Batman vs. Superman Barely Goes The Distance

For nearly two years, fans of the revived Superman franchise were anticipating the sequel to the blockbuster Man of Steel. What added on more excitement was the announcement that it was featuring the dark knight himself, Batman in a duel between the DC Comics icons. Using the acclaimed graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller as a reference, fans felt one of the greatest cinema attractions was coming. I was one of those fans that was excited because of the direction that Zack Snyder was going to take it. Zack Snyder is all about the action and staying true to what fans like from the comics but while this film does deliver a punch, it’s not a knockout. 

Starring Henry Cavill as Superman who did just as good as the previous film which works but the main focus of this film is on Batman. Played by Ben Affleck, most fans were on guard much like fans of James Bond are on guard when the actor is new. Fearing a repeat of his Daredevil portrayal, fans were disappointed at first but I can honestly say that he did the part well, playing a seasoned fighter with iron convictions whose only concerned is the future of humanity and is willing to die to protect it. Another casting that got people guarded was the first Wonder Woman to appear on screen and her name is Gal Gadot. Her part in the film is little but when she dawns her Amazonian uniform and goes to battle, all hesitation ceases.

Taking place nearly two years after the events of Man of Steel, Superman has quickly earned the respect of some and the fear of others. Now forces are at play in order to bring down the man of steel and certain events attract the attention of Batman. When Batman begins to see Superman as a threat himself, he begins preparing for the fight of his life with a being that most people believe he has no chance to beating. With certain spectators watching in the distance, the two start a path that will eventually lead to the Justice League film following a dark revelation. This film was action packed and rich with visual effects but lacking in proper story-telling and character development.

It worked for Man of Steel because the film was an origin story and it was something that people could follow very easily. But for a concept that had only been introduced in comics and cartoons, people oblivious to the history of these too characters are doomed to be lost. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice almost forces the audience to do their own homework and know what certain scenes pertain to. If you know nothing other than what you’ve seen in previous movies about either character, then you’re going to leave the theater wondering what just happened. The other problem with the film is even though it was two hours and thirty minutes, it felt terribly rushed.

There’s enough time in each scene to let the audience catch up with what previously happened but the problem is some scenes felt like there was more to them. There were plot holes in several parts of the movie that made certain scenes seem confusing and didn’t make sense. The only other problem with the film is Jessie Eisenberg playing Superman’s main villain, Lex Luthor or at least that’s what I thought. Rather than a mature brilliant billionaire with a God complex, Eisenberg portrays an annoying and unhinged character that almost makes you wish Superman would break his neck instead of Zod’s. The casting of Eisenberg seemed like wasted money and his performance while as good as it is, fans will be disconnected by his portrayal.

This film gets a 7 out of 10 because it’s not better than Man of Steel but it does keep DC Comics on its track to start its cinematic universe, barely. It’s a good action film but because of it being all action and little development, it suffers. With choppy scenes combined with rushed film time and references that some might miss, this film also takes a hit in that area. Some say that Snyder is making these films too violent for children and families, I rather let the families decide what’s ok for their kids to see. There will be a director’s cut making the film longer so all these problems might be addressed but don’t have high expectations when you go see this movie, it’s worth the ticket but wasn’t worth the wait.

Daredevil's Fire Still Burns

Daredevil returned for its much anticipated second season after a positive debut last year that was welcomed by fans. The only thing better than the plot of the show was the chemistry of Charlie Cox playing the blind Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio playing the infamous Kingpin, Wilson Fisk. The first season was mainly an origin story, exposing fans to a darker world in Marvel than most people have seen in the movies. Much like the world of Jessica Jones which was released later last year, Murdock’s world is full of death, destruction and supernatural threats that most people don’t know exist in Hell’s Kitchen. The only question to ask after the success of the first season is, “How are we going to top this?”

The answer to that question would be the introduction of two of Marvel’s most beloved anti-heroes in the form of Elektra and Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher. This was a bold move for Marvel because while both characters are popular in the comics and games, they’ve had unfortunate results in the box office. Adding these characters to the show seemed more like another chance to bring them into the mainstream rather that an introduction.

