Onoelle waited until after dinner before sending her husband out to finish the rest of the chores. The animals still needed taking care of and he had to draw up a list of items he needed to get from the village. They had spent the evening fussing over the guest house with Mentuc constantly drawing up plans as she and her friend argued back and forth over how it should look. He occasionally provided commentary in regards to how feasible something was or asked for more details. In the end they had decided for a log cabin structure that would have significantly more modern luxuries in it than the main house. For one Jane had insisted on having access to the internet. Another thing would be the lighting fixtures. One more item that had to go on the list and something Mentuc would have to be careful with. Polymer was a lot more durable than glass, but he had wrecked the metal plough only a few hours prior. Jane was ecstatic about it all though, at least outwardly. It wasn't difficult for her to tell that her friend was still unnerved by the situation, but after a few beers had been pulled up from the cellar the atmosphere had become a lot more amicable. It also helped that Mentuc was a miracle worker in the kitchen and Onoelle had made sure that she was in between Jane and him at all times. He still hadn't come to terms with her presence and vice versa, but like he had said, he accepted her being there and Onoelle's behaviour helped put Jane slightly at ease.
Now that Mentuc was gone, Onoelle turned to her friend who was laying down on the carpeted floor on her back, gazing at the sculpted ceiling. It felt good to be in the same house with her old roommate again. They had weathered four years of studies together and had gone on quite a bit of adventures together. Compared to the relatively sheltered life she had now she had gotten herself into a lot of trouble back in the days and she and Jane had been thick as thieves throughout it all.
'So Jane. You have questions I bet,' she opened.
'I do. I also find it simultaneously worrying and hilarious that you send him outside whenever you want to talk to me. I thought you trusted him?'
'Oh, ouch, wounding me from the get go,' she replied with a smile. She sat down on the floor next to her friend, leaning against the head of the bed.
'I do it to put you at ease. Dolt.'
'I know. Harlot.'
'So... Questions?' Onoelle repeated.
'Ah. Right. Yeah, for starters,' Jane began, rolling over so she could look at her friend. 'What's the deal with him calling you Onoelle? As far as I'm concerned you're still called Leonne, right?' Onoelle shrugged.
'I gave him his name. He thought it fair to give me a name as well.'
'Do you know what it means?' she asked, her tone making clear she knew more.
'If you're going to tell me that the name means more than my name turned backwards and messed up, then I'm aware.'
'Then you can guess my next question, right?'
'Of course.'
'Why did he name you life?'
She got up and twirled around before bowing gracefully, eyes sparkling with mischief.
'That is what I am to him. I'm his life.'
Jane snorted and chose to not open Pandora's box of worries just yet.
'And you named him? Why Mentuc?'
'Take a guess.'
'Hm. You've always had a fondness for Latin, didn't you? Even though most people regard Imperial as the new dead language to go to.'
Onoelle nodded.
'Mentuc... Sounds like two different parts. Men. Men. Mental? Mentis?'
'You know, when you say it like that it sounds so...'
'Retarded?'
'Awww. Are we going to be offensive now?'
In the past they had often hold pillow fights and wrestled playfully, but she had never won against the slightly taller woman, who had always dominated her with annoying ease. Now however...
'Do you give?' she asked, her legs wrapped around her friend's waist and her arm slowly but surely boring down harder on Jane's neck.
'I give! I give!' she coughed.
Onoelle grinned and gave one final squeeze before relenting, but not untangling her legs.
'God dammit girl, you got strong. And fast.'
'Of course!' she boasted. 'I train every evening with him.'
'You're not distracting me that easily. Mental. I got that one right, so the other one is tuc.'
Onoelle let her friend break her mind on that one for a good while. They had both taken up ancient languages as a side study but where Jane had gone for Imperial, Onoelle had always had a fondness for Latin and the Roman mythology. They had always been together, however, and had thoroughly vetted one another before taking any test or exam, so they both knew a fair bit of the other language.
'I give up. Too many options.'
'Good. I'd have been concerned if you found that one.'
'Wait, what?'
'I'm not telling.'
'Hey, that's not fair!'
Onoelle laughed easily before squeezing down hard, drowning Jane's protest as she tried to break free from her grasp.
They spend a few minutes wrestling playfully, Jane eventually managing to escape her only to be jumped by a far too hyperactive Onoelle. By the time Onoelle decided that the pecking order was properly established, Jane was panting heavily from the exertion.
'I am really glad you're here, y'know?'
'If you're going to try to murder me every time I come visit I should stay away for longer.'
'Or just don't leave.'
'Are you sure you're fine?'
Onoelle sighed. Jane was still worried. It was normal, really. She wouldn't get over her concern in regards to Mentuc at the drop of a hat.
'What exactly is it that you're worried about?'
'You know your track record. Bad boyfriends. Even that kidnapping. You tend to fall for people who you should have as patients and who are incredibly controlling. You know just as well as I that there was a damned reason the police were on the speed dial.' Onoelle shrunk at that. The words rang true. Her time spend at university was equally divided between studying, making poor life decisions and hanging out with Jane.
'And you fear Mentuc is the same?'
'Well... You did hire me to treat him like a patient.'
She nodded, conceding that point. 'He's not though. He's... Post traumatic stress disorder and a disassociation from emotions fit him better than the desperation for control that my previous fuck ups had.'
'So he's in control of himself then? Really? What will you do if you decided to leave? To do things he wouldn't agree with?'
'He would be sad and he would try to understand.'
Jane perked up at that, pleasantly surprised.
'Really? He wouldn't hurt you, chase you down or otherwise become angry?'
'No. He doesn't really get angry, that's one of his issues. He is not accustomed to feeling emotions. Before you give me the spiel that such a thing is exemplary psychopath behaviour, it is not. It is different but I cannot tell you why. See it as patient confidentiality.'
'We are treating the same patient, are we not?' Jane tried.
Onoelle's eyes darkened visibly, ending that line of conversation decisively.
'Right, so he doesn't get angry? At all? I mean, he must display some show of emotion. Something that keeps him going in life. Everyone needs a purpose,' Jane reasoned. 'A man without a purpose is just an empty shell. Emotion gives us motivation, gives us goals. Greed, anger, jealousy, lust, hell, love! They all give us something. How can you claim he even loves you if he is so cut off from emotions as you claim he is?'
'I must admit that the way he loves isn't exactly up to conventional standards and I will be the first to admit that our relationship developed rather strangely and even crudely at some points. For starters he is not entirely alien to lust, thank the stars for that. It is still in him, albeit suppressed and heavily so. That was the main factor what brought us together in the relationship as it is today. Pick up your jaw before it hits the floor,' she snidely remarked, seeing her friend gaping at her.
'You seduced him into marrying you?'
'No. Shut up and let me finish.' She tilted her head. 'It helped, though.'
'Leonne!'
'He is trying to find a goal. To reconnect with his emotions and stop being as robotic as he is when it comes to his mental capacities.'
'Efficiency isn't everything?' she quoted.
'Exactly. Imagine him, as you will, a mixture between an idiot savant, a computer program and an infant. He is highly intelligent in some areas, persecutes every goal he sets himself in the most rational, direct and logical manner possible and has virtually no concept of morality. In a number of areas that are vital to us while growing up, social graces, natural physical urges, anything that really defines us as human on a social and psychological base, was alien to him. When he came to the village I was curious about it. I was pretty much locked away here and he was a fresh challenge.'
Jane rolled her eyes and Onoelle decided to ignore it.
'It didn't go as I expected. He belied every expectation I had of him and his mind ran circles around mine. He did not understand me, but he did make an effort to. I did the same, trying to understand him. Everything I have studied is to understand minds akin to my own. Sure they may be different, may belong to psychopaths, madmen, depressed people, people dealing with mental illnesses of all sorts, but his mind was alien. How can you try to grasp a psyche you don't even share a baseline with? We were like two toddlers trying to figure out nuclear physics. It brought us close, as he usually stayed far away from the village and I spent a good amount of time tracking him down.' She didn't add that it usually ended with her overextending her reach, getting lost, being surprised by a change in the weather, running out of food and another plethora of troubles and that every single time Mentuc went to rescue her.
'I can understand that. Two different minds communicating in a completely different language. You have to restructure everything from the base up and you had no Rosetta stone to guide you. Similar to the disaster of Kiren III, right?' Jane offered, referring to a diplomatic first contact disaster that sparked a war between a human nation and an alien race that ended with near annihilation for both sides. In humanity's defence, the Kiran's ambassador had put the head of his human counterpart in his mouth and the creature had a frightening amount of teeth. The man's guards couldn't have possibly known that this was a friendly greeting to the other party.
Onoelle nodded, a smile on her face. It was a ridiculous story and despite that it had lead to over two billion casualties on both sides three centuries ago she still found it hilarious.
'So that leads me to the next question. What has he gone through that made him this way?'
​
The door to Doctor Eisel's room slid open soundlessly, only the soft whistle of displaced air alerting the tired man of the event. Eisel wasn't young anymore, well in his fifties, but where his mind was still as sharp as ever the man who now entered had retained both that and his physical fitness. Eisel jumped at attention, saluting Admiral Verloff.
'Sir!' shouted the surprised scientist.
'At ease Doctor.' The Admiral subjected the tired Doctor to his best scrutinising gaze and the man appropriately wilted under it.
'I heard you have been trying to bluff your way into the communication centre? That curious about the outcome of the operation? You know you don't have clearance. I ought to lock you up for trying to bribe and threaten my security personnel.'
The Doctor's eyes went over the highly decorated veteran in front of him before he sagged with relief. 'The operation was successful then. Thank God.'
'Hmph. Didn't take you for the religious sort.'
'I'm not, sir. Would you like to take a seat.'
'I would, actually. Sit down as well. I've come to give you the report in person.'
'Sir?'
'Your freaks performed as expected. Better than expected. The entire fleet is now in our hands and is making it's way to our inner zones. You will be part of the crew dedicated to reverse engineering them.'
Admiral Verloff grinned as he saw the scientist fiddle with his hands, visibly hungry for more. The man might have a razor sharp mind, but he was understandably worried about the creatures he had created. They were like children to him. While he still despised what Project Genesis represented, he had managed to move past his disgust for the soldiers in question. It was hard to hate the people bleeding and dying on the front line. He was far too much of a soldier himself to do so. He hated the idea they represented but the Genesis soldiers themselves? No, they were soldiers. Under his command. More or less.
