Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Monday, October 9, 2006

LotS Chapter 3: Discovery OR Wakefield Park, Vietnam

Okay, before we get started, I've noticed that few people commented on Chapter 2, which leads me to believe that few people read Chapter 2. PLEASE READ CHAPTER 2 BEFORE YOU READ CHAPTER 3!!!

This is my last "pre-written" chapter, so I won't update again until I finish writing Chapter 4.

As before, constructive criticism is welcome, as are suggestions for future chapters and suggestions for a better title.

HEADS UP! THIS IS A LOOOOOONNNNG CHAPTER!

*NOTE* Blogger is giving me a lot of problems with formatting this chapter. I appoligize if it's confusing.


***
The standoff had ended peacefully after six hours. A desperate man had kidnapped his three children after loosing custody and barricaded himself in his apartment. Fortunately, the negotiators had been able to coax the man into giving up. Though none showed it, everyone on the SWAT team was relieved that they hadn’t had to storm the apartment; doing so might well have resulted in the death of at least one of the kids; their father had, at one point, stated that he’d sooner kill his kids than give them up. Thankfully, that had been nothing but an empty threat, and the children were all unhurt.

The SWAT members had stowed their gear in their respective vehicles and were gathered around Siegfried’s car, the blue 2005 Mustang GT that occasionally caused rumbles with the department's Internal Affairs Bureau.
"I still can’t believe you're planning to ask that woman to the Commissioner’s Ball!" Ben exclaimed. He’d been fixated on it ever since they left the coffee shop.
"Will you drop that already?" Siegfried said impatiently.
"I’m with Ben," Pedro Martinez, one of the Team snipers, said, "How you planning to get her to say yes?"
"Love at first sight," Ben replied with a chuckle.
"Yeah, right," another team member piped up, "she probably has a serious thing for men in uniform."
"Either that or she’s setting him up for something," John Barker, the team shotgunner, voiced.
"Well, that shouldn’t be a problem," Pedro said, "for Sig and his SIG." Pedro was referring to the .45 SIGARMS GSR pistol that Siegfried, along with the rest of the SWAT Team, carried as a sidearm. "Integral laser sight, Surefire weapon light, you can drive tacks with that thing!"
"Maybe you could, Mr. Marine Sniper," Siegfried shot back, "but us mere mortals don’t possess your superhuman shooting skills." Pedro had been a sniper in the Marine Corps for ten years and was considered the best shot on the police force.
"So anyway," Ben said, "you were going to tell us how you plan to get a woman who you just met to go to the Commissioner’s Ball with you."
"No, I wasn’t," Siegfried said, "and even if I was, I don’t have time; I have to get home and shower off before I meet Odette in the park."
"Yeah, yeah," Ben said as Siegfried climbed into the Mustang, "whatever."
"Right, whatever," Siegfried replied as he pulled out of his parking spot and headed home.
An hour later, Siegfried was showered, dressed, and on his way to Wakefield Park. He and Odette had agreed to meet by the lake at just after 8:00, but Siegfried decided that he should show up a little early to scope things out. While Wakefield Park was well lit at night and crime there wasn’t as common as you’d expect, it wasn’t totally unheard of either, so it was probably a good idea to make sure the area was safe before Odette arrived. Besides, being early would hopefully make a good impression, which never hurt a relationship.
He arrived at the park just before 7:45. A brief sweep of the area around the lake revealed it to be quiet and empty as usual; not many people frequented the park after dark. A cold chill brushed against the back of his neck, and with it, an odd feeling of deja vu clinging to him. Without warning, he heard a rhythmic swooping sound off to his right and turned to see a swan, probably the same swan he’d seen last night, glide gracefully into the clearing. As the bird circled lower and lower over the water, Siegfried’s uneasy feeling of deja vu grew stronger and stronger. As the swan prepared to set down on the lake’s glassy surface, a clock somewhere in the distance began to strike 8:00. The swan touched the water, and a blinding light engulfed the clearing...
His F-4 Phantom had been shot down three hours earlier, and he’d been running from the Viet Cong from the moment he landed. His .45 rested snugly in its holster, and the AK-47 he’d taken from that VC he’d shot earlier was cradled in his hands. He shook his head at the vile memory; the man-the boy-he’d killed had been no older than his kid brother back in Phoenix.

He’d been hunkered down by the side of this shallow pond for almost an hour now, waiting for the Huey to show up and pull him out. His heart skipped a beat every time the reeds rustled, afraid that the VC had found him. His flightsuit was soaked in water and sweat, the AK’s grips had grown slick in his moist hands.
A dull swooping sound suddenly filled the clearing, and his heart leapt at the thought that it might, just might, be the Huey. His hopes were shattered as he saw a large white bird glide over his head. At first, he thought it was just a crane, but as it turned to land on the pond, he realized it was actually a swan. He had just enough time to wonder what the hell a swan was doing in Vietnam when it touched down on the shallow water. At that instant, a bright light filled the clearing, and he panicked, fearing that either he or the swan had activated a VC booby trap. The light vanished, and as he looked back over the water, he dropped his rifle in shock...

"Siegfried?" Odette’s shocked whisper brought Siegfried back to the present.

"Hello, Odette," he said after a moment of stunned silence.
"You... you saw?" she asked after a moment’s hesitation.
"Yes," he replied, "everything."
"I... I think we should sit down," Odette said, indicating a nearby bench, "I think we need to talk."

"I think you’re right," Siegfried replied, the vision still fresh in his mind.
***
Well, that was (hopefully) a shocker! Betcha didn't see that one coming!
I know what you're all thinking; why does Odette transorm between a swan and a human? And what is with Siegfried's wierd visions? The answers are coming, dear reader, so stay tuned!

5 comments:

Tim said...

wierd...

...i don't think i get it.

Maeve said...

Yup. Not Maeve here, just Jeff. Um...after reading parts of it, very nice.

Anonymous said...

Yeah. It made no sense.

Sam Austin said...

still very good.

is it really necessary to have the actual seconds the comments get posted?

Raptor said...

nerdjedi helped set my blog up. By that, I mean he shoved me out of my chair and took over. I'm trying to figure out how to get rid of the seconds, for I too think they are annoying.