The Punisher had a virtual non-existent debut with Dolph Lundgren back in the late 1980s, then Thomas Jane brought a more serious tone but wasn’t successful and then came the bomb Punisher: War Zone with Ray Stevenson in 2008. In the end, the only people that were getting punished were the fans so all ambitions to keep going stopped. Now the reigns have been passed on to Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, Fury) as the man who should’ve been dead. For viewers who are unaware of Frank Castle; this will be an origin story for you and for fans, a brutal view into The Punisher’s world and his brand of justice. A world of full of bullets, bodies and enough blood to fill the Hoover Dam.

The only person who has a darker world than Frank Castle would be Elektra Natchios or Elektra for short. Raised to be an assassin and never known anything other than violence, Elektra’s has always lived her life in hiding while posing as a person of privilege in the world of the upper class. She was introduced to fans on the big screen by Jennifer Garner’s portrayal in Daredevil played by Ben Affleck. While her portrayal led to her own film which bombed, the popularity in her character rose as Daredevil’s love interest. Now the character has been brought back by actress Elodie Yung (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Gods of Egypt).

So now we get to the second season and find out what’s going on in Hell’s Kitchen and how does it involve these two. It takes place weeks after the events of the first season with the demise of Wilson Fisk and while Daredevil has been hard at work, so have others. Copycat vigilantes have sprung out but only one is taking matters to new extremes and Murdock is forced to confront not just a person but his own moral code. The results of Frank Castle soon begin to sway public opinion away from Daredevil and more into harsher vigilante justice. With the arrival of The Punisher, Hell’s Kitchen is divided between what works and what is right.

The only thing worse than a psycho who has an arsenal and knows how to hurt you physically is a woman who knows how to hurt you emotionally. Elektra comes back into Murdock’s life after a significant meeting in his past to help him confront an enemy from the first season. Murdock soon realizes that he’s part of something much more complicated than a simple gangland vendetta. Being pulled in all sides, Murdock begins to be stripped apart of everything he thought he was and begins to realize who he was meant to be. The only thing that is guaranteed at the end of this season is there will be more questions than answers.

Charlie Cox took fans into a deeper level of Matt Murdock’s life with the introduction of Elektra and the significance of her to Daredevil. Much like Catwoman to Batman, these two are opposite sides of a coin but can’t truly be whole without each other. The chemistry between Cox and Yung was fair considering there wasn’t much time together in the season, you have to conclude they have a long history. The chemistry between Cox and Bernthal gave a better connection with Bernthal’s portrayal of the punisher. They have a scene that was both intense and important in the convictions of The Punisher and the challenge of morality in Daredevil.

Overall, this season was as good as the first and the reason I truly feel that it didn’t out due was because it felt rushed. In the first season, there was one main focus and one main villain to conquer in order to save Hell’s Kitchen but there were too many subplots. First there’s Castle, then there’s Elektra, Matt’s personal life is falling apart, and then there’s a threat that turns Hell’s Kitchen into a war zone. I honestly feel that the subplot with Elektra could’ve been stalled for a later time since most of the season was focused of Frank Castle and his pursuit of redemption. I give this season a strong 8 out of 10 and anxiously look forward to seeing who comes next season.

As for The Punisher; it’s clear that he will most likely get his own spinoff because while Thomas Jane was a good Frank Castle, Jon Bernthal fit the character to the barrel. Yung’s was a good fit as Elektra and her new look was more professional and reasonable. If you were looking for something all red and sexy like Jennifer Garner’s look then you’re going to be disappointed but Yung was plenty of sexy in this season. If fans thought that Murdock had a rough start becoming a hero before, then you’re going to be in for a rollercoaster that has an eerie cliffhanger at the end. Season 2 is full of action, intense fight sequences and emotional drama that will leave the audience wanting more; but we will all have to wait another year.   

