Soldier of the Past
Miranda’s Last Stand
By David Kean
UNDERGROUND BUNKER, KANSAS CITY, MO
JULY 30, 2002
734 CHICAGO TIME_
The Jolly Rogers Platoon was up for their breakfast in the mess hall, and having regular conversations amongst themselves as they ate. David was sitting with Iris; both enjoying a round of waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage, fruit, hash browns, and whatever drinks were available at that meal. Then a woman with brown hair down to the middle of her back, around 5 foot 9 inches, and a figure similar to Real Bout High School’s main character with a bokken walked up to the table with her meal.
“Excuse me, sir. Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked.
“Not at all, Sergeant. Take a seat. You’re more than welcome to,” David answered.
“Yeah, Ryoko. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Iris replied with a smile.
“Thank you. I just hadn’t met someone as prestigious such as the Lieutenant,” Ryoko said and sat down.
“Tell me, Ryoko. What do you think of the platoon?” David asked.
“Um, I think it’s a very nice group you lead. I mean, we were the best among the best,” Ryoko said as she’s shaking.
“Uh, Sergeant Mitsurugi? Is something wrong? You’re shaking like a leaf on a tree,” Iris said.
“Well, I was nervous coming over here and seeing the two of you together and…”
David chuckled, “Don’t worry. If you’re thinking that Iris and I are an item, you’re wrong. My heart belongs to another…Masaki.”
Ryoko then looked at her leader, “Masaki? As in, one of the senshi within the Solar System?”
David nodded, “That’s the one. But, I haven’t seen her since she…”
“It’s okay David, take it easy. There’s no need to repeat it,” Iris said as she patted him on the shoulder.
David sighed and resumed eating his breakfast. Sergeant Ryoko Mitsurugi of Beta Squad sat in her seat and started eating hers as Iris gently tried to calm David down from remembering what had happened. Ryoko had remembered seeing her commanding officer holding a woman with red hair in a senshi outfit close to him after she had driven a knife through her heart. That particular memory was the worst memory anyone in the platoon could remember.
When breakfast was over, David immediately took off to the rooftops of the city to begin his patrol for undead, as the others had scattered to their original jobs to avoid any suspicion. Iris and Ryoko nodded to each other and followed him. When they got to the roof, they watched David take some practice swings of his bastard swords around. David’s movements were fluid and almost seemed like he was a graceful dancer. They both climbed over the barrier and sat in the shade of a fanning unit to watch him.
David kept going and going, swing after swing of his swords, and had kept up a relentless attack. When it was all over, his left sword was thrust forward as he held his right sword above his head, holding the blade parallel to the ground. All the while, he was in his armor and helmet throughout the whole session. Iris and Ryoko clapped for him as he lowered his stance and looked at his sergeants.
“David, that was amazing. Who knew you would move like that,” Iris said as she applauded him.
“Yeah, you were like a dancer on the floor with those swords of yours,” Ryoko added.
“Thanks, you two. You can thank my training with my father to be the way I’ve become. What brings you two here anyway?” David said.
“Well, we were wondering if you’d like to have a real workout with Ryoko and me,” Iris said.
“That would be great.”
Iris and Ryoko then got into their respective armors and drew their weapons. Iris had her serrated longsword in her left hand while holding a shield in her right arm. Ryoko only had her samurai katana with her and the two women took their stances as David took his to begin their practice session. Grim looked on and made sure none of the combatants were going to be seriously injured.
UNKNOWN AREA, UNDERGROUND
JULY 30, 2002
845 UNKNOWN TIME ZONE_
Sailor Hades, a pale skinned woman with flowing black hair to her knees, was getting fed up with Miranda’s efforts. No matter how hard she had tried, she failed. The Major that came into the throne room looked on from within his armor and helmet, waiting for Miranda to arrive. The 6-foot even, slightly muscular man stood patiently as Hades paced back and forth.
“She’ll come. You know she will,” the Major said.
“She had better. That Lieutenant of the Moon Kingdom is becoming very bothersome to my plans,” Sailor Hades said.
“That is true. But he has no idea how big our plans for this system is.”
“Maybe so, but if he constantly gets victory after victory, I’ll have your heads!”
“Don’t worry, milady. Eventually, he’ll no longer be a threat. If things don’t go well here, we can always find another location to start.”
“A back up plan doesn’t hurt, but the city will fall if the cards play well.”
Then a 5’8” tall female soldier with blue hair down to her waist, pulled back into a ponytail, walked in and bowed to her superior. When she stood back up, she looked at Hades straight in the eye. Miranda showed no fear.
“Commander Miranda, I hope you have a good plan this time to stop Lt. O’Cain from winning,” Hades said.
