just because you were able to capture him. If you are going to try and get information from your opponent, try and be reasonable, you could offer them a chance at power in your side if they win, but all you are doing by torturing them is resentment and fear, with them just either having to endure it, or them finally breaking, both in a sense of telling you what they know as well as them mentally. And even more so, what happens usually when they finally get the information that they wanted? They end up killing that man, they care not for the well being of another man, but instead only care for glory. I understand that being able to win a war brings glory, but it shouldn’t be the priority.
Johnny: Then what should be the priority?
Funny: It should be winning that war, a war is fought to prove which side is more capable in combat, as well as proving their ideals as the right one, not about glory. Glory, to most, they believe it is something that is attained by continuously attacking, forever being relentless, fighting and standing the entire time, but, in actuality, glory is something that is given to a man after he has fallen many times but has continued to press on despite what the odds are like. And given this is in the context of a giant battle, it only means that the higher the stakes are in this battle, the higher chance at glory you can have if you win. But, as said, people believe that a constant rush of power is what proves you as full of glory. But, then also, glory, it can be seen as an entirely different emotion as a whole. It could also be seen as something like that of love, yes, love, glory in itself is some level of love that a man, women, or whoever can cast out upon themselves or others.
Johnny: Can you elaborate on that?
Funny: You see, glory, it is something that is what a man wishes to have, a thing a man wants to be able to hold forever besides him. Now, what is love? It is something a man wishes to have, a thing a man wnts to be able to hold forever besides him. Despite how different they appear on paper, once you connect all the dots with the two of them, you can realize that maybe they’re both the same, and as the world continues to turn, you will be able to realize that more and more. But, then you have the opposite side of glory in jealousy. Jealousy is some form of resentmen towards a person or a thing that has proven itself superior in the field of whatever you are doing, and that is something that is like a punishment. It is a punishment towards those who only seek glory for themselves to then be put back into their place, it is the world’s own way of making those who don’t realize what glory really means. And I find that very ironic towards those, but it can’t be said that it wasn’t bound to happen to them either.
Johnny: So, glory is like love, and jealousy is that of a punishment to people who try to use glory in the wrong kind of sense? Is that what you are saying right now?
Funny: That is right, there is no higher glory than love, for they are both the two sides of the same coin, both having a similar goal within themselves, alongside the feelings they can give a person, it allows them to experience something that makes them feel proud of themselves, it is something that can allow a man to stand proud at what he has done, and what he can do in the future. But then you have jealousy, which is a full resentment towards those who have achieved knowledge on what glory truly is, and that is what it all comes down to in the end. Who knows what the real meaning of glory is. To all those who have found that glory is to find something you are willing to fight for till the very end, a thing that you will always keep standing up for, those men will be able to achieve that of what is real glory. But to those who believe glory is just to prove that they are the best, believing that they are able to forever stay in that position forever due to never having been knocked down, they will eventually be forced to learn what it really means to have glory, and that is by the hands of the other man who knows that glory and love are both one in the same. That man who had the wrong sense of glory will gain resentment towards the one who knows what it is really like, but it will not do very much as it will just drive him mad to push himself farther than he can before finally falling.
Johnny: Yeah, that all makes a lot of sense.
Funny: Of course it does, and, as much as the memories are not pleasant, I myself was forced to endure the wrath the others have tried to put onto me. I was captured, similar to that of my father. And they tried to get information from me, but I remembered my father, and I simply endured whatever onslaught they had towards me, for I would not allow my country to fall, not on my watch.
Johnny: I hope I am not trying to force you to relive these horrid memories, but, if I may ask, how exactly did they torture you?
Funny: No, it is alright, because what they have done has molded me into what I am today. Yes, I will admit, it is still not pleasant to relive that time of being stuck there, ending up getting whipped by many different people, just because I would not give up valued information. I had points where I was going to break, but I remembered my father, he endured it for who knows how long, making sure that no one could try and overthrow his homelands. And, as I have already stated prior, I will forever hold him in high regards for how he was able to endure all of that. And due to remembering what I was told by Captain Valentine, my future stepfather, I remembered patriotism at iit’s finest, so I would allow myself to endure whatever they had forced upon me like my father before me. I could not let my home fall, not to anyone, I would do whatever it would take to make sure my home can thrive.
Johnny: Wow, you really willingly just let yourself be whipped constantly because you didn’t want your country to fall. I admire that.
Funny: And I thank you for that. Not all men or people can understand what it takes for someone like me, or any soldier, what we must sacrifice, all the things we allow to happen to ourselves so that people such as you can live to see a better tomorrow.
Johnny: Yeah, I can see, so, after the war, what happened?
Funny: Well, after I endured all that and was saved, me and my unit, we had to travel throughout the Arizona desert for training. However, none of us were prepared for the heat that endured. And so most of the ones I had worked with, or, well, all of them sadly perished due to either the blistering heat or from the lack of water. And I was almost as well. I can remember that blazing sun looking down upon me and the bodies of my fellow soldiers. And it was ready to claim me as another victim. And I am almost entirely sure that I was going to die out there, with the sands blowing on my face from distances far and wide.
Johnny: So, then how did you survive? How were you able to get through the flaming heat?
Funny: I remembered what I was fighting for. I simply could not allow myself to fall, not yet, and especially not in that certain incident, I could not watch myself fall, so I used all of my power to make it out. I was not sure if I even could, but I did. I fought through the fire and the flames to carry on throughout, and eventually was able to make it past everything that had tried to end my life.
Johnny: I’m going to guess that speech from your stepdad was a big inspiration for you to keep going, similar to how you had to endure whatever happened to you while you were captured?
Funny: That is correct. I could not let something so minor such as heat or a lack of water be the end, no, if I were to die, I wouldn’t have been able to live a peaceful afterlife. They say when you die, you lose all regrets and more, but I don’t believe I could handle the regret of being unable to see the end of the war. So, as long as my heart was able to continue beating, I was able to press on. During that time, my heart was that of America, and America was my heart, I had the heart of America within me, allowing me to get through all that was trying to suppress me.
Johnny: Wow, you really knew what was at stake, huh?
Funny: Yes, it was a point in which patriotism was needed the most, all my comrades at that time, they fought till the very end, and I respect them for doing what they could to try and survive out there, but they were unable to channel patriotism as like I did. I am not saying they werent patriotic, they were, they also fought for their nation, and they would even if it killed them, which they did. But they died not due to patriotism, but due to the weakness that is our own human body. If I were to die, I would die of human causes, I didn’t want that, if I am to die, I want to die in a way so that patriotism would shine through me.
Johnny: So, you were just at the brink of death, but yet you couldn’t let yourself die because you want to have a proper way to die, especially for a soldier? My respect for you continues to grow, Mr. Valentine.
Funny: And once more, I thank you for that. I know what I am saying may appear off in a sense, but I know what I am saying, and that is what I mean. I had to continue fighting till my last breath, just to make sure I would fight for my country. It is something that each and all soldiers should aspire to.
Johnny: Well, yet again, that is admireable. But, it appears that we are soon going to be out of time, so I’m going to ask a few more questions before our time is up, if that is alright with you.
Funny: Please, go ahead.
Johnny: Alright, so, first question I have right now is why did you make that horse race across America?
Funny: Well, it wasn't just my idea, I only joined in and promoted it, I was in the thought process that it would've been a fun time for the people, there is nothing wrong with that.
Johnny: Well, I’ve heard of rumors that there was some sort of other reason that you had hidden, not to try and pry anything out of you, but what are your responses to those accusations?
Funny: I will say that they are all false. There is no harm in trying to give the people something to have fun with, is there?
Johnny: Well, that is true, it is only that, given how fast word spreads, we’ve heard people say the wildest things about what you are trying to do. There was even apparently one man one of my fellow news casters found that said you were apparently looking for the body of Jesus Christ.
Funny: Well... (pause in his speech) that is absolutely preposterous. The idea that someone is trying to get the body of the savior of humanity is not only impossible, but what would be the point? He was made man, there would be no sort of power that his body would possess. But, even if it did, as said, it is impossible for that to be.
Johnny: I don’t know, that guy was giving out apparence things of evidence that you were. Again, not trying to force an answer, but are you sure you just did that race across America just for fun?
Funny: That is correct. There is nothing wrong with some competition between Americans. It is all just for the fun of it. There has never been anything ever wrong with something like that. It isn’t even as if there haven’t been competitions before that considered the winner being the one who crosses an area first. It is all alright, there is nothing wrong with the race I created. I simply wanted to see Americans who all were passionate enough to try it out and try to win the entire thing. You can attest to that, seeing people go against one another, it is something that is alright to watch, and or participate in. There was no supposed hidden meaning in what I was doing, it was all just for the people to have a good time. Is that not what a president should do? Make it where his people get to have a great time and not have to worry about any sort of danger. If not, then what is the point of being a leader? A leader is meant to make sure the ones under him are able to be at peace, looking forward to the next day, letting them all have a chance for a better tomorrow and have a smile on their face instead of having to worry about any sort of danger.
Johnny: Alright, that makes sense, but now, I guess we can move on from that question. Next question: How did you meet the first lady?
Funny: Ah, yes, we met at a small party that was occurring some time ago. It was an interesting experience to say the least. We danced together, and we just had a good time. And I could tell she was intrigued by how I was, personality wise. We were just having a good time and eventually got together.
Johnny: Aww, well, that is nice. Now, tell me, if you could choose to go back and relive that day, would you?
Funny: Why, of course. Who would not love a chance to relive their glory days and go back to when they met their significant other? Getting to relive all those beautiful moments that ended up resulting in the two of you getting together. There is no reason not to take a chance like that. It would be an honor to be able to go back and do it all over again.
Johnny: That is also nice, but, your face sort of gives off that you are sort of uncaring about this, is it because you’re tired or uninterested by this question?
Funny: Well, it isn’t necessarily being tired or not being intrigued by the questions I am being asked, but instead having to keep calm... just so that I don’t have to worry about having to ask for a handkerchief or of something similar to wipe away a tear from my eye from when I could remember those times.
Johnny: Ah, well, that is great. Now, final question, what are your takes on your opponents in the presidential election? Or, more specifically, Steven Armstrong?
Funny: Armstrong, he is a patriot at heart, I know that much. He took his time and served in the military as well, but he never saw any combat from what I have been told. It is not to discredit him, but his ideals, they just do not align with my own, but that is the whole point of these elections to see who gets to run this beautiful nation that we are so grateful for having.
Johnny: And what is that?
Funny: It is to see who is in the right. I think you can tell that when we are on the stand, we are trying to get the people to believe that what we believe is the right thing compared to what the other candidates have to offer and or are saying. It is not to discredit the other, but it is to see who is more with the people, allowing them to choose who is going to be leader, and letting said leader let their dreams happen. But, I do not wish to see Steven’s dreams happen.
Johnny: And why exactly is that?
Funny: Because I simply do not like his ideaology. His ideals and my own do not match up in any possible stature in society.
Johnny: Well, that is seeable. And with that, our time is up. I thank you for your time, Mr. Valentine.
Funny: Thank you. Maybe one day I can have another interview with you.
And like that, the page ends with those being the final words from the both of them. However, it was later that day when Johnny was merely at his own home before hearing something at his front door, and when he opened the door, it appeared to him to be some kind of long lost twin of his!... Johnny was presumed dead a couple months later after a missing persons incident report was made about him.
Back at World Marshal, we see Jetstream Samuel Rodrigues walking through the hallways of the building. Him just passing by other cyborgs, who all look at him, some in awe, and then some seemingly afraid. But, all the looks from them all don't phase Sam, who continues to walk until he enters a new room.
When he does, he sees Armstrong sitting at a desk, as well as Mistral, Monsoon, and Sundowner standing there realizing something might be up. “What’s your game, Armstrong? Gonna talk us all to death?” Sam jokes, which Armstrong mainly ignores. “Sam, thanks for coming in. No, I’m not going to talk you to death, or at least not try to.” Armstrong laughs, which Sam gives a slight chuckle about, before sitting down in a chair across the desk from Armstrong while he kicks his feet back.
“So why did you get all of these structurally sane three here as well?” Sam mocks as he looks behind himself at the other three. “Well, I think it’s been made clear that something is up with Valentine. He’s been killed at least twice. And he is still alive. I don’t know what kind of shit we have on our hands, but it certainly isn't anything I’ve ever seen.” Armstrong states before Monsoon chimes in.
“But what if it is all an illusion? We have seen many die before, and die again, but have we ever seen anyone truly alive? Or have we ever seen the real man behind the faces of the ones we have killed? Have we ever had a chance to look into their eyes?”
But then Mistral speaks, “And if I have fought someone with no eyes? Well, no eyes in the sockets.” She says before then saying the next thing under her breath, “Ou peut-être que ces yeux sur ses bras étaient en quelque sorte des remplacements.”
“Ah, but that is the thing, do any of us really see anything? How about feel? Can we feel anything?” Monsoon asks Mistral, who rolls her eyes. “Apparently you can’t see anything, escargot stupide.” She says before Sundowner then speaks up after the entire group have gotten together.
“Bullshit! All of you are talking nothing but bullshit! I’ve seen Valentine himself die right in front of me, right through Bloodlust. You think I’d ever let someone get away? As long as war is given its chance, I won’t let anyone have a chance!” Sundowner says proudly, which makes Sam give a slight comment.
“You wouldn’t even give anything a chance even if war had no chance. You’d probably say some really messed up things on the internet just because you can. You’d probably say something about kids. How you ‘love’ them and their ‘cruel’ nature or whatever kind of shit no one would care about.”
Sundowner, seemingly at the point of just straight up pulling out Bloodlust to try and fight Sam, who also has his hand on the Murasama in its sheath, but Monsoon tries to prevent anything from happening.
“Now now, is there any point in this? There is no purpose of a conflict between all of us, is there? We have a common goal, and we are close to getting it. We’re like that of a man getting to a point of reaching Heaven itself.” Monsoon says, trying to ease the tension in the room. But then Armstrong agrees.
“Yeah, you guys need to keep it down. Last thing we need is for the building to be destroyed again,” He says while looking at Sundowner. “Oh, c’mon! That guy gave war a chance and lost! It’s not my fault the building came crashing down like the twin towers!” Sundowner responds with pride in his voice.
“Really prideful of your work, eh? Hope you don’t cut yourself shaving again,” Sam laughs as he then looks back at Armstrong. “So, what exactly is it that you want us to do? Kill Valentine again? Or whatever those body doubles are?” He continues before Armstrong responds.
“Well, listen here, in a short while, there is going to be a special debate between all the current people hoping to become president. And not only am I being there, but so is Valentine. And I’m sure that he has some kind of force out there waiting for him in case anything goes to shit.”
“So, you want us to just wait in the back? Yeah, try explaining why there are cyborgs in the back of the place, with us all having a logo of our own brand on it, real smart.” Sam mocks while pointing at the Desperado logo on his cyber-enhanced arm.
“Lucky for that, but since there have been assassination attempts towards Valentine, they have had cyborgs come in and guard the place. So, we’re going to have some of their guards killed and replaced with our own. That way we have a chance to get in case of any funny business from Valentine.”
“Wow, such a joke, literally using his first name, real good, Armstrong. But, has he even done anything? The most he’s done is survive being killed a couple times. And even then, wouldn’t it be more likely you end up starting shit?” Sam asks, in a both genueinly curious yet still mocking tone.
In which Sundowner quickly responds, “I don’t give a damn who starts it, I’d just kill on the spot if I have to.” “Aye aye aye, impatient are we?” Sam continues to joke, which, at this point, Sundowner is about to attack, but he simply lets out a laugh at this.
“You, you lucky son of a bitch, you know what you’re doing,” Sundowner continues to laugh as Sam gives a shoulder shrug and a little smirk all while Mistral says “Idiotes” under her breath at altercation.
However, despite the bit of tension in the room, Armstrong still tries to continue what he was saying. “Yeah, listen, they have some openings for extra security, and we have some already going in, so they can kill those extra guys there trying to ‘protect’ the other canidates, especially Valentine. But what I need is for you all to just be ready. Because I’ve heard that he has his own little group of pansies he has on hand.”
After saying that, Sam gives a quick little chime in. “Yeah, I think I met one of his guards, one hell of a guy. Think he might’ve been from the stone age.” He laughs, remembering how he fought some strange dinosaur guy. “And I have fought a little girl turned into a cyborg who thought that this battlefield was that of a game. Je me sens presque mal pour elle après la façon dont elle s'est battue.” Mistral also comments, remembering how she has fought a very young cyborg girl who found their duel to be that of a playdate of sorts.
“Really now? Now you worry about the children? Make up your minds already. Are you against the things you turn these kids to? But you fought that kid, and I had to fight and pull a bull by his horns, even then he didn’t know how to use that blade of his.” Sam tells Mistral, and also referencing how he fought some dude who literally had horns that were that of a bull.
“Now now, when it comes to everything you have all said, why worry about it? Has something such as gravity kept you all down? That is nothing that you should be keen on thinking of. You must remember that throughout all we have, the rain still washes it all away. But I have learned to bypass gravity, even if it was like a harness, I was able to defy the harness, even destroying the harness of said harness.” Monsoon tells the others, referring to his own duel to the bitter end.
But as Sundowner gets ready to talk, Armstrong ends up talking instead. “Alright, you have all made your point clear, you have all done well in fights. Good job. But we need to figure this shit out.” “Well, what else is there to talk about? Do you expect us to constantly sit here and just listen to you? There’s no need for history lessons.” Sam says, continuing to not take this encounter seriously.
“Look, we get it, Armstrong. You want us to beat up some guy dressed weirdly who keeps coming back to life. We’ve all dealt with weird shit. So why do you have to keep dragging this on?” Sam asks which Armstrong laughs about.
“Well, it’s not like you’re doing anything anytime soon, now does it, son? The reason I am here is because we need to get this all set up so we can finish this and not have to deal with any of Valentine’s bullshit. And for that, we need to make sure we are all on the same page here, and part of the same side. Sam, you aren’t even a member of the Winds, you’re more of an extra that does whatever he pleases.” “And is there a problem with that?” Sam yawns while saying.
“No, there isn’t. I am trying to make a point that with how you are, you might even kill one of the others if no one were to be looking at you at the time. Look to see no one around, and just slice a single guy into pieces. Going from one piece into a hundred.” “Armstrong, listen to yourself! If I wanted to kill all of you, I would have tried to do so already. Which, I have! And look at where that got me.” Rodrigues chuckles while tapping the cyborg arm of his.
“Heh, yeah, that didn’t go as planned, now did it? Well, here is how things are going to work, alright? We have the debate going on, and we already have some cyborgs of ours guarding the place, so it should be relatively easy for others to get in through the security. But, we don’t even know where they are all going to be stationed. So, we have to account for that. And for that, I already know what needs to be done. We will wait for the time of when each soldier is placed in his position, and when he is. They signal back to one of you, and you figure out a plan right there and then.” Armstrong tells, seemingly ready for any possible outcome as he pulls out a cigar and starts to smoke it as he usually does.
“Heh, you’re the boss.” Sam says as he stands back up, “Anything else you needed from me?” “Well, we still need to keep this under wraps. They already think I might’ve paid to get the one interviewer killed, and even more theories on the internet have popped up because of Valentine’s own interview being declared dead not long ago. Everything is starting to go to shit already. Not even an actual war, but instead people trying to argue over small things across the internet. They could be doing something else, but no, they choose to spend their time debating stupid things while sitting on their asses.”
And so, to respond to this, Monsoon speaks, “But what if that is because they are afraid? A man has many thoughts on his mind. Many of which can spark some kind of arguments across a wide amount of people, but why would they risk getting injured? Any man of a level of knowledge that is more than that of a child knows that almost any opinion could result in their own demise due to someone else disagreeing with them. So they most likely sit behind a screen so that they don’t need to worry about any possible danger coming towards them.”
“That makes them a coward. If they aren’t ready to defend their arguments till the very end, what is even the point? You need to stand your ground, and be ready to defend yourself. Both in the battle of mind, and in a physical fight if it were to occur.”
“Ah, but if you are going to have to fight, why would you even discuss what you believe? If you were to merely have a duel, then there’d be no point in arguing over who is in the right, and who is in the wrong. There is no way of telling who can be right or wrong in a situation like this one. You’d only have to fight like a savage beast.” Monsoon replies in a simple manner before Sam ends up speaking up.
“(Yawn) Well, let me tell you both, I’ve heard enough speeches about higher causes. All of those speeches, none of them mean shit. It all comes down to history. Because it is history who decides who is right.”
“But if history is to decide who is right, then what is to tell me that I can’t change history myself? History is not a person, it is a thing of time, it is something that is to be manipulated by the person looking towards it. There is no such thing as letting history decide who is right and who is wrong, but instead men fighting to try and prove their own superiority against the other. If history was to decide, then does that mean all our fates are sealed? Does that mean we are forced to live in a way where even if we were to want to change our fate, history would still make us stay on that very same path?”
Sam sits there after hearing Monsoon talk about his own philosophy before responding, “And don’t you talk about memes? What are those again? The things we pass on, right? Well, history is the very thing we have that chooses what meme and what meme doesn’t survive. And if it chooses my memes over yours, then that is that. History can be changed, but it is only if you win whatever you are in, and to make sure you fight till the very end. It isn’t something like fate being forced upon you. History will change according to how you are able to do it.”
And before Monsoon is able to make his own rebuttal towards this, Mistral makes her own comment. “Tsk tsk tsk, don’t you realize that you two are arguing over such insignificant things? Everyone has their own ideals, their own goals, and what are mine? They are to be on the battlefield, fighting whenever I can. Although it is quite dull, that is how my world has shaped up to be. And if history were to decide on who is right and who is wrong, then I guess I am to always be in the right? But then, tell me, samouraï, how am I always in the right if there are many out there that believe I am in the wrong?”
“Bullshit!” Sundowner screams out like before, “Fighting is just a part of who we are, why... fight it? See? Fighting is in our blood, war is always in our grasp, waiting to be done, there is no peace, only times when people want to regroup for a new one!” He continues to say proudly.
And like that, Mistral rolls her eyes at this and scofts at it, “And I assume that is why this building had to be rebuilt due to that fight you had where you felt alive? I am not blaming you, I wish I could have another fight that pushes me to my limits, but that is almost impossible to do, because they just continue to fall like dominos.”
“Alright, I think we get it, you all are like a steaming pile of controversy waiting to happen,” Armstrong laughs while puffing the cigar, “And even then, Sundowner, you’re lucky I was able to change the public views over this building falling, because most of them were at the brink of calling it 9/11 all over again. But the blame was instead put on a lot of faulty wiring and rusting metal.”
“Oh, c’mon! The demand for PMCs would have skyrocketed! You should have let them believe it! We would’ve been able to get more money and fund for more things. Such as another Metal Gear! We already have a few, but what’s a few more gonna hurt? Why didn’t you let us have another incident like 9/11? We would have been set for a new war, and that would let us have a chance to go big again!”
“Well, put yourself in my shoes for a moment, alright? Sure, PMCs would skyrocket, but the people would believe the military is weak, and be trying to follow the at times president to a new term. But since Valentine has been president and has had actual fights in combat, who do you think they would go for in the election? They would believe that due to his status as a leader once as well as his experience in warfare would help him survive a supposed terrorist attack, and give him a way higher chance at being president yet again. And that can’t happen, son.”
“But who would say that he is the strongest among them? Who is there to say he is the strongest and most useful person in this nation among us? We cannot assume that he would automatically be seen as the right choice. They might believe that if he was leader during that time, he could have been the one to prevent the tragedy and cause them to believe him to be weak in this cause. It would make them lose hope in him, making them look forwards towards someone new who could hopefully prevent this from happening again.” Monsoon tries to say, which Armstrong is able to make a quick comeback from.
“Yeah, but he’d make one of those half-ass apology things across the internet. And these people will fall for it. It’s not like those other ones most people do where they automatically call bullshit. No, he is much older, much more wise with his words, if anything like that were to happen, he would definitely be able to get the nation to believe every single word he says. No matter what it is, he could talk about the damned Super Bowl in that speech and yet he’d find a way to relate it back to whatever he was talking about. He would just be able to get everyone to believe every single word that comes out of his mouth.”
Monsoons prepares his response, but Sam ends up speaking up before he could, “Well, isn’t that what they’re meant to do? Yeah, sure, it could be barely done, but he’s still getting a reaction out of people. He could be talking about anything else but ignoring problems like murders of homeless people because no one gives a shit.”
“That’s right, Sam. He is able to do that. The power to rule a nation is something that anyone can abuse. If you gain enough power in something, you're able to twist and turn the words you say into doing your bidding. It isn’t some kind of manipulation, no, that’s just the power you are given. It’s what frustrates me so much, they believe they can control the people, changing the laws and forcing the people to work with them instead of letting the people have a say in what they wish for the country. They have a chance to do whatever they want, but the government just ends up tearing away any possible hope they have. Anything they were wishing for, gone, reduced to atoms.” Armstrong says before continuing.
“Everyone should be free to carve their own path, even if some people think that they are just full of wrath. That is what America should be! Not a country made for people to abuse the power they have recieved, but for the people to choose what THEY want. Not to let some lives stand in their way. They need to be able to choose what they want to believe in. I want it where the people don’t have to worry about wars among the world, I want them to be able to worry and fight for their own wars. They can fight for whatever they want. If they want to prove their supperiorty to the people around them, then let them. There shouldn’t be someone to stop someone from proving themselves. We need to go to a time when the people have a say in what they want. A time when people choose how they do things, not to be told to do it in some other fashion. As long as they are able to do it, then let it be.”
And before he can continue, Sam gets up and starts to walk out of the room as Monsoon questions him. “Is there something wrong, Sam? Are you unable to comprehend the things that are currently being spoken about? Can you not understand what he is saying? Is that it? Or is there some kind of deeper meaning behind why you are leaving?”
Sam looks back at him and gives a slight shrug. “It’s getting boring, I’ve seen him do this same dance before, and I don’t feel like redoing the same foot movements around this time.” He says, which makes Monsoon somewhat look at him.
“Is that it? Are you not willing to let the truth seep deep into the cracks of your mind? Are you afraid of your ideals changing once more? Or is it that you are scared of more information being put into your psyche? Are you worried about anything like that happening to you? If so, why are you so scared? There must be some sort of trauma that has caused you to end up like this, so why would you worry about another change if changes have already occurred at this large of a scale?”
Sam just slowly blinks at this before yawning again. “No, that’s not it. I’ve just heard too many speeches about higher causes. All these higher causes, all these hidden meanings. Well, what if there is no higher cause? What if there is no hidden meaning? It all comes down to whatever you think is happening compared to what is actually happening. And you are just trying to find answers to a question that nobody ever asked. I am leaving because I don’t want to hear the same shit again. That is the end of the story.” Sam finishes as he finally walks out of the door.
Monsoon, from the looks of it, was considering trying to say something else as Sam walks out but he sighs as he turns back to face the others. “It appears that he is unable to handle any kind of truth that there might be.”
But then an annoyed Mistral talks, “What is it with you and your hidden meanings? There is possibly nothing to hide. I lost my family, everything I had, and I wanted revenge against the ones who killed them, and I got it, and I found out that I am a killer too, just like them, only that I am better than them. Is there a higher cause there? No, I am just a killer who is able to defeat most simply by seeing them as domino pieces.”
“But is that entirely what you believe? Tell me, is that exactly what you mean? Or is there any hidden resentment towards what you have become? If you could have changed the past, would you change it, and how would you do it? Would you be willing to sacrifice how you have become to change your past?” Monsoon asks.
Mistral puts her hand over her face and sighs while she says “Pourquoi devez-vous être si philosophique sur les plus petites choses? Espèce de nihiliste ignorant,” under her breath before speaking out loud.
“If I could change the past, I wouldn’t. What has happened, is what was meant to. Even if it took a long time, I finally found the thing I was looking for. A place on the battlefield, if what happened to me as a child didn’t happen, or if I didn’t butcher those fuckers, I would never know how much more lively my life is currently. It could have been better in a sense if I chose to change it, but no, I know what I am doing, and I know how my life has turned out. And I do not mind this at all.”
However, before anything else, Mistral ends up getting a codec call. Who was it from? It was from the desert storm himself, Khamsin. “Hey, where’d ya go? Needed a break from all the freedom?”
Mistral then yet again quietly speaks under her breath as she says “Oh pour l'amour de la merde.” As she composes herself so that she can be more calm as she then talks back to Khamsin.
“Uh, yes, I needed a small break from it, as well as a chance to go talk to our boss. The man who is the one who leads our ‘cause of freedom.’” She tells him as he puts his hands behind his head.
“Well, alright then, but c’mon back down here, it’s quite nice. The hot wind is blowing, the blood stains the sand, it’s great out here!” Khamsin yells out proudly as he hangs up while Sundowner makes a quick comment. “If you don’t want to go, I will. I don’t mind seeing another red sun out at noon.” He laughs, to which Mistral looks annoyed but yet amused at this.
“Alright, listen all of you, even if Sam is gone now, and that was, well, that, I still need you all to be on high alert for the next week or so. We need to make sure Valentine doesn’t get away this time. Even if I have to take him out myself. I don’t give a damn about it anymore, he’s evaded death twice, but this time, the third time won’t be that much of a lucky charm.” Armstrong tells the Winds of Destruction who all give a slight nod.
“But how do we know for certain that that is truly him?” Monsoon asks, “If we are to assume that it is always him that has been killed twice would be quite the intriguing thing to think about. We might have a world full of things that can make death seem almost laughable, but Valentine returning may not even be because of him somehow returning, but him being able to persuade poor ignorant people into believing his own words and even going to such lengths to follow his ideals.”
Sundowner speaks up, “Yeah, look, I don’t know what kind of bullshit Valenine has up his sleeves, but if he is able to evade death itself, then that only makes war inevitable, which I do not mind, not at all. If anything, the fact he is able to get people to believe his everyword and practically hypnotize people just to get them to give up their lives for him, that is one hell of a guy. No matter, if he doesn’t want to give war a chance, I don’t see a reason why I should give him a chance.”
And so Armstrong responds to this, “Yeah, the fact he can get people to just blindly follow his words to that degree almost fightens me. He is able to take advantage of people having to look up and hope that he will be like some kind of angel that will help them. It’s all bullshit! The people should only look towards their leader to admire what they have done, not to be able to go to them and ask them what exactly they should do, they need to figure out what they need to do all on their own, not try and think that they can be held up every single step of the way.”
“The leader carves a path to show them how to do it, so that others can follow in the path that they have scorched, they can’t just keep following that same path because that leader will have been gone by that time, so you need to branch off, create your own path, live however you damn well please. You can’t just have someone guide you like you are a goddamn baby. You are an adult who needs to find out what YOU want to do.”
Monsoon then replies to Armstrong, “So, then what do we do about this? Or more specifically, what are you going to do about this? We have seen what he is capable of, the ways his memes are able to manipulate others into doing things that allow him to cheat death by turning them into him in a mental sense and a physical sense, so what exactly is there that can be done to change the people into believing that they can do what they want insead of constantly looking towards him for his constant support to make them ‘better’?”
“It’s simple, all I gotta do is be able to get people back on my side, sweep them off their feet, I just got to tell them what makes them happy, and they’ll go onto my side.” Armstrong finishes before standing up and puffing out some cigar smoke.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a rally to attend to.” He says as he starts walking out of the room while flicking the cigar into a nearby trash can as well as opening the door and then closing it with enough force to cause a small shake in the room.
Later that same day:
The Colorado crowd is filled to the brim with people, most of them wearing some kind of American flag item on them, whether it is a shirt, a hat, or even painted onto their stomach, they were all chatting, waiting for their senator to appear before them.
While they were all chatting, Armstrong himself was in a sort of dressing room, sitting back and having a call with his speech writer. “Yeah, I got the script. It didn’t get into anyone else’s hands, made sure of it. Though, they’re probably going to need a new printer.” Armstrong laughs as he quiets down to hear the other end of the call.
“Yeah, I’m sure this will work. There is only one way I can make sure I beat Valentine into a pulp, and that’s with my own two hands. I’ve seen him taken out by someone else, and I’ve heard that he was taken care of and shown supposed proof of it. But it was never by my own hands, and if I can’t get it done by my own hands, then there is no chance of winning for me.”
“Is this the best course of action? It is, yeah. After all Valentine has done, I’d say this is the most reasonable choice we got now. Now, I got this last chance for my approval rating to boost, we’ll talk later.” He says as he stands up and walks out of the room like he did during his own interview.
Armstrong walks out with guards surrounding him, despite him being taller than most of them, but he continues to give a wave towards the people that are all supporting him. He continues to give a smile and a wave as he then gets behind his own stand.
He stands there for a few moments as the people continue to yell out and cheer for him, with some of them waving their own flags around, which causes a smirk to appear on Armstrong’s face. But as he stands there, the crowd finally starts to die down. And as they do, Armstrong taps onto the mic, making sure it is going to work before giving a quick chuckle as he leans down some to speak into it, and he only says one word at first.
“America.”
And with just that singular word, the crowd already started cheering again, which makes Armstrong appear proud at what he is looking out towards before he can actually start what he was going to say.
“America is our nation, a land of the free. It was built on that very foundation. But our nation has since been forced to have other ideals, other ideas under it. Control, for example. The nation has become something like a dog and its master. We are now nothing more than a dog sticking its nose into the hole of crap that is what our nation has become. It isn’t some great nation like it used to be.”
“We no longer have the freedom that we so desperately need. We all know that all men and women are created equal, but just because we have been created equal does not mean we can’t be free to choose our own goals! Many see equal means we are all forced to stay in line, stay following the same path, but that is all lies!”
“We must look at others and see what they believe and then look at ourselves and wonder if that is what WE want to do, wonder if that is how WE want to be in the future. If our nation was to fall, and we were all on the same path, what would happen?”
“We would all fall with it. If we were to all be on the same path looking at the future, that path would crumble beneath all of our feet and the States would be no more. We must all diverge from the path, create our own even, just so that even if one were to fall, there would be many more that could take its place instead.”
“We can all look towards our own goals where we don’t have to be forced to look at things like the price of oil or what kind of controversy some celebrity has now, but instead ignore everything they try and put in front of us to stop our path.”
“We must push through! We need to press on until the work is done, so that if we were to fall, the ones of the future can look towards our path and follow it only for them to then be able to create their own destiny. Let them choose how they want to live their lives. Not forced by anyone else except for themselves.”
“We cannot force others into doing things they do not want to do. We need to let everyone do what they want to do, let them believe in what they believe in, not to let the people be forced into doing what they are told, but have them look at their own hands, and what is it covered in? Blood, oil, sweat? It doesn’t matter, whatever they choose, they did it themselves. It shouldn’t be because their parents told them they need to work in the oil fields, but because they chose it themselves, we need to make sure that our world can be like this.”
The crowd cheers at what the senator says, with a few “USA! USA! USA!” chants being heard throughout the crowd as they finally simmer down some so that Armstrong can continue what he was saying. That is until when Armstrong himself tries to talk again, some commotion can be heard in the back, which causes Armstrong to turn behind himself and a number of rows up, two guys are actually fighting.
The security of the place goes to them and breaks them up, with them keeping them apart but still together to throw them out of the place. That is until Armstrong himself jumps down and is seen talking to the security guards, in which after a few moments, Armstrong walks back up onto the stage, this time with some guards by his side and those two men that were fighting as the crowd is dead silent.
Armstrong talks to the two of them and hears what both of them say before turning back to the mic and seemingly processing what he has been told before looking back at the two men and then chuckling as he goes back to the mic and now has some words to say about the incident. Although, it is said that if you listened closely, you could hear a ringing coming from Armstrong’s phone or whatever device he had, as if someone was frantically trying to stop him from doing this.
“Now, look at these two men. They can agree on some things, I have asked them. They both support me, they both enjoy a good ol’ fashion boxing match, but they differ on their choices for even more simple things such as if the glass is half empty or half full and who is the best football team. Now, here’s the thing, any other politician would force them out for such arguments over the smallest things and messing up their plans. Not me. No, I want to use this as an example.”
“These men, they are able to speak out what they believe is the right answer. And that is what I wish for, that is what I thrive for. A nation where everyone can say what they want, a nation where everyone is free to believe what they want, a nation that won’t judge you for what you consider right or wrong. I want a nation where you are allowed to fight for what you believe in. A nation where you aren’t suppressed to a point where you aren’t allowed to speak your mind.”
“Tell me, what is the first amendment? It says that the government isn’t allowed to stop you from believing what you want nor saying what you want. If the government isn’t allowed, what allows the people to do it? If you want to shut someone up, don’t knock them down, listen to what they have to say, consider it, and then counter with your own ideals and why you believe that they are wrong. We shouldn’t automatically consider someone bad over a single take they have, we have to look at what they are hoping to achieve, and you never know, you might be changed to their side, but if not, stick to your guns and fight for what YOU believe in.”
“Fight for why you think YOU are right and why THEY are wrong. I’m tired of seeing people being taken down by the media, as if they were a TV show being cancelled. I can understand forgetting some parts of the constitution, but forgetting the very first ammendment? Is that seriously what we have come to? If so, then this is why I need to become the president of our country. I simply cannot allow something like this to persist.”
“Not even just I, but we, as a nation, cannot sit back and watch everyone be considered condemned by society over some controversial take they had a decade ago. TImes change, people change, and if you aren’t willing to accept it. Then you can accept being punched in the face. Because as long as you live in my America, people will look towards one another, and while they may see things in a similar light, there are other things they can be a polar opposite on.”
“It can be the larger things such as wars, or it could be over what is a better pet between cats and dogs, we need to hear one another out, but at the same time, we need to FIGHT for our own ideals, our own goals, our own desires. If you believe that the Cowboys are the best football team, or that aliens are fake, it doesn’t matter, you must always be willing and ready to fight for what you believe in.”
“Whether it is in a fight of wits or a fist fight to prove who is supperior. It all comes down to the same conclusion. No matter what, we are all still American, but just because we are from the same country, does not mean we are all of the same blood. Even those that are together through blood, they can be so close yet so far from one another. No matter what happens, we need to remember that we are all free. We are all free to choose what we want, there shouldn’t be anything that can deny our freedom!”
The crowd cheers after he says that final word, which Armstrong then turns around and looks at the two men, who end up shaking hands as Armstrong commands the security to let them back to where they were sitting, but now with a guard next to where they were. And as he does, he looks at the two, with them now having a more civil conversation about whatever they were talking about. Armstrong turns back around to the podium and stares across the vast number of people there all cheering still before he goes back to his actual speech.”
“Now, thinking about freedom. We need to look back at what our own people have done to us. Even though I said that the government isn’t allowed to try and stop our free speech, they still try to do so. A person can mention how our government is corrupt, and the next day, the FBI arrives at his door, ready to take him away. I could stand up here and mention how our justice system is fair and just. But that’d be a lie!”
