Dead Men (Simon)

[sab]

The scene is a park. Mothers & Children scurry about in the background. People living normal everyday lives walk to and from. It was a picture perfect spring day. The last place you would expect a meeting of this type. It took plenty of Sabastien's resources to locate Simon Fierhart. It took even greater effort to make this meeting. Sabastien sits on a bench, calmly observing the surroundings. But he could feel the looming presence of Simon behind him. Without so much as even turning around, Sabastien poses a question...

Tell me something. Do you remember having lived anything like this?

[simon]

Simon looks out to what Sabastien was referring to. It was a scene of priceless happiness. A scene that seemed so very distant from him...

Not for a long time. Why do you ask?

[sab]

Sabatien replies...

I never got to see...ANY of this. As a child, my father was always so busy trying to change the world. And my mother passed on when I was 12. I spent my childhood in boarding schools. Reared to be a leader. But that most certainly wasn't my destiny. And apparently, neither was it meant for me to have...this...on my own accord.

Sabastien clutches the locket on his chest. Encased in it was photo of his beloved Celeste, killed at the hands of Draco...

The darkness has taken a lot from me. And it's taken a lot from you as well. So answer me this. Our enemy is the same. Why is it that we choose to face him on different paths?

[simon]

Simon was wise. He could see where this was going. He wastes little time with his response.

It's simple. Because as much as we are the same, we're not. Neither of us are angels. And yes, our demons have cost us dearly. But my reason for fighting is atonement for my sins, not vengeance. I have blood on these hands. Blood that will stain them long after this world is dead and buried. But it's a burden I carry willingly. No matter how much I try, I can't wipe the stench of death off my soul. I accept that fact. I don't know why you've chosen the path you walk. But I know that once you start down that path, there is no return. No matter how you try to justify it.

Simon watches as Sabastien clutches his locket.

And no matter how many people are crushed in your wake. No matter how badly you wish to see him burned to ash, it'll never bring her back. But that never seems to stop any, does it?

[sab]

Sabastien grins...

No. It doesn't. And I'll agree with you. We are the men we are now because we chose to walk the path we do. No one made us monsters. We did that on our own. But what would this world be without monsters? Who would the heroes have to fight? Who would these simple minded people living simple lives fear? Check and Balances, my friend. But even monsters grow to powerful. And you and I both know he's far worse then anything ANYONE has ever bared witness to. We've witnessed him tear flesh from bones. We've seen him riddled with thousands of bullets and not flinch. I had him hit with an Anti-Tank round and he took it on the chin. He's beyond me. But then again, so are you.

He stands and faces Simon.

Because you, are every bit the monster he is. You...just like him...have a body count that rivals the Korean War. And that's not just the people you've killed. There's the children you've made orphans. The wives you've made widows. It goes far deeper. And yet you can stand there and say you fight to atone for your sins. Whether it be by your means, or mines. Draco's end must come. Because if neither of us can bring it forth, no one will.

[simon]

Simon responds.

And then after him, there'll be another. And then another. And another. The war never ends, Sabastien. What you, and the rest of the world fail to see is that the line between good and evil is blurred. The reason? Because there's no such thing as good and evil. There's only just, and unjust. Justice in the eyes of who seeks it can be atonement, vengeance, power, wealth. Whatever. No one is right, and no one is wrong. We just are. Men like us, we're the living dead, Sabastien. From the womb we are destined to die. It's how we reach our deaths that define us. My death I know will not be of my choosing. Because I've been cursed with eternal life. Doomed to walk this world for as long as there is evil in the hearts of man. So in many ways, that's my fate. So in many ways, I'm already dead. I can never return to the life I knew. Just like you.

You can never return to the life you knew. Not knowing what it is you know. Not seeing what you've seen. The Darkness has swallowed you, just as it did Draco and myself. And you're bound to it until your final days. But every day for us, is our final days. Because what they have...

Simon points into the park at the people living out content lives.

We never will. For what it's worth, your father taught you well. I only wish you could have used it in another way.

[sab]

Sabastien puts his shades on...

My father taught me how to make sound decisions. I learned the art of war by the very man...if you can even call him that anymore..I seek to destroy. And I will. Many thanks for your time, Mr. Fierhart. I look forward to the next time we meet.

[simon]

As Simon turns to walk away, he speaks these fnal words...

Pray that we don't.

Simon walks down the path behind the bench. He soon vanishes out of view.