Originally posted on Atlas Shrugged: Fanfare for the Common Man.
Hank Rearden: What are you doing down here with a bullet hole in your chest?
Cobra Trooper: Oh... Mr. Rearden!
Hank Rearden: How do you know me?
Cobra Trooper: It's me... Tony...
Hank Rearden: Um... going... going to have to be a little more than that...
Cobra Trooper: Really? You... you don't even remember my name? Here... let me... let me take off my mask.
Hank Rearden: Wow, a lot of blood there but no, still not...
Cobra Trooper: I asked you for a job and you turned me down.
Hank Rearden: Really not whittling this list down.
Cobra Trooper: I worked for the government and you hated me.
Hank Rearden: Ah yeah I... um... yeah you're uh... that guy...
Cobra Trooper: Look never mind, that's not important. I got wind of what was going to happen here so I came against Cobra Commander's orders to try and stop it.
Hank Rearden: What is happening here?
Cobra Trooper: Well I could give an incredibly long speech about it but considering I'm bleeding out I should keep it short. Basically the government is faking a riot to take your company away.
Hank Rearden: The fiends!
Cobra Trooper: Please... I'm dying... I've always respected you, even now... please... please avenge me...
Hank Rearden: I will have revenge for you! Upon all the people who have ever helped and supported you through your entire life!
Cobra Trooper: I... I kind of meant the guy who shot me...
Hank Rearden: No no, he's clearly a byproduct of awful teachers as well. Can't blame him for shooting you, he probably had a teacher who told him to do that. Damned teachers. In any case sorry I forget could you give me your name again so I can look up your old teachers and ah he's dead... ah well, guess I can just indiscriminately go kill teachers, probably get the right one eventually. Wait... what are you doing here!?
Francisco D'Anconia: Oh hey there Hank, actually I've been working here for two months already. Also some thugs were going to beat you up in an alley but I took care of them off screen for you. If they'd have attacked you I'd have had to waited until they knocked you out because, of course, I can only actually do things when no one is visibly watching me do them. That is sadly the limits of my extreme competence.
Hank Rearden: You were working for me for two months and I never noticed you? How?
Francisco D'Anconia: I was very careful to keep off screen for all of that, that way I could retain my competence. But everything is alright now, I assume you've learned about the riots.
Hank Rearden: Yes some stranger was babbling about them.
Francisco D'Anconia: Well not to worry, in addition to my exceedingly long list of other personal accomplishments I'm also an adept military strategist and sniper, and was able to pacify the riots by killing lots and lots of people.
Hank Rearden: Very good to hear, and very necessary I should think! Especially as I'm planning to completely abandon this mill now since it's obvious I should join up with you.
Francisco D'Anconia: Yes I really could have just let the riots run their course and met you outside to explain everything to you in safety, especially since I certainly don't care about the safety of your other workers.
Hank Rearden: Nor do I!
Francisco D'Anconia: Naturally, but I thought it would be more exciting and action packed to have an off screen battle that you didn't really get to participate in at all in which I was the hero of the day. Also I was a bit bored of killing people in explosions and through destroying economies and driving people to starvation. I thought it might be fun to just take out the old rifle and shoot a few desperate poor people in the face.
Hank Rearden: Understandable, I have had much of a killing urge myself of late. But in any case I'm kind of bored of this place now, so is it time for me to come along with you?
Francisco D'Anconia: Yes actually, since I have been off screen for months I was able to work the job here while also maintaining my operations in Galt's Gulch necessary for helping run it... but since I'm back in focus I'll need to actually travel there to do work.
Hank Rearden: Splendid hey... do you think I might be able to borrow your rifle on the way? I want to be able to shoot any teachers if I see them.
Francisco D'Anconia: Certainly! What are friends for?