'To take the entire fleet we deployed the entirety of Project Genesis. Two thousand and five hundred soldiers. Alongside them we deployed three full battalions of Special Boarding troops. Another twelve thousand men and women. The best of the best that we still had after the disasters that our previous boarding missions were. Roughly two thirds of my men are death, Doctor. Eight thousand six hundred and forty-three.' The last was said in a whisper and the Admiral was pleased to see the man in front of him blanch at the number.
Eisel closed his eyes for a few seconds before nodding once and opening them. 'I am sorry to hear that Admiral.'
The honesty in the doctor's voice surprised him. Verloff hadn't expected that from a guy who played God.
'And what of mine, if I may ask?'
'A hundred and twelve deaths spread across all their platoons.' The Doctor practically collapsed with relief. 'Your freaks employed hit and run tactics whenever possible to keep themselves from being overwhelmed. My men couldn't move as fast as yours, nor did they have the same equipment.' Bitterness crept in his voice. 'Your soldiers used mine as bait in the end and hit the enemy from behind again and again. The units that took the most casualties were the ones aboard ships where my men were slaughtered to the last and yours ended up getting pinned.'
'Sir I—'
'Shut up. I don't want to hear any excuses, they did what was most efficient and I will not blame anyone but the enemy. I have read the reports. Our gauss weaponry utterly failed to properly penetrate the bugs carapace. It is equal to our body armour. And apparently they have critters bred to fight in melee that are even tougher. My men were ill equipped for the fight and worst of all the fuckers used plasma. Plasma Doctor! Inside a ship! I remember laughing when I read that you wanted to equip your superfreaks with bloody repulsors. Now it seemed that it was the right choice. Luckily enough for us it seems that the bugs aren't well versed in ground pounder combat, but my officers reported that the bugs adapted and learned in the field as they were being cut down. We still need more intel and we need it fast. We'll hold the fort for now, rebuild our fleet up to spec and then we'll go on the offensive. In that regards I've come to give you your damned promotion!'
The Admiral seemed to deflate after hurling those words.
'We achieved a great victory today, but you know how the Empire is. The Houses will act up again, becoming more uppity. You need a rank to be able to hold your ground against them. If we lose the slight advantage that we have gained because our oh so noble merchants want to earn more, we'll lose our window to strike back. We need our fleets to possess the bug technology, because I don't think those things are as stupid as some of us would like to believe. They know we have their technology and they'll come after us in force. They'll learn from their mistakes and we won't be able to use this trick again. Not now that it worked. Do you have something to drink in this damned office? I could use it.'
Doctor Eisel quickly hurried over to his cabinet and pulled two shot glasses and a dark-green bottle out of it, offering one to the high ranking officer.
'Tequila? You surprise me.'
Eisel shrugged and poured the man a glass, which he downed instantly. As he did with the second and third, before finally pausing at the fourth. Eisel sat down again, waiting patiently for the man to speak. He and the Admiral had never been on the best of terms but they were both united by the gargantuan task of safeguarding the Empire. Knowing the truth, not the lies the media spun to the populace at large or the self delusion that the Merchant Houses cloaked themselves in, had brought them further together, even though their ideals and beliefs were vastly different. Only their absolute loyalty to the Empire had united them before.
'You'll be made General. Full General. None of the lieutenant or colonel bullshit. You'll be placed directly underneath me and I've been given command of just about half of our entire fleet, of every ship we have. Our diplomatic corps has gotten us some new intel as well. Seems like the Kra'lagh are going in for the full genocide and any allies,' he spat the word, 'we had are now looking at us as if we're a chicken ready to be plucked. The Empire stands alone, Eisel. Not even the other human nations are willing to stick their neck in, treaties be damned. It is us against the universe.'
The Admiral turned to look the Doctor in the eyes.
'So we're going to burn the universe. Your men will be reorganised into the Genesis Battalion. You will be given full command of that and I'll work closely with you to employ your superhuman bastards. You'll be in charge of the massive R&D department that will be linked with the unit as well. They'll be used as the tip of the spear once our fleet gets going. Reconnaissance in force, kidnapping, technology theft and other generic intel recovery missions will be your main task, but if need be you'll be deployed for home defence as well. Frankly speaking you'll be all over the place but in compensation you'll get what every scientist in the military has wet dreams about. You'll have full and total control. The Emperor has decreed it. If things turn any more sour we'll have to re-institute a draft and you know how the Houses will react to that shit.'
Eisel's eyes turned sharp. 'The Emperor has decreed it?' There was a specific inflection in his voice that took the Admiral a moment to place.
'Yes, he— Oh goddammit Eisel. I'll ignore what you said and all that you implied with that. Otherwise I'd be forced to shoot you.'
'Rest assured Admiral,' the Doctor stated, standing up and walking over to his computer. 'My loyalty to the Empire is absolute.'
'It better be. You're military now, doc. Full military, not an attache. With all the privileges and responsibilities that entails. If we ever fail the Houses will take over.'
Eisel activated the holoprojector and a map of the Empire flashed into being, different colours indicating the dozens of nations surrounding it and a large swath of green indicating the Kra'lagh held areas. 'I am well aware Admiral. It is my fervent hope that we can bring the Empire towards what it was supposed to be.'
'There's the minor issue of a superior power trying to genocide us in the way, doc,' Verloff chuckled darkly. 'Not to mention our own internal strife. You know how it goes. Assume victory is on the way and everything goes to shit.'
'Yes, Admiral', Eisel darkly agreed. 'I know.'
The Admiral finished off the rest of the bottle and retreated back to his command, leaving Doctor Eisel alone with his new badge of rank and all the security clearances that were hardcoded into the small device. He rolled it between his fingers as he read through the countless after action reports. He was only partially paying attention to the task at hand. His mind was occupied elsewhere, thinking about the Empire. He had plans of his own, plans that went far beyond the current war. He had not lied to the Admiral. His loyalty to the Empire was absolute, even as he had become privy to a few very well kept secrets, the most dangerous one of them being the one in regards to the Emperor.
The Empire stood for things. For ideals. For the belief that any man could advance to the very top if he showed that he was capable. That discipline was a vital component of any functioning society and that the military was the guiding hand that led young, inexperienced men and women to greatness, pushing them to be the very best. He had been one of them a lifetime ago and the academy had seen his scientific talent and developed it until he was the Empire's most awarded scientist.
The only blight that festered in the Empire were the Merchant Houses. Egotistical, profit-driven vultures that cared not for the betterment of the Empire at large. Even though the military was heavily depended on them for running the economy at large and providing them with fleets and most of their logistic support, they were charged heavily for it. Ignore that the military was all that stood between extinction and that the men and women in it died by the thousands to keep them safe! All that mattered to them was their own wealth and comfort.
That would change, one day. But like the Admiral had said, they had a war to win first. Not just survive, no, Eisel looked past that. They needed to win and needed to do so decisively. The Empire had enemies on all fronts, facing both their own kind and aliens. They would have to beat them all to triumph. Project Genesis was the first step on that road. Becoming a General was a second. Now he had to focus on making his soldiers more efficient, more lethal. Design better equipment for them. For the Empire to win, for the military to take the place it deserved, Eisel would have to take the lead and turn his personal project into his very own mailed fist. It was a shame they lacked the materials for another battalion. He would have loved to create more of them, but the costs had been astronomical, the sheer scope of the investment alone having shown the dire straits the Empire was in. So the army he had would have to do. They would face the most gruelling of trials in the battles to come, but he would support them to the very best of his ability. In that way he had to admit that he did regard them as children in a very wrong and twisted way.
His attention was pulled back to his computer when his Supporting Intelligence, a far cry from the mythical, impossible to achieve, fully sentient Artificial Intelligence, beeped and reported him that somebody had made a request for a meeting. He opened the mail and his eyes widened in surprise.
' X-12845623 ,' he mused aloud. 'My favourite defect. What in the world would you want to speak to me about?'
​
'A lot,' summarised Onoelle. 'He has gone through a lot. And that is for him to tell, not me.'
She shrugged and Jane nodded. She was starting to give her friend more credit than at the start. She was financially secure and had both a house and a husband to her name and that was certainly more than Jane herself had, even if she was still wary of Leonne's husband. At the very least he seemed to be no threat to her.
'To get back to an earlier point, what makes you so sure he loves you? We were kind of sidetracked with the lust conversation and everything else, but you still haven't answered me properly.'
'That's true. It is complicated though. How would you define love? Loyalty? Trust? A promise? That takes root in the former two. We're wed, legally binding but you know as well as I do that a short call to the city hall could annul that in the blink of an eye. So what is love? Passion? There is certainly plenty of that. Caring for one another? That he does too. Providing for one another? I'm not living in poverty, am I? Then what is love? We call it an emotion but it is hard to define. Does he get butterflies in his stomach when he looks at me? I don't think he does—'
'Leonne?' Jane asked, seeing her friend go pensive and silent.
'I'll be damned,' she whispered. Jane could barely pick it up. 'He does, actually,' she corrected herself, remembering how often he just stood still to look at her with that strange smile on his face. A smile of her own brightened her features. That was a touching, romantic thought.
'And how do you define butterflies?' Jane asked, dispelling the magic and earning a solidly thrown pillow to the head for the effort.
'I'd say the love from him to me is based on a mixture of the things I mentioned before,' she continued. 'Passion. Trust. Loyalty. Care. And something he sees in me that I can't put into words but it does feel lovely when he looks at me like that.'
'Are you blushing?' came the incredulous answer.
Onoelle felt the heat on her cheeks, realised her friend was right, felt them burn even harder and responded by throwing another pillow at her.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) at Dallas Cowboys (5-4)

