"Let's see him kick some more ass!" one of them yelled.
Several others hollered in agreement.
"Taylor, Taylor, Taylor!" they began to shout and stamp their feet.
Weaver leapt onto the stage with a huge grin on his face and lifted his arms up to call for silence. He didn't get it. Turning to Taylor, he asked for assistance. It pleased the Colonel to know who held the power. He lifted up his palm, and the room instantly went still.
"You've heard from one of our country’s great heroes, and you've seen the weapons our brave Marine Corps use. You've even seen a friendly demonstration of them in use, but what would you say to see those skills and weapons being put to the test against a living and breathing enemy? How would you like to see it done for real?"
They went wild with excitement, as Weaver turned back to Taylor with a smirk.
"What are you doing?" Taylor asked. He was suspicious of the man.
"Only giving the people what they want."
"You're a real fucking humanitarian."
"What's the matter, afraid of a little danger?"
"In your dreams. You can try your metal against me any time, and the result will always be the same."
"Not me, Colonel. One of them."
He lifted a small remote controller and pressed a button. The divider at the back of the stage split and slid open. Taylor was appalled to see a Mech. A huge hydraulic column restrained it, and he could already see where this was going.
"You're not serious? Have you lost your mind?"
The crowd died down as they watched and waited. Taylor paced over to Weaver because he could no longer talk across the stage without everyone in the room hearing.
"This is insane. You've brought a live Mech warrior here?"
"It's not armed."
"Armed? Christ, you're a fucking idiot! Millions fought and died fighting those bastards so those at home would never have to see them," he whispered.
"And neither do they have to. But look at these fine men and women, the future of the Corps. They want to follow in the valiant footsteps of Colonel Taylor, the legend," he replied with a sleazy smile. "Now, you can either play along with this and do what you are trained and paid to do, or suffer the humiliation that you are simply too scared. We made you the nation’s hero, and we can take it away just as easily."
Taylor shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he looked out to his enthusiastic audience and knew he had no choice.
"Can't believe you sprung this shit on me in the middle of a talk," he muttered.
"Maybe if you ever turned up for the discussion on these matters, you might be better informed."
He knew that was bullshit because he'd never have agreed to it had it been mentioned to him.
I wonder if Weaver is pushing for an audience response or just trying to make me suffer, but it doesn't matter now.
"Goddamn you, Weaver."
He paced past to address the eager crowd.
"So here is the real deal, a Mech, one of their very own who was sent to this world to destroy the human race. You might have heard of the exploits of 2nd Inter-Allied and how we dealt with these monsters, but now it's time to see it firsthand!"
He stepped towards the rifle; the clip had been removed. He looked up to Weaver to see him holding it.
"Not like that, Colonel. They want a spectacle," he replied, gesturing towards the live Assegai he had so recently used to show its penetration against the Mech armour.
Doesn't get any better, he thought to himself.
As he stepped over and took up the weapon, he noticed Jafar getting to his feet, having recovered from the energy pulse sent through his armour.
"You hear what he wants?" Taylor asked him.
"Yes."
"Crazy."
Jafar grunted casually, as if he didn't agree.
"What, you think this is smart?"
"Your skills haven't been tested in years."
"You don't think I've done enough to prove my ability?"
"Yes, but now you must maintain that reputation, and be ready for when you need to use those skills again."
"So there is no end to the fighting? War is over, but we have to keep fighting to be ready for the next one?"
Jafar nodded in agreement.
"Great."
Weaver continued playing to the crowd. "Let's hear it for the great Colonel Taylor as he takes on a Mech single-handed in a no rules, no holes barred fight to the death!"
The excitement that ensued was electrifying. Taylor wasn't scared of having to fight, but it seemed futile and stupid to risk his life for a little entertainment, and he could not help but feel it made light of the danger posed by the Mechs.
These aren't to be toyed with.
With a faked enthusiasm, he paced over and lifted his shield from the ground where it had lain since Jafar launched him through the air. As he knelt down, he felt his knee give way slightly and his flank go rigid. He must have landed harder than he had realised. He sucked it up and hid the impediment. Looking back to his audience, he lifted the shield and Assegai as a crowd pleaser that spurred them on further. He turned back to his opponent.
"Don't fuck this up now," whispered Weaver, as he strolled passed with an even more despicable sleazy grin than usual.
"Not him you gotta worry about. It’s me after this is over. Should never have been allowed."
"We'll see," he said and turned to the crowd after passing beyond the barriers. Only Jafar remained inside with the two of them, and he was unarmed just as the Mech was.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the battle begin!" Weaver shouted.
He lifted a controller and pressed a button; the restraints on the Mech released. He leaned in against the barrier and glared at Jafar.
"It's Taylor's fight now. Not a move."
Jafar grunted, and they both knew he wouldn't listen to the command.
The enemy Mech looked up and around the stage suspiciously, as if expecting a trap of some kind. It was right to be suspicious. The whole situation was ridiculous, but Taylor was powerless to stop it except through vanquishing his foe. The creature’s attention turned to him once it was satisfied there was not a trick afoot. It leapt into action and rushed Taylor like a raging bull. He narrowly avoided the beast by turning off to one side. It came at him again, and as he lifted his shield and stepped off to his right side, he felt his knee weaken, and he couldn't move quickly enough. The huge Mech thundered into his shield and launched him off his feet. Taylor hit the clear shielding around what had become their cage and slumped down to the floor.
His head ached, but the helmet had saved him from any major injury. Jafar lifted himself as if to intervene, but Weaver hit another control that cut all power to his suit and locked him inside like a statue. He looked over to Weaver with a piercing glare they both knew had deadly intent behind it.
"I told you not to get involved. You forget who runs this show," he stated while looking exceptionally happy with himself.
"Get up!" Jafar shouted to Taylor.
He was powerless to act and that only made him more furious.
"Get up!" he roared again. The Mech was advancing towards Taylor.
The Mech reached him and lifted its right leg to stamp down on the Colonel. He regained composure just in time to see the foot that would bring instant death looming over him. He quickly swung the shield at its other leg and hit with all his force. The swipe of the heavy shield smashed the creature's planted leg and took it off balance, causing it to crash to the ground and onto its back. It was barely enough time for him to get his senses back and clamber to his feet.