Firewall, From the Reboot episode Firewall (v3.1.3)
Music by Robert Buckly
Lyrics by Robert Buckly, Gavin Blair and Ian Pearson
Performed by Jane Mortifee
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Fire!!
See it burning in the skies,
A deadly flame that nullifies
Will the city stand or fall?
Fire!!
See it burning in his eyes,
It's the flame that never dies,
Burning brighter than them all.
Like a Fireball.
Which fate is his master?
Which path will he choose?
Success or disaster?
To win or to lose?
Guardian!!
He's a hero to the end.
His code: to mend and defend.
When evil stand to conquer all,
His only hope....
A Firewall.
A Firewall.
A Firewall.
A Firewaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall !!
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“FIRE!” the Bard proclaimed with a broad, overhead
sweep of her hand. “See it burning in the skies?”
Children
of all ages looked upward when they heard the dramatic rhetoric of her
question, and thankfully saw only the blessed blueness of the firmament
above their heads. Relieved, their eyes dropped again to the blonde
storyteller in anticipation.
“It
was the deadly flame of Greek Fire hurtling over the walls of Troy,
catapulted by the army of King Menolaus, come from across the sea to
retrieve his kidnapped bride. One after another, flying fireballs of
destruction were catapulted over the firewall. Would the city stand or
fall?” Gabrielle continued, a hint of omen coloring her words as she
delighted in the rounded eyes of her young audience.
She’d
had them spellbound with anticipation from the moment she began with, “I
sing the Song of Helen, the most beautiful woman in all of Greece!”
and she had not lost them yet. Their attention remained rapt from the first
explanation of how Paris earned Helen’s hand after judging the world’s
first “beauty contest” between Aphrodite, Athena and Artemis, all the
way to the day she and Xena had made their mad dash through the Grecian
troops to answer the call of the kidnapped Helen.
Surprisingly,
whenever Gabrielle told the tale of Troy, she somehow managed to never
mention the issue of her late husband Perdicas, or the love story they wove
out of the ravages of war together. If she had, it would surely bring a tear
to every eye, and cause many a schoolgirl to weep for the fallen hero.
Sitting
in the back watching the proceedings were Xena, baby Eve, and Joxer, all
listening as intently as the youngsters and enjoying the story just as much.
The two adults had to agree that the bard was in fine form that afternoon,
and though she never once mentioned his name, Joxer found himself thinking
about the slain husband of his beloved, and wishing for her sake that things
hadn’t ended as they did. Xena, on her part, never spoke of Perdicas, and
Gabrielle did only on certain occasions, but the wannabe warrior thought
about him a great deal more than perhaps he ought.
Sure,
they’d only met the day before Joxer found himself standing for Perdicas
as his best man in their wedding, but Joxer truly had to credit Perdicas
with opening his eyes to Gabrielle . . .
*
* * * * *
“Can you help me with this?” Perdicas asked
nervously, trying to wrap his belt around himself, but somehow unable to
maneuver the leather without losing his grip on it.
“Here ya go,” Joxer complied with
pleasure. He had just met Perdicas, but he already liked him a lot. It
helped a great deal that he treated Joxer like a fellow warrior without
question, but most of all it was how happy Gabrielle looked that made Joxer
like him even more. Sure, he hadn’t known Xena and Gabrielle all that
long, either, but he had known them long enough to know that he wanted to
fight by their sides forever, and whatever made them happy made him happy. And,
the fact that the Amazon Princess was going to be put out of fighting
commission didn’t hurt either, he admitted with a goofy grin as thoughts
of grandeur as Xena’s new sidekick filled his head.
“Gosh,
I’ve never been so nervous!” Perdicas muttered as he finished belting
his leather vest down with a sort of half-elated, half-confused look on his
face.
“Nervous!?”
Joxer echoed in disbelief. “Weren’t you a commander at Troy?”
“Yep.
I was in charge of manning the battlements,” he nodded, now looking into a
mirror and fiddling with the billowy sleeves of his yellow wedding tunic.
“Of course, if you think I’m nervous now, you should have seen me when I
looked out over the firewall and saw Gabrielle – the very girl who had
jilted me just a year before! – come running through the battle lines of
the Greek Army. Never in my lifetime did I ever expect to see her
again, and there she was, running through the gates of Troy! I truly thought
I would let her have it if I ever did see her again, but now that I had my
chance, I found I just couldn’t do it. After so many battles, all I could
think of was how beautiful she looked – so confident, and so much more
than I ever perceived her to be when we were first betrothed back in
Poteidaia.”
“Gabby
jilted you?” Joxer gawked at the groom in disbelief, for he had never
heard the tale of why Gabrielle had left her home and taken to the road. He
had just figured that Xena had picked up the bard along the way for company,
and then couldn’t shake her off her trail.
