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02.18.07 Sentinels
I: Washington, D.C., Sunday,
February 18, 2007
The sun was ducking in and out
from behind
the clouds on the brisk Sunday afternoon. The winter chill remained
apparent in
the air but the strength of the sun gave hope to those traversing the
Nation’s
capital that spring was nigh.
The 56 imposing and austere
pillars that
circled the large pool were a testimony to the honour bestowed upon a
nation’s
warriors. Not too far from there 4048 golden stars reflected what light
shone
through from above, each denoting the collective will of 100
individuals to lay
down their lives for common purpose.
A singular man stands out from
the sparse
crowd, wearing a heavy full-length grey winter jacket with its lapels
turned
upwards towards his neck. A single gloved hand in leather runs over the
gold
stars contemplating their meaning in relation to the trials that he and
others
were soon to face.
Another man stepped out of a
taxi by the
side of the road, wearing a similar full-length coat, this one black,
handed a
few dollars to the driver, and closed the door, taking a moment to
protect
himself from the elements by replacing his gloves and straightening his
coat,
raising his own lapels and covering the smallest hint of a necklace
under the
fleece. He looked across to the memorial to America’s war dead, and
lowered his
head for a moment in a short display of his own personal reflections.
This was
his first visit here, but even after mere seconds, he realized it ought
not to
be his last.
He glanced across the display
before him,
and immediately fixed his view upon his colleague standing by the
Freedom Wall.
He strolled slowly through the monument taking in the view, and
admiring the
lengthy reflecting pool, currently frozen over from winter’s bitter
breath.
Arriving slightly behind his friend, he muttered quietly…
“Such a sacrifice…”
“Oh I don’t know.”
Lancaster turned from behind
his Ray-Bans
to confront his friend.
“What wise man once said, ‘One
death is a
tragedy, a million are a statistic?’”
He smiled and laughed to
himself, as Thane
shook his head slowly and responded.
“You’ve always had a way with
words Robert.
Such an emotional bond with the locale. What made you choose this place
to get
together?”
Lancaster thought a moment
before
answering.
“We are about to make some
sacrifices, are
we not? And we might even have to sacrifice each other’s welfare for
the good
of the whole.”
Thane smirked, rubbed a scar
on his
forehead, and replied, “As I
recall, we’ve faced that situation before.
Somehow, those of us who were testing our strengths of will on the
fields of
battle together back in the old days, managed always to come through.
This is
just another battle we face. It is just another set of opponents. I
hope
they’ll forgive me if I don’t tremble in my boots.”
The Duke slapped his friend on
the back
with approval as they turned from the wall and began the walk along the
National Mall towards the Lincoln Memorial that sat stoically at its
end.
“You realize don’t you that
most of those
we will face believe that you and I cannot coexist within that ring
without
getting at each other’s necks.”
“Those that we will face, and
believe that,
have missed one inevitable truth. It doesn’t matter a bit. We’re both
equally
prepared to do what is necessary to succeed, and our past, despite its
turbulence, has never wavered from that. Besides, if they’re thinking
about our
in-ring chemistry, they’ve already lost. Taking their eyes off their
own
conclusion is a mistake worthy of story.”
A sudden gust of wind caused
the two to
brace themselves, and tighten their coats around them.
“Cold enough to freeze balls.”
Lancaster drew a flask
containing scotch
from his jacket pocket and took a swig.
“As for stories, have you heard
the one I
have about your impending opponent prior to the evening’s festivities?”
Thane immediately raised his
eyebrow and
awaited further detail.
“I screwed her in Paris. I
picked her up in
the morning, flew over in the Lear, had dinner, went back to a hotel,
and did
the dirty deed. You should have heard that stupid son of a bitch
Christenson’s
uproar upon my dropping her home the following day.”
A self-satisfied contemptuous
laugh broke
out across the quiet. It was Thane’s turn to slap his friend on the
back with
approval, despite his adultery, and responded with a overt touch of
sarcasm.
“Robert, you seductive snake, what
would
your wife say?”
“What my wife would say is
neither here nor
there,” he nonchalantly commented. “I had little choice, and besides,
you can
thank me later for loosening her up for your match against her. But…”
His tone turned decidedly
serious.
“She is damn well deadly in
that ring. Beat
her, and you beat the best. Except for me of course.”
Despite Lancaster’s tone,
Thane chuckled.
“I have never underestimated an
opponent
before, I see no reason to start now. She certainly cannot do anything
in that
ring to me, that hasn’t been done before. I know the stakes, I’ve seen
her in
action, although not quite to the extent that you have, but
nevertheless, I
know what I’m capable of doing, and I’m new to her in competition.
Seems to me
that the playing field is open… Nothing like a good challenge.”
“Aye, we both have one that
night.”
Lancaster is no fool. His
hatred may run
deep for one Jefferson Andrews, but he did not let his passions blind
him to
the facts before him. Andrews was one of the most popular and
successful CAL
wrestlers in history.
“I know going into this match
against that
loathsome walking plague that there will be those hoping and praying
that he
will destroy me. He’s more than welcome to, but I will get to him
before he gets to me - threats against my son go punished with death.
But if I go down, I’m taking the
whole Goddamn of OLW with me.”
“I don’t doubt it Robert… I don’t
doubt
it.”
The men climbed
up onto the pure white
steps of the Lincoln Memorial. They turned and gazed across the Mall.
There the
Washington Monument stood, watching the nation, a silent sentinel.
If
we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to
repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful
instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at
all times ready for War.
- George Washington,
President of the United States of America