The Eagles won their bye within the division as all three of their divisional opponents suffered losses in week 10 while the Eagles took a much needed break to get healthy. Doug Pederson will try to use some of his mentor’s bye week magic to come out and get another win at AT&T Stadium. Philadelphia is 5-4 at AT&T Stadium, winning 3 of its last 4 games at the venue and they will look to improve upon that record on Sunday Night Football in Arlington. The Eagles are rode a 7 game win streak into the bye after dropping a 50 burger on the stout Denver defense and they will look to do the same against a Cowboys team that is on the ropes. Though the Eagles have lost some key players this season to injury they should get one back when cornerback Ronald Darby returns to action after being injured in week 1. The Cowboys are coming off a rough loss vs. the Falcons where Dak Prescott was sacked 8 times and the team struggled missing Ezekiel Elliott, Tyron Smith, Sean Lee and Dan Bailey. The Cowboys will be desperate for a win to keep their division hopes alive, a as a loss would all lock up the division for the Eagles pending an unlikely collapse. Two of the last three games against these teams have ended up in overtime, so I would expect some fireworks in this one.

General Information
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Date
Sunday, November 19th, 2017

Game Time	Game Location
8:30 PM - Eastern	AT&T Stadium
7:30 PM - Central	1 AT&T Way
6:30 PM - Mountain	Dallas, TX, 76011
5:30 PM - Pacific	Wikipedia - Map

Weather Forecast
Stadium Type: Retractable Roof
Surface: Grass
Temperature: 55°F
Feels Like: 55F
Forecast: Some clouds in the morning. Clear overnight.
Chance of Precipitation: 0%
Cloud Coverage: 0%
Wind: ENE 2 MPH

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite/Opening Line: Philadelphia by -4.5
OveUnder: 48
Record VS. Spread: Philadelphia 7-2, Dallas 5-4

Where to Watch on TV
NBC will broadcast Sunday’s game to a national audience. Al Michaels will handle the play-by-play duties and Cris Collinsworth will provide analysis. Michele Tafoya will report from the sidelines.
TV Map - Week 11 TV Coverage Map

Internet Streams
NFL Streams - Look here 30 minutes before the game for Streams

Radio Streams
Disclaimer: Subscription Based Official NFL Radio Streams available via TuneIn
List of Eagles Radio network member stations with internet broadcast availability
Radio.com 94.1 Desktop Streaming

Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (41st season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	WIP-FM	94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA	WCTO-FM	96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey	WENJ-FM	97.3 FM
Levittown, PA	WBCB-AM	1490 AM
Northumberland, PA	WEGH-FM	107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA	WPPA-AM	1360 AM
Reading, PA	WEEU-AM	830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA	WEJL-FM	96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WEJL-AM	630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WBAX-AM	1240 AM
Williamsport, PA	WBZD-FM	93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE	WDEL-FM/AM	101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA	WSOX-FM	96.1 FM

Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo, Macu Berral and Gus Salazar will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	LA MEGA	105.7 FM
Allentown, PA	WSAN	1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ	WIBG	1020 AM; 101.3 FM

Dallas Radio

Dallas Cowboys Radio Network Brad Sham returns for his 39th season in the Dallas Cowboys radio booth. Beloved by Cowboys fans, Sham's award winning play-by-play has provided the soundtrack to many of the most memorable moments in Dallas Cowboys history. Babe Laufenberg returns as the Network's full-time color analyst. A fixture on the sideline, veteran reporter Kristi Scales provides instant updates from the field.

National Radio

Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Jason Taylor (analyst) will call the game for Westwood One’s national broadcast.

Satellite Radio

Station	Eagles Channel	Cowboys Channel
Sirius Radio	SIRI 81 (Internet 825)	SIRI 83 (Internet 808)
XM Radio	XM 81 (Internet 825)	SIRI 83 (Internet 808)
Sirius XM Radio	SXM 81 (Internet 825)	SIRI 83 (Internet 808)

Eagles Social Media	Cowboys Social Media
Website	Website
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	Twitter
Instagram	Instagram
Snapchat: Eagles	Snapchat: cowboys

NFC East Standings

Team	Record	Pct	Home	Away	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Strk
Eagles	8-1	.889	5-0	3-1	3-0	6-0	283	179	7W
Cowboys	5-4	.556	2-2	3-2	2-0	4-3	233	205	1L
Redskins	4-5	.444	2-3	2-2	0-3	3-4	207	232	1L
Giants	1-8	.111	0-4	1-4	0-2	0-7	150	238	3L

Series Information
The Dallas Cowboys lead the Philadelphia Eagles (65-51)
Series History
Head to Head Box Scores
First Game Played
September 30th, 1960 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX. Dallas Cowboys 25 - Philadelphia Eagles 27
Points Leader
The Dallas Cowboys lead the Philadelphia Eagles (2533-2292)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 1-1 against the Cowboys
Jason Garrett: 7-7 against Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Doug Pederson vs Jason Garrett:Series tied 1-1
Quarterback Record
Carson Wentz: Against Cowboys: 1-1
Dak Prescott: Against Eagles: 1-1
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Carson Wentz vs Dak Prescott: Series tied 1-1
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Cowboys lead the Eagles: 8-6
Record @ AT&T Stadium: Eagles lead the Cowboys: 5-4

Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 1 - Cowboys No. 14
Record
Eagles:8-1
Cowboys 5-4
Last Meeting
Sunday, January 1st, 2017
Eagles 27 - Cowboys 13
Wentz and Ertz finally gelled at the end of the season as they connected for 2 TDs against a Cowboys team that already had things wrapped up and rested many key starters. Tony Romo threw the final touchdown pass of his career in relief of Dak Prescott.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap
Last Meeting at Site
Sunday, Oct 30, 2016
Cowboys 29 - Eagles 23
Dallas WR Dez Bryant has 4 catches for 113 yards & TD. Cowboys TE Jason Witten has the game winning 5-yard TD catch in OT.
Click here to view the Video Recap

Click here to view the Stats Recap

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Winner	Loser	Score
1/1/2017	Eagles	Cowboys	27-13
10/30/2016	Cowboys	Eagles	29-23
11/8/2015	Eagles	Cowboys	33-27
9/20/2015	Cowboys	Eagles	20-10
12/14/2014	Cowboys	Eagles	38-27
11/27/2014	Eagles	Cowboys	33-10
12/29/2013	Eagles	Cowboys	24-22
10/20/2013	Cowboys	Eagles	17-3
12/2/2012	Cowboys	Eagles	38-33
11/11/2012	Cowboys	Eagles	38-23

Injury Reports	Depth Charts
Eagles	Eagles
Cowboys	Cowboys

2017 Weekly Matchup
Week 11 - Iron Rank Matchup
Week 11 - "Expert" Picks

2017 Team Stats
Eagles Season Stats
Cowboys Season Stats

2017 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

Passing

Name	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	RAT
Wentz	176	291	60.5%	2262	23	5	104.1
Prescott	183	289	63.3%	1994	16	4	96.3

Rushing

Name	ATT	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Blount	109	504	56.0	4.7	2
Ajayi	8	77	77	9.6	1
Elliott(SSPD)	191	783	97.9	4.1	7
Prescott	32	237	26.3	7.4	5
Morris	25	169	24.1	6.8	0

Receiving

Name	REC	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Ertz	43	528	66.0	12.3	6
Bryant	42	478	53.1	11.4	4

Sacks

Name	Sacks	Team Total
Graham	5.0	25.0
Lawrence	11.5	28.0

Tackles

Name	Total	Solo	Assist	Sacks
Bradham	50	34	16	1.0
Smith	53	30	23	1.0

Interceptions

Name	Ints	Team Total
Mills/Robinson	3	11
Brown/Heath/Jones/Lewis/Woods	1	5

Punting

Name	ATT	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	IN 20	TB	BP
D. Jones	34	1586	59	46.6	41.0	9	3	0
C. Jones	35	1523	62	43.5	40.8	20	2	0

Kicking

Name	ATT	MADE	%	LONG	PAT
Elliot	20	17	85%	61	24/27
Bailey(INJ)	7	7	100%	56	16/16
Nugent	6	4	66.7%	48	8/8

Kick Returns

Name	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Smallwood	4	93	23.3	28	0
Switzer	10	220	22.0	33	0

Punt Returns

Name	RET	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	FC
Barner	6	183	11.4	76	0	6
Switzer	14	92	6.6	21	0	6

League Rankings 2017

Offense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Total Offense	377.0	4th	355.2	11th
Rush Offense	136.8	4th	143.6	2nd
Pass Offense	240.2	14th	211.7	20th
Points Per Game	31.4	2nd	25.9	8th
3rd-Down Offense	47%	3rd	46%	4th
4th-Down Offense	70%	3rd	56%	10th
Red Zone Offense (TD%)	68.0%	2nd	44%	28th

Defense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Total Defense	315.9	10th	325.9	15th
Rush Defense	66.4	1st	104.7	12th
Pass Defense	249.4	26th	221.2	14th
Points Per Game	19.9	10th	22.8	17th
3rd-Down Defense	30%	3rd	44%	27th
4th-Down Defense	36%	14th	38%	15th
Red Zone Defense (TD%)	52.4%	15th	46.7%	9th

Team

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Turnover Diff.	+6	T-6th	+2	T-12th
Penalty Per Game	7.00	T-19th	6.2	8th
Penalty Yards Per Game	64.2	27th	61.6	T-22nd

Recap from Last Week’s Games.
Eagles - Video – The Eagles were on the bye week 10, but dropped a 50 burger on the usually stout Broncos defense in week 9. The Eagles dominated every aspect of the game Wentz was 15 of 27 for 199 yards and 4 touchdowns and the Eagles added 197 and 3 TDs on the ground including a 44 yard rumble by Jay Ajayi who joined the Eagles earlier in the week in a trade from the Miami Dolphins. The defense did their part as well holding the Broncos rushing attack to just 35 yards and forcing Brock Osweiler into two interceptions while sacking him three times. Overall a dominate performance by the Eagles.
Cowboys - Video – The Cowboys struggled against the Falcons in their first game without Ezekiel Elliot as he serves his 6 game suspension. The Cowboys were also out All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith and All-Pro Kicker Dan Bailey and lost Pro Bowl MLB Sean Lee in the first half. The Cowboys struggled block the Falcon’s pass rushers particularly DE Adrian Clayborn who sacked Dak Prescott 6 times on the day and the Falcons got him 8 times overall. The Cowboys defense also struggled without Sean Lee in the middle as Tevin Coleman was able to run for 83 yards and a TD and Matt Ryan tossed two more TDs as the Falcons dominated most of the day.

