Sigma/Star

Chapter 11: Double Slap Style

Grimsley sat on the outside of a large humvee with his chin resting on his knee. It was depressing knowing there was a battle going on just outside town that he could have no part in. All that military training and for what? Well in actuality the militia training he had received had been quite light but it could certainly be enough when he was fighting next to those incredible machines.

Not to mention the thoughts of sweet Raven drifting through his head, flowers swirling around them as they danced through fields of lovely dandelions. It would be through heroic deeds in war times that he would win her heart and he couldn't commit these deeds if there was no war at hand! Instead it was a waiting game for something to happen, either the return of victorious Goliaths or an invasion by enemy ones.

During all of this, Gretta sauntered over and propped her elbows on the side of the vehicle, staring up intently at her brother. "Whatcha thinkin 'bout Grimsley?"

"You know what I'm thinking of Gretta." Grimsley's eyes took on a distant look as he stared out at the horizon where the sun would dip and where the battle was surely taking place at that moment.

"You're thinking about Raven right? Or no wait, maybe it's the war? Or perhaps you're thinking of going and buying some more bread for the house because we're out of it." She gave him a poke to tease him but found no reaction out of her brother. He simply sighed and again continued to look away. "Boy you're really hung up over that girl aren't you?" Gretta put on a little pouty face and mock attitude. "What's so special about her anyways? She's just a flower head!"

Grimsley sat bolt upright at hearing this. "Don't say that Gretta! She's a wonderful, beautiful girl with a head full of knowledge and thinking...and...and science..."

"You don't know anything about her do you?"

"No." Grimsley hunched over his knees in a sulk. "But all girls love heroism don't they? Military men and brave soldiers?" Gretta simply rolled her eyes at him in response. Grimsley sat up a little again to look over at where the assumed fight was happening. "I just wish I could do something to help them. Even if it wasn't for Raven. You saw them Gretta, they're all practically my age, forced to fight in the most dangerous type of combat possible. I mean at least I can't really be hit by a Goliath, unless it steps on me. I'm just too insignificant. But they have to deal with each and every weapon the enemy has. And piloting those things! Whew, that must take a ton of energy."

"Well I mean you could always help them..." Gretta's voice trailed off and she started to look around the town square as inconspicuously as she could.

"What do you mean by that Gretta?" Grimsley spun to face his younger sister, as he had done many times before when confronting her over a secret she had been keeping from him.

In her trademark style, Gretta began to tap her two index fingers together while looking down at the ground sheepishly. "Well I mean we own a tank called a 'Goliath-killer.' You could always help them by using it right?"

"It doesn't work Gretta. It's just like a model in a museum." Gretta looked away to avoid meeting Grimsley's cold gaze. "Right Gretta? It doesn't work, right?"

"Umm...well..."

"Gretta!" Grimsley frustrated cry caused Gretta to leap up a little before returning to her cowardly pose.

"Well it's just that the other day I was working on it and I checked the ignition to see if I could get anything and the whole thing just kind of...kind of turned on. I've done some tests on it otherwise...it's fully functional and it even has a few rounds still loaded inside of it."

"Why didn't you tell me this?!" Grimsley had leapt off the humvee and was shaking Gretta with excitement, nearly dragging her behind him as he raced for the motorcycle. "I can use the tank! I can go help them out. I can be a hero! And Raven will certainly love a manly action hero such as myself." He pictured himself standing tall atop a tank, the sun setting behind him, shirt open to his chest, with a flag waving in the distance and a smouldering Goliath lying before him, with Raven down at his feet, stretched out across the top of the tank in full admiration of his abilities.