#Im like a war veteran who can’t tolerate normal life | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cwnerd12 · 4 years

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“War Games” A motorcade drives up to the entrance of a Gilboan army base. A group of generals stand waiting. Half of them are young AFG vets eagerly awaiting David's arrival, and the other half are older generals who served Silas, A soldier opens the door of the royal limo, and David steps out. A line of troops behind the generals all salute. David looks over them, hiding his unease, and says, "A-at ease.” The AFG officers step forward. One officer, Col. Kamal, greets him, “We’re delighted to have you here, your majesty.” David, “I’m glad to be here.” Another SUV drives up, and Shay steps out, followed by Adam. An officer from the Queens of Gilboa, Maj. Struna, steps over to greet her, “Welcome to Camp Clayton, General Mendoza!” Shay, “What’s up, Carrie? The boys treating you good?” Struna, “All the boys want to be Queens of Gilboa.” They both laugh. One of the older officers, Gen. Harel, steps forward David, “Your majesty.” David, “It’s good to meet you, sir.” Harel, "I believe I'm the one who's supposed to be calling you sir.” David, “What?” he realizes what's going on and blushes, “Oh, oh my god, I'm sorry.” Harel, “Don't apologize, sir.” David, “Oh, yeah. I- I went through my basic training here. Back then, I was just another nameless grunt.” Another SUV pulls up behind them, and Reinhardt steps out. Harel smiles, “Good morning, Minister Reinhardt.” Reinhardt, “Good morning, General Harel.” Reinhardt glances at David, “This is the man who saved my life and General Mendoza’s life by refusing orders to drone the MSS building.” David, uncomfortably, “Yes, I’m aware.” Harel, “I have very important things to show all of you.”

David stands in front of a group of screens, each one showing an image of amassed Gath troops. Harel, “Gath is amassing more troops at the border. They’re regularly engaged in practice maneuvers simulating another assault.” Reinhardt, “Can we bring more of our own troops out?” David, quickly, “No.” Everyone looks at him. David, awkwardly, “Gath is going to see any response from us as an escalation. We need to handle this as diplomatically as possible, and carefully consider every little move.” Shay, “How is the integration of the AFG going? We can’t fight if we aren’t a united front.” The AFG officers and older officers exchange awkward looks. Harel, “There’s tension.” David, “Such as?” Kamal, “There has been some predictable mistrust among AFG and old army veterans, but it’s been made clear that fighting will not be tolerated.” Harel, “I happen to disagree.” Everyone looks at him. Harel, “It’s insulting to Gilboan army veterans who have bled for Gilboa to be passed up for their deserved promotions for young AFG veterans.” David, “Many of our AFG veterans, especially among those who have been given officer positions, are army veterans who defected.” Harel, “I have officers being out-ranked by brand-new officers half their age!" He casts a look at Adam, “Like him! Is he even old enough to buy a beer?” Adam, “I’m twenty-one.” David, “Captain Solano is one of the AFG’s most accomplished fighters. He’s acted heroically many times and saved a lot of lives.” Reinhardt, “As someone who has been on the wrong end of a fight with the AFG, I can assure you that these guys know how to fight. The new officer’s ranks are earned. I’m afraid you need to tell your men to buck up, put their egos aside, and serve their country as directed by their king." David, "If gath is truly considering war, we cannot ourselves be divided like this! I know these aren't just small differences of opinion. I know that to a lot of your men, it's unconscionable to work alongside the people they so recently were fighting, but Gath is counting on us to fall apart!” As everyone talks, Adam's phone quietly buzzes. He discreetly takes it out of his pocket and looks at the screen: OMGossip! The Crimes of Caesar Reinhardt. Shay, “What is our strategy going to be moving forward?” Adam looks at Reinhardt. David, “I want to get some numbers on what Gath has amassed. Once we have something concrete, we can make more solid plans.” Reinhardt glances over and sees Adam looking at him. Adam glances away quickly. David goes on, "I'm still committed to peace. Gath is going to have to be the one who makes the first move. When they make it, we’ll be prepared."