Connections
Eagles RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai is a native of Haltom, TX and went to Haltom High School. Vaitai played collegiately at TCU in Fort Worth, TX
Eagles S Jalen Mills was born in Dallas and grew up in DeSoto, TX and went to Desoto High School.
Eagles LB Jordan Hicks played collegiately for Texas.
Cowboys Safeties Coach Greg Jackson played for the Eagles during the 1994-95 season.
Cowboys Director of Pro Scouting Judd Garrett was selected in the 12th round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles but was released before the season began.
Cowboys Assistant Director of Video Stephen Gagliardino began his NFL career in 1995 as a ball boy with the Philadelphia Eagles when he was 16 years old, working training camp and game days at Veterans Stadium. He did that for four seasons before moving over to the Eagles video department in 1999, where he worked full time as an intern for three seasons (1999-2001).
Many Cowboys fans were born and raised in the Greater Philadelphia Area, however have no ties to Dallas nor have ever been to the city.
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was born in Abington, PA, located roughly 15 miles north of Philadelphia
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott played together at Mississippi State University when Prescott was a red shirt freshman.
Eagles OT Lane Johnson is from Groveton, TX and has family who are Cowboys fans including his grandmother who has told “Shut up, if you want to see 75” while she was routing for the Cowboys.
Eagles WR Mack Hollins and Cowboys WR Ryan Switzer played WR together at University of North Carolina the last 4 seasons.

Pro Bowlers

Eagles	Cowboys
OT Jason Peters (Starter)	QB Dak Prescott(Starter)
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)	RB Ezekiel Elliott (Starter)
DE Brandon Graham (1st Alt)	OT Tyron Smith (Starter)
FS Rodney McLeod (1st Alt)	OG Zack Martin (Starter)
PR Darren Sproles (1st Alt)	C Travis Fredrick (Starter)
C Jason Kelce (2nd Alt)
ST Chris Maragos (2nd Alt)

General
Referee: Bill Vinovich
Philadelphia has produced 20 points or more in thirteen consecutive contests dating back to Week 14 in 2016, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
The Eagles currently hold the best record in the NFL (8-1)this season. Philadelphia has started 8-1 for just the fifth time in franchise history (tied for the Eagles’ best start all-time through 9 games), having previously done so in 2004, 1980, 1960 and 1949
Philadelphia is the only NFL team to score 20+ points in every game in 2017.
The Eagles have won 7 consecutive games, which is tied with New Orleans for the longest active streak in the NFL. The last time Philadelphia posted a 7+ game winning streak was from 12/27/03-10/31/04 (8 games)
Philadelphia’s 283 points this season are the club’s 3rd most through 9 games in franchise history, behind 1948 (300) and 1949 (289)
The Eagles have scored 25+ points in 7 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL and tied for the the club’s 2nd longest streak in team history.
The Eagles lead the NFL in 10+ yard plays (137).
Philadelphia leads the NFL in 20+ yard rushing plays (12).
Philadelphia has scored on 13 of 14 goal-to-go drives and lead the NFL in goal-to-go TD efficiency (92.9%)
Philadelphia leads the NFL in rushing defense (66.4). The Eagles have allowed just 598 rushing yards this season, which are their fewest allowed through 9 games since 1944(518). Philadelphia has not allowed a 100+ yard rusher since Week 6 vs. Washington in 2016 (Matt Jones - 135 yards).
The Eagles rank 3rd in the NFL in third-down defense (30.1%), behind Denver (27.6%) and Minnesota (28.7%).
Carson Wentz is the youngest NFL QB since 1950 to throw 23+ TDs and no more than 5 INTs through 9 games. Only three other NFL QBs have accomplished that feat since 2014: Matt Ryan in 2016 (23-4), Tom Brady in 2015 (24-3) and Aaron Rodgers in 2014 (25-3).
Zach Ertz has caught a TD in 4 consecutive games, which is the longest streak by an Eagles TE since Charle Young from 12/1/74-9/21/75 (also 4).
Philadelphia ranks 3rd in the NFL in punt return average (11.2), trailing only Detroit (17.9) and Baltimore (11.8).
Philadelphia ranks 2nd in the NFL in average time of possession (33:12), trailing only Carolina (33:42). The Eagles also rank 2nd in the NFL in 5+ minute drives (17), behind Carolina (19).

Draft Picks

Eagles	Cowboys
DE Derek Barnett	DE Taco Charlton
CB Sidney Jones	CB Chidobe Awuzie
CB Rasul Douglas	CB Jourdan Lewis
WR Mack Hollins	WR Ryan Switzer
RB Donnel Pumphrey	S Xavior Woods
WR Shelton Gibson	CB Marquez White
LB Nathan Gerry	DT Joey Ivie
DT Elijah Qualls	WR Noah Brown
	DE Jordan Carrell

Notable Off-season Additions

Eagles	Cowboys
WR Torrey Smith	OG Byron Bell
WR Alshon Jeffery	OG Jonathan Cooper
DE Chris Long
DT Timmy Jernigan
RB LaGarrett Blount
CB Patrick Robinson
G Chance Warmack
QB Nick Foles
S Corey Graham
CB Ronald Darby
K Jake Elliott

LB Dannell Ellerbe OT Will Beatty| |
Notable Off-season Free-Agent Departures

Eagles	Cowboys
CB Nolan Carroll	QB Tony Romo
DE Connor Barwin	OG Ronald Leary
DT Bennie Logan	OG Emmett Cleary
QB Chase Daniel	DT Jack Crawford
CB Leodis McKelvin	DT Terrell McClain
WR Dorial Green-Beckham	CB Brandon Carr
DE Marcus Smith	CB Morris Claiborne
RB Ryan Mathews	SS Barry Church
	FS JJ Wilcox

Milestones
QB Carson Wentz (5845) needs 160 yards to move up to 12th on the Eagles all-time passing list passing Adrian Burk.
QB Carson Wentz (39) needs 1 more passing TD for 40 career passing TDs.
TE Brent Celek (4,940) needs 60 more yards to reach 5000 career receiving yards.
TE Brent Celek (392) needs 8 more receptions to reach 400 career receptions.
TE Zach Ertz (3368) needs 126 yards to move up to 16th on the Eagles all-time receiving list receiving list passing WR Harold Jackson
TE Zach Ertz (19) needs 1 more receiving TDs for 20 career receiving TDs which would tie him with Keith Jackson and Terrell Owens for 20th all-time in Eagles history.
DE Brandon Graham (34 – 9th) needs 1.5 sacks to move up to 8th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying William Fuller. He needs two sacks to move up to 8th passing William Fuller*.
DE Fletcher Cox (33 - 13th) needs 1 sack move into a tie for 10th all-time on the Eagles sack list with Brandon Graham and Dennis Harrison.
S Malcolm Jenkins's (4) needs 1 more Interception for a TD to tie CB Eric Allen (5) for most Interceptions for a TD by an Eagles player. Jenkins is the only Eagles player to have a pick 6 in 3 straight seasons
DE Demarcus Lawrence(21.5) needs 1 sack to move into a tie for 13th on the Cowboys all-time sack list with LA'Roi Glover
DE Tyrone Crawford(16.5) needs 1.5 sacks to move into a tie for 17th on the Cowboys all-time sack list with John Dutton
QB Dak Prescott (5661) needs 179 passing yards to move up to 8th on the Cowboys all-time passing list passing Quincy Carter.
QB Dak Prescott (39) needs 1 more passing TD for 40 career passing TDs.
QB Dak Prescott (494) needs 6 more completions for 500 career completions.

Pro Football Focus Matchup Charts courtesy of PFF Edge

WDB Matchups (CAPS = Shadow Coverage)

Eagles WRs vs. Dallas DBs

Tm	Rec/DB	Pos	H	Wt	Sp	Rt	L%	S%	R%	%TaRt	Cat%	YPRC	Gr	Adv
PHI	Alshon Jeffery	LWR	75	218	4.48	322	47	17	36	23	50	1.66	74.2	+5
DAL	Jourdan Lewis	RCB	70	170	4.54	266	9	9	82	14	63	1.05	76.7
PHI	Nelson Agholor	Slot	72	198	4.42	260	6	87	8	16	74	1.74	79	+27
DAL	Orlando Scandrick	Slot	70	196	4.32	257	5	69	26	19	66	1.55	70.2
PHI	Torrey Smith	RWR	72	205	4.41	266	35	20	45	12	53	0.91	42.7	-44
DAL	Anthony Brown	LCB	71	196	4.33	361	71	16	13	14	57	0.85	60

Dallas WRs vs. Eagles DBs

Tm	Rec/DB	Pos	H	Wt	Sp	Rt	L%	S%	R%	%TaRt	Cat%	YPRC	Gr	Adv
DAL	Cole Beasley	Slot	68	180		250	6	86	8	16	67	0.83	73.6	+12
PHI	Patrick Robinson	Slot	71	191	4.46	296	8	70	22	17	56	1.35	90.7
DAL	Dez Bryant	LWR	74	220	4.52	335	49	26	25	25	55	1.56	81	+24
PHI	Ronald Darby	RCB	71	193	4.38	12	100	0	0	17	61	1.27	*45.1
DAL	Terrance Williams	RWR	74	210	4.52	266	37	9	53	17	74	1.45	68.3	-16
PHI	Jalen Mills	LCB	72	191	4.61	399	81	5	15	20	61	1.2	69.8

TE Matchups

Tm	TE/Def	H	Wt	Rt	Bl%	Inl%	S%	W%	%TaRt	Cat%	YPRC	Gr	Adv
DAL	Jason Witten	78	263	355	14	39	54	8	29	82	2.13	69.9	-1
PHI	Nigel Bradham (LB)	74	241	36					3	100	0.31	78.6
PHI	Zach Ertz	77	250	299	9	44	38	18	27	75	2.51	85.8	-5
DAL	Byron Jones	72	199	102					12	25	0.41	81.8

OL/DL Matchups
Note: Pressure Rate and Yards Before Contact are projected numbers based on the starters' grades and are adjusted for injuries. All other stats are based on this season's data

Tm	Pr%	SackConv	YBCon	Runs ins. 5 yd ln/gm	D ins. 5 yd ln%	PB Adv	RB Adv
DAL (OL)	5.9	15	1.98	1.3	42	-27	-16
PHI (DL)	7.3	18	1.35	0.7	17
PHI (OL)	4.8	21	2.41	1.3	33	+6	+38
DAL (DL)	6.6	17	1.87	0.7	33