“Our nation from when it was just thirteen colonies, fighting for their independence, seeing what was truly fair and just, allowing them to become their own country has since become that of a monarchy more than anything. An ironic twist of fate. The very thing that caused the United States to become free is the very thing it has become in the modern age.”
“It is almost sickening to think that all those men from the year 1775 through 1783, 8 years of men all dying for what they believed died in vain just for what they fought for to become the very thing they swore to destroy. It is not just sickening, but it is very sad to see the state the country has come to. All that they fought for, every single thing they tried to do, every drop of sweat, every drop of blood, every instance of seeing a friend die, all of it, just to turn to nothing.”
Armstrong then stands straight up and gives a salute towards the flag behind him, in which a lot of people end up following behind him by doing the same thing. It stays like this for a good few seconds before Armstrong puts his arm back down and turns back to the microphone yet again.
“It almost feels like there is a tear forming in my eye, as if I can almost feel the emotions that those people had to have felt during those times. Everything they did, through anything that could have been put in front of them. It could be the snow, the pain, even through the fire and the flames that could have been from the spark that ignited the revolution, their legends will be etched into our history books, no matter what is to happen, we are able to always see them for what they are, and that is Americans till the very end.”
“And to think that everything has been changed back into what it was like before makes me thrive for our country to become free yet again. Not shackled by the media trying to hinder what we can say or do, but instead letting us be free, not forced to have our mouths ducktaped over or to have our hands locked behind our backs by a number of chains, we must break through! We must break those chains, rip that tape off our mouths, and scream out, declaring that we are free! To declare that there is nothing that can ever stop us from saying or doing what we need to do!”
And like that, the crowd roars out with cheers and more “USA! USA! USA!” chants, all of then going wild as Armstrong starts walking off the stage, waving towards all those in attendance, even going around and giving them some of the greatest American handshakes that anyone could ever witness as he finally goes behind the curtain, signaling the end of that rally, and just as he hoped, the approval rating, the votes, and everything in between was looking up for Armstrong, but it would be only a matter of time till Valentine’s own final rally before the big debate between multiple candidates including the two.
As for Valentine’s own rally, instead of being in some kind of big city as Armstrong would do his, Valentine’s rallly was instead held in a decently sized town where most of the towns folk were there, waiting at a train station for his arrival. And it was certainly a shocker for them to see an old steam locomotive in the distance slowing down.
As it finally stops at the station, the smoke coming from the engine hisses out as from out of it came Valentine, holding an older styled United States flag on his back, with it having a good number of stars missing from it, from the looks of it, it appeared to only be a flag from the 13 colonies.
The crowd, while smaller than other ones done by other politicians, was still going absolutely wild over President Valentine’s arrival. Valentine stood there at the entrance of the station, watching those people looking towards him, so eventually he made his way to his stand, which was actually just at the end of the station. He continues to bask in the people looking at him before he turns around and hangs the flag up behind him as he stands in front of the group, no mic or anything, just letting them hear his voice directly instead of through some kind of device.
“Look into the flag that is behind me, what is it that you see?” He asks out to the people, which one of them yells out “The flag of the thirteen colonies?” “That is correct, this is the flag of the original thirteen colonies that started the country all that time ago. Now, some of you might be wondering why I have this flag out here instead of one that consists of all the stars of the present time, but I will explain why I have done this.”
“You see, I merely want us to look back at what our country started out as. Nothing more than thirteen. Not something like a hundred, not something like a thousand, but instead just a simple number, 13. I have heard many say they believe 13 is an unlucky number, which my response is that if it is unlucky, then that only means our nation is truly great.”
“If that number is unlucky, then that can only mean our nation is stronger than anything like luck. Luck is something that can decide on a whim that if something can do something or can’t do something by a sheer accident. Which can only result in our country showing that it is beyond luck. It is not something like people believing walking under a certain item or holding a different item indoors, those things can be considered as unlucky, but despite anything of that sort, we are still able to persist past that very idea of luck.”
“If luck is something that is considered a part of our reality, then that only means our country has the ability to manipulate luck, and to a degree because of that, fate. Because luck is something that could change fate itself, but not entirely. Luck is only something that is able to change fate to some slight degree, but is still a noticable change at that. So because of that, not only can we, the people, are able to use luck to an advantage, we are able to change fate itself due to how those men sacrificed themselves for us.”
“All of them, they all became one. No matter what you were like, no matter who you were, you were able to fight side by side with others, allowing a chance at victory. That is what it was like for all of them back then. It wasn’t just some simple chance of luck, or a slight change of fate, but instead all of those men of different classes and standards fighting alongside one another to make sure that they have a chance to fight and win another day so that they can die long after the battle is finally over.”
“The way they won is that strength is achieved not just by numbers, but by combining your forces all into one, letting a chance at winning achieve greater heights compared to other things such as larger numbers. I have said in an interview that numbers can do a lot, but a combined effort of perfection from a smaller group can provide such force that could negate anything anything else were to try and throw at its way. It only proves that our nation is better off united together. It is called the United States of America for a reason, correct?”
“Yes, we must all look towards our own goals, follow what we believe is right, it is the best part of America, we are able to choose what we want to do, but we can’t let our own individuals become so detached from society to where they believe they opperate on their own. We must always remember that while we may be divided into different sections of our country, whether it is by job, or by state, or by any other kind of factor one can ever think of, we must remember that we aren’t just a collection of states, we are the united states.”
“It is, simply put, a bit of a shocking discovery that many think they can get away from the society from our nation to instead look towards that of a path diverged in their own wake. It is alright that they take their own path, but you must remember that no matter what path you take, it will end up converting and returning to be part of the main path to which we all follow. We may all be seperated at some point in time, but we are all still connected in the very end of all things.”
“When looking back towards things such as the original thirteen colonies, you must remember that they were all part of a similar path to that of Britain. Which many would believe is bad and would believe that they could go and become indepented. Which is certainly something to strive for, but we must remember that even like our own nation. Our world has a number of paths that anything can take at any time. It is simply something that we must alwas remember no matter what the situation is, we must always recall how despite us all being on seperate paths, we all end up being on the same one in the end.”
“That includes the world because while many nations can choose different laws, different rules, and everything of the like, it only means that war would be an inevitable thing to occur, which makes things a lot more saddening for everyone, but at that same time, it means that we will eventually be able to go out and find ourselves on the same path, looking forward towards something better than today, something where war is no longest a problem for the entire world, not just us.”
“We must look towards a time where war as a concept has been wiped away from any possible conversation. Because things like war are only making our lives more confusing, and not just that, but it is making our world scary, and no one would want to live in a world that scares them. It is why when I get reelected as president, I will make sure that our nation can be at peace, knowing that nothing like war can ever be any sort of threat towards our society, letting us roam free from any kind of possible downfall in the United States or in the world as a matter of fact.”
“When we look at the original flag we had, we must remember everything that has transpired so that we have arrived at this point in history. Whether it was because of an event that could have caused the universe to appear from out of nowhere or even from a being far beyond our own comprehension, we must all remember that it all leads down the same path in the very end of all things. We cannot let anything change that, and that is what I hope to maintain.”
“As long as our nation is able to see another day, it is not because of conflicts, but instead because we stay true to our name and stay united throughout anything that could have ever-” He tries to say before seeing two men fighting in the far back, in which security has to escort them out of the area, leaving everyone a bit dumbfounded at what had happened, but Valentine is able to see this as an opportunity to show how it would be better for the country to be united instead of fighting each other and be at one another’s throats.
“As you all just took witness of, those two men fought because they were unable to set aside differences and work towards a common goal. As long as a common goal is not found, then that only means that nothing can ever be achieved. Leaving us to be forced to stay in the same place, not allowing us to progress further into the future, if we are going to end up being divided, then that means we are only going to never be able to have a chance to even look towards the day after the day or even the day after that.”
“We must remember that no matter what the reason, we must always look towards something we all have in common, and in these states, that is to make our country the best that it can ever be. We all have at least a single common goal, and that is it, there is nothing more that one can wish for than for our nation to be able to be seen as a beacon that all other nations can look up to and aspire to be like in their own distance future to allow them to see what it is like to be like us.”
“And if they all aspire to be like us, then that means that not only has we all come to a common goal in our own nation, but a common goal across the entire planet. Making it where we have a chance at happyness. There can eventually come a time when there is no such thing as sorrow, where there is something like joy. Allowing us to finally be what we need to be, and that is Americans. We need to be able to look at what we came from and adapt towards a common goal to let us achieve something that can be considered almost equal to that of Heaven itself.”
“And like that, we need to make sure all of our differences are cast aside, letting us achieve a level of comradery that can only be dreamed of. Allowing a nation of where strength is not a deciding factor in what can be done, but instead the commitment that any one person can contribute towards anything the entire nation could require from them. It will let us see things that not any solo man could ever be able to do.”
“We will forever need to look back on wars, making ignoring them entirely impossible, but that is the thing. While we may try to ignore our past, we simply cannot forget it as if we were to forget about the past, that would only make it where it’d be an endless cycle of death among our people. Any sort of progress we could have ever had, it would only ever be our efforts being forced to return to zero despite anything we ever try. So, with that said, we must look past the past, but we cannot forget it.”
“Life in itself, is something that is already condemned to be forced into a cycle of life and death, but that is the thing, many fear the idea of death, but death is merely just the next stage of life, and that isn’t something someone should be afraid of, we have to look death straight in the eyes and remember that there were those who were ready for anything that was going to be thrown towards them, letting others look at them in amazement, letting them also believe that anything that is soon to happen be nothing but something you can always just be ready for.”
“And even then, nature is having many animals finally leave, never to be seen again. Now, let’s look at this, most animals that end up dying out are those that are alone, just lone animals out on their own, and while some of them you can see or maybe even have a chance make sure they are ok, it is likely that they could end up disappearing no matter what you attempt to do. A lone animal is more likely to die than an animal within a pack of some sort.”
“An animal that is in a pack is likely to be able to survive much longer than an animal that is alone could ever dream of being. So we must always thrive for our nation to be unified as one, not just united by name, but united by goals, ideals, and by heart for when the time comes for newer generations to take our place, we can always be ready to pass on the torch to them.” Valentine finishes as everyone there stands and gives an applause while he grabs the flag that was hanging up behind him as he walks back to the train he was on and folds the flag over his hand before sitting down and putting it in his lap while he looks out at the people all cheering for him.
It was because of this that all those people told others about Valentine’s speech, which caused more and more spread of his words, meaning a lot more were likely to try and vote for him in the end. But, for right now, it was time for the big debate between multiple candidates, and as all of them step up onto the stage, it is Armstrong and Valentine that stand out the most from their other opponents. But after some quick discussions, it was finally time for the actual battle to truly begin.
DEBATE!:[]
Throughout the entirety of this debate, all candidates were ready to speak out in what they believed, but despite most efforts done by others, it would somehow always end up going back to Valentine and Armstrong arguing over what they both believe in, even where some other runners trying to win this debate were never able to even speak during that time as the two continued to argue. A few of them even ended up leaving the room due to being unable to talk throughout any of it. But, there were some that still tried to argue over what they themselves believed in, but to no avail.
Eventually, after the debate, many people believed that there wasn’t even a chance for anyone else to win the race for presidency outside of Valentine and Armstrong. Even people who supported other candidates besides those two were reconsidering their own choices, wondering if their choice even had an oppertunity at winning in this. Despite it all, some candidates refused to give in in future debates, but it was as if each of them were getting picked off one by one as it went on. Eventually resulting in there only being a single other outside of the two main contenders, which this third one some people questioned how he even got that far.
“And, I am not going to lie to you all, this country is like that of an onion. I know many could believe what I am saying is like Communism from the Soviet Onion- I mean, Union, but you must understand that sometimes to make one economic society work, we must adapt other ones into our own system so that we adapt and change our own to make it better.” That final contender says as he stands between the two others, but then the two others end up bombarding him with questions.
“If that were to be the case, then how would we even be able to recognize our own nation by that point? Would our efforts at that point be for nothing as we have become a complete mess, not allowing a single one to take charge?” Valentine asks, which the third man tries to elaborate on, but Armstrong interrupts his chance.
“Really? Is that what you are thinking about Valentine? Just about letting a single one take charge? You know you are sounding more like a dictator than a president. ‘Oh, we will forever look towards a time of having a single person have the responsibility for everything.’” He says, which Valentine is able to quickly make his rebuttal.
“You know that is not what I meant, Mr. Armstrong. I was merely meaning that when it comes to trying to put other economic systems into our own would only force more harm than good to be done, nothing would ever be achieved as we are forced into trying to manually work with so many different factors that would only ruin a lot of things we are trying to get done. It simply would not work.”
Armstrong quickly counters, “Yeah, I get that much, but you are telling me that we have to follow a single thing at that same time. We need to have variety, we need to have people who are willing to do what they believe in, nothing wrong with that. Though, there is a problem with trying to add Communism to our own society, but that’s what we need in America. We need people out there who are willing to speak their minds, speak from their heart. I might not agree with what this guy has to say, but at least he proves that we need to give people a higher chance of success when it comes to what they are hoping to achieve.”
Valentine speaks up, “And any person can achieve what they require if we all work together. We can have everyone working on their own part in society, but we all must remember that we are united, we are going to end up working together one way or another, no matter what you try and believe, everything that we have will end up with us going to the same end as we go towards the same path while we finish everything that our founding fathers intended.”
Steven continues to make quick arguments against Valentine, “And you do remember what our founding fathers intended, right? They wanted freedom, not to be forced to follow everything they were told to do where they would all end up in that same path, they were all looking for a chance that we have the ability to choose what we want, no matter what the cost, that is why we wanted to get away from Britain, we wanted freedom to choose what we personally believed in, no more tea tax or any of that bullcrap. We needed to have the choice to pick our own destiny.”
Funny, not thinking this was, well, funny, continues to defend his own points. “That is right, we need to pick out our own destiny, but that does not mean we can’t all still work hand at hand, we are all people from the same great country, and we need to know that despite all else, we are forever going to fight as one nation, as one person, as if we were all a machine powered by the same motor. We are all one person, as said, where we all fight with our hearts, because that singular heart that I mentioned is the heart between all citizens of this nation.”
And finally, Armstrong almost yells out these words when he speaks them. “Alright, yeah, we are one nation under God, I know the pledge of allegiance by heart as well, but we can all be together by being on our own. We have to forge ahead on what each and every person believes because as we separate, only the best can be seen for us, only a chance that everything ends in us all doing our own thing, fighting our own battles, not being told to fight in a certain way, but instead fighting how we believe we need to fight. We are going to be turned to nothing but an empty husk if we all follow the same path as a lot of people wouldn’t even care about fighting for that same cause.”
And as the two continued to argue, it was like that, that third candidate knew he had lost. And so, it has come down to this, Valentine and Armstrong, just the two of them, man to man. This was the endgame now, and everyone was ready for this final debate before the voting period began. And so, it was the final debate, in an area where it was closed off from most outside the press, but it still had numerous military vehicles in the place due to a request Armstrong had that got accepted. And so, both candidates came out, seemingly confident in their ability for what was soon to occur with a giant flag of the states behind them. And so, after a bit of casual conversation between the people there holding the debate and the candidates, the questions were finally rolling out.
Question 1: “What is something you will try to do to strengthen our chances in case of (an attempted) terrorist attack?”
Valentine was the first one to speak up. “You see, those who attack just to strike fear into the hearts of many are not because they are angry, but because they want to prove themselves a chance at what is happening in the world. However, that does not excuse what they are doing or what they have done. The most logical course of action would be to imprison those who have committed those crimes if they are still alive, and even to be put on death’s row if they have caused many to die from what they have caused. But to all those who think they are going to do something drastic, they must remember that if they are in their own nation or in the states, their voice can be heard if they try to reason with others. If they are speaking out from a different country, then let them try and cry out to others from across the world.”
“As president, while it is my sole duty to make sure this country is the greatest among all others, I must remember that our country is not the only one that has its problems. So I will personally listen out to those who wish to be heard, and hopefully after some discussions, I will be able to reason with them before they do something drastic. If it were outside of the country, then that means I will go to that leader and have a talk with them about what we need to do. If it were here, then I will still have to imprison them for a small time so that they can regain any possible ill mentality they have towards others and let specalists take care of them so that nothing bad were to happen.”
After Valentine finishes that final sentence, Armstrong comments on Valentine’s own idea then his own. “Hmph, trying to talk to terrorists? Do you even hear yourself? The idea that they even try to terrorize inocent lives would mean that they are anything but human. They won’t rationalise, they will only do what they believe needs to be done, no matter what it is, they will constantly go out of their way to make sure they are able to get what they want, no matter the sacrifice of their own lives or of others.”
“What we need is strength, not just in the military, but in the people. We need everyone to be personally ready for anything that could happen, including an attack. We need to be a nation of action, we don’t need to use words for when someone tries to ruin our country. We need to take them out if they were to ever attempt that. Because if we were to only give them a slap on the wrist, that would only make them believe that they can get away with it again as long as they say they will listen to your words again, but it will only be a constant cycle at that point.”
“If we were to imprison them, how do we know they won’t use that isolation to plan out more while appearing to make it where others are ‘helping’ them? I’ve seen a lot of people being able to change how someone looks in life, and it can be from a conversation that anyone could have or it could be after witnessing something horrific. But terrorists, they aren’t people, they are savage animals, they only act on instinict, they will do whatever they want to try and get their voices to be heard, as you said, but that means that they will even take things to the utmost extreme in case they don’t get exactly what they are wanting. So they will constantly do whatever they can do and take advantage of whatever you would offer them, making it where they would just do it again instead of it being some kind of learning experience.”
“That is why when I become president, I will make sure we are all strong enough individuals to not only be ready to prevent a nation-wide tragedy, but to let us achieve a state of mind where the whole point of terrorism has no purpose. They will no longer drive fear into the hearts of the people, but instead be able to look at what has occurred, and instead of feeling fear, we will feel determination to make sure that whoever did it will not get away with how they have caused damage towards our country or our people.”
Valentine then asks Armstrong a question himself, “But, if there is no effect in their act, how do we know they won’t try and take things even more drastically to try and drive even more fear into everything we have?”
“Because if they even try once, we won’t give them a chance at doing it again. As long as they do it a singular time, we will make sure they get justice for even daring to try and mess with whatever we have. It could be something small or large, it does not matter, it all comes down to it being an act of terror, and they will get hit with swift action from every person in this country.”
“Even thinking about it, Valentine, you didn’t even answer the question that was asked of us. You only said that you would talk to the terrorists, and that was all, do you really think that all of that would even be good? Really? Talking to the ones who have caused harm to our people?”
Valentine responds, “Well, I was going to continue before you had rudely interrupted me. You see, I would talk as much as I could to try and reason, but I would also strengthen the military as like you would. However, while the military can be strong, we still need to think rationally and we cannot let actions be taken before trying to use words. So, to answer the question completely, I would strengthen our military in case of anything that could happen, but also try and talk to anyone about what has happened to try and make rational decisions on how to deal with them. Although, I will admit right now that most outcomes result in their own imprisonment or being on death’s row, but that is because they did all that.”
“You can say they are animals that act by instinct, but those are still human beings, most of which are fighting for some kind of politician gain most of the time, but that won’t stop justice from being dispensed towards those who have yet to receive the consequences of their actions. So we must always know that by this point, while we have gone out and tried reasoning with them, it will still end in them facing what would come to them due to what they did. I will make sure that they can feel the sins of what they have done against us as a country in full, and have our military at the ready for whatever is going to happen in case of anything else.”
Armstrong then chimes in for a quick moment, “Oh, stop it Valentine, I can tell, you are just trying to tell a lie, I can see you don’t believe that specifically, so go ahead, tell us what you actually believe in.”
Valentine replies with a blank face. “I was going off of this singular question, trying to make a reasonable statement to help calm the people of the entire world with what I had said.” And then suddenly, Armstrong lets out a laugh at that one. “Really now? Trying to calm the people by telling them you are going to try and feel bad for terrorists? Is that what you want to do? Humanize a bunch of monsters? Do you really think that is the best course of action for something like this?”
“You want us to be able to look at someone who has tried to ruin our country, a person or group who has decided to become the enemy of the states? Is that really the best course of action, Valentine? You want us, collectively, to all decide, ‘ya know, it was only because they were trying to prove themselves, let’s let them off with a slap on the wrist.’ Is that really what we need? No, it isn't that we don't need to make them appear human or anything like that, we need to make sure they pay for what they have done.”
“We need to go out there and find if there were anyone else out there working with them and obliterate any of their other options, destroy their chance at escaping, destroy their chances at a counterattack, and then we need to get rid of them, we cannot let them have a chance at surviving any longer. After what they do, they do not deserve anything like a second chance, they deserve nothing more than the death penalty, that way they won’t be able to do anything else but feel the consequences of their actions finally appear. Let them feel their sins crawling on their back as they are at death’s door finally.”
“We need to make sure that our country can stand strong above the rest, we must make sure that anyone who dares to try and ruin it be killed, they do not deserve anything like I said, and that includes life. After all of that, they deserve NOTHING but death! We cannot let them win, we must make sure that each person in the military and out there on the streets is individually prepared for whatever is soon to happen so that if anyone were to try, we would be there, ready for a war where we all fight our own battles.”
A sigh can then be heard from Funny, “But if it is the truth you want, then you will get the cold truth, I will answer what I really believe. In reality, I will tell you this, for during my time as president of the United States, I will make sure that no one could ever harm my country. I will make sure that anyone who wishes to harm my country from outside it never has a chance to step foot onto the soil of my home. I will make sure that if they ever attempt to do so, they will swiftly be locked away and sent to either the greatest prison that holds the worst of the scum that this world has to offer for them to wait until they are sent to their death. And if they are from this country, they will receive the same prosecution.” And so then, Valentine ends up saying something under his breath and away from the mic, “And yet you want to willingly cause terror in the streets.”
Even though he didn’t think Armstrong heard anything, Armstrong was able to hear those words he said, which causes him to look aggravated by it, but he still keeps himself composed about it. And after this question, it appeared that Armstrong was more content with how this was going, resulting in it seeming that he had a lead for the time being until the next question that would be asked.
Question 2: “How will you help fix the poverty issue that is in America?”
For this question, Armstrong is the one that answers first. “Poverty, hmph, we all know what it means. It means that you are poor, poorer than poor. You have barely anything, but you continue to fight. That is something that is what proves how powerful our nation is. Despite how hard life has pulled some people down, they press on, they continue to fight till the very end of it all. It proves that not only our country is filled with people who are strong, but those who have the willpower to continue despite reality itself trying to kill them. We need more people like that, those who are still willing to fight despite what life has done to push them down. That is what I wish for, for our nation has become filled with those who give up at the sight of hardship, no, we need those who look at the wall that blocks them and they find a way around it, or even push right through it!”
Valentine hears this and realizes a flaw in what Armstrong has just said, “So, are you saying we need more people in poverty? You are telling us that to be strong, you need to have the world against you making it where you will gain the ability to fight on despite what has since happened to you. And with how you have worded it, it makes it apparent that, according to you, we all need to be in poverty so that we can eventually rise up. But then that raises the question, what about those who aren’t willing to fight? What would happen to them?”
“Those who are not willing to fight, they don't have what it takes. That is simple. It would be their own fault that they can’t survive in their condition, they have the choice to fight, but they do not pick to do it, they have had their chance, and they blow it. They are what I would consider weak in a sense, because they have had the choice, they have an option to do what can change their world forever, but they don’t take it.”
“What if that is because they are physically unable to do so? I have heard you were in the military as like I was, but you never saw any kind of combat, but I have. I have seen battles first hand, I have seen what it is truly like to fight in wars. In a battle that can determine who can live, and who can perish. I have participated in death battles in a sense you could call it, battles where despite what either side would come down to, we would reach that same conclusion that one is going to die.”
“So, yes, I have seen what a real battle is like, I have seen men lose their limbs trying to fight, they fought until they physically couldn’t. Tell me, when was the last time you saw a man who has lost both of his legs fight in a war? He could fight in the background, but would you ever see him in the frontlines? No, you wouldn’t see that, that man has done all he could, everything he has done is what he could do. He did it until he could not, so what is meant to happen to those who have tried to fight but were unable to continue on?”
Steven chuckles as he loses his collar from his shirt, “Ok, you got me there, I wasn’t thinking about that at the time.”
And before he could start speaking his mind about a rebuttal, Valentine automatically, as if like a machine, replied to that. “Then what makes you believe that the people would pick you as their president if you don’t account for any and all possibilities? The idea that you didn’t even think of that means you only have a single idea and that it is something that a president shouldn’t have. A president should have numerous ideas and knowledge across all things so that if any one of his people were to ask about any topic, they would be able to answer it, just to make sure that anything would be at the ready. You can try to give your reasons for what you were meaning to say, but that won’t be able to change what you have already done, making anything you now say for this question mean nothing as what you have done proves to not just me, but to everyone in this nation that you are not fit.”
After that, Armstrong can be seen gripping a bit hard onto the podium in front of him where, if you were to look, you could see a visible strain on the wood of the podium as he straightens his tie before speaking, “Alright, fine, I admit, it isn’t good that I wasn’t considering every possible option. But, you need to remember we are not machines, we aren’t like a cyborg or anything, but instead human. We are all human and we all make mistakes from time to time, so it can be excused, at least to some extent.”
Funny quickly talks over Armstrong. “But the role of a leader is meant to be that of a person who others can see as close to being perfect if not outright, it is something that anyone can look up at and try to imagine themselves as that instead of being in their current position. To be president of the United States means that you are able to look upon the entirety of it all and be seen as a higher power of sorts where you are above most others except for that of the law.”
Armstrong was going to speak, even raising his hand to seemingly get ready to directly point at Valentine, but he didn't as all that Valentine could faintly hear was Armstrong say “Slippery little bastard” under his breath. And like this, it appeared that the people were swaying back onto Valentine’s side of this debate.
Question 3: “What would you do to take on the high crime rate?”
Valentine once again answers it first between the two. “Why, that is simple, simply fund the police more so that they can be ready in case of anyone trying to do anything that is illegal. As long as the police have enough power, they can help combat anything that anyone were to try and do, allowing the people to be free from anything else that could happen. It makes it where anyone can roam the streets not having to worry about their money being stolen or even possibly being thrown into a nearby river dead, no, as long as the police were to be around, they would be able to help in anything we need from them, allowing the people to all finally be at ease and look forward to the next day of theirs.”
This statement is something that Armstrong was definitely going to question, “Oh yeah? Then how do we know the police won’t take advantage of their power? Everyone knows that enough power would corrupt a simple man, and that’d include an officer, so what is to say someone wouldn’t go out and simply arrest someone since they can with no argument held against them? What’s to say that the officer wouldn’t go and commit crimes themselves becase they could end up seeing themselves above the law? What’s to say they don’t do any of the things that I just said?”
The once already president gladly responds to this question by his opponent, stating the following: “That is true, however, there is not just a singular officer, there is multiple of them, and they could most likely see that their fellow officer would try and take advantage of it, so they would stop them from progressing or even throw that officer in jail as it is their sole duty to make sure the area is safe, even if that were to include throwing a comrade of theirs behind bars. They will know what to do if anything like that happens.”
Steven is able to make a very quick response to this as he yells out. “But how do we know all of them aren’t corrupt? You say it like there is only one, but as I had said, enough power can change a man, and that doesn’t mean something like 1 man out of 100, but it would mean that any and all men could. That would include an entire police force if anything. We can try and change what the public thinks and make them think that the police are out there protecting the streets that they walk on.”
“But with how people are, they would snoop around and find out the truth, and that truth could mean that just a single officer is corrupted by power or maybe it was all of them, who is there to tell? The police. ‘Oh, officer, the police are corrupt, you gotta help us!’ It’s all useless. If the word got out, they would be ruined, so they would end up using that power to throw an innocent man into jail, and they could likely come up with some sort of excuse for what they have just done to make sure they are safe.”
“What is there to say that they wouldn’t even kill a man to stop the truth from being said? That is the problem, they would then stop people from allowing truth to be spread, stopping a man from saying what he believes in, completely destroying what the first amendment was all about. Freedom. They would take that away and use it to try and say that they are making everyone free by taking away supposed criminals so that they could continue that cycle over and over. There is no good in that, only abusing the power that they didn’t need.”
Funny then went ahead and asked, “Then if that were the case, how do you propose to solve this problem in our country?” And so, Armstrong ends up pushing up his glasses as he speaks out. “That is easy to answer. Tell me, what is the number one cause of crimes? Is it drugs, guns, or anything of that sort? No. It’s people. People are the ones behind all crimes, no matter how large or small, people are the ones behind it all no matter what you do, no matter the mask they put on, it is still because of people in the end.”
“However, tell me, what is a crime? It is something illegal, which would include the selling of drugs off the street, robbery, murder, prostitution, all of those things, they are because of people. Now, what’s to say the reason for the crime was for a just cause. What if a homeless man robbed a rich man because he had no money and that rich guy had so much money on him you could say that he was the 6 million dollar man, literally covered head to toe in golden accessories, would it really be bad?”
“Well, here’s the real question, what is the actual source behind most crimes? I’ll tell you what it is, and it is something most other politicians would never want to admit, and that is social inequality, there are those who are practically hiding behind their money, making them practically untouchable as there are others just trying to even pick up a bread crumb so that they have a chance at surviving the next day. It’s utter bullsh- Look, that is what it all comes down to, social inequality is the root of it all. So, how do we fix it?”
“The way I see it, we need to take down any sort of monopoly that has plagued the country. Because of those people, we have to deal with some being unable to fight for themselves and forced to believe and fight for things they do not even understand. It’s because of those people that we have so many hiding behind their own wealth. It is them who are the problem with society, them and all those celebrities across the country as well as all those people on the internet. They are the reason the masses continue to fall towards the wrong.”
“They will believe anything they say. Instead of listening to a source that actually knows what they are talking about, some will find some random article on the internet that was made by some random mom who doesn’t even know what she is talking about. And yet people will still believe her because they don’t try to figure things out themselves. Instead of finding what is wrong themselves, they choose to believe whatever someone else believes just so they do not feel alone in this world, allowing them to have some kind of comfort in this giant mess.”
“But I think they got it all wrong. Just because you are part of something big, does not mean that you are going to end up being right, look back at Germany from the 40s, you think they were in the right? NO! They were just following what they were told despite possibly not believing it themselves, that is the biggest problem we have, people don’t ever try and fight for what THEY believe in anymore, they just listen to something and they suddenly change sides like there was never an original opinion before that new one they now have.”
“We need people to be able to fight for what they believe. It doesn’t matter if they are alone, they must be willing to do what it takes to believe what they want. And if they can get others to fight for that same cause, then that is great for them, but here is the thing, it doesn’t matter if others still don’t like your cause and will still continue to fight against it, don’t just give up, continue to fight! Continue to fight as long as you draw your last breath so that you will stand strong above all others that aren’t willing to fight!”
And so, a sigh can be heard from Valentine who unenthusiastically looks at Armstrong, “And what does any of this do with social inequality?” To which Armstrong replies with a smile on his face. “Because it all comes down to all of that, people aren’t willing to fight for what they believe in, and so they do what it takes to force themselves into believing others things that result in crimes such as what happened in the 40s. But those who are robbing others that take advantage of what they got, they aren’t criminals, they are heroes.”
“I know there are a lot of people around who are shocked at what they just heard me say, but here is the thing, think of that old fairy tale about the guy who took from the rich and gave to the poor. Was he seen to most as a hero or a criminal? He was seen as both, but to us, he was seen as a hero, going against those who have ursupped so much power using their wealth that they could do practically anything they had and get away with it like it was nothing to them.”
“So, this guy goes around and takes from them to make others' lives better. He is willing to break the law so that others can get justice since they aren’t willing to fight. They all have a reason why they don’t fight, which I still think everyone needs to fight, but as long as there is someone out there fighting for you, then you will be alright. And that is what I will do for America. I will fight for every single one of you to allow there to be no more of those monopolies that tower over us.”
“I will make sure that none of them can stand above the people and take advantage of what they got, no, I will bring them down, allowing everyone a chance to fight for what they need, allow everyone to fight for anything they can, we need a nation of where money isn’t determining things that will change the future, but instead willpower. We need willpower to change the world and without it, the world is that of a collective consciousness that continues to go as if there is nothing wrong with how our own world is like that of a garbage can.”
“I will take that very same garbage can and melt it down, change how it looks, and look at all the other trash cans that are there that are the other countries of the world and I will melt them all down as well. And after that, I will reform them into something much greater, I will reform them into an eagle. So that not only does our own country rise above the rest, but that we are all on the same page and we no longer have to worry about anything such as a war or the like.”
“There would be no more crime, and, as said, no more war, we would all finally be free to live as we see fit, we will be able to choose who goes where, and what happens when. No longer would we be controlled by some kind of overarching power, no, we will break those chains and fight through it all so that we can live, fight, breathe another day! We will all be able to know that after everything, despite all that had happened, there would be no more crimes, no more anything, we would all be free to choose our own destiny!”
A number of claps can be heard from the people as Valentine was seemingly going to try and argue against it, but was also apparently frustrated at what has just transpired, so he took a deep breath and just didn’t say anything letting Armstrong take this question before the next one was posed before the two of them.
Question 4: “What will you do to make sure the U.S is able to stay competitive in the world wide market?"
Valentine is first to speak up yet again as he takes a look around the crowd for a moment, “You see, to make sure our nation is able to thrive against all others, we need to make sure we are able to keep moving forward, we cannot all look towards a different direction as many would assume, we must all face that same direction and work together to form a country where we are able to readily have everything we need to stay on top of everything, and when I am meaning everything, I do mean everything. I am seeing us as being able to stand above all other nations so that we can be seen as a beacon for all others to look at in awe.”
“And when they see that beacon, they would all try and achieve the same success that we have, but sadly they would find out that there is no chance of doing that for we have already achieved such a state of prosperity that none else could ever compete. That is what I think we need, and I will continue to nail down my idea for you all to know, and that is that we must all continue to work as a unit so that after it is done, we will thrive.”
“We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. We must all realize that despite our differences, we are all still one in the same as we must then use that knowledge to work as one. There is nothing else for anyone who tries to go against this idea as they would likely fall off and end up dying from being unable to cooperate with what they were truly needed for. And that is the other thing I would like to mention, that there would be so many trying to go against this idea.”
“But, despite so many of them falling, most of them continue to try and defy what is needed. They do not seem to understand that our differences must be looked past as we finally work together to allow a chance at us surviving for longer, letting us take over any of those who would ever dare and defy us. Let’s look back at some of the things that have made our nation into what it is today, shall we? Because we must look at the future to then reach the future that we desperately need.”
“Firstly, let’s take a step back and go back to when America had declared its independence from Britain. When it first happened, we had been getting taxed horribly by our supposed ‘king’ at that current time, including one of the most infamous of those taxes being the tea tax. That singular tax was able to rile up the people of the former 13 colonies enough to where they would then form plans on what they were going to do. And I believe you all remember what that plan was, and that was to dump the tea into the waters below.”
“But, I am not going to specifically focus on that, but instead, I would like to focus on who was there that helped in the execution of this plan, because outside of those who had come from Britain to find a new life here for different reasons, there were the American Indians. Those who had been there for so much longer prior, they had merely been living their own lives and then ended up witnessing when the British came in and started doing whatever they could alongside the other countries that were trying to colonize the new world that had been discovered.
“Those Indians at first were questing the liability those new explorers had when they came, but eventually they warmed up to us, however, not completely as the Indians were all forced out of their own land, which would have made them all justifiably angry, so eventually when the revolution was at its point of happening, they also helped in what the others were doing to overthrow the monarchy that had plagued them for that time. You could personally find an article in the paper from years ago discussing how it was not only the new Americans, but the American Indians.”
“Despite having been on different sides to some degree, they were able to find a common goal, and they all worked towards it, allowing them a chance at understanding what it is to be united. This was one of the first instances of the United States truly coming together as we have these vastly different people working alongside each other to try and achieve a common goal. This would show that we were able to achieve so much more as we worked together despite our own differences. But, let’s look at what happenes when we continue to be at the throats of one another.”
“Let’s look back at the Civil War, shall we? We all know what that war was about, it was a battle between the south and the north’s arguing over what they believed in when it came to the topic of slavery. And let’s see how it all panned out. When we have all of these people from the same country, you would expect there to be some kind of cooperation, but no, there was no cooperation which would end up leading up to this war happening. The war that would eventually be the one that’d abolish slavery from the states.”
“That was a time when our country was completely divided, a time where people were arguing over something that should not ever be argued about. Because it was already something that was very wrong. Our nation was founded on the idea that everyone was created equal, and yet there were those that decided to go against their leaders and choose to force others to work for them just because of their skin color. It was despicable to ever think that there are people out there who believed it was something that was actually good.”
“But, while it is a tragedy in our history, that isn’t what I am trying to speak about currently, what I am wanting to talk about is the fact that our country was divided. There were those looking towards the right way to follow what was truly intended, and then there were those who thought that they could go against everything that the Founding Fathers intended. They all thought they could change what was right, and what was wrong. They believed that they could manually change what those original men had established all that time by believing they could force others under their own two feet.”
“They believed they could go out and do whatever they wanted, but you must remember what reality is like. Reality is like something where if you see one person do it, you are more likely to do it as well. If you and a group of people were all doing a math question, and you finish last, as well as have a different answer than everyone else, would that not make you doubt your own intentions? Would that not make you believe you are more likely to be the one in the wrong? Making it where you will then change your answer just to fit with the others?”
“That is how our world works, and as a leader, you must take initiative to achieve what you are wanting in this world, you have to make it where everyone follows behind you, because, as already said, you are the leader, you are the one calling all of the shots now, and that means you must let all others follow behind you. And to those who don’t follow behind you, they will all end up falling. They do not seem to understand what is needed from this world.”
“They have this idea that changing the status quo will help it, and while there are instances of that being true, such as the north and Lincoln being able to abolish slavery, it does not mean that everything needs to be that way. And if you think about it, it was Lincoln who was able to truly get them to change that status quo. It was because of the leader that the people would follow behind him and change what was the norm of the time, it was because of that singular man that everything would therefore change.”
“And that is what all Americans must remember, we must follow behind our president such as I have been, for it would be I who would be the first to take the first step towards something, and as I do, everyone will do that singular step as well, and as I start walking, they start walking, I run, they run, as long there is a leader out there willing to change everything for the better of mankind, the status quo can change, but if it is a mere few people instead of the leader trying to change it, then there is no doubt that they will end up failing at any chance they try.”
The crowd of interviews and more were all discussing everything that Valentine has just said, with them all continuing to discuss things as Armstrong himself could be seen grabbing at his collar as if he was getting overwhelmed, but there wasn’t any sweat or of the like, he would then pull up his jacket a bit before coughing for a split moment as all the people there, including Valentine, looked at him, awaiting to see how he would come up with as a response to what his opponent just said.