After the meeting, everyone heads outside. David takes out his phone and sees text after text from Rose. He pauses and stares at the screen. Shay pauses next to him, “What’s up?” David, “Rose has been blowing up my phone for the last hour, it looks like." He clicks on a link, and the OMGossip article about Reinhardt comes up. Behind them, Reinhardt stares at him phone, stony-faced. Shay looks over David's shoulder and says softly, “What the fuck?” David’s phone starts to ring, David answers, “What?” Rose is on the other end, “Have you read it?" David, “I just got out of a major defense meeting. What's going on?” Rose, “OMGossip published an exposé on Reinhardt’s time as director of the MSS.” David, “Yeah, I know what he did, I looked all through is files!" Rose, “You know, but the public doesn’t. You need to get back here as quickly as possible, and read the article.”

David and Shay sit reading on their phones in the back of the royal limousine on the ride home. Reinhardt stares out the window. Adam looks at him, full of disgust and hatred. On David’s screen, a picture of Nora & Leo Levinson. He scrolls down and pictures of the people who’s names Silas once read, Frank Hatch among them, comes up. comes up. Reinhardt glances over and sees Adam looking at him. Shay scrolls, and a picture of Isaiah comes on her screen. She sighs and looks with repulsion at Reinhardt. He sees her looking and turns away.

Rose, Asher, Abby, Monique, and Joel sit waiting in the council chamber. David enters, followed by Shay, Adam, and Reinhardt. Asher makes no attempt to hide his loathing as he watches Reinhardt sit. David takes his seat. Rose, “Have you read everything?” David, “Yes. And there was nothing new in the article. I knew about it. We all knew about it.” Asher, “He gave direct orders. Go to my parents’ house and kill anyone there.” David sighs deeply. Monique, “This article is just barely scratching the surface of shit he’s done, shit I knew about long before David blew up the tank. I’ve seen friends and good people disappear into his prisons. I've watched serve you, David, and I've held my tongue. To be completely honest… it makes me sick to see him wearing my uniform.” Reinhardt, "First of all, I’d like to say that as director of the MSS, I did horrible things under the order of King Silas.” Asher, muttering furiously, "Don't say you were just following orders. Don’t you dare fucking say you were just following orders.” Reinhardt, "I was doing my job and I was doing it as well as I possibly could. I take full responsibility for all of it. No one gave those orders but me.” Joel, "I killed Abner because of Isaiah. I shouldn’t have stopped." David, “Abner could be justified as an act of war, anything else would just be murder." Joel, “Does it matter? Death is death, orders or not." Shay, "We need him.” everyone looks at her. She goes on, “The wars with Gath and Ammon left the Gilboan army depleted, and a good number of Silas's old officers left when David was crowned. We have a severe shortage of leadership, and Gath gathering its troops at our borders. Any other time, I’d say fuck Reinhardt, but this is about survival.” She looks at David, and everyone else follows suit. David sighs deeply and sinks down in his seat. He rubs his forehead, “I don’t know. I’m gonna need to think about this.” Rose, “Don’t take too long. I have to make a press announcement, and nobody likes to hear that a king is thinking about it.” Reinhardt, “May I say something?" David looks at him. Reinhardt, hesitating somewhat, "I don't pretend to be a good person. But with this job, David has given me an opportunity to become better. I can’t undo what I’ve done, but I can set myself to doing right.” Asher gets up from his seat, and approaches Reinhardt. He leans against the table and crosses his arms, scrutinizing him, trying to judge his sincerity. Finally, he says, “Forgiveness comes with honest repentance. If you were to sincerely ask me for my forgiveness, it would be my duty to grant it. But forgiveness is only granted by the people you ask it from, and guess what? You can’t ask my parents.” Adam, “I…” he falters. Everyone looks at him. He looks around awkwardly, and then quietly says, “I didn't join the AFG hoping to see the same people stay in power. This isn't what we fought for.” David, “I need to think about this!”