Stats to Know
The Cowboys' Edge Defenders
[DeMarcus Lawrence has been playing lights-out in 2017. He's generated the 4th-most number of pressures (46) for Edge Defenders and has the 5th-best Pass Rush Productivity Score of them, too (14.4). In their last game, the Eagles game-planned around negating/mitigating Von Miller--who also primarily rushes from the left side--and it largely worked, despite him coming up with 5 pressures on the day. The trouble for the Cowboys could come if the Eagles are also able to slow/mitigate Lawrence's pass rush because their next best pass-rushing ED, Tyrone Crawford, ranks 67th in PRP and 45th in total pressures. For comparison, the Eagles, who heavily rotate their EDs--and sometimes use Graham at DT--spread the wealth, with the 4 primaries ranked 8th, 32nd, 35th, and 38th in pressures. (Courtesy of PFF Elite)

Matchups to Watch
Eagles Offensive Line vs. Cowboys Pass Rush
It wasn’t that long ago that the phrase “Cowboys Defensive Line” was actually referring to their defense of Greg Hardy. A few years later, their defensive line is actually playing quite good on an otherwise lackluster unit. They are led by Demarcus Lawrence, one of the leagues leaders in sacks, who almost exclusively lines up at LDE. Lawrence has posted a sack in nearly every game this season. The Cowboys defensive line also features David Irving, who returned from early season injury and has posted 6 sacks on the season. Irving is tall and has the length to keep opposing offensive linemen off him. This unit has done a lot of damage to opposing offenses and will be the key component in stopping the Eagles offense, especially since All Pro LB and Eagles killer Sean Lee will be missing this game. The Eagles offensive line has been one of the best units in football this season even without future Hall of Fame tackle Jason Peters. Lane Johnson has another tough task this weekend in Demarcus Lawrence. Fans should have a lot of faith in Lane to play well since he has neutralized virtually everyone he has gone up against this season. Irving is a tough matchup on the interior and will pose some issues throughout the game. If the Cowboys want to win they need to win this matchup considering Lee’s absence. The difference between the Cowboys defense with and without Lee is appalling. The Eagles offense will look to further exploit that weakness.
Eagles Defensive Front vs. Cowboys Offensive Line
For a long time, we heard how great the Cowboys offensive line is. Under the microscope, in their first game without Zeke and future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, the Cowboys offensive line collapsed on itself like a dying star. Cowboys’ replacement tackle Chaz Green went out on the field in Atlanta and made former Eagles tackle Winston Justice look like an All Pro. Keeping that offensive line together over the long term was always going to be a challenge considering Tyron, Frederick, and Martin are all among the tops at their positions and will require (and have required) sizeable investments in them for their services while remaining in good health for long stretches of their careers. Doug Free retired in the offseason and was replaced by their former guard La’el Collins. As of week 11, Collins ranks as PFFs 60th ranked right tackle. Last week, per NEXGEN stats, the Cowboys ran the ball almost exclusively to their right side, which is smart considering Collins is at least better than Chaz Green and Zach Martin is an All Pro. Left tackle, and really the entire left side of the Dallas offensive line without Tyron Smith, is a huge liability for the offense. As of today, the status of Tyron Smith for Sunday isn’t resolved, though he likely won’t play. Sunday presents a big challenge for Dallas as the Eagles have one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL from top to bottom. The Eagles are made in the trenches and are built to be able to combat what Dallas brings. The Cowboys coaching staff has to be able to adjust if Tyron Smith is out again. Zach Martin and Travis Frederick are as good as ever but they cannot carry the line without adjustments. The Eagles defensive line is full of game wreckers. How can Dallas combat this with the lack of real depth on their roster?
Dak Prescott vs. Eagles Defense
Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension will loom large again this week while Dallas figures out a way forward without last year’s rushing leader and fashion nobody. What everyone knew but what was finally understood last week was Elliott’s ability as a runner and pass blocker would surely be missed. The Dallas offensive line is one of the better run units in the league and Elliott is a load to bring down without litigation. He has excellent patience, vision, and strength in between the tackles and on stretch runs. He’s a true bell cow, 3 down back, whose absence really forces the Dallas coaching staff back to the drawing board. While he is not the best player on that offense – Tyron Smith is – his loss changes the effectiveness of the Cowboys offense. Now they have to rely on their second year signal caller, which did not go well last week. Make no mistake; regardless of who you think is better, Dak Prescott is a franchise QB. This isn’t to say he is flawless but he’s no scrub. Prescott is lethal in the running game, especially if the Cowboys are in the red zone. Additionally, he is a very good QB throwing on the run. The Cowboys would be wise to incorporate more read option looks and boots to try and slow down the Eagles pass rush and keep them off balance – especially if Tyron Smith is out. Cole Beasley hasn’t played to the level of last year’s production but is an effective receiver from the slot. They still have their stud CB and PBU leader Dez Bryant outside. And Jason Witten still somehow walks. While their offense has taken a step back some from last year’s pace, they Eagles still have a lot to game plan for. It’ll be up to the Eagles defense to play smart and contain Prescott. If the Eagles are up to the task, it could be a long night for Dallas.
Eagles Offense vs Cowboys Defense
The Eagles will march into Dallas with the 5th ranked offense per DVOA, 5th through the air and 10th on the ground. They will face a Dallas defense that is ranked 22nd per DVOA, 19th against the pass and 26th against the run… and this time it will be without Sean Lee. The Cowboys defense is an average at best unit with Mr. End the Talking Horse playing but drops off more quickly than Jaylon Smith’s foot when he is out of the lineup. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, this has been a vicious cycle with Lee throughout his career. Lee is excellent in run and pass defense and has made it habit to stomp the Eagles with his hooves when he plays. After Lee, the Cowboys will trot out Anthony Hitchens and the ghost of whatever Jaylon Smith used to be in college. Hitchens is currently PFFs 24th ranked LB. He is solid in run defense but is nowhere near as good as Lee is in coverage. The Cowboys will likely lean on second year but basically a rookie LB Jaylon Smith. Smith was a stud LB at Notre Dame and likely top 5 pick in the 2016 draft who suffered a major injury in his final college game. This dropped him into the second round where the Cowboys took a major gamble on him. So far, Smith has struggled to look like he belongs in the league, registering only a few bad ass tackles and generally being a liability on the field. He has had to overcome a lot just to see the field again for what is basically his rookie season. Time will tell if he improves. Right now, Cowboys fans must be nervous. Lastly, the Cowboys remade their entire starting secondary outside of second year CB Anthony Brown. The CBs have been decent as the season has gone on – they’ve certainly taken their share of L’s. Jourdan Lewis, one of the few Cowboys to ever win in court, avoiding a conviction, has had a solid rookie season at CB. The same could be said for fellow rookie Xavier Woods. The Cowboys will likely be without Safety Jeff Heath, much to the joy of Cowboys fans. Rookie Chidobe Awuzie may get the start alongside PFFs 43rd ranked Safety Byron Jones. Long story short, the Cowboys secondary has dropped off from last year’s average pace when 3/4ths of their starters walked in free agency. Additionally, their run defense is very weak. Enter the Eagles, who have a diverse offensive scheme that is difficult to game plan for and can beat you in many ways. Lead by MVP Front Runner and the best QB of the 2016 NFL Draft Class Carson Wentz, the Eagles will look to establish dominance over a young and struggling defensive unit. The Eagles won’t take this match up for granted and neither will the Cowboys. This is a huge rivalry game that could effectively end the NFC East race should the Eagles win. The Eagles offense has a number of match up advantages against the Cowboys defense in this game that may likely prove to be too much, especially considering the Eagles have put up at least 20 points in every game this season.

Special thanks to MikeTysonChicken and abenyishay for their help in creating this Game Preview.

So, the FA cup is done, it was an interesting weekend for football, if not for the FPL. Now that we're closing in on the fifth round, the legendary Blank Game week(s) are coming up, and I'm dangerously unqualified to analyse what happens next (so I'm going to do it anyway).

Gameweek 26 -

If you're saving your Triple Captain and your Bench Boost, there will be a blank gameweek in GW26 - teams that don't play in this fixture will have a double gameweek later in the season, and that week is likely to be the best time to play your Triple Captain

Who's involved:

Southampton play Man United on Sunday 26th of February in the final of the Football League Cup, so won't be available to play their Premier League game scheduled for this weekend.

Who's affected:

Southampton are due to play Arsenal, Man United are due to play Man City. These games are now guaranteed postponed, none of these teams have a Premier League game scheduled for GW26 (a Blank Game Week or BGW). For obvious reasons, try to make sure that you can field a team of 11 players whilst these teams are not playing.
Currently, these matches have not been rescheduled, but on the basis of previous seasons, these will be between GW32 - GW37. The most likely weeks are GW34 or 37, but these are not nailed on yet. Matches played in this week (a Double Game Week or DGW) will be counted into the TOTAL score, meaning a correct captaincy pick will make or break many of your seasons.

Gameweek	Southampton	Arsenal	Man City	Man United
26	Arsenal (H)	Southampton (A)	Man Utd (H)	Man City (A)
32	West Brom (A)	Crystal Palace (A)	Hull (H)	Sunderland (A)
33	Man City (H)	Middlesbrough (A)	Southampton (A)	Chelsea (H)
34	Chelsea (A)	Sunderland (H)	West Brom (H)	Burnley (A)
35	Hull (H)	Spurs (A)	Middlesbrough (A)	Swansea (H)
36	Liverpool (A)	Man Utd (H)	Crystal Palace (H)	Arsenal (A)
37	Middlesbrough (A)	Stoke (A)	Leicester (H)	Spurs (A)

Ones to watch

With Southampton's back line in tatters following Fonte's departure and Van Dijk's recent injury, the team doesn't have much in the way of FPL assets. Long may be returning to form following his goal against Liverpool to put them through to the final, and Rodriguez is turning heads as a cheap 4th or 5th midfielder. Forster is playing well, but with Yoshida and Betrand standing in for the regular centre-backs, the Southampton penalty area isn't the Fort Knox that it was at the start of the season. In my opinion, Southampton don't have a strong captaincy pick, unless you fancy Forster against Arsenal and Chelsea or Middlesborough
Arsenal are playing well week to week, and it's little wonder that Cech, Koscielny, Bellerin and Sanchez are all amongst the highest selected players in their position. There have been concerns about Giroud's impact, particularly on Sanchez's striking potential, however Giroud has looked less convincing recently and Wenger needs a good finish to the season to keep his job. Expect big things from this team, and expect many managers to Captain Sanchez against Southampton and Sunderland/Stoke. Follow the crowd or pick a differential? Only time will tell, and I'll see you in the rant thread!
Man City have the players. They have the skill. They have Kun. What they don't seem to have recently is a solid team. Be careful when picking players here, Guardiola likes to rotate his squad, so it's entirely possible that any player you draft in to play for a City DGW won't play twice at all. Sterling, De Bruyne & Silva are playing well in midfield, and of course the legenday Aguero. Due to the rotation issue, picking a captain that is guaranteed to play a full 180 minutes is hard, but if you're picking a City player against West Brom/Leicester and Man United (never write off a derby, anything can happen), Aguero is the sort of player that can go on a rampage and score 7 goals in two games.This will either be an explosive performance or a failure to launch, but if it goes right City's lower ownership could help to close the gap.
Man United are also performing well, however with Man City and Spurs/Burnley in the space of a week, it could go very well or very badly. Pogba and Ibrahimovic are my picks for the United team due to their reliablity and week-to-week scoring potential, but fixtures make me wonder whether it's worth persuing them. Burnley have had a fantastic run at home, Spurs are still chasing the title and Man City are Man City. If you want a captain pick, go for Ibrahimovic, but this feels risky to me.

