Samuel Tuchman slowly approached the grounds where the Resistance was gathering. He knew he’d find his long lost niece there and finally get to meet the man that had been giving courage and strength to the Army as they fought and annihilated his former employers. He kept both eyes peeled and opened for the mysterious body guard that had joined the band about a year before. He knew that the mysterious Morbus would shoot him and not blink twice. The man had been trained by his nephew after all. And so, he scanned the trees as he walked, as well as the ground ahead of him.
Morbus saw the strange man approaching in civilian clothes, even though he looked conspicuously military. He dropped out of his make shift tree stand right in front of the man. He froze when Morbus stuck a loaded pistol in his face. “And just WHO the FUCK are you?” he asked the man.
“My name is Samuel Tuchman. My niece is Brie Draiman. My nephew trained you. His name is Master Gunnery Sergeant Matthew Cartwright.”
“And who told you that the Master Guns trained me?” Morbus asked unflinching.
“I’ve been leaking information on the Utopian Army to Agency Director Gail Richardson for the past several
months. Before that, I leaked information to her predecessor.”
“You’re a Utopian deserter?”
“Yes, I am. The Lieutenant’s death gave me the perfect opportunity to get the FUCK out of dodge. I left the day he died.”
“Well, Mr. Tuchman, why don’t I take you to the house and let Mrs. Draiman identify you? If she doesn’t recognize you, you know what will happen, don’t you?”
“Morbus, there is no amount of penance that can absolve my sins. I know this. I’ve done horrible things in the name of God and country. I threw my support behind a system of government that has imposed things on the nation that would make my ancestors turn in their graves. I’m prepared to die if my niece doesn’t
recognize me.”
Morbus smiled coldly. “You know, Mr. Tuchman, if you hadn’t just admitted your sins to the man that will be your executioner, I might have enjoyed killing you.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Morbus.”
--------------
Morbus entered his usually way, followed by a strange man. The man was older and looked like he just got out of the military. David was the first person to greet them. “Who’s dying today, Morbus?” he joked.
“No one, hopefully, David. This man says that he’s Brie’s uncle.”
David called for his wife. “Brie, baby, you’re needed in the living room for a moment, please.”
She walked in wiping her hands on a towel. The moment she spotted the man with Morbus, she froze. He looked just like her mother. His every feature screamed at her that he was her long lost Uncle Sam. She stated as much. “Uncle Samuel? Is that REALLY you?”
He smiled. “Irian. I know that’s not your name anymore, but I can’t help it, sweeting.” He took a deep breath. “Dear God in Heaven, you look just like you mother.”
She dropped the towel and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Uncle Sam, oh my God. We were told you were dead after Desert Storm.”
“Surprise?” he laughed. “No, sweeting, I’m not dead. I’ve been very much alive for all these years.”
She released her hold on the man. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“The Lieutenant’s death gave me the perfect opportunity to leave Washington. I came here right away.”
“David putting the address in the monologue helped you find us, didn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if it helped you find us here, then it will certainly bring the Utopians to our doorstep”, David said with a satisfied grin, then extended his hand. “I’m David Draiman. Your niece is my wife.”
“Pleasure to finally meet you, David. I’ve seen every one of you monologues. And, your ‘Never Again’ speech in Austin was monumental.”
David smiled. “I’m glad it made such an impact on the Resistance.”
“As am I, David. As am I.”
--------------
“We have all of our troops present and accounted for, sir”, the Utopian troop commander said over the radio.
“Good. You move out in two days. I want to see if we can box that Resistance scum in and eradicate them.”
“We’ll certainly try, sir. That was the strategy.”
“Good. You have your orders. Move on the house in two days time. Over and out.”
“Ten- four, sir. Over and out.” The Unit Commander had no idea that the new Commander was sending him straight into the mouth of hell. The Resistance was three times the size of the Utopian Army and they were all under orders to shoot to kill the moment they spotted a Utopian uniform. The battle had already been decided, and it hadn’t even been fought yet.
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