6

As soon as she woke the first thing Clara did was to turn on the TV. Since the comms network was down the most efficient method for common residents of the meritocracy to stay up to date has been the TV. The TV was still on the news.

It showed a nervous young anchor sitting behind a desk to report on the news. In the corner of the screen it showed a nervous looking man with subtitles indicating he was the director of state security. “…When asked for his reasons the director refused to comment.” He finished, then the picture changed to another scene, it showed a running clip of a group of gun men executing crazed cultists one after the other.

“In other news the armed forces from yesterday have remained silent until now. Who are these mysterious people that seemed to have come out of nowhere in our hour of need.”

The news swapped to a clip showing the devestation which had come after the assault from the cultists.

“No one expected this to happen to us. This was only something you’d hear off in far off and more volatile nations.” A female reported narrated from the background as the camera changed scenes and showed the rows apon rows of cloth covered bodies lain out in a town square.

The camera changed scenes again showing a crying woman holding up a child. “But this is the reality. Parents, friends and children killed, the reason for the violence still unknown and our leaders remaining silent. This tragic situation has led some to question whether we are truly better off in a land where those in power hold so much sway over our lives.”

“Was this truly how our nation was meant to be? What of the ideals of the meritocracy which we grew up with? Who was really in charge of the country? I went to ask the leading researcher on Sociology and politics, Doctor Tarthes Mencarlo about our situation.”

The scene changed again, it was a bright room, a balding scholarly man sat in front of the reported.

The reported was the first to speak. “Just what happened yesterday doctor?”

The doctor nodded slightly, “First of all, let me start by saying how deeply sorry I am to all who have lost their families in this event…

“What happened yesterday was something no one should ever have to go through, but regardless of the our feelings there are forces inside and outside of our nation that seek to harm us.”

“Are you saying this could have been related to an foreign nation doctor?”

“Yes, but that does not absolve those inside of responsibility either.”

“Please elaborate doctor.”

“The great meritocracy, that’s what our schools call it. But it is also the largest lie we have believed for some time.

“I know, and I’ve studied this, I’ve written papers and argued with the caucus but no one was ever willing to listen. Not until the tragic events that took place last night.

“The text-book definition of a Meritocracy is: a government or the holding of power by people selected according to merit.

“It is by this very definition that the whole of our society hangs on and by the very same that we will fall. This merit the text-books speak of, who determines the basis at which we measure our leaders? Who determines those deserving of a larger amount credits for their deeds?”

He leans back and presses his palms together, “Up until recently, the person making those choices had been the Overseer. A emotionless, perfectly impartial judge, for lack of a better term.

“Now with the Overseer seemingly having disappear and our so called leader left without any supervision the cracks have started to show in this sham government which had been going on for close to a thousand years or so.”

“So if we have lost contact with the Overseer, who is in control of our country?”

The doctor smiles, it was not a gloating smile, it was a haunting smile. As if he wished with all his being that what he was about to say would be false. “The simple answer, and the only one sufficient would be ‘No one’. Since 2 days ago right as the Overseer stopped answering our messages, the government has been basically disassembled.

“Although there are people who held positions of power previously, with the overseer gone the other factions, the so called ‘founding clans’ no longer have any need to listen to those people. And if you are asking why that matters in a country where everyone is meant to be equal. Well, we are not equal, the meritocracy is an ideal to strive toward, but it is just that, an ideal, with the common man not holding as much sway as those age old families how could they hope to compete with the great amount of resources the clans have in their possession?

“The simple answer is they can’t. One thousand years have passed and not once have we had a leading member of congress who was not also associated with one of the family or another.”

“That sounds rather strange doctor, I have always been told that the founding clans were ancient yet respectable members of society, upholding our values since their founding.”

The doctor waved this off, “Nonsense, they have always lusted after power. Even if you look to the events of yesterday, you will find that not even one clan has set out to help. I am even willing to go so far as to suggest that the reason for the polices’ silence is due to their involvement with the clans.

“This country has never been the common man’s it has always been in their hands. And now they are afraid. Afraid that the other clan will attack them as soon as they turn their back.-“

The picture on the TV snapped off, the image was entirely black. A moment later the TV switched to commercials asking people to spend their credits.

Clara stood up and entered the elevator. She tapped her comm-ring, “Teresa”

“Yes?”

“The TV… Has someone taken them off the air?”

“Yes, our spies are reporting two clans colluding to take over the Amere TV’s broadcasting station. Do you want me to do something about it?”

“Aren’t we stretched a little thin right now?”

“Usually I would say yes, but the situation has calmed down after we sent out our soldiers to take care of the cultists. Oh, we also had to send our the mercenaries, The Elare clan tried to take advantage when we sent out so many of our forces.”

“Then it’s a good thing you thought to bring them in when you did Terr.” She remarked and smiled at the comm-ring, knowing that Teresa could see her.