“I do, Sailor Hades. I have the perfect place to get rid of him once and for all,” Miranda replied.
“Tell me about this plan. I’m listening,” Hades said as she glared at Miranda.
“There’s an abandoned quarry just outside of the city. I intend to bury him alive in the rubble. With a few undead there as bait, the trap will be sprung.”
“And who will oversee this plan of yours.”
“I will see to this personally. I will be the one who brings down that bothersome insect of a lieutenant.”
“I hope you finish the job. You know the consequences of failure, Miranda.”
“Yes, Sailor Hades. I will not fail,” Miranda said and disappeared.
Hades sat back in her throne as the Major stood in front of her. Hades held her head as she gripped the arm of her throne in disgust. She wasn’t in the best of moods for failure of her soldiers. The Major was formulating a fall back plan as he spoke.
“Hades, if this city doesn’t fall, we can always try another,” the Major said.
“If so, where would we go?” Hades asked.
“Perhaps another major city within the country, like St. Louis or Memphis.”
“If Miranda does fail, I’m putting you in charge of the operation. I will control the kingdom with an iron fist. The undead shall rule.”
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
JULY 30, 2002
1159 CHICAGO TIME_
David, Ryoko, and Iris were still going on in their two-on-one fight. Ryoko and Iris teamed up against their platoon leader for the session. Grim casually looked on as the three fought. Iris quickly switched from sword and shield to her bladed battle fans. In one fluid motion, she sheathed her sword, took the shield off, broke it in half to form the fans, and stood in a one legged stance. Ryoko stood in her stance, pointing the tip of her blade at David’s chest as she held it over her shoulder. David kept his usual two-sword stance.
All three came at each other and unleashed a flurry of attacks, defending, and countering. The three combatants were moving at a blur even with Grim watching and trying to keep up. Ryoko found an opening and slashed at his leg, knocking him down. Fortunately for David, the armor on his leg took most of the blow, but the impact still took him down. All three breathed heavily as the fight is over.
“Nicely done, Ryoko. You’re pretty good at keeping up,” David said as he stood up.
“Thanks. Iris had been my sparring partner for quite a while. Shows, doesn’t it?” Ryoko replied.
“It does. Heh, you’re just as fast as her. That can be good.”
“I think so, too. Working on one’s speed can enhance the reaction time.”
The three sat down and put their weapons away as they talked away. Then they had an MRE cooking when an envelope floated down onto David’s lap. He picked it up and looked at the contents. Iris and Ryoko tried to get a peek at what David was reading.
“Lieutenant O’Cain, I’m issuing you an official challenge to a one-on-one fight to the death. You have caused me great pain in your victories. Soon, I shall have the upper hand. Meet me at the abandoned quarry three miles north of the city. Your time has come to an end,” was all that was written on the note.
“Somehow, I am not liking the looks of that note,” Iris said.
“My sentiments exactly. If this is indeed a one-on-one fight as the invite says, it may be a while before the winner is determined,” David answered back.
“What if there’s undead present?” Ryoko asked.
“All I can say is that you guys deal with them. Make sure that none of them interfere.”
“Yes sir,” Iris and Ryoko said.
ABANDONED QUARRY, KANSAS CITY NORTH, MISSOURI
JULY 30, 2002
1248 CHICAGO TIME_
The platoon had arrived near the quarry where a group of skeletons and zombies had gathered. As the Jolly Rogers moved forward, the group of undead stood there in silence. The group’s leader approached David with two other soldiers.
“What is your business here?” the leader asked.
“I was invited to a fight to the death. I even have the proof if you need it,” David said as he showed the zombie the note.
“Ah, Lt. O’Cain. You’ve been expected to come. However, your group of soldiers isn’t allowed.”
“I assure you, they will not interfere with this fight. I hope you and your soldiers will do the same.”
“Of course. This is between commanding officers. Please, go on through.”
The warriors moved away from the center and David and the Jolly Rogers proceeded to walk past them. Once they are several feet away, David signaled them to halt and to hold position. Iris nodded and the platoon saluted their CO. David saluted back and made his way into the quarry. All both sides can do is wait it out. David continued to walk into the quarry and standing on one of the mounds was his opponent. He recognized her immediately.
“Miranda. I should have known it was you who sent the invitation,” David said.
“Indeed I did, Lieutenant. This battle shall end your winning forever. The Hades Regime will conquer the entire galaxy,” Miranda said.
“I don’t think so. There is no way in hell I will allow the undead to rule!”
“Believe what you will, O’Cain. I shall kill you myself for the glory of Sailor Hades!”