“Gotta admit, Valentine, you got me there. We have dealt with those who tried changing the status quo and failing horrendously at it, but you need to remember that there have been instances of how do you think we gained independence in the first place, Valentine? Sure, we had Washington and all them fighting for us, but wouldn’t they have been that ragtag group that tried to defy their leader? Wouldn’t that mean they would have fallen as you believed? Are you telling me you think the Founding Fathers of America should’ve all failed and stayed with Britain?”
“I don’t think so, Valentine. Our country was originally founded out of actions, dumping the tea in the harbor, fighting against those who opressed us, words only appeared after what we had started physically doing. It was because of what a single person can do to change the world that can make others follow him. But, here’s the thing, Valentine, you can’t just expect people to follow you all blindly, you have to MAKE them follow behind you, you need to make them BELIEVE you. That’s how you became president in the first place, you convinced them towards a cause they could believe in.”
“Then you have other instances of the American Revolution, we didn’t fight alone. We had others help us such as France, but that was only because our actions spoke out to them, they believed our cause, and they went out of their way to help us. That is what it is all about, Valentine. We need to remember that while words are decently strong in themselves, actions will always speak out lounder than words, no matter what you think. It could because of something big in a war or a small dispute, actions will always triump over words.”
“Now, to answer how I would make sure our nation stays alongside in the competitive thing that is the society of the world we live in. Firstly, what is it that everything comes down to? Despite me not agreeing with this, it’s money, the economy, so, what do we do with the economy? Or to be more specific, what would I do to make sure the economy is great? Well, I’d hope that America would be able to do what it takes to keep it humming along. No matter what it is, if it’s people in the oil fields or a person at a grocery store.”
“We will always be able to continuously work seperate yet, as the country’s name implies, united in a sense to keep us all going. Now, here’s the big problem that comes with this question you asked. Not only is our own country fighting against other nations to stay up there, but the companies and more down within our nation are fighting to try and gain control over one another. One oil rig company over the other, the clown fast food over the king one, it doesn’t matter, they all continue to fight despite all being one.”
“That is a problem. How are we meant to be able to stay as one if we all continue to fight as one and be at one another’s throats at the same time? Here’s the answer: We don’t. Despite what others such as Valentine may think, each of these battles will benefit the country more than everyone trying to fight alongside each other hand to hand as if it were a film. No, we need to let the battles between our own selves commence, allowing business to boom faster and stronger than ever seen before.”
“If our country is continuously fighting, that would mean they would continue to try and one up the other, promote themselves better, make better products, they will be doing whatever it takes to try and win in the end, and that is what we need. We need more battles to allow everyone to have a chance at doing what they believe is the right choice. And as long as they keep fighting, the more money that would come in for not only their own businesses, but for the government, the entire United States, all the fighting would result in our country having more to prosper off of.”
And so, with those words having been just said, Valentine proposes a question to Armstrong. “But then, what if one company were to end up going broke? Making multiple men and women lose their jobs? How would we make sure that they are able to continue ‘fighting’ to help ‘prosper’ the country that we all hold so dearly? How is it that all the fighting will make it better?” And with him saying that, Armstrong takes a moment to think before he is ready to speak his facts and explain what he needs to.
“That would be a problem, yeah, but that only means that the one company was better, and with it having less competition, it would allow itself to continue biggering and biggering until it has all others grabbed by a chain, where it can manipulate them all into doing what it thinks is right, making all the other ones try and compete by doing a similar thing, but due to them being so much weaker, they are unable to do anything but helplessly wait for their own companies to finally fall down like the other due to the one becoming a monopoly.”
“And that right there is another huge issue, monopolies, they all think they have the power, they believe they have just as much power as the actual leaders of this country, which is wrong! You can try all you might, but if one is to stay in power, there will be others to come up and challenge you. You might think this new guy is weak, pathetic, but they believe what they think is right, and they will spread everything out on a table to explain and fight for themselves. It’s like a movie company having everything in its hand before other ones appear.”
“The original thinks it can keep doing what it is doing, pumping out the same stale content that it has had for some time but never found a reason to change because of it having no competition. And then you have the newer guy, producing so many more unique, intriguing, fascinating movies, allowing it to eventually be able to compete against the other, and as those two continue to fight against one another, we have another new one joining the fray with its own unique ideas and concepts, allowing more and more to come up and be ready to fight.”
“It’s almost like an infinite rotation, because eventually there will be so many of them they all lower in their stocks having the competition take some of their money, making them all chill down and try to fight to get back to the top of what was originally something that had its power that could control everything that ever dare try to take it on. They would all continue to fight, which would result in it all ending up in the same way, with it helping the economy as well as the nation.”
“For as long as there are those out there who believe what they have is the right and/or better option, we have those who believe something else, and as they continue to fight and prove themselves, others will try to either bring up their own arguments, allowing them a chance at victory, or for them to believe that same cause, letting them join one side, letting that side end up winning in the end. That is what we need, the more fighting there is between those who believe what is right and what is wrong, the more likely our country will gain more and stay up there alongside or even surpass that of any other country.”
“With that said, for those who want a simple answer to what I believe the answer to that question is: I will allow the many people of the nation to fight for what they believe in, whatever it may be in the economic way, and as they fight, let them promote all they can, and let the money come back to them as well as the economy of America as a whole as a result of all that. It will give us what we need.”
“We will have all these going on, and eventually one will likely win, making it become a monopoly, but as they try to take control, there will be others out there, those who are ready for whatever is to come their way, they will not stop for any reason until they can compete with the monopoly, but as they do, more and more come out, and as they do, everything ends up back where it started with them all being equal in some sense as they then try and go back to trying to one up the other to try and achieve what they need.”
“It would not only allow competition to keep our own economy booming, but for it to keep booming outside the nation. And with that, it would likely allow everything to be able to work out just fine for us, no matter what. Even if it does cost a bit to see so many businesses fall so others can rise, that is just the way the world is, son. The world is full of moments like that, and that is just how it all will end up in the end of everything, so there’d be no reason to stop it.”
However, before he continues, Valentine tries bringing up a point that no one had originally considered while Armstrong was talking, “But, what if all of them were to lose everything? Because we know there is a chance something like that can also happen, so what do you propose would happen if instead of one rising above the rest, all of them force themselves to overrwork themselves to a point of exhaustion where they end up dying and falling alongside the other comapanies, wouldn’t that mean your entire idea that you have just said would be utterly pointless?” Armstrong tries to bring up his argument against this, but Valentine ends up continuing to talk.
“You see, everyone, this is why you should not vote for Armstrong. For he has only his own ideas set in stone as if they cannot change, he does not consider any other possible outcomes, he only ever thinks of his own, meaning any other possible ideas that could prevent his own from ever actually coming to fruition would most likely fail. And that is why you should never consider voting for him as he is more like that of a caveman than that of a businessman.”
Armstrong could be seen somewhat straining from trying to keep his hands on his podium, but he ends up crushing the sides of it slightly before pushing his glasses up yet again as he ignores the insult and focuses on the question Valentine had ended up asking him. “You see, even if all of those were to fall, that would not be a problem for when they fall, others will rise again, and they will continue to fight for what they believe in. So even if the current generation dies, the newest one will be there to take over for them.”
“Our world is in a state where anyone and/or anything can disappear into the night, leaving large shadows behind from where it once stood, but that should show us how we need to make due with what we can. Why should we fight for something that isn’t a thing we believe in? Why should we fight for a cause we don’t think is just? That is the thing, we don’t, we need to make sure that we are able to individually do what we believe is right, that way everything can work out.”
Funny once again starts asking his opponent questions once more. “But, if we continue to fight, how would we ever get anything done? Think of it as this, we have a very delicate and delicious American pie, hand crafted by the hands of hard working American bakers, would it be alright if everyone were to continuesly fight for even just a single slice? No, it wouldn’t they need to be shown an example of it so that they can have it be spread towards all so that they can all have a chance at tasting the esquisite pie that had been made.”
But then Armstrong brings up his own points against Valentine’s own argument, “Yeah, and what if everyone isn’t happy with their slice? They would only get a slimar of it, which I know a lot of people would certainly not be pleased with. We need to allow everyone a fighting chance to take what they can, they need to see their goal, and fight for it. It doesn’t matter whether it is for their own goal or a slice of an American pie, everyone should be allowed to fight for whatever they believe they need to fight for.”
“We need to remember that despite all men being created equal, it doesn’t mean we aren’t needing to always stay the same. Does a scientists searching for a cure towards a terminal disease get paid the same amount as a fast food guy working as a cashier? No, because we are in a Capitalist society, and that would be more like a Communist society, which shouldn’t even be in the realm of possibility. We need everyone to fight for their chance at a higher cause, a higher reason to fight, we need everyone to fight for that damned slice of American pie!”
And so, Valentine sighs as he looks towards his opponent and asks a question that makes the entire place dead silent. “And is that why you were so desperate to try and assassinate me? Just so you could take the pie all for yourself? Is that the case, Mr. Armstrong? Is that what you were hoping to do? Let an innocent man die just so you could be greedy and take whatever you pleased? Because if so, I would love to hear why you did what you did just to try and overtake the chance at getting the sweet pie.”
Armstrong stands there, in disbelief, which was reasonable but he continues to keep his calm as he looks at Valentine and actually laughs at this, “Really? Trying to throw shade at me from out of nowhere? Is that what you are doing? I start winning in the debate and you decide to try and get everyone to believe I am a bad guy? You really are just like any other politician, you lie to try and get your way, you lie just to make others fall beneath you. You don’t care about your country, you only care about yourself.”
Funny runs his hands through his hair as he then starts talking once more. “If that were the case, Steven, then you are only making yourself appear worse. You say I am like any other politician, but wouldn’t that include you? You can try and argue against this all you want, but you have already gotten your own grave dug by what you have said, so I may as well announce to the people about what you have done, letting them realize how to process the information and allow them to do what they believe is right, which is definitely going to make you taken out of this here race.”
Armstrong looks at Valentine with a face that almost seems unimpressed, he readies himself as he has before before going in depth on how Valentine is only making things up. “And you haven’t tried to defend yourself with what I told you. It’s all so sudden that you come up with this story that you just said, it’s almost comedic with how out of the ball park you made it. If it were me, and if you thought it was me, why didn’t you say anything until now? You’d probably want me out of the race sooner, rather than later. And so, why would you even let it wait in that dark idea before jumping that railguard off a cliff from out of nowhere.”
“You are making no logical sense here, Valentine. You had your chance to tell people while you were found on that train, but you didn’t. You could chalk that up as being afraid after witnessing so many other Americans being slaughtered, but so many days after? Really? Now? Hell, you don’t even appear that scared at all, you look like you are uncaring that that event happened.”
“That kind of event would leave a man terrified for his life. And he would likely want there to be justice against those who did that, but yet you offer no justice. You act as if it were another day. If anything, how do we know that it wasn’t you who tried to make it appear like an assassination attempt onto yourself, just so that you could eventually try and turn it against me? If that is your gameplan, then you should be the one kicked out of this race. You should be the one taken out of the race for trying to blame me for something you could have done yourself.”
“And to defend myself, how would I even get there without drawing attention towards myself? I’m pretty sure you can all tell how I am a bit, well, physically different compared to all of you, and you are saying no one noticed me going through the streets or whatever? Where is your logic, Funny? You are just trying to get everone to despise me so that they see me as a villain, see me as a snake, all the while seeing you as something good, something that would not hurt a fly.”
“And yet here we both are, I am not guilty for any kind of assassination attempt, and so, you are only trying to take me out right before the final votes, so that they are forced to find some kind of replacement that would likely stand no chance against you due to how all other approval ratings were a lot lower than yours or mine. It is only showing that you are trying to take advantage of something that had already been concluded just so that you could take the easy way out in this. It’s almost entirely pathetic.”
“You really are at that point, Valentine? The point where you care about nothing more than winning? To a point where you will make your lies directly in front of others despite how contraditcing they sound, you are really willing to do that? You are showing that you are only doing this out of spite, you don’t care about America, you only care about looking somewhat decent in a mirror or something just so that you could eventually take advantage of what everyone has heard of, and try to flip it onto it’s heads to ty and make them flabbergasted.”
“But, I already found the flaw in what you are doing, and you cannot deny the truth anymore, Valentine. Any sort of argument you have, any possible chance you have at ‘proving’ yourself will only result in your own arguments and everything you have said up to this point. Really, if I were to ask you where you got your source? Where would it be? Did it come and reveal itself in a dream, did you make it up, what exactly is that source, Valentine? And how do you believe it links back to me?”
Armstrong was apparently pretty smug about this as he had a slight grin on his face before Valentine reached into his pocket and pulled out a bloodied handkerchief. “This is my handkerchief, well, not mine, but my father, the one I will forever carry, as you can see, it is covered in blood. It was because of you having one of your men going out and trying to slice my throat that would cause it to then be covered in my own blood. You are the reason behind this event, Armstrong. You tried to kill me, but I was able to survive.”
Armstrong scofts at this accusation as he speaks, “And how does this exactly prove your point? Ok, it’s bloodied, everyone here can see it, but how do we know it’s your blood? How do we know you didn’t go out of the way and kill a man or an animal just to use their blood to cover that handkerchief in so you can try and get everyone to believe in you? You can keep trying to do this all you want, Valentine, but it ain’t gonna work, son. So, let’s just try and ignore any sort of accusations towards one another since I could definitely do something along the same lines as you right now.”
Valentine appeared intrugined by this, but he waits for that second part and answers the first part as well as pulling out a photograph. “Within this here photo, you can see inside of the World Marshal building, and in it, there is meant to be two flags in the front, but if you look at the photo, there is only one.” Valentine then pulls out a flag from within some kind of case. “And as you can see, here is the one that is missing from the photo. It had been removd due to different reasons. Likely the biggest reason is because of this.”
He unfolds it, letting it roll out as the white in the flag were seemingly covered in blood, dried blood to be a bit more specific. This, however, still does not stop Armstrong from trying to deny any of Valentine’s claims, “Yeah, and how do we know this is the same flag? How are we so sure that that flag right there is the same one at that building? Tell me how you are so sure about that one.”
And Valentine is able to reply, “Well, it is likely that this is not enough evidence, but maybe this letter is enough.” Funny pulls out a letter that he shows out to others that is the same letter that he recieved that told him to go to World Marshal. “This very same letter was sent to me to go to that place. And now, let me ask you all something, do any of you know who exactly attacked the train I was on when it occurred? Many think it was a group of common thugs in those areas, but that is wrong.”
“It was not thugs, but men paid to kill, and they had a red skull painted onto them, they were all part of the same group, a terrorist group, if you will. That terrorist group is also believed to have ties with World Marshal. It is because of this, and the fact Armstrong’s ideals and things he has done, it is likely that he ordered many of them to go out there and kill me. That would be the second time he has attempted assasination towards me, but the third time in total that I know of due to what happened to a reporter.”
“To those who do not know, there was a reporter who kept asking Mr. Armstrong many questions, to which you could tell he was struggling to answer, but then after said interview, suddenly that women he had been interviewed by alongside someone else, sadly died. The coincidence is something that simply cannot be overlooked. There cannot be any more compromise, Armstrong has proven that he should not even be abe to run to try and be president, or have any sort of authority over anything, little or small, he must be stripped from that power.”
This, seemingly upsets Armstrong as he brings up the guy who interviewed Valentne, “She died in a car crash after two semi trucks ended up having a head on collision, which she ended up being in the center of, that is something I am unable to control. And thinking about what happened to interviewers, what ever happend to the one that intervewed you, Valentine? He seemed like a decent guy, but after he mentioned Jesus, you tensed up and it made you uncomfortable.”
It was at this point that the cameras recording the event were all cut off, unknowingly to the people that was running the debate, but it wasn’t noticed by anyone else besides the crew as Armstrong continues to talk.
“What was that all about? Whatever it was, I’m going to guess it was enough to make you kill that guy, or at least do something because his body has still yet to finally surface again. It isn’t like he had anyone go crash his own party, but instead, he just disappeared. From what had been told by his family in interviews, he was a guy who wanted to only live a quiet life. And the fact he has been taken from this world way earlier, you disgust me, Valentine.”
Hearing Armstrong say he disgusts him, Valentine appears to look at Armstrong and have his own face of disgust on it before speaking, “But at least I am willing to make sure that anyone who is willing to betray their own nation is sent behind bars, which is what should happen to you. During our private conversation, I see that you are willing to do whatever it takes, you told me how you are planning to practically purge the country into some kind of hellscape, and what for? It would make no sense to love something but yet manipulate it that much. You simply do not know what it takes to be the leader of a country, and that is very obvious with how poorly you already run your state.”
Valentine finishes what he was saying as Armstrong was apparently going to speak up, but before he could, multiple cyborgs end up storming the building. They all have guns on hand, which causes most of the people in the building to run out, with the two canidates both ducking down as there were stragglers within the area who tried running, but were too slow and ended up getting shot by those cyborgs. In the end, Valentine finally looks up and sees that there are some dead people lying around the area alongside a few more soldiers pointing their guns at him alongside some of the props of the set and the building having some pieces of it falling as well.
He looks at them and holds onto the flag he had earlier, ready for what might soon happen. But as he sits there, the cyborgs all put their guns up and start walking away, which makes Valentine have a surprised expression before he hears a chuckle as he turns around to see Armstrong smoking a cigar while leaning onto his podium. He lets out a puff of smoke before dumping looking at Valentine, who is now slowly getting up, but is still a bit held back as he doesn’t necessarily know what he should be doing right now.
Armstrong flicks his cigar towards Valentine, where it ends up being right in front of the latter who looks disgustingly at it before stepping on it, leaving only a crunching sound to come from it. Armstrong turns to face a cyborg, where Valentine couldn’t hear exactly what was said, but he knew something was being said. But after Armstrong is done talking to the cyborg, the cyborg nods and starts walking away, and by the end, the only ones left in the room are Armstrong, Valentine, and the corpses of those who had been shot.
“Was it you who did this, Armtrong? Did you just allow a group of men to commit an act of terror on American soil? If you truly believed in this nation, then why would you make this happen? How could you allow people from your own country to be killed in such a manner? You are no patriot, you are only a terrorist.”
Armstrong laughs at this accusation from Valentine, who seems somewhat concerned that Steven is laughing at this. “Really? A terrorist? As I told you in our own private interview, I am doing what it takes to help the country. And you yourself aren’t innocent either. What about that little race of yours? That race across the entirety of America, or what did you call it? The Steelball Run? Whatever the hell it was, you aren’t that innocent either. I’ve heard that there were some Americans that ended up dying during that race, and not in any sort of normal way.”
“If they were to die from falling off a horse with said horse then kicking them, then dying from the lack of food or water, then yeah, I can see that, but no, a lot of people in your little race were murdered. You can try denying it all you damn want, Valentine, but you think I can’t reach the truth, but why should I try and reach for it when I was already at it?”
“You can keep thinking of so many more excuses, but the excuses end here, Valentine. We both know you aren’t that clean, we both know how dirty you can get to do what you want, go ahead, Valentine, admit it. You want to be a terrorist, but you, you are either just as bad, or you are just even worse than I am. Go on, say it Valentine, you know what you are, you know damn well that what you have done is illegal, so go ahead and tell me exactly what you are.”
After all of that, Valentine looks at Armstrong, seemingly frustrated and almost enraged by this, but he is able to keep calm as he then speaks out to Armstrong in a calm manner. “The difference between my race and the things you have done is that those who died went off course. They went searching for things instead of focusing on what was meant to be the prize. I had the route planned out, it was all perfect, I had a train to sit in so I could make sure they are all alright, however those few decided to not listen.”
“It is not my fault that they ended up being killed, but at the same time, I would not declare it as their own fault, for it is only in human nature that they would want to try and do other things that are their main goal. We have all done that, we have all had times when we were in need of doing one thing, however, our brains decide to think about what would happen if you were to do something else instead. So, as I have just said, I am not at fault, nor are they, but instead, it would have to be human nature to blame for this instance.”
“It is why I wish to lead my country the way I do, so that they can all follow behind me and not wander away into areas of danger. That is the main problem that I see in the States. There are those who try to explore boundaries that they were never meant to, leading them so far away from the path that they may end up being unable to return to where they came from and also end up dying in the process.”
“So, you can clearly see, Armstrong, I have never done anything wrong, I have only done what I intended to do. And that was to have a nice race across our home, I had it all at the ready, but, the people simply didn’t realize that and they ended up going away from everything and caused their own demise. Do not put the blame onto me, put it onto our insti-” He tries to say before he is able to narrowly duck under a metal pole Armstrong had just chucked in his direction. After that, Valentine looks at Armstrong, but instead of being angry, he continues to try and be as calm as he can, but before he can actually speak, Armstrong interrupts.
“Bullshit! You know that every single word you are saying right now is just utter bullshit! You damn well what you were doing! Every single step of the way there, you were doing it! Every single moment in that race, you were the one pulling the strings! Every single string that hung over their heads! Each of them were being held by you, and you are only trying to stop others from knowing.”
“You can continue to fool everyone else, but not me, Valentine. I actually know what I am seeing, and what I see is a fraud. A fraud who doesn’t know a single thing about knowing the truth. Just like any other politician out here, it was always you lying about everything, just so you could get more votes, a higher chance of winning the election. And I know you will say something along the lines of ‘but can’t the same be said about you?’ No. It can’t. I actually tell the truth of what I am hoping for when it comes to the presidential election.”
“I actually mean every single word I say, I just put a different spin on it so that the people there will think about it and eventually vote for me. But you, you are only lying constantly. It disgusts me, we need to go back to a time when we were speaking about what we truly wanted for our country instead of lying to try and convince poor, ignorant bastards to vote because you said something that they liked and wanted to hear. That is what you do, Valentine, and that is a disgrace to America’s name.”
“Admittedly, I have said things that were only said to make the people happy, but I put such a spin on my own words that it put it where they liked it, that way I actually was able to speak about what I believed and to get the people to believe what I said. It’s all about the spin, Valentine. That is all it will take. You don’t need to lie, you just have to put a spin on whatever you say, warp what you want to say into what they want to hear. It’s what a real politician is like instead of whatever the hell you are.”
Armstrong then proceeds to throw a broken piece of metal at Valentine, who is able to dodge the thrown object. However, Armstrong continues to throw stuff at Valentine, who continues to evade each of the things, with it all accumilating into Armstrong lifting up his podium and lifting it over his head while he then throws it at Valentine, who is able to seemingly block it, yet still have his hands behind his back, but Armstrong didn’t notice this, he just wanted to attack Valentine more than anything at the current time.
But as the podium then falls to the ground, Funny looks at it before lifting it up slightly as if to look under it for something before he turns towards Armstrong while he speaks and puts the podium down. “You think I am lying, but I am not. I am actually doing the very same thing that you are, Armstrong. I am actually speaking about what I truly believe, but I put a spin on it so that they also understand what I wish to say. It is as you said, putting a spin on your words would greatly increase a chance at success, and that is exactly what I do.”
“I will put a spin into every word I think of, making it something so that not only I believe it, but so that all of the others in this country would as well. They, and by proxy you, need to know that what I am doing is exactly as you are doing as well. I am putting a spin onto my words so that I can say what I believe, but in the fashion so that the people think it was towards their own needs, and so with that, I could become president. It is as simple as that, Armstrong.”
“You can constantly believe what I am doing is wrong. You can believe that every word coming out of my mouth is that of a lie, but deep down, I think you know you are only afraid of the fact you are losing this debate. You are worrying about the fact that I have brought up valid arguments against your own, meaning that the people wouldn’t want to have you in office, but instead they would want me to go back into the office for a second term.”
Armstrong looks at Valentine, and you could tell on his face that he was pissed off about this, he then walked up directly at Valentine and stared down, and when I mean stared down, I do mean that Armstrong literally and figuratively stared down at Valentine. Valentine looks up at the other candidate before Amstrong walks back a bit and pulls out a new cigar to smoke it and as he does. He is still constantly turned away from Valentine, who looks at Armstrong, but he has made it where if Armstrong were to run and charge at him, he could quickly bolt out of the way of the incoming attack.
However, Armstrong doesn’t charge at him or anything, he just stands there and continues to smoke the cigar before he then crushes it in his hand. “Do you think I’m an idiot, Valentine?” He asks in a stern tone, which Valentine, visibly shaking a slight bit, is able to respond in a mostly calm manner towards the question that he was just asked. “No, I do not believe you are idiotic.” And so, Armstrong then turns around and faces the president while giving a chuckle before he then talks again.
“Then why do you constantly lie? Tell me that, Valentine. Tell me why each and every one of you continue to try and manipulate everything into your favor? I will admit, however, the fact you have been able to do this for so long and still get people to vote for you is admirable in a way. The fact you can say everything in such a tone to where they all believe every single word out of your mouth is astonishing. So, I will willingly admire the fact that you can do it. And, I will also admit that I cannot blame you for all the constant lying.”
“It’s just in human nature to try and get others to believe what they want. It’s all just another part of humanity that we got to live with. Whether it’s for a politician debate or some debate on the internet about if cereal is soup. It doesn’t matter, we will lie, deceive, do whatever it takes to get our way, and most of the time, it works. It will actually work a lot of the time since most don’t ever want to argue anymore and just end up believing all of those lies.”
“The only problem then is, whenever you lie about something, say, you make up a lie that a person robbed a store a couple years ago, alright, so, that happened. Why don’t you back it up with a source? That is the big problem, Valentine, most people don’t know how to back up their source. It makes them look like idiots, it makes them appear like they were just talking directly out of their ass. It doesn’t matter how good the lie is, you just make it as believable as you can without making someone ask you for the source to where if you don’t have one, you might as well tell them: ‘Source? My source is that I made it the fuck up.’”
“You could do that or tell them that it came to you in a dream, and what would happen next? You would be found guilty of that. You wouldn’t be sent to jail or anything like that, no, you will be found as an unreliable source. Meaning that anytime you try and bring up an argument towards your own case, you’ll be laughed at more than anything else. All because you made your source up.”
These words are told as Valentine looks at Armstrong, questioning him, “And what do you mean by any of this? I understand what you are saying, and I agree with you. If you end up being caught lying, who’s to say other things you have said or done weren’t also a lie? I see what you are meaning with how you said it, but why do you bring this up? Is it because you believe that I am an unreliable source, a liar? Is that what you are trying to tell me, Mr. Armstrong? Am I correct in my assumption?”
Steven lets out a chuckle before he continues. “Close, but not quite, son. I’m telling you that despite everything you have said and done. All of those lies you have told the people as well as yourself, they will be revealed sooner rather than later. It doesn’t matter how good you are, it will be revealed. And if they aren’t ever revealed, then that means you are likely already dead from long ago. Hell, everything you and I have done to get here is because of lies. Yeah, I’m an honest man, I will tell you I have made up some lies in my time.”
“However, the big problem is that most people think it’s only the government, they believe the people in charge are the only ones capable of really lying because everything under them isn’t as important to some degree. A governor stealing thousands of dollars for himself while denying it would be talked about more in the media than a man who has killed several others. That is the thing. They will always look at the government as the biggest portion of all the lying people. However, lying can be seen as a problem, but it can also be something that can help.”
“I think you know what I mean. During war time, everyone is down, it’s like the depression all over again. Everyone is just so far down that they don’t know what to do, with a lot of them killing themselves because they don’t know what to do. However, we have those who would lie, they would lie to try and bring others back up to be somewhat happy, just to make it where the people had some kind of hope, some kind of determination to continue on forward instead of looking down some deadly height before falling.”
“The point I am trying to make to you, Valentine, is the fact that while some lies can be good such as trying to boost the emotions of the people around you up. Trying to keep morale up instead of letting them all see their dreams disappear, there are lies that only benefit one person. And that would be the person lying, they would be making up all those lies only to benefit themselves, and that is the problem. They do not care about anyone else except for themselves, even if that means stepping over others just to get there.”
But then, Valentine realizes something that he has to ask, “But, is that not what your whole campaign is about? I’ve heard every word you have said, and isn’t that what you wish for? A world where everyone is able to fight for what they believe in? A world where everyone is free to do as they please? Would that not include lying due to the fact that their lies, even if wrong, still abide by the first amendment that we both hold close to our hearts? Wouldn’t saying that lying and more being bad is going entirely against everything you are trying to do?”
Armstrong makes a quick hand motion as if he was ready for this question to be asked while he talks, “There’s a difference between what I am talking about and what you THINK I am talking about. I am talking about a world where everyone is free to believe what they want, a world where they can convince others with their own ideals, they might lie to do it, and if they do, they can either get lucky and get someone who follows them, or they can get someone who actually questions their ethnics.”
“The thing is, those who blindly follow, they are the problem. They don’t question anything that happens, they just do what they’re told, even if it were a suicide mission. At least in the miltiary they tell you if something has a high chance at killing you, no, these liars tell these bastards something that can kill them and they just go along with it. It’s all bullshit, Valentine! We don’t need people who blindly follow others, we need people who are willing to fight, people who are willing to die for what they believe is the right thing!”
“We don’t need sheep, we need people, people who are able to go out there and not need a reason to lie, but people who are able to go out there and say what they actually believe so that others can see what they think, and if they don’t agree, argue, defend your arguments till the very end of your life, and if you can convince them, then that means you have someone else fighting alongside you for a common purpose, someone who is also willing to die for that same cause you have, someone who will go out of their way to fight not for you, but besides you.”
“That’s the difference between what you think and what I actually say. You are thinking I want people to lie to get their way, which, if they can get away with it, then sure, let them, they’ll come crashing down eventually. Besides, what I see is that people can lie to get others to start following them, but as time goes on, they need to lie about their own lie to then tell them the truth if that is what they want to do if they instead lie rather than tell their truth out front.”
“If you lie and get others to follow right beside you, that means that you need to be ready for just about anything that could come your way. Because at any given moment, you could slip up and reveal to them how everything was just a lie, and it would be there that they could either kill you or leave you. No one likes a liar as I’ve learned. Why do you think people like to insult our policies, Valentine? Because it has become a part of the norm of our world that politicians will lie all the time to get what they want.”
“I want to change that, I want to see a time where not just politicians, but everyone doesn’t need a reason to lie, but instead they all have a reason to fight, a reason that they are ready to either verbally say or by physically doing something to get their message across. It doesn’t matter how, as long as they are able to do it without lying, then that means they have achieved what I would say is the best variation of America. The version where we finally don’t need to worry about snakes trying to lie their way into making others believe them.”
“Because once they are found, a resentment can be seen within the cracked mirror of what once was an unbreakable bond. That mirror will continue to fall apart until what you once saw as someone like you, was only a body double imitating you until they finally go away, either by continuously believing and fighting for you where they die, or because they go out and forge their own path. We need a world where we do not need any of that bullshit anymore, Valentine. We need a world where we can all simply yell out our beliefs and be ready for anything.”
“If people are willing to join your cause because they believe in the same thing as you do? Then that is great, welcome aboard. If they don’t and they want to fight you, be ready for anything, be ready to fight till your last breath. Continue to fight as time goes on, and if you are starting to falter as your arguments are unable to win over the opposing side, it is alright, keep going until you finally are unable to stand and fight.”
“You must be willing to fight till your final breath, and if you can’t, if you are unable to, then try to pass your own ideals off to someone else, for they could become the bearer of those same ideals. They could be the one who spreads your memes, no more worrying about what you were unable to achieve, but instead, be glad that even if you are dead as hell, there is someone out there continuing the fight, and if they are unable to do as you did, if they truly were on your side, then that means they also would pass those memes off to someone else.”
“Which would make it where eventually there would likely be a point where a new person is unable to spread the meme any longer, and they realize that. The thing about memes is that while someone can make one and try to pass it along, they might be able to keep it the same and pass it to another, but eventually another one will come and change it a little, it doesn’t matter by how much, it will be changed to some degree, even if that degree was really slight.”
“And as it continues, more and more changes will come from it, and eventually it will be an entirely different thing.” And like that, Armstrong pauses for a moment as he thinks about it before he sighs, “The point I’m trying to make, Valentine, is that despite you thinking that lying will help you in any possible way, it will only mean that you prolong your inevitable demise. No matter what you do. It’s all going to end the same for you, Valentine. You can lie, manipulate, leave all these people for dead, but that’ll only mean you’ll eventually get a bullet to go right through your head.”
“If you lie, as long as you are able to manipulate it into what you actually wanted, then you will be alright, you got your votes, you got your approval rating up, great job, son. And now you just need to make sure you keep the promise that you gave the people. You need to make sure you can do it, and from what I’ve been seeing from your presidential term, you never kept any of the promises you had made all that time ago. So, when are you going to fullfill them, Valentine? Going to wait till the very end to do it?”
“Because if so, then that’s you being a real giant idiot. Because then you won’t have any time to do anything, and if you have no time, that would mean you’d have to run for reelection right after and who knows if you’d win? Because, well, I’m already in your way, but besides that point, ignoring myself from this equation, if you were to win, what would you do? Given how it looks, you would probably just take the advantage and then prolong all your things again.”
“Then that is the second problem, either if you get that second term or not, someone else will come in and they will do what they want with the country. They aren’t going to do the exact same thing like you did. We’ve seen it time and time again of one leader completely destroying what the previous one was trying to work towards, not just in the States, but in the entirety of history. How do we know the same won’t happen for you? How are you so certain that you have the ability to make all others do EXACTLY as you do?”
He finishes his small speech as he stands there, waiting for Funny to say something against what he had just said, which Valentine was just thinking about for a few moments, even slowly pacing back and forth a bit while Armstrong stood there, waiting for any kind of response out of Funny before he finally does speak. “That is the thing about being a good leader, Armstrong. If one is that good, it won’t matter if you aren’t in office anymore, the newer generations will still go out of ther way to follow the path that I have carved.”
“While someone like you would have followed your own wrath-paved path, you will only go off the edge of the world. Think of it like this, history is like that of a board going across two separate buildings that is going at a downward slope. We have it like this, and we all have the same goal of going to the next building over. We all have the same board to go across, but eventually some will try and follow their own things, they will believe they are in the right, that is when they change themselves from going in the straight line into an angle.”
“And within that angle, they would eventually fall off the board, resulting in their demise. And need I tell you, the board is a long one for from the first building to the next is also a giant distance as to represent the beginning of time to the end of it all. We all still share that same board for as we continue to cross, we must stay focused on staying in the center of it all, for if we don’t, it will only result in many to fall off the edge and perish.”
“That is why I am sure I can get everyone to follow behind me. For if they don’t, they will fall off the edge of the board. It doesn’t matter how far off they change their direction, it can be a full 90 degree angle where they head directly towards the edge, they could go at a slight angle, but that still means they will eventually fall off of the board. Then there are those who think they can defeat the system and change their path numerous times, resulting in that of a giant line zipping across the board, which wouldn’t be that much of a help.”
“For if they even try and do a constant thing like that, it would only mean that they are more likely to unknowingly go too far and fall off, because those who do that do not pay attention to their end goal as they focus on more of the attempts to try and change what can be done. They believe they can defy it all and get through it all despite knowing that what they are doing is a humongous risk that they are taking, and despite all that, they still persist in doing it as if it were nothing.”
“What I hope to do, Armstrong, is that if everyone is able to directly follow after me, step by step, we will have our path constantly towards the end of it all, we will have a path ready for when we make it to the other side, that is when everything ends, and we were able to make it due to following exactly beind what they had been told. If we can do that, that will mean that we would have won against the tests of time and have been able to survive all because we followed the leader.”
“As long as we all follow directly after those leaders, it will mean that we all have a chance at surviving, a chance at thriving, a chance at making sure we have a better tomrrow. It’s why leader’s exist in the first place. If there was no leader, then that would mean everyone would be going wild across that board, resulting in most, if not all, of them to fall off of it. This is what we need to survive, Armstrong. We need a leader to guide us step by step because once that one is gone, the next in line can come up and take over and thrive for him.”
“And as they continue, they are able to keep those behind them in that same straight line, and as before, those who try and go out on their own, they will end up falling off the edges as well. No matter what they try to do, if they do not go in that exact straight line, they will eventually find themselves falling off the board and eventually finding themselves and their own history, with all of it being lost to time.”
But then, Armstrong is able to see through the cracks in Valentine’s statement as he tells him the flaws. “If that is what you think, Valentine, then what about America’s independence? Wasn’t our former ‘king’ leading us towards the end of that board? If that was the case, how come we were able to defy his rule and become our own country? Tell me that, Valentine. Tell me how exactly we are meant to follow someone exactly if we will end up following what we believe is right? Is that really all that you think? We’re all just a bunch of mindless zombies with shit for brains?”
“NO! We are people, we don’t follow others blindly, we need to think, to act, for ourselves! If we are all meant to follow exactly one person as you imply, how do we know THEY aren’t leading us off of that board? How do we know that YOU aren’t leading us towards our own demise? That is why that whole board idea you have to describe your world is only bullshit! History is not some kind of board where it’s limited on the edges and you can fall off, but it’s more like that of the ocean.”
“It’s a wild wave of all these things, and we, the people, we are a number of ships. We sail across them all, we may have a similar idea in what we want to achieve, but we will do that all in our own way. Not in a way we were told, but in a way where we can end up drifting in the ocean all alone for our own ideals. And even if we are alone, we still fight through the fiery nights forever, for we will always be out there, ready for whatever this ocean has in store for us.”
“It doesn’t matter how big the waves are, if it topples your ship, grab hold onto whatever you can, and do what you can to survive to find someone else, maybe they have a similar ideal where you two can come to the same conclusion. Maybe you could end up meeting someone with an entirely different ideal set, and if so, you need to be ready to fight for your ideals. And you need to be ready to take that ship of theirs by force if you have to, because it is your God given right to do so.”
“We all have the rights to speech and all those other things, and that includes to this, if you have to do something like this, you just have to be ready to fight for it. Sometimes, there are times when you have to sacrifice others just so you can survive because they probably weren’t going to make it in the first place. And I’m sure you know of something like that as well, Valentine. You probably know what it is like to have to leave others out in the fields, leaving them to fend for themselves.”
“But, there's nothing wrong with that. The thing in life is that you choose your own destiny, meaning you should be fighting till the very end, or at least find a way to continue your quest until the very end of it all. You need to be willing to leave others out in the ash if you have to, leave them for dead. Hell, Valentine, I think you know what we’ve done to get what we need done, lie, and manipulate all those others just to get to the power we both possess within both of our own hands.”
“And as I was saying just a little bit ago, history is like that of an ocean more than anything. The waves of it try and wash away any trace of what we have done, the ocean water tries to corrode whatever we have tried to do. The ocean is against us at every possible moment, and it’s like that with history. You might think you are safe for a time being, but that’s only because history is plotting against you at that very time, because it wants you to fail, history itself will tell you what you can and what you cannot do.”