“Clara, there’s something else I have to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Last night, thanks to those cultists we found a hidden research facility. Inside we found prototype guardians, like in the stories, running on a impetus drives. We also found the man leading the research and we’ll try figuring out the group in charge of that place.” Teresa took a breath, “But if my hunch is correct,”

“You think it has something to do with the Sage Guild?”

“Yes, how did you know?”

“They’re the only ones I can see doing this… We sort of… Anyway, tell me, do these guardians have a cockpit?”

“Strange, I would swear you’ve seen it before.”

“Nothing that grand, I just know how their type works.”

“If you say so.” Teresa said and started whisteling for no reason.

The elevator landed on the first floor. When the doors slid open Shadow was already waiting.

He growled, seemingly the most emotion he’d ever shown outside his admiration for Teresa, “You made me miss something exciting yesterday.”

She chuckled, “Exciting? Hardly.”

She walked to the exit and Shadow followed behind her.

As she came to the entrance then said, “Get a car for me,” before leaving through the door.

A moment later a car stopped in front of the waiting pair. Clara was expressionless as she got in. She wouldn’t let Shadow open the door for her, not that he offered.

But anyway, she was still a student, and at least for a small she wanted to act as if she was an independent person without the responsibility of the clan hanging over her.

What was the clan leaders duty? The answer was simple as the doctor on the TV would say, it was to ensure that none of the other clans came into power and to do her utmost to gain the clan as much power as possible.

She tapped her ring, her assistant answered. He was a young talented scholar in the clan’s employ who she’d spotted one day. Ever since Teresa started working as the head of intelligence she’d needed someone else to do her trivial tasks for her.

“I want some soldiers. Enough to retake the broadcasting station.”

“Yes, miss Clara,” her assistant replied.

It was time to step up her plans. The people would not wait for her, and her enemies certainly wouldn’t either.

It was time she stepped up to the plate and took her place as leader of the people.

The car pulled away and they arrived at a small café. She stepped in, surprisingly, despite yesterday’s events the café was brimming with customers.

“Sit, you look like a toad if you just stand there.” Shadow grunted then sat on the chair opposite hers.

“What are we doing here?” He asked

“Waiting…”

“And then?”

She smiled slightly, “Making trouble.”

“It’s about time.”

“I wasn’t planning to reveal myself yet but circumstances have changed.”

“Like what?”

“Well I’ve realized that sitting around and waiting for things to come to me will mean I’m going to be left with a burning husk of a country. It’s time we take steps to control the country at its core.”

“Where’s that? Is this something to do with the Overseer that I’ve been hearing about?”

She realized that Shadow, and the other mercenaries she’d yet to meet have never been in the country while the Overseer was still active.

“No, I won’t be like those fools in the other clans. At least not anymore. The Overseer was the perfect servant and protector, but that isn’t what defines us.”

She leaned back in her chair, waiting for the coffee she’d ordered to arrive. “What defines us is people. Look around you, even after the Overseer was gone, when the banks closed and the lines were cut, we didn’t panic. We were calm, and we went about trying to fix things so that the convenience of our life wasn’t interrupted.”

She looked at a man holding up a cellphone to his ear and speaking into it. Seems the civilian network is working again.

“But when what truly matters is threatened, that’s when we truly band together. People are mad… Their furious in fact. All because of the people that they’ve lost. That we’ve lost rather.”

She spent a moment gathering her thoughts. “It’s as if the illusion wound around the masses has finally dispersed, their angry and they blame those in charge. But not only that, they blame themselves too, because they never desired a change in how things were run, because they allowed those who would rather protect themselves to rule over them.

“Change is coming. And there will be chaos once again.”

Shadow hummed, “I’ve heard of some civil wars in other contries, we don’t really live in a country with anything like a government though so I can’t really say I relate.”

She chuckled, “Tell me about yourself, or rather your group.”

“Well~~~ Since your Teresa’s boss there’s no reason I shouldn’t. The first and the most important person to us is a man, his name is Chief, or that might just be what we call him.

“He found us and brought us up, without him we would have nothing, so you could say he is something like a parent to all of us.”

Shadow tapped the table as the coffee arrived. He hadn’t even bothered to look at the menu as he’d repeated her order.

“The country we live in is a… very harsh place. You can’t live there if you aren’t prepared to kill to survive. Constant fighting, war lords, slave lords, monsters, rouge mages and any number of other shit goes on in that place. Our group lives in a compound at the foot of a mountain valley, even just setting a foot out of the valley is filled with danger.

“So we live relatively stable lives, its much better than the other places I’ve heard of at least. Maybe this place is better, maybe its worse, I don’t really care for the answer either way.”

He leaned forward then said, “But I know I wouldn’t like it here.”

“Why’s that?”

“I wouldn’t be able to handle living under someone else’s thumb. All of these people…” He gestured at the other patrons in the café. “The seem like sheep. Much too willing to follow along with whatever their leader says. Their weak, sort of like those cultists.”

