The evening sky erupted with flames. "Javier, it is so beautiful," said one man witnessing the display.
"Tonto, keep quiet," the other responded.
"How can you ignore such beauty, Javier? It is beyond beauty. It is symbolic. Here we are in a new year. We have a chance like no other. Disaster may have struck, but we have a chance to rebuild in this new year. A chance to build Puerta Mibela and all of La Perdita from the ground up. Not just the buildings, but the people as well. The old caste system can be eliminated. Our own people can take back the rights in government that have long been denied us." Tears began to well in his eyes. "And in that moment, Javier, when our people are put once again in power and take charge of our own destiny again, the American and European men who have historically seized control away from our people will know what it feels like.
"Then, we shall hold their fates in our hands. Shall we crush them with our newfound power, Javier. No. No, we shall show them the compassion that they have long denied us. We shall reach out our hands and help pull them out of the mud that they have held us in for lifetimes. And then, Javier,.... then, La Perdita shall be a shining beacon for peace throughout the world. Yes, my friend, it is truly a new year."
"I told you to shut up," Javier broke in. "Do you want everyone to know we're out here?"
The two men walked across the ruins of the once popular town of La Perdita carrying a trunk. The multicolored flames of the fireworks occasionally illuminating their path.
"I was just contemplating the meaning of this year we have just started. It's so filled with promise."
"You're a man who is carrying a trunk load of stolen weapons in the middle of the night with plans to sell them on the black market, and you're talking about peace." He chuckled. "Who do you thing you are? Napolean?"
The two continued off into the rubble of a once busy town.
"Why you ask if I was Napolean?"
"You know, that French political dude. Napolean."
"I know who Napolean is. But that guy did a buncha wars and stuff."
"So you sayin' cuz we got guns that you ARE Napolean."
