6.3 Emergence
New York, USA
Tuesday, the 12th of June, 2012
11:44 a.m.
Chris and Overdrive were rushing up the stadium steps to the upper deck when Athena addressed them through their headsets again. “The terrorists in Liverpool have been identified as Raven’s mercenary crew. They escaped with a hostage. Several unknown and assumed hostile Evolved remain at NBE Britain’s headquarters. The European hero team was dispatched to deal with the situation.”
The two Wardens stopped halfway up the stairs, alarmed by the news. “Do you think they’re working together with anyone in the States?” Chris asked into her headset, raising her voice over the din of the crowd
“So far there are no signs of hostile activity here at UNEOA headquarters. Do you have anything unusual to report from the stadium, Wardens?”
Chris adjusted her microphone, trying to shake the mental image of Ryan on the deck below, staring into space and waiting for answers that he wasn’t going to get.
Overdrive gave her a concerned look. “Haven’t seen anything suspicious so far,” he told Athena when Chris didn’t answer her. That snapped Chris from her daze. “Nothing from my danger sense, either,” she said into her headset.
Despite the lack of visible threats, her pulse quickened, a reminder that she was still human no matter how different she felt most days. She couldn’t bring herself to trust the lack of feedback from her danger sense. What if someone was messing with her senses like Legion had in the backwoods of Quebec?
“Why are all those people staring at their phones?” Overdrive pointed at a group standing around with their phones out. Judging by their agitated hands and angry faces, they were arguing over something.
Chris leaned over the rail to get a better look as more and more spectators abandoned their seats in a hurry to evacuate the stadium. “Hey, Athena. Looks like the news about Liverpool is out. People are leaving in droves.”
A mass panic among this many people could end really, really bad, she almost added.
Overdrive squeezed her arm in agreement.
“Our PR team is doing its best to counteract any panic-inducing messages,” Athena said. “As we are currently tweeting, the European heroes have the situation well in hand. They were on-site right away, thanks to the fact that they were able to recruit a newly transitioned teleporter a few days ago.”
A cluster of people who had abandoned their seats on the upper deck rushed past Chris, pushing her against the railing. She doubted the runners would cause trouble so she scanned the remaining crowd, searching for those who looked suspiciously untroubled by what was happening around them. No one in particular caught her interest.
“Samael and I are incoming,” Paladin announced through the earphones.
About time.
“Thanks,” Overdrive said beside her. “I think we could use some backup right about now.”
Samael appeared first as a gray streak of movement in the overcast sky above the stadium. A strong gust of wind swept across the upper deck in the wake of his arrival, ruffling people and banners alike. The hero stopped about a hundred feet above the center of the green ballpark, numerous silvery ribbons streaming out around him in the shape of wings.
A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd. For every person who left in light of the news from overseas, fifty others remained in their seats, still enjoying the event.
They must think it’s reality television, Chris mused.
She wrenched her stare from the sky to search the crowded deck below. If Ryan was still in the stadium, he was lost in the sea of people beyond her field of vision. She hoped he had the good sense to take her advice and leave the stadium, though she had the gnawing suspicion that he didn’t. He had always done what he wanted, whether she approved or not.
Her headphones crackled, interrupting her thoughts with Samael’s harsh South African accent. “Mascot. Force field.”
He’s a good hundred feet away from me, she calculated. Since she didn’t know if her projection range extended that far, she projected her power up into the sky, commanding the energy to take hold around the flying hero. Her senses reported that the effort was successful. Samael’s wing ribbons went slack within the bubble of his force field, though their exposed ends streamed through the air around him.
“Done,” she reported over her microphone.
“Good,” Samael grunted. No ‘thank you,’ just ‘good.’
The Evoker’s appearance drew gasps of appreciation from the crowd. Spectators jumped from their seats while aligning their cameras or smartphones to take hero snapshots. Overdrive was no exception as he craned his neck and gawked.
Chris nudged him with her elbow, reminding him why they were there. Her mind was elsewhere, though. On the spectator deck below and the possible routes that would take her there. To him.
Just in case.
Overdrive tugged on her arm to draw her attention to Paladin, who descended from the sky in his massive suit of white-and gray-plated power armor. Because he lacked Samael’s speed and maneuverability, the Revoker relied on his suit’s integrated flight tech to approach Samael’s position with a series of short and long thrusts.
When Chris projected a force field onto Paladin, she was rewarded with a polite “thank you” through her earphones.
Paladin’s all right, she decided. She knew she owed him for agreeing to her proposal to spare Nora’s life. He will be a good leader while Radiant’s gone.
She took a closer look at the new arrival. The eye slit of his helmet glowed, indicating its powered state, and the huge Athena-powered sword lay across his back. The blade was almost as long as he was tall, which would have made it look awkward if it wasn’t so intimidating. Paladin had demonstrated its ability to bisect a car, live on television.
Chris couldn’t help but to wonder how Athena managed to specialize in three technical fields. Drones, communications, and powered equipment? Research suggested that even the most skilled Technicians couldn’t master more than one or two. Three was just insane.
