𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙊𝙛 𝙎𝙠𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 [𝙍.𝙎.]

Arguments

     "Now look, Colonel" Marlow started firmly "You may outrank me, but I've been here a hell of a lot longer and I'm telling you, that thing that just shredded us was only the first of them. Now we're on their turf, and we need to turn back, toot sweet!" He finished harshly.

      "Not as long as Chapman's still out there" Packard argued.

     "I'm sorry, Colonel Packard," James interrupted the man, "Chapman is dead" He told them, holding up some dog tags.

Sandra felt Slivko go rigid beside her. She looked up at him, gently putting a hand on his arm but he flinched away. She couldn't even imagine what he was feeling at that moment, but she tried. Packman was part of the family he had been forced to make in the army, higher ranking and Slivko probably looked up to the man as a father figure, if not an older brother.

Sandra tried to imagine losing James, but she couldn't, it was too painful. Then to her surprise, Slivko leaned back into where her hand was still hovering.

He seemed conflicted, hurt and anger flashed behind his eyes and he didn't seem to know who to blame.

     "Doesn't change a thing" Packard announced after a moment of processing the new information "We're still going to that crash site"

     "What's at that crash site that you want so badly?" James fired back.

     "Weapons!" Packard replied as if it were obvious "Enough to kill it"

     "Kong didn't kill Chapman" James argued

     "But it did kill these men" Packard argued, holding up a dozen or so more tage "My men"

     "You can't kill Kong, Colonel" Marlow stated, aghast "Kong is God on the island. He's the only thing keeping them lizard things in the ground"

     "He's right, Colonel" Brooks piped up "We can't kill Kong. Now, that other creature? That's the threat, and there are more of them down there. If you take away a species' natural competition, they'll proliferate out of control"

     "Then we'll end them, too!" Packard yelled, "After we bring this thing down!"

     "And how many lives did you just lose trying to kill one?" Sandra fired at him, finally snapping "How many more do we have to lose for you to learn to leave well enough alone"

While the Colonel was momentarily distracted by the girls outburst, Marlow pulled out his sword.

     "I can't let you do that, Colonel" Marlow told him. The other army men immediately raised their guns at Marlow, aiming at him and Slivko pushed Sandra behind him, not raising his own.

     "Whoa, whoa" James shouted, trying to calm them "Wait! Hold you fire!"

The Colonel raised his own gun, but used it as a sword as he knocked Marlow's out of his hands and Marlow to the ground.

     "This is one war we are not gonna lose," Packard told them.

     "We're not at war" Sandra pointed out incredulously and the Colonel spun on her, though Slivko blocked her from the Colonel's view. From what she could glimpse of the older man, however, she could guess that Slivko was going to pay for that later.

     "Nuts!" Marlow yelled, causing Packard to turn back to him. "You hear me? This is nuts!"

'Maybe we should listen to the man who's been here for nearly three decades' Sandra thought, regaining control over her mouth once more, biting her tongue to keep herself from saying anything that would get Slivko into any more trouble.

     "Please!" San yelled "You need to listen to us!"

     "Conrad's right, we're not at war, Colonel" Brooks stepped next to San "You're making a mistake"

     "Your lies got my men killed!" Packard yelled at him, raising his gun and pointing it at Brooks.

     "And you're gonna get us all killed!" Mason snarled, stepping up right in front of the Colonel and he turned on her.

     "Not our fight" James told her, grabbing Mason's arm and pulling her back.

     "Who's side are you on, Captain?" Packard challenged James.

     "Okay, Colonel" James agreed, raising his hands in surrender "You'll find you Sea Stallion three klicks up that ridge. Now, I'm gonna take these civilians back to the boat and we'll wait for you there, all right?"

The Colonel stayed silent for a minute as he seemed to debate what James was saying, though his gun remained fixed on Mason and she stared back opposingly.

     "Saddle up!" The Colonel yelled to his men after a moment, lowering his gun and turning away as if nothing had happened "Let's go kill this thing!"

The others started walking but Slivko stayed put, taking a deep breath.

Sandra knew she wouldn't go with them, but she leaned against her friend.

     "Please don't do anything stupid" She mumbled to him. He just gulped and slowly followed the other soldiers. Marlow shook his head with a sigh and Sandra's eyes dropped to her feet.

     "Steve" Packard yelled at the man "You running with the big dogs or stayin' on the porch?"

     "I don't wanna be on the porch" She heard the man mutter as he followed the soldiers, shifting his hold on the gun.

     "Marlow, are you ok?" James asked, helping the man to his feet.

     "We need to stop him" She heard Marlow reply and her head snapped up. She hesitantly walked over to the two men and Marlow gave her a dirty sort of look.

     "You wanna talk with him about it again?" Mason asked, causing everyone to look at her as she walked up "He seemed to really go for the first time"

Sandra let out a snort at that, a smirk playing her lips as she nodded in agreement.

     "He's losing his grip" Sandra muttered, glaring at the Colonel's back and James nodded.