Gameweek 28 Blanks:

The FA Cup 5th round draw has been completed as of today (the 30th of January). Teams that play and win their 5th round match will play in the quarter final, which clashes with GW28. All of the Premiership teams involved have managed to avoid each other, meaning that if they all get past their opponents, it'll be a big double game week, and a Bench Boost could result in 15 players playing 180 minutes. Can you say ka-ching?
Currently there is no guarantee that any blanks will occur - although none of the 8 premiership have drawn each other, if all 8 winners of the 5th round are non-premiership teams, GW28 is a normal gameweek.

FA Cup 5th Round Matches

All FA Cup matches take place on the 18th of February at 3pm
Millwall v Derby/Leicester
Huddersfield Town v Manchester City
Wolves v Chelsea
Middlesbrough v Oxford United
Sutton United v Arsenal
Blackburn v Manchester United
Fulham v Spurs
Burnley v Lincoln

Games that may be affected:

Man City v Stoke (if Man City beat Huddersfield)
Crystal Palace v Spurs (if Spurs beat Fulham)
Middlesbrough v Sunderland (if Middlesbrough beat Oxford United)
Arsenal v Leicester (if Arsenal beat Sutton United OR if Leicester beat Derby in their replay on the 8th of February and also beat Millwall)
Southampton v Man Utd (if Man Utd beat Blackburn)
Liverpool v Burnley (if Burnley beat Lincoln)
Chelsea v Watford (if Chelsea beat Wolves)
As soon as betting odds are released, I will update this post, although it's fair to say that the premier league sides will be favoured to progress to the next round.

"Safe" fixtures for GW28:

Bournemouth v West Ham
Everton v West Brom
Hull v Swansea
None of these teams are in the 5th round, so they will all definitely play their GW28 matches. As the draw has kept all Premier league teams apart, we won't know anything more about blanks until then. Whilst it's possible to plan around betting odds, the FA cup is renowned for being unpredictable.
Betting odds should be out within the next week or so - I'll be teaming up with the TheFantasyPL guys (check out their latest team selection blog to pick through the players most likely to be affected and the best replacements to fill their boots during the Blanks.
I won't be keeping this post updated from here on out, but as always, if there are there any players you think need to be watched or avoided, feel free to discuss!