“Yeah,
but I wasn’t really much of a fiancé,” Perdicas admitted with a
sheepish grin. “I was mad as Tartarus when I found out she’d taken off
with Xena, but now I see that we were meant to take separate roads for
awhile. We were meant to have separate adventures and gain life experience
on our own terms, so that we would never take the other for granted ever
again. We’ve seen our fair share of happiness and sorrow along these
roads, and now that we are brought back together again, all I can think of
is marrying her and taking her home and making babies with her!”
“Ahhh!”
Joxer nodded, leering with mock lust at the hinted mention of sex, and
Perdicas elbowed him lightly.
“Hey!
That’s my bride you’re drooling over!”
Joxer
laughed heartily with the groom at his joke, for truly he had yet to see
what was so attractive about the bard. Sure, she was cute and all, but she
seemed to pale in the shadow of the beautiful-but-deadly Warrior Princess,
and frankly, she just didn’t seem to be really cut out for living on the
road and fighting battles. Sure, he had to admit that she could hold her own
with that Amazon quarterstaff of hers, but the bard did seem far better
suited for reproducing than repelling warlords.
Still,
he only considered Gabrielle to be “cute” in the way an older brother
considers a baby sister to be “cute, though she was actually a lot
of fun to be around sometimes – when she wasn’t griping about something,
that is. How Xena ever tolerated it, he hadn’t a clue, but he suspected
the Warrior Princess was good at “tuning her out,” the way a mother does
with her children when they’re all demanding attention at the same time.
Perdicas
turned from the mirror, still looking a bit giddy, and reached out to shake
Joxer’s hand, “I don’t know if I ever got the chance to thank you for
agreeing to be my best man. I really don’t know what I’d have done
without your help – I certainly couldn’t have gotten dressed, that’s
for sure!”
“Perdicas,
I do not see what you are so nervous about!” Joxer rolled his eyes,
then said seriously, “You’ve fought wars, man – this is just a
little ceremony!”
“When
it’s your turn to do this, you’ll see,” Perdicas grinned
prophetically. “When you look into a pretty pair of eyes and see forever,
you’ll know exactly what I mean . . .”
*
* * * * *
Gabrielle’s
eyes flashed with excitement, calling Joxer back as she worked her way up to
the dramatic scenario where jealousy came between two brothers over the love
of the beautiful Helen, setting the stage for a climactic ending surrounded
by intrigue.
“Xena
and Helen watch in silence as Deiphobus slips outside the hidden door in the
firewall, making his decision as he walks away from the City of Troy. Will
he betray his brother or stand firm? Which fate is his master? Which path
will he choose, success or disaster? Deiphobus chose disaster.”
Joxer
listened on as Gabrielle continued through the tale of war and jealousy, but
his mind eventually wandered again to the soldier who had helped defend Troy
against such impossible odds . . .
*
* * * * *
“She’s
just Gabrielle!” Joxer rolled his eyes again. “You said you were
betrothed before!”
“Yeah,
but that was different – she was different. She really couldn’t take
care of herself then,” Perdicas tried to explain.
“Well,
she can sorta take care of herself now,” Joxer shrugged in half-agreement.
“I
know,” the groom nodded proudly, his eyes shining with pride and
admiration. “I guess I didn’t really respect her before, and she knew
it. I really don’t blame her for running off when she did. She had every
right to go where she would be respected, and Xena’s helped her become so
much stronger. That was something I just could not resist when I saw her
again. Gabrielle now commands a certain amount of respect – something she
sure wouldn’t have had as my wife before, but she will now. I certainly
love her more now than I did then.”
“Well,
good,” Joxer nodded dumbly, not sure what it all meant, but knowing that
Perdicas had apparently seen enough difference in the bard to make him not
only forgive her for jilting him, but also fall in love with her all over
again. The wannabe warrior had never really thought about falling in love,
and didn’t know if he really cared to do so now. It seemed to be contrary
to the very calling of a warrior, so Joxer had never looked for it, and
doubted he ever would.
Perdicas
took another look at himself in the mirror, “So, how do I look?”
“You
look good – what time are Gabby and Xena supposed to get here?”
“We’ve
got a little bit of time yet before they go to the temple,” the groom
guessed, knowing the old rule about brides being late to their own weddings.
“I’m trying hard not to be nervous that she won’t show up!”
“Believe
me, she’ll be there,” Joxer assured. “Gabby always keeps her
promises.”
As
though in answer to his statement, Gabrielle’s giggle was suddenly heard
as she and the Warrior Princess made their way past the inn on their way to
the temple.
“Is
that her!?” Perdicas asked nervously, leaning toward the window.
“Hey!
That’s bad luck!” Joxer intervened quickly. “I”ll look for you . . .
you’re not supposed to see the bride before the wedding!”
“How
does she look?”
Joxer
peered out the window at the two women passing by. Xena was in her usual
black fighting leathers, but Gabrielle was . . . well, she was simply
transformed! Her Amazon skirt and top had been put away, and in their place
was a simple, but pretty, yellow gown that she’d bought earlier that day
in the market, along with the yellow wedding shirt Perdicas wore now. Her
long, strawberry blonde hair was brushed until it shone beneath the bright
afternoon sunshine, and she was blushing most becomingly. Joxer gulped in
amazement as he gazed upon her.
