“In Arcadia we hear the legends of mythical heroes that vanquished the wicked.”
“Defended the innocent.”
“Let me tell you the story of one of them.”
“A man named Perseus.”
“He was chosen by the gods, by Zeus himself, to slay a terrible creature.”
“A being named Medusa.”
“Inside of her lair was a ghastly sight. For the gorgon had a power many felt horrific. She was able to use her visage, her gruesome, inhuman face, to turn all who looked upon her into statues of solid stone.”
“Their faces forever trapped in an expression of terror and agony as the last thing they saw was the beast’s petrifying gaze.”
“Perseus knew he couldn’t save everyone.”
“He knew that despite wanting nothing more in the world than to defend the people of Serifos, he could never save them all.”
“But he never stopped trying.”
“Blade in hand, shield at the ready, he went in to Medusa’s lair and, using his shield as a mirror, he was able to deflect the creature’s gaze and slew her with one fell swing of his sword.”
“In an instant, her body fell limp.”
“And her reign of terror came to a sudden, inevitable end.”
“When I joined the Golden Eagle Unit, I was given this moniker, Jasper. I wore my codename with pride.”
“But I never thought I’d ever face someone, something, as awful as the gorgons when I stepped into the Eagle’s Nest. Yet here we are, sitting in your blood covered gallery with the bodies surrounding us like the statues of Medusa’s victims. You wanted to slay me too, didn’t you? To turn me into one of your cruel, meaningless pieces of art.”
“You tormented me, forced me to stare at the people I couldn’t save, who I failed to save. And in the end you wanted nothing more than to turn my body to stone with tears in my eyes as I looked upon them frozen in their last moments of terror.”
“But despite the loss, the story of Perseus isn’t a tragedy.”
“I already told you how it ends, didn’t I?”
“I didn’t walk into your gallery without coming prepared.”
“My determination is my shield, Jasper. I didn’t look upon your face and allow you to turn me into art. No, I looked deep inside and watched as your worthless reflection bounced off of me. Nothing you threw at me, no torture, no horrors, no painful embrace, I never backed down. I stared you in the eyes and refused to give in.”
“And now I’m going to show you in person just how this story is destined to end.”
“Justice is my sword, Redgrave. The long arm of the law held boldly in hand.”
“And with just one fell swoop, one hostile down, one fifty caliber round to the jaw, I’m going to take off your head.”
“I’m doing what must be done.”
“I’m going to do it by the story book.”
“And I’ll finally make you just a myth.”