I was a military brat when I was younger, always had been. You barely notice it at that age, every move is an adventure, a window into a new part of the country. Fort Rucker. Camp Cooke. Camp Navajo. They're never all that different. The only thing that ever really changed was the weather - and even then, not much.
My father, Col. Calvin Richardson, was a decorated military veteran. No matter where we went, my dad was telling someone what to do, and it seemed as though everyone outside of our immediate family was terrified of him. He could reduce a squadron of hard-ass Marines into nervous chihuahuas with one of his icy, prolonged stares.
The soldiers working under my father had a funny nickname for him. They called him, "The Scarecrow" on account of his missing leg (blown off at the knee while he was serving in the Gulf War), though it never seemed to bother him. In fact, I seem to remember him kind of liking it, as though becoming a scary myth among new recruits was a badge of honor. He relished in their discomfort around him.
Dad's missing leg was a grim fascination for me back then, though most of the time there'd be no way for a casual observer to even tell that it was gone - he almost always wore a lifelike prosthetic.
After a childhood of constant movement, followed by a brief period of remaining sedentary, my life had finally started taking root. I was fifteen years old; I had myself a good network of friends, a happy school life, and, most important of all, a sense of personal identity. All things considered, it was quite possibly the worst time for another spontaneous move to set in and jangle my world out of order. That, however, would be exactly the case.
Something was different this time, though. Our next location wasn't a military base, or somewhere even faintly associated with the military. It was the small, backwoods village of Walkerton, nestled discretely into the mountains of Colorado, just North of Denver. It'd been established during the mass-mining period after precious metals were discovered in the nearby mountains, but commerce quickly withered once the local gold reserves were depleted.
By the nineties, which is when we took residence there, it was nothing more than a little husk of a town in the middle of buttfuck nowhere.
"Why do we have to live here, mom?" I remember whining a number of times.
"It's for your father's work, sweetie," she would always reply, never giving me her full attention, "It's what's best for all of us."
I'd never whine to dad, though. He spent most days cooped up in his office, drinking cups of coffee and chain-smoking like he wouldn't live past tomorrow. Whenever he'd emerge, shrouded in a pall of tobacco and coffee-fumes, an order of "silence" seemed to be etched into every crease lining his stony face.
Even dad's facial expressions had deep shades of ironclad authority to them.
It was an unseasonably hot summer when we first arrived, and school was already out, so I spent my abundant free time trying to make friends. I was a new kid in a town where the last new, exciting development was the advent of cable television, and before that the steam train, so I quickly became an object of curiosity for the local kids.
Before I knew it, I had three friends: Bobby, Richard, and Susan. Naturally, they were all full of questions about me, my family, and all the places I'd been.
"What are the army bases like?"
"Have you ever seen your dad shoot anyone?"
"What do your parents even do around here?"
The answers were always the same: "boring", "no", and "I'm not really sure." We were all the same age, but sometimes they felt sheltered enough to be a few years younger. Bobby and Richard had never been beyond the Walkerton town borders, and Susan was only beating them by a nose - she'd once had a four day vacation in Denver with her family when she was eleven, and tried out some of the local ski slopes. Nothing more.
"What exactly is there to, you know, do around here?" I asked once.
"Not much," I remember Susan replying, "This place is practically a retirement village. Old people come here to live out their last five without all the pressures of the city."
"It's true," Bobby chimed in, "My brother, Francis, he left this place as soon as he could. He's a mechanic in Boulder now."
I groaned and silently cursed my dad for bringing us here, and my mom for always giving in to him.
"There are some things you can do," Richard added, seeming to be the only one willing to stand up for that one-horse town, "We could hang out by the creek."
"That's lame," said Susan, sneering, "Only babies hang out at the creek. Besides, the water stinks, it gets full of pond scum this time of year."
Richard shrugged and looked defeated.
"All we really do here is wait until we're old enough to leave," Susan said, "This place is a nightmare. It's like living inside the color beige."
When I turned around to Bobby to see if he had anything to add, he was shooting insulin into his wrist.
"Walkerton sucks. When I'm eighteen, I'm gonna move to Boulder with Francis." He said, "What about you, Sue?"
"I don't care," she replied, "I'll settle for anywhere that isn't here."
Richard, who I'd pegged as the quiet one, spoke up.
"My sister got an NES for her birthday. If she's not home, we might be able to play it."
Susan's eyes lit up.
"Holy shit, really?" She asked, enthusiasm bleeding into her tone, "What do you think are the odds of her not being home?"
"Pretty high. She's always with her boyfriend."
"Sweet! Sounds like we've got our afternoon planned." Susan said with a chuckle.
Seems like a stupid memory to keep, doesn't it? 20 years and I still remember an afternoon of playing Super Mario Brothers and Contra with three dumb kids, just like me, not a care in the whole world. It's funny what sticks with you.
"Alright, we're going for flu shots," my dad said in his commanding monotone, "I set the date with Dr. Hale earlier in the week."
It felt like the first thing he'd said to us since we arrived, and it just made me despise him more.
"Dad, we've been here for two weeks, it's not even flu season."
"Every season is flu season, Tabby."
"I told you not to call me that, dad, it's Tabitha! I'm fifteen now!"
He offered a chuckle and knelt down, kissing me on the forehead and ruffling my hair.
"But you'll always be my little Tabby-cat, sweetie. Now, let's get going, it's rude to keep a doctor waiting."
It was foolish to argue. Anyone who knew my dad was aware that he was the personification of the metaphorical "immovable object." There was no room for persuasion or bargaining, if he said something, that meant it simply was to be.
And so we drove to the cramped office of Dr. Ben Hale, and he administered three painful shots into the arms of myself, my dad, and my mother. It had a kind of aching kick to it, like having rabbits in your veins. That's how I always remembered it.
"So," Bobby said, with all the grave seriousness of a world leader at a UN meeting, "Who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman?"
"That's a stupid question, dork," Susan replied nonchalantly, looking at herself in a pocket mirror, "Anyone with a brain could tell you that Wonder Woman would kick both of their asses."
Bobby turned his eyes to me, pleading for cooperation with his stare.
This was all typical cafeteria debate for us.
"Sorry, Bobby," I said, a smile coming to life on my lips, "I'm gonna have to side with Susan on that one."
Richard was being quieter than usual. He picked languidly at the food on his plastic tray with a fork, never eating it, just shifting it from place to place. He was facing downwards, but his vacant, wide-eyed stare seemed to be looking past the table and the floor. Gazing intently at some undetermined point.
"You gonna back me up, Richie?" Bobby asked.
Richard seemed to jolt, like he'd been given an electric shock.
"Sorry, sorry, what were you saying?" He said, still appearing absent from the conversation. His mind wandered elsewhere.
"Everything okay, Rich?" I asked, "You look like a zombie."
He sighed and put down his fork.
"It's my sister, she got real sick last night. Throwing up and stuff."
"That's nothing new," Bobby said, "People get sick all the time, you've got nothing to worry about."
"You didn't see her, Bobby," Richard said, an unusual coldness clinging to his voice, "You didn't see her. She was as white as a ghost, and she was making this horrible face. I've seen a face like that before."
"Where?" I asked.
"My aunt's funeral. Open-casket."
We issued a collective shudder, and fell silent. I think we were all secretly praying that things would turn out alright, but we never shared a word about it. Not once.
Sometimes - as all children, on some level, believe - saying a deep, ugly fear out loud could make it real.
For the first time since we arrived, dad had joined us for the family dinner. We said our prayers, filled our plates with roast beef and string beans, and sat across from one another at the table. Dad had a tendency to eat in silence, and I wasn't the exactly the talkative type either - I suppose you could say I got that from him.
"Funny thing at work today," Mom said, while trying to wrestle a chunk of string bean out from between her teeth with her tongue, "I had to fill in for Martha, she was off sick. Again. This has been the second day in a row."
My eyes met my father's, and he gave a knowing smile.
"What did I tell you, Tabby, flu season! I bet you're glad you got inoculated now."
I rubbed my bicep, feeling the residual pain spike again with the memory. It hurt to admit it, but he was right.
"You didn't let me finish," mom whined, "Martha was meant to be filling in for Anna, who's been off too. So I had to do two people's work, plus my own. It's a nightmare."
"Better than the alternative, I imagine," dad said, effortlessly cutting a cube of beef from his thick steak, "Flu's a bigger nightmare. Once you get it in the barracks, it can put your whole unit out of commission for a few days at a time. Goddamn nuisance."
"Richard's sister was sick too." I added.
"Huh. You hear that, Joan? Seems like it's going around."
My mom nodded and swallowed her mouthful, "It's strange. You don't normally see flu till October."
"Hmm. Yeah." Dad replied.
The rest of the night went by in relative quiet. We all had plenty to think about.
Later in the week, the real bad news finally began to hit. I felt as though I'd been watching a long fuse slowly burn up before my eyes, but I stayed blissfully ignorant. Until the bomb went off under my feet.
The classroom was looking unusually empty, with only a few students sitting around on desks far apart from one another. Bobby and Susan were both there, but Richard was absent. Hell, even the teacher was gone, and we had a hungover-looking substitute writing his name up on the chalkboard.
There was a dark cloud hanging over Bobby and Susan. She was quiet, and Bobby had red halos around his eyes, and cheeks still puffy from tears.
It was abundantly clear that they knew something I didn't.
"Guys, what's wrong?" I asked, turning back to them, "Why isn't Richie in today?"
Bobby looked like he might start bawling at any minute. Susan spoke up on his behalf.
"It's his sister," she said, biting her lower lip, "She, uh, didn't...she didn't make it through the night."
"Wait, what? What the hell do you mean she didn't make it through the night?" I asked, finding it almost impossible to process.
"My mom just said she fell unconscious and just didn't wake up. Her heart just stopped."
"But that's...no, it can't...come on, Bobby, this has got to be some kind of joke."
Bobby didn't provide any reassurance, he just nodded his head meekly and fell into his arms, sobbing again. Susan awkwardly patted his back in an attempt to comfort him.
"Everyone's getting sick," Susan said, concern audible in her voice, "School's at like half attendance today. It's just getting worse."
"I'm sure it'll get better, these things always do."
"No," Susan said, "You just only hear about them when they do."
I felt a chill crawl down my back and went quiet. Susan tried to comfort Bobby, to no avail, and the substitute teacher seemed to collapse into his desk chair.
At that moment, I thought I'd hit rock bottom. Nobody could have guessed that it was only the beginning.
"The most terrible thing happened today," my mom was saying in her usual shrill tone, "You wouldn't believe it."
"Try me," dad replied, putting pepper on his plate of lasagna.
I'd lost my appetite completely. I just sat there, taking half-hearted prods at my food.
"Martha passed away. It's terrible! She was on her way out of the house, and she just collapsed. Rosa said she had cardio pul...pull...something to do with her heart, anyway. It was like she just went to sleep, and died at the hospital."
Dad's thin eyebrows raised in a grim expression of curiosity. I think if he made another "I told you so" jibe about my flu shots, I'd have stabbed him with my fork.
"Seems we've got an outbreak on our hands."
"Can you and your people do anything about it, Calvin? Martha isn't the only one, you know. I heard on the grapevine that a few other people have died under similar circumstances - mostly elderly, granted - but one was a seventeen year old girl."
I felt my throat tighten. I knew who they were talking about.
"I'll pass something up the chain of command," he said, taking a sip of his coffee, "It's really more the CDC's department than mine, but I'll put my feelers out. I can't have my two special girls worrying about these things."
Dad ruffled my hair again, and got up from the table. He quarantined himself in his office for the rest of the night, and shortly after that, I made my way up to my bedroom.
In bed, I managed to steal a few tiny fragments of tortured sleep, but I couldn't get to any kind of consistency. My head was full of hornets, I had thoughts and worries that nothing could assuage.
First and foremost, the way Bobby looked in class earlier that day. He was heartbroken - maybe he'd had a crush on Richie's sister for years, who knows - but there was more to it than that. He didn't just look sad...he looked sick.
When I finally got to the precipice of actual sleep, I was startled by noise outside my window that sounded vaguely like screaming. I drew back the curtains, my heart full of panic and trepidation, and saw flashing lights all across town, tearing into the night sky.
Ambulances. Ambulances everywhere.
Locals started calling it "The Night The Devil Came To Walkerton". 83 deaths - young and old, rich and poor, men and women - all near-enough simultaneous. They'd experienced severe flu-like symptoms for a day or two, then just slipped into unconsciousness, and finally off the mortal coil altogether. It was an unprecedented event, something that should have made national headlines. Even at that age, I felt a sense of terror and frustration at the fact that nobody seemed to be coming to help us.
Worse still, once the dust had settled, I came to know that Richard was among the people of Walkerton now wearing toe tags.
The next day at school was quiet. In class, it was just me and a few other random students, people who I'd never taken the time to know. Everyone else was either sick or had somebody to mourn. You could feel death in the air, like the aftermath of a lightning strike, it hung heavy with the smell of it.
Bobby...Susan...was it already too late for them?
After school, I decided to walk the back way home and dodge whatever was passing for "crowds" in the other direction. Even in my short time spent there, I'd learned enough routes from Susan, Bobby, and Richard to help me get around with ease. I tried my very best to keep them pushed from my mind while I walked - all that thoughts of them gave me was heartache.
Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands tighten limply around my shoulders. I shrieked in shock, tumbling forwards into the ground, and started crawling away from whoever was behind me.
It was Susan, ghost-pale and slick with sweat, eyes burning with fear and agony.
"Bobby's dead, Tabitha," she squeezed out another breath, barely managing to stay standing, "He went unconscious in the bath, drowned before his mom found him. My mom just told me."
Susan looked to be at death's door herself.