She frowned. The only explanation she could think of was a power surge. But how plausible was the idea of a Covenant heroine keeping such a big secret from the UNEOA, who had recently established a zero tolerance policy regarding power surges?
As the Jumbotron above the scoreboard flickered, the static UNEOA logo turned into to a live shot of the Secretary General’s dark-skinned face, creased and weary beneath thinning, graying hair. All around Chris and Overdrive, heads turned to the screen and spectators pocketed their phones.
Overdrive rubbed his gloved knuckles together. “Looks like they’re about to start. Think we should split up so we can cover more ground?”
Chris shook her head. For the first time that day, she genuinely regretted asking her teammate along. What she thought would be a chance for him to be a real hero for a day could turn into a life-threatening situation for them both.
“Stay with me,” she told him. “I don’t want to get separated by the crowd. We’re way too vulnerable on our own.”
As they watched, Paladin ascended until he was well above the upper deck before accelerating east in the direction of the hotel where the Secretary General was staying.
Overdrive put his elbows on the railing, following the receding hero figure with his eyes. “Can you believe there’s a skinny Japanese guy in there? That armor looks like it weighs a ton. How does he even move in it?”
Chris smirked. “I don’t think he’s all that skinny, actually. But yeah, he needs all the tech gizmos in his suit to move and handle that gigantic sword.”
Turning her attention back to the crowd, she leaned over the railing to scan the decks below. Her danger sense was still silent, failing to put her at ease. As much as she wanted to believe there weren’t any powered terrorists mingling with the crowd, the lingering unease in her gut told her something different.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” an announcer’s voice boomed from ev
ery loudspeaker in the stadium, silencing the last of the murmurs from the crowd. “Mr. Patrick Kwabena, Secretary General of the United Nations, is about to address the world. Please take your seats.”
Alerted by the booming voice, Chris turned her attention to the gigantic screen above the scoreboard. Even though the Secretary General’s brown eyes were wide and alert, the man had a guarded, anxious look to him. She felt a little sorry for him. She could imagine the pressure he was under.
I hope you get your answers, Ryan. I really do.
Overdrive pointed at the screen. “If he screws this up, riots will take place all around the globe. Maybe even worse than before. This isn’t just about Shanti anymore, the people want answers to everything.”
“I bet they do,” Chris said.
The air in the stadium was charged with a heavy atmosphere of unrest, making her wonder if she had always done her best to do the right thing. It wasn’t just herself she had to think about. Now that she was directly responsible for Nora, the other girl would have to live with the consequences of Chris’s actions, too.
As the Secretary General’s image came to life, the tall, well-dressed man stepped to the podium outfitted with the UNEOA’s logo and a half dozen microphones. He placed his hands on the podium before raising his eyes to look straight into the camera, the lines of his face hardened by concern.
Hi. I’m right here, Chris thought, absently rubbing her cheek with her fingers. Did anyone tell you why the Covenant isn’t immortal anymore? It’s kinda my fault. I couldn’t stop Legion from snatching my teammate, and Saint’s lost his mind because of it.
For a moment she wanted nothing more than to keep her head low and disappear into the crowd. The weight of forty thousand people awaiting answers with bated breath was almost palpable.
“It is with great concern that I speak to you today,” Secretary Kwabena began with a firm voice and a ramrod-straight posture.
The spectators strained forward in their seats.
“Today I address not only the international community of united governments, but the people they serve. You, the citizens of this world, have a right to know that our world is changing.”
Low mutters flitted through the crowd.
“The powers that threaten world peace and stability have never been more menacing. Today, I wish to give you hope, and assure you that the United Nations Evolved Oversight Authority has not abandoned its cause. It continues to strive for peace, security, and equal rights.”
Chris’s attention drifted away from the screen to scan the crowd again. Nothing she saw raised any red flags, and her danger sense was still dormant, but the unease still churned in her gut. She turned her attention back to the screen, realizing that she wanted answers as much as everyone else.
“These global concerns threatened to divide our unity back in 2010 when the first Evolved emerged after the Pulse. That’s why the United Nations took the leading role in developing solutions and agreements to guard the state of the world as we know it to this day, primarily through the establishment of the Covenant.”
The mention of the Covenant provoked boos and shouts of protest throughout the stadium. Chris saw Overdrive tense. The Covenant heroes were still god-like entities to him, even now that they were vulnerable because they had been robbed of Saint’s protection.
How much longer can they keep the Covenant’s loss of immortality a secret? She furrowed her brows at the screen. Raven and his crew wouldn’t have exposed themselves as terrorists unless they knew they could get away with it. If the mercenary leader was aware of the Covenant’s vulnerability, the news was bound to leak out.
Chris understood the reason behind the UNEOA’s stubborn determination to preserve the status quo. Their motivation was simple enough. To prevent mass panic.
“To this day, Evolved powers have claimed fewer lives than the Haiti earthquake in January of 2010, one month before the Pulse. This is due to the diligent work of the Covenant, which has succeeded in eliminating threats we could not overcome with conventional means.”