The Antichrist Lives in Damien

If I were a religious man, I would say that I be leaving for church right now after seeing A&E’s new show Damien which is based off the classic horror franchise, The Omen. I can remember seeing the horror trilogy when I was in my teens and being absolutely terrified by several elements; the demonic theme music, the dark settings, and the supernatural killings that took place. With a strong fan base, this series is a breath of fresh air for a franchise that was feared dead after the bomb of the 2006 remake. Damien completely erases that and is a spinoff of the classic 1976 version directed by Richard Donner and stars Gregory Peck. If you’ve never seen any of the films then here’s a quick summary.

Gregory Peck plays an American ambassador who decides to adopt a son with his wife and they both soon figure out there’s something wrong with the child. Through a series of unfortunate events, they soon find out he has arguably one of the darkest destinies ever prophesized. It’s a saga full of biblical horrors and disturbing scenes that supposedly ended with The Omen 3: The Final Conflict starring Sam Neil in 1981. Like all good things however in Hollywood, someone didn’t have the good sense to leave it alone and tried to reboot the franchise in 1991 with The Omen 4: The Awakening. The film was so bad that instead of reigniting the inferno, it just sent the saga into the 9^th circle of Hollywood.

But last night at 10 p.m. eastern time on A&E, The Omen was reborn by bringing back familiar elements from the 1976. The show starts off with introducing Damien Thorn played by Bradley James (IZombie, Homeland), who is now 30 and apparently a simple photographer for a media outlet in New York. Oblivious to his childhood past, he continues to live his life almost in solitude out of fear for the safety of others. When an incident revives his memories; he begins to investigate what he forgot only to realize that some things were best left forgotten, especially numbers. When it becomes clear that Damien has a destiny he doesn’t want a part of, he does everything in his power to deny his throne.

Now the problem that stands out is Damien is thirty and in present day. The film came out in 1976 so the age is off but then again, they never addressed the dates so it slightly passes. The other problem is that the episode is filled with relics that dedicate this series to the classic version so fans will catch them instantly and be excited but would be fans will ignore them completely. The introduction music closely resembles the original opening theme that still gives goosebumps and the ending gave a chilling cliffhanger along with a preview of what to expect this season. The preview promises the first season to be just as terrifying and suspenseful as the first three films with Damien fighting his destiny.

While the series is original, it’s basically a remake of the second film Damien: The Omen 2 and using the same plot to bring it into modern times. It’s more than likely this will be picked up for a second season but will it go on, possible if the show can keep the momentum going. Damien gets a 7 out of 10 for creating an original story around a classic and bringing it into modern times. I may not be a religious man but I am a fan of true horror films like The Omen and this series brings back a feeling that’s almost nostalgic. Much like Bates Motel, Damien is a hit that will attract new fans while bringing back the old ones loyal to the franchise, so hats off to A&E.  

New Age Rebels Limited Giveaway!

Get a free copy of New Age Rebels exclusively for Amazon Kindle now till Saturday! Here is an sample from the novel. The link to the amazon page will be after.

Final Orders

To everyone in the Restricted Zones,

My name is Commander Conner Bradley, former commander of the former real United States Army and this is the last letter that I’m going to make before I die. Copies will be made for every loyal man within the Restricted Zones to read so that nothing will be lost in translation and all rumors shall be laid to rest. I dedicated my life to protecting my country and I would’ve died for it, even to this day no matter how corrupt it is. When I was growing up, all I wanted to be was a protector and save lives because frankly that is the greatest honor anyone can have in his or her life. Now things aren’t as they were back when America was whole. Before the country was split in two between the rebs or rebels and the conformists or cons, before President Frank Mason.

The year 2088 was a desperate time, enemies were everywhere from Mexico to Australia now that everyone had a nuclear weapon at their disposal. The value of the American dollar wasn’t worth the paper that it was being printed on and a majority of people were fighting to stay alive while a certain few suffered little pain. That’s when Frank Mason, a senator from North Carolina rose at the perfect time and everything started to turn around. But like the rise of most dictators, he rose when people were so desperate for the bubble to be repaired, they were willing to sacrifice everything without thought or consequence. This hurts me to say because I was one of those mindless drones willing to fall if he told me to lay down.

