Then came a wobbly shot as the camera man circled around a table occupied by a group of friends. First on screen came Dante Jones; a much younger Jones than the one Nina saw in recent days in the newspapers and press conferences. 'Hap-happy…what is it?…oh yeah, happy New Year!' The off-screen voice of the cameraman- possibly Jon Brewer, Nina thought-narrated, 'And now to our love birds…' Her heart beat fast as the 'love birds' turned out to be Trevor Stone…and her. Damned straight!' Trevor shouted in a voice warped by vodka. 'I love this woman!'
Nina's eyes darted back and forth at the images on the screen. Her heart raced. These were memories she should have. Seeing herself doing things that she did not remember doing…seeing Trevor sling his arm around her as she half-heartedly protested through a grin, 'Oh stop, you’re embarrassing me.'
A lump formed in her throat. It became hard to breath. The more she watched the more real it became; the more she understood what she had felt when the Old Man had linked her heart and soul to Trevor's. She understood those feelings because they were his feelings for her…and hers for him. 'I love this woman. Completely. With everything I am.' 'Get a room!' Lori Brewer’s off camera voice shot. 'Besides,' Trevor continued. 'You’re cute when you blush.'
On screen, Nina let him pull her in, placed a hand on his cheek, and affirmed to him-to all of them, 'I love you, too. I always will.'
I always will.
They hammed for the camera with a big kiss and a cheek-to-cheek grin.
Nina grabbed the remote control but clumsily dropped it. When she finally reached it a second time, she rewound the DVD and played through the scene again. And again. And again…
…Trevor reached the roof of the White House and stood on the opposite end from his best friend.
Dante rocked side to side but did not flee. Instead, after much hesitation, he pulled his firearm-an automatic pistol-and pointed it across the space between them. Trevor walked toward Dante in determined strides. Dante fired. The spent casing hit the ground and rolled away. The bullet flew over Trevor's head like a warning shot. Trevor kept advancing. Dante fired again. Again the bullet flew overhead. Trevor's eyes remained locked on Dante as he closed the distance. The gun shook in Jones' hand. Another bullet fired. Another warning went unheeded. Trevor reached Dante Jones who still held the gun but the barrel-like the rounds he fired-pointed off target.
Dante did not move, he did not blink, he just stared at the man who had once been his friend. The man he had known since childhood. The man he had betrayed.
Trevor's lips pressed together, his eyes burned into Dante's, his chest heaved in and out as the two faced one another for the last time.
Stone reached with both hands and took hold of the burning barrel of the pistol and-while leaving it in Jones' grip-guided the gun directly to his head and let go. Trevor could feel the hot steel burn his skin. Dante need only pull the trigger to murder his friend but this time he would have to do so while looking him in the eye.
Jones at last blinked. His lip curled. Trevor's stare did not falter. His eyes dug into the conscience of Brutus.
Dante pulled the gun away from Trevor's forehead, put it to his own temple, and pulled the trigger. His body wavered for a moment, and then toppled over the edge falling to and rolling across the grounds below.
Evan Godfrey-once Trevor's greatest rival-remained pinned into the green ground of the White House lawn. A few feet away rested the dead body of Dante Jones, Trevor's best friend…
…The beastly war machines reached shore. Landing craft shaped like deformed whales opened, letting loose crawling Spider Sentries and hordes of cloaked, mutated monks. A pair of blob-like 'Chariot' craft swooped down from the heavens and flew in the midst of hundreds of smaller 'Spooks' screaming in agony as they searched for targets, but no targets remained.
The Leviathan towered above it all, stepping forward a quarter mile to a stride over a flattened Long Beach. Behind it more grisly ships sailed inbound, bringing with them the seeds of factories and farms to build thousands more such killers.
Smoke rose from the ruins. The ground trembled from the giant's steps. And the army of Voggoth marched forward…
…The weight of her torment finally grew too heavy on her shoulders. Ashley slid her back against the wall until sitting on the floor, her head cradled in her arms and unabated sadness flowing in heaves and moans.
Jorge Benjamin Stone-the boy who had destroyed one of The Order's bases-stood over his mother with his head tilted curiously. How had he never seen the sadness before? How could he not know how alone his mother felt?
He reached out, placing his arms around mommy's head. She leaned into his grasp.
The boy's tears joined his mother's…
…The push of a button froze the video image of Trevor and Nina cheek to cheek on the television screen.
Nina slowly reached her hand across the void between herself and the static image in an attempt to grasp it; to fully comprehend. Her mouth worked open as if trying to scream away the chaos inside, but no sound came forth.
Nina Forest touched the screen and bowed her head as she realized that, yes, she could be more than a soldier, more than a warrior. But when The Order had stolen her memories they had also stolen away the one man-the one soul — able to find that secret part of her heart.
Trevor, my love.