“And that is when I say ‘FUCK HISTORY’! History can continue to push us down, try and force us to be unable to fight for any longer, it won’t allow us to do anything, it will only do whatever is in its power to make us continuesly fall down again and again, and we need to fight against it! It doesn’t matter how hard it pushes, we just have to push back even harder! Fuck all the historians saying that we are condemned to the same path no matter what we do, forget everything that they try and tell us!”
“We make our history, we make our own destiny. It doesn’t matter what happens, we just have to keep fighting, we have to constantly be fighting against not only the waves of history, but the winds of it as well. Because not only is history trying to shove us down so that it was as if we never had even existed at any point, but it is trying to push us away from the thing we want. We need to continue fighting for our own ability to look history itself directly in the eyes and give it a bird while telling it to go ‘fuck itself.’”
“We need to get to a point where history will not have any rule over what is going to happen. The idea of fate is stupid, and it is only a way some people think that things will end up being a certain way, and that’s only because they are not willing to fight for their own cause. They allow history to cause them to sink down into the depths below, they are the ones that allow history to push them back into the habor. If they want to try and blame history for their problems, go ahead and give them a punch in the jaw and tell them it’s their own damn fault.”
“History is not some kind of person you can throw the blame onto. Sure, you can throw the blame onto someone else like if they shot you and you survived but ended up paralized and all that shit, but history isn’t like that, or to be more specific, fate is not like that. You cannot blame fate for what is going to happen. You have a choice to do whatever you please whenever you please, it’s just that nowadays people are too afraid to ever try and do what they think is right.”
“They think that if the entire world is against them, they just need to give up, they think that since every single person that is on this same planet is going to look down on them as they fight an unwinnable battle. And that can be true, but that doesn’t mean you need to quit, it just means you are needing to fight even harder than before. As long as you are able to continuously fight against all those odds, you will be able to achieve a point where fate itself truly has no control.”
“You can manipulate your own fate to your own accord, allowing you to do as you please whenever you want. It doesn’t matter anymore if someone tells you that history is going to be the one that decides how you end up. They might mention that fate itself has already determined exactly what it has planned for us, which is complete and utter bullshit! I think I’ve told you already, Valentine, but as we’re both politicians, I think you know we need to sometimes repeat what we have said to get our message across.”
“Now, Valentine, fate, some people think that fate is meant to be known, you can go out of your way and argue that if they could, they would want everyone to know their own fate just so they can come to terms with whatever is going to happen. But like time travel, that would only result in a constant loop or something. For as we learn what is going to happen, we will do whatever it takes to defy our own fate, do whatever it takes to go against what the universe itself had already planned out for us.”
“Because fate has no true power. It’s not something like gravity. It isn’t some kind of force connected to it, it is just the idea that some things were meant to play out like the end of the Revolutionary War or the Civil War, some might think that they are due to fate deciding that the colonies and that the north was going to win those wars. They will all say that same thing that everything had been delicately placed where it needed to be for us to follow it, and then if that is the case, then what would be the point of our own free will?”
“If we are going to end up knowing what our fate is going to be? What do we do if that fate shows that we are going to lose a war? Are we going to accept that? No! We will continue to fight against whatever ‘fate’ has decided for us. And if we do lose, then most of the people wouldn’t want to deal with that. They rather die than be stuck in a world where every choice they had made had already been planned out exactly.”
“That is why fate is already a stupid concept. Some might think it is a beautiful concept that defines what is in store for us in the future, the high, the lows, and everything between it, but those people are too optomistic about everything. They don’t realize that fate even existing means that there had never been our own individual rights, there had never been any sort of freedom of speech, there was no true Constitution, it was all just a thing to make us think we would have ever had a choice in this chess game between nature and time themselves.”
“And to that, I want to say we flip that board onto the ground! Just like that board you see defining our history, both that planck and this game board both need to be snapped into two pieces! We don’t need to be stuck as pawns for someone else’s game. We can’t allow ourselves to ever be used like that. If you do, then you might as well go die, because if you are willing to be a pawn, then you aren’t even alive anymore, you’re instead just a puppet waiting to be moved by the strings of fate or whatever you want to call that bullshit.”
“We don’t need to be held up by some kind of silly string. Those strings are just those who take power for themselves behind their wall of cash, behind their desks letting all of those who are unable to fight for themselves instead fight for a cause they don’t believe in, the cause of the man behind that damned desk. Those guys behind the desk, they are the ones who control history, they are the ones who control the fate of all others, they are the ones we need to get rid of from our society. They are the ones we need to make sure are taken care of.”
“I don’t care how they are taken care of, shoot them from a distance while they are in their car, I do not care what you do. You just need to make sure that you get rid of them somehow, because once you do, you can cut those strings away, and by that point, you can finally be free to do as you please. You just gotta know when you are able to do it. Because for all you know, that guy behind the desk would have a gun headed straight for your forehead the moment you barge into his office.”
“That’s why you don’t try and take too long to plan it out. You have to make a quick plan, and then you have to act on it right there and then, that way no one could ever be ready for whatever you. Because if you go in with no plan, you’d die. You try and plan for too long, you’ll eventually be found out and as you get through with it, you will have been too late and would have people out there ready for you, ready to kill you at the sound of the fingers being snapped by that money man.”
“Those men, they aren’t even men, they’re sick, they’re nothing but pests who believe that money is the key to everything that can exist. And I will admit, it is a cruciaul part of our economy to have money and have it be there, ready for when we need to buy something. We have to buy things to get what we want, the world does revolve around money to some slight degree, but there eventually becomes a line where money can’t buy you everything.”
“Can money buy you out of a cartel brutally murdering you while listening to some kind of funky song or setting your head on fire? Can money free you from the court hearing about you being accused of committing numerous acts of murder and war crimes? No, it can’t. Money can only do so much, buying where eventually you must go back and realize that eventually you must be ready to not bargain over an idea with a couple hundred dollars, but be ready to bet your life on the roulette table to see if you are going to be able to live to see another day or not.”
“And on that table, we will see if that would be the case, and if you are able to survive, great, you just defeated the man who had been using money to defend themselves and now you can fight for whatever you truly believe in. It would allow you to finally have a choice in what would’ve been an actual hellhole for you to be living in. It would mean that you have a chance to break free from whatever chains were holding you back originally as you climb your way out of the hole and look into nature. The nature that you must be willing to always fight for whatever you want.”
Armstrong finishes that as Valentine then looks at him, with a pretty surprised expression. “Ah, I see what you mean, Armstrong. You see that our world has been corrupted by those who believe their money, fame, riches, anything of that sort would have the ability to change everything we have each and all individually worked for. It all makes sense, Mr. Armstrong. I am glad I can finally see things your way. Please, accept my humblest of apologies.”
And so, Armstrong actually seems genuinely surprised by this revolvation. He actually gives a slight smile as Valentine holds out his hand as a way to offer a handshake, and Armstrong takes it, signaling probably one of the most patriotic handshakes ever to be concieved by mankind. Truly a handshake that could probably end all other handshakes. However, as they do, Armstrong then lets go as he starts to walk away, seemingly believing he had finally gotten through to Valentine finally. But then he hears the sounds of a gun being loaded behind him.
He turns around and sees Valentine, pointing his revolver directly at him, and having a cold, almost emotionless expression on his face before speaking to the one he had his weapon pointed at. “But then that does bring up the problem, Mr. Armstrong. You are so willing to let so many Americans die just for your own cause. You are willing to let anyone die for that, and it’s only going to be bringing anarchy towards our home. And that is something I simply cannot accept. So, I will have to take your life right here, Armstrong. I will admit, having to take an American’s life is not a good thing for a president to do, but to run a country, you must be willing to do what it takes to make sure most others stay safe.”
As Armstrong looks at Valentine and the gun he holds, he just lets out a laugh about it. “Really? You’re going to shoot me with that old gun? Are you sure it’s even able to still work? Valentine, listen, there’s no reason to fight, not only because we’re not animals, but because I could probably rip you in two, and that’s just with my bare hands.” He continues before Valentine keeps his gun pointed directly at Armstrong.
And all that comes from Valentine is a sigh. “That is right, we are not animals. We are men, men who know what is right, and what is wrong with everything in our world. And that would include you, Mr. Armstrong. Everything you have told me tells me everything that I need to know to make sure that you do not have a chance at winning this election. It tells me exactly what I must do to make sure our, or, well, my home is able to stay safe from someone such as yourself.”
“You are so willingly able to sacrifice so many just for so few to survive. What would that achieve? With so little people left, what would be the point in trying to defend it? Why should we allow something like that to ever have a chance at happening? And the answer is that we shouldn’t. We shouldn’t allow any sort of event such as this to transpire across the United States. That is why you must not have a chance to not only win the election, but why you don’t deserve a chance at being alive right now.”
And before Armstrong is able to speak, the sound of a gun being fired, well, fires out and lets out a slight echo as Armstrong then holds his hand over his stomach before then falling to the ground with a giant thud being left behind it. Valentine looks down at Armstrong before putting his revolver away and starting to walk out. That was until he heard sounds coming from behind him. He turns around and sees Armstrong getting up, which surprises him. Valentine looked on the ground, and, even more surprising, there was no blood. Nothing of the sorts as if there hadn’t even been anything there.
Armstrong stands straight up as he takes a look at his jacket and sees that it now has a hole in it, so he ends up taking it off and throwing it a distance away alongside his wristwatch. He then straightens up his tie as he looks at Valentine, who is in a state of utter shock. “H- How are you not injured?” Valentine questions, to which Armstrong just looks at him before again at his shirt, but his shirt only has a slight dent in it as he is able to directly pick up the bullet out of it and throw it and fix the shirt so that it doesn’t appear like anything had hit it.
Valentine continued to look at this in shock before then pulling out the revolver again, ready to fire as Armstrong started approaching him. Valentine starts shooting at Armstrong, trying to do something to prevent Armstrong from getting closer, but each bullet wasn’t getting through his shirt, and even when Valentine ended up aiming it for other parts of Armstrong’s body, it didn’t even have any sort of effect on Steven, well kinda. All Valentine could see when he tried to shoot other areas on Armstrong’s body was that his skin, for some reason, darkened to an almost pitch black color before reverting back to normal. And after that, Armstrong continues to walk towards Valentine, but as Armstrong tries to grab Valentine, the latter is able to roll out of the way and run a distance away as Armstrong stands there.
And after a few moments, Armstrong got into a squating position. However, instead of running directly at Valentine or of doing something similar to that, Armstrong ends up lifting up one of his legs like as if he were a sumo wrestler, and as he does that, it actually gave off so much force that a bit of the roofing above the two fell down alongside other parts of the room to start collapsing around them before Valentine notices a bunch of the military vehicles around them start to move around a little as a very faint green light can be seen around the area. That is until Armstrong does an even bigger stomp, causing a bunch of orange lightning to surround him as the green lights can now be seen fully as they go towards Armstrong.
Valentine ends up falling down to the ground and watches in complete shock as all of this unfolds around him. He continues to look at all the lighting before then looking back at Armstrong who was apparently absorbing all of this energy of some kind, and so realizing this, Valentine quickly takes aim with his revolver and starts shooting at Armstrong, but none of the bullets were really doing any kind of lasting damage onto Armstrong. And eventually, the lights start to dimmer before Armstrong stands up straigh and then somewhat back, ending the lights abruptly, as well as causing those vehicles to end up exploding around them.
Valentine is in awe at what he is witnessing before his own very eyes before then looking back towards Armstrong, or, well, where Armstrong should be given the area is now filled with a bunch of smoke and dust, but as it all clears, Valentine is able to see Armstrong, except now, Armstrong seemed physically different. He was a lot more lean, and his muscles were popping out more, as if he had suddenly gotten buff from out of nowhere. Valentine continues to look at this as he reloads his revolver.
Armstrong’s glasses have been pushed down somewhat as he then pushes the glasses up before telling Valentine “Let’s go.” And like that, Armstrong charges at Valentine, who is unable to evade the attack and is lifted up into the air by his neck. “Ya know, I think I might as well see if I can do it,” Armstrong says, which Valentine is barely able to respond to due to being choked. “Wh- What are you going to try and do?” He asks, still trying to get away from Armstrong who gives a quick little laugh. “I’m going to break this president in two, with my bare hands!” He laughs as he said it earlier before throwing Valentine into the ground.
The force Armstrong had put into that was so much that when Valentine hit the ground, there were seemingly a few cracks in it, and when he lifted Valentine up again, Valentine’s nose was bleeding profusely. So, after that, Armstrong stares right at Valentine before grabbing him by the back of his shirt and pants and spinning around a slight bit before throwing Valentine, making the latter land almost face first into a wall nearby.
Valentine slowly gets up and holds his hand over his nose and realizes that it is bleeding and looks somewhat scared at Armstrong, who is slowly approaching him. Valentine gets up and is trying to slowly get away from Armstrong, who doesn’t even run, he just walks.
“N- Now now, let’s think about this, alright, Mr. Armstrong? We may have different views on what we hope for our home, but that doesn’t mean we need to resort to such a violent conclusion.” Valentine tries telling Armstrong, but Armstrong just gives a snicker at this. “Wow, really? Point a gun at me and now that you’re getting your ass kicked, you suddenly wish for us to be at peace? What kind of an idiot do you take me for? You know what you are, Valentine? You’re nothing more than a snake. And not one of those legendary ones, no, you’re just one that slithers across the ground.”
“I’ve mentioned snakes before, about how you were trying to make me look like one, and about how we can get rid of them, stop them from taking control, and not actual snake people like some conspiracy bullshitters thing, no, I am talking about snakes like you.” Armstrong continues before finally grabbing Valentine again, who continues to try and squirm out of his predicament, doing whatever he can, including trying to kick Armstrong, punch him, do just about anything that he can to get away from the senator, but it was all to no avail.
“Look at you, trying to squirm your way out of this shit. You are only proving my point even further, Valentine. You are continuing to try and find the easiest way out. You aren’t actively fighting, only trying to escape. C’mon, Valentine, you were in the military, where’d all that training go? Show me what you got. Get out of my grip and then I’d be willing to talk. But, if you don’t, then I don’t mind killing you right here at this very moment. So, the clock is ticking, Valentine, better hurry it on up now, shoudn’t you?”
Valentine, obviously scared right now, continues to try and get out of Steven’s grip in whatever way he can. He tries to kick, he tries to pry open Armstrong’s hand himself, but still nothing was working. That is until something behind Armstrong was thrown at him, making him turn around, but there was nothing behind him except for a pen on the ground. This was all Valentine needed to then get away from Armstrong for the time being. He is able to escape the grasp of the giant senator before then backing away quickly just to get some distance between the two of them in case of anything else happening.
Funny is able to keep his distance as he tries to speak with Armstrong. “Alright, yes, I admit, what I have done to try and defeat you has not been the greatest or most nobel of tactics, but like you, I am doing this for the better of America. I am doing this just so that we have a future to look towards. A future that isn’t in poverty, a future that isn’t stuck in wars, a future where America will be able to stand above all other nations and prove that it truly is the greatest among us, among everyone in the world.”
Armstrong lets out a snicker at this comment while he stops, “Really? You think forcefully uniting people is going to make it that great? The only thing that is going to happen with what you are wanting, Valentine, is sabotage. Sabotage after sabotage. We would be dealing with so many that once we fix one, there is another one right after. And who would be the ones behind the sabotages? Would it be terrorists? Is it going to be people who despise America and want it to die in a fire than let it thrive? No. It would be the people, Valentine.”
“The people don’t want to be forced into a situation where they need to always work together, that is what brings us together in the end, all our differences, all of our faults, everything that we have against one another would instead make America greater. With it, we would each be able to fight for whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, however we wanted. It doesn’t matter anymore about anything about being in one single line, because America is not some kind of wooden board, America is a giant tree.”
“America started out as another seed in the ground, having been a seed that had fallen from the British tree, and as they kept letting it grow, it just continued. The British tree realized this and did what it could to keep all the sunlight, water, and everything for itself, but as it continued to try, every effort continued to fail as the American tree kept biggering and just continued to fight for what it needed. And eventually, it was able to overshadow the other tree that had tried to keep it down, and like that, that was the foundation of America and its revolution.”
“But then as it continued, there were two sides of the tree, one trying to grow apples, and the other side was trying to grow oranges, just like how the two sides of America were trying to fight over the idea of if slavery should have been allowed. And what was that because of? That was because a new branch had sprouted on it, the branch of Texas, it wanted to be on the side of slavery, which would make the oranges side of the tree have more oranges be made instead of apples. And it was here, the tree came into a conflict of itself. Was it an apple tree or an orange tree?”
“It couldn’t be both, so it had to be one or the other. So, there it was, the civil war, where we had to fight for the freedom of those who had been encaged due to their skin color, and as the war continued, eventually, the north won it, and like with it, the tree then became a fully done apple tree, allowing it to continue living without any sort of care in the world except for itself. It was on its own, it had everything it could ever wish to have. That is until more and more branches appeared on it.”
“And with each of those branches, more ideals appear, more philosophies are there, so many different people, so many different things. Every man, woman, and child, they are all making their own branches, but as the tree continues to grow, a lot of the branches continue to grow old and become dead, and that can be talking about just about anything. A family’s name, an ideal, just about anything would be able to die off no matter how good it is.”
“And not just that, but many try and still use those old dead ideals for their own. And, admittedly, there is nothing wrong with that. You have to believe what you want, and if that is the same as someone who has been dead for who knows how long, then you just gotta be ready to be in a branch ready to break. That branch will be able to support you hopefully, but that’s what you are thinking. You are considering what it can do for you to make sure you can survive and not end up falling.”
“But, if you do that, you fail to remember that not only are you looking for the branch to make sure you are alright, you are needing to make sure that you are doing what you can for the branch. Because you can’t just automatically jump onto it, because that sudden jump would break it like a twig. No, you have to make sure to do it slowly. Do it at a slow pace so that it can handle holding something up like it used to, because, as said, you can’t just jump to some new ideaology out of nowhere.”
“You have to make sure that you TRULY believe it, you have to make sure that it is something that you are WILLING to fight for, you have to make sure everything works out because if you don’t, you’ll just look like an idiot, and you would be one. Isn’t it a thing to never trust strangers? Well, that doesn’t just apply to people, but to everything you can think of. You got to at first interact with it, make sure everything is alright, make sure everything is in the right place for you to make sure you can keep interacting with it.”
“And eventually you should be able to finally trust it with your life. That is the thing we are needing now, we need to give everything a chance to speak out, give everything a chance to fight before it’s thrown under the bus. Sure, even if its fight does not even last for a second, at least it was able to fight for some amount of time and not just forced under without any sort of chance. It’s why we need to make sure to give everything some kind of chance for it to be explained, even if it is minor.”
“And that is the big problem, in this tree that America is, one branch will make another break out of nowhere, no chance given, no chance to breathe, nothing. That is the problem, Valentine, we are stuck in this endless cycle of one branch trying to sprout out and reach a new height just for it to then be thrown back down like it never even existed. We need to make sure that everything, everyone, no matter what, human, tree branch, apple, needs a chance to do what it wants instead of being forced to do something it doesn’t.”
“It’s why we need to make sure we are willing to trust something new such as a new ideal, a new way of looking at the world, we need to see what is out there and if you are at a point in life where you do not know what is going to happen, and you know this part to be true, but everyone has gone through this moment in their life, not once, not twice, but so many times that it is impossible to count. We need to just be ready to turn to whatever we think is right to then slowly change to what we think is right.”
Armstrong is finally finishing what he was saying before Valentine decides to ask him a simple question, “But, wouldn’t it make more sense to try and get them onto your side right there and then? It would likely provide a much more plausible chance of success if you can get them to be on your side as soon as possible. I do not see any sort of reason as to why you would want to draw it out for as long as you can just to prove a point of some kind.”
And almost like a machine, Armstrong quickly gives out his response to this. “If you think people are going to just side with someone, then you are clearly as idiotic as those sheep. You’re still in a mindset that someone can be convinced by the snap of a finger, like they had just been hit with some kind of mind control. If that happens, then they aren’t even people, they are, like I said, son, sheep. And those sheep don’t know what the hell they’re doing outside of trying to survive in some kind of way. They just follow whatever is the loudest thing that goes out to them. It doesn’t even matter if it’s a suicide, they’ll do it.”
“That’s the problem with your America, Valentine, you think everyone is willingly going to jump off a cliff or willingly go under water while wrapped in chains just because you think everyone is going to directly look at YOU for guidance. To look for YOU when a problem rises. No matter what the hell it is, they are going to be searching for you to help them in whatever kind of stupid mess they are in. It won’t matter what it is, even if it can be as small as someone stubbing their toe or as big as someone bombing the White House. They will look at YOU for everything that happens. And that is BULLSHIT!” Armstrong proclaims while he finally runs back at Valentine, who has to run away and tries going through multiple rows of chairs to slow Armstrong down. But, none of that stops the damn freight train that is Armstrong from charging directly at Valentine still through the chairs.
And eventually, Armstrong is able to get a hold of Valentine and throws him back onto the stage that they had been on, with Valentine landing on the ground and hits the podium he had previously, somehow, blocked before slowly lifting it up, as if he was expecting something under it, but there was nothing. And so Armstrong continues to walk there while he looks at Valentine, who puts the podium down yet again before he lifts the podium up yet again, this time, he grabs a US flag from the open end of it before spreading it out on the inside of the podium and then knocking it down again, this time with the open end of it now facing onto the ground.
Armstrong reaches the stage yet again as he looks at Valentine, who is still bleeding a decent bit before then pulling out a napkin and wipes away some of the blood that was on his face before taking a deep look at the napkin and then back at Armstrong, who stood there, where he popped his knuckles, ready to seemingly beat the everloving shit out of Valentine, who still stands there and then takes another gander at his bloodied napkin before talking.
“You do see this, correct, Armstrong? This is a napkin covered in blood, now, tell me, Armstrong, what do you see blood as? Just a part of the human body’s system? Do you see it as a thing people are willing to shed to get their ideals? You do not need to tell me, for I know you will choose that second option. But, there is a problem with that. The human body only has so much blood in it, it is not any kind of limitless amount of bodlily fluid, for nothing to your knowledge is truly infinite.”
“Our universe, it is not infinite, there is an edge to it, it just continues to expand, it is limited. Our planet, it is a sphere that is not forever expanding, it is limited. Our bodies, they all have different shapes and sizes, but none of them are constantly growing non-stop, it is limited. Our own blood, while we may lose some, the body does produce more as time goes on, but that does not mean someone can survive with only a drop of blood, for our blood is still, well, it is limited. Everything that has ever existed, it is limited.”
“No matter what way you would like to try and see it, everything we know and fight for has some sort of limit on it, despite what we may try and do, there will always be some kind of limit on how far something is able to go. And that includes our nation. As much as I would hate to say it, our home, it is also something that can only last for so long before the stains of time have decided that it must also erode into nothingness, become nothing more than a husk, turning what was once a fierce fire into just embers, and then into ashes.”
“That is why I wish to remain as president, for as long as I can try to be the one leading everyone, I will be the one to make sure that this fire burns, always. Even through the darkest days, no matter what, through the harsh snow, through all of the pain and suffering we have had to go through to make sure our country has become what it is today, I will always do what I must to make sure the United States flames continue to burn for as long as they can.”
“However, given the way our world works, blood being shed, that would make the fire much weaker than it would have ever needed to be. Due to the fact that blood has been shed, it would likely make our flame die down quicker. However, that is not always the case, something such as a war, that could possibly get the fire to burn even brighter than before. But, that isn’t like with any sort of war. No, some wars may make it burn brighter than ever, and some can make them so dim that you could go ahead and argue it to almost be the end.”
“Whenever we declared independence from Britain, we were but only a small fire, just a singular flame that was going along with whatever the bigger flame was telling us to do. However, as we started to rebel more and more, our flame, it started to increase in size, and so, Britain, the bigger flame of the two, it tried to fight back, try and keep our smaller flame in check, make sure it had not a chance at ever surpassing it, however, that would soon prove to backfire.”
“For as the war waged, our small flame still continued to burn brighter than ever before, as well as increasing in size at such a rapid pace that Britain had no idea how to counteract, and before they even knew it, our flame had reached the same size as theirs. Their big flame was now merely something that could mirror our own in size, and they were never ready for something like that to ever happen. It would then prove to be a fatal blow to their flame as we ended up finally becoming an even bigger flame near the end of it, which would result in us becoming free from that king.”
“So, realistically, a war could provide some way to make our country’s flame last even longer than it normally would’ve, but that is not always the case. Our flame can continue to burn a very long time without anything happening to it, simply because there is nothing to try and put it out such as a lack of oxygen or something that would make it increase in size such as more coal. But then there are wars out there that have made our flame die down a very large amount such as the one between the north and south.”
“Due to it being a civil war, our two sides were in a giant conflict, we had a battle between brothers and sisters over the idea of someone is allowed to be free or if they would be forced to work as a slave for the rest of their lives, with no chance at ever truly having any amount of freedom. At first, you might think that a war would make our flame bigger due to us having to work together towards a common cause, but then that is where the one big factor comes in.”
“It is a war among ourselves. Something like that, it would be like punching yourself in the stomach, it would not prove any sort of good, it would only make things likely worse as it is only damaging ourselves instead of trying to throw something at someone else’s fire to make it weaker, we would only be doing that to our own flame. We would be attacking ourselves. That would not provide any sort of benefit for the country, for anything in it, not even a man, well, not quite.”
“The war did end and let slavery be abolished, but outside of that, what else did it do to our country? It made ideas such as racism a staple in our society. As bad as it is, people will hate one another just because of the most mundane things such as their skin color. And that, that is something that continues to divide us more and more. The more we divide, the more the fire spreads apart, and some may believe that a fire spreading would make it prosper, but in our case, no, no, that would make the flame die out even quicker than it would have ever done so before.”
“The flame spreading would make the fire smaller and smaller, make everything darker, yet darker, because while we are able to continue spreading, there is nothing to make our flame stay lit, there is nothing out there that would make the fire burn as bright as it was when it was together. It would only make it where our flame is out there, continuously dwindling out into obscurity, there is nothing that would prevent us from spreading, that is correct, but there is also nothing out there that could make our flame continue to burn bright.”
“And before we knew it, the flame would end up finally fading away into a few embers, leaving only the ashes of what was once a great nation to remain. What I am telling you is that while a could benefit us to some degree, a war is also able to make us falter and finally die out like as if we had never been, that is why I disagree with you so much, while you have an idea that could work out at first, the more you do it, the more likely it would be for it to eventually fall back and end up hurting us more than helping.”
“And like the civil war, battles among all Americans would not only prove to be deadly among us, but it would only make our fire spread far and out, but yet with nothing to make it continue burning as we should. It would only constantly make us dimmer by such a degree. We would continue to go down that path until we finally are laid to rest alongside other countries that have fallen due to similar conflicts that had just plagued our nation that you apparently wish we have to deal with so often.”
“And so, this is where my conclusion is here to speak out, seeing the blood of my own being spread across your hands is not something that would help the nation. Us fighting one another, it would only make it where we have no option for life, it is a point where we would end up failing over and over again due to our fighting. No matter what way you try and look at it, the more blood that is to be shed, not just from myself, but from anyone out there, that would make our flame dwindle away.”
“This is what it all comes down to, Armstrong, it comes down to the fact that you believe we need more blood to be shed for our home to prosper even more, you are an advocate towards war, you are wanting more wars than anything else, and that would include something that could become comparable or even worse than that of the civil war, just because you want everyone to fight for themselves, and let them all die by one another’s hand just for even the slightest of arguments.”
But, before he can speak again, Armstrong interrupts him, “Are you dense? I am NOT saying any of that bullshit! I am here trying to stop war! I’m only using war as a business to get elected! Just so I can end war as a business. You believe I am actively asking for war, no. Well, not to the extent you are thinking. Sure, war does benefit the economy a lot. Everyone is fighting for a singular cause, more jobs, more work, everyone is trying to get along. Yeah, a war can help us to some extent, as like you had said.”
“However, we don’t always need war. War, it continues to be a constitition to show that while a lot would be fighting for a similar cause, it doesn’t mean that THEY believe in that same cause. They could believe in an entirely different cause, one that is so vastly different from the other that it is questionable on why they should even be there anymore. So, why are they even there? Why are they there, fighting for a cause that they don’t believe in? I will tell you why, Valentine, it is because everyone expects you to believe the same thing.”
“That is a flaw in your idealogy, you think everyone is going to believe the exact same thing. But yet you are able to counter your own argument using the civil war. The north wanted the slaves to be free, while the confederacy wanted to keep slaves. They were on two sides, and ended up going to war, meaning that a number of Americans would end up dying due to the events. It would show that not only do we not always believe the exact same thing, but the fact that we are always fighting against one another for anything.”
“It can be over anything, ranging from slavery all the way down to who is a better movie star. I hate it. Some things are worth fighting for, such as the civil war and them giving freedom, but to see Americans fighting over who had a better acting career, even threatening one another just because of that? It almost makes me think we’re in some kind of show. People are willing to actually kill one another, just for that small reason? Because you are on the boat of thinking one actor is over the other? It is almost sickening with how sad it is.”
“It’s why we need more fighting, however, because eventually, one side of any argument will win, and prove itself to be the right one. It would be the one person proving that they themselves are in the right, no matter what it is. And in the end, after all of that is said and done, one side had just proven themselves to be right. And there would be no one to try and go against him until someone else decided to fight for that other cause, and they would be hellbent on making sure that they were in the right.”
“But, I don’t want us to be arguing over celebrities, random trivia questions, or anything like that, I want everyone to be fighting for ideals! I want everyone to be fighting for their own goals! I want everyone to be fighting for a chance at their own destiny! I see a world where it is like that, and by that point, all other wars have stopped for we have all come down to that very same conclusion. What is that conclusion? Well, it can depend what exactly you are fighting for, specifically speaking.”
“This is why I say that we need to keep this train going until the very end of it all. It’s why I think what I am doing, I need to keep this train humming along no matter what it would take. Even war, especially war. The seeds had been planted long before over what is needed for us to survive. The seeds that had been planted for us to figure out what exactly we each are fighting towards, that is what our world is. It is just constant seed planting and making sure to see what is able to survive in this world, and what is unable to.”
“That is why I will be the leader, because anyone can come up and take my hand and I will show them the wonders of what it truly is like to be free. What it means to fight for your own ideals, forget anyone elses’ goals. You are going to do what YOU really want to do, it doesn’t matter if it is big or small, as long as you are going out there and being ready to fight for what you think you need, that is what I wish for America to become.”
And after he makes that speech, he then realizes that Valentine had found a way to get the both of them to stall one another by giving out their own speeches about their causes, which somewhat impresses Armstrong. He lets out a chuckle before then giving an emotionless look at Valentine, who, obviously, starts to slowly back away from the towering senator who continues to slowly approach him. Funny tries to reload his revolver, which he is able to do, but the moment he tries to shoot it, Armstrong grabs the barrel of it in his bare hand.
Valentine tries shooting a bullet, but instead of piercing through Armstrong’s skin or anything, the bullet didn’t go anywhere. It was as if it was still somewhat in the chamber, but as the two stood there still, Armstrong gave a smug look before he told Valentine something. “Nice gun.” And like that, Armstrong twists his hand a little, resulting in the barrel of the revolver to twist and end up snapping off, making Valentine stumble back onto the ground. Where it was there he was forced to realize that his gun, well, it had been completely fucked up.
He turns away from Armstrong, looking at his now broken revolver before then throwing it at Armstrong, which has very little effect on the senator. Steven looks at the gun when it hits his abdoment as it basically bounced off like it had hit a wall. So, as the gun fell, he looked at Funny, who was, at the moment, realized that he had something he might’ve regretted. Which he did as Armstrong starts charging at Valentine yet again, who has to start running away from Steven, who continues to charge at him like he was some kind of freight train.
Funny does whatever he can to evade all of the attempted charges from Armstrong, stepping out of the way, ducking, even having to roll out of the way at some points. But, no matter how many times it happened, Armstrong kept charging at him like a machine. So, Valentine has to continuously evade attack after attack from Armstrong. Eventually leading up to Armstrong charging straight through a brick wall. Valentine sees the hole that had been left there by the senator, and he thinks there might’ve been a chance at stopping Armtsrong, but from the darkness, Armstrong continues his charge.
Even running at such a speed that when he shoulder tackled Funny, he ended up doing a flip mid air from the force that had just been put onto him. He lands on the ground face first before Armstrong lifts him up by the hair. Valentine is visibly in pain, as seen by his face, but he continues to try and get away from Armstrong. But, that was of no use for Armstrong had already let go of him. And by that, I mean Armstrong threw Valentine into a different wall nearby, causing a number of the bricks to fall down.
Valentine covers his head to try and prevent said bricks from bonking him on the back of the head, which does work, but he only has a little bit of time before Armstrong lifts him back up and starts to choke the president while slamming him against the wall. “Played college ball, Valentine. I could’ve gone pro if I hadn’t joined the navy. But no matter what I did, I at least kept my promises. And with that, I know for damn certain this promise is going to be the same. I am going to physically rip you in two with my bare hands!” He yells out before throwing Valentine up into the air.
Valentine is airborn for a good number of seconds before falling back down, which Armstrong backs up and then runs forward a little while yelling out “Don’t fuck with this senator!” As he punt kicks Valentine, making the latter practically fly away due to the force that had just been put onto him before he hits a metal pole on the stage while Armstrong pushes up his glasses. And if you were to be one of the two, you could’ve sworn you heard a crowd cheering after that great kick.
Valentine gets up and stares at Armstrong, who stands the distance away from the stage. Valentine still stumbles a lot and is barely able to even stand up from all the punishment he has had to deal with. But, he still persists to stand up after everything he had been put through. Valentine uses a new napkin and wipes more of the blood off of himself before then raising it up into the air. He then stands there, holding the bloodied napkin up, which makes Armstrong chuckle at this before he continues to walk towards Valentine who then speaks out.
“This, Armstrong, is evidence of a strong leader. A leader who continues to fight against those who dare oppose him. This is the proof that I am the one who was meant to lead the United States towards greatness. No matter what happened to myself, I continued to fight until the very end. No matter how much of my own blood is spilt, I will constantly get back up, and I will fight for my home. I will not fall no matter what you try and do. So, do not be surprised if I continue to fight.”
“For years, I have sought proof that our nation is great. That our people are superior, our ideals unmatched, our willpower unassailable. Yet time and time again, I was wounded by the doubts of those around me. But today, when my own blood drips from this napkin, I stand to prove our nation is as strong as its people. And Armstrong, you shall see exactly what it means to lead with conviction. And it will not only prove I am the right choice, but it will also prove how you were never meant to have any kind of power.”
After Funny says this, he puts the napkin up and looks out towards Armstrong, who is still off the stage, who just gives a slow clap at this little bit of wording that had just been said. Funny is unable to tell if Armstrong was doing this out of mockery or of anything else that could be bad, but what Armstrong says next, well, it surprises the hell out of him. “You’re right, it’s the bloodshed that proves who is strong. And you, Valentine, you are strong, you have proven yourself to be strong by this display, I am impressed.”
And so, Valentine started to give a smile and was about to speak, but then Armstrong continued to talk. “However, that’s the thing about being strong, just because you are strong in one sense, it doesn’t make you strong entirely in every possible way. You are still weak in your ideals, son. You still think that just because you are able to shed blood for your people, it makes you some kind of guardian angel out there, ready to defend everyone else from any sort of danger that is to come their way. And at first it is fine, but then you become stronger only makes everyone else weaker.”
“You think just by being strong yourself makes everyone else as strong as you, but you are wrong. You are making them weaker because as you use yourself as a shield, they are all thinking they can go out and do whatever the hell they want. They think that they don’t need to worry anymore because they have you to act as a shield for them. You think that they will train themselves to become stronger like you, but really, you are only going to make them become lazier more than anything.”
“And as they become lazy, the more you would have to keep acting as the shield, taking all the knives and bullets head on, continuing to try and tank whatever you are getting hit with. Hoping that on the day you finally are unable to continue your own fighting, others will go out of their way and take over for you, acting as a shield themselves. But, really, the moment you end up dying, leaving all of them vulerable for shit like this, they aren’t going to stand up and fight. They are going to whimper and shit themselves.”
“They would think that they would never have to worry about fighting since you were there, so they would just be sitting there, indulging themselves in whatever the hell they would be wanting. It wouldn’t matter what it is they are doing. They could be indulging themselves in so much food they die from a heart attack or they could be trying to be in bed with God knows how many people as if it were to be some kind of record that needed to be broken, it would not matter as the moment your shield falls, they are all fucked.”
“They would be scrambling around one another, not knowing what they need to do. They would be running around as if they were all wild animals. They would be constantly trampling over one another, leaving one another for dust, and that one that left the other for dust, they’d probably end up being shot themselves because they just didn’t know what they were needing to do to make themselves safe. They would just be trying to find something, someone that could protect them, and sure, they might find someone who is out there willing to fight.”
“However, that is a rare occurrence in your ideal world, and that person out there continues to fight for everything and is willing to take all the knives and bullets themselves, they are a good person, they are a real American patriot, but like you, they would not be some kind of eternal shield. They would also eventually fall despite their own best efforts, and that would mean more trampling and everything. Valentine, your idea that you can single handedly control everything through your own might is admirable, but you fail to remember that everyone needs a chance to be ready for whatever is to come at them.”
“Because if they aren’t, they will just die before your own shield falls. They would see that as long as you are there saving them from whatever threat is out there, they could go out of their way and do things in the states that would allow more crimes, more ruthless aggression against everyone else, and they’d all be forced to be stuck with it all under you because you think that everyone is going to constantly follow you. Yeah, alright, some people might follow you, but that wouldn’t mean they would believe everything you say.”
“They would only use that as an advantage for themselves as they get away with whatever they are wanting to do, because they are in a new mindset that as long as you are out there, they would just follow you because they are using that shield for themselves. You are constantly looking forwards instead of looking back at whatever is happening in the states because you are so hellbent on leading us towards a better future that the moment you finally turn back around, there would be no more future as there would be no one left out there for that future.”
“You are constantly just thriving towards a better future, and that is fine, but that is because you are just so naive to think we need to all be on the same page to ever have a chance at surviving, and if we aren’t on the exact same page or word, then that’d mean we got no chance in hell. We need freedom, Valentine, but your idea of freedom for the people only means more and more civil wars, the very thing that you are wishing to prevent. However, what I want is fighting and wars, at least I know it is happening.”
“In my own America, while I myself am standing out there being a shield, there would be others, fighting for their own cause. Others out there are constantly fighting to have their own destiny. I would not be the one only shield out there on the battlefield, but one of hundreds, thousands, millions even, all fighting for their own cause. So if one were to fall down, there would be another to take its place as everyone is fighting for their own rights for something.”