She chuckled, was this the difference in philosophy of a person that has to fight just for the right to survive against someone that was raised in comfort? Or was this just something inherent among all the mercenaries that Teresa had hired?

“That’ surprising, I didn’t take you for a philosopher.” She smirked.

He shrugged, “Doesn’t have anything to do with that. I know what your thinking. You’re thinking I’m uneducated right? Since I live in some god forsaken pit. Sorry to say-not really-but your wrong, all of the others in my group have received an education. Something about thinking for ourselves.” He looked outside. “And when I see this place I finally realize why that is so important.”

He looked back at her, “So it’s not really philosophy, it’s just self-actualization, without that a person will always be a pawn to another, something my pride would never allow.”

She chuckled loudly enough for the other patrons to give her strange looks, “Interesting, I never thought the problems in our society would be so eloquently stated by someone we’d normally consider as nothing more than a barbarian.”

He grunted, then sat back and blushed. And for the first time Clara could actually see this man and Teresa making a good couple.

“Anyway, I’m sorry to say but today might not be as exciting as you might have been hoping.”

“What are you going to do today?”

“Take over the TV station. Then I want to have a face to face with the populous.” She smiled as she said it.

He shrugged and stopped speaking with her, not seeming that interested anymore.

Unfortunately there wouldn’t be any fighting for him; she hoped.

Her ring chimed and it was time to go. She left a few credits and they then left the café. They then got into the car and left for their next destination.

“Miss, the soldiers you’ve requested are in position. They’re just waiting for your word.”

“Good tell them to come meet me when I get there.

When they arrived at the Amere TV’s broadcasting station she could see soldiers who seemed that they did not belong surrounding the building. A man stepped out, he was wearing casual wear and smiling as he ran up to her and waved.

“Miss Clara, this isn’t a good place,” His face was still smiling but his voice was very serious.

She nodded, “Climb in,” The man got in on the passenger seat next to the driver. “Where to?” She asked.

The man led them to another building, which was out of sight but still quite close to the station.

They left the car, with the driver waiting inside and entered the building. Inside were a group of people sitting on couches, they were wearing civilian clothes but they all had guns in their hands and pockets. A thin man looked up at her, “Miss Clara.” Surprisingly he was an elf.

The elf stepped up to her and held out a hand, “It’s good to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You are?” She asked.

“Ah! Excuse my manners, I am Commander Yuller,” He smiled, “You’re mother’s always talking about you.”

“Oh.” She shrugged, “Commander, I’ve got a job for you.”

“Take over the station right?”

“Indeed.”

“We can move out at anytime miss.”

“How long can you hold it?”

“My ten should be able to hold for a bit, that with the others that have been put under my lead should be enough as long as we aren’t over run.”

He put his hands over his hips, tapped his feet and hummed in thought. “If you want to keep it for longer than a day you’re going to need to bring in some equipment. That place is basically a death trap as it is right now.”

She smiled, “As long as you’re the one doing the killing it should be fine~~”

He shivered but she ignored him. “Anyway, I won’t be longer than a day. We’re going in and out. And we aren’t going to leave a station behind us… So… How are you doing in regards to explosives?”

The commander shrugged, “Daren?” he asked.

“We’re good.” a muscular man intoned.

The commander nodded as if that was answer enough. “We should be able to bomb about 3 stations with the explosives he’s carrying. He always carries some with him and he’s always lying about how much.”

“Good to here.”

“So…”

Clara nodded, “Yes, I would like to go now, if we can.”

The commander nodded, “Qwes,”

“Sir!” A woman with a small pouch engraved with a cross on the cover jumped to attention.

“You’re up. You’re gonna spend some time with Miss Clara here.”

“Sir.” She seemed to sulk, but gathered herself and saluted. She turned to Clara, and offered a bow, much like a male would. “Miss Clara, it’s good to meet you, I’ll be serving as you’re guard for the duration of this operation.”

Clara nodded. It was easier to acquiesce than to argue, she was already running on thin ice with the small size of her protection detail. Now that she was deliberately heading into danger it wasn’t bad to think of some extra protection. And to make things worse, due to a lack of interest she wasn’t much of a fighter either.

“Another thing.” The commander smiled charmingly as he held up a vest for her to take. “You’ll be wearing this, as well as a helmet as we head in there.”

She frowned, he chuckled before explaining. “That place is crawling with soldiers. The rest of my team is also going to be wearing their gear since its highly likely that things won’t be going smoothly.”

Clara grumbled before taking the vest and pulling it over her shirt.

She most always wore jean and a simple shirt that did their best to hide her assets. The vest was a bit tight…

“Wait, let me.” Qwes said before moving behind her and adjusting the straps. That was better.

“Thanks.” Clara muttered to which Qwes simply gave a smile in response.

“Right then,” Commander Yuller said and nodded. He turned to the others in the room and shouted, “Everyone pack up! We’ve got a building to capture! Move out!”