"The Fire Rises"

Some time ago, right around when Billy arrived at X’s doorstep-

Up in a Saint Franciscan skyscraper, Lawrence gazed at a huge screen depicting the movements of his fleet. Today was the big day - Mars was finally getting its comeuppance, along with all those little upstart Marsist-Leninist kids who didn’t know what was good for them, even if you jangled it in front of their faces like car-keys.

The Presidio was the prize. The secret weapon could only be activated from there. And once he activated it, there would be no more opposition, and the war against Mars would end on his terms.

He frowned. The Home Division still guarded the premises. Those war-bots certainly could be dealt with, no problem. But the Do-Nothings occupying the Kingdom of Fine Arts surrounding it proved to be a tough obstacle. Hundreds of thousands of the little rats had gathered there over the weeks. Lawrence couldn't just shoot his way through them all. Not yet, anyway.

“That blasted Grace,” he muttered. He turned back at Captain Nixon, who was puffing on a cigar. “Where’s that girl? She said she was going to deliver the twenty-fourth piece of the formula in person…and it’s been days. My deadline was today!”

Nixon let out a lazy cloud of cigar. “She’ll be at the Presidio shortly. She said she has some loose ends to clean up first.”

"Now why's she telling you that, and not me," Lawrence muttered, looking back at his screen, fists clenched.

Forces continually conspired against him - all he wanted to do was conquer the galaxy and get things done, but those blasted Martians, politicians, and students just couldn’t see his vision! You think Lawrence wanted war? No! He just wanted Kajanas to keep his fat nose out of Earthling business.

To be fair, Lawrence was quite enjoying the war. Even he could admit that.

"I'm done sitting around," Lawrence declared. "Have a VTOL take us up to the Asskicker. We'll park the fleet over the Kingdom, maybe that'll be enough to scare the buggers off."

Lawrence donned his black naval cap and longcoat, as did Nixon. As they left the temporary command post, several sailors joining him with their pie-guns, Lawrence tugged at his beard, anger continuing to bubble up within him. Kajanas had the audacity to shoot a rocket at him in Neo-Neon Tokyo. 

Well, Kajanas, I'll show you. The people are with me. You're just another obstacle, and nothing's stopping me. I'll never concede defeat, especially not to the likes of you!

At the end of a hallway, two blast doors opened, revealing a VTOL-landing pad that could fit several. Beyond the pad were rolling gray skies and a city in morning, the Presidio fortress and Kingdom cathedral in the distance.

Lawrence’s entourage paused when they arrived at the pad. Several more VTOLs bearing the green-and-blue flag of the Union landed in front of them, ignoring the protests of the building’s traffic controller. Beneath the spinning blades, metal doors opened; official men in fedoras and trenchcoats stepped out. Lawrence knew several of them all-too-well.

“It’s over,” President Stanley Vice-President declared, neat-rimmed glasses across his face, hair having grayed from a month of war. He held up an official document. “Executive Order 805D. The President has the power to remove corporate leaders from power when their company has military-related government contracts.”

The CEO of Pioneer Defense Contractors stood next to the President, staring down the mere Earth Planetary Manager. “You wouldn’t listen to reason, Lawrence. You ignored me and your government. You’re fired, whether you like it or not.”

The fedora-men unveiled ray-carbines.

“Don’t make me ask twice,” warned the President.

Lawrence remained quiet, stone face giving away nothing, as his men looked on in surprise and despair. 

“Executive order,” he mused. “Using authoritarianism to fight a man you fear as a would-be authoritarian.”

“Your Polymermen are running around the country running like they own the damn place,” growled the President.

“Do they not?” Lawrence asked. “Is this not a country for the people?”

“For all people,” the President answered. “We have rules, Lawrence. No man is above the law.”

That's when Lawrence shook his head. "Nobody can define a man's limits except for himself. The law is nothing more than a tool for the elites to keep the people in check. All your red tape, all your bureaucracy, all your words...people are tired. They want change. And I'm gonna give it to them."