“Others will look up and see that they too need to fight because just a singular hole in a wall could let a rat slip through the tracks and destroy everything we have. And that rat, sure, it might not do anything at first, but then more and more will get through our defenses, they will continue to pile through a singular hole because we let them get through. We let them get past our wall. It’s just enough to get it where everyone is out there, willing to fight just so we don’t have to deal with some kind of rat problem like they did in Europe a number of centuries ago.”
“So, yeah, that’s why I believe in the thing I believe in, Valentine. We need to have it where not only is our leader defending our home from everything that could ever get past it, but because we’d be defending everything we each hold to ourselves, well, ourselves. We would be fighting individually yet together. We’d be fighting through to see what needs to be dealt with in our home so that those things can be taken care of, and even if that were to cost a few lives? Then so be it.”
“We would still be fighting together in a way that lets us remain as the United States, but also in a way that would deter anyone from the outside to ever try and attack us. Because they would be dealing with so many different ideals and everything that they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. They would think they would destroy our home, but really, they are only able to strengthen it. It would make our defenses higher, make our shields stronger, it would only make us ready for whatever could go after us and wouldn't ever be able to get past us a second time or anymore after that like it did in 2001.”
And after he finishes talking, Valentine seems visibly confused about that end bit, you can guess why, but that doesn’t stop him from considering the idea that Armstrong had just proposed, and after a few moments, he gives off his own little clap at Armstrong’s speech. To which Armstrong gives a slight chuckle as he pulls out a cigar and starts smoking again, because yeesh, he has a lot of cigars, but still, Armstrong slowly starts walking towards the stage once more, where Valentine prepares his own rebuttal to what Armstrong said.
“I see what you mean, Armstrong. However, there is a problem with what has been stated by you. You see, while having numerous shields stopping everything is a good idea in concept, you fail to realize that, despite what our founding fathers said, not all men, or in this case, shields, are created equal. Now, with our rights to the constitution and everything of that nature, yes, we are all equal in those terms. What I am meaning is that not everyone is equal in their own willpower for these kinds of events.”
“You should know that well considering your idealogy. Some people are out there, willing to fight for their own ideals, they are willing to go out there on a suicide mission if they must for their goals. It is an effort a lot of people are willing to go to. However, ‘some people’ is not everyone. Because the rest of them are not ready for something like that. They are unable to fight for themselves, they are, well, they are sadly weak. They are unable to fight. And if push comes to shove, they would likely rather die than try to fight.”
“And if you are wondering what I am talking about here, well, there are two ways that someone could bypass the wall you have built with all those shields. The first, is, of course, the fact that not everyone is willing to go out there and fight. I have just said this, so when there could be a hole between two different shields, then that could make it where all those supposed rats you speak of are able to get through since there is no one out there willing to fight, making our home be run over by a numerous amount of the rodents.”
“And then there is the second thing, and that is those who deceive our home. There may be people who hold those shields in the frontline, but maybe that is because they are doing so just so that they are able to witness first hand a rat get through. They could have the ability to stop it, no, they do have the ability to stop that rat from bypassing, but they do not care, they might let it slip past them, and eventually, they might think it is almost comedic to see what would happen if they let more through.”
“So, whenever no one is looking, or when everyone else is defending the frontlines, this person would be letting the rats in, and making sure that they are able to get past everything else, just to see what would happen. And eventually, they would likely just leave their post to defend those rats from being killed by others who are trying to defend our home. That is the main problem. Even with all of those giant numbers, how are we to be so certain they will all do what is told?”
“Your ideals, Armstrong, they are breaking apart when you start to realize that there could be an imposter among us. And just that one person, it could be anyone. It could be a feeble old woman, it could be a soldier who was bribed to betray his country, it does not matter. What it all ends up down to is the fact that it could be because of anyone that our nation would end up letting many of those supposed rats you speak of into it, and bringing many unfavorable things into it to where we would end up falling due to it.”
“All because we had to put our faith into too many people. That is a major problem of all of that, you are in the mindset of thinking that with all these people, we will be more safe, but really we would end up being in even more danger due to how we don’t know if we could trust all of them. So, how would we be so certain that we would be alright in case of anything such as that? The answer is that we can’t be certain. We would have to take a risk to believe in such a thing.”
“And while some risks can be taken, not all risks need to be taken, and a portion of them do not ever need to be considered. And your idea for what needs to be done is one of those risks that should not ever be considered in any sort of chance. We cannot put our lives into the hands of so many other people to where if they were to fail, what would happen to any of us? We would see more of those walls continue to fall as more of those rats would crawl through them all.”
“Your idea of the shielded wall proves a fatal flaw as there are numerous holes between each person, so they might not notice something slithering through that small hole, so it would be risky to say having more than one is a good idea. Because, as I just said, all those different shields, well, they are not connected, they are only being put side by side to one another, that does not fix the hole that is between all of them. Because it is those holes that would then result in everything to eventually fall down. All because there are numerous shields and numerous holes between them all.”
“That is why we need someone to lead in front of everyone else. Because when it is one large shield, it would have no holes, for it is just a singular unit. That one unit would provide care for all other things that are to stand behind it, and it would be blocking out any rats that are to try and get through it. And how is it doing that? Well, there is no hole for those rats to squeeze through. There is nothing for them to try and get past to get into the nation. It would all prove futile.”
“And while yes, there would be those who try and say that those behind the shield not having to do anything would become lazy, that is you arguing against your own philosophy, which is quite ironic. You see, while there would be some that do become lazy, those that do decide to abuse the safety and ruin themselves. However, there are also those who are ready to fight behind me. There are those who are standing there, ready to attack if a singular rat were to ever make a hole into my shield.
“And the moment that rat tries to peek its head out, well, it would no longer have a head on its body. And at that time, it would be where they would realize that I myself am weakening, and someone else needs to take up the mantle for me. However, I will continue to fight until my dying breath. I will fight until my last breath leaves my body, and by that point, everything would have been taken care of. Someone else, they would have seen all of my efforts and would’ve taken up right after me. Proving that they know what is required for them to survive.”
“You are seeing humans as animals, Armstrong. You are seeing them encaged. You say you want everyone to be free to fight for themselves, but because of all this fighting, how would they ever leave their own home? How could they go out of their way to fight for their own beliefs if someone else were to be fighting for it for you, or what if you just never had a chance to fight and instead got a bullet right through your head the moment you leave?
“You are only putting them into cages more than you are freeing them. You are trying to make them all willingly leave their own home just so they could end up dying. That is more than a charge of some level of manslaughter, no, you are indirectly the murderer of so many loyal Americans. You are forcing them all to go out and fight for a cause that might’ve never had a chance to come to fruition. You are practically giving them a priceless gem that could change their entire lives forever, and then you really quickly snatch it back and give them merely a lump of coal.”
“That is not right. That is why when you all follow one person, that is why when the people follow behind me, they are able to leave their own home, and join behind and right beside other Americans, fighting for a cause they can all agree towards. And what is that cause? It is to make America prosper. It is to make sure that our nation, the United States of America, we are the strongest, we are the greatest, we are the absolute number one among any other nations, and that would prove it completely.”
“So, with that said, Armstrong, your arguments continue to break and crack the more you try and endorse them to the outside world. They were alright inside of a vacuum, but the moment you tried to bring it out for something that isn’t in a controlled area, then it would destroy itself right on the spot. You are only looking at it in an imaginary sense, while I, I look at the whole picture. I see all the possible failures that could come with what I am planning, so I am able to make adjustments to get around those possible failures, rendering it where I will win.”
Valentine then straightens his jacket before, at the last moment, realizing Armstrong had just charged directly at him, knocking the president down to the ground. Valentine is then picked up by Armstrong, who uses both of his hands to hold Valentine by his head. Valentine’s eyes widen with shock as he tries to move away from Armstrong, but is unable to do so due to Armstrong’s overwhelming strenght over him. Armstrong continues to hold him there before headbutting the president, causing Valentine’s nose to practically turn to the side due to it being broken, but Valentine is still trying to get away before Armstrong starts talking.
“You slipperly little bastard! You want to talk imaginary? What about all the times you try to tell me how everyone is just the mindless shit for brain zombies that are in your America? What kind of shit is any of that for? And where is your evidence behind any of that bullshit? What happens when any of those people decide they want to leave that path or go home instead of following you to their death? What are they? I will tell you what they are, Valentine, they are the people who are actually strong!”
Armstrong then headbutts Valentine again before kneeing him in the stomach and then throwing Valentine into the ground as he has done before. Armstrong then picks Valentine up again and holds him by the neck, squeezing said neck of Valentine, who is barely able to move, and can easily be seen as his life slowly fades away from his eyes. Armstrong, acknowledging this, finally lets go, letting Valentine drop to the ground, while gasping for air, and also slowly trying to back away from the senator. Yet, he still is trying to talk, but is unable to do so because of all that had happened.
So, Armstrong continues his own speech once more while Valentine tries to recooperate about what to do. “You know, no one will remember you for anything you have done. You might’ve gotten a really good approval rating and got almost all of America on your side during that first time you won, but this time, you won’t even have a chance at becoming another president who has gained a second term. No one will remember you because once we look back at the tree that is America, we will realize that it is utterly trashed.”
“It has been so badly destroyed that the only option left is to burn it down, or more likely to just pull it out by the roots, just so that we can manually plant a new seed, a new seed that is able to withstand everything else that had come before. Terrorists, wars, all of that bullshit, none of it would be able to affect the new tree that has just been planted. There would never have to be another reason why we’d need to have to be at war since by this point, war would be more like a business than anything else.”
“We would be there, we would be able to stand on the branches of the tree without a care in the world, taking whatever we would want. Because in this new America, it wouldn’t just be apples or oranges, no, there would be many more fruits growing on it. And with how it’d work, eventually some of them would fall off so that the best fruits are able to survive. No matter what fruits it may be, it could be the earlier apples and oranges, it could be coconuts and bananas, it doesn’t matter, for in the end, the best one out of the bunch would be the victor of it all.”
“And that is the thing about war, everyone says there are no winners, only losers, if that were the case, then how come the slaves became free in the civil war? How come America became free in the Revolution? There are winners in war, and I am going to prove that America and the people in it are the ultimate ones that are able to win at the end of all things, no matter what it would take, and if it’d cost a few lives? Then so be it.”
“War, as said, is now seen as a business, with a lot of companies offering their own aid in those wars, just to make a quick buck. They are willing to help in a war just because it is business, good business as a matter of fact. War continues as an institution for those who don’t have a cause to fight for, they are only fighting because they are being told to. That is all it is comng down to. Just a bunch of men who continue to fight for things they don’t even care about. And that is something you are basically promoting, Valentine.”
“You are having everyone follow behind you into whatever battle you think you need to fight, ignoring whatever the others say because you think you are always going to be right no matter what it is, and that is rotten to the core. There is no saving you, or your idea of America. That is why this is your final interview, Valentine. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everyone forgets that a president such as yourself will be forgotten in the tapestry of our history, no matter what it takes.”
And like that, Armstrong picks Valentine up again before headbutting him once more, seemingly cracking the skull of Valentine who is very much in pain, but can’t do much about it as Armstrong grabs the two sides of Valentine’s head yet again and starts to push his hands together, similar to the one Omni-Man scene. Armstrong continues to squeeze before also headbutting Valentine yet again, where Valentine’s eyes clearly show he is practically dead at this point before Armstrong lets go of Valentine, where he ends up still standing for a few moments, but not for long as Armstrong throws his hands back and then throws then together right onto the two sides of Valentine’s head, causing his head to explode into a bloodied mess.
The rest of Valentine’s body slumps down onto its knees before then falling all the way, leaving only that of a bloodied pool of, well, blood slowly oozing out while Armstrong wipes his hands on his shirt after that moment. He continues to look down at the body of the now dead president before him as he then gets a call from the codec, which he takes a moment to respond to while he continues to look at Valentine’s dead body.
“Yeah, he’s dead. Head got turned into a bloodied paste. Don’t really see how he’d come back from that one.” Armstrong says, responding to whoever was on the other side of the call, before taking a moment to respond to the other side once again. “What to do to stop the press from wondering what happened here? Well, the guards here should be our own, so all those people who ran out, they should have been detained, for a while at least so that they can try and be calmed down and be told some random story to believe. That or they can get some money for compensation, whatever the method is, no one will suspect that we’re the ones behind this.”
“They’re going to be told what to believe/ Which is, heh, ironic given that is what Valentine was trying to do. The whole believing someone else blindly just so that you can feel some level of safety. But yeah, everything should be good now. Valentine’s been killed, the press should be contained and have been told a way to where it’d look like some kind of terrorist group trying to kill the both of us to start some revolution instead of just him, everything has been taken care o- Hang on, I think I see something,” Armstrong says as he looks at the podium that had been knocked down, which is seemingly moving some.
And as it continues to slightly move, it eventually practically flies up and is shot away as if some invisible force moved it, and what was under the podium? It was Valentine, somehow, who completely flabbergasted Armstrong as he looked at Valentine standing up with no scratches, blood, or anything to show the damage that Armstrong had caused earlier. Yet, Valentine still gives a sort of disgusted look at Armstrong who then tells the other on the codec something. That something was, “I’ll call you back.” Before he just continues to look at Valentine, who then decides to speak out while he holds onto a U.S flag that was nearby.
“You simply do not seem to understand, Armstrong, the journey I have taken to make sure our country achieves greatness far exceeds anything you could ever imagine. This quest I will not forsaken is one of justice, one that will change the history of all else to make sure I am able to reace a plane of existence so that America may as well be over the heavens itself. It is a power that I have to make sure I keep. And only I can use this power. It is something that is far beyond your own understanding.”
“Just like how you do not understand my own power to make sure America is able to thrive, you do not understand the actions I will take to make sure of it. And it is something that is far beyond your own power. You are physically strong, yes, but you simply do not have what it takes to be president. Whatever it may be, these are the results of filthy acts at a reasonable price, this is what you get when the time comes, this is the power of D4C, this is Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Valentine says as his Stand D4C appears next to him.
And he wasn’t wrong, Armstrong couldn’t even see D4C despite it being right next to Valentine, in his perspective, Valentine was just standing there, almost doing a somewhat pose. Yet D4C, it was still something Armstrong could not perceive, it is something he could not even understand, but Armstrong only mocks Valentine with a quick joke, “Really? You think some song is going to give you the power to win a fight and an entire election? I knew you had a screw loose, Valentine, but I never knew that was the only screw left on ya,” He continues to laugh before slightly approaching Valentine, who takes a single step back, which makes Armstrong give off a whole entire speech just for that.
“You see, that is your problem, Valentine. The moment conflict is right in front of you, you are already taking steps back, because you aren’t ready for what is to come. You are not fit to be a president. That singular step has just proven to me that you are a coward, yet, you somehow think people are going to follow you till the very ends of the earth just because you put the right spin on whatever shit you are saying? You are continuing to make only a fool of yourself.”
“If everyone is going to follow you, does that mean they are all going to also take that step back when danger finally arrives? No, they won’t. They will be thinking that you are ready for whatever is to come your way, so they will all continue to walk forward as you try and stop, but you can’t stop a large number of people from continuing, because you’re only one person, right? It’d be stupid to think that you could do that.”
“You’d just end up being pushed right into whatever it was, being unable to prevent the conflict as you try to run from it, try and escape it from ever occuring, just because you are scared, and you’d be trying to find some way to wiggle your way out of it, and if that is the case, then you’ve just let all those blind followers of yours end up in the battlefield, allowing you to watch each and every single one of them get shot, just because you were too afraid of a conflict so that you had to take a step back.”
“So, what do you think you are, Valentine? Some heroic person just because you were in the military? Well, news flash, just because you were, it doesn’t make you good. I was in the Navy, and I was damn good at it, but did I see any combat? No. And I know you have those scars from being tortured, and I will admit, you’re strong for being able to withstand all of that bullshit. But, how exactly did you get into that situation? How exactly did you end up getting captured?”
“Were you fighting for your damn life and eventually captured? Or were you just a sloth letting all those other guys take the bullet before you ended up being captured? Is that what happened? Did you really just let your own fellow Americans die just because you were too lazy to try and even fight for yourself? You’re weak. You’re pathetic. Your life is practically as valuable as an ant in the summer. You only survive because you are lucky and survived one hard encounter and that is it. That is all you’ve ever done, and yet you want to call yourself a real American?”
But before Armstrong is able to finish, Valentine then speaks up and argues for his ownself. “I fought valianetly for this nation, I fought through all the pain that war can bring. I survived the torture I was put through because I was doing it for the name of America. And it is so that the people can speak to me, and I will speak for them if they are unable to. I speak for America, they do not speak through you. And yet, I can continue to bend it all towards my own will to achieve what I believe is needed.”
“I am fighting for a better tomorrow, Armstrong, but this future is not one of simply peace as you’d expect. Instead, the only way to achieve peace is to take out any that could possibly oppose me before I am able to then look towards the peace, and that would also include you. You are standing in my way of making sure that this country, this nation can be great. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure everything is right. I will make sure that everyone in this world can achieve a better tomorrow.”
“I will make sure everyone has a chance to be happy, a chance to live free from the consequences of war, a chance of eternal peace. That is what I wish to find for our future. And I will do whatever it takes to take control of the situation at hand. I will make sure all is well in America, no matter what it takes to make sure of it. And if it means killing you, then I will make sure that you die right here, and right now. That is how far I am willing to go for America.”
“Though, tell me, Armstrong, when you are at the dinner table and you see the silverware in front of you, what do you do once you sit down? How exactly do you handle that situation? Do you wait for others? Do you go ahead and do as you please? It doesn't matter what you do in that situation, because if you do it first, others will follow you. If you take the bite out of the turkey at a Thanksgiving feast, if you grab the fork first, or if you grab the napkin and put it on your lap, others will follow if you are the first.”
“And that is what the thing is, Armstrong, do you take the napkin on the left, or do you take the napkin on the right? The left is seen as the more proper or ‘correct’ answer in this situation, because, as said, it is seen as the more proper way of handling things, it is the thing that many would see as the gentleman’s way of doing things. That is what any correct person would do, however, what happens when you are the first to take the napkin, and you end up taking the right?”
“Well, then everyone else will follow behind me in what I do. They will all believe that I have done the right thing in this situation. They will go into a thinking process that I am the one that is leading the charge, and so they must follow behind me. It doesn’t matter what class you are in, if you do it first, all others will follow. You could be a low class person who has rags for clothing, but you still end up taking the right side napkin first, and as the time comes, the rich man does the same.”
“That is how society works. When one person does something, it is seen as the right way to do it, and that is what the true answer is to which napkin you take first at the dinner table is. The left side is only seen as the ‘correct’ manner because it has become a common trait, but really, it is determined by the one who takes his or her own napkin first. If they take the napkin from the right, then there is no choice for others than to do the same as the other did prior to them.”
“And if they go with the left, then the same thing will end up occurring. Tell me, who is the one who determines the price of land? Who was the one who determind the value of the money that we use? The size of the tracks and trains? The magnitude of electricty? Who is out there to detremine the right and wrong? Who determines that violence breeds violence more and more? Who is to argue these things? It is the one who takes their chance and strikes first, they are the ones who can realistically determine all of these things.”
“That singular man is the reason to why we all do everything that one way. Because they striked first, and we had no choice but to follow behind them, and that is how I will lead my country. Tell me, if Jesus Christ himself were at the table, and he took his napkin to the right, would you not follow? Because you would, even the Pope would follow behind him, an atheist would as well because it would only seem right since Christ himself had taken the napkin first before any of the others.”
“Not because he believes, because the atheist believes that there is no god, but instead, he follows because it is apparent that he must follow what the others have done since it is the proper way to do so at the table. The napkin is the equilibrium of society, and as the universe as a whole. No matter what era it is, this principle of the napkin will always remain the same despite how it could change. It might not be a napkin, it might be a simple feather, when people write down things to give a message to others from a distance.”
“Someone only uses a white feather to do it, and it has since become the staple for how everyone else seems to believe they must use the napkin. It doesn’t matter how it occurs, the principle always stays the same, and we can both agree on that. And as that is the case, to make sure my country is always the safe haven that it is, then I will be the one to always take action first. And, in this singular case, no matter what the issue is, I, Funny Valentine, will always take the first napkin!”
“And only I can fill this role, the man who is most respected will be the one to follow, and that is why the man in rags is the to follow from the example earlier, not because he is poor, but because he is the most respected while the rich man is despised by all those there, because they do not want to deal with him. And if the man in rags ended up being idiotic, then we must throw him out, and let the elder choose, for they are usually the most respected among the entire table during dinner time.”
And after Valentine finishes his speech, Armstrong snickers at this, the whole napkin principle was something he found funny, almost like it would be something a comedian would say. So, after that quick little snicker, Armstrong stretches a little before looking at Valentine, ready to tell him something. And that something is the truth. “Alright, the truth then. I do need capital, Valentine. And votes, wanna know why? I have a dream!” He says bombastically, to which Valentine can only let out a small “What?” before Armstrong ends up starting his own speech as a rebuttle to whatever Valentine had just said.
“The napkin principle, I can see what you mean. You are sitting there at the table, ready to eat a delicious meal, and suddenly, you see everyone else taking their napkins and putting it in their laps, and you’d probably consider doing the exact same thing because it’d appear to be the right thing for you to do. But, that’s the thing, why are you focusing on everyone else? Why are you trying to get everyone to think you are one in the same? It’s like you’re just another sheep in the herd being led by some dog.”
“Well, that damn mutt can go frollic in the fields for all I care, I ain’t going to be listening to it! I do not see why I, or anyone as a matter of fact, should ever try and thrive to be doing the exact same thing as everyone else. There is no reason for anything like that to happen. There is no reason why we all need to follow the herd, but we need to be free! We can bust those pearly white fence gates down on the farm and go feed on whatever we damn well please!”
“We are all going to be sitting there, ready for whatever hell is out there to await us, and that is what you think we need to do? No! We need to go out and run, run like hell! Run until our legs give in, or until we reach whatever we want in that field. Whether we’re trying to go get the corn or the pumpkin, it doesn’t matter, we need to take our chance and go for it, no matter what it is. That mutt that is trying to round us all up? That dog is nothing but a metaphor.”
“A metaphor for those trying to take control. A metaphor for people trying to take advantage of everything that we have. It doesn’t care about us, it doesn’t matter if one of us dies, it only cares for its own control over everything else. There is no care for the amount of sheep it has, it only cares that it has sheep that it can control. Though, that doesn’t mean it will let you go out freely. If you try and escape the dog, it will go out of its way to hunt you down and force you back to all the others.”
“And if you don’t want to, then it will kill you because it can’t control you. That whole napkin is the same thing, the one who takes it first is expecting everyone else to follow right behind themselves. And I don’t want to, no, instead, the moment I get my food, I will just start eating without a care in the damn world. It doesn’t matter if someone else has already taken the supposed first napkin, I am going to do what I want, damnit! I will act like a fucking pig for all I care, as long as it means I don’t need to follow some idiotic piece of shit!”
“This is what my dream is, Valentine. It is so that one day, everyone in this nation will control their own destiny. A land of the truly free damnit! A nation of action!” He says before ending up trying to charge at Valentine, but before he can reach him, D4C threw a punch at Armstrong, which does stop him for a moment, but while he couldn’t see anything, but whatever it was that turned Armstrong’s body a black color did harden in response to the punch that was thrown by the Stand.
“The hell was that?” Armstrong asked, which Valentine is able to give a response to, “As I already told you, my power is beyond anything you could ever perceive, Armstrong. And I was not lying when I told you those words.” Yet, Armstrong just looks at him, and then decides to walk forward again, but D4C, once again, throws a punch, however, this time, Armstrong is able to somewhat stand his ground as the punch was thrown. And so, he stays there and lets out a chuckle and then looks directly at Valentine, who looks very concerned as Armstrong starts approaching once again.
D4C attacks yet again, but Armstrong is able to continue walking, despite the force. And so, Valentine, who is now VERY concerned, more so than just a few moments ago, started backing away while Armstrong continued to approach him, not caring about whatever the hell is attacking him. Yet, D4C continues to throw numerous punches at Armstrong, but they all almost have little to no effect on the senator. Even to where D4C is practically doing a Stand barrage onto Armstrong’s chest, Armstrong just continues to stand there while all the punches are being thrown, but to no avail for the president’s Stand.
After that moment, Valentine is visibly shaken by this encounter, and he continues to back up some, trying to even bring out Cream Starter but as he does, Armstrong smacks it out of his hand. Which makes Valentine run a distance away as he has done. But Armstrong doesn’t follow suit automatically, instead, he focuses mostly on trying to continue what he was saying. “So, as I was saying, a nation of action is what I want. And I mean it, I want there to be those going out and taking action and not be using just some stupid words! Let them fight! Everyone needs to be willing to fight! It’s like the old saying, most people are practically just dogs in this era, and not in a good way.”
“They are almost all bark and no bite. They can talk all they want, but once they actually get into some kind of fight, they probably just end up pissing themselves because they don’t know what else to do outside cowar in fear because now they actually have to defend themselves. Most people think they can go onto some sort of social media and say their opinion, whether it’s a common one or an unpopular one, they think that the screen will protect them from whatever happens as all he does is receive threats from people who he doesn’t need to worry about.”
“They are in a state of mind that they can just do as they please. Go to whatever website they want and say whatever they damn well please, and that is fair to some degree. It doesn’t prevent the consequences of them doing it. They can recieve a bunch of threats, some could be those jokesters on the internet, or it could be someone seriously offended by this person’s words, and they’d threaten to kill that person for it, or even have a chance at them telling this person to kill themselves just because they have their own opinion.”
“And so, this person would probably have a bit of fear in them from someone saying those threats, but why should he worry? It’s just someone that is on his screen, they can’t do anything to him, right? Wrong! Next thing he knows, he just got his address leaked to the internet, and now people who threatened him actually know exactly where he is, and it can allow them to go after him just to do what they said they wanted to do. They can go out of their way to kill this dude, just because it was his opinion.”
“But who is to blame if it was a battle in court? Because, sure, the guy who went out of their way to murder someone just because of their opinion would be seen as guilty, but the person who made that controversial take could also be seen as having put themself into that position. It’d be their own fault, they knew what they were doing, they knew what they were getting into, and they still went through with it. And that is what I hate now, there are people who think they can just go out and do things without consequences.”
“That is what the problem is. It isn’t the murdering, no, we need to fight for what we think is right and what is wrong, and that guy who was ready to fight to defend his ideals was in the right. He knew what he believed in, and he was willing to put his life at risk for it, meanwhile the other guy was just expecting that he’d be free. It’s stupid to think that he’d do anything without something happening to ‘em. So, there is no one that they can blame for someone trying to kill them other than themselves.”
“They can only be at fault for not being ready to physically defend their ideals, their own opinions. You can talk all kinds of bullshit that you pull straight out of your own ass, but the moment someone throws a punch, you aren’t ready for it, you were just expecting to always be safe behind that glass screen of yours while people are ranting about whatever you said, or whatever celebrity drama is now occurring. It doesn’t matter what it is, someone can try and defend someone for doing something horrendous just because they look neat, but that’s utterly stupid.”
“If they want to defend someone, then you gotta be ready to go out of your way and be fighting for that person, and if you end up failing horribly? Then so be it, at least you fought until the very end of it all. You were willing to put everything you had on the line to fight for something you wanted, and I admire that. I say that is what we need, that is my dream, Valentine. No committee, we only need those who are willing to use their actions and let those speak for them instead of their own mouth.”
“I see a world where the law changes to suit the individual, a world where a person is able to change the law so that they can do what they believe is right, and not let it be the other way around as it is now. Tell me, you see a man being pinned to the ground, and the guy pinning the other one down is doing to ‘help’ others, but the man that is on the ground can be seen struggling to even get a gasp of air, what do you do in that situation?”
“Well, if you wanted to help the guy on the bottom, you’d have to tackle the guy who is above him, but if you do that, you could end up being seen as a criminal for stopping ‘justice’ from being served. That could be a cop for all you can tell, but why should you stand by and watch something unjust like that happen? You can talk all you want, it isn’t going to get him to stop and let the guy go, but words can only do so much before they decide to just ignore everything you say.”
“You would be stuck there, watching someone unjustifiably be taken down, and you can rant all you want, but your words can’t do shit! You got to be ready to just punch that fucker right in the damn face! You have to be ready to stand above someone else because you know you are in the right, and they are in the wrong! You need to be ready to do all of that! You got to stand above the blood stained sand so that when the time comes, others can take your hand, so that those now barren lands can end.”
“That is how I see myself, Valentine. I will stand above the blood-stained sand, and when the time comes, others can and will take my hand so I can lead them to real goddamn America! Where the power and justice is back where it is meant to be, and that is in the hands of the people! We need to put America back to the way it was before, back to where everyone was able to fight for their own power, fight for their own justice, fight for everything they want to fucking believe in damnit!” Armstrong yells out before now running at Valentine once again.
D4C tries to counter as it did before, but Armstrong continues to charge at Valentine, and is able to grab him by the throat. Valentine continues to squirm around, trying to get the senator to let go, and he even has D4C throw numerous punches at Armstrong, but the power inside of him continues to protect the senator before Armstrong throws Valentine into a nearby wall while D4C goes invisible truly. Valentine stands up and sees a flag next to him. He surrounds himself with it before waving it down to the ground, and ever so slightly lifting it up before putting it back down on what appeared to be some rubble.
However, before he can go and start doing anything again, Armstrong is already there, grabbing him by the neck, ready to go ahead and continue what he had been saying earlier. “In this new world, every man will be free, and when I mean free, I mean free, damnit! They are free to think for themselves, to act for themselves, do whatever they want! Let them go out there and be free to do whatever they believe they need to do! Let them at it!”
“America has grown so concerned over the right and wrong that they forget that at one point, there was no right or wrong, we just did what we needed to because we thought we had to, but then someone decided to ‘take the first napkin’ and make people think that there is a right and wrong. Make them doubt their own intentions, make them question if what they are actually doing is justified. And I despise that! You know what? I’ll take that damn napkin first if this is what it takes. I will take the first napkin!”
And like that, Armstrong ends up throwing Valentine to the ground again, and ends up pulling out Valentine’s handkerchief and then he pulls out his own lighter before lighting the thing on fire, to which Valentine looks in disgust, hate, and sadness while he watches the handkerchief continue to burn in Armstrong’s hand, but before he could let out all those emotions in his own speech, Armstrong just went ahead and continued his own. “I’ve already told you, Valentine, we need to fix America, and I know how to do it, and I’ve told you how we can. We need to tear it out by the root.”
“Tear it out by the roots that are from that old tree from the yester years, wipe the slate clean from any debris inside of the construction field. WE NEED TO BURN IT DOWN!” He yells out before throwing Valentine’s handkerchief to the ground and stomping on it before moving his foot back and forth on top of it, to which Valentine was able to see the thing continue to rip apart while Armstrong continued to do as he did already. But as Armstrong finally moves his foot off of it, it is not only burnt to practically a crisp, but also torn into numerous pieces
Armstrong then continuously stomps on the handkerchief numerous times just because, and with each stomp, it was almost as if the ground under it caved in ever so slightly due to the force he was stomping with while Valentine was only able to watch it happen, and after Armstrong finishes, he swipes his foot over it, spreading whatever remained of it across the floor some. And as he did that, he was able to catch a punch from Valentine, who had just gotten up and attempted to do so, only for it to backfire immediately.
Armstrong holds Valentine’s wrist before then throwing a punch of his own right into Funny’s jaw, which was able to knock a tooth out of Funny’s mouth while he was practically almost at a point of flying away due to how hard Armstrong punched him, but Armstrong kept a hold of Valentine’s wrist, not letting him go. Well for the moment at least.
Because right after that, Armstrong lets go of Valentine, who quickly uses both of his hands to cover his now bloodied mouth, but as he does, Armstrong swings his arm around in a circular motion while he then continuously punched Valentine, but not constantly, more so something like throwing one punch to make Funny fall back some before then throwing another one. And it was during this time, with each punch, he would yell out something like “Fuck all these limp-dick lawyers!” or “Fuck all those chickenshit bureaucrats!” and just yelling out things in that kind of manner.
And then he winds up his fist again to throw a punch that causes Funny to do a 180 degree turn where Armstrong grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back to be right beside him before then proclaiming “FUCK THIS 24-HOUR INTERNET SPEW OF TRIVIA AND CELEBRATY BULLSHIT!” while he then slammed Valentine’s face right into the ground. Yet, Armstrong still had a hold of Valentine’s hair, where he then lifted Funny up again and made him turn to face himself, which revealed that Valentine had even more missing teeth this time, and he was dazed from the blunt force trauma.
Armstrong looked at this and then just threw a giant haymaker punch, causing Valentine to fall to the ground once more with a thud so loud it was almost light thunder, but Armstrong didn’t care. So, he lifted Valentine up once more with a similar result as before with more teeth missing from Valentine and his face a bloody mess alongside a broken nose once again. He was just going to continue his speech. “Fuck America pride! Fuck the media! FUCK ALL OF IT!”
He says while he then kicks Valentine, who then flies back while sliding on the ground on his back, causing his jacket to rip and tear across a decent amount. But before he could even get up, Armstrong had already walked over and put his foot on Valentine’s chest to prevent the president from standing up at any point. Valentine can only really put his hands onto Armstrong’s shoe, trying to lift the senator’s foot off of his chest, but is unable to do so. Yet, all it does is cause Armstrong to put more pressure down onto his chest.
Armstrong looks down at Valentine, who is barely able to breath now, but he still continues what he has to say. “You see? At a time like this, someone could’ve come and stopped me from doing this, but they wouldn’t. Want to know why? Not only because I am in the right here, because I am doing America a great service by killing you, but because America is diseased. Not just by something small like a small little cold, no, we’re infected by the damn black plague at this point. We have no chance at recovering.”
“The tree that is America is now rotten to the core. There is no chance any good fruit can come from it without it being spoiled. Try and pull an apple off the tree, it wouldn’t be the crunchy apple everyone would hope to have, no, you grab it, and it’d just be squishy, there’d be nothing good about that apple. Even just slightly pulling on it would cause it to break open, and it’d just all be mush. There’d be no point in it, it’d serve no useful purpose. It should’ve fallen off the tree and done what was needed of it.”
“And that was to just show that it’s life meant nothing, it had no purpose. There is no saving it. You can give the tree water, you can shine as much light as you want. No matter what you do, there is going to be no saving that tree, so we gotta do what we can to make it ‘better.’ And in this case, we have to pull it out by the roots, not leave a single piece of it left, just so that you can eventually plant a new seed for a new, better tree to grow.”
“Or better yet, we need to send a message, we don’t need to just pull it out by the roots, no, we gotta burn it down!” He yells while stomping on Valentine’s chest as he continues, “That way, there is no chance for it to return, no worrying that America ends up in the shit fest that it currently is in. This is the way we need to do it, let the tree burn, use all the gasoline that you want, just make sure that the tree is burning and that it is able to turn to nothing but ash.”
“That way, from the ash, America can be reborn!” Steven yells out while he stomps on Valentine’s chest, resulting in Funny to let out a giant huff of air, since he literally had his breath taken away from him while Armstrong continues to speak. “It will have evolved, yet not like us, no, it will be untame! It’d become like the reverse of what happened with dogs. Nowadays, most indoor dogs are lazy, believing everyone is just going to give them whatever they want, seeing us pratically as gods for them while they roll around acting cute.”
“Yet, there are those dogs that are ready to kill a man if they get too close. They still have their instincts from long ago, the instincts, the ruthless aggression of a wolf. And that is what I see happening to America. We were once powerful, we had everything in our hands for us to be great, but we got lazy, we let ourselves become nothing but sacks of potatoes that don’t do shit! So, how can we fix this? We go back, we have to do evolution in reverse, son! We take whatever the hell we are now and do it the other way around!”
“We go back to what we need to be, we need to be ready to fend for ourselves, be ready to fight no matter what, have more bite than bark. We need to be evolved to be like that. But someone like you would start arguing, ‘but then we’d become mindless animals!’ And you’d be wrong, because we evolved instead of doing something like reversing time, we’d still have our own intelligence. We’d still be smart enough to know what the hell we are doing. So any argument you can make against that is futile.”
“This is the only way that we can become something better, and it’s by evolving. And it doesn’t matter if you’re Christian, athiest, or whatever the fuck you believe in, it will all end the same way, and that is with us becoming something better. We become something that all others could only wish to try and become. But while they are all struggling, we would have already achieved this new state of power, we’d’ve practically ascended with how much better we have become. And that’s the thing, not everyone in America would be able to get to this new point.”
“There are those who are weak, those who just aren’t meant to be able to get this kind of privilege. There are those who aren’t willing to fight. There are those who rather hide behind their own stacks of cash than be willing to fight for their own goals. There are those who rather send out others for them, rather than join the battle alongside them. There are those who are going to do whatever they damn well please to make sure they are safe and letting others suffer just because they are too scared to do anything.”
“Those, Valentine, those are the ones that are weak. They are the ones who are not able to fend for themselves. They are just whimpering pansies who would probably piss their pants the moment someone ends up approaching them in a slightly menacing way. They don’t know what it would be like to fight, steal, and kill just to survive as some have had to. They wouldn’t understand any of that shit. They only know that the money will continue to go towards them and they can continue to abuse all that power however they damn well please, even if it means forcing others to fight.”
“Forcing others to fight for causes they don’t even believe in, causes that they normally wouldn’t even be willing to die for. None of that should happen. If they want someone to fight for their ideals, fight for what they are wanting, then they can do it them-fucking-selves. It doesn’t require them to buy a military, it doesn’t require any of that. Sure, you CAN buy a PMC, but that doesn’t mean that they are going to fight for you, no, they are only fighting because you paid them a shit ton of money a normal person wouldn’t.”
“And that is why they need to be purged!” He screams out while doing another stomp onto Valentine’s chest, this time, Valentine actually spits out a little bit of blood as a slight crack sound could be heard as Armstrong did the stomp before continuing. “They need to be purged so that the strong, those who are willing to fight and die for their ideals can survive! We don’t need anyone who can’t be willing to fight in this world. I can’t have anyone like that in MY world, and I will not let them have a chance to thrive.”
“Because I wouldn’t even need to give them a chance because by the time I’m running this country, they would already be out of this place. Whether it’s that they fled the country to try and survive in some third world country or if they die, it won’t matter, they would be out of America, leaving only the strong left to thrive in it. And with them being here, it’d only let a chain reaction occur, every other country would see how America is operating, wanting to do the same, hoping for the same effect, and eventually, the entire world would only have the strong in it.”