The Secretary General paused for a sip of water, oblivious to the angry shouts his words elicited from the crowded stadium. The observers didn’t appreciate the implication that Shanti had to be executed because she was classified as a threat.
The Secretary General set down his water glass and fixed his eyes on the camera once more. “It is my duty to inform you that the world no longer stands united. India and China have decided to withdraw from the United Nations,” he stated, his grave voice echoing from every loudspeaker in the stadium.
“What?” Chris muttered in disbelief. “Good luck trying to sell us world peace after this.” She wasn’t much of a political junkie, but she knew enough to be aware of the far-reaching effects of China’s withdrawal from the UN on world politics.
“Yeah. That can’t be good,” Overdrive said. “But I guess it was only a matter of time before it left on its own. China must have twenty or more Evolved, and we don’t even know how many of them have power surged.”
Chris agreed. China’s communist government had done such a good job at keeping its Evolved citizens disciplined that its refusal to release detailed information about them hadn’t ruffled too many feathers. But the fact that no one knew exactly what kind of Evolved strike force China could assemble was a concern. India, as the world’s second most populated country, was in a similar position, though the Indian government had been more forthcoming with information. Until now.
India must be pissed as hell over Shanti, she almost added. The Secretary General dropped another bomb before she could state the obvious.
“It’s my duty to inform you that Radiant has resigned from the Covenant. He will work as an independent hero from now on, but the UNEOA’s opinion of him has not changed. We continue to extend our trust in Radiant and the sense of justice that guides his path.”
A murmur swept through the crowd, and Chris glanced over at Overdrive. He met her eyes without a word, his lips pressed into a hard line.
So that’s why Radiant is MIA, she realized. And why Athena’s acted so weird yesterday.
She rubbed her cheek while waiting for the Secretary General to tell the television audience about Queenie’s death, but that information never came. Instead the man lauded Radiant’s accomplishments and his credentials as a Covenant hero. It was such a blatant attempt at damage control that Chris’s mind bounced back to the more basic and immediate problem. Were there any troublemakers mingling within the crowd?
She scanned the spectator ranks once more, as overwhelmed by the sheer mass of people as she was when she first stepped into the stadium. All around her, countless pairs of eyes were glued to the Jumbotron, unaware of the looming threat of a terrorist attack.
“The Covenant remains as strong as ever,” the Secretary General said, settling a long-fingered hand over his heart. “And the UNEOA remains united in its cause for global stability in this uncertain new age. The world’s brightest scientists, visionaries, and problem solvers are now working with us to fulfill this goal. Rest assured that we have moved several steps toward absolute world peace.”
Once the crowd heard that, the stadium erupted with jeers. A burly man who was sitting on an aisle a few feet from where Chris stood, his jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists. “How?” he shouted. “By killing our only goddamn healer?”
The question opened the gates to a flood of protests that drowned out the Secretary General’s words. Many rose to their feet all at once, howling Shanti’s name, crying out for justice.
To Chris’s surprise it didn’t take long for the crowd’s jeers to morph into the buzz of collective laughter so she looked around to figure out why.
Right in the middle of the AstroTurf, towering over the center of the ballpark, a gigantic hand in official UNEOA colors appeared from out of nowhere to point a twenty-foot high middle finger to the sky. It didn’t cast a shadow, but it did a good job of blocking the view of the screen and the Secretary Gene
ral’s face.
Overdrive snorted a laugh. “Holy shit, would you look at that thing?”
Up above Samael’s floating figure skirted around the raised middle finger while patrolling along the edges of the stadium’s open roof.
Chris spoke into her microphone while scanning the crowds. “Athena? Something’s happening here. Probably Mirage, but I can’t confirm.”
“Roger that,” Athena replied. “Alert us if you see a target. I have a visual of the hologram. The drones are ready for intervention, and Paladin will be on his way as soon as the Secretary General is secured.”
About time. We need a Revoker—
Her thought was interrupted by a distorted female voice booming from the direction of center field. “Anyone who listens to this propaganda shit is no better than the UNEOA murder squad!”
Chris turned her head to follow the sound of the voice as it swooped across the stands, blaring above tens of thousands of heads. A few people whooped in agreement, but most craned their necks to see what would happen next.
“Did you get that?” She asked into her headset.
“Yes,” Athena replied. “It sounds like Mirage’s classic vocal manipulation. Do you have a visual of the target yet?”
Chris strained her eyes in an attempt to take in the sea of people. “Not yet.”
“All of you have blindly followed along with this Covenant shit for way too long,” the distorted voice continued. “If you all don’t snap out of it, they’re going to take over the world. You hear that? It’s not the Evolved you should all be afraid of, it’s the UNEOA and their Covenant puppets!”
All humor was gone from Overdrive’s voice now. “Oh, shit,” was all he managed to say.
“So, lemmings. Do you want to live? If the answer is yes, then I suggest you all get out of this stadium now,” the voice boomed. “You’ve got three minutes before we blow this place to smithereens, and the Covenant won’t be able to do jack shit to stop it.”
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