“Well?”
prompted the nervous groom.
“She
– she looks really nice, Perdicas,” Joxer stammered, unable to account
for the strange effect the change had on him. “Um, she’s wearing her new
dress, and uh, carrying some daisies, and um, she looks really happy.”
“Yes!”
Perdicas pronounced in triumph. “I can’t believe I’m finally going to
marry her! She has made me the happiest man in the world, Joxer!”
“Good
for you, Perdicas,” Joxer turned away from the window again. “Maybe
we’d better give them time to get to the temple before we go, so she can
primp or whatever women do. So, uhh, what are your plans after the
wedding?”
Perdicas
turned a little red, “Well, um, I’ve got this room paid through til
tomorrow, and then I sort of thought we’d head for Poteidaia. My father
wants to retire, and it’s about time I took over working the farm for him.
After that, I’m going to build us a home where we can start a family of
our own. I figure it will be a struggle at first, but I don’t think
there’s anything we couldn’t work through together, so long as we did it
together.”
“Wow,
it sounds like you’ve got this all worked out!” Joxer replied in
semi-awe. Again, such thoughts had heretofore been sacrificed to his eternal
struggle to become a good warrior, and though he saw how complicated it was,
he wasn’t so sure he didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.
“Believe
me, Joxer, when Cupid’s arrow finally hits you, you’ll feel the same
way,” Perdicas said as he put a reassuring hand on the wannabe warrior's
shoulder, and Joxer nodded dumbly, unable to reply. A moment later, Perdicas
turned a bit somber, and he spoke lowly, “Joxer, it really means a lot to
me to be surrounded by people who love Gabrielle so much . . . I know things
are going wonderfully right now, but if something were to ever happen to me
– ”
“Don’t
say that, man!” Joxer wailed in upset. “This is the happiest day of your
life, Perdicas. Nothing is going to spoil this for you, so just sit
back and enjoy it. Xena and I will always watch your back – ALWAYS!”
Feeling
sheepish again, Perdicas nodded with a forced smile, realizing that what
Joxer said was true. He and Xena would always protect their friends, and
that meant that if something should ever happen to him, Gabrielle would
never be left totally alone in this world. It was a huge weight off his mind
that set him free to finally wed his beloved and embark on their new life
together . . .
*
* * * * *
Joxer
frowned, remembering the moment he heard the bitter news of the death of
Perdicas, while Gabrielle related the final fall of the City of Troy. He
felt deeply that he had let the newlywed couple down, for he had truly meant
what he said. He wasn’t quite sure how he could have kept his promise on
that fateful day, for he had assumed all was well after the wedding was over
and had gone off in search of the source of a strange booming noise. He’d
ended up at a carnival of sorts where a big bass drum led an impromptu band,
and he spent the evening telling tales of his “exploits” while the
villagers celebrated surviving the attack of Callisto and her prison horde.
He didn’t hear about the murder til he was in the next town getting a
drink at a tavern, and that unspoken vow to defend the young widow suddenly
rose up to be christened in the rage he felt.
When
he joined back up with Xena and Gabrielle, he was shocked to see the light
gone hopelessly out of the new bride’s eyes. The once bright blue-green
orbs were now dull from two days of crying in bitter grief and utter
disbelief, and though she was now eerily calm, he sensed a rage building in
her that he didn’t want to see released. So, he had offered to help Xena
go after the psychotic warrior queen, defending his right to avenge the
death of Gabrielle’s true love as a friend to the couple. Seeing the bard
so helpless and angry made him wish hard that it had been himself that had
run into the villainess, because surely no one would have missed him in the
way Gabrielle was desperately missing Perdicas. And, in the end, he could
only do what Xena would let him to help her wrench justice from Callisto’s
grip, and while he ended up stabbed, even that seemed too small an act to
redeem himself in the eyes of Gabrielle.
But,
ironically, it was such protective thoughts that kept the new image of the
bard alive in his mind, and the resulting feelings had eventually developed
into the first stages of his admiration for her. And, in a stroke of extreme
irony, Cupid’s arrows had indeed come into play in the further development
of his crush on her.
And
now she knew how he felt, and hadn’t said a word in return. For months
they had roamed the world together, and not once had she said anything more
than that she cared for him as her friend.
That
was okay, Joxer decided with a sense of finality. He had promised to defend
her always, and he would, and somehow just to be fighting by her side was
enough, because he knew then that his confession hadn’t been a detriment
to their relationship. If anything, she now knew that even if she never
chose another man to love and marry, that she had at least had two men in
her life the she knew she could rely on to be a hero to the end, that she
could rely on to protect her, like a human firewall around her heart.
As
Gabrielle bowed to a shower of applause and coins from the crowd, Joxer
decided with a smile that he would be happy no matter what role he was
allowed to play in Gabby’s life, and he ran forward to help his beloved
pick up the fruits of her labors.
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