“Nevertheless, the strong can fight for what they believe in, die for what they believe in, kill for what they believe in! Not for something stupid as money, or even something like oil, no, everyone in this America will be free to fight in their own wars for what they want! And with them, they would have the power to change America at its core. It would let us have a chance to be as we once were before. As long as the strong thrive, THEY WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
And as he yelled that out, he threw a giant stomp onto Funny’s chest again, this time, a loud crack could be heard as Valentine’s eyes widened. Armstrong looks down at Valentine, and just starts to continuously stomp Valentine’s chest, which only causes Valentine to spit out more and more blood until Armstrong does a jump and lands on Valentine’s chest with both feet, which causes Valentine’s chest to literally cave inwards from the incident. And as Armstrong moves away, he can see the now dead eyes of Valentine, who is just laying there, while blood continues to stream out into the area.
Armstrong continues to stand there and starts to reach into his pocket, seemingly reaching for another cigar, but then he hears something from behind him that stops him dead in his tracks. “That is your ideals, Armstrong? To make America great once more through mindless slaughter?” Valentine’s voice can be heard as Armstrong turns around, revealing Valentine rising up from under that one flag from earlier. And as he stands there, the U.S flag covers him, before he then holds it onto himself as if it were like that of a cape draped over his shoulder.
“WHY WON’T YOU DIE?!?” Armstrong yells out, visibly frustrated at the fact that Valentine is somehow alive, yet dead in two different places around the room, to which Valentine is able to give a simple yet convoluted response to. “I have already told you, this is the power that I possess, the ability of D4C allows me a chance at redemption whenever I might be in turmoil. I have power beyond anything you could ever wish to perceive, Armstrong. And no matter what you try and do, every attempt for you to try and understand it will always end up being futile.”
“Any attempt to truly ‘kill’ me will prove nothing more than a simple blimp in my time on this planet, just like this election with you, and your ideals. The idea that everyone is forced to try and fight for their own ideals is preposterous, do you understand how badly that would hurt our home? The idea that we would just go out of our own door from our house and get shot just because someone wanted to say tea is better than water is so idotic that I’d almost compliment you for such a stupendously stupid idea.”
“What about those who are physically unable to fight? What about those who are mentally unprepared to have a duel with another? How are they meant to fight for their beliefs? Or are they also part of the ‘weak’ as you say? Are they the ones you want to remove from our world? Because that sounds more like a genocide rather than a true solution to anything. Because what is a man who has lost both of his legs in the war meant to do when the thing he leans on is kicked from under him, rendering him unable to do anything?”
“He would be unable to do anything, he would simply be stuck there, having to watch everything he had a chance at hoping for fade away right in front of his eyes, all because his ‘leader’ Mr. Steven Armstrong decided that everyone needs to fight for everything they want. Do you think it would help the economy for two to fight over some tea packets in a store just because they reached for the same box? Just for one of them to then be murdered because of this small little scramble between two people who never needed to fight in the first place?”
Funny is about to continue, but then Armstrong started talking again. “I still don’t understand how the fuck you are alive again, I don’t know what the Patriots did to you to give you this shit, but it doesn’t change anything. Here is the thing, we’re making the mother of all omlettes here, Funny, can’t fret over every egg. Our omlette is going to be the biggest one, the tastiest one, as I just said, it will be the mother of all omlettes, and that would mean we need a shit ton of eggs to make it.”
“And as we get all the cartons of eggs, there are bound to be some that might’ve cracked on the way back to the house. So, we throw them out! It doesn’t matter if we lose a few eggs in the process, it just means that that one wasn’t sturdy enough to survive the transition into the omlette that it would have become. It wasn’t prepared for the challenge that would be waiting for it right in front of itself. It wasn’t built for it, it never had a chance at being part of the feast it would be making.”
“Meanwhile, all the other eggs, they would be there, waiting and ready to be part of what would become practically the best damn thign since sliced bread, and even then, this omlette would completely dwarf anything bread had going in it’s way. So, this omlette will be used for a feast fit for a damn king, hell, it’d be fit enough for a god! However, your egg, that whole napkin bullshit, that egg already cracked before it got to the kitchen counter, and if it didn’t, then it would’ve ended up falling out of the hand and landing on the floor.”
“Leaving it where it deserves to be, on the ground waiting to be thrown out with the rest of all these stupid ideals. The follow one leader idea of yours, other ideologies such as Communism, all of those are stupid eggs that deserve nothing more than to be cracked and thrown out and never have a chance to reach the stove. And once I become president, I will be the one holding all the eggs in my hand. But I will not be the only one cooking there, no, everyone in America will be there as well.”
“And after that one is done cooking, and we get a taste of what we could be now, everyone will then understand what it would take for us to come together as a nation once again as we should’ve been able to all these years which has been WASTED by all this unnecessary BULLSHIT! All these other politics getting in trouble, all these celebraties getting in trouble because they said something stupid a decade prior, all of this random bullshit, THIS! THIS is why I want to burn what is left of whatever the fuck we have now to the ground.”
“Because whatever it is has no point in being saved. Everyone is worrying about such stupid things that it makes me wonder how we went from such a powerful yet small nation consisting of just 13 states trying to fight for their freedom, a country divided fighting for the if slaves should be legal or if they should be set free, all of those contributing factors, all of that, just for us to eventually become more divided than ever before. You might think that is what I am hoping for, more division, the whole survival of the fittest shtick, but you’d be partially wrong.”
“I do wish for everyone to fight, and for the strongest to survive, but at that same time, when we find out who the strongest truly is, everyone will be able to similar things, we would all be free from these stupid accusations about things like people trying to destroy another’s reputation over such mundane shit. This way, there would be no more worry, and from what remains of America, even if it were like the population was cut in half, or even a third, a fourth, it wouldn’t matter, it would all end in a similar way.”
“If something like 9/11 brought us together before, then another international incident might do the same. And with how I have planned it all out, it’d all end with the strongest surviving, not just physically, but the strongest mentally, those who can find ways to convince others towards their own goals, others who are one in the same.” And before Armstrong could finish what he was saying, Valentine ended up falling to the ground, and he was shivering for some reason. Armstrong just looked at Valentine, questioning it, seemingly thinking that he had just mentally broken the president.
So, he was ready to finish Valentine off, but then Valentine is able to let out a sigh and say something that somewhat surprises Armstrong, but he is still skeptical. What did he say?“You’re right, Armstrong.” Is what he says as Armstrong looks in genuine shock at Valentine before telling the fallen president “Have I finally gotten through?” He asks with a genuine smile on his face while Funny responds to him. “Your ideals, I simply cannot compete with them. You are speaking a truth that I am simply unable to counter. Everything you have said, you’ve proven that what you mean is true.”
“America has become nothing but disease ridden from everything that has happened, even the slightest things can tick another man off, and I do not wish that, I wish for America to be united, I want everyone to have a better tomorrow, let them be truly free. But my idea of following a singular person, it would not work, not every man is willing to blindly follow another just for some unknown reason, no man would be that blind. Well, some would be, but that is all they would be, and that is blind.”
“And if my idea of the board from one side to another would indicate anything, they’d only fall off it before anything else, leaving all others there to question the leader, and likely form some sort of rebellion against them. And that would only lead to more anarchy, and no hope for a better tomorrow, but if the strongest survive, then that would give everyone a fighting chance at happiness. As they fight, all those who are blind would be, as you put it, purged from the earth, that way those who can truly see can go out there and fight.”
“And like that, Armstrong, I yield. I will accept defeat against you, and I humbly welcome you to office and I hope that I am able to survive in this new world that you are planning on creating.” Valentine finishes, to which Armstrong’s eyes have widened with such surprise that he wipes his eyes, visibly happy that Valentine finally saw things the way he saw it, even saying “FInally! You get the full picture!” He says while he puts his hand down towards Valentine, who looks up at Armstrong, and gives a soft smile while grabbing Armstrong’s own hand.
Armstrong lifts Valentine up off the ground and swipes the dust and such off of him before then the two give each other a handshake, but as Armstrong was able to let go, Valentine held on and pulled himself towards Armstrong. Armstrong, confused by this gesture of a sort of hug can only pat Valentine on the back while this is occurring, and as it continues, Armstrong just tells him “I will get rid of pointless wars, Funny, and you can be there to fight for what you believe in out there as you did once before.”
Valentine gives a slight nod before the two finally let go of one another, but then after that, Armstrong gives a slight chuckle before pulling out yet another cigar, and offers it to Valentine, who humbly declines the offer, which Armstrong doesn’t mind, so he plops it into his own mouth and starts smoking it as he would do, but as he does, Valentine’s eyes twitch ever so slightly, but not to a point where Armstrong would notice it, but as he does, he then reaches down towards the flag, which Armstrong doesn’t necessarily take notice of.
However, as he does, D4C appears behind him finally once again, and as Armstrong starts walking away, Valentine offers a question to his ‘former opponent.’ “If I may, you mentioned how eventually a lot of people would be one in the same, correct? Not in my way, but in the way that they would all have similar ideals, correct?” And so, Armstrong replies, “Yeah, that way there’d be no more stupid bickering over small things, but instead we can now focus on things that are actually important. Focus on things that actually matter instead of all that bickering to all that pointless bullshit.”
But after he says that, Valentine asks him one more thing, “So, what if you were to meet a man who was a lot like you? A man who was as if he was your own body double of sorts?” Which makes Armstrong pause, and he is about to answer, but Valentine quickly replies to his own question, “Well, let’s find out.” And with that said, he ended up lifting the U.S flag to reveal... Armstrong!? Yeah, somehow Armstrong was now in two places at once, and when this new Armstrong appears, the original one turns slightly to see the new one and only has two words he can say.
“The fuck?” And before anything else, Valentine uses D4C to push the new one into the original, but as they get closer to one another, Armstrong’s body, both of theirs, did the whole turning black thing when they got towards one another. And when they collided, the sound of metal scraping across one another could be heard while the two were practically almost being forced towards one another, but eventually, both of them were able to use their brute strength to power away from one another. And as they do, the two just look at each other in utter confusion.
The original Armstrong makes a quick little joke at this by saying “Last time I think I ever got this drunk was in college.” Before the second one responded with his own quip, “Don’t even think I can remember that one.” But still, the two take a quick laugh before then turning to Valentine, who is staring, quietly questioning why D4C’s ability didn’t work, eventually outloud, and by that, I mean yells out, saying “I- Impossible! Only I am immune to the effects of D4C! How did you-”
The two Armstrongs just snicker at this attempt, before the original leans down and then rips off his shirt, revealing his chest, which had some sort of thing wrong with it from Valentine’s perspective, but as he looks, he then sees the black in Armstrong’s body come directly from where his heart should be, turning whatever it was in it’s path black as it reached the ends of Armstrong’s hand while he tells Valentine, “Nanomachines, son. They harden in response to physical trauma.” He tells while looking at his hand in admiration.
He then throws his hand down onto the ground, causing what felt like a miniature earthquake when he did it before then looking back at Valentine as he tells him “You can’t hurt me, Funny.” Which makes Valentine back away slightly from the two Armstrongs while the original stands up, but Valentine then stands his ground and charges at the original, throwing a punch directly at Armstrong’s face, which doesn’t faze him, or even move him at all while the nanomachines harden as they go up into Armstrong’s cheek, making the punch’s effects be rendered absolutely useless against the senator.
Although, it did slightly make Armstrong’s glasses tip down, so he adusts them while he smugly tells Valentine, “What did I just say?” Before then punching Valentine, which launches him back into a wall next to a flag that was still standing. And as he does, the two Armstongs then approach him while the original speaks out. “I’d almost say I’m sorry for this, but you’re nothing more than a whimpering little bitch who doesn’t deserve a place in this new America, your egg in this omlette is not needed, and I’m going to make damn sure you don’t get a chance to cook.”
“I actually thought you had a change of heart, Valentine, I thought you were able to finally see things my way, but guess not. And now, you’re only going to get what you deserve. And that is death. Besides, even if I die, at least I have a worthy successor.” He says, looking at the other Armstrong who also starts talking “Yeah, whatever you do, you aren’t going to win this football game, son. Can’t take on two at once, because you have no chance to even survive it, at best you’ll get a concussion on the field, but in this one, you’re going to get tackled so hard your heart stops beating.”
But as he says that, Valentine looks at the flag next to him and pulls it down off the pole that it was hanging on, before laying it on the ground while he says, “My heart speaks for America, all the things I have done, they were in the name of justice! And I will make sure that I get what America needs, and if that is going to end up being that I must shed your blood for my goals to be achieved, then I will make sure your blood is shed tonight.”
“And even if it were the case that I am outnumbered, who is to say the one who is alone will lose? It doesn’t, as long as their heart is in the right place, and they make sure that they know they desire the win in a battle, then they will make sure it happens no matter how hard it is, even if it were to mean to call reinforcements to aid in the battle, I will not be alone in this fight, for all I need is my own two hands.”
And when he finished saying that, he lifted the flag, revealing another Valentine from under it, who looked at the two Armstrongs while doing a pose alongside the other Valentine. But as he does, the original Valentine does it again, revealing a third Valentine, and the two newer Valentines practically take center stage in this incident as they stand side by side, looking against the two Armstrongs, and as they do, they both pull out their guns and start shooting at the two Armstrongs while the original slithers away somewhere else, which is kind of redundent given how the nanomachines work, which the two Armstrong actually reply with at the same time.
“Did you hear anything I just said?” The two Armstrongs say, which makes the original look at the new one, about to question him, but he shakes his head while he walks towards the two Valentines while they are trying to reload their guns after using all their bullets, but as they do, they both look at the two Armstrongs who had approached them and now stare down at them. The two Valentines still look up and try to shoot an extra bullet, but that would prove to be a fatal error on their part.
The two Armstrongs grab both Valentines by their necks and lift them up off of the ground, the two Armstrongs look at one another before then throwing the two Valentines into the ground, practically doing a good ol’ fashioned chokeslam, but the two Armstrongs still have a hold of the Valentines, so they lift them back up, and end up slamming the two Valentines together, and given the two Valentines ended up hitting each other in their backs and the back of their heads, it ended up knocking the two Valentines out cold.
So, after this encounter, the two Armstrongs drop the Valentines and try to look for the original Valentine, but when they do, they turn around and see not one, not two, but some amount over 20 Valentines standing there, with one having D4C with him as he is in the front. Yet, the two Armstrongs just look at the army of Valentines, looking over the vast numbers of them before the shirtless original Armstrong just looks over the vast number of Funnys across the room, almost all of which have their revolvers out, pointing them at the two senators.
And so, the shirtless Armstrong starts talking, “Talk about taking a lot of pride in yourself, which is good, but you take it to a whole other level. But do you really think having more of yourselves is going to work? I’ve seen how you operate, Valentine, and I’ve read that interview of yours, and didn’t you say that the smaller team that can cooperate with one another is able to prevail against a larger army? Didn’t you make that statement in it? You were so dedicated to the idea that just a small group could take out a large army, so what’s the difference here?”
Valentine responds, “The difference is that I know what I am doing, I know exactly what I am having to do to make sure this country prospers, and that includes being in sync with my other selves. You, on the other hand, are likely still confused by having another version of your own self there. And despite myself being confused on some things you would not understand, you do not have what it takes to work alongside someone as if they were yourself given the fact that they are, indeed, your own self.”
But, the two Armstrongs laugh at this, with the second one making a comment about this, “You think I don’t know what I’m thinking? If you’re a real American, and you want something done right, then that’d mean you’d know practically just about everything a fellow American would be considering if the going is getting tuff, and given this is me we’re talking about, then I think I know exactly what to do, and I know that I also what I’m thinking about,” and as he says that, he looks at the original Armstrong as the two give a slight not to one another.
“The ol’ college locker room treatment?” The original Armstrong asks to which the second one nods alongside him as the two both get into a sort of football like squat position before the original says “Down,” for the other to say “Set,” and then the both of them yelling out “HUT!” at the same time, with the two charging at the army of Valentines that are in front of them. The Valentines all start shooting while the one with D4C uses a flag to disappear from sight. Leaving the Standless Funnys to continue the fight themselves.
Or, well, you’d think the one with D4C was disappearing forever, but it ended up being that he reappeared a bit away from the main conflict and kept bringing in more Valentines to fight the two Armstrongs, trying to defeat the two. When the two Armstrongs reached the army after their nanomachines kept protecting themselves from all the bullets, they started doing what they could to defeat the Valentines, they would throw some of them a distance away, they would throw them into the ground. Even doing a double chokeslam to one with such force that that one ends up going straight into the ground.
Yet, they don’t stop coming, fed to the rules of D4C, they hit the ground and start running to join in on trying to defeat the opposing side. Yet, the Armstrongs continue to persist against the giant army of practically infinite numbers. Though, at one point, the brought from another universe Armstrong is grabbed by numerous Valentines from around him, and he is getting hit with a dog pile of sorts from them, but he ends up slightly going down and a faint orange-ish glow came from him, and before anyone knew, he raised up with such force that it was like a mini-explosion.
Though, said mini-explosion was invisible, you could still see the shock wave, which launches all of the Valentines away from him, leaving one for the other Armstrong to catch and then ends up throwing like a damn football, which the shirt-wearing Armstrong starts running backwards, casually tackling all of the Valentines that were getting in his way to where he would then catch the Valentine and grab the back of his head to then SLAM it into the ground, reducing that Valentine’s head to nothing but mush, and you could swear you could hear a crowd cheering and yelling out “TOUCHDOWN!” when he did it.
So, the two Armstrongs continue to raise hell against all of the Valentines that are coming their way, killing them all in different ways. Such as one pulling a damn A-Train and running straight into him, turning the Valentine into just a bunch of guts, one getting knocked to the ground, where Armstrong would then jump up high into the air just to fall back down with a giant elbow drop, crushing that Valentine’s chest area when he did it, before getting up to use that body and throw it at another Valentine.
That Valentine would end up dodging it, but what he wasn’t able to dodge was the two Armstrongs charging at him in two different sides, where the two Armstrongs would then headbutt the Valentine, and as the nanomachines harden, it would prove fatal to that Valentine as his skull also explodes from all of the force that had just been put onto him. The body of that Valentine falls to the ground, leaving a giant blood trail behind as another Valentine tries to run at the shirtless Armstrong, who catches him by the throat, and just snaps his neck.
The other Armstrong, also had just grabbed a Valentine by the neck and put both of his hands on both sides of that Valentine’s head before putting pressure on Valentine, and when I am talking pressure, I’m talking about Omni-Man pressure on the head as Valentine’s nose starts to bleed while Armstrong continues to do so. Which would then get Valentine’s eye to pop out of its socket and out, which would cause him to have a literal eye on Armstrong for that moment before Armstrong finally crushes that Valentine’s head into a bloody mess as like the other ones.
As the two stand there, they share a quick laugh, but not for long as they look around and see even more Valentines standing there, as if they had built a giant wall of sorts while one of them stands in front of them, that one being, of course, the one that has D4C by his side, he stands in front as the other Valentines all have their guns pointed at the Armstrongs, but they do not shoot, they just continue to stand there while the D4C Valentine starts giving off a speech of sorts.
“I find it surprising how you were so willing to finally believe in your own strength. Have you not considered the idea that you yourself would have to take on yourself if your ideals were to go through? Do you not question if anything like that could occur?” How are you so certain of this? Because you could find a difference in your own ideal, you could see that you are not the exact same as you, he could be slightly taller, he could have slightly different ideals and goals, how are you so certain you can trust yourselves?
“Your ideals is that you will have many act as a wall to defend what you are trying to achieve, and I have already found the flaw that there could be someone who could let a rat through and past the wall, past any sort of defense you were believing that there was to be if you won this battle. However, there is a difference in what kind of power I have, and what I can do compared to your ideals. Your ideals require people of many different origins, many different ideals, everything is so completely different that it would be hard for anything to ever get done.”
“And for all that you would ever know, two of them would end up despising one another, and they could end up being found at one another’s throat, the two trying to overtake the other in a battle of ideals as you and I have, but they would be fighting, leaving a giant gaping hole for anyone and anything to get through since they would be attacking each other. There would be no cooperation between them. As you said, the weak will be purged, and the strongest would thrive, live as they see fit.”
“In your ideal world, them trying to kill the other is what would make America great again, everyone fighting, all of them leaving their posts, leaving numerous holes in the wall, allowing something like a terrorist to come in and attack something in our home, that is not what we need, we need a single person to be able to go out of their way and be ready to fight on the frontline themselves, I have already told you this, but it appears now that it can only be said at this current time what I was truly meaning by that.”
“With my power, I have the chance to look through infinite worlds, seeing as there are numerous versions of not only myself, but of everyone out there on the planet, but while others should explode on impact from interacting with themselves from alternate worlds, outside of you for some unknown reason, I am the one who should be immune to this attack, and I can merely bring in versions of myself that lets me carry out my own ideals if I were ever to die, then I could carry out my own ideals, making any instance of me ‘dying’ be considered useless.”
“Nothing you can do, either of you, would ever mean anything to me, however, given you have done something that should be impossible, the fact there are two of you means something wrong has happened, and something wrong is a flaw that is in my country that I cannot allow to exist. And for that, that means there can only ever be one to exist in a singular universe.” He says before the alt Armstrong asks, “And what the hell do you mean by that?” But Valentine does not give a response as he just stands there.
But then three Valentines appear behind that Armstrong, practically being so silent in their steps that they were not even noticed, where they threw a giant flag over him, causing him to disappear away, but the original Armstrong did not know this, he kicks one of the Valentines, launching him into another, resulting in those two to go flying back into a wall before grabbing the third and throwing him like a football at the other two who had just hit a wall, but when the third hit, we just see a giant splat on the wall now from where they were.
Armstrong then looks at the flag and picks it up, seeing nothing under it outside of the floor itself, which makes him then look back up at the main Valentine, who still stands there and continues to speak. “This is a power that you can never truly grasp, it is a power that you will never achieve, it is a power that is only attainable within your own little fantasy that resides within your dreams, nothing you try and do will be able to defeat someone who has the ability to do whatever I need.”
“And you, you are unable to truly understand the sheer will and determination of a single man against an army, you cannot compete against something like this without failing. Unlike those few men against an army of thousands, you cannot even realize that your own goals will be your own undoing, you are all alone, you can keep trying to battle, however, it will wear you down, it will destroy your body, and it will make you fall, for you cannot stand. You can try to stand, but any attempt will prove time and time again just to be futile for you.”
“This futility is what will make you question your own ideals, it will make you realize that when you were standing here, me and you are not similar in any sort of fashion, we may both see how we want America to be great, and so that when we hear that rousing call, there will be justice for all, but that is where our paths divide, and where yours falls off of the board. I am leading us towards a path that can guarantee us the freedom that you are apparently wanting, but in a way that will truly benefit America.”
“In my America, people will fight for what they can all see is right, not for the money that everyone is believing the world revolves around, not for the oil that can result in said money, but a common goal to make America a better place, a better place with no war for we would all be agreeing on this, and we’d have no reason to argue against one another, which would mean there would be no wars that could have a chance at occurring, and there is nothing we would ever need to worry about anymore.”
Valentine then stops himself for a moment before speaking again, “However, I am a man of my word, and let me tell you this, everything you believed in, everything you have told me today, I will make sure it is remembered somewhere,” before he then points a revolver at Armstrong, “And it will be forever engraved on your tombstone, so that your dream can die alongside you when the time finally comes.” Valentine finishes as Armstrong stands there before letting out a laugh as he looks among all the Valentines, despite them all pointing guns at him, he doesn’t seem to care at all.
So, he speaks out to the masses of Valentines, “Really? This is how it is going to be? Thinking that I am just going to let myself die? You think I am just some sort of dog that will do what I’m told? Or in this case, a dog that will just stand there and take my death? No. You see, even if I were to die, my ideals will still thrive. I know that there is at least someone, at least just a single person out there that has similar views as I do, I know it for damn certain.”
“And that they will do anything it takes to remake this world to be great, and that includes making sure everything has been burned to the ground so that we can start on a clean slate, make sure that we can have a better future, a better chance of freedom for the strong, we need all of this, and as long as there is that, we are all good, son. We don’t need to worry about a single man falling on the frontlines because there will be others there to take his place, but he will not be forgotten.”
“He would’ve been fighting for what he believed in, he was fighting for a cause he thought was just, he was fighting for a right to something that he himself was adamant about, if he didn’t care about it, he wouldn’t be out there with his weapon on hand and fighting for it. That is the America I thrive for. But, tell me, Valentine, how exactly are you going to beat me with whatever this littl ragtag group of yours is?” And then Valentine responds, “You mean me and my army?” But then Armstrong laughs, “Yeah, you and what army?
But before Valentine could respond to this, a red phosphorus grenade lands in front of him, bursting into smoke, resulting in the numerous Valentines’ visions to be obscured. But as it is, they hear the sound of a maniacal laugh, two of them as a matter of fact, and then also the sounds of some female speaking some other language? And also the sound of a sword slicing through something, or someone, well, more likely to be multiple people. Because when the smoke finally cleared, the Valentine who has D4C is the last Valentine that is currently standing.
All the others have been either sliced to bits, stabbed so many times it looks like the back alleyway of London, or looking like it was a chain reaction of some of them falling like dominos with one after another being slightly on top of the other. But as the smoke continues to finally go away, Valentine looks back at Armstrong, but now, he was no longer alone, instead, he was now there standing alongside four others. And I am sure you know who those four were, it was Mistral, Monsoon, Sundowner, and, of course, Jetstream Sam all standing next to the senator.
Valentine looks at this, and is about to take a step back, but he stands his ground while looking at Armstrong’s group while saying, “Is this truly what you want this to be like? You have your own small group of people who will go out of their way to try and protect you? Or are they the terrorists that you apparently associated yourself with? This is what you have decided to use to try and win in this fight? This is what you are going to do to try and make sure I stay de-”
Before he can finish, Sam ends up putting his hand in front of his own face and putting his finger out, as if to do a “shushing” motion while he says to Valentine, “Shut the fuck up. No one gives a shit about what you’re saying. History will decide who is right, and in this case, I guess it will be Armstrong. So, if you do not mind, we’ll be heading back to our regularly scheduled international incident.” Sam finishes before charging at Valentine, ready to slice the president into shreds, but the president does not move as the Brazilian approaches.
But as Rodrigues does, he suddenly has to block a knife that appeared from practically out of nowhere that was going directly at his face, and as he does block it, another red phosphorus grenade is thrown on the ground, and Sam looks back at Monsoon while yelling out “The hell did you do that for?” But then Monsoon answers him puzzled, “That was not me?” But it doesn’t stop the grenade from going off, covering the area in a smoke, and as it does, Sam quickly backflips out of it, not sure what to make of the situation.
But, when he does eventually get out of it, he looks on alongside the Winds of Destruction and Armstrong who are all standing there, and when the smoke goes away, there are now people standing there alongside Valentine, and it was practically his own group that would defend him. It was Blackmore, Sandman, the Eleven Men, and Diego? Somehow back from when Sam had originally killed him, and even Sam himself looked somewhat surprised from this situation at hand. But, the two opposing sides could only look at each other, just standing there, ready to brawl, but then, Armstrong speaks.
“Ha! I knew you’d have your own little posse, even if it was some guys, or at least I think they are, all of which have some of the most random bullshit fashion senses, just like you do! Is this really what it has come down to, Valentine? Have we really gotten to where we need to have others fight for each other? Or, I guess I should ask a better question to you, why are they fighting for you? Why exactly are all of them even here, ready to put their lives on the line for whatever the fuck you are planning?”
“Did you bribe them with some sort of wealth? Did you promise one of them with a damn entire state? How exactly did you get them to follow you while you are carving your own path? How exactly did you get them to follow you while you are following your wrath? Is it some sort of bullshit excuse that you told them to think you had some sort of actual good intention? Is that what it was, Valentine? Was that how you got them to believe every single damn word you told each and every one of them?”
Funny continues to look on before looking at his group behind him before speaking, “The ways that have gotten them to follow behind me, what matters is that they are willing to follow me for whatever reasons I have offered. And I make my offers with a promise, and I will always keep my promise for the people. No matter what happens, I will promise you this, on my father’s handkerchief, you will not become president. And you will never have a chance at surviving anything that is soon to come before ourselves in this duel of fate.”
The senator laughs at this while replying, “Yeah, and I promise I’ll rip you in two after I’m done here, might as well piss on your corpse while I am at it, you’ve probably manipulated these bastards into fighting for you, taken advantage of them, or forced them to, probably bribed them with something they can’t resist despite them not caring for your ideals. No matter, that just proves they are weak, can’t even fight for what they themselves believe in, can’t even realize what they are wanting for themselves, so, I’ll be doing them a favor by killing them all.”
“So, with that said, let this new war begin.” Armstrong finishes while the Winds all get into fighting positions with their weapons and Valentine gives a snap of his fingers while both sides start fighting against one another. Mistral fighting against the Eleven Men, Monsoon and Blackmore, Sundowner and Sandman fighting, and to top it all off, outside of the already going on battle of Armstrong and Valentine, Sam and Diego start fighting against one another. And then speaking about Armstrong and Valentine, Armstrong himself charged at Valentine, who started running from him the moment he saw Armstrong even move slightly.
But, we are going to go one by one in this battle, and we’re starting with Mistral VS the Eleven Men, when this one starts, Mistral quickly used L'Étranger to try and stab one of the men, but that proved to be useless as the one that she tried to use it against ended up using their stand Tatoo You! to then merge with one of the other men, allowing him to disappear from Mistral’s sight, which surprises her to some degree, but it doesn’t completely faze her to any actual degree, all it does is make her give off a quick comment.
“I have my own ideals, tell me, what are all of your ideals and goals?” She asks the numerous men, but none of them give a response to her, which makes her laugh slightly from it, “Tsk tsk tsk, aww, too shy to talk, boys? I was hoping to maybe learn something from my dominos before they topple over one another, but I suppose that isn’t going to happen is it? Very sad, but, that’s life, I guess I should say: Ou devrais-je dire que ce n’est pas la vie, mais plutôt la mort de vous tous?”
Mistral then starts swinging L'Étranger around, trying to whip the men, but they are all able to constantly dodge the numerous strikes from the pole arm. But, they then try and do their own attacks, they all try and throw punches at Mistral, who is able to dodge most of them, but when she ends up behind one of them, it turns out that that is the one that had disappeared within the other, and as Mistral realized that, she ended up getting punched by the man who was hiding, making her stumble back a slight bit, but not a significant amount.
“Le pu-” She is about to say before the other men continue their assault against her, which she doesn’t mind at all, for she is still continuing to fight against all of them as if nothing was bothering her, but she was clearly starting to slight get overwhelmed by the men’s ability to merge and then unmerge constantly, but she is still going to fight because that is the thing she has always been looking for. She continues to whip around L'Étranger numerous times, trying to hit them, which she is able to hit one of them, but it only knocks him back ever so slightly.
“Is this all you men can offer me? I want more, but you can only offer me this much? Aww, vous les pauvres garçons, vous ne pouvez même pas divertir une femme.” Mistral says, hoping for some kind of reaction from the men, but she continues to receive no kind of response from them, not a single one of them. Which does slightly anger her, but all she does is sigh quietly to herself before quietly saying, “Et tout comme les dominos, ils resteront silencieux en tombant les uns après les autres.”
Mistral continues to use L'Étranger to her advantage, keeping the men at bay, not allowing a single one of them to even get close enough to punch her or do any true lasting damage as she did earlier, now having a slight grasp on what her foes are able to do now. However, as she is turned to face one of them, she knocks that one away, but as she turns, she only sees one more of them, and so she is about to attack, but as she does, the one ends up turning around and practically throws himself backwards.
As he does, Mistral uses L'Étranger to hit him, but when she does, another one appears from within him, lunging towards Mistral, who has to quickly whip L'Étranger around to hit him as he approaches her back first, but he gets knocked away, yet there was another who ended up doing the same. And so she has to do the same again, but then this time, another one appears from this latest one’s back, but he is instead facing towards Mistral, and he throws a punch at her, which is actually able to connect, making her stumble backwards some.
But as she catches herself, she turns around, and gets another punch to the face, which makes her stumble even more, and before she knew it, L'Étranger had been removed from her hands, and had been torn apart by a couple of the men, while the other nine continued to attack her mercilessly, but as they do, one of them ends up getting shocked by a Dwarf Gekko, which makes him fall to the ground with a thud, and as the others realize that one had fallen, they all look around themselves, realizing that there are numerous Dwarf Gekkos surrounding them all at that time.
And as Mistral is on the ground, she ends up jumping over them and grabbing a few Dwarf Gekko arms before putting them together while she then jumps up once more, this time pushing it into a wall while she uses that to elevate her off of the ground while she looks down at the men while she tells them all, “A present from me!” And then all of the Dwarf Gekkos start to attack the now only ten men as they continue to try and do what they can to defend against the horde of small robots.
The Dwarf Gekkos continue to go after the men, who continue to do what they can against the small robots, and for the most part, they are able to hold their own against them, they continue to use their ability to go through one another to block and dodge attacks from the Dwarf Gekkos, but as they continue, one tried to throw the body of one of them towards Mistral who is still above, having numerous Dwarf Gekkos giving her their arms, just so that she can make a new L'Étranger using all of those arms, but she notices what is about to happen.
She uses what she has right now and hits it back at the one that had thrown it, but as it is launched back, it launches at such a speed that it ends up catching on fire, which ends up causing that one man to not be able to react in time, as the Dwarf Gekko body to directly hit him in the face, decapitating him as the other eight men excluding the one that is knocked out, all look at what happened to the other one, with all of them being in a state of shock.
“The hell is she doing!?” One of the men ends up asking, which catches Mistral’s attention, given that she finally heard one of them speak, and so she responds to the question that wasn’t even asked to her, “Était-ce si difficile à dire, petit garçon ? C'est triste que vous ayez eu la chance d'essayer au moins de susciter mon intérêt plus tôt. Et pourtant, vous ne l'avez pas fait. Stupide.” Mistral says, before then getting ready to put L'Étranger all together once again, and as she does, she gets two more blades to put at both ends.
Yet, she doesn’t automatically go back down to continue fighting, instead, she uses what remains of numerous Dwarf Gekkos that are still beside her, and looks down at them all, with another one of the men asking “Is this really how she plans to finish us here?” Which makes Mistral give a smug grin while she puts a hand on her hip before speaking, “Tout est juste en amour et en guerre, mon garçon. And so, here are more presents from me!” So, she starts to bat them at the men, who continue to do what they can to evade each and every one of the attempted attacks from what is there.
Yet, Mistral continues to do so, but then as she continues, one of the men pulls out his gun and shoots at Mistral, which hits her in the abdomend, causing her to stop and look down at that one, which she then jumps down and simply tells him, “J'aurais pas dû baiser avec moi,” before charging at the man, who continues to shoot at her, but she is able to deflect it using L'Étranger, as she contined to go after him, but then the other men are able to do the same.
Though, they first quickly shoot numerous Dwarf Gekkos that were surrounding them before they all shoot a bullet at Mistral, which causes her to stop her assault against the one to block and dodge the bullets coming at her way, but as she does, she ends up having the one she was originally going to attack approach her, which she tries to deal with, but she can’t really do much as she is continuing to have to dodge all the bullets that were going directly at her at that moment, but as she does, she gets an idea.
“Tell me, what is it that you cherish most? Is it money? Is it love?” She asks the one, which he is seemingly trying to ignore as he picks up some kind of sharp metal object off the ground, trying to stab her as if it was a knife that he was using, but Mistral continues to try and tempt the man as much as she can, but it is still a very limited amount of what she can do as she has to stop the bullets still coming her way while evading the sharp object.
So, she continues to ask him, “Is it something that you wish you could be able to hold in your hands? Is it some sort of status you wish you could be known for? What is it that you wish for? Because I can provide it for you.” She tries to say, which does get him to stop, as she then kicks him away before she continues, “If you kill a comrade, I will make all of your dreams come true, as long as you listen to me.” She finishes while she continues to stop bullets that had been reloaded into the guns shooting at her.
Yet, as the other seven continue to shoot, they all hear a shot ring out, and look behind themselves, and see that the one had just shot the knocked out one from the earliest Dwarf Gekko attack, which they all then realize there were more and they had to deal with them, but as they do, the one man just continues to look at the one he had just killed, still in a sort of state of shock that he had actually just done that, that he has just actually killed his own partner, and at what cost?
Mistral then approaches him and speaks to him while she uses one of her hands to direct his face to look at her, “Don’t you see? I’ve come here to save you, there is no need to be worrying. Just see him as a fallen star, a bloodied star that has now faded. Yet... Mais ne me laisse pas devenir celui que tu aimes.” She says, which causes the man to look at her, confused by what she had just said given he doesn’t know what language she had just spoken. But before he can really do anything, Mistral stabs him right into the heart with an HF knife.
That man ends up falling to a knee and starts coughing out blood while Mistral just looks down at him before kicking him, knocking him down into his back. She then puts her foot onto the knife that was in his chest, and she pushes down, and the man is about to yell out in pain, but a number of Dwarf Gekkos cover his mouth and pin him down onto the ground while Mistral looks at him dead in the eye, “Tsk tsk tsk, I told you to not let me become the one you love. There’s a reason to why a stranger I remain as.”
And so, she then pushes her foot down all the way, causing the knife to go directly through his heart, as the life fades from his eyes. Mistral then looks towards the other men, who are all there, still ready to fight, practically ignoring the fact that now three of them are dead, they are still determined to do whatever it takes to win in this fight. Mistral chuckles and asks them, “Would any of you like to go on the murder-go-round with me?”
None of the remaining men answer her, which somewhat disappoints Mistral, but she gives a chuckle as she then says “Eh bien, même si aucun d’entre vous ne veut y aller avec moi, au moins vous saurez tous qu’il est temps de peindre la ville en rouge.” But before Mistral could get ready. Monsoon goes flying by her, leaving her to barely dodge him as he hits a wall nearby her.
Yet, Monsoon only quickly returns to fighting against Blackmore as Mistral then readies herself to fight the remaining men, but let’s just focus on Monsoon and Blackmore for some time now, yeah? Monsoon charges back at Blackmore, trying to stab him using one of his sais but Blackmore is able to evade the attack, but Monsoon continues to be on the offensive as he continues to use his sais to try and hit Blackmore, but Blackmore is constantly dodging every single one of the strikes, namely by ducking under them, and as he does, Monsoon starts doing what he does best.
And that is to start talking philosophically about stuff. “Why do you continue to do battle? Is it off of your own free will? Is it because you are trying to find some kind of purpose inside of this life?” Monsoon continues to question, trying to mess with Blackmore’s mind, but he is unfazed by Monsoon’s attempts to screw him over mentally. Even to where he tells Monsoon “I continue to fight because I believe the president of this nation will lead us into a new golden age with him being the head of the table, proving that he is supperior than all others.”
