"I have personally encountered one not three days ago, moonlighting under the pseudonum Pearl. I know several others who have further evidence as my colleague will discuss in a minute. They are not close, but the threat begins to grow." He paused for cinematic effect. "The time of vigilance is upon us."
At that proclamation several discussions broke out amongst the audience. Business Suit continued to speak, but Angler 3 was busy listening to a more local conversation. Angler Leader was berating, as she usually does, an associate who ran some small covert fake document business. Angler 3 half listened to the poor man fail to defend his security practices while simultaneously studying the room.
This was only his second time in the room, and the first had been a short lived visit while Angler Leader took credit for his team's success in locating and eliminating a spy within their ranks. He harbored no ill will over that, as he was given a promotion to sit in the room where it happened, at least while Angler 2 was busy undercover. Angler Leader sat near the one quarter section of desks to indicate her status, and if current trends held, she would soon be sitting up there. Angler 3 glanced back towards the throne and the silence sitting there. Patience won over, and he looked back towards the conversations of his more immediate threats. If only they knew what that spy truly divulged.
Another man took the stage. Angler 3 recognized him as did many in the room. There was a sharp intake of breath as he took off his hood to reveal a prominent member of the city council. A stern woman's voice cut through the rustling of apprehension. "Dr. Malcomb has been vetted." A great wave of relief hit the crowd, and Angler 3 noted the inherent trust with the members of the desk. Perhaps there is a crack to exploit there.
Dr. Malcomb began to speak, clearly nervous about his new environment. "I have conducted several experiments in coordination with one of your -- our ... underground ... facilities. The work is classified for now, but rest assured it will be put to good use." The crowd stared silently back at him giving no indication that they were, in fact, assured. The professor began to gather more steam as in his lectures.
"However, I have recently come across ... a complication. That complication's name is Viper." There were some low growls at that announcement. Angler 3 had no clue who this Viper was, but he knew better than to open his mouth under any circumstance at this meeting. "The Viper is apparently interested in our supply chain. Unlike this young Pearl my friend here spoke of, she seems to be invested in only herself. She breached security at one of our facilities, but luckily failed to navigate herself to the areas of interest. I even missed one of my lectures to contain the damage, and, if you were a student of mine, you would know how much of a faux pas that is." Quickly realizing he was not in a lecture hall, the half hearted joke died before it even began with the audience continuing to sit in dead silence.
After a short hesitation, he gathered himself again. "The point, which, as my colleague proposed earlier, is important, is that the Powered have begun to be a nuisance."
Out of place, the professor ended his speech there, and Business Suit added one more note. "They sense opportunity here, some for profit and some for 'righteousness'." The crowd sneered at that remark. "but the truth is, we need to set in motion a plan for dealing with them beyond the usual means." He ended there and retreated to a group of his collaborators. The crowd began its discussions again. As the discussions started to turn to arguments, a new voice cut through the crowd.
"And who better to lead these efforts than me?" A gangly man strode into the spotlight with several like dressed followers in tow. Angler 3 noted the ripple of disgust that spread around the audience, focused on the group where Business Suit retreated to. He filed this information away for future use.
The newcomer was average height with a large hooked nose. His unkempt hair was grey, but in a uniform metallic way instead of age related. His face was ugly by conventional standards and was permanently etched with a pretentious sneer. The left side of his lip curled due to the sneer, and it revealed a hint of yellow teeth. He was not skinny, but his bowed in chest, and slightly off kilter stride gave the appearance of someone not entirely at home in the appendages he was given. He and his followers wore working jeans covered in what could only be described as a dirty grey smock. Angler 3 thought he saw traces of blood in the weave.
"We all know there is only one among us who can, shall we say, 'wrangle' these Powered, don't we?" the grimy man chuckled. "It seems you have a choice my dear ... friends. Hand me the reigns or let the Powered take them and drive you back underground."
Several annoyed voices cried out their opposition. "You are unfit for this task", "you overestimate the Powered", "your methods will lead us to ruin", "remember the last time you had any real power", "it must be done but not by you". The final line was spoken by Business Suit, and the grimy man turned to glare at him.
The ugly sneer turned back into a mocking sneer as he help up a finger to quiet the room. "Of course I wouldn't expect a pack of blind fools as yourselves to see reason unless forced before you." He spun slowly in a circle attracting every gaze in the room before turning to the elevated dias of the throne with a more respectful bow.
"And I do mean forced before you"
At that moment he signaled into the darkness somewhere, and the doors burst open. A contingent of his men marched into the room carrying a modified stretcher. The room immediately erupted into chaos as audience members either shouted improprieties or attempted to leave the room.
On that stretcher was a body. A body in costume. "What are you afraid of?" cackled the presenter. "She can't escape. We've made sure of that. And your faces are safe anyways behind that curtain of darkness you like to hide behind." With that the full features of the heroine were revealed. A strong-blue one-piece costume covered most of her body. It was tattered in places, and even from the stands, Angler 3 could see her body was bloody and bruised.
"It is my GREAT honor to introduce to you tonight" the grimy man emphasized with a mocking tone. "THE DOLPHIN."
Angler 3 glanced at Angler Leader, and her satisfied sneer was eerily similar to the man on stage. From then on the meeting devolved into bitter debate until the woman who spoke for the desks finally assigned the grimy man, who was identified as Karl Killcreek (a name which Angler 3 thought to be decidedly made up) to break this heroine. He had no real power yet, but from the looks on the faces of Business Suit and his cronies, it didn't seem that far off.
Simon came home overloaded with information. He sat down at his desk and stared at the power plants outside his window.
"The world grows, yet its unknown extremities creep only closer" he said to himself deep in thought.
He thought back to the so called Dolphin on the stretcher. The conversations were terse, but when discussing her, they were nearly all in the same vein of thought.
One man cackled "why is she called the dolphin? Does she blow good?" Simon was not disgusted in the crude and vile manner in which the captive was treated. He had witnessed enough in his short but dirty career to become desensitized to people with crass and altogether unimportant personalities. He did not take part in the humiliation of the unconscious body before him though. He was studying.
Killcreek was showboating, and many were arguing for or against him, but there were several deeper conversations taking place beneath the chaos. Even those on the desks shifted uncomfortably as they debated how to resolve this new situation. The silent silhouette on the throne remained unmoving.
Simon also noted the body itself. She still wore her blue domino mask, and it was difficult to call her pretty since half her face was swollen and bruised. Her sleek brown hair was tied in a ponytail, and her boots were some sort of technological gel that he assumed had some sort of utility. She was rather short, and would certainly not be considered skinny, but she looked to be in decent shape.
