Chapter 19: Snowy Roads
In Midtown Manhattan, Sarah, Ashley, Cassandra and Maya are painting Sarah and Kyle's home.
Sarah: So? Do you think Kyle will like it?
Ashley: You fucking kidding? He's going to love it.
Sarah: Well, green's sort of his favorite color.
Maya: "Sort of".
Sarah: Kyle's not a favorite color type of color.
Cassandra: My mom would've preferred blue....
A short pause.
Cassandra: What are we doing?
Sarah: Painting the house to surprise Kyle.
Cassandra: No...no..no...what are we doing? We're sitting here painting a house in a city that we know is vulnerable.....I don't think it's going to matter when they come back and our houses are burning.
Sarah: Hey...Cassandra....I know how it feels....Ashley and I...we've been through this...with our parents...with Nathan...we know how hard it is to recover.
Cassandra: Yet your husband's out there right now with the man who murdered Nathan...along with his brother, my boyfriend and my boyfriend's brother....soon, everything's going to fall apart....I'm sorry...I'm just worried...about James.
A short pause, before Maya walks up to Cassandra.
Maya: C'mon...let's finish painting....
Cassandra takes the paint brush and continues painting with Sarah, Ashley and Maya. Meanwhile, Mitchell is sitting in a bench, before Caleb approaches him.
Caleb: Taking a break?
Mitchell: With those soldiers here twenty-four seven? Damn right...here...take a seat.
Caleb sits down next to Mitchell.
Caleb: You know; back in the settlement Beth and I were staying in, she would always want to wonder why it barely snows in the West....I told her I didn't know....it was easier to explain simple shit to her...After she died, part of me wanted to kill Nathan.....just aim the shotgun at him and pull the trigger...but then learning he served in the battle of Kronos and Barnes killed him...made me forgive the bastard.....don't know what he'd do if he saw Kyle with Sarah now....still....I know Nathan did it by accident.....don't know if I'll miss him....I miss Walter....I miss Alexandria....Catherine....Billy...all good people.
Mitchell: The world's only left with a few good people like us....like Kyle.
Caleb: You think he's still alive?
Mitchell: You should've seen Kyle when he was able to lead a bunch of cuttthroats and liars against Kronos.....Shawn helped recruit them....now, it's those two. A Soldier...a hacker....and the one armed bastard who tried to kill us against an army of monsters.....God be with us all.
In the forest of Mt. Whitney, Kyle is driving the A.O.W Tank through the forest with Jake, Shawn, James and Barnes as passengers and cramped in the Manti-core.
Barnes: It's too fucking cramped in here, man! I need space, damn it!
Shawn: Well, you are free to walk.
Jake: This shit is ridiculous.
Barnes: did we at least bring snacks?
Jake: There should be a bag of rations somewhere.
Kyle: Those are mine!
Jake: Sharing is caring. That's what Pastor Chester said.
Kyle: Pastor Chester ain't here, motherfucker! Those are my only bag of Doritos.
Jake sighs.
Jake: He'll get over it. Just find the damn Doritos and eat.
Barnes searches for the Doritos, accidently brushing on James' groin.
James: Whoa! Hey! Dude, get your hand off my dick!
Barnes: Oh, Jesus! Sorry....thank god it was my robot hand.
Shawn: Hey, keep an eye out for an big guy with a red coat in a sleigh with flying reindeer....or in this world, a green furry guy with a red coat and a dog leading the sleigh that can't fly.
James: What?
Shawn: Yeah, know, Santa? The Grinch?....okay, joke withdrawn.
En route to Mt. Whitney, a group of Condemned and Manticores attack the A.O.W tank as Jake uses the cannon to take them out.
Shawn: Well, they're not reindeer, but it'll do.
Kyle: Just think of them as big ugly ass reindeer with a lot of guns.
During a chase through the mountains, Jake notices a ramp up ahead.
Jake: Kyle!
Kyle: I see it! Everybody hold on!
Kyle presses on the accelerator as the A.O.W tank speeds up and in slow motion, jumps off the ramp to the other side of the forest.
James: Shit!
Shawn: That was fuckin awesome!
James: That was not fucking awesome.
Kyle continues to drive the A.O.W tank through the forest, eventually reaching an icy lake.
Jake: Uh...Kyle....have you ever drove a big ass tank through an icy lake?
Kyle: You see any other option, Jake? No? Okay then. We drive through it.
Kyle looks back at everyone else.
Kyle: Can anyone not swim?
Barnes: I think we can all swim.
Kyle: Barnes, shut up.
Kyle drives the tank through the icy lake as Condemned launch mortars on the tank's position, destroying the floor beds of the icy lake.
Jake: The ice is breaking!
Kyle: Jake! Shut up so I can concentrate!
Kyle successfully drives the Manti-core tank through the icy lake.
Jake: Awesome driving, Kyle!
Kyle: Don't thank me yet. We got another lake to drive through.
Shawn laughs.
Shawn: If only we brought skating blades.....we could-you know what; never mind. Another shitty joke withdrawn.
Kyle drives through the second icy lake as Condemned and Manticore attack. Mortars launch down on the tanks position, causing the ice to start breaking.
Shawn: Uh...Kyle...
Kyle: It'll hold.
Jake: Are you sure?
Kyle: It'll hold.
James: Dude...
Kyle: It'll hold!
Barnes: You certain?
Kyle: It'll fuckin hold!
Kyle drives the A.O.W tank through the icy lake.
Kyle: Told you it'll hold.
James: That was way to goddamned close, man. Next icy like, I'm driving.
Kyle: Yeah, okay. Try touching this wheel and your ass will be walking through the snow.....naked and barefooted! You'll be pissing out ice shards!
James: You know; I think I'll just sit back here and watch.
Kyle drives the A.O.W tank through the icy lake, before noticing a separated bridge.
Jake: There's no way in hell we're jumping that.
Kyle: There's gotta be another way across.
Barnes: Over there! A ramp!
Barnes points out a ramp.
Kyle: Good call, Barnes....huh...never thought I'd say that.
Barnes: You're welcome.
James: Maybe Barnes must've killed the real Kyle and he's back there at that creepy place somewhere.
Kyle drives the A.O.W tank and uses the accelerated boost to jump across the gap.
James: Agh! Fuck me!
Kyle drives the A.O.W tank through the forest, reaching an opening on Mt. Whitney.
Jake: There it is! The entrance!
Kyle: We gotta get rid of that barricade of Condemned.
On the barricade, the Condemned are preparing to attack.
Condemned Drone: Kill the humans!
The A.O.W tank drives to the barricade as Kyle runs over attacking Condemned drones and brutes.
Kyle: Careful! I don't have insurance!
James: Jake, you see that tower?
Jake: I see it!
James: Take it down and you'll take out the barricade!
Jake opens fire on the tower on the barricade as it stumbles.
Shawn: Hell yeah! Hit it again!
The tower collapses after a few hits. Jake laughs.
Jake: Timber!
Barnes: Hell yeah!
Kyle drives the Manti-core tank into Mt. Whitney.
Kyle talks in his radio.
Kyle: Bowers, this is Kyle. We're entering Mt. Whitney. Communication is probably going to go out once we're inside.
Bowers talks through the radio.
Bowers: Roger, Desipich. Keep us posted if you can.
Pierce speaks through the radio.
Pierce: Good luck, son. We're counting on you.
James: Okay, we're in. Now what?
Kyle: Now, we keep an eye out for Condemned. We're on their ground again. This is their house.
Shawn: Well, luckily, I didn't clean the dog shit off the boot of my heel to make tracks in the house.
Barnes: Hey, Kyle, I can't see a damn thing in here.
Shawn: Hate to say it, but Barnes has a point. You can't fight in the dark unless you can see what's coming up behind you.
Kyle turns on the headlights of the A.O.W tank.
Kyle: There. You happy?
Suddenly, a Eight Legged Titan emerges from the side of the tunnels, but then retreats.
Shawn: Shit!
Barnes: Just be glad it's not one of those drilling things.
James: Thanks, "Cameron".
Shawn: Dude, shut up.
James: I mean, no offense, but that was a "Cameron" moment.
Kyle continues to drive the A.O.W tank through the dark caves of the Shallows with minor earthquakes, causing rocks to dislodge and fall.
Jake: Careful...careful...
The drive is few moments longer.
Barnes: Okay, I spy with my little eye....jack shit....
Barnes begins to pop his tongue several times, silently annoying the group.
Jake: All right, you're going the right way for a good bitch slap right about now.
Barnes: Okay, I'll stop.
Kyle drives the tank further into the caves but is unable to see a drop. The impact of the fall causes the tank to lose power.
Kyle: Goddamn it! James! We lost power!
James: (sarcastically) No! Really?! I just thought the light fairy took our-
Jake: Dude, quit being a smart ass and fix the fucking thing! We're sitting ducks out here!
James: Okay! Okay!
Jake: Come on, boy! Get back there!
James attempts to repair the power core of the tank, before roars are heard.
Barnes: C'mon, James! Hurry up!
James: I'm trying, man! Get off my dick!
Suddenly, three eight legged Titans appear.
Kyle: Holy shit...James!
Jake: Fix the power, goddamn it! I'm gonna kill that boy!
James finally repairs the power core.
James: Got it!
Shawn: Shoot em!
Jake uses the cannon to shoot and kill all three Eight Legged Titans.
Shawn: We must be getting closer with the big dogs keeping watch.
Kyle: You know what I was about to say the same goddamned thing.
Kyle drives the tank to waterfall ridge, where the caves are infused with radioactive fluid.
James: Whoa....
Jake: My god....look at all this....it's like....down here...everything is glowing.
Kyle: I think I see a way across.
Kyle turns to Jake.
Kyle: Jake, you see that support beam?
Jake: yeah?
Kyle: Hit it really low.
Jake: Okay.
Jake shoots the support beam as it slightly falls.
Kyle: Only one way to go.
Shawn: are you fucking crazy, Kyle?!
Kyle: Yep.
Barnes: We're going to die. We're going to die.
Kyle uses the accelerator boost to speed the Tank towards the fallen support beam.
Jake: Oh, shit!
Barnes: Fuck me!
James: We're not going to make it!
Shawn: Motherfuck!
Kyle drives the A.O.W tank up the ramp and across the gap.
Shawn laughs.
Shawn: We did it!
James: Okay, no more jumps like that! I'm serious!
Shawn: One more time! One more time! Goddamn! Who pissed themselves?!
Shawn laughs.