Monsoon laughs at this, “Is that true? But then what happens when he dies? What is your purpose at that point? What do you do when the belief you have in someone ends up failing right in front of your face? Will it hurt? Or will I be content with what has happened? What exactly will be the results of this kind of situation? Is this what free will is to you? Because no matter what way you look at free will, it is always going to end up being like a joke because it’s humorous with how many think it exists.”
“And similar to that, religion, it is also nothing more than a joke. If there is a higher being, what exactly is the purpose of creating something that is just going to constantly destroy itself in one way or another? Why would a god create something in their own image just so that it could perish right before their own eyes? What exactly is the purpose of doing something like that? If it was because they felt like it, then why would you not interact with the world more often if it is something you worked so hard on?”
But then Blackmore angrily responds, “No! There is a god! God exists! Jesus exists! I have seen Jesus Christ himself with my own two eyes! He appeared before me, and I was able to witness him in all of his beauty. I saw the crown of thorns that was on top of his head. I have seen the body of God himself turned into a mortal man. I have witnessed him, and I know he exists! He is not just some random myth, no, he is real, and Valentine has proven that he knows that as well!”
“He is the reason I know Christ exists, he is the reason I can see things that a normal man normally would have a hard time believing. And that would include you. I've seen the things that would make anyone else question their reality, but it only confirmed that not only I, but President Valentine was put on this miserable planet for a reason. I know why he was born, because he was made to lead this entire world into a greater age. He will become the head of this world, no matter what it will take.”
After this, Monsoon laughed at him, “If that is the case, where is your source? Do you even have any sort of evidence of these claims you are making? Or did you make it up as you were high off some kind of drug that was there, waiting for you to use it? What exactly makes you believe that there is a god? Because there is nothing for us in this world, let alone the universe. We are all just pawns trying to look towards something to give us hope, but I’ve grown to be content with what life has done.”
“This hole that we’re stuck in, all these wars, all of it has proven to be a cruel and unforgiving teacher. It has already told me about free will and religion. It has proven to me that we are only pawns for something far greater than anything else, and that is memes: the DNA of the soul. They are the thing that is what truly keeps us alive, it is the one thing that is giving us a reason to keep going, because it is memes that we pass along to newer generations hoping that our memes continue to pass on long after we die.”
“And I already know that if I die, there will be someone out there that I can pass my memes onto, no matter what happens, no matter what these stains of time do, I will see through this storm that is approaching, no way for it to continue to provoke with it’s black clouds in isolation.” He finishes before throwing his arm out, trying to use the magnetism of his body to stretch his body parts as far as he can, to try and hit Blackmore.
Blackmore was able to evade the original punch, but he looks down at sees Monsoon’s legs charging at him, and he wasn’t able to react in time, which results in him being kicked up into the air, and he ends up hitting the roof, which Monsoon quickly spirals towards as his body parts split, allowing him to act like a small tornado while he spins towards his opponent. Blackmore tries to pull out his gun, but he is unable to do so as Monsoon hits him, resulting in the two going through the roof of the building.
Blackmore rolls on the ground before coming to a hault while Monsoon gently lands on the ground, using his magnetism to descend slowly onto the building roof. He holds onto his sais of Dystopia and is ready to land the final blow to finish this fight, but as he closes in onto Blackmore, the latter raises a question for the former, “Why do you fight then?” Blackmore asks, which gets Monsoon to stop, and he stands there, pondering the question. Unsure as to how to answer it. Yet, he still holds his sais close, but he is still going to answer the question.
“Why do any of us fight? What is the purpose of fighting if we are all going to die? That is a question many have tried to ask, hoping that they would recieve some kind of answer in the end, alas, that does not always appear to be the case, since there are those who destroy their own mind and body just to try and undertand everything, hoping that they can do whatever to maybe one day have a chance at truly understanding everything that is reality, but they still break down at any instance of whatever happening isn’t going as planned.”
“That is why memes, the DNA of our soul, are the purpose in life. They are everything we could ever wish to pass on, expose someone to anger long enough, and they will learn to hate, and they will express their opinion, their meme, onto someone else, hoping that they agree with them, hoping to convince them to be alongside them in this battle. Whatever may have caused said battle, at least the battle would be one that they are fighting for a meme one of them made, and the other one would have taken on after all tha-”
Before Monsoon finishes, he feels a drop of rain as he looks above at the dark clouds having formed over the city while stating the following: “And like that, the clouds are no longer approaching, they have gotten out of their own set of isolation, allowing them to arrive here as the storm that had previously been approaching. But, the rain, it is something so gentle, it can wash away one’s anger, but it can also be another example of nature simply running its course depending on how bad the storm is going to be when it occurs.”
“The rain, it is a lot like war, it can be something quick and minor, or it can excalate at a very rapid pace.” And right when Monsoon says that, the booming of thunder can be heard alongside some lightning from within the clouds themselves, which Monsoon looks towards and gives a slight smile at it while continuing. “And like that, the storm has truly escalated already, no need for a quick little drizzle of rain, but instead straight into the heart of the storm, that is what our world can do. We can be enjoying a peaceful time and it turns into this.”
“The wind blows, grass grows, birds fly, and yet none of those things are truly safe from what our world can result in happening. It would be able to change everything in a slight blink of an instant, it would be able to do things that can stop us dead in our tracks, making us question if we are weak? But that does not matter anymore, for today, I am going to prove that I am strong in this world, and I am going to prove that you are on the opposite side of the spectrum as you are too weak.”
Blackmore stands there before looking up at the clouds above him, as he then starts to also feel the raindrops fall one by one, but they continue to fall at a rapid face, allowing him to sigh slightly before pulling out his mask and putting it on, and as the rain continued to start pouring profusely. And as it does, he then puts his mask on, which activates his Stand, Catch the Rainbow, which Monsoon has no idea about at all. He just sees Blackmore put the mask on and that was all he knew before making another comment.
“Is this what you have decided as the best course of action? Hiding behind a mask, hoping you have a chance at surviving? Because in a world like this, people like that aren’t going to make it far, no, they are going to slip on a banana peel that is life, and it would not only make someone fall back, but instead they will continue to fall down the numerous stairs that are in the way of everything, and by that point, you would have climbed numerous abouts of stairs each day, but when you finally slip, there is no coming back.”
Yet, Blackmore just stares at Monsoon while he has his mask on, and as he does, the rain starts to truly go all out, as in, the rain is really starting to pour down onto the two men like a real storm, which Monsoon enjoys it, and he even exclaims it to his foe, “And there it is, feel the rain pouring down on you, let it wash it all away, let it wash away all of the anger that you have gained in your life, and let me make sure you are the weak one.”
When he finished saying that, he charged at Blackmore, who was able to evade the attack, simply moving out of the way with ease, and Monsoon was anticipating this to happen, so he turned around, ready to stab Blackmore right there in the cheek, but when he tries stabbing backwards, he ended up having his own blade be stopped by some other blade, some kind of blade that was made out of water, which Monsoon wasn’t sure about how to counter, yet he still looked at the weapon that stopped him before dispersing himself from the clash with Blackmore.
Monsoon just looks at the water blade, and he comments about it, “It appears that the rain and the storm are even more cruel than I had originally thought, I never anticipated the idea that they could truly be used to make someone hurt. But, that is the thing this world has shown me, it has shown me that anyone can be the reason for someone else’s torment, even if it is a slight event in the blip of time, it is still an event that can alter history itself. No matter how insignificant it may appear at first.”
“Do you think the soldier who spared Hitler’s life knew what would happen in the future? He probably believed he was only doing something that would prove to only ever be a small moment in the war, but yet Hitler rose to power, and took advantage of what he was given, and he went and did all of those acts that he has become known for. It was just a small moment suspended in time, unknowing how to react to that event in the present. Yet, here we are now, he never knew what would happen if he spared him, but not all moments will change events.”
“Some events, as I have told you, can alter history entirely. Changing how things could have been. Changing what the world would be like at this current moment, yet, there are those that don’t do anything in our time. All that happens in those moments is that someone could kill another man, and he gets arrested for the rest of his life, a life forever spent behind bars until he dies. Did that change history? It did for one man, for he has no more history left, but did it change the overall history of the world?”
Monsoon continues to try and question his foe, but Blackmore responds to this, still unfazed by everything Monsoon is trying to do. “Your philosophy, what has happened to you? What caused you to start believing all these things are so insignificant? You don’t believe there is a higher power at work, instead believing that these supposed ‘memes’ are the reason why we are still alive to this day. With those ‘memes’ being the thing that we can pass down generations from now so we can be remembered, at least to some degree so that we’re remembered.”
“However, what you believe is wrong! There is a higher power! I don’t understand what you are talking about when it comes to that guy who was spared in a war, or a man being sent to be jailed for the rest of his life for a single murder, but all moments in life are significant in the grand scheme of things. Every single moment in history, it holds some meaning, as that is what was planned by God himself. It is why he had Jesus come down to Earth, it is why he had everything done exactly by him.”
“He knew what he had to do, and that meant sacrificing his one and only son for Earth’s sins. If he sent him here not to die, then we would all be condemned to the bottom pits of Hell itself. We are here for a purpose! Every single moment is all planned out by God, and he himself is the one who can control fate, no matter what kind of tragedy it may lead to, it is what he has planned for us, and Valentine will make sure it all go according to plan when he uses the Corpse of Christ to win over this country!”
Blackmore finally finished, which Monsoon just looks at him and laughs, but as he does, he sees Blackmore raised up into the air, seemingly using the rain drops to practically fly in the air, and that just makes Monsoon laugh even more as he says “The body of a god turned to flesh? That is what Valentine has? And I thought others were too optimistic, but you, you are not optimistic, no, you are delusional, you don’t know what the hell you are saying. You really think that some guy would have that kind of power at hand?”
“No, no one has that kind of power. Whatever kind of memes Valentine has are going to die alongside himself, no matter what he does, he is going to die one way or another. And even if I die here alongside you, if that is what it takes, it will be of no concern. Because I will return to the earth as everyone else has done before me. And to make sure of it, if it is God himself who controls fate, then let me see how he planned for your death to be here at this time.”
Monsoon then lifts one of his arms up and as he does, a military vehicle that was from inside of the building is pulled through the roof, and as it does, Monsoon uses it to elevate himself into the air to get to eye level with Blackmore. Blackmore looks at him and then uses the rain to make numerous blades to try and hit Monsoon, who continues to dodge all of the attempted attacks by splitting his body apart with each blade being thrown towards his way. That is until Monsoon is able to bring up more vehicles.
Monsoon uses these new ones to try and throw at Blackmore, who is able to dodge them all by walking through all the rain, ascending higher into the sky, but as he does, Monsoon does the same using a helicopter to jump onto, that he raises up using his magnetism, as the two continue to try and attack the other, but as they continue to go higher and higher, Monsoon then throws his arm out, trying to reach Blackmore, but Blackmore is able to summon a blade from water and is able to parry the blow from Monsoon’s attempted attack.
With this parry, it end up causes Monsoon’s arm to drop down, which makes Monsoon look down at it, but as he does, Blackmore uses numerous water blades to hit the helicopter that Monsoon was on, which is able to push the helicopter down some, and with one blade, he was able to hit Monsoon right in the back in an area that doesn’t separate, which causes Monsoon to stumble and fall off of the helicopter and starts falling back to Earth. Yet, this does not stop Monsoon, he simply flies down to where he is able to reconnect his arm just barely.
And that was barely something he was able to do, but that doesn’t stop him, he then sees a piece of metal that is falling down as well from some of the previous attempted attacks and he uses that to jump up off of before reaching the helicopter again, where he lands on the bottom of it as the thing on his visor goes out to give him more power over his magnetism, then uses his magnetism to make it do a spin in the air, and when it does, he uses that momentum to jump off of it when he was facing upwards and then jumps directly towards Blackmore, ready to stab him.
However, before he could stab Blackmore in the neck, Blackmore is able to duck under it, making Monsoon have to catch himself on top of his own vehicle he had brought up. And as he lands there, he looks at Blackmore, making the water act as if it was a staircase as he continues to walk up said staircase, but as he does, a pigeon is seen flying, and Blackmore uses his gun to point at the bird before putting it away, deciding against killing it. Though, only deciding to not kill it with a gun, but instead with a knife.
A water knife to be exact because he turns yet more rain water into a knife-like thing where he throws it at the pigeon. Striking the bird directly in the back of the head, leaving it to then fall back to the ground, where it'd splat on the pavement. Monsoon looks at what had just transpired and then looks back at Blackmore who still looks away and still continues to use the rain as his own staircase before Monsoon asks him, “Is this really how you are going to live? Are you truly going to see this as a justified cause?”
Blackmore looks back at Monsoon, who continues, “Your cause, it is to make sure Valentine wins this race, no matter the cost of what it’d take? If you need to kill me, then I see what your purpose in doing so is. However, what was the purpose of killing that bird that was only doing what nature had as its purpose? It was only flying in the air, enjoying the rain, hoping that it would soothe its soul, but all that it got instead was the water hurting it more than it ever could have thought it would’ve.”
“Is this the cause of your devotion to letting Valentine achieve some sort of utopia? Well, utopia is only a figment of your imagination, utopia is only a fictional place that you wish you could get to, but that is exactly what it sounds like to be. Fiction. It is not real. There is no utopia, there is no place for you to go to in hopes of a peaceful life. There is only human greed left out there, trying to get something instead of someone else because that is exactly what human nature is, greed, and that is fine.”
“It’s all just continuing to be nature running its course, and human greed is part of nature. Humans are already doing this constant struggle for power, and that’d even include them trying to find some kind of stairway to heaven itself, defying the harness that is gravity, but you, you are using nature to your advantage, using the rain to let you have that stairway, but that is the problem with stairs, they only go so far high up, and can only do it for so long before they finally fall flat, and how are you so sure you will make it to your destination? Especially if the universe itself were to sing its own song for you? Because I can hear it, the universe’s song, the universe is singing to me.”
Monsoon is going to continue, but then he cuts himself off and just says, “Instead, how about I act as that one step you forgot to step on and make you fall back to where you should be?” And after he says that, he raises the one helicopter he is on above Blackmore and then aims himself to go right at Blackmore, who had turned numerous water drops into blades and have them shooting up at Monsoon, who is able to dodge most of them by splitting his body apart.
Monsoon is able to just barely stab Blackmore in the chest, making them fall back down, and he starts stabbing Blackmore as if they were in London, with him doing it non-stop as the two continue to fall down. Yet, Blackmore is able to cover/heal the wounds to some degree, using the rain to do just that, but as the two continue to fall, Blackmore pulls out his gun and tries to shoot Monsoon, but the latter is able to evade the attack, but as he does, Blackmore uses the rain water as a force to push him away from Blackmore.
And as it does, Blackmore uses more water to push Monsoon down, but he is able to continuously push through all of it, but as he does, Blackmore notices the water on Monsoon’s visor and mentions, “Is it that you are afraid to show your own face why you are so spiteful towards others? Well, let me help you in that regard, if that is the case.” And so, he tries pulling water up that was on or around Monsoon’s visor, who holds onto the visor with everything he can to make sure it stays on.
“STOP IT”! Monsoon screams out, not wanting the visor to be ripped from his face, and so it becomes a battle of their abilities. Monsoon using his magnetism to keep his visor on, but as he does, the rain continues to pour down onto him, causing the water to seap through the thing, letting it where Blackmore can try and make the water go up to rip the visor off of his face, but Monsoon continues to fight against it, eventually somewhat winning in a sense. Yet, when he realizes that, he ends up falling through the hole that had previously been made by him earlier.
He falls through it and is able to catch himself, being able to stop himself before bumping into Sundowner. “It appears that my opponent might be the strong one, am I weak?” Monsoon asks, looking up into the sky, seeing Blackmore holding an umbrella as he continues to use the rain to act as his own bit of ground, but as Monsoon looks up, Sundowner just looks at him and tells him. “That’s bullshit! You gave war a chance, so show him how strong you really are!” After he says that, Monsoon lets out a laugh.
As Monsoon laughs, he disassembles his body into the tornado-like thing it was before and shoots back upwards towards Blackmore, but now we’re going to turn our attention to Sundowner and Sandman, well, Soundman, but still going to call him Sandman, alright? Alright. So, Sundowner, after getting Monsoon to go back into the fight, he looks back at Sandman, who stands there, menacingly, well, for any man who can see the words appear beside him, but for the war monger, it doesn't faze him in the slightest as he laughs while asking Sandman a question.
“So, one more time, why don’t cha give war a chance? You seem to be fighting for some kind of cause. What was it? For your tribe or some shit? I thought those reserves were gone nowadays, but I guess I was wrong, so, why don’t you just go to war? It would surely give a more direct approach than you would’ve in some kind of race.” Sundowner asks, hoping for a better response than he had recieved earlier, that we don’t know about, but that doesn’t matter. Though, Sandman does still respond to it, and gives a response apparently similar to what it was prior.
“I have already told you my goals. My goals are to be able to buy back the land for my tribe. My tribe has already lost many just from people from another continent arriving, trying to take over, but I will do what it takes to make sure I win this. Not just for my own personal gain, but for the gain of everyone that exists in my tribe. Whether it is a blood relative of my own, or if it is a distant cousin, I will make sure we can all live a better future.”
“As for the idea of war, that is not going to win our land back. Instead, it would likely reduce our own landmass by many because we would likely lose just through the sheer numbers we’d be up against. We may be powerful, and we may know that we can push ourselves more than anyone else would expect, but we still know that we all have our own limits when this kind of thing is going to occur. The moment we try and use force to gain back what we have lost, that will be the moment we lose more than what we would’ve gained.”
After Sandman says that, Sundowner laughs at it, “Really? Thinking it’s going to be like what happened to Germany back in the day? Try and fight for what they wanted, hoping to gain more, and end up losing even more in the process? Well, that’s all bullshit! It’s all because they had the wrong tactics, they made stupid decisions, they gave war a chance, but they didn’t do it in the right way, they failed to realize what they needed to do, they failed to realize how to use war to its fullest advantage!”
“If you actually give war a chance and know exactly what you were doing, then that’d mean you have a fighting chance! Who cares if it means you commit a few war crimes, no one gives a shit! A lot of supposed ‘heroes’ of war are war criminals in one way or another, yet they always recieve praise for their supposed ‘sacrifice.’ And what exactly was that sacrifice? Why, it was nothing more than letting others go out before them, and then taking advantage of what others have done for them, and also breaking a few codes just so they can have something to be remembered for.”
“Everyone is always acting so innocent from everything they’ve done, for all we know, 9/11 was a damn inside job! But, I don’t care if it was an inside job or if it was a terrorist attack, all that matters is that it got the demands for PMCs to skyrocket like they have never done before. It’s all about the money. Don’t matter what you do, don’t give a damn on what you believe in, all of this just takes me to my own paradise under this red sun of blood.”
After he says that, he picks up a piece of metal that was on the ground and then looks at it before laughing and speaking again. “Ya see this piece of metal? Broke off whatever the fuck it was during a fight, all these things, it’s going to cost something. It’s going to require some kind of payment. It all comes down to money, whether it’s fixing a building, buying out a PMC, or, in your case, buying back the land for that tribe of yours, it will always come down to the big bucks, and I love that!”
“I love the profit, I love the bloodshed, I love all of it! Everyone thinks that we’re destroying some sort of paradise, thinking all this deforestation is a bad thing, and I will call bullshit on that! We’re gaining profit from all that, we’re biggering from the money we are receiving, everything is going to skyrocket for the money, and if they think that the paradise is going to be destroyed, well, just let it be known to them that it’s only new machines coming through to rebuild it into what it should’ve been, even if it kills some things. Now, why don’t you just go ahead and die!”
Sundowner then throws the piece of metal at Sandman, who’s Stand, In a Silent Way, is able to deflect from him, but also put a sound on it to where it has the sound of something cutting onto the metal before it is shot back at Sundowner, who puts his hand out to stop the metal, but as he does, he feels the cutting from the metal, which makes him drop the piece of metal. He doesn’t really feel the pain since it wasn’t that bad, but he is still confused by it.
“The fuck was that?” Sundowner questions, which Sandman responds to. “You have strength over many, I can tell that much by how you appear, however, strength is not all someone needs in a battle, they need to have some sort of power they can use, and that is mine, my Stand... In a Silent Way! The sound that it creates will tear your body to pieces with one blow.” He says while Sundownr just continues to look at him, a bit confused by what the fuck a “Stand” is, and by what he means by that, but that doesn’t stop him from doing a small bit of taunting.
“Really? Sound? You’re acting like things moving at some sort of speed is some sort of new invention when these blades of mine have been moving faster than any sort of sound can ever wish to move.” Sundowner says while he readies Bloodlust as he holds them close to himself, and as he does, he goes ahead and asks his opponent a simple question, “How about I give you a live demonstration of what I can do? Or, better yet, how about I show you what can happen when you give war a chance!”
Sundowner starts running at Sandman, who turns around and starts running from the big cyborg, who is surprised by how fast the man can run, but he still continues the pursuit, not letting up at any chance. Sandman continues to run around the arena, with Sundowner barely able to keep up, but as he gets closer, Sandman starts running a bit faster, making it practically impossible for Sundowner to catch the man. Sundowner tries to pick up a piece of glass and tries chucking it at Sandman, but instead, his Stand is able to catch it and throws it back.
When Sundowner swats it away, he feels a stabbing on his hand, even somewhat seeing some blood on his hand now, which he mainly ignores as he continues to chase after Sandman, and then the former yells out a question “How the hell are you so fast!?” Yet, Sandman doesn’t answer until he suddenly stops and is able to jump over the still charging Sundowner, who zooms past, before using Bloodlust to stop himself by stabbing into the ground before using that to turn around and face his current opponent who finally answers the question he was asked just a bit ago.
“I have trained for many races, I have trained myself to run for long distances for long periods of time, and that would include a races among many horses, and while all those others would be using their horses to try and win the race, using the horses four legs as an advantage to win the race, I would win the race with nothing more than my feet. I have the ability to run better than anyone else, and that makes it impossible for someone to ever be able to catch up with or ever wish to surpass.”
After he says that, Sundowner laughs at him before telling him, “Seriously? Just constant running? No, there’s something up with you, got some cybernetics inside of your legs or something? Whatever the case is, I won’t give a damn, I will make sure that if you ain’t dead, you’ll be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of your life!” And as he says that, he notices a giant pillar next to him, which he slices the top part of and then rips the rest of it out as he tries using it to then hit Sandman.
When he tries to do it, Sandman is able to duck under the pillar and uses his Stand to give it the sound of a burning heat, but instead of letting go, Sundowner is still holding onto it, despite the obvious steam that was coming from his hands, he is working through it all, still keeping a hold of the pillar, and he isn’t letting go anytime soon. And Sandman is able to realize this, so he quickly makes it where the sound is now a different sound whenever he had the opportunity to do so, and what did he change it to?
Well, he changed it from a burning sound into one that was a stabbing one, and this was finally enough to make Sundowner scream out and throw the pillar, but he wasn’t paying attention to it and ended up throwing it towards Sam, who had to quickly cut it apart as it was approaching him, and as he does, the parts all fall to the ground while Sam gives the one member of the Winds of Destruction a quick little tip, “Oh, come on now, there’s no need to get angry and throw things at others.”
But, Sundowner ignored this taunt, as he looked at his hands, and, sure enough, his hands were both burned and scarred, but instead of holding onto his hands, he starts clapping his hands together while letting out a laugh, and looks at Sandman. Sundowner then goes ahead and looks towards Sandman and says, “Is this... pain? I'd forgotten the sensation. But... I LOVE THIS SHIT! THANKS FOR REMINDING ME OF IT!” before whipping out Bloodlust yet again and starts charging after Sandman yet again as he had done before, which Sandman was barely able to react to as he ducks under Sundowner trying to use Bloodlst like a pair of scissors to cut Sandman’s head off.
But, as said, Sandman is able to evade this attempted attack and starts running the other way, but as he does, Sundowner tells him “Do you really think you can get away? Well, here’s a little bit of advice for ya: None leave the slaughterhouse! Not alive! So, what makes you think you can!?” Sundowner tells him, charging at the tribal man, who continues to run away, and runs right behind Sam, alongside Sundowner who does the same, but Sam doesn’t pay attention to that, as he has his eyes set on Diego.
Sam looks at Diego, and is still questioning how he is back because he was sure he killed him earlier on the train, but he finally goes ahead and asks Diego a question. “What are you going to do this time? I’ve noticed you’ve got real swift feet, being able to move so quickly in the blink of an eye, so why don’t you tell me what you’re going to do, boy? Going to turn into some kind of monster? Go ahead, you can do whatever you want, just make sure you show me a good time.”
Sam was hoping for some kind of entertaining response so he could banter back with a smug remark, but Diego continues to look at him and asks him a question, “What do you see time as?” This question surprises Sam to some degree, but he is able to respond pretty easily. “Why, time is just another part of existence. It’s just a part of life, we can’t do shit about it, just like history. But, history is the one that decides what is right, history is a book, and time is simply just one of the authors of it.”
But before he could continue, he has to quickly parry a knife that was just thrown at him, as he looks at the knife on the ground, he laughs, “Oh, straight to the point, eh? That’s good, why that’s very good! Yes, I like this. Looks like we're gonna be doing this the hard way…” Sam says, charging at Diego, expecting Diego to move out of the way, but Diego continues to stand there. Little did Sam know that as he did, Diego's Stand, THE WORLD, appeared, revealing that it was the Parallel World Diego. Nevertheless, as Diego looked out at Sam, he decided to finally speak.
“No, time is mine and mine alone! THE WORLD!” As he says that, time goes to a halt, everything is frozen, everything except for Diego. Diego walks past Sam, who has a grin on his face, unknowing of what is soon to come. Diego looks at the ground, and picks up the knife that Sam had deflcted earlier, and throws it behind Sam, and then he pulls out numerous sharp objects, both that were on him as well as some that were on the ground, and after he does, and when all the objects were pointed at Sam, Diego speaks once more.
“And time will resume once more,” after saying that, time does indeed resume, and when Sam is greeted to no one being in front of him anymore, which makes him quickly turn around, and sees all of the objects heading towards him. He is able to parry the knife that was in the front of the back, and has to use Blade Mode to slice apart the other objects that had been thrown at him. And after all of the objects have thoroughly been chopped to bits, he ends Blade Mode, watching all the numerous parts fall before him.
“Heh, I don’t mind a quick shave, but I rather go to a barber than a stripper for my hair,” Sam laughs, looking at Diego’s outfit. Diego, not finding this ammusing, replies back “Do you really think your ability is good enough to compete against me? Are you really that foolish?” Sam stands there, putting his hand on his chin, seemingly thinking about how to respond, in which he finally does come up with a response. “I’m not foolish, I’m just a man sharpening his skills, that is all, is there something wrong with what I am doing?”
“Although, I do have a question for you: Tell me, does Valentine make all of his bodyguards fight for him? Sure, they are meant to fight for him, but if he is all about that whole shield idea that he is the one going to be the one standing on the frontlines by himself, is he even going to be ready to fight by himself? Better yet, are you sure he is going to be able to do all of this by himself? Is that something you really believe? Or has he gotten it where you just have to tell yourself to believe it?”
After he finishes what he was saying, Diego looks down and sighs while he quietly says “Muda, muda, muda.” Sam was barely able to hear Diego say that, but he wasn’t able to actually hear exactly what Diego had said so he asked Diego, “C’mon now, don’t be shy, you can tell me whatever is on your mind before I cut it out myself.” Diego looks up at Sam and yells out. “MUDA! MUDA! USELESS! That is what you are! You are just another piece of shit that doesn’t know anything outside of fighting!”
“You don’t understand anything that is going to happen. I alone stand as the pinnacle of this world! Call me whatever you want, but I am the number one here! Call me Diego, call me Dio, because you know what the name Dio means? It means God. In this world full of apes, I am practically the only one who can actually live in it! I am the only one with this honor. Throughout the heavens and the earth, I alone am the honored one! How hard is it for you to understand this concept? Are you actually that stupid to not realize that!?”
While venting out the frustrations he had, Diego stopped as Sam started laughing while clapping, finding all of this to be very amusing, and that only made Diego even more angry as he tries throwing another knife at Sam, who is able to catch it and looks at it before using it to seemingly sharpen his blade, the Murasama, even though it was already really sharp. After scraping it a few times, Sam looks back at the knife, realizing the knife itself is practically red from the heat, and even bending some, so he then disgards it as he then speaks.
“Really now? The ‘honored one’? Did you take that from someone else? Because that doesn’t sound very original. Take it from me, this world is shit, everyone is thinking of some sort of way to make it better, some kind of higher cause. Yet, I’m tired of hearing about higher causes. And I can tell you are, because you’re just an egotistical man who thinks he is some kind of ‘pretty boy,’ thinking he is the only one who can stand at the top. Well, here’s a little idea for you, alright? I spite myself, I remember when I had a cause to fight for, something to try and achieve, but now? Nah.”
“I’m just fighting to fight because I’m quite good at it. And I don’t care if I have no cause, because I’m usually on the battlefield more times than not. And after all of this killing, I’ve learned something, that the only thing I know, for real, is that there will be bloodshed. That’s all there is to it. You can look down from whatever mountain you want to see yourself as higher, but you’ll still question why you’re fighting. But I don’t care anymore, this ends here. And I will make sure of it, that will be the end of your story.”
After Sam finishes, Diego tells the Brazilian, “To pursue me is foolish. However, I will admit that this is where the fun begins, and it is where it will end, I will not let you win!” And so, with the declaration that he is going to fight until the very end, Sam lets out a very infamous laugh of his before calming down and then looking at Diego. “Ok, let’s dance!” He says, letting his mask cover his face finally. Sam goes right at Diego, trying to strike him, but Diego is able to evade the attack and pulls out a revolver and tries to shoot.
However, Sam is able to block all of the bullets and continues to try and slice apart Diego, but Diego is still constantly able to evade each of the blows. Eventually, Sam puts the Murasama into the ground, and raises it with enough force that he causes some of the flooring to come loose and then kicks them all at Diego, who uses THE WORLD to punch all of them away and into many different pieces. But as he does that, he realizes that Sam is right there in front of him.
“THE WORLD!” Diego shouts out, stopping time right when Murasama was about to strike him in the arm. Diego moves out of the way, but as he walks away, he has THE WORLD pull the Murasama out of Sam’s hand and chucks it a distance away into the ground before resuming time. As it resumed, Sam quickly goes to a halt to process that the Murasama is now out of his hand and that Diego is behind him. Sam, annoyed, asks Brando “Aye aye aye, can you do anything besides run?! It’s not very much of a dance if one isn’t going to participate.”
Diego responds to this, “You think I’d be running away from you? Some unknown lowlife who doesn’t know his place in this world? That’s almost pathetic. You’re nothing more than a stupid pigeon, blindly going wherever you please. Not thinking about anything that you are doing. But, that’s just another part of life, it’s one of those habits that you can’t really change, just like fate, it will always remain the same.”
Rodrigues, hearing this, makes a comment about the idea of fate, “I don’t know if I ever told you this, whether it was during this or in a prior time when I thought you died, it doesn’t matter, but fate, that’s all bullshit. Fate does not control history. History can control fate, and depending on whoever wins a battle, that is who history has decided is right, and fate will accommodate whatever history has decided on. If you die, then we’ll be back on track for what we’re doing, but if I am going to die here, before the day ends, then I guess I wasn’t the one history has decided on.”
“But, at least I’d know I’m good at finding whatever bugs are on the ground, as well as in catch.” Sam continues, but then Brando questions this, “Catch?” This would give Sam an opportunity to pull out a smoke grenade, leaving only a cloud of smoke around him and Diego. Diego, unknowing to where Sam is, so Diego has THE WORLD at the ready for whatever was going to happen. Which was a good call as THE WORLD was able to punch Sam as he tried running in from behind as he had just grabbed his sword again.
Sam stops and looks at how he suddenly stopped from something. Yet, he ignores it while he then starts trying to stab and slice at Diego, but each attack was being blocked by THE WORLD, which he, obviously, did not know about. However, Sam was starting to somewhat realize that there was something up as he saw with each slice, it was as if it was hitting something invisible, yet it was solid. He continued to try and attack, continuing to realize that there was something up with how his opponent was able to get away from each strike.
After a bit of time, Sam cartwheeled away and sheathed the Murasama while looking at Diego and said, “The hell do you have? You got a ghost of the past with ya?” To which, Diego responds to, “That is of no concern to you.” But, Sam being, well, Sam, continues to pester him, trying to get some kind of response out of him. “Now, now, don’t be shy, there’s no reason to be, well, shy. Are you too afraid to be seen as weak? Because you already are, so go ahead and tell me.”
Being called weak definitely angered Diego, who clenched his fist as this, but he kept calm before revealing his power to Sam. “Time itself is for me and me alone. The ability to stop time itself, even if for only five seconds, with the five seconds being enough time for me to get rid of a parasite like you.” And Sam looks at Diego, skeptical about the idea that he has the actual ability to stop time itself, but he gives a shrug at this, before holding up the Murasama and then sheathing it yet again as he has done before.
“Alright then, prove it.” Sam says, while running at Diego yet again, hoping for something to happen, and it did, but he was unable to see it as time stopped for Diego. Diego walks past Sam, and as he does, he then pulls out numerous knives. Throwing them all, leaving them suspended in the air, while Diego then continued to throw numerous more, making it appear almost as if it was a shower of knives that was about to rain onto Sam. Yet, Diego was not finished with just knives, no, not even close.
Despite only having 5 seconds to do this, it was like it lasted way longer for him due to some random logic, but he still took advantage of his “5” seconds of time stop while throwing numerous more objects he can find on the ground at Sam, allowing them all to get suspended in the air alongside the knives, and so he finally lets it all go, he then says. “Only five seconds, that is all I ever need to be able to kill someone like you, and with these five seconds now up, time will resume as it normally is.”
Time does resume as Sam is met with numerous blades and more going directly at him, where he cartwheels around some of them, slices apart a few of them, but he still ends up getting stabbed in the chest by a few knives, which makes him stumble ever so slightly as he falls to a knee. He pulls out a knife, looks at it and then down at the blood that was oozing out of his chest, which he puts his hand over, and then he smiles at it while looking at Diego, who had a disgusted look on his face.
But as he does, Sam lets out a laugh and yells out to Diego “MORE! HURT ME MORE!” And as he says that, he sheathed the Murasama and charged at Diego, but as he did that, Diego was about to yell out “THE WORLD” as he has done before he would stop time, but before he could really do anything, Sam activated Blade Mode, allowing his own perception of time to slow down a significant amount as he readied the Murasama. And as he did, eventually he got into position to press the trigger on the sheath of his and grab the Murasama as it went out.
Yet, as he did, Diego himself had gotten it where he was able to use THE WORLD, and as he does, in Blade Mode, Sam noticed Diego being able to move faster and faster to where they were moving at a similar speed for a moment before Diego’s time stop went into effect, rendering even Blade Mode useless against the man from a parallel world. And as Diego stopped time, this time, he directly threw a knife at Sam’s neck. Hoping that it would connect and kill the Brazilian. However, that was not the case.
It was only that single knife he threw this time as time resumed, but even though it did, Blade Mode was still active, so Sam was there, seeing a knife go right at his neck in slow motion, and so, with quick thinking, he took a quick side step, so that he was out of the way of the knife, but as he did, he still held onto the Murasama with all that he’s got, and as it was truly out of the sheath, Sam held onto it and changed it’s direction so that while he was facing away, the sword would still hit Diego.
And given how fast Sam was going, Diego could not react in time to what was happening and ended up getting a giant cut on his stomach, as well as his left hand being sliced off. Diego screams out while holding onto his wrist, looking at the now stub of where his hand used to be, before looking up at Sam, who gives that damn smile of his that is so infamous. But, Diego doesn’t quit, he pulls out his gun and starts shooting at Sam, but that doesn’t really do much to benefit him.
That was because Sam continued to use the Murasama to block every shot that was fired at him. Diego kept firing as Sam ran at him, but as he did, he jumped into the air, and Diego tried firing at where he should land in a moment, thinking he could predict what was going to happen, but Sam did the extra jump in the air before landing behind Diego as he said “Not good enough!” Diego, realizing he is about to be sliced in half, summoned THE WORLD to punch Sam, launching him back some and almost into Armstrong.
As Sam caught himself using the Murasama, he looked up at Armstrong, who did a quick laugh as did Sam. Sam then charged back at Diego, but now we’re finally going to go ahead and go back to Valentine and Armstrong after so long. After Sam went, Armstrong looked back up at Valentine, who’s coat had been almost completely torn to shreds. But, Valentine still persisted, not letting up no matter what was going to happen. He brought out D4C, trying to use it to punch Armstrong, but Armstrong’s nanomachines were able to block the attack as he charged towards Valentine.
Yet, this time, Armstrong grabbed Valentine by the throat and gave him some sort of road rash while shoving him across the ground in a circle a few times, going across numerous pieces of glass, wood, and metal all across the area before he let go of Valentine, letting the latter continue to go across the floor before coming to a halt. Valentine stood up, visibly in pain, but he kept going, and as he finally realized how truly torn up his jacket is, he took it off, revealing not only the scars he just recieved, but the previous ones from when he was tortured.
The torture marks that almost look uncannily like the flag of the United States, which Armstrong comments on, “Nice tatts, where’d ya get ‘em?” But this does not please Valentine, who continues to have his back turned, but still looks towards Armstrong as he tells Armstrong, “These scars, they are not some sort of ink in my skin, but instead proof that I have done what I can for this country. Proof that I am able to tolerate more than any normal man can, as I have the willpower to get through anything that would ever come my way.”
“No matter how bad it may seem, no matter how difficult the challenges are, I am going to face them head on, and I will survive, but not only that, but I will thrive. I will make my country thrive with me. I will make sure that everything I do is going to be what is right with America. Everything that will happen in the future will be because I took initiative, because I took the first napkin. Because I am the one who will forever be immortalized as president of the United States!”
“There are presidents who’s terms are mostly forgotten, those who only served for a short period of time and are mostly forgotten by any common man, but I will become like one who is always remembered, I will be one of the greats, I will stand up there along the likes of our very first president. I will be seen as an equal to George Washington himself, if not more. I do not care what I must do to make sure I am seen like that, but I am going to make sure it happens as I take control.”
“I will do what it takes, even if that means I must almost isolate myself to some degree, risking life and limb to make sure of it. Even if what some think my subordinates are doing, they are not committing murders, no, they are carrying out a plan. A plan that involves a higher power at work. If it were murder, why do we not consider the same for war? In war, many kill others, but we see them as heroes and not truly as murderers despite blood being on their hands, no, they are instead carrying out a plan for the future.”
