The War In His Mind

Chapter 35

Abraham and his crew had set all of the preparations in place. The amphitheater was packed with men and women from all around Uptown. The theater itself was decorated in bright red, white, and blue banners and flags. The smell of hot dogs and popcorn wafted into the air. Thick grass padded the patron's feet.

The stage of the amphitheater was covered by a red curtain. When it opened, it revealed a choir and full orchestra.

Without pause they began to play a song of forefathers triumphing over tyrants and the waving of flags. Abraham had only heard it once, but when he did, it was immediately clear that it needed to be played for the citizens. At one time "The Stars and Stripes Forever" had been a symbolic song of a triumphant country.

"Hurrah for the flag of the free!

May it wave as our standard forever,

The gem of the land and the sea,

The banner of the right."

Those in the distance came closer to hear the song. It echoed through the walls and buildings of the city.

"Let tyrants remember the day

When our fathers with mighty endeavor

Proclaimed as they marched to the fray

That by their might and by their right

It waves forever."

A large digital flag waved on the amphitheater's screen. The choir crescendoed into a might roar that shook the ground beneath the crowd. Abraham's pulse raced and his heart struggled to be contained by his ribs. It was an energy he had never felt before. He was proud of what his city could become. He was excited for the future. He could see all of the possibilities of the future clearly. He was one with them.

The enthusiastic faces of the crowd gasped in wonder. There was an abundance of smiles and an occasional cheer that made Abraham's heart soar even farther. These were his people.

The song came to a climatic end with the choir singing at their loudest volume yet. Then silence.

All was quiet.

All was still.

Old film footage played from WWII. Soldiers were lined up at a military base and saluting the American flag. The symbol of prosperity. An announcer's voice spoke over the patriotic music. "This is who we were...This is our story..."

Re-enactments of the colonial era replaced the solders. The announcer introduced the British solders, men of a tyrannous government, who were holding the colonies hostage. The citizens of Wonder City watched as the subjects of the British army showed little mercy to those who didn't obey the King's commands. Men who betrayed their King and rejected his rule were subject to humiliation and death. The faces of the crowd turned bitter and many whispered to each other "This is like O'Neil!"

The Colonial Revolutionary Army was displayed on screen, led by General George Washington. Though he suffered many losses in battle, he never gave up. Many battles were displayed all with Washington suffering loss. In the heat of battle he encouraged his men on wards to victory. It was his voice, the announcer suggested, that inspired the men to fight harder. He was the opposite of the King. He was a servant, not a master.

The film showed a large crowd gathering behind Washington as the mighty British Army charged at him. They screamed "This is our home! This is our land!" as they raised their rifles and marched into the fray. As bullets and cannon fire littered the land, the choir began to sing again and the trumpets and trombones in front of them stood up and blasted their lines with as much air as they could force out of their lungs.

"Hurrah for the flag of the free!

May it wave as our standard forever,

The gem of the land and the sea,

The banner of the right."

The volunteer army pushed harder to repel the British forces. Those who got close enough fought them with the sharp edge of their bayonets.

"Let tyrants remember the day

When our fathers with mighty endeavor

Proclaimed as they marched to the fray

That by their might and by their right

It waves forever."

The battle raged on and left pools of blood and piles of bodies from both sides on the battlefield. The Americans, triumphant and free, raised their hands into the air. The scene came to a close and General George Washington, standing on a balcony with his hand on a Bible, opened the next. The announcer spoke in bold, patriotic tones. "This is who we are. Descendants of the Americans. Men and Women who resisted tyranny to forge their own path..."

The film quieted down and the screen turned dark. The announcer read the words that popped up on the screen. "It is in our heritage to conquer Thomas O'Neil. It's who we are."

All of Uptown Wonder City exploded into ceaseless applause. Every man, woman, and child who was able bodied and well began to sing the words to "The Stars and Stripes Forever."

The choir and orchestra members looked at one another with awe. They joined in with the chorus and created a loud, angelic sound that rung from every roof top and street through Uptown. Children fastened drums out of garbage cans and the men raised their hands into the air, mimicking the American soldiers from the film.

Abraham watched from the back. He smiled at Natasha, who was holding his hand. He knew it work. It wasn't a conscious thought as much as a feeling in his heart. Everyone needs a story. It's how they find identity. How they truly discover who they are.

It took the people of Wonder City months to realize that they weren't clones. And that this situation they're in wasn't unique in history. They were a people and a culture unto themselves. Yet at the same time they were as American as their fallen fathers in the "real" world. As far as Abraham was concerned, Wonder City was the new America. It was the city on the hill. Yet that lesson would come later. He had to remind himself that baby steps had to be taken, not leaps.