I had been a one-star general and saw the fires surrounding my country and the only thing I wanted to do was save it. Frank Mason told me of his plans and how at the end of his two terms that he was going to do the one thing that would change everything. He succeeded, somehow the money started to circulate again and raise in value, other enemies started to become neutral or allies, and the majority who had suffered started to prosper again.

Job unemployment was at an all-time low, virtually everyone had a roof over their heads, and threats against our nation were disappearing at an incredible rate. For a short time, it was seen as a miracle and people believed that he was going to replace Lincoln as the greatest president in history. But eventually the smoke and mirrors can only hide the illusion for so long.

Clear Skies Defense Corporation. Absorbing all weapons manufacturing companies became the military’s greatest ally until it became the military in general. All military personnel, equipment and actions became the direct responsibility of the company’s owner, Peter Wesson. While it was alarming at first, thing did get better for the soldiers and the country was improving and so I stayed loyal to my oath. It would only be the first of many offenses the ‘savior’ of our country would commit and ultimately lead to what we know as The Great Division.

The one accomplishment that President Mason wouldn’t take credit for when our country was divided down the middle. Especially after he committed the greatest act of treason in my opinion and something we all should be ashamed we let happen. Despite all of his accomplishments, he still guaranteed to do something that would change everything and near the end of his second term, he succeeded.

During an emergency state of the union address, he literally shredded the constitution live on television for the entire nation to see. He spoke of how the old ways don’t work anymore and clinging on to them is what got us in such a desperate state in the first place. He spoke of how the nation had to evolve in order to survive and that he had a plan that would guarantee our nation’s survival.

I’ve lost many soldiers under my command and on that day, I wish I could join them after seeing everything that I lived for shredded apart in a mere few seconds. The balance failed to stop the check, the house and senate just rolled over and let him do what he wanted, even dropping the amendment that would deny him a third term. An election that people knew was fixed, never in American history has a president won an election with a 2 percent popularity vote.

I wanted to stage a coup d’état but with law enforcement and military being monitored as they are these days, it would’ve been impossible to do anything in secret. It would surly have meant my discharge and my death along with several other commanders who felt shared my rage. How things got so bad, only the former politicians who are still alive know.

The ones who were there when he made the announcement that he was dissolving the house but keeping the Senate just to show that he cared about the voices of the people. President Frank Mason cares so much that he removed all power so now the Senate is just a play for the masses to see. Putting on a good show but in the end, proving to be useless at because the president still had opposition. Those who were brave enough, the first opposition started to protest openly even though they didn’t have the requirements and for the first time, the president got nervous.

He made the call to order all the soldiers back home and close the bases all over the world but not to join their families but to suppress the very opposition. That was the scar that I couldn’t bear, so I went to the generals that I know that I could trust and right then and there, I took off the uniforms given to us by Clear Skies and threw it down on the floor. I wasn’t a protector of the nation that I once loved, the suit that I wore when I was just a soldier was defiled and the country I grew up in was gone.

This was my belief and the belief of the other generals so they joined in and we dawned real uniforms once again. Then I took my personal Old Glory flag and it was placed over them, covering the filth that we had worn for years. April 27th 2095 would be the year that a new rebellion was born but it we made a critical error.

We underestimated how people felt about the new regime, a majority of the population believed in the president. Even with all flag being prohibited including Old Glory, the rights being restricted, and the president forming a “cabinet” comprised of the richest people in America now that they owned the military, banks, media, oil, and medicine.

I was hoping that with all the military put together, we could force the president out of power even but my worst fears arose in the form of General Thomas Cooper, a Lieutenant back then informed the president of our conspiracy. Now he stands as the commander of what we call the Union army created by Clear Skies Defenses. Thankfully soldiers loyal to us were able to keep us out of prison long enough to form a new army that the Union media labelled us as rebels.