After Valentine says this, he takes a hold of a flag that was nearby before he continued, “You see, in life, there is fate and there is luck. Fate is something that is almost completely set in stone, what is going to happen according to fate, that is what will be written in the history books. Nothing can change what the history books have said, that is true. However, while you can’t affect what fate has done, you can still change what fate is planning on doing, you can still change what is going to happen with your own two hands.”
“Or, in this case, it will by my own two hands, I will be the one who will change fate itself, every action that I have taken, every step on the soil that I have made, along with all of those footprints in the paths of mud or blood, I am the one who will stand above it all, and I will be the one who can change everything for the better! I alone will be the one! It’s all in the name of justice! Everything that has happened, everything that will happen, it all will be because of me!”
“You are nothing more than a low life bastard who’s mind has been clouded by the ideas of making others suffer, but my mind is unclouded, my mind is clear, I know exactly what to do. And it is my sworn duty as president to make sure my people are safe from threats such as you, Armstrong! I now finally have what I need to make sure I can truly defeat you once and for all! I have gotten almost all of the Corpse Parts all together, I am finally going to do what has been needing to be done for so long!”
After he says that, Armstrong looks at him, a bit confused, “Corpse? The hell are you talking about? That supposed corpse of Jesus that was mentioned in your little interview in the newspaper?” After he says that, Valentine continues to stand there, turned away from Armstrong before turning around, which while slightly hard to see, his heart was that of the Corpse Part, which Armstrong even questions. “Did you get an implant or something?” Yet, even though he questioned it and asked, Valentine, at first, gave no response before then holding his hand over his heart like he was doing the Pledge of Allegiance before speaking.
“My heart, it is not only my heart, it is America’s heart. I have America’s very own heart beating in my chest. There is no denying that I am meant to be the one to be able to wield this power, no matter what the matter is in this case, I will be the one, and I alone will be the one to bring us to a future of prosperity! There is no chance you have considered everything that could’ve been, but I have, I know what is going to happen in the future!”
Armstrong gives a quick laugh, “Yeah, that’s a nice argument, president. Why don’t you back it up with some actual evidence?” To which, Valentine tells him “The one who misread one move... which of us was it...? It was not me. In fact, it was you, you have only yourself to blame for not having a chance to ever perceive what is going to happen in a matter of moments.” Yet, Armstrong was able to shut him up in just a few words, “Oh, really now?” He doesn’t even finish what he was going to say before charging towards Valentine.
Yet, as he did, D4C held the flag Valentine had before dropping it on the ground as Valentine then lifted the flag up, revealing the body of Lucy Steel, which makes Armstrong look at it, confused, but as he did, he only then realized there was a number of Valentines still left, just hidden around in the rubble, each of them, they all had a Corpse Part on hand. And as they all hold them, Armstrong looks back at the one Valentine, but when he does, all he gets to see is Valentine move out of the way as he charges right past him.
As Armstrong finally got to a stop, he looked at this almost wall like thing of Valentine, who repeats what he has said prior, “I’ve told you, Armstrong, if there is going to be a person that holds the shield to make sure America stays safe from any sort of threat, then it will be me, no one else is fit for this role. Only I can do this, anyone else who dares attempt this role would likely fall under the pressure of everything that they would have to carry.”
“They would not be able to carry the consequences of their actions if they were to ever mess up, and no group can do it, for any man, women, or child could be holding a shield, but that doesn’t make it any better, instead, it will allow for more things to get past since you are unable to truly trust in everyone, for they could be a traitorous piece of trash such as like you. Even more so considering your own ideals go against this whole idea of a wall of many holding it up, how did you not realize that flaw?”
“You say you want the strongest to survive, you want the strongest to thrive, yet you want the weak to perish, yet wanting many to forget those they had cherished, all of that, and yet you want them to work as a wall? Everyone fighting their own battle yet defending the same wall? That cannot exist at the same time. There is no chance in which that would ever happen. In no reality can there exist an idea on how that can work, and I have seen the infinite kaleidoscope of it all, and I can confirm that I am speaking the truth.”
“And with that said, everything I have ever done, every single second I have taken a breath of air, it was all done for this moment, and this moment alone, although, it still hurts me to know that this is what it takes to defeat some betrayer of his own country, but if that is the case, then so be it. So be it so that you may be defeated once and for all. Let this be the end of your days, Armstrong! For I, alone, am the one true president of the United States of America!”
As he says that, Armstrong is able to attempt to charge right back at him, but a number of Valentines appear behind him and jump him, grabbing his attention, so he has to deal with them as they continue to try and hurt him in whatever way they can. But, as he continued to deal with them in whatever way that he could, whether it was by chunking them a distance away or squeezing their neck so much he ripped part of it off, he was dealing with them pretty quickly, but, apparently, it was not quick enough.
Because as his back is still turned, a golden glow appears behind Armstrong alongside Valentine saying “Dojyaaa~~n!” Armstrong then turns around, still being blinded by the light, but as it finally dimmed a little, he could finally see whatever the hell it was. It was some sort of barrier of lights that had appeared from where those other Valentines had been holding those parts as well as where the body of that one female was, but whatever it was, Valentine was there, he was seemingly a part of the barrier, and Armstrong continues to look at it, unknowing what to do for his next move.
Well, that would be the case for only a few moments as he then picks up a some kind of metal gear off the ground before throwing it at Valentine, well, he tried to throw it at Valentine, but instead of hitting him, it ended up going straight into some other part of the room, smashing against the wall, almost causing a sonic boom from how fast it was going at that point. Armstrong continues to stand there, looking at Valentine, who also stared back at the senator before the former of the two finally spoke out to Steven about this new thing after realizing the power that he possesses now.
“As I have said, Armstrong, all of my actions, every single one of them, they are all in the name of justice, there is nothing I have done that is wrong, for everything I have done is in the name of my country. I will always stand above the sand that was once a land that had been practically barren for so long, it is what we need to fix, it is why I need to be the one to fix it. Because only I have the power to actually do something to mend the damages.”
“Damages caused by people like you. You are thinking of burning everything down, letting everything our ancesors have one, you are willing to let it all go to waste, and for what? To supposedly rebuild it just so that it can become something so much worse? Why would someone want to burn down a simple apple tree and replace it with poisonous oak? What would be the point in doing something like that? I’ll tell you what the purpose of doing something like that is, it is greed. That all it will ever come down to, and that is a human’s natural urge for having something.”
“It can be anything, ranging from money, to fame, to just having the ability to have some kind of power over it all, you are likely wanting it all. Your idea for war, it will likely raise more money to be made from businesses, resulting in an influx of more money going through the system consistantly. It’d also likely make everything that you have ever done be seen as some sort of heroic act as you are the leader, and you are helping the people in a desperate time of need, especially if that event was a war.”
“You would not even care for the American people, you would only be wanting to use war as a business to gain more and more profits out of it at any chance you could get. And as president, it would likely suffice at the one greed that humans are mostly wanting, and that is the power of control. As like the devil runs around, trying to cause as much trouble as he physically can, ranging from mental attacks or physical, he will always be seen as a being that is pure madness incarnate. However, he is not the only one.”
“In this world, there are many devils out there, and it could be a man acting like any sort of average man, but is he a fool, or a killer? You cannot know because the devil himself has likely tainted his sould with his influcence, it is why mortal sin exists, because the devil was able to mentally manipulate Eve into taking from the forbidden tree, resultin in their exile from the garden that could’ve proven to truly be Heaven on Earth, because it was just that, because before she took from the tree, Eden was a true heaven.”
“They had to worry about nothing, they were only ever going to have to worry about it... nothing. That is what they had, they had nothing to worry about for their sins since it wasn’t even a concept up until that point. But now, not only does the devil himself, Satan, exist, but there are those who try and act like they are truly something out of this world. There is a devil for just about anything, and that all stems from the fact that any normal man, woman, or child, they are all born with greed within themselves.”
“And the most prominate devil out of all the ones I see is the one that is obsessed with having control over something, or at least someone, and that is what you have, Armstrong. You are nothing more than a devil in disguise trying to hide his horrendous actions and plans from the world so that you can one day have full reign to destroy it however you please. That is why I am here, to make sure that that can never happen. It is why a goddess herself is now my ally as I stand here realizing there is nothing that you can do.”
“The power of a god is something that is truly indescribable, it is something that you could only ever wish to feel, Armstrong. The idea that a physical body could interact with something that likely would’ve been a higher dimensional being at work, but instead then taking on flesh. It proves that there is a god, and he is listening to me! I can tell that I am truly the chosen one for this to ever happen to, there is nothing that you could ever do against me now, Armstrong. Nothing you do will ever affect me.”
“Not only have my own power of D4C increased, but this new ability is like that of a locomotive, it simply cannot be taken down by any means necessary, anything you could ever wish to try and throw my way, I will be able to resist it, even if I cannot physically control where it returns back to, it is still enough. This is what happens when dirty deeds are done dirt cheap, all of it, on this unstoppable locomotive that I care deeply for, whether it is going smoothly or getting tracked, it will never stop. This is the effect of a Love Train.”
After he finished saying that Armstrong then chimes in and says in own little quip. “Really? Love Train? That is what you decide to call whatever the fuck this is? You name it after probably some sort of train related thing used for some kind of stupid shit, and that is what you decide to name it as? At least with that other ability of yours, that dirty deeds done dirt cheap, or those undescribable undertakings for fucking free. Whatever it is, you are thinking you are all so high and mighty.”
“Which is absolute bullshit! It’s all in the hands of the people, Valentine, that is what I am wanting, and if it causes a few more wars to happen? Then so be it, let the number of wars commence, let every man be free to fight their own war instead of being forced to follow behind someone else and fight for something they don’t believe in. No, don’t let that happen, I want everyone to be able to choose if they want to partake in a war or not, instead of just forcing them into whatever kind of service needs them.”
“Every man will be able to do as he pleases, it doesn’t matter what it is, let him say something controversial on whatever social media site he wants, let him announce he will not join the military, whatever the case may be during this time, let him do what he damn well wants. There is nothing that can control him, there are no strings attached as like there are with most deals. Instead, I will make sure that all of those strings are cut, I will not let a single on of the strings ever have a chance in fucking hell!”
“And speaking of strings being attached, you kept going on and on about how what I am doing is just some sort of control devil that resigns within everyone, and I’ll just call your bullshit right here, right now. I don’t care for control, I am here for the people to be able to make their own calls. Don’t need for them to rely on someone else calling all the big shots for them. No, I want every single one of them to see exactly what is going to happen as if it was going to be done by their own hands!”
“And don’t even get me started on your own idea of what you’d do with America. The whole thing about you being that single shield against outside forces, just you, and you alone being the one who can protect the United States? That is some of the biggest bullshit that I have ever heard in my entire damn life. No, you are proving your own point in showing that humans are nothing more than greedy little pigs most of the time. Hoping that they can be fed whatever kind of slop that can make them feel better about themselves.”
“You are the one that is obsessed with control, Valentine, all of those actions of yours, they are all in the name of greed, not justice. You want to proclaim it can be justice for all, but it’s just greed for one. You are probably expecting some kind of easy victory over everyone else, but not me! I’ll burn down whatever kind of wall you make, Valentine, even if that means I got to punch through it with my bare hands! I’ll fucking rip it open down the middle of I need to! I don’t give a fuck!”
As Amstrong was saying that, he ended up picking another giant piece of metal off of the ground and tried throwing it at Valetine, but, as done before, instead of hitting Valentine... nothing happened? It was odd, why didn’t anything happen? And this is where Valentine returned to talking, “I may not be able to control what is sent where with this new ability, but it is still good enough to carry me throughout whatever may be seen as a challenge for myself. Whatever kind of thing stands in my way, I will be able to bypass it with relative ease.”
Armstrong, still enraged by this, starts throwing whatever he can find at Valentine, but it was to no avail. Yet, he still persisted in doing this, which continued to prove to result in nothing. That is until he turns around and picks up a giant piece of ceiling that had fallen off the ground and was ready to throw it, but when he turned back around to throw it, Valentine was nowhere to be found. Armstrong looks around, trying to figure out where that slippery little bastard went until numerous Valentines appeared, seemingly the ones that held the other parts of the Corpse for the one, with all of them having their guns pointed at Armstrong, ready to fire.
But, that just proved to be a fatal move as when they shot, Armstrong looked at them and threw the piece he had in his hand, and it completely flattened the Valentines as they were unable to get away and they got crushed under the thing. Flattened, weird, because when Armstrong looked over at the ground over there, he noticed something that was on the ground, something that was moving. He couldn’t tell what it was so he ended up jumping up a bit to climb over the rubble, and there he saw it.
It was Valentine in that barrier, on the ground, but he wasn’t lying on the ground, no, he was actually ON the ground, or to better put it, he was seemingly IN the ground. Moving on it as if it were a two dimensional plane, Armstrong looks down at Valentine, who looks up at him and gives him a disgusted look. Yet, he wasn’t the only one, it was almost as if there was someone else Armstrong could see in the barrier, someone with a thorn crown. Nevertheless, Armstrong lets out a scream and throws his fist down into the ground while yelling out “DIE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” Resulting in cracks to form in the ground due to the force.
Yet, while around them seemingly bursts of flames and magma, resulting in everyone else fighting to move out of the way of where they happened, the area Valentine was at, along with the barrier, was unaffected by the attack unlike the building which started to catch on fire a bit. After the sudden eruption from down under, Armstrong realized that Valentine was now gone from the ground. He continues to look around on the ground, trying to find Valentine, but it was to no avail until he thought he saw something on the wall.
He looked up, and now instead of looking like he was a tile on the ground, he was now flat at a corner of two walls almost like a painting, still staring at Armstrong, who then comments about this, “Hmph, he’s in the walls...” Before then stomping onto the ground, causing a piece of it to come out, allowing him to pick it up to try and throw it while continuing what he was saying, “... THAT PIECE OF SHIT! HE’S IN THE GODDAMN WALLS!” He then throws the piece he was holding towards Valentine, but you can guess how that went.
Because it didn’t do jack against Valentine in Love Train, as the piece that he threw just went through it like nothing, with it being truly ineffective against the president. Armstrong, visibly even more frustrated by this, he then sees the corpse of a nearby Valentine, which he then tries throwing at the still alive one, yet it was still to no avail. Even worse when the body rushed back out and coincidentally landed next to Armstrong, allowing the latter to see the results of what Love Train can do as he looks at the mutilated and seemingly transmutated corpse.
Valentine is still on the move, or, well, let’s just say everything is on the move. Because as Valentine moves around in Love Train, Armstrong noticed something, it was as if everything was being moved towards Valentine. And as he realizes this, Valentine is back towards being on the ground, at least to some degree as he was when Love Train had originally activated. And as he returns, Armstrong is still standing there, unknowing as to what to do. And Valentine is able to tell this, so, the president starts to give a speech about how he has won.
“Justice, that is the word that is talking about someone getting what they deserve. It can be good or bad. A man could stop a robbery in progress and he is given justice for stopping, while the crook that did it would be given justice for his crimes. Justice, it is everything, and all my actions, as I’ve told, are all in the name of justice! And I am the only one who can truly be seen as the one who can judge the right from wrong! My feelings of patriotism, it is what will define what truly is correct!”
“It is because every action is what I, the judge, have deemed absolutely for this country’s sake! And that would include killing you. However, killing you will not be deemed as an injustice, no, this is yet another action that will be seen as absolute! You might have put all the power into your own hands, but the power I possess, it is far beyond anything a person could ever wish to. I was the one who took the napkin first, and I will be the one who takes your life for only I have the power to do so!” And as he says that, it turns out there were two more Valentines behind Armstrong.
And those Valentines, they tried to push Armstrong into Love Train, but as he approached it, the nanomachines reacted accordingly, going towards Armstrong’s hands, which actually stopped him from going through, which surprised not only the Valentines, but Armstrong himself. Yet, for those few moments, Armstrong is still wondering what the hell just happened, but as he stands there, he sees the two dimensional Valentine in Love Train staring back at him with a confused yet slightly frightened look. And as he realized this, Armstrong started to smirk as he looked directly at Valentine.
Armstrong then put his hands out onto Love Train’s barrier where he would be pushing two things away from one another before almost trying to pull on both sides of it. But as he does it, he starts speaking. “That’s the thing Valentine, you think you have all the power to yourself, but that is why I am here. I am here to right the wrongs the former presidents have caused this nation. I am here to do what America needs, and that is to put everything back in its rightful place.”
“And that includes power and justice. You think you have it all, and yeah, you do, but that is what I’m going to do, I’ve already told you, but I’m not afraid to repeat myself. And it is that I will have it where power and justice are back where they belong... IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE!” Armstrong screams out before ripping a hole into Love Train, allowing him to reach into it, and while the barrier tries to close on him, the nanomachines react, preventing any sort of mutation happening to Armstrong’s body as Valentine can only say one word while seeing this unfold.
“IMPOSSIBLE!” Valentine yells out before being grabbed by his neck and ripped out of Love Train, then being thrown into the other two Valentines. As Armstrong continues to look inside of Love Train for a moment before seeing the man with a thorn crown disappear. Now, the two other Valentines quickly get up, and scatter to two different sides, trying to grab the Corpse Parts, but as they do, one of them is there, but as they reach down, their arms end up getting cut off, by what exactly? Someone with a bloodlust. No, seriously, someone with a weapon named Bloodlust, it was Sundowner, he had just chopped off that Valentine’s pair of hands.
Before that Valetine could do anything else, he ended up being thrown a distance from the Corpse Part it was about to grab, landing next to the now legless body of Sandman, who is barely clinging onto life, as he looks up at the sky before mouthing off silently, “To my sister, I pray that you are able to be ha-” And then he stopped breathing before he could finish what he was saying, and then the one Valentine looks up, just to see Sundowner going down from the sky and ends up stomping onto the Valentine’s skull, letting his brain matter spray out.
And while that was happening, the other Valentine was able to almost get to Love Train, but as he does, Mistral uses L'Étranger to push him away, but only barely as the remaining members of the former Eleven Men continue to try and attack her, but as all try to approach, a desert storm kicks in, as in, Khamsin bursts through a wall and runs over one, while launching the remaining ones away. Allowing Mistral to stab that Valentine in the heart, as well as using L'Étranger to then slice forward and back, resulting in that Valentine to get bisected completely down vertically.
And yet, while those two Valentines were getting handled, the original one that still has D4C starts backing away from Armstrong who started walking towards him again, Valentine, trying to plead with the senator, tries to stop him from doing something regretful. “D- Don’t do something you might regret! We can change this world for the better, together! It doesn’t have to end in this fashion!” Yet, Armstrong continues to approach Valentine, who, realizing that he was in a rough spot, tries to have D4C try to throw stuff at Armstrng, but that didn’t work at all as while it did stun Armstrong for a moment, so he kept going until he grabbed Valentine by the throat.
As he held on, he lifted Valentine up and kicked him away, but Valentine was able to stay standing. Armstorng then looks at his foe as he speaks. “I think we both know you’re just trying to make up whatever bullshit you can. Because you’re afraid to die, but you only prove my point, now losing your own power, you are suddenly broken, you can’t even handle a single loss. You’re nothing but a worthless piece of shit who’s weak. You are too afraid to realize his own mistakes.”
“Because you try to hide violence beneath more violence, but that’d only create more of it. And I think you also know that no matter what either of us do, one of us is going to die right here and now. No, I don’t just think, I KNOW that you also know that it has to be this way.” Armstrong says, before cracking his knuckles while throwing his glasses a distance away, and looking at Valentine who looks back at the senator, who’s eyes are glowing red. Yet, instead of running away, this time, Valentine stands his ground as he speaks.
“If that is the case, then I will prove to you that I am an example of Amerian patriotism at its finest.” As he says that, Armstrong gets in a fighting pose and yells out “Come on!” while Valentine himself also got in a fighting pose, for whoever wins, they shall be the one to stand above the blood stained sand. Armstrong charges at Valentine, trying to throw an overhand punch. Valentine, however, is able to duck under the attack, and catch the arm of Armstrong using his own stength and willpower to its fullest.
Ok, no, he was using D4C as well to hold it up while he started punching Armstrong in the side numerous times before releasing, and then throwing numerous punches into Armstrong’s chest, despite the nanomachines reacting. Eventually, Armstrong grabs one of Valentine’s arms and lifts him up, and as he does, Valentine spits in the former’s face, making him snarl as he is ready to throw a punch before “D4C!” Valentine yelled out to his Stand, causing it to punch Armstrong right in the chest, and to some degree, ended up hitting Armstrong directly in the heart which hindered him for a moment.
Valentine, realizing this, ends up having D4C try and grab Armstrong’s heart, which makes him drop Valentine as he puts a hand over his chest. He then looks at Valentine before doing a practical battle cry while he goes at Valentine again throwing another haymaker, but Valentine tries to dodge that, as he had done before. But that proved to be a bad move as when he did, it turned out Armstrong faked the haymaker as when Valentine ducked down, Armstrong’s other hand would raise up, leaving no time for Valentine to react. Leaving Armstrong to punch Valentine in the chest.
Valentine, however, is able to stand his ground, but as he does, Armstrong goes down, seemingly about to do that mini-explosion attack, and Valentine tries to get away, but is unable to and gets caught on the blast, being pushed away and into a wall, landing next to the corpse of another Valentine. Yet, he doesn’t stay down, he quickly gets back up, and reaches towards the dead Valentine and grabs his revolver and starts shooting at Armstrong, despite knowing damn well that those bullets aren’t going to work. Yet, as he does, Armstrong throws his hand down and hits the ground once more, causing more cracks in the ground to appear.
Seeing this happen again, Valentine quickly has D4C grab a giant piece of metal as the magma/fire flew up, in which, because he was between two different things, he was able to go through the piece of metal, going into a different world, but Armstrong didn’t know. Only after the magma/fire goes away, Armstrong walks up to the piece of metal, which reveals the one Valentine, now having burn scars on him, and a new Valentine who starts shooting at Armstrong, allowing the original one to run away. Armstrong goes and grabs the revolver and is about to break it before turning around to catch the original Valentine.
Yet, when Valentine was being held up, Armstrong breaks the revolver of the one, and as he does, he lifts that one from the neck as like the other before telling them, “Don’t fuck with me!” As he gets ready to throw them directly into the ground, but as he does, the two Valentines end up throwing two wristwatches out, and they both appeared similar, and similar to Armstrong’s that he had thrown off earlier, because one of them WAS his original watch. The other? It was a watch that was the exact same from an alternate world.
And as the two watches were thrown, the two approached one another despite Armstrong’s head being in the way. And as they continue to approach one another, the nanomachines go directly up to the top of Armstrong’s face, preventing the two watches from fusing by going directly through his face, but as this happens, Armstrong ends up dropping both of the Valentines as he tries grabbing hold of the watches. He takes a hold of both of them with each hand and with his strength, he is able to pull them away from his head despite how they continue to try and fuse.
And as he does, he is able to do it, he throws them up, which allows them to fuse and cause a seemingly small explosion. Armstrong, however, was unable to watch it for long as he sees the two Valentines try and throw a flag over him, but Armstrong is able to grab one of the Valentines by the leg and pulls him to where that Valentine ends up going under the flag instead, leaving only the original Valentine. The two stare at one another before Valentine yells out “D4C!”, having it try to punch Armstrong straight in the heart, as Armstrong gets ready to throw his own punch, and as they both do, D4C ends up going through and is able to grab a hold of Armstrong’s heart, but, at the same time, Armstrong’s hand went through the president and had ripped out his heart.
As Armstrong holds onto the heart, despite D4C having a grab on his own, the nanomachines react, bypassing whatever that holy part of Valentine’s body was doing while Valentine started coughing out blood, weakly looking up at Armstrong.. Valentine then looks back down, and sees a flag there, and tries to use his Stand to grab the flag to bring in a newer, fresher Valentine to the fight, but as the flag was to slowly brought up, Armstrong stomped on it, not allowing D4C to bring in a new Valentine as there was nothing else around for D4C to use to bring in a new Valentine.
Armstrong then pulls his hand out as Valentine falls to the ground. Armstrong takes a look at the heart before then crushing it, leaving Valentine to a slow demise. Yet, Armstrong wasn’t done, he picked Valentine up and looked at him dead in the eyes before telling the president, “Like I said, Valentine, I keep my promises, and one of those is that I would break the president in two... WITH. MY. BARE. HANDS!” As he says that, he reaches one hand into the hole where Valentine’s heart used to be as well as punching another hole through Valentine’s stomach.
As he does that, he then puts a tremendous amount of force into his arms, and by that, I mean, uses the nanomachines, to then literally rip the president in two with his bare hands before dropping the two halves of Valentine to the floor. Yet, despite all of this, Valentine is able to take a hold of his handkerchief, holding it over where his heart should’ve been before he says one final sentence while looking up at Armstrong as D4C begins to fade alongside him. “This... country, these people, they will... never... speak through... you...” And as he says that, the president had finally died, after all of that fighting that he had, he finally passed away.
Armstrong looks at the body of Valentine before he looks around and realizes that everyone else in his group had won their battles, except for Sam. He was nowhere to be seen. Except, then Armstrong noticed something, it was Diego, he was trying to reach the Corpse Parts, and as Armstrong was ready to charge out at him, a quick flash of red appeared, before Diego’s upperbody slid off of his waist, revealing Sam having used his Quick Draw to kill him.
After this, Armstrong then looks around at the area and all the damages before telling his team what to do. “Gather the corpses, throw them out, burn them to ash, I don’t care. Just make sure to get rid of all the corpses of Valentine. Just leave one of them alongside the reporters that died as well to add to the supposed ‘incident’. And those supposed body parts of Jesus Christ or whatever the fuck they are? Get them and scatter them across the world, people don’t need to rely on that kind of power to get what they want.” As he then starts walking away, he looks back at the giant flag that was hanging above that had been there the entire time.
It had been burned, torn, numerous things had happened to it, and as Armstrong looked at it, before pulling out his final cigar, taking a puff of it before saying “What a disgusting disgrace.” He then throws the cigar at the giant flag, causing it to catch fire while he walks away from everything.
Some time later:
Now, after so much time, given that one of the two final candidates was dead, a quick replacement was found, however, all of their arguments had no way to counter Armstrong’s own, and so, despite suspicions that Armstrong was behind it, it still ended up leading to a landslide in votes towards Armstrong winning the election. And after the inauguration, instead of giving his speech right there, Armstrong was to then hold a speech at the Lincoln Memorial. And as he arrives in a limo, he gives waves and more as many try to approach him, but security wouldn’t allow that. Yet, as he approaches the stage, the one at it prior to him names him off for the people.
“Now, here comes the new leader of America! President Armstrong!” They say as Armstrong stands at the stand and looks out at the numerous people there. He continues to look out at them before speaking his first four words. “I have a dream!” And, like previous rallys of his, the people all cheered already just because of this for a number of reasons, and it takes a bit of time before the people finally stop their chanting and cheering for the new president to start his speech.
“My dream is a simple one: It is that one day, every person in this nation will control their own destiny! A land of the truly free, where every man, woman, and child can all choose what they want to do with their lives. Not be forced into one thing, but instead they are given a chance to pick out what they believe is right for themselves! And, not only that, but I plan to end war as it should be! I still have Valentine’s death on my mind, and it’s sickening to think of what kind of cruel person would do that to someone who could have helped the world for the better. That is why I will do what it takes to find whoever did it and bring them to justice! The justice that the people deem right!”
“We will use Valentine’s death as a means to make sure we can all fight, fight for what we believe in! This will be the wake up call we have been waiting for. His death will lead us to go into a new age where we can see what this world truly is, and not be bound by what social media or whatever trivia has to offer to guide us. No, we will use this as a stepping stone to look up and see what we need to do for this country. Now, before Valentine’s unfortunate passing, I had an honor to speak with him in private, and he told me that ‘they will never speak through you.’ And what he meant is that I can never speak for the people, and that’s right. I can’t speak for all of you, that would be impossible.”
“Which is why I want all of you to speak out! Speak out for what you believe in! I can only hand you a script for what you want to say, and if you want to follow behind me, fine, but if you want to rip that script in two with your bare hands, burn it, I don’t care! You do what you believe you need to do! Do whatever you are wanting to do, speak whatever you are needing to! Make your voice heard! I will let you do what you need to do! And yet, I will still defend you from whatever threat comes your way. I will defend these shores of the land no matter what. I will be keeping wars off our shores at every chance I can. However, I can’t be the only one defending America at once.”
“No, I need all of you to defend it alongside me! I am a shield that can only defend a single point, and I want all of you to help me in doing so! I want all of you to grab your own shields and defend America with all of your heart! Together we can stand above the blood stained sand knowing that deep down, despite what threats come our way, we’d know that it has to be this way, and even if that is the case, we will fight with everything we’ve got! No more worrying! No more suffering, we can stand together yet fight for what each of us believes in! One man can believe in one thing, and another man can believe in another thing, that is why we need to fight all together!”
“We can be divided in our ideals, our philosophies, everything we can think is right and wrong can be a total coin flip in difference, but we will still be able to fight together. We may be divided in spirits, we will still be united in this fight! We fight for what we individually believe in, yet still fight for a common purpose! We will forever be the United States of America! And I will be the one to always lead the charge! As our first president himself said: ‘I shall endeavor to express the high sense I entertain of this distinguished honor, and of the confidence which has been reposed in me by the people of United America.’ And that is another thing I will make sure of. We all remember our first president, but can everyone remember each president off the top of their head? Can you go up to a kid and ask them if he knows the first president?”
“Because it’s likely that they would be able to name George Washington right off the bat. Now, what about the 23rd president? Will your kid know who that is? How about asking an adult, would every adult remember who that one was either? Likely not. The problem we face today is that there are many that are forgotten in history. How many statues can you walk by of a soldier? How many of them are named? How many of them are unnamed? We will never know that soldier’s name, and that is a problem. When a man’s soul leaves his body, that is not when he dies.”
“A man only ever dies whenever he is forgotten to history, whenever his name is spoken for the final time, when he is remembered by someone and then never again. That is when a man is finally, truly gone from our world. That is what we need to fix! We need to be able to carve our own name into this world’s history! Each one of us can be remembered by history as it will be forced to say our names! We will all be remembered for our battles, our sacrifices, everything we have done will now forever be remembered! We will now be able to go out of our way and fight constantly for whatever we need!”
“You know, a while ago, there started a new war in Africa, apparently something practically fell out of the sky, some sort of piece of metal, whatever it was, it crushed numerous people, and caused arguments from two different sides to end up with them in a war, and for all we know, it could end up spilling over towards us! And we know that is a definite possibility considering what happened back at Pearl Harbor. So, I will soon be heading out to try and fix everything between them, and while I’m out defending our country, I need all of you to also be out there defending our shores!”
“And after we are all done defending the shore lines, the borders, everything, we will be able to stand above and remember all those who have died, and remember their deaths, but know that we are the strong! Now being able to live as we see fit, with that in mind, not me, but you, the people of America, you will all be able to make America great again! Thank you, people of America for being there not just for me, but for America itself! God bless you all, God bless America, God bless our great future!”
He finishes before backing away from the podium as the people continue to cheer while he starts walking back to the limo while Valentine’s final words echo in his mind before he says to himself, “Yeah, I can’t speak for them, they got to speak for themselves, son.” And as he says it, he gets into the limo, as it starts driving back to the White House, where President Steven Armstrong now has some work to do, namely rebuilding America from the ashes of what is soon to be burned from a war soon to come so that he can end all wars as a business.
K.O![]
Results[]
Boomstick: When I said it was time for a presidential election, I didn’t actually mean for there to be an actual election to happen! Though, it was kinda cool seeing it all play out, even if it took forever.
Wiz: Valentine might’ve been a crafty fighter in his own world, but against Armstrong, he didn’t have much to compete against the much stronger senator of Colorado.
Boomstick: Yeah, like, Valentine had no chance at ever competing against Armstrong when it came down to physical ability such as strength, durability, or speed. Armstrong was easily stronger, with his magma punch reaching strengths of 194.5 megatons of TNT, it was absolutely dwarfing Valentine’s Corpse Parts all together being only able to, at best, reach 45 megatons.
Wiz: Even ignoring the magma feat, other feats are able to put Armstrong way ahead of Valentine such as Raiden slicing apart the items thrown by Monsoon while in Ripper Blade Mode, which can reach power levels ranging from 66 to 106 megatons of TNT.
Boomstick: And speed was no different either, the fastest Funny can scale to is Johnny’s nail bullets reaching mach 600, which is pretty fast, but when you compare it to 2.5 times faster than light? Yeah, that’s an over 3 and a half million times difference! Not even including Blade, Ripper, or Ripper Blade Mode!
Wiz: Even when using just a lower end of speed for Armstrong with Ripper Blade Mode Raiden moving at speeds where he can see rain drops move in slow motion while in Ripper Blade Mode, that'd be around 11% the speed of light, which is around mach 96,000, that is still a 160 times difference. No matter what way you look at it physically, Armstrong would always hold the edge.
Boomstick: But, wait, Wiz, what about scaling Diego’s WORLD to DIO’s World? They’re so similar, can’t you scale them to one another?
Wiz: The keyword in that statement you just said is that they are “similar,” not the same, but “similar.” Well, let me ask you, if the Super Friends Superman looks the same, and has similar powers such as the laser vision to, say, Pre-Crisis Superman, can he scale? No, there is no factual evidence of there being any kind of scaling, which also works for comparing Diego to DIO in their Stand power.
Boomstick: Hell, even trying to scale him to it doesn’t really help that much either. Since if you want to do that, the highest DIO’s own power can get, which is Stand can scale to, can only reach around 10 megatons due to DIO’s eye lasers splitting clouds, and only thousands of times the speed of light due to scaling to Silver Charriot. And if you want to do that wonky scaling, let’s go ahead and bring out the stupidly high ends for the magma punch and the Metal Gear Rising scaling chain!
Wiz: Do note that while we have brought up the scaling chain in prior episodes, it doesn’t mean it is entirely going to be needed. We’ve only used it to make a point on how while the other combatants can get higher into scaling from some things, so can the Metal Gear character.
Boomstick: So, if you want to bring in wonky scaling for Valentine, so can we with Armstrong! And yeah, the magma punch, on a more average version of it, can reach levels up into the teratons range! Or even higher! Armstrong has the actual power to destroy entire countries, hell, even damn continents if you wanted to really scale him up, which you can legitimately do, but you get it. No matter what you bring for Valentine, Armstrong can always get higher.
Wiz: And not just that, but with that scaling chain, it would mean Armstrong’s fighting capability can reach billions of times faster than light, still overthrowing any chance at Valentine having any of the physical categories to himself.
Boomstick: No matter what you did, whether it was the actual ends or the high balled ends for both, Armstrong still held the advantage in it. Hell, bringing in their own groups ain’t really going to change the results either!
Wiz: Right, none of Valentine’s Subordinates could do much either considering the stat advantage the Winds and more also scale to. The Subordinates might’ve had better abilities, but they simply can’t take on the stat advantage. Now, while Armsrong had more physically, how does he compare against the power of D4C and its merging? He actually competes against it really well!
Boomstick: Yeah, when you bring in a guy who is able to molecularly negate your durability against a guy who has resisted just that but more as it can go down to the Planck scale, it isn’t going to be ain’t issue to figure out who wins in that regard.
Wiz: And given Armstrong’s impressive speed and strength, it is also likely he could just kill Valentine before he has a chance to bring in a new Armstrong, or even be able to come back to life since he would have no time to react to anything Armstrong would throw his way.
Boomstick: Even worse for Valentine considering D4C can only work when he or something else is inbetween something that can cover it entirely. So, if Valentine was stuck in an open field, yeah, he ain’t gonna be able to do much outside of getting shoulder tackled so hard he turns into a red mist.
Wiz: Valentine could trap Armstrong into another universe which the senator has no counter to, but, again, given the speed and strength gap, that is still something that is very unlikely to occur.
Boomstick: Valentine can’t even run from Armstrong due to Steven being faster and his attacks being able to hit Funny before he could really do anything. Fight from a distance, and Armstrong can still take you on, especially since if he can casually tank a rocket launcher to the face, a simple revolver bullet ain’t doing much either. Even trying to straight up use D4C to hit him that’d likely just something else Armstrong can resist due to the nanomachines since nanomachines have reacted to spiritual beings before.
Wiz: Now, we do got to bring up Love Train, which is a lot more complicated when it comes to this battle, but do note that already off the bat, it is an unlikely ability for Funny to even have in the first place due to it requiring Lucy, which he, well, shouldn’t have access to at any time he wants.
Boomstick: Yeah, and weirdly enough, Armstrong technically doesn’t actually have a way around it! Sure, Tusk Act 4 got through by breaking physics, and Armstrong broke the HF Blade which broke physics as well, so what gives?
Wiz: It is because comparing how they break physics is some kind of argument that is unnecessarily complicated to try and explain, but if you wanted to say Armstrong can or can’t do it like that, doesn’t mean he’s out of options to bypass it.
Boomstick: Yeah, you gotta recall that you can still mess with the Corpse Parts of Love Train while Valentine is in it, so if Armstrong figured it out, which he would after some time, he can just grab Lucy’s body by the leg or something and just chuck her across the 70 yard line! Destroying Love Train in the process.
Wiz: Not only that, but Love Train in itself is, again, an ability that won’t let Funny interact with the outside world unless he leaves Love Train itself to do so, but the moment he would in this fight, would prove to be a fatal mistake.
Boomstick: Don’t get us wrong, Valentine is smart when it comes to this kind of thing, and with a 91% approval rating, it’s no wonder! If we wanted to say they had slightly more equal stats, Valentine’s brain would kick in and realize what he would need to do, and given he doesn’t have any electrical stuff on him, Armstrong could’ve lost the nanomachine power over time.
Wiz: That is, of course, if Valentine was equal in stats compared to Steven, and if he could keep up against him in the first place, but if we’re going that route, there would be nothing for Valentine to use to go into alternate worlds if we go into the idea they’re fighting in a barren wasted land.
Boomstick: You could say Armstrong could’ve tried to pin him down to try and attack him, Valentine could have used that oppertunity to hop into another world!... If he didn’t get pumbled into nothing before he could realize it. Because this ain’t no Communist world, their stats aren’t equal, Armstrong is just too powerful!
Wiz: Valentine wasn’t going to go down easily, but against Armstong’s superior strength, speed, and invunerablity with the nanomachines, the president wasn’t going to be able to be the one who takes the first napkin this time around.
Boomstick: So, if you want to try and think we put a spin on what we’re saying by having done Valentine dirty with these cheap deeds, Armstrong just had enough firepower to bring the true power back where it belonged. Back in the hands of the people! America! Fuck yeah!
Wiz: The winner is Senator Steven Armstrong.
Funny Valentine VS Senator Armstrong is an upcoming What-If? DEATH BATTLE! written by TheFrostKnight. It features Funny Valentine from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure against Senator Armstrong from Metal Gear Rising.