World Filter

The moment Mark’s boot made contact with the tar, Mark was swept up in the crowd of people. Right away, he could see smiles and cheers of joy directed at the growing team of fighters, as Mark spotted Karter arranging them. Mark turned out to be right, in that they were gathering for an expedition, but for what he was not sure. He hadn’t heard anything about this.

Watching from the crowd, Mark could see Sam and Ethel appearing from the lobby coffee cups in hand.

Wanting to know what was going on Mark began to make his way through the crowd toward the ring of fighters holding people back. Cheering bystanders glanced at Mark as he made his way past, only for them to quickly do a double take as a startled expression made its way onto their faces.

Mark ignored it and kept moving forward, but he started to feel the energy of the crowd shift, as the people around him got a whole lot more touchy-feely.

Mark frowned when the first person tugged on his shirt or armor, but by the time he got to the front of the crowd, he had several people trailing behind him gripping onto him from all sides. He tried to politely pull them off, for some he could unwind their fingers, but at least a few had a decent amount of points in Aura. If he employed his construct he could easily force them back but he didn’t want to hurt anyone or cause a PR nightmare with non-combatants.

Mark was just wrestling a can of food back into the hands of a mother and son duo, when he heard a sharp whistle.

All at once the frontline advanced and stoically pushed the crowd around Mark back, while extracting him from the mess.

Suddenly free of his restraints Mark looked up to see an amused Ethel. Sam was also smiling but it looked clouded with worry.

Straightening his clothes as best he could, he walked towards them. Boe met him halfway and circled him, taking in his scent. Snorting like he didn’t like what he found, Boe bounced back to Ethel's side.

When Mark got there, Ethel spoke over the crowds.

“Well, don’t you look just hale? If you have the energy, we could use everyone where we're going.”

Sam grimaced when she heard Ethel.

“Or you could just rest for a little while longer, we got this.”

Mark shook his head and tried for a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’ve fixed what I can… everything else is just going to take some time. What’s the situation.”

Ethel looked between them but continued.

“Well, we’re on our way to the spire, to examine the gateway to be exact. The loyalists are demanding answers and they want to send inspectors here this morning. So we’re meeting up with NAS to receive them. Can’t have them thinking they can encroach on our home uninvited.”

Mark nodded, it made sense and he was surprised they’d waited this long to investigate the spire. Though the city being in shambles probably had more to do with that.

“So then… what’s with all the fanfare?” Mark asked as his eyes fell onto the crowds of people still happily pressing against their perimeter.

Ethel’s smile just grew wider.

“Well, now that you don’t have your nose in a file, perhaps you forgot that we won? The city is going to take a long time to repair, but the Corrupted are refusing to even approach the walls at this stage. They’ve mostly begun to spread out into the surrounding areas. You should have seen this place on the first morning.”

Mark blinked owlishly at Ethel and when she didn’t say anything else, he looked at Sam, who shrugged.

He’d been so busy in his head that he hadn’t been able to see how lucky they all were to survive. Now that the First Rite had indeed helped them like they’d hoped it would, people were able to breathe for the first time in a long while.

Mark sighed, unable to win against them, but a genuine feeling of satisfaction came over him. They’d protected the city, he'd just been to caught up to see everyone's relief. Mark was just getting used to the shouting crowds, when Jonathan arrived with Gibby in tow and they got moving toward the gateway.

The ride through their territory was short, though it painted an ugly picture of what the rest of the city must look like now. Rubble as far as the eye can see, along with abandoned fortifications. Lines of discarded ammunition and weapons filled the street. It was a warzone.

The one positive was that the corpse disposal was made light by the presence of the spire. The energies that were issuing forth from it –even in daylight hours– had stabilized. After burning up the fallen Corrupted, its light had dulled so that it wasn’t so oppressive to look at, but it still flickered over the city like the flame of a candle.

The closer they got to the gate the more bystanders they started to notice. A team of fighters was already there guarding the five-story tall doors, but that just made for an even bigger spectacle.

At a certain point approaching by car became difficult, so they disembarked and completed the rest of the journey on foot. They could see numerous people sitting in the streets, on rooftops, down alleys, and anyplace out of the way. Some simply stared up at the colossal tower in wonder, while others had formed groups to discuss the appearance of a structure this large in such a short time.

By the time they reached the perimeter of fighters, Mark had seen a great deal of people. It was heartening to see people gathering in such numbers, without the need to fight to the last man.

Upon moving closer Mark spotted an envoy of people behind their fighters, by the looks of things both NAS and the Loyalists were already there.

Moving past the perimeter, they approached the small crowd of individuals. For starters, Mark spotted both Lisa and Nathan waiting with their people in the wings. They had inserted themselves between a larger group of people and the tower.