Using the media’s own fire, we decided to build on that and in time we accomplished building a formidable army. The other generals and I were able to unite you all in the best way we could by forming the American Rebel Army or A.R.A. but in the end, another reality would keep us from full scale war. Now that President Mason saw a legitimate threat to the nation and the country scared of a new Civil War, a compromise was offered to which both sides agreed to meet to discuss the terms.
An offer that the other generals and I knew we couldn’t turn down. Certain states would be known as the Restricted Zones to everyone who is a conformist as we call them. Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota would be ours to do with as we wanted.

Anyone that didn’t want anything to do with President Mason or the new United States had to be registered as an uncompliant. Trade would still be established with our states providing natural resources as long as the Union provided us with oil and other supplies. The United States would still be considered “United” but like everything else with President Mason, it’s all for show hiding nothing by lies and deception. We were skeptical but after carefully looking over the treaty, we knew it was a legit offer and the only way for peace. At first we wanted to deny it but after a moment, we gave it consideration.

The last Civil War cost too many American lives and we all being seasoned warriors; we couldn’t deal with anymore loss. Furthermore, we spent our lives protecting this nation, even with how bad it’s gotten, we couldn’t be the instrument of tearing it apart.  This was the cause of why we signed the segregation treaty on the eve of the new century that granted us the peace we’ve been enjoying… for now. As I lay here dying in Topeka, Kansas, our own national capital, this fellow soldier writes down my final words. Those words are about how much I’m sorry. I’m sorry for so much and I feel terrible that you all are the ones who will have to deal with this now.

We didn’t fight back at the right time and we didn’t go to the war that deep down, I feel is going to come. I only hope that you all can understand our motives and why we did, what we did. I like it on the record that I nominate Commander Debra Guillen as my replacement on the military council. She has always been a great leader and I know she will fulfill my position with the same fortitude as I did.

To everyone in the Restricted Zones, heed my words and stay vigilante, believe in our government based off the old ways.The Senate and House of Representatives in South Dakota that still serves as the voice of the people. The military council of the A.R.A. that protect our land and finally, please don’t lose faith in our country. I never believed in much but I did believe in the eternal pride of American patriotism and its ability to persevere even through the worst of times. May God bless and watch over you all.

Sincerely,

Commander Conner Bradley
August 15th 2109

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Deadpool Revives Fans Faith with Fox

Try saying that title five times fast. That’s my little tribute to Deadpool which was released this weekend and had a massive debut at the box office. Before we get into it, I have to make this announcement because parents didn’t know what they were getting into when I attended a 7:00 p.m. showing. What’s really funny is things were ok with bad guys getting decapitated, people shot in inappropriate places, and language that little children shouldn’t hear but when sexual situations happened, then that’s when the parents lost their mind. One mother I remember was screaming while dragging her son out, “This is a Marvel movie, how could they put this on the screen?”

If you’ve never heard of Deadpool and you have kids that want to see it, then here’s the rundown. In the comics, Deadpool is a mutant mercenary with advanced combat training, incredible healing powers and a witty intellect that was created as an answer to DC Comic’s assassin Deathstroke. Both have signature colors with Deathstroke being black and yellow while Deadpool is black and red. Both use swords and guns to do their dirty work but while Deathstroke is known to be serious and sinister, Deadpool is more comedic and rule breaking. Deadpool is famous for breaking the 4^th wall when in the comics, he realized that he himself was a comic book character and started speaking directly to the reader. His world is full of chaos, outrageous humor, blood, bullets, sexual content, and some of the most spontaneous moments you’ll ever encounter and this is just the comics.  

The film started out in a way that already got the audience laughing with the most awkward opening credits in cinematic history. It follows the traditional origin of Deadpool with his former life as mercenary Wade Wilson, a man with a dark past and a mouth that always has something coming out. After a tragic diagnosis, he decides to take a chance on an “experimental procedure” that nobody has ever heard of in a laboratory which looks more like a dungeon. He meets his doctor there who would later reveal what he is and why he’s conducting his experiments on Wade. That would cause everything to change except of course for his big mouth and spontaneous comments.  

