"One of many" the lady replied unemotionally.
"You ... you cant do this" Angler Leader sputtered. "I won't let you" she muttered unconvincingly. It was perhaps only in this very room that she would not have the guts to spit her usual venomous berations. For the first time, Angler 3 saw his superior as something other than the biggest fish on the food chain. Her legendary arrogance and command had dominated all other facets of her life. She sat back down in a furious silence, and Angler 3 noted her staring longingly at the desk. She was SO CLOSE to sitting there. One more successful operation and her promotion seemed guaranteed. It all fell crashing down upon her ears in a second.
"You will continue to monitor the prisoners, and in due time, the police will be led to you. You will stick to the story VERY EXPLICITY, and do your part for the organization." The lady on the dias continued to expand on their newfound plan. "If you are truly faithful, you will do what you are told, and will be rewarded accordingly in the glorious future to come." The silhouette leaned in threateningly. "And if you betray us, you will become useful to us in other ways."
The threat hung loomingly in the already crowded air. Angler 3 could feel the ropes encircling his ambitions, and in a spur of inspiration, he broke the status quo to speak.
"If I may offer a proposition" he yelled. All eyes turned to him, and the room hung in a delicate balance. If the next words out of his mouth did not impress them, he would have turned a dire situation into a disaster for speaking out of line with his status. "Let us unleash the beast again. The chaos will cause even greater pressures, but it will also muddy the waters for those who sense a greater game at play. Give us the resources to ensure our story is good. It will take significant efforts in infiltration, espionage, and petty crime to ensure that the paper and electronic trail of our new terrorist organization looks convincing."
"And who would lead these efforts. You?" the voice from the desk spoke.
Angler 3 smiled a merciless grin. "Who better? Who has the resume and the motivation?" He glanced at Angler Leader still sitting shocked in her chair. He knew he was burning bridges, but he saw one last treacherous path to saving himself from the situation.
After some silent conference, the lady raised her voice again. "Very well. Your reputation is more well-known than even you realize. Your recent endeavors have been quite impressive to us. You are now named Angler Leader. Do not fail us." The unspoken "or else" rang louder than the morning temple bells.
The new Angler Leader turned to see realization had dawned on his former superior. The new Angler 3 looked mutinously back at his smiling eyes. She abruptly stood and stormed out of the room. Across the room the snarky sneer still etched in Karl Killcreek's face seemed almost approving. His eyes appraised this new player to the game.
The buzz of recent developments did not last long. The lady once again launched into a speech -- no, orders -- for the rest of the organization. The room began to grumble then prickle at the instructions. No illicit activities? No communication of any kind. The sudden halt of all their operations? The forfeiture of all their current assets to the central figures of power to hide properly? Their businesses and ambitions would be crushed in a single stroke. They were to remain underground until called upon again.
"Its too far! We can survive this!" cried one voice in the crowd. Nearly unanimously, the attendants began to rise to their feet to voice their displeasure or bicker amongst each other. Even the lady on the desk could not quell the rising tide of anger.
The man in a Business Suit moved to the center of the stage to corral support. "This is unacceptable! We will hide, but hide OUR way. This blatant attempt to use a crisis for the purposes of exploiting us will go NO FURTHER!" The crowd began to yell their approval, and the mob began to advance to center stage in a frenzy.
Then the voice spoke.
It was not a special voice, but when he spoke the room fell silent. His voice was soft and peaceful. Angler 3 had no idea how anyone had heard it above the violent din. It was an ordinary voice all things considered. It didn't sound very old or deep, and it would have been hard to pick out of a crowd. But it was the WAY it was spoken that captivated all attention. The voice was rather slow with many pauses. The strange phrasings sounded poetic, and the rhythm and inflections seemed to create a hypnotic melody.
"You all -- it seems ... have left your faith behind you."
"You are -- I think ... forgetting where you stand."
"For here -- entombed ... our purpose grows ever greater"
"Lest you and I ... see what is nigh ... and set the world asunder."
Chills broke out, and the entire room stood frozen in subjugation. The voice came from the throne. The crowd slowly melted, and not one voice rose in opposition. The least powerful or intimidating voice Angler Leader had ever heard, set a presence that dwarfed the entire room. Even Killcreek filed out of the room without so much as a peep. His planned display of a broken heroine left the room quietly along with his contingent.
The meeting was over. The least compliant grouping of powerful independent figures in the city fell into complete compliance without one further word. Several officers received briefings on their next steps, but Angler Leader could barely manage more than a nod at his instructions.
Back at the abandoned apartment complex, Angler Leader saw his new number 2 commanding his forces. He may have been granted command, but he was not in command he realized. Even with the change in leadership, they were only afraid of her. "A problem for tomorrow" he said to himself.
He walked towards the lone prisoner. Approaching the window, his eyes were finally met. Alina's expression told him all he needed to know. Her hand moved subconsciously to her left jacket pocket and what was contained within it. He smiled. He was lucky he had gotten to her first.
When the time came, she would be the key.
Chapter 12: A Rite of Passage
Three more days with the police. At least this time, they didn't give up on the case. Dozens dead and dozens more missing from the attack. Evan and Markus sat in vigil at the police bulletin along with a small crowd of sobbing friends and families of the victims. Every time the list of deceased was updated, the entire crowd gathered in terrified anticipation, and many walked away in tears.
The updates began to slow down, and Evan clung onto hope that Leena was still alive. They were still finding bodies in the rubble, but so many were missing that a search was arranged.
It was a week since Evan had more than an hour of sleep at a time. He wanted answers. They all wanted answers. Finally, they got some. Sort of.
"Three suspects are in custody" the police chief began. "A security camera found buried in the rubble gave some insight into the attack. The details will remain confidential until the investigation is concluded, but for the sake of public safety we must warn you that it appears to be the work of a rogue Powered."
The crowd began to murmur and fret at the news. Memories of the last time the Powered had gone rogue were fading but still potent. In the peace, almost all of them had died out, right? The vestiges of fears long buried reemerged from the depths of peoples' minds.
The chief continued, "The Powered seems to be the enslaved weapon of several unknown operatives that were seen releasing and resecuring the attacker. We believe this to be the first attack by a terrorist cell that has been brewing for several years. The three suspects in custody were also tied with several petty crimes over the past year. Their goals are unknown, and they could strike again at any moment, but rest assured, this IS our top priority, we WILL protect the people of this city, and this city will be made SAFE AGAIN."
The video of that speech quickly spread panic around the city, but Evan couldn't care less. He was lost for the second time in a week. The world around him was a blur, and not even Marcus could shake him from his stupor. Exhausted, he laid down in a nearby park and fell asleep.
He was awoken by a tug on his shoulder. A young woman was sitting next to him. She was wearing a blue blazer with tight jeans, and she stood about 5-6 with brown hair tied back in a bun. She wore large round glasses and carried a paper notebook and pen in her hand. "Weird" thought Evan drowsily. "Who uses paper in this day and age?"
"Hi! I'm Kaitlyn Mercer. You're Evan Ray correct? I was the private investigator you didn't meet a couple days ago."
Evan remembered he was supposed to meet with her, but now was the first time that crossed his mind since the big incident. "Oh, sorry. I've been ... busy" he said without much sincerity. He really didn't want to be bothered right now.