As they approached Mark’s eye fell on them and leading the way was a face he didn’t expect to see here. He’d only seen her once and it was on a poor-resolution screen, but Colonel Rachel Brown stood out at the point of the group.

Mark still remembered how she’d cut them off in Prospect Park, leaving them to fend for themselves while ordering the retreat of all her soldiers.

Besides her was Second Lieutenant Bix and Dr. Johnson. The last Mark had seen of Lieutenant Bix, he’d been traveling back to their base via spatial magic, barely conscious and heavily wounded. Dr. Johnson gave them a subtle smile as they approached, he seemed to have an entire team behind him. Probably to investigate the spire, how Sam had held herself back from investigating the site for so long, was beyond him.

Mark did wonder where Major Liam was or if they had just chosen not to send him. Their chain of command had to be thin if they were sending a big wig like her out into the field, instead of holed up in that comfy bunker.

Coming to a stop behind them, they hedged the Colonel’s team in.

Ethel stepped to the front of their group, calling the rest of them forward with a glance.

The Colonel was a large woman with a trained posture and a critical light in her eye. When she heard them coming she turned her head just enough to see them from the corner of her eye. Recognizing them she made a gesture to her team and moved to the side making room for them, while ushering the scientists out of the way.

Ethel made he way into the gap and put on a cheerful mask.

“Good morning, Colonel Brown. Miss Howl. To what do we owe the pleasure of the nation's army here.”

Ethel politely addressed them both, as their formation moved into the opening, with the other two groups.

Lisa nodded toward her with a genuine smile touching the corner of her lips.

When they were all face to face, Colonel Brown addressed them directly.

“Morning Mrs. Wilson and company. Am I to assume you will be the negotiator for your Order?”

Ethel didn’t flinch, remaining unfazed as the woman tried to take control of the conversion.

“And what negotiation would that be?”

Colonel Brown seemed just as adept at keeping her emotions in check.

“We wish for you to relocate your people so that we might offer better protection in this area. A faction of your size cannot protect from whatever unknowns may arise from this threat. You will be compensated fairly ”

Instantly the area's mood shifted to that of cold focus, as the couple dozen sets of eyes behind Ethel, narrowed on the Colonel. The blood that soaked these streets was largely from their Order, to ask them to leave was an insult to the dead and their pride. She was lucky they were at least a fair distance away from the crowds right now, or things could have gotten out of hand.

Ethel brought her hand up and scratched her chin, but the polite smile was gone.

“So, as far as I can tell, you barged into our territory without warning, then tell us to pack our bags and leave? Am I getting that right? Because we won’t be doing that.”

Colonel Brown frowned, unused to being told no, but she tried again.

“The army reserves the right to quarantine zones we deem too dangerous for the public.”

Ethel's voice had lost its happy tone and shifted to a more monotone whisper. Several powerful Auras rose from their side, which caused Lieutenant Bix to step forward in the Colonel's defense.

“Look around you, Ms. Brown. Do we look incapable? Plus, how are you so certain it's a threat?”

Her words returned to cheery at the last question, causing their side’s Auras to fade out so fast one could almost believe they’d imagined it.

Colonel Brown seemed to realize where she was and adjusted her strategy.

“Are you willing to put the entire city at risk? Right now this… thing, is a boon, but what happens if this is another trick by the system.”

Ethel seemed to nod at this.

“Then we’ll deal with it. If we ever need aid, your name will be on the list of people to call. In the meantime, we should address whether it really is a threat or not. How about this? We’re going to inspect the way forward now, we invite you, and all your personnel, to come make a proper inspection.”

Mark could see Ethel was de-escalating the situation by offering this to them, and while he didn’t like it, he knew she had a reason. They were painting a target on their backs by declining the Loyalists, as it was, the only reason they didn’t attempt to take the land was because NAS was backing them.

When the three of them had returned from the spire, they had agreed to keep their hand in the tower's creation a secret.

Should it become public information, they would be expected to come forward with answers they didn’t yet have. And while a good number of people knew they had been hunting the pieces for the First Rite, playing ignorant right now bought them time.

Even if Mark was certain the army had pieced it together, that was assuming they even knew the seed was gone yet. Dr. Johnson would know, but he had already proved that he and Dr. Haley were operating according to their own interests.

When Colonel Brown saw that she was not getting anywhere she jumped at the offered opportunity.

“I can’t fathom your trust in the situation but I can deliver your words to the highest authority. We can address things at a later stage. For now, I will take you up on that tour of the grounds”

Calling up her men and all their equipment, she had them lead the way towards the spire. The cloud’s cold light shone directly onto the structure hiding nothing from view, so as they approached they were treated to an unobstructed view of the monolithic tower.