I thundered through the halls, anger seething inside. The fluorescent bulbs above me fill the hallway with sterile white light. Ashley ran after me.

“Duke!”she called,”Duke! Wait up!” She ran up to me and pulled off her BP’s helmet. I followed suit.

“What the Hell are you planning to do?” She asked, the frustration clearly showing in her voice,”The Admiral said we cant go back. Its suicide.”

I recalled an old movie from my childhood, the memory coming on me suddenly and without warning.

“Remember remember the 5th of November,
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.”

To this crazy statement she replys,”What the Hell does that mean?”

“It means I’m going to steal the Patton and get to those damned Arvians.”

She pushes her lips against mine and whispers that shes with me, and for a moment I forget the war.

Above, the fluorescent lights flicker.