Miranda leapt down towards David and held her spear, eager to drive the point into this body. David moved out of the way in time, as the impact caused a ripple in the gravel. Then he drew his swords and stood ready. Miranda stood up and pointed her spear at him. Finally, they charged at each other and began a flurry of blows. They did the best they could to defend themselves from the other. David got a slight diagonal slash in, only to cut Miranda’s uniform.
However, Miranda was quick enough to stick the spear into his chest. Unfortunately for her, the armor was strong enough to stop it from going any further. David was able to knock the spear away from him, but Miranda was able to fire an energy blast at him. David was flown back a few feet and landed on one of the rocky mounds. Then she leapt into the air and threw multiple spears at David and he rolled away as quickly as he can.
Meanwhile, the Moon Kingdom and undead soldiers were sitting around doing nothing. Some of the undead were getting antsy as they saw viable targets. The Jolly Rogers kept calm, knowing that David will give his best in the fight.
“Come on, let’s take ‘em now,” a skeletal soldier said.
“Nah, we shouldn’t. What good would it do anyway?” another asked.
“But they’re just sitting there. Easy pickings.”
“Will you two stop blabbering? We’ve been given orders NOT to attack,” the leader said.
“But sir. Those fleshies are right there. They’ve been stopping us from our victory over the Moon Kingdom.”
“You will stay put!”
Iris and the rest of the platoon sat on the ground and had a few poker games going. Even a few of the undead joined in. At one group, they were playing Texas Hold’em and Iris was among them. It was down to her and a zombie in the pot. Both looked at their cards as they tried to figure out what may be the outcome. Then the zombie made a bet of $5. Iris raised it to $15. Then the soldier re-raised to $25. Iris then made the all-in bet. The zombie looked at her in surprise and looked at his hole cards. Feeling that he had a good chance, he called the bet. Then he revealed his hand.
“Hah! 10 high straight! Come to daddy,” the zombie said as he started to scrap the money towards him.
“Not so fast there, buddy. I have yet to show my hand,” Iris said, causing the zombie to stop.
“Oh yeah? Whatcha got lady?”
“Sevens over sixes.”
The zombie looked at her cards to see she had a pair of sevens in her hole cards with a pair of sixes, an eight, a seven, and a four. The zombie had a 10 of diamonds and a nine of spades. One of the other undead soldiers looked at his cards and got angry for being out of the pot. He stuck a dagger into the ground and looked at Iris.
“I can’t believe you forced me out of the hand,” it said.
“Well, I made the bet, and you decided to fold. Nothing I can do to stop that,” Iris replied.
“I shall have your heart for this!”
Then hell broke loose. The undead moved back to their side of the field while the Jolly Rogers scrambled for cover. The fighting became fierce as wave after wave of undead bared down on the platoon.
David and Miranda were fighting a fierce battle of their own. David was looking worse for wear as Miranda didn’t let up her attack. She kept firing and firing energy blasts at him, forcing him to seek cover. David hid behind a crane as Miranda searched for him.
“You can’t hide forever, Lieutenant. I’ll find you and put an end to your miserable life,” Miranda said.
“You’ll have to find me first,” David said as he quietly moved away.
When she caught a glimpse of him, she fired a blast only to miss behind him. She pursued her prey like a lion and fired when she saw him. David did the best he could to avoid getting hit, but she was finally able to get a hit in. The blast went through his armor at his shoulder and chest, and he fell to the ground. Miranda smirked as she walked over to his body to make sure he is dead. She rolled him onto his back and surveyed the damage.
The blast pierced both sides of the armor, cauterizing the wound. She brought her spear up to stick the point into his heart, when he suddenly opened his eyes and telekinetically threw her away. Then he sat up Undertaker-like and disappeared in a bolt of lightning. She looked around in shock, wondering where he went. Then the Undertaker’s gong sounded off and dark clouds rolled in, covering the area. Iris saw the sky darken and told Ryoko she was in charge and to stay with the platoon. Ryoko nodded as Iris took off towards the quarry.
She stood at the top of the place and only saw Miranda looking around for David. Then the gong sounded off again and Iris gasped as she stared in horror, and recognized the familiar ambiance. Then a low fog, about knee deep, flowed into the quarry. Again, the gong sounded and lightning flashed across the sky. Miranda stopped looking around and briefly saw the flash of light in the clouds.
A few seconds later, the gong sounded off one last time and then thunder roared for all to hear in the quarry. Then a Graveyard Symphony can be heard playing from nowhere. Then a lightning bolt struck the ground and an Undertaker-like figure walked towards her. The eerie tune played for three minutes and the figure stopped in its tracks. Then it lifted its right hand in front of it, palm facing the sky, forming a skull from energy in the hand, and the figure raised its head to reveal David. Grim immediately appeared above and behind David, spreading his arms, and holding the scythe in his left hand.