David and Jack sit on opposite ends of the couch. Jack watches TV, David scribbles at something in a notebook. Jack nudges David with his foot, “No work at home.” David doesn’t look up, “I’m sorry. It’s just the only thing that will help me get my mind off of work is more work.” Jack moves over to look at the notebook, “Whatcha doing?” David, “Charter Day speech.” Jack makes a face, “Get your speech writer.” David sighs, “I know, but I’m supposed to be unifying the nation I just kind of led into civil war. It should be at least a little bit personal.” He pauses, and then says, “Did Silas ever go over his speeches with you?" Jack, “Sometimes, sometimes…” he concentrates, and then adopts a low, gravelly voice like Silas, “Read this, Jack. Louder. Clearer. More conviction! A king…” he falters and returns to his normal voice, “A king…” The words get lost. He gives David a look that says, You get the point. David gently plays with Jack’s hair, “You should be in my meeting with me.” Jack, “Im not ready.” David, “You’re still my best advisor, and half of the time, you know more about any given situation than I do.” Jack, “I can’t talk.” David, “You talk fine.” Jack thinks for a moment, “Gerald wants war. He won’t stop.” David, “I know that much.” Jack, “He’s trying to… to… the pictures. You. Angry.” David, “Bait me into attacking first?” Jack, “Yeah.” David, “I’m not gonna be the one who declares war. If Gerald wants it, he has to brave enough to declare it himself.” Jack, “No promises. Gerald fights dirty.” David sighs deeply, “What should I do about Reinhardt?” Jack shrugs, “He’s your friend.” David, “He is not my friend.” Jack gives him a look. David, “Sometimes he helps me with stuff, that does not make him my friend.” Jack, “You’re the king. It’s your decision.”

David stands at a window, looking down at a huge group of gathered anti-Reinhardt protesters. The day is grey and rainy, but the protesters are still there in full force, waving signs that call either for his resignation, firing, imprisonment, or hanging.

David sits in the treaty room across from Michael Shaw and a bunch of Gath diplomats. Abby, Shay, and Jack sit with him. David, “Don’t insult my intelligence by saying that Gath isn’t behind the OMGossip leaks. There’s absolutely no one else who could have done it, and you do this shit all the time.” Michael, “It could have been an opportunist looking to make a quick dollar.” David, “If that were the case, the pictures of Jack would have been released when he was still in the hospital and his condition was kept from the public.” Abby, “I was in the Ashdod apartment with David and Rabbi Levinson. Between the three of us, it was never empty, and we never had any visitors. The recording device could only have been planted before we arrived there. Our Ministry of Investigation currently has its finest men working on the case. In the case of the leaked pictures of prince Jack, we have footage of an unauthorized person disguised as an orderly going into the prince’s hospital room. When that person is identified as a Gath operative, it will be grounds for sanctions.” Michael, “We already have sanctions against us. As far as we’re concerned OMGossip is a news website that’s producing quality investigative journalism. Besides, Gath didn’t have to turn over anything for their exposé on Caesar Reinhardt. Honestly, we couldn’t have given them anything nearly as good as what they dug up on their own. I couldn’t help but notice he isn’t here today.” David, “I really don’t give a fuck that you’re trying to shake my people’s trust in me with that recording. I’ve been frank about my mental health all along, and I’ve received treatment since that recording was made. Jack, however, was not only shot by your father, he now has been dealt the indignity of being photographed at his most vulnerable.” Jack, slowly enunciating each word, “I want an apology.” Michael, “Gath is not responsible-” Jack cuts him off, “Bullshit!” Michael sighs and thinks for a moment, “I might be able to work something out with the expatriation of Dr. Max Othman back to Gath.” David, “No. That’s not going to happen. He not only saved my life, but he is a tremendous help to me and a number of other AFG veterans. The only way you’re getting him is if you invade Shiloh. In fact-” A sudden, loud BOOM of thunder causes him to jump. Michael smiles, “Are you all right, your majesty?” Jack reaches over and puts his hand over David’s. David takes a deep breath and re-composes himself, “I’m fine. This isn’t a negotiation. An apology would simply be good manners. If you want something from us, we have to get something in exchange.” Jack slides a piece of paper across the table, "A reduction in Gath troops along the border." Another roll of thunder causes David to shift uncomfortably. Michael looks at the paper, “Any troop withdrawal will have to be approved by my father directly.” David, “Then send it to him!” Suddenly, the sound of a loud explosion. Everyone on the Gilboa side, jumps, David covers his head. After a brief moment, everyone realizes it wasn’t a real explosion. Michael smirks and pulls out his phone, “Sooooo sorry. I should have changed my new ring tone before coming here. It’s the sound of our new Goliath XV.” David, “Jesus, that’s not funny!” Abby is visibly shaking but manages to keep her composure, “We're going to take a break.”

