Retreat, Hell!

My Fellow Americans:

Today, our country wakes up to another sobering morning, as we continue to count the costs of the recent attacks that have been going on for the past few days. All across America, vital ports, coastal towns and cities, and important sea routes continue to fall under constant and determined attack. The losses have been mounting, in both men and materiel. Our citizens, however, have borne the brunt of these assaults. Residences blown to pieces, vehicles of all shapes and sizes thrown about like discarded gloves, and friends and family lying motionless in the streets, shorelines, and waters and with no signs of life. The lives of countless fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, relatives, co-workers, neighbors—peace-loving, hard-working Americans—extinguished by relentless strikes on our soil.


The situation elsewhere in the world is not positive either. Along the coastlines of our neighbors in the North and South, civilian centers and commercial facilities alike continue to sustain withering fire from this hostile force of unknown origin. From the Horn of Africa to the cliffs of Nordkapp, fighting men and women stand fast in dogged defense of the citizens fleeing the carnage. Across the Pacific, the offensives are as strong as ever, and a dark wave advances across the islands. Even in the narrow river deltas of the Mekong and the Yangtze, sinister beings lay waste to the people and the infrastructure alike, letting none stand in their warpath. One by one our outposts and those of our allies in the Far East fall silent, and we are compelled to assume the worst.


‘Just what are we fighting against here?’ you might ask. What is their purpose? Do they seek only to destroy, or do they have a deeper, more malevolent reason? Why have they turned the entire world into an enemy?


We do not really know much about these abominations. To many of us who only see them on the news, they are, quite simply, monsters—otherworldly beings made of both twisted metal and dark flesh, who jumped out of our worst nightmares to terrorize us all. To those who have faced them first-hand and have somehow survived, they’re simply known as Abyssals—monsters who sprung from the deep to lay waste to everything in their way. They are tough-as-nails, as far as monsters go, and they can sling as much firepower as our most powerful weapons, perhaps more. They come in all shapes and sizes; some appear like ships from as far back as the age of ironclads, others, as close as the Korean War, and still others look like women that have been fused to hulls by some ungodly process of assimilation.


Perhaps you are wondering that the twilight of our civilization is at hand. After all, these Abyssals have tremendous power amongst themselves; they continue to push our forces aside with little effort, and it seems that if they continue to advance, all will be lost.


To all that I say: Utter Nonsense.


I did not face you today, my fellow Americans, to ring the death knells of our country and people. I did not bring you grim news of our continued defeat as a sign of my loss of faith. In fact, I am compelled to believe in the opposite. I am compelled to believe that we have a fighting chance. I am compelled to believe that, in the end, we can achieve ultimate victory.


It is true that the Abyssal menace has managed to ruin our infrastructure, both civil and military, and have even succeeded in blocking off many of our crucial sea trade routes. Yet, even in the face of their non-stop assault, they have failed to crush our country’s fighting spirit. Even now our fighting forces continue to resist these monsters, and even in the face of some devastating losses, there have been reversals that continue to boost morale. The pivotal Battle of Los Angeles is still fresh in the minds of many, and it has proven that the enemy can be wounded; the enemy can be killed. Montreal suffered a most devastating assault along its harbor, but the dogged determination of its defenders pushed the enemy back into the sea. The United Kingdom is isolated again as it was back in the Second World War, but the valiant spirit of the British continue to stand fast against the eldritch threat. The people of the world are still standing, still fighting, still unwilling to throw in the towel.


I commend every man, woman, and child across all states, who continue to stand resolute in these dark times. Your unwavering faith in our troops and in one another is a shining testament to our time-tested resilience as a nation. Your unbroken resolve continues to drive our fighting forces to stand up against the enemy on all fronts. Never forget that you are as much a part of this fight as they are, and that your continued support is a vital contribution to those on the frontlines. Never forget, too, that in this dark hour of humanity, we are not standing alone.


I have here footage from around the world, taken during the crucial early hours of the Abyssal attacks. When it seemed that the monsters would completely overrun a city, from out of nowhere would come a reprisal, a force determined to fight back. They appeared in London, they appeared in Nordkapp, they appeared in Tokyo. Clad in guns, torpedoes and armor, they stood up and turned the tables on the Abyssals just when all seemed lost.

We do not know what they really are; all we know is that they claim to be the ships of their country’s navies, who have come back to fight once more in defense of their homes. We do not know how many have ‘come back’, or if more of them are coming back. All we know is that they did come back, and they chose to fight alongside humanity. By the grace of some higher force or being, these ‘hulls’ have awakened from their slumber and have given us a fighting chance against the Abyssal menace.


We have yet to have any of the… ‘ship spirits’ of our own navy to ‘manifest’. Yet this should not deter us; instead it should drive us to strive even more, in defending our country and assisting our allies in this time of peril. We shall remain steadfast in our duties, facing the enemy wherever they may strike. If any of our ‘ships’ do return, we shall welcome them with open arms, but for now, we must hold strong and do whatever we can.


Know this, my fellow Americans. Even as these Abyssals continue to batter our nation, continue to disrupt our peaceful way of life, continue to tear apart what we have spent centuries building up and protecting… We shall stand. We shall stand our ground, for our families, for our friends, for our country, for our neighboring nations, for the world. We shall not falter in the face of this dark calamity. We shall hold together, content in the belief that, in the not-too-distant future, we shall achieve victory. We shall hold the torch of courage aloft and use it to overcome the darkness from the deep. The heroes who gave their lives at Los Angeles, Montreal, Nordkapp, London and many other fronts have showed us that we can win. And so we shall.


Let this message be a warning to these vile Abyssals. Let them know that Humanity will not fall, will not falter, will not succumb to the darkness, no matter how powerful their forces may be. We shall not lift up our arms and willingly submit to these monsters. We shall march together and face them in defense of all that we stand for. To these Abyssals, I leave this message: Retreat, Hell! Humanity is ready to fight, and ready to win!


Thank you, good morning, God Bless America, and God Bless the World.