After escaping the laboratory and the one who created him, Wade sets a plan of revenge into action that would involve help from a famous Marvel character and a brand new one. There’s also some sneaky jabs at failures by Fox, Ryan Reynolds, and Marvel but if you don’t know the story behind them then they’ll fly over your head. This was a much needed win for Fox because with X-Men: Apocalypse coming later this year, this film sets the bar. The fight scenes were over the top, the comedy was brilliant, the use of language could almost rival Scarface, and it was worth the wait considering Deadpool’s history.   

The film was in a void for years after the disaster of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Plans were at a standstill since fans didn’t approve of that film’s version of the famous anti-hero but actor Ryan Reynolds was determined to make the film happen. Some role just fit to actors like Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow or Sean Connery as James Bond and for Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool matches his style of humor. 20th Century Fox at the time was determined to reboot the Fantastic Four but decided to take a gamble. They gave Deadpool a decent budget, a director in Tim Miller (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) and Ryan Reynolds reprising his role.   

Of course, with the apocalyptic bomb that was The Fantastic Four, fans turned to Deadpool with the hope that Fox can do another comic adaptation outside of X-Men. Deadpool is nearing 135 million here in the U.S. so it’s safe to say that the film is a success because of dedicated fans, a well marketed campaign, and a great job by all who were involved with making the film. The film stays true to the elements that make the character attractive, the audience laughing till they vomit and the film entertaining. Fox has finally found something outside of the X-Men so here’s my advice for the sequel, don’t change what you’re doing at this point. Of course there’s something at the end of the credits which I know people have a problem waiting for but trust me, you’ll have fun watching the credits.

Valentine's Day Poem

How To Say "I love you."
by Anthony Labson

Don't say "I love you"
with a serpent's tongue.
Spreading your false energy
through my veins -- that's worse than
any venom and murders the heart the quickest.

Don't say "I love you"
like a child does a toy,
something that is to be enjoyed
for a short period time and then discarded
without a care for the one who is used
and will be left alone in dark misery.

Don't say "I love you"
at all.

Give that person a gift
at an unexpected time,
and give it for no reason.

Kiss that person,
not with lustful intentions
but with meaningful ones.

Do something for that person,
not because they asked
but because you want to for them.

Be there for that person
no matter what the reason,
even when they don't want you to.

Look each other in the eyes
and enjoy that moment of silence,
that moment where words have no purpose.

Finally, hold that hand.
That is always the first step
and will always be the most important one.

If you want to say "I love you"
and actually mean it.
Then don't say it at all.


Excerpt from Madness in a Recession, available in print and on Amazon.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Excerpt from New Age Rebels. Available now!

Wacko

Outside El Paso, another convoy of Pamela Edison Pharmaceuticals is driving down the road. An 18-wheel truck followed by a military truck in the front and another in the back filled with hired young soldiers who just joined Clear Skies. They look out into the distance with weak nerves, making it difficult to hold their automatic weapons. In the back, a new man is checking to see if his side arm is clean and it is in the truck behind the 18-wheeler. The driver looks at his passenger looking out the window and then at the man cleaning his gun.

The driver says, “Hey rookie, that gun came from the armory. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t give you something that was defective.” The man cleaning his gun says, “You never know man and the name is Tom. Thomas Lennon from Brooklyn and you?” The driver says, “Ryan Tittle from Alabama.” Tom laughs and says, “Oh man I know you must be popular in your neighborhood. Didn’t your state try to join the Restricted Zones a few years ago?” Ryan says, “Yeah but because of the treaty and all we couldn’t so those who wanted nothing to do with the Union left for the nearest Restricted Zone. As far as being popular if it was back in the old days, I would’ve been scared for my life but now that everything looks the same, nobody notices. What you’ll really like is when we get to the towns, a lot of these places still fly Old Glory.”