"Susan, I need you to calm down, I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"Hurt myself? Ha! What a fucking laugh. I'm going to die, Tabitha, I can feel it in my bones. In a few hours, I can tell I'm gonna go to sleep, just like Richie and Bobby and all the fucking others, and I'm not gonna wake up. That'll be that, dead at fifteen, and I'll never get to leave this shithole town!"
She started shambling towards me like a living corpse, but all I could do was crawl away in terror while Susan's words devolved into a bastard mix of laughter and tears.
"Come back, Tabitha!" She screeched, tears streaming down her face, "I don't want to die alone, Tabitha! Please, just please, don't let me die alone! I'm so fucking scared!"
Soon enough, I found my feet and started bolting down the narrow path away from her. I looked over one shoulder and saw Susan trying to follow me, but she quickly fell over and crumpled up on the ground, sobbing and screaming like it was the end of the world.
The bitter truth then dawned on me that, for her, it was.
For 20 years I've wished that I'd gone back to her and consoled her in her final moments, but I was a coward. I couldn't bear to see the last of my new friends die right in front of me.
That's probably my biggest regret of them all.
I got home shortly afterwards, tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't want my mom and dad to see me crying, so I was surreptitious - gently opening and closing the front door, and slinking in through the lounge.
Mom wasn't there to greet me, and for a moment I feared the very worst. Susan's death had shaken me to my core, but death was everywhere now, it felt like a permanent resident of Walkerton, CO. I think we were all on the verge of growing numb to it.
I heard a muffled shout resonate from behind the door of my dad's office. Swallowing my emotional pain, I pressed my ear to the door and listened closely, until my mom and dad's voices were clear to me.
"You fucking asshole!" I heard my mom yell at him, the sound of sobbing underlying her voice.
"Don't make me the bad guy here, Joan. I'm doing what's right for this family."
"Don't. You. Dare! You don't get to talk about what's right anymore, Calvin. You lost that fucking privilege."
"Oh, come on, you know I have to deal with enough bleeding hearts on the job, I don't need you standing here and fucking moralizing to me! I get enough of that with the bastards at work."
I'd joined their confrontation half way through, and so lacked the benefit of context. I wanted to listen longer, but I heard my mom's enraged footsteps thundering towards the door, and had to sprint up the stairs before she stormed out of dad's office and into the back room.
The whole world seemed to be going insane.
The rest of the night was uneventful. Mom and dad were still giving each other the silent treatment, and I ate dinner in my bedroom. It was inevitable that soon someone was going to find Susan's body on that narrow path, curled up and contorted in pain and misery. When they did, it'd be because I left her there.
When we were all meant to be asleep, I heard mom crying through the wall. She got up just past midnight, still crying, and walked downstairs. I fell asleep before I could hear her walk back up. If she did.
The next morning, I woke up to a scream coming from the lower hallway - it was, unmistakably, my father's.
I sprang from bed and started tearing my way downstairs, and I saw dad, paralyzed, in the hallway. He seemed to register my presence on some level before he could even properly see me.
"Tabitha, don't come down here! Stay in your room!"
But it was too late, I always already half way downstairs when I heard him, and my legs didn't have enough time to stop. Though it didn't take me long to realize why he'd told me to go.
I saw my dad, dressed in his pajamas, his false leg visible, with tears dripping from his chin. Across from him, my mom's body was dangling by her neck from a light fixture.
"No, no, this wasn't meant to happen," Dad said, sounding utterly broken, "This wasn't meant to happen. For fuck's sake, this wasn't meant to happen!"
He slammed his body against the wall, collapsing to his knees, and began hammering his fists into the floor until they left bloodstains. He was yelling and screaming like a monster, while I stood in the middle of the hallway, unable to take any of it in.
"Goddamn it, Joan, I loved you, I only ever did anything for you," Dad screamed at the top of his lungs, sitting at the locus of depression and rage, "Why would you do this to me, to your only daughter! This wasn't meant to happen!"
As dad sobbed and I tried to break from my state of catatonia, I saw a scrap of paper crumpled up near the base of the stairs. I grabbed it and quickly unfurled it, trying to look for some kind of answer.
There were two words, scrawled in my mom's distinctive cursive handwriting.
"He's lying..."
I stuffed the piece of paper into my pocket and looked up at dad, still smashing his hands against the floor and crying like a madman. I didn't even know who I was looking at anymore.
Then, I fainted.
When I woke up, I was looking at the familiar face of Dr. Hale, shining a penlight into my eyes.
"How's she doing, doc?" A police officer standing behind the doctor asked.
"It was touch-and-go for a little while, officer, but things are looking up a little now," he replied, "This little girl is very brave, she's been through an awful lot lately."
I resented being called a little girl, and looked away from the doctor's wrinkled face. I saw my father across the hall, standing against the wall, his hands bandaged up and some semblance of composure back in his face.
Shortly after, a pair of paramedics, assisted by Dr. Hale and my father, carried me up to my bedroom and laid me in bed. They were convinced I'd be alright with time (in a physical sense, anyway) if I got plenty of rest. The local hospital was filled with the dead and the dying, it was no place for a young girl who'd just lost her mother.
The same words, my mother's words, kept echoing through my head all day.
He's lying...
He's lying...
He's lying...
I couldn't bear to face my father, not yet. Mom's note was the answer to a question some part of me, deep and hidden, had been asking ever since our first conversation at the dinner table. Since Richie's sister got sick, and started this whole surreal nightmare.
My dad and I had plenty to talk about, and we would. But there, laying in bed, silently mourning the death of my mother, I made a promise to myself that for once in my short life it'd be under my terms, not his.
That night, when I could be sure my father was in bed, I skulked out of my bedroom and headed downstairs. I had to be smart, I knew that much, you don't get to be a colonel in the US military without being as crafty as a fox, and twice as vicious.
But I did have one thing on my side: dad had always underestimated me, taken my wits for granted. I knew more about him than he thought, including, perhaps most importantly, where he kept his gun.
Around ten minutes later I was walking back up the stairs and sneaking towards my father's bedroom door, in one hand a snub-nose revolver, and in the other a fold-out stool.
Dad didn't stir when I crept in - he was probably taking something to help him sleep - but his eyes started to flutter open once I'd unfolded the stool and sat at the foot of his bed, the stunted, silver barrel of the revolver pointed directly towards him.
"Hey, dad," I said to him through gritted teeth, "We're gonna have a little chat."
He squinted, registering my shape in the room.
"Tabby?" He asked, seeming utterly bemused, as he reached for his prosthetic leg.
Then, he saw the glint of the revolver in the semi-darkness.
"Don't be reaching for anything, dad. Besides, you don't need to walk anywhere right now."
"Dear god, Tabitha, what are you doing?"
"Funny. I was about to ask you the exact same question. You've been bullshitting me, dad, you've been bullshitting a lot of people."
"Tabitha, language!" He barked, his voice full of righteous indignation.
"Shut the fuck up, dad!" I screamed with startling intensity, surprising myself and him, "As if you give a shit about what language I use, you never even speak to me! You barely ever had the time of day for me or mom."
He sat in silence for a moment, now both of our eyes had adjusted to the darkness. I could see the look of pain and confusion in his eyes, and he could see the fury in mine.
"Tabby, I know this has been hard for you, I loved your mother more than life itself, it destroyed me to see her like that. But we can't be playing these stupid games, Tabby, people get locked up for things like this! I don't want my daughter going off the rails too!"
I fired a warning shot that blasted through the headboard.
"For the love of fuck, Tabby!"
"Don't you dare try to fucking spin this around dad, I heard you doing it to her. Mom did what she did because you drove her to it, and I want to know why. You fucking owe me a reason."
"This is insanity, Tabitha. You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Oh, that's where you're wrong, dad. For once, I know exactly what I'm talking about, I know that you've got something to do with why people have been getting sick - with with my friends have been getting sick, and dying as a result. I want to know what exactly you've got to do with it, dad, or I'm gonna shoot you dead."
There was another pause where dad did nothing but stare at me in condescending disbelief.
"Tabitha, I understand that you're upset, but I have nothing to do with-"
I fired another shot, this one perforating his shoulder with a sickening crunch. Dad yelped in pain, his free hand shooting to the wound and grasping at it, gouts of blood pouring between his fingers.
"The next one's going in your head, daddy," I said, realizing then that I was crying too, "I'll give you ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven..."
For the first time ever, I saw true fear dawning on my father's face.
"Six, five, four..."
"Okay, Tabitha. Okay."
I stopped counting, and held the gun on my lap.
"I guess you out-foxed your old man. I'm proud of you, honey, even if you have gone crazy. I just want you to understand that everything I did, I did for the good of this family, for the good of the free world. I did it because I love you and your mother so much, and didn't want any of this to happen."
I continued to stare blankly at him while more blood soaked into the duvet.
"It's called Influenza-Invictus, or II. It's the bioweapon of the future: fast-acting, lethal, incredibly contagious. I oversaw its development in the eighties and watched the studies they performed on chimps, and by god, Tabby, the rate at which it worked was astonishing. It could devastate a group of insurgents in days, reduce a terrorist organization to a nest of dead plague rats. There were isolated clinical trials on humans, which I oversaw and sponsored personally with military capital, and the effects were equally potent."
Dad's attention drifted from his growing laundry list of atrocities to the quantity of blood he was losing, as panic began to set in.
"Tabby, we need to call an ambulance, daddy is in real trouble here and-"
"We're not done yet."
Dad opened his mouth to appeal to my better nature, but quickly realized that there was no better nature to appeal to. He gulped down his fear and carried on.
"I knew we needed more funding from the Department of Defense if we were ever going to deploy it internationally - none of the others saw its potential for good, its potential for peace. I was alone in soldiering its cause, so I...I thought up a study that would prove II's efficacy in a real-life situation. Its ability to spread, to collapse infrastructure, to kill en masse," he said that last part with a grim chuckle of realization, "And you know what, Tabby? It worked like a charm. It worked like a fucking charm. Walkerton was the perfect pilot study."
For a moment, I sat there in stunned silence, my shaking hands squeezing the grip of the revolver.
"Y-you killed all of them...you murdered all my friends, you made mom hang herself, and you put all our lives at risk just to test your stupid fucking weapon, so you could kill more people with it abroad. You slaughtered all these innocent people for a fucking experiment."
"We were never at risk, Tabby," he choked out, rushing to defend himself, "I had the vaccine administered before the virus was ever deployed. We were safe as houses. What happened to your mother was just a tragic mistake on her part. A terrible, terrible tragedy."
"And the rest weren't? Are you listening to yourself, you fucking monster? You're a sociopath! You killed these people to further your own stupid goals, and you don't give a shit about any of them!"
"I did it for you, Tabby! And for all the innocent people the world over! II can be an indispensable tool for peace and prosperity now that I've got this example to support it! We can use it to protect the good people of America and the world from any evil it encounters."
My body was practically convulsing with rage. I held up the revolver, and drew a bead on my father as he lay bleeding and begging in bed.
"You want to talk about evil, dad? The way I see it, the only evil this world needs protecting from is people like you."
"You're too young to comprehend my reasoning, Tabby. It was such a small sacrifice, in the grand scheme of things."
"But it wasn't your sacrifice to make!"
Perhaps it was madness, perhaps it was desperation and blood loss, but dad just started laughing. A dry, wheezing, pitiful laugh, like a hyena with punctured lungs.
"Some day, Tabby. Some day you'll understand why I did this. You'll understand why the lives of the people in this tiny, insignificant fucking town were worth nothing compared to the bigger picture."
"They were my friends, dad. They were our neighbors."
"They were externalities, Tabby. They were collateral damage. I can believe you'd value the lives of these people, people who you've barely known, over the life of your own fa-"
I fired the gun four times, screaming while I did it, every round ripping through my father's bare chest and smashing into the headboard. He jolted back like a crash test dummy, a look of utter shock plastered onto his face, before hitting the wall and slumping forwards. A blanket of dark crimson was spread out over his lap.
For all his big talk and grandiose claims, Col. Calvin Richardson, my father, The Scarecrow, was dead within the minute.
The rest played out almost like a dream. I called the police myself, it seemed like the courteous thing to do.
"Hello, I'd like to report a homicide. It's Tabitha Richardson, 18 Bergen Street, I just shot my father dead in his bedroom."
It was a blur of shocked faces and flashing lights, but I don't regret that part. If given the chance, I think I'd have shot him again for good luck, or maybe just to watch his body twitch. Not that reason ever really mattered.
20 years was quite a light sentence for what I'd done, but I could thank my lawyer for that. The girl who was driven to temporary insanity by her mother's death, and the death of all of her friends, killed her father in a botched murder-suicide attempt. My dad died an honorable man with a murderous daughter, the only one of the Walkerton deaths to ever reach beyond the borders of the town.
I'm not sure Walkerton even exists anymore. It's like those towns and villages in Europe that were just wiped off the map by the plague. Only husks left over.
The murder was cathartic, but who knows if it ever made any tangible difference to the grand scheme of things. Perhaps someone else came and picked up the Influenza-Invictus mantel, perhaps research is going on right now, producing newer, deadlier strains in some secret lab under miles of desert. All of that hardly matters to me now, I've realized my relative insignificance too, just like daddy told me to.
The handy "crime of passion" defense was probably the only reason none of dad's friends in high places didn't have me murdered in prison.
No, the only reason I'm telling this story, no matter what happens to me, is that I don't want the memory of the innocent people my father murdered to fade from the history books. They deserved so much better than what happened to them.
For Bobby, Susan, Richie, and my mom.
For everyone who lived and died in that little mountain town.
The truth is, the devil really did come to Walkerton - and I should know, he was my dad.
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