Hope Andrea Argent

Battlefield (Part 2)

The field lies dark, quiet and empty. Until one-by-one the stadium lights burst on, the game clock resets to zero and an excited crowd begins filling the bleachers.

In the locker room, amid the players hurrying to get ready for the game, Jackson quietly pulls his pads on. His movements are slow and strangely purposeful.

"You okay, dude?" Danny asks him.

"I'm perfect," Jackson replies simply.

"Well, we all knew that. But are you okay? You didn't text me back all week. I'm getting kind of worried about you. Jackson," Danny says, then a little louder,"Jackson!"

He blinks at the sound of his name, looking at the lacrosse stick in his hands as if not quite sure how it got there. Then a kind of brief understanding seems to come to him.

"Stay in the goal tonight, Danny," Jackson says quietly,"Don't come out. And if you see me coming toward you... Run the other way. As fast as you can."

His last words echo across the room to another locker where Scott and Stiles use their elevated hearing to listen in on the unsettling exchange.

This is the first time the two best friends had seen each other in over a week.

"So, uh, how's Hope?" Scott asks a little awkwardly.

"Currently living in my jeep," Stiles answers,"And can't use her magic for some reason."

"But she's a..." Scott trails off, knowing Stiles will understand.

"Yeah," Stiles says slowly.

"Like you?"

"Yeah."

"But she has control?"

"Yeah. Being a hybrid has its perks...Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. She asked me not to and--"

"It's okay, Stiles," Scott reassures him,"I get it."

Stiles smiles at him appreciatively, standing up walking across the locker room to pick up his stick.

While pulling his pads on, Scott doesn't notice his mother, Melissa, peering in at the door. She glances about, trying to find him among the other players. But then Coach bangs his clipboard against a locker.

"Good morning," He says.

The team quiets. Melissa glances up, confused since it's clearly nighttime.

"In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind."

Melissa blinks, now very confused.

"Mankind. That word should have new meaning for all of us today."

Melissa glances around to see if anyone else is confused,"What?" She says to herself, then leaning over to another player, which just so happens to be Stiles, and whispers to him,"What the hell is he talking about?"

"He does this every year," Stiles tells her.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"We are fighting for our right to live!" Coach continues.

The team cheers.

"Wait, is this--" Melissa starts.

"Yeah, it's the speech from Independence Day," Stiles confirms.

"But as the day the world declared in one voice..."

"It's Coach's favorite movie," Stiles informs her.

"He doesn't know any sport speeches?" Melissa asks.