Tom says, “No shit! That’s a hell of a fine over on our sign.” Ryan says, “Yeah no kidding. My brother lost bonus money because he made the mistake of flying our English flags during the World Cup. Man he was so pissed but when your team is winning and so drunk that you fall down while taking a piss, you’ll make mistakes. Thankfully I make more than enough money on this job so I gave him enough to help him out. Now he keeps everything inside for nobody to see. Good guy but he makes bad decisions sometimes and mentioning my name helps him out sometime.”

Tom says, “Is this why you applied for this job? To get out of the cities and explore the Restricted Zones?” Ryan says, “Yeah after everything that went down between the Union and the un-conformist, the Union kept building and modernizing everything but the Restricted Zones always stayed the same. I like spending 12 hours dropping off supplies between the towns on our routes and seeing the sights. Family owned businesses, forests and clearings as far as the eye can see. It’s a nice change on the eyes instead of looking at buildings everywhere you turn. Not to mention it’s the only area in the United States where you’ll see flags flying all over the place every day.”

Tom says, “You almost make it sound like we’re unpatriotic. We fly Old Glory on top of our condominiums and such.” Ryan says, “Oh no, no I don’t me that my man. I’m just saying even though this country isn’t what it used to be, these people fly the flag out every day were as we can only fly it on national holiday. You know, the whole nothing can offend anyone law.” Tom laughs and says, “You mean the Internal Peace Act? The law that nothing can be shown in public expressing any religion, offensive language, etc.” Ryan says, “Yeah and foreign nationalities. These are very proud people and for some reason, something’s going on in these parts and they may be the cause of it. We’re getting close to the first town so keep your eyes out ok Tom?” Tom nods his head and holsters his weapons. 

While his head is down, the next thing he sees is the floor moving and he feels his body hitting the side of the truck it’s knocked off the road. His truck flips and they hang upside down, Tom screams for Ryan but Ryan slouches over revealing his head wound. Tom believes he’s dead as he hears the sound of more crashing metal with gunfire being heard a period at a time. The horns of the truck and other Humvee are going off and then silenced. Tom gets right side up as the door pops open and a man with a semi-automatic rifle points his gun at him and says, “Get the fuck out now!”

Tom crawls out with a cut on his cheek and feeling a sharp pain in his left hand. He looks up and the man with the assault rifle is wearing casual clothing and a bandana covering his face. The man says, “Stop looking at my face and keep your head down.” Tom does as he’s told and sees how the other mercenaries and the doctors in the trucks are laying down. There’s a dozen of them standing in a straight line watching over all of them, most of them carrying the same assault rifles the man next to Tom is carrying.

The doctors are soaked with blood and urine, paralyzed in fear but the soldiers are holding their own. The men are high fiving each other thinking they’ve done a job well done except for one of them all the way down at the end. Tom tilts his head up gently and sees a man with a pistol and a skull mask covering his face. The man in the skull mask looks at Tom and Tom quickly looks back down but he was noticed. The man in the skull mask says, “Oh no it’s too late to be playing possum now my friend. Pick his ass up. We have ourselves a winner here so let’s let him know what he’s won today.”

 Tom is pulled up and he looks at the man in the skull mask. He stares Tom in the eyes and says, “Your curiosity is what’s going to save you today. The rest of these cons here are going to die and you want to know what? Because we’re the Exos and we do what we want around these parts. As for me, tell everyone you see who I am and who I am is… The Skull.” A hysterical laugh is heard by the men and they all turn to see the last one standing guard at the end of the line. The Skull looks at the others and they have no clue what’s so funny about what he just said. The Skull says, “Hey Albert is that your fat ass laughing? I didn’t even say anything?”

The man at the end takes off his bandana revealing a tall and slightly chubby guy with white face paint and a bold red W in the middle of his forehead matching his red lipstick and red eye shadow. Tom notices the features such as his dark hair combed over, the length of his hair is down to his shoulders and a straight deep diagonal scar on his right cheek. The man says, “I’m sorry but for you to wear a bad ass mask like that and give yourself a crappy name like that… well that’s nothing short of boring. Oh and I wouldn’t consider myself fat, more like having an intimate relationship with gravity.”


