Battleship

“We’re going to war.”
“With who?”
“That’s of no matter. We’re already at war.” Noxer loved women. He loved food, social outings, hedonism. Noxer would never declare war unless it was absolutely necessary. He never sulked or brooded; he was rather thoughtless, confident, charismatically oblivious. He believed sleep was only time wasted that one could be awake. He was delighted by acquaintances, and a stranger to those who attempted to befriend him. He was loud, obnoxious; he did most of the talking so no one would ever have to do it for him.
Dilby didn’t want to go to war, especially if he didn’t know who he was going to war with. He was helplessly obsequious to Noxer’s irrational jaunts. He was a great listener and yet retained nothing; he rarely ever spoke and never objected to anyone’s desires. He despised his own docility; it was impossible for him to function without someone giving him instructions. If he was an animal, he would be a donkey.
Dilby was a great thinker. He thought big thoughts; he would stand still, tilt his head, and think big. Thoughts that would drive someone mad. His brother, Metal, threatened to kill himself every day. He claimed it kept him alive. Metal supported the war.
“These are the best days of our lives,” Metal said. “We are going to look back on these days and think: These are the best days of our lives.”
Dilby wonders that if these are the best days of his life, why live the ones that won’t be?
Nivvy, Noxer’s sister, is naïve. She is victimized by gossip, doing the right thing, and piteously in love with Metal. She also supports the war. She unintentionally flirts with everybody. If someone saw her they’d think she was too young to have had sex. She is immune to panic attacks, keeps a healthy diet, and shuns drugs—especially narcotics because she has a phobia of syringes.
Metal believes that no one knows much about him; he believes that he is a puzzle, something to be solved. He craves excess; he is insecure unless his possessions are superfluous. His mood swings are predictable; he screams a lot. He is almost physically abusive to his girlfriends, but not quite.
Noxer knows there is a solution to everything. His outbursts of euphoria cause others around him to become nervous. He is irrationally optimistic. When he discovered he was at war, he issued the rally call. His dogmatism was persuasive and inexorable. Dilby stoops on a bench in Central Park, admiring people as they obsess over their amusingly irrelevant perks. He cannot stare everywhere at once. Anomalies perplex him, like cell phones. His stare penetrates what he’s actually looking at.
Nivvy secretly wants to be in love, but doesn’t know she already is. She needs someone else to confirm it for her. Metal strives to be aloof while right next to people. He gives Nivvy the middle finger when she passes by him, as a friendly gesture.
Dilby questions the war. He wonders during every moment of his life if that moment will be memorable. Dilby’s thoughts eventually evolve into dreams, and his dreams are loud and poignant. He recognizes there is so much that could be, but isn’t. He refuses to see what actually is, and when he catches glimpses of it, becomes terrified that he can’t change it. His brooding is roiling and emits tremors of despair. He is soft, emotionally porous.
“I love your hair,” Nivvy flatters Metal.
“Fuck off.”
The war inspires some, and fills others with impending doom. It is unclear who the enemy is, yet is apparent there is one.
Dilby becomes increasingly reclusive and isolates himself from others. He is now vulnerable to vice. He doesn’t understand why he never saw it before. Nivvy tries to comfort him with her guileless stupidity. Dilby is ashamed that he regards her as a sexual object. Nivvy’s tenderness and unintentional sensuality is dangerously seductive. What would Noxer do if Dilby made a move on his sister?
Metal wants to be a writer. He confuses the thesaurus with the dictionary. He perceives his writing as tragic, imperative, significant. His constant tantrums and mawkishness are genuine; they demand the utmost attention. Dilby regrets his brother. Metal is too drunk with himself to console. He is unreachably in touch.
Nivvy tries to touch him and fails.
Noxer discovers amphetamines. He grinds his teeth with ecstasy, ferociously playing computer games. He goes on to become a sponsored champion. His friends notice that he’s gone insane but can’t ascertain why because they know Noxer would never do drugs.
Dilby has lost all touch with reality. He no longer thinks, only dreams. He can’t tell when he’s awake or asleep because all he does is dream.
Nivvy finds love in the most convenient places. She is happy. She sits in her car, parked in the parking lot, listening to music, trying to attract men. She forgets there is a war going on. Her frivolousness is seen as suspicious. Is she a spy? She showers with water-proof headphones on.
Dilby signs up for the marines. Metal writes a tragic novel about the repercussions of war to try and persuade him not to join the marines, but Dilby’s decision is immutable. He leaves without saying goodbye, but his dreams impress themselves in the room he once locked himself away in, like ghosts.
Noxer is like, so high.
Nivvy is abducted by the FBI.
Metal goes on to become a millionaire, writing his way to glory, tragically and unnecessarily committing suicide when his brother dies in the war.
The enemy remains unknown.