In another room, David paces furiously, “I can't believe they would pull a stupid trick like that!” Jack, “I can.” David, “They’re not taking this seriously at all! We’re not going to achieve anything with this!" Abby, “Achieving things isn’t the goal. We’re tying them up in diplomacy to slow down the escalation.” David, “Fuck!” Shay, “David, Shaw’s not here, you don’t have to be here, either.” David, “Yes I do, I’m the king!” David slumps against the wall. Abby, “I think it’s a good idea. If they want to negotiate with you, they'l have to respect you." David looks at Jack. Jack, “He’ll do it again. He has more. For you. Not for me.” David, “Yeah, okay, fine.” Shay, “You go relax. We'll handle this.”

In the palace gym, David has a private yoga lesson. An instructor leads him through a basic pose, “And breath deeply.” David follows the instruction. The instructor gently corrects his position, “Really open yourself up…” One of David’s arms starts to shake and his face twitches. Instructor, “Just keep holding….” David breaks the position, gasping for air. Instructor, “Are you all right?” David, “I’m fine, I’m fine!” He struggles to get up. Instructor, “Are you sure?” David, “I just need some air!” He staggers out into an empty hallway. He bumps against a wall, and then crumples to his knees, shaking and panting. He stays there for a few moments, breathing deeply and trying to re-gain some control. Eventually, he calms down a bit, and moves to sit more comfortably. He leads his head back against the wall, and then grabs his phone out of his pocket. He presses a number and holds it to his ear. In his home, Reinhardt answers, “What?” David, the words rushing out, “Have you ever had a panic attack while you're working out or something?” Reinhardt, “What?" David, “I was having a fucking yoga lesson and…” Reinhardt, bemused, "You were doing yoga?” David, “Shut the fuck up! Have you ever heard of shit like that happening, or am I just going fucking crazy?” Reinhardt, growing a little bit more serious, “Yeah. I know a few guys that sort of thing’s happened to. Something to do with the awareness of your body, feeling helpless, something like that.” David runs a shaking hand through his hair, “Fuck.” Reinhardt, "Are you all right?” David, “I… I’ll be fine.” Reinhardt, "You did the right thing, calling me. It helps to talk to someone." David sighs and rubs his face. Reinhardt, “This might be the wrong time to ask, but… do I still have a job?” David, "I should have had you tried and executed when I had the fucking chance." Reinhardt, “Yeah, you’ve told me that before. Do you want me to come in tomorrow or not?” David, “You’re the only person I can talk about this shit to. You know what it’s like to deal with it all and still be a leader. You've been through it all and come out the other side. I need that." Reinhardt, “David…" David, "What?" Reinhardt, “There is no other side. It doesn't go away. You just learn how to deal with it better.” David, “I can’t just fucking live with it!” Reinhardt, “Unfortunately, you don't have much of a choice. Do I still have a job?” David, “Yes! Shay’s right. You've got knowledge and experience that no one in the AFG has, and we need it if Gilboa is going to fucking survive.” Reinhardt, "I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then." David, "You aren’t getting paid. You’re doing this as an act of repentance and service to Gilboa. You’re going to be staying in diplomatic negotiations with Gath for however long they last. If someone’s going to suffer through them, it might as well be you.” Reinhardt, “I can deal with that.” David, “Everyone else still hates you, by the way.” Reinhardt, “Yeah, I know. I’ll see you tomorrow.” David sighs, “Yeah, I'll see you. Bye.” He hangs up. He puts the phone down and leans his head back. Tiredly, he rubs his face. He sniffs, and a single tear falls down his cheek.

The next morning, David sits in his office with Adam and Liam. David, “You guys think you can put together a little speech to introduce my big speech on Charter Day?” Liam, “Yeah, sure!” David, “Awesome. You guys are more popular than I am right now. Seriously, nothing too fancy, just a bunch of stuff about uniting in the name of Gilboa, that sort of thing.” Liam, “Totally. We’ll be great at it.” David, “You good with that, Adam?” Adam, “Yeah.” David, “Okay, great. Uh, listen, the real reason I called you in here early is because the big news story today is gonna be that Reinhardt is coming back.” Liam, disgusted, “Seriously?” Adam goes very still. David, “The fact remains that we need him right now. He’s not gonna get paid any more, he’s just…. serving Gilboa. Can you make a statement, Adam?” Adam, “I… I’m not happy that he’s back.” David, “No one is. Trust me, I’m not happy that we’re so dependent on him, but that’s just what we’re dealing with right now. If you don’t want to make the statement, I can have Liam or Rose do it.” Adam, “No, I…” he takes a shaking breath, “I can do it.” David, “Seriously, never mind. I’ll have Rose do it. She knows him better than you do.” Adam nods and doesn’t say anything. David, “Are you okay, Adam?” Adam hesitates for a moment, thinking hard, and then quietly says, “I wouldn’t have joined the AFG if I knew I’d end up working alongside Caesar Reinhardt.” David, “I understand. You just have to believe me when I say that this is about survival. Do you believe me?” Adam stares hard it him, his face inscrutable. David, “Do you?” Adam, “Yes, sir.”

A few days later, David waits in the bedroom impatiently for Jack to get ready, “Oh my god, how long does it take for you to do your hair?!” Jack, in his bathroom, “Few more minutes!” David rolls his eyes and goes out into the living room. He picks up his speech papers and looks over them one more time. He takes his phone out of his pocket and calls Reinhardt. Comfortable in his house, Reinhardt picks up, “What’s up?” David, “I’m leaving for the speech as soon as Jack gets done… which could be a while. I’m still not really satisfied with this speech, is there anything you think I should say?” Reinhardt, “You’re asking me this because?” David, “I dunno, considering that you’ve always got a bitchy remark, I just thought you’d have something to say.” Reinhardt, “I am currently enjoying a nice quiet evening with the wife and kid. I’m not taxing my brain at all tonight. One of the perks of not being king.” David, “Rub it in, why don’t you?” Reinhardt, “You’re the one who called. You okay?” David, “Yeah, just pretty nervous.” Reinhardt, “Hey, there’s no shame in acknowledging what you can’t handle. If you need to get out of there, get out of there. And call me, if you need support, okay?” David, “Okay. You enjoy your evening.” Reinhardt, “You, too, man.” David hangs up the phone.

Charter day celebration in Kings Park: immediate sensory overload. Children run around and wave sparklers while smoke wafts from grills. Loud music plays while partygoers mingle and talk loudly. A gathering of AFG veterans and their families reminisce. Lights are bright and colors over-saturated. David stands nervously looking out at the crowd in a tented area, while behind him Jack and Michelle chat and chow down on ribs. Someone sets off a string of firecrackers, and David jumps. Jack looks up at him, “You okay?” David, taking a deep breath, “Yeah.” Michelle, “You should eat something, David.” David, “No, I’m not hungry.” Michelle, “Seriously?” David, “I’m fine.” Cut to: David stands at a podium. He looks out at the crowd that looks expectantly up at him. David, “I’ve honestly had a pretty tough time preparing this speech. Tonight, I must ask the people of Gilboa to unify as one, but, such a plea feels hollow coming from someone who’s caused so much division. In spite of everything, we must be Gilboans above loyalists or rebels, because, the fact is, we have enemies who only see us as Gilboans. I’ve been criticized quite harshly for not doing enough to punish those who once fought against me and the AFG. Not only do I see no point in further punishing those who have already lost a war, I’ve found that it’s better to make allies. Some of the friendships I’ve made may be unusual, but I’m grateful for them.”

Backstage, Jack hugs David as he comes in, having finished his speech, “You were good!” David, “I didn’t freak out, that’s good.” Michelle approaches him, “You did good, David. You always do good.” David, “Thanks.” Michelle, “You gonna come watch the fireworks with us?” David, “You take Jack out there, I’ll be with you in a minute.” Michelle, “Okay.” She takes Jack’s arm, and they go out. David takes his phone out of his pocket and calls Reinhardt. The phone rings a few times, but then goes to voicemail, “This is Caesar, leave a message.” David ends the conversation, a look of concern on his face. He goes to join Michelle and Jack, but before he’s out of the tent, a loud BOOM causes him to jump. He cowers for a moment, but then stands up. He takes a deep breath, counts silently, and then goes outside. Fireworks boom as he goes over to Jack and Michelle. He takes a seat by Jack. Jack, “You okay?” David, “Yeah, that first one startled me, but I’m okay.” Another loud BOOM and he jumps slightly. Jack, “We can leave.” David, “No, I said I’d keep my shit together through this. I’m going to enjoy the show.” Another BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, and he squirms uncomfortably in his seat. He shuts his eyes and breathes deeply. He squeezes Jack’s hand and clenches his jaw. The show continues, and David flinches with each boom. He leans in to Jack, “I’m not leaving, I’m just taking a break.” He hurries back into the tent, and pulls his phone out again. With shaking hands, he tries calling Reinhardt again. “This is Caesar, leave a message.” David, “Uuuh, Caesar, man, I really need you to pick up, I-I said I was gonna get through this whole show, but it’s just started, and,” he jumps at a boom, “J-just call me, okay?” He ends the conversation and looks around in frustration. Another BOOM makes him jump. He tries Reinhardt again. “This is Caesar, leave a message.” David ends the conversation, “FUCK!” He paces as the fireworks continue. He looks out at Jack and Michelle enjoying the show. He tries Reinhardt again. “This is Cae-” David ends the conversation and goes back out to Jack, “I need to leave. I thought I’d be able to handle this, but I can’t.”

In the back of an SUV, David apologizes to Jack, “I’m sorry, I tried calling Reinhardt, I thought he could talk me through it, but for some reason, he’s not picking up. He must be at dinner.” Jack, “You okay?” David, “Yeah, I- I’ll be okay. We left just in time, though.” He sighs heavily, “You aren’t mad about this, or anything, are you? I didn’t want to ruin your first public event as Prince-Consort.” Jack, “No.” David smiles slightly, “Okay. Thanks. I should probably call him and tell him I left. I’m pretty sure he’d have just told me to leave, anyway.” He calls Reinhardt. “This is Caesar. Leave a message.” David, “Um, hi, Caesar, I just left, uh- don’t worry about me. I’ll see you later.” He ends the conversation and shakes his head, “This is weird.” Jack, “Text him.” David, “Okay.” He types in a text, “You okay? Kinda worried. Text me back.” He sends it. David, “He’s probably just having dinner.”

(“Way Down We Go” Kaleo) Close up: Reinhardt’s phone, in his hand, dings and lights up, “Text message from ASSHOLE” A police officer, standing in Reinhardt’s living room, “Who the hell keeps blowing up his phone?” Another officer squats down and looks at the screen, “Says message from asshole.” A crime scene analyst snaps, “Don’t touch it until all the photographs are taken.” He takes a few more pictures. Reinhardt lies on his back, eyes open in surprise, phone in his hand, four bullet holes in his chest, one in his forehead. Behind the police officers, Lydia weeps uncontrollably. His phone dings again. “Text message from ASSHOLE: seriously, where are you?”

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