Lawrence’s voice rose. “If the people are tired of an inept Congress, of an incompetent President, of a system that has failed them in terms of jobs, arts, and human connection, then is it wrong to take matters into our hands? Humanity used to build railroads! Now we sit around debating. A magnificent species reduced to private cocoons! People don't want a future based on the present. They want a return to the past. They want to feel whole again! They want to feel strong again! They want to feel alive again!"

Lawrence stepped forward. “I’ll tell you what, Stanley. You’re scared of the people! You’re a mere politician, how could you possibly understand them? They want ACTION, not words. They want STRENGTH, not debate. They want a Union they can be proud of, and you and your Capital cronies are scared because I can give them that Union, and all you can do is sit on your hands and order another round of deliberations. I’ll be remembered as the man who conquered the galaxy, spread humanity far and wide, and your legacy will simply be that of another politician. That is why you, the cronies, the Martians, the Do-Nothings oppose me. You can’t create anything of their own, so you steal my life’s work! My own dream! My own destiny!”

“I’m not stealing anything,” said a new voice. Lawrence narrowed his eyes as Stanislav Kajanas emerged from the VTOL. “I came here with Stanley. This war has gone too far. I’m here to end it.”

Kajanas ignored the President and his CEO, stepping in front of them to stand before Lawrence. “They’re removing me from power as well. If it means an end to the war, and keeps my people safe, then I’ll accept the consequences.”

Lawrence eyed his rival. “You struck a deal, didn’t you? Willingly surrender in exchange for keeping a Martian in charge of Mars. How shrewd. How cowardly. I thought you were better than that. This war can only end when one of us surrenders. There can be only one.”

“After a month of war, I’ve come to learn that isn’t the truth. Martians aren’t superior to Earthlings, I’ll admit that. We’re both capable of great bravery and great stupidity. Earthlings and Martians are equal. I’ll surrender, if it brings peace to them both.”

Lawrence kept quiet.

“It’s over,” the President repeated.

Lawrence kept quiet.

“Final warning. Concede.”

Lawrence, at long last, raised his hands above his head and closed his eyes…

Only to adjust his cap and open them.

“Pie this man.”

Several stories up, a pie-machine-gun smashed through the glass and opened fire. The President was struck in the chest. More pie-guns opened up, taking down the fedora-men, the engines of the presidential VTOL, the CEO. As for Kajanas, Lawrence unveiled a pie-gun hidden within his uniform and tried to shoot the bastard himself.

The pie clipped Kajanas in the shoulder as he dove off the edge of the platform; he tumbled in the air, only to click his boots together, activating his rocket shoes. Kajanas flew further downward towards the sewers, hotly pursued by Lawrence’s drones.

Guards dragged away the unconscious Stanley, his glasses askew, torso covered in strawberry.

Lawrence barked orders as he moved briskly to his personal VTOL. “Order all self-driving cars to return home and immobilize. Order all delivery drones grounded. Block all Hypernet communications.”

Things were already in motion, moving so fast, that it makes you think Lawrence was already planning something of this nature, presidential intervention or otherwise…

“Boss!” reported a guard. “The rest of the Home Division has gathered on the Saint Francisco outskirts, ready to seize the city from you!"

“No doubt ready if I resisted arrest,” Lawrence mused. “And with Kajanas still out there, he’ll find a way to call in the Martian fleet to rescue him. Have the sailors and fleet focus on taking out the Martians and Home Division. Have the eastern detachment seize the Human Congress and the orbital detachment seize the Lunar capital. As for Presidio and Kingdom, rally the Polymermen. They’re already counter-protesting there. Let them show the galaxy the strength of my people.”

After Lawrence stepped aboard with Nixon, the VTOL took off, rising towards darkening storm clouds. The VTOL door remained open; Lawrence stood at the edge, watching the city - his city, his planet, his humanity. They needed someone like him, after all. And he wasn’t gonna lose to nobody.

Long shadows stretched across Saint Francisco, if not the whole world.