The Skull looks at the man and says, “Who are you and what the fuck did you do with Albert?” The man cocks his rifle and says, “Well I found you guys just before you were about to make your run and Albert also has a relationship of his own so I decided to switch with him. Whether or not he’s still awake I don’t know. As far as who I am well I’m just a crazy son of a bitch who joined the A.R.A. at a young age and now here I am kicking wanna be asses. You can call me Wacko.” The Skull laughs and says, “And you’re going to judge me on my name calling?”


Wacko says, “Well I wanted to be called F.I.T.H. which stands for fucked in the head but nobody wanted to go along with it so Wacko it was.” He gives a cynical smile and the rest of the men point their guns at him. Wacko aims his rifle at them and The Skull says, “Well Wacko, you must be fucked in the head to mess with me. Why should my boys not put a thousand holes in you right now?” Wacko says, “Two reasons and the first reason is you don’t have enough bullets to put a thousand holes in me. The second reason is before you left your camp, Albert was kind enough to tell me where you kept your weapons so I took the firing pins out.”

The men look at their guns and the Skull pulls out his pistol and says, “I know mine still…” Wacko shoots The Skull in the head, his blood goes all over Tom. Tom’s heart stops as he goes into shock after seeing the back of The Skull’s head smash into his face. He turns around to wipe his eyes while coughing and trying to stop the shaking in his knees. The rest of the men scatter after seeing the skull dead, dropping their weapons in front of the mercenaries.

While walking up to Tom, Wacko says, “That’s why I love un-conformists, because they are dumb as shit and will believe anything. I never touched their rifles. On behave of the A.R.A. I would like to apologize for this and would like to assure you all that we are doing everything to assure the safety of Union convoys. Please be sure to take your own weapons and personal properties with you because anything you leave behind will belong to the A.R.A.”


He gets to Tom and offers him a dirty blue rag that he had in his right back pocket. Tom slowly takes it from him while keeping his eyes on Wacko because after everything that’s just happened, he can’t stop smiling. After wiping his face, he offers it back to him but Wacko looks at his nametag and says, “That’s ok Tom, you can keep it. My pockets are going to be full with taking all of these guns back. Looks like one of your wheels are out of commission so I’ll take the truck fill with our supplies and deliver them to the towns myself. You can take the pickup truck they used to hit you guys. Sorry again for all of this but the A.R.A is on top of the situation.”


The doctors and soldiers get up; the doctors rush to the pickup truck and the soldiers retrieve their guns but leave the rifles as Wacko requested. Tom says, “If you’re part of the A.R.A. the why are you out here alone?” Wacko puts his arm around Tom and Tom flinches at first then Wacko says, “Well as lovable as my appearance may be, not many people tend to want the attention of a man with clown makeup on his persons. So when there’s time for a patrol, I tend to go alone and since we’ve been getting reports of Union convoys being attacked, I decided to investigate the matter.”


Tom says, “So the rebels aren’t behind the attacks?” Wacko shakes his head and says, “Nope. As much as we don’t like you guys, we honor our commitments and don’t want to do something that could lead to war. It’s a rough time for us right now since we’ve had a death in the family.”


Tom says, “I know, General Bradley’s death hit the Union yesterday. President Mason is talking about having a day in his honor.” Wacko says, “Is he now? Well that’s nice but then again it be nice if he brought back all the other holidays we use to honor.” Tom says, “President Mason did what was necessary to make the country strong again and it worked.” Wacko just smiles at Tom as the mercenaries are ready to go and says, “And people consider me crazy.”


He turns his back on Tom and heads for the other supply truck down the road. Tom jumps in the back with the rest of the mercenaries. They drive off seeing Wacko collect the rifles and throw them into the truck, Wacko looks at them fade into the distance and waves a rifle at them. Tom looks at the mercenaries in the back with them all beat up and sore from their injuries.One of them looks at Tom and says, “Man, that guy really is fucked in the head. If there are more like him out here, then I rather just stay in the city.” Tom looks back and begins to wonder what Wacko told him. Why are un-conformists attacking convoys and whose behind it if it isn’t the A.R.A?