At first light in the morning, after a long and restful afternoon and evening and night of sleep, I awaken hungrily to the sound of knocking on the front door. I immediately slip into my armor and grab Filia out of my [Inventory], fearful for who would be trying to contact me so early in the morning.
Come to think of it, Mrs. Jacobs should still be here, no? Sometimes she goes to work early, but usually not this early. Does she just not want to answer it? I can’t blame her. It’s ass o’clock AM and I completely understand the desire to just say ‘to hell with it all’ and tell whoever it is exactly where they can shove their insistent whining at such an hour unfit for the goddesses. But, for Chloe’s sake, I go ahead and float down the stairs, ready to greet or chew out the perpetrator of this gross injustice against common decency.
It’s… two men, in police uniforms… No, wait, not city police, but county sheriffs. That’s a double shit sandwich with extra mayo if ever I’ve seen one. At least they haven’t taken to busting down the door just yet, something which does rather surprise me.
I open the door, mirth long gone from my face. “And what brings you here, gentlemen?” I ask, not bothering to hide my displeasure.
“Are you Ms. Seraphina Mortensen?” one of the two asks.
“I am. Might I inquire as to the reason for your being here at such an uncivilized hour?”
“Your presence, as well as that of Ms. Chloe Jacobs, is hereby requested and ordered, by writ of the mayor and city council, to appear at city hall posthaste. We have been instructed to escort you and–”
“You all didn’t really think this through, did you?”
“I beg your pardon!” The officer, clearly irate by my backtalk, draws his finger toward his gun.
“Just out of curiosity, how did you intend to enforce that writ?”
“I–” The man stammers as I summon my wings and float just off the ground. “I– I suppose we didn’t think that far ahead. We were just told to summon you both straightaway.”
I sigh. I really don’t want to deal with this shit. I just want to get ready for class, cuddle up with Chloe, relax for a couple of days, and just not deal with the outside world for a bit until I’m ready mentally for one final delve to complete the final nine floors of the Tower, preferably before the semester starts and I’m bogged down by all that.
“I give you my word that Chloe and I will be there at nine this morning. Now please, just leave us in peace. It’s way, way too early for this nonsense.”
“We– We understand. Have a safe and pleasant morning, ma’am.”
I shake my head as the two deputies depart, giving just enough of a glare to hopefully keep them from trying anything untoward. Only once they drive off and leave the range of my [Archangel’s Gaze] do I finally let out one, long, five-second breath and make my way upstairs.
[Your [Archangel’s Gaze (Rank XIII)] has upgraded to [Archangel’s Gaze (Rank XIV)].]
Really, System? That was the last bit of Skill Experience I needed to get a new rank? I guess I was using it pretty much constantly all day yesterday morning. Still, I can’t help but chuckle in amusement at the disconnect. Or maybe, dealing with the law is just that weighty, as far as the System is concerned. Or–
“Sera?” Chloe messages. “You need to come up here and see this right away.”
Well, this is turning shitty in a hurry. I hope it’s not as bad as I dare fear. I rush up the stairs, at which point, Chloe starts playing a video off her phone. My eyes widen as I look on in horror, unable to stop watching the horrific events being replayed on the small screen.
This just in. Breaking news this morning out of the rubble of what used to be Washington, D.C. Dan Lewellen is live in Arlington. Dan, take it away.
Thank you, Brian. Reports this morning are continuing to come in regarding a complete takeover of D.C. by insurgents calling themselves the New American Legion. The attack started around midnight last night, punctuated by a series of attacks sweeping across the nation’s capital. Even now, as you can see from this shot here, massive plumes of smoke are still visible all the way from the other side of the Potomac.
Dan, do we know anything about this insurgent group’s motives, demands, the people involved, any suspects?
Brian, no, we’ve yet to…
The feed cuts out into a flicker of static, at which point, a man dressed in a suit of ebon armor from neck to toe appears, standing in front of the now ruined White House. He is flanked by two soldiers, each in scaled armor and carrying swords that are made of some sort of crystal. Maybe diamond? Either the drops from a high-level dungeon, or proof that this new organization has a competent crafter on their side. In either case, a threat that has to be taken seriously.
9
The video on Chloe’s phone ends there. Immediately, I understand precisely why the mayor has summoned us on such short notice, going so far as to send the sheriffs to harass us. To my great annoyance, the second shoe I was worried about is dropping, and this is, in fact, important enough that we can’t just sit around until nine as would be good and right with the world.
So instead, we’re off to the showers in short order. Far too quick ones, with water far too cold for my taste. The kind of shower meant to quickly wake a girl up and force her to attention, rather than the long, hot, relaxing kind after a difficult day. The sort that I prefer when at all possible.
We arrive down at city hall a few minutes before seven AM, only delayed for a few minutes by the fact that neither of us actually knows exactly which building we’re looking for. Thankfully, we are quickly waved through security, the guards on the scene even going so far as to push us forward through the security checkpoint ahead of the press and lay citizenry, followed by a pair of escorts taking us directly into the council chambers.
The chambers are chaotic, with heated discussions already taking place both between the council and the press, as well as among members of the council. Broadly, there are two factions already forming. One side remains loyal to whatever faction of the United States government is still operating from the shadows. There are enough contingency plans in place for such a scenario that there’s likely at least some members of Congress and Cabinet secretaries still around and in nominal command of the remaining federal government infrastructure. The other faction isn’t exactly enthused by this New American Legion claiming dominion over the government, but they are at least open and conciliatory to meeting with them and discussing what they have in mind.
Of the two factions, the pro-US faction commands a supermajority of over three-quarters among the mayor and council: eight, including the mayor. The other two, representing the less prosperