28

Captain Western Australia valiantly flies through a mosque window, shattering its painted glass. He uses his vibranium shield as a buffer. He stands, with a boomerang drawn, and looks around.

He's in a suite with floral motifs on the wall. The suite connects the nursery to the kitchen.

Capt. WA creeps through the suite, aiming his boomerang here, and there. An Iron Jack banner hangs from one of the horseshoe arches. An anarchist when it comes to British rule, Capt. WA smirks, throws a grenade boomerang, and burns that banner to shreds, as soon as the boomerang blows it up...and brings down the arch's keystone with it.

Here and there, now and then, to this one and that one, Capt. WA creeps. He's going to finish that Boomerang off, if it's the last thing he does...

He steps on something soft...TOO soft. He hesitates, before looking down.

It's a human infant...on the floor of the nursery. That's a dead one, if Capt. WA ever saw one...

A rogue boomerang flies through the vaults. Capt. WA valiantly holds up his shield, and deflects it...inadvertently creating a pile of rubble, as it explodes and destroys a statue of Mohammed.

From the shadows of the kitchen, Boomerang emerges. Capt. WA draws another boomerang, and dreads his enemy's arrival...

Boomerang steps into the light. Again, he draws a pair of boomerangs. Away from Capt. WA, he throws one.

It sticks into a floral motif, on the wall. It plays music; Eric Heatherly's rendition of "Flowers on the Wall," to be more precise.

Like a football, Capt. WA kicks the dead infant. Boomerang swats it away, causing it to land on an oven tray, on an island.

They toss coals to one another, and toss them into the oven furnace. They strike pieces of flint together, stylishly, and light the oven flames.

The two men gather bottles of cooking oil, and throw them stylishly, fight-dancing to Eric Heatherly's song from the future. In doing so, they lather the infant, while it's on the tray, in cooking oil...

They each collect things, and mix their own stuffing. Wearing their gloves, they take turns, stuffing the infant.

They gather bottles of herbs, and hit them together, stylishly, as if they were nunchuks...or percussion sticks, rather. Between tappings, they sprinkle the seasonings all over the oil-soaked infant.

They both touch the oven, in sync. It's hot. Stylishly, they pass the infant, as it's on the tray, back and forth to one another, swinging it around themselves as they go along. Capt. WA tosses it into the oven. Boomerang closes the door with his foot. Capt. WA sets an hourglass, for as long as it takes for the infant to cook. Boomerang puts a camera near it, which will send a signal to them, when the infant's fully cooked.

And now, they return to fighting. Somehow, the song's still playing. They fight-dance to it, occasionally trying to kill each other as they go along.

They nearly tear the wall down, throwing boomerangs at one another. Crying shame; those sure are gorgeous floral motifs.

The song's final rhythm is winding down. They chase each other into the auditorium, which is styled like an amphitheater.

They take a detour, into the dressing room. Somehow, as they're fighting, Capt. WA ends up in black ladies' garments. Boomerang ends up in white ones.

They fall through a ceiling, and land on the auditorium's stage. Above and beyond, they're surrounded by Muslim Dhivehi corpses. The imam's corpse is near Capt. WA's infant blood-stained foot.

Backstage, there's a phonograph. Boomerang attends to it, and puts the record on. It's the musical score from Black Swan.

On stage, dressed as the Black and White Swan from the ballet, the two men fight. Ever see a version of the Black Swan with a vibranium shield? I'm sure even Natalie Portman was too dim to think of it. Not that she wasn't wise; her ass, in the Black Swan's tights, is magnificent enough without a vibranium shield to tote around on stage...

They throw boomerangs at one another. All around the auditorium, more damage is done. Holes are blown in stucco. The explosions are amplified by the dome aloft. At least the explosions inadvertently enhance the percussion of the musical score...

As they fight, they've hallucinations. Here and there, their legs inflate, and nearly shape-shift into swan's legs. Their necks, also, extend themselves, like a swan's...

Spontaneously and simultaneously, they both spread wings. Capt. WA's are black; Boomerang's are white. They look at one another, and shout. They throw boomerang, and gradually shred away one another's wings.

At one point, the timer for the infant goes off. They both miss it.

Upstairs, Harley Heck pulls the infant out of the oven. He sets it on a towel, pulls off one of its legs, smiles, and takes a bite out of it, as if it were a chicken leg. He chews it, looks around, and smiles, as if he can't hear the racket going on downstairs.

Downstairs, Capt. WA/Black Swan regrows his wings, and throws his shield, like a discus. As it distracts his foe, he leaps, and flies to the center of the dome, above.

Angrily, Boomerang spreads white wings of his own. He flaps them, and deflects Capt. WA's shield, as it comes back for him. He leaps, and flies after Capt. WA.

The top of the dome shatters, as Black Swan makes his grand escape. He flies, turns, draws submachine guns, aims them at the dome below, and shatters the dome with a barrage of fire.

Inside, glass rain falls. This merely scars White Swan's wings, as he rises to chase his opponent around the mosque.

And the fight-flight is on. They fly in circles around the mosque, tackling one another. Somehow, they both avoid the ground. Somehow, they don't kill each other.

They land atop an onion dome. Up here, they shed their wings.

Around the spire atop the dome, Capt. WA's shield completes its flight. Capt. WA catches it, and resumes his epic fight with the Turkish Boomerang.

"I'll be someone else is eating our infant," Boomerang sneers.

"Let them," Capt. WA sneers. With that, the boomerang-throwing resumes.

Everywhere, grenade/boomerangs explode. Bolas latch themselves to the spire. The spire deflects the buzzsaw boomerangs and the boxing glove boomerangs, as they hit it.

Capt. WA deflects a boxing glove boomerang with his shield, as it nearly hits the black swan symbol on his forehead. It still hits a black swan symbol, though; just the one on his shield; the one that ISN'T worth a score...

Boomerang deflects the boxing glove boomerang, draws two boomerangs, and tries to use them as daggers, while violently attacking Capt. WA. He screams, and charges.

Capt. WA puts up his shield, and deflects the boomerang/daggers, each time. They make sparks, as they make contact...

As a grenade boomerang flies, it blows a hole in the onion dome. Boomerang's leg accidentally falls into it, pinning him.

Far above, a strange HUD sights the fight atop the onion dome, and zooms in. On it, symbols pinpoint both Boomerang and Capt. WA, identifying them both, and pinning IFF labels on them...

With Boomerang pinned, Capt. WA goes to work. He draws a submachine gun, laughs, and closes in on his pinned opponent, with the barrel pointed at the trapped Boomerang.

Boomerang waits for it... When his opponent closes in, he grabs one of his boomerangs, uses it as a dagger, and sabs him in the abdomen.

Capt. WA doubles over, and whines. Boomerang gets himself out of the hole, and throws one last boomerang. Atop the dome, it sets a wolf trap.

In rage, Capt. WA stands, throws away his shield, and draws two knife boomerangs of his own. In a blaze of glory, he shouts, and charges his insolent foe...

Smiling, Boomerang throws one last boxing glove boomerang. It hits Capt. WA in the groin, and sends him screaming like a eunuch and spiraling backwards...right into the wolf trap.

He screams even louder, when his leg gets caught. Turks might actually be meaner to their wolves, than the Germans are with their wolfsangels…

"In Turkey," Boomerang tells his foe, "we consider the wolf a sacred symbol. Our kin the Mongolians do, too. Even so, they like to raid our livestock. Also, in the grand scheme of things, no khan can rule forever...and the ones with the most golden hordes will someday lose their shine."

Capt. WA is in distress. He can't escape.

"Now, I hear that gold is also a big industry where you come from. I'm sorry I have none for you. But you mustn't fret. I'm sure that Western Australia, like everyone else, has a glimmering afterlife for fallen supersoldiers, where the Valkyries wear golden bikini armor, and the beer flows like Shark Bay, and the wine flows like Swan River."

With a bleeding mouth, Capt. WA scoffs, while looking up.

"You've been a worthy foe," Boomerang admits. "And that's why I'm doing you the honor...of NOT unmasking you right before I kill you."

With that, Boomerang picks up Capt. WA's submachine gun, and aims it point-blank, at his head. "So long, mate," Boomerang imitates an Aussie accent, "and thanks for all the wine and gold." With that, he pulls the trigger, and shatters the fallen supersoldier's head to bits.

Through the sky, the shield still spins. Boomerang barely acknowledges it, as he throws one last grenade boomerang. Up there, where the jinni fly, Capt. WA's shield is shattered. Its fragments fall, like volcanic ash, into the mosque's now-abandoned paradise garden.

Boomerang smiles. "I just took down a patriotic supersoldier," Boomerang mutters. "And I did it without," he imitates a frufru French accent, "le Zèbre...or even a fancy striped exosuit..."

Dog-tired, Boomerang climbs down from the mosque. His infant, the one he hoped to eat as a victory feast, is gone. Only its skeleton remains on the oven pan he and Capt. WA put it on, while fighting.

Once again, Boomerang is in the streets. At long last, he's pretty sure that Malé has fallen...

From up the street, an armored horse races. Its rider has got a spear...and a long lever-action rifle. He's speeding right towards Boomerang. The latter's back is turned.

Boomerang hears this, and retaliates. Heck, the rider, brings up his rifle, and shoots the boomerang. And he throws the spear.

Boomerang leaps, to avoid it. This is a mistake. The spear lets loose a net, which ensnares Boomerang.

Pinned, Boomerang reaches for a knife/boomerang, and tries to cut his way out. Heck dismounts, reloads his rifle, aims it, and shoots Boomerang in the leg. He shouts, and swears in Turkish.

"Don't you know the rules of engagement," Heck sneers, "you yellow-bellied Turk?"

Helpless, Boomerang looks up, bleeding. He's been felled for sure, this time.

Heck aims the rifle, point-blank, at Boomerang's head. "Rule number four," he arrogantly reminds Boomerang, "don't bring a knife to a gunfight."

Right on cue, Heck is impaled, from behind, by a long and broad French blade. The blade drips with his blood, from the front. Heck gapes. Blood drips from his mouth.

Near them, the triumphant le Zèbre, the miraculous savior, lands, clad in his exosuit. His visor vanishes. He marches over to Heck, and pulls the blade from Heck's back.

"You've been watching him all day," Grévy reminds his victim. "You KNOW that we all know that rule." With that, and with the same blade, Grévy decapitates Heck.

He cuts Boomerang free, and helps him to his feet. Boomerang shakes his hand, and removes his mask, revealing the face of Vural Melen.

"Welcome to the majority rule of the team," Melen smiles, "Messiur Grévy."

"Great," Grévy says, smiling. "About damn time the lone holdout warmed up to me."

"Don't get your hopes up too high, Zebra. Remember; in the grand scheme of things, you're still just a white man. But for the time being, consider my trust in you...with my life. You've earned it."

With that, Boomerang mounts le Zèbre, and the latter flies away. Below, they leave a ruined Malé, with a more ruined mosque and the remains of a cannibalized infant.

The Sultan's Syndicate has patched up what division it's had. Now, it's more formidable than ever. And Slavia is next on its list of non-Turkic targets...