Penguins of Anarchy III: Edge of Disaster

Three

The graceful gazelle leapt across the grassy plain of Kenya, Africa as it searched for the next spot where it would eat. It passed by a herd of zebras and a wandering hippopotamus as it reached its perfect spot: a patch of lush green grass that made the gazelle's mouth water.

The gazelle leapt enthusiastically over to the patch of greens and began munching on the delectable vegetation as the sound of roaring elephants could be heard in the distance and a rhinoceros lumbered down the hill that the gazelle grazed on.

Suddenly, the sounds of nature went utterly silent, and the gazelle perked up its ears to listen for whatever had quieted its fellow animals. It sniffed the air, searching for the scent of a threatening predator. The gazelle then bounded down the hill as fast as it possibly could.

Behind it, in hot pursuit, was a whole pride of lionesses, charging after it without tiring as the animals reached the bottom of the hill. But then, suddenly, the gazelle understood that the pride was not hunting it; it was trying to evade an even more powerful predator.

An indiscernible number of armored trucks painted as yellow as the savannah roared down the hill after the lionesses and gazelle. But the lionesses weren't the main prize; the penguins in those trucks were after what lay ahead of the paths of the animals: a village filled with poorly-armed African penguins desperate to defend their homeland from the Martial Alliance.

Inside the lead truck, as the convoy screeched toward the village at 80mph, Bledsoe Much sat across from Commander Omniscion and his son Vek. Bledsoe was glaring at them, wondering just how valuable he really was to Omniscion, and doubting that Vek would even last this first stop in their campaign to overtake the remaining unconquered territories of Africa.

Omniscion, though, was looking as happy and proud as Bledsoe Much had ever seen him, eager to fight alongside his best agent and his own son, and no longer nervous about whether the next campaign would be successful; he knew that no power stood a chance against the Americans now. It was only a matter of cleaning up now, instead of making a mess.

"Can I come out with you, Dad?" Vek asked eagerly, his assault rifle resting on his lap. Bledsoe Much noticed that the barrel was pointing in his direction, and gently nudged it away so that he wouldn't be shot should the gun go off accidentally.

"I wouldn't make you stay in the truck on your first mission, Private Vek," Omniscion replied warmly. Bledsoe Much was always perplexed when he saw how gentle and friendly Omniscion was with his son, compared to how ruthless and harsh he was to everyone else around him—except, maybe, Bledsoe Much himself. If such a cruel, relentless wretch like Omniscion could still have a heart, Bledsoe wondered just how evil Omniscion really was. His softness toward his son would be his downfall, Bledsoe Much decided. If Vek was still alive by the time Bledsoe decided to make his move against Omniscion, he would kill the boy and see just how debilitated the supreme commander would be—probably just enough for Bledsoe to be able to kill him as well.

"Stay alive out there, kid," Bledsoe said emotionlessly.

"I'll try, Major," Vek replied with heart. Bledsoe Much sneered. Vek was so eager, so excited to make his father proud and so respectful of those around him. Bledsoe wondered how Omniscion and Vek could even be related. But, he could at least see why Omniscion loved him so much: Vek was the type of person Omniscion wished he could be, if he hadn't had to go down such a dark road to get to where he was now. All Omniscion wanted for his son was for him to be able to live in a safer world, where the boy could worry about politics and debates instead of whether or not he'd survive on a battlefield. For now, Vek was being trained to be a great soldier, but once the war was over, there would be no need to go fight again, besides settling minor disputes and easily-extinguished uprisings.