David then lowered his head, and slowly took off the hat with both hands. When the hat was fully away from his head, a black helmet with a black visor appeared on his head. Grim offered his scythe to David; he took off his trench coat, and gave the hat and coat to the Grim Reaper. Then David took the scythe, spun it around a couple of times, set the spear end onto the ground, and a fiery circular wall appeared around them.
“Miranda…there is no escape,” David said in an eerily Undertaker tone.
“You don’t scare me that easily. I’ll put an end to you!” Miranda responded.
“It is too late. Your time on this Earth is up.”
“Never. I shall defeat you!”
“You have no idea who you are up against. Your soul…belongs…to me. You shall rest…in…peace.”
Suddenly, David flew at Miranda with Grim’s scythe and slashed at her when he got near her. Miranda barely jumped away in time, but David kept coming. His attacks were a total blur and Miranda kept up as best she could to defend herself. Finally, David slashed at her leg and she screamed in pain as the blade made a deep cut in the thigh. She fell to one knee, holding the wound. The last thing she saw was the scythe coming down at her in an angle, and then nothing. Miranda’s head rolled a little to the side with a horror filled look in her eyes.
Then a blue orb appeared over her body and David opened his hand to collect it. The soul flew over his palm, and he closed his fist sending it to the Underworld. Then he looked up at Iris, then turned and walked away. All Iris could do was stare as the dark side of Lieutenant David O’Cain left.
UNKNOWN AREA, UNDERGROUND
JULY 30, 2002
1429 UNKNOWN TIME ZONE_
Sailor Hades looked through her video screen, watching Miranda’s death. From where she sat, she witnessed what the dark side was capable of doing. From her information, David’s dark mode was considered the most feared form of anyone within the army. She closed the window as the Major knelt before her. Then she stood up and addressed him.
“Major, move our troops to another city. I’ve grown weary of that particular town,” Sailor Hades said.
“As you wish, milady. Our next target will not be so difficult to overtake,” the Major said.
“See to it that the move is made.”
“At once. The platoon won’t know what’ll hit them,” he said and laughed.
Outside, Joe and Larry stood guard at their usual spot in front of the throne room.
“Well, that’s a different change of pace. Instead of hearing her laugh, we get to hear the Major” Larry said.
“No kidding. At least his laugh isn’t like that one Major,” Joe replied.
“Oh yeah? You mean the one that’s married and was in love with a nurse?”
“Kinda. But our Major is more maniacal than that one.”
“Well, at least it wasn’t that elegant bitch!”
Then both guards laughed. Meanwhile, back at the Rogers bunker, everyone was in a celebratory mood from the recent defending of the city. Everyone was having a blast, but one. Iris couldn’t see David anywhere in the room. She decided to go look for him with Ryoko’s help. They searched high and low in the underground bunker. They searched the kitchen, the medical area, even the bathrooms. They finally found him lying on his bed with bandages on his shoulder and chest where Miranda had shot him.
Ryoko took his hand and held it for a while. Then he came to. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Beta Squad’s leader. She then put his hand on her cheek. David smiled as he lay there.
“Hey Ryoko. How’re you?” David said.
“I’m fine. I’m glad to see you are alive,” Ryoko replied.
“You took a nasty hit during the fight. It’s a wonder you survived,” Iris said.
“I know. I guess I got lucky,” David said.
“If Masaki was here, she would be taking care of you until you got better.”
“Knowing her, she would. So would my mother. However, they aren’t here, are they?”
“No sir.”
David then relaxed, “Miranda may be dead now, but there’s still undead to deal with. And Sailor Hades.”
“We know. The rest of the platoon’s celebrating. Why not join them?” Ryoko asked.
“Because I would rather recover from my wounds than party. I need this wound to heal before I can continue.”
“Understood, David. You get some rest. We’ll bring you something to eat later.”
“Thanks for coming you two. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime.”
Iris and Ryoko walked out of David’s room and went back to the party. He then closed his eyes and went to sleep. The battle may have been won, but the war against the undead is still going.
Next time on Soldier of the Past. The Jolly Rogers Platoon moves their operation after they received word that the undead are attacking in the south. A new officer has taken over in Miranda’s place. Will this new soldier be as difficult to fight or worse? Find out in “Vyle’s Reign.” (R. Lee Ermey-like voice) Did I say you could take a nap, maggot? You better get up before I light a fire under your ass! Stick around for more or I’m giving you PT for the next three months, ya swamp trudging shitbag!