The Infinite Crucible
30-04-2007, 00:29
Maggie was aimlessly browsing the endless digital halls of Youtube, fumbling from grainy video to grainy video. With yet another quick mouse click she began to play the most recently uploaded video. Her head slumped and her eyes glazed as the video began.
The video was of especially poor quality, and the grainy low resolution footage often lurched and skipped. The sound was raspy and had numerous audio breaks and fractures. Despite this, it was wholly possible to discern what was taking place.
The camera bobbed from side to side as two young boys with dark skin wrestled in the sands of a dune. They spoke a quick and flowing language which seemed to place an incredible emphasize on the S sound. Suddenly a faint whirring could be heard in the background and the camera along with the boys stopped. The camera operated seemed to jump to the ground along with his two compatriots. Slowly they crawled towards the dune’s crest as the whirring, now distinctly the sound of multiple helicopters, grew louder.
The trio slowly peeks over the edge of the dune and a small shanty town, nestled between a pair of immense sand dunes comes into view. The people are destitute, clothed in rags and shawls, heads wrapped tight to shield them from the raging sand gusts. Two small troop transport helicopters along with a massive transport helicopter slowly land towards the side of the village. A single massive gunship slowly hovers overhead, its twin nose mounted turrets focused on the panicking village. The inhabitants begin to scream and run. Woman and children begin to climb the dunes opposite to the helicopters.
The camera operator attempts to stand, but is quickly pulled down by his two companions. They are quickly and silently arguing, but the words are indecipherable. One curses, the only word not in the strange language, and begins to run into the desert away from the village. The camera operator and the other child remain.
Soldiers in tan desert camouflage begin to emerge from the two troop transport helicopters. The men of the village dive into their tents and emerge with assorted rifles and swords. Within moments they are gunned down by the approaching soldiers and the gunship. Their bodies split like sausages stuffed with firecrackers. Bits of blood speckled sand begin to whip through the air as the two squads descend upon the village. The woman and children on the opposite dune are scrambling at a quickened pace. Suddenly a third troop transport lands before them, more tan figures emerging. The soldiers heft their massive rifles two their shoulders and bark commands at the fleeing.
The crowd freezes and the woman drop to their knees and begin to weep. A single pair, mother and child continue to run. With a flash of coordinated gun fire the woman simply evaporates. The child halts, turns aimlessly, and begins to stare at the bloody patch where her mother had just stood. The small child turns and looks at the squadron, only to be cut in two by another series of coordinated gun fire. The previously escaping crowd is cowering on the ground as the soldiers surround them and systematically bind them.
The last footage of the crowd has them slowly being loaded on to the massive black transport helicopter. Suddenly the companion of the camera man screams. The camera turns and the child is pressed firm to the sand by the tan boot of a soldier. Suddenly the camera man lets out a scream and the camera drops and turns, revealing his equally young face. There is a third scream, presumably the third companion who had attempted to flee earlier. The camera cuts out.
Maggie was silent, tears had begun to well up in her eyes. She reminded the video and watched it again, this time noticing something she had missed. On the side of the gunship was a crest. It was the crest of The Infinite Crucible.
Major media outlets around the world would likely be running the video repeatedly within the hour.
The video was of especially poor quality, and the grainy low resolution footage often lurched and skipped. The sound was raspy and had numerous audio breaks and fractures. Despite this, it was wholly possible to discern what was taking place.
The camera bobbed from side to side as two young boys with dark skin wrestled in the sands of a dune. They spoke a quick and flowing language which seemed to place an incredible emphasize on the S sound. Suddenly a faint whirring could be heard in the background and the camera along with the boys stopped. The camera operated seemed to jump to the ground along with his two compatriots. Slowly they crawled towards the dune’s crest as the whirring, now distinctly the sound of multiple helicopters, grew louder.
The trio slowly peeks over the edge of the dune and a small shanty town, nestled between a pair of immense sand dunes comes into view. The people are destitute, clothed in rags and shawls, heads wrapped tight to shield them from the raging sand gusts. Two small troop transport helicopters along with a massive transport helicopter slowly land towards the side of the village. A single massive gunship slowly hovers overhead, its twin nose mounted turrets focused on the panicking village. The inhabitants begin to scream and run. Woman and children begin to climb the dunes opposite to the helicopters.
The camera operator attempts to stand, but is quickly pulled down by his two companions. They are quickly and silently arguing, but the words are indecipherable. One curses, the only word not in the strange language, and begins to run into the desert away from the village. The camera operator and the other child remain.
Soldiers in tan desert camouflage begin to emerge from the two troop transport helicopters. The men of the village dive into their tents and emerge with assorted rifles and swords. Within moments they are gunned down by the approaching soldiers and the gunship. Their bodies split like sausages stuffed with firecrackers. Bits of blood speckled sand begin to whip through the air as the two squads descend upon the village. The woman and children on the opposite dune are scrambling at a quickened pace. Suddenly a third troop transport lands before them, more tan figures emerging. The soldiers heft their massive rifles two their shoulders and bark commands at the fleeing.
The crowd freezes and the woman drop to their knees and begin to weep. A single pair, mother and child continue to run. With a flash of coordinated gun fire the woman simply evaporates. The child halts, turns aimlessly, and begins to stare at the bloody patch where her mother had just stood. The small child turns and looks at the squadron, only to be cut in two by another series of coordinated gun fire. The previously escaping crowd is cowering on the ground as the soldiers surround them and systematically bind them.
The last footage of the crowd has them slowly being loaded on to the massive black transport helicopter. Suddenly the companion of the camera man screams. The camera turns and the child is pressed firm to the sand by the tan boot of a soldier. Suddenly the camera man lets out a scream and the camera drops and turns, revealing his equally young face. There is a third scream, presumably the third companion who had attempted to flee earlier. The camera cuts out.
Maggie was silent, tears had begun to well up in her eyes. She reminded the video and watched it again, this time noticing something she had missed. On the side of the gunship was a crest. It was the crest of The Infinite Crucible.
Major media outlets around the world would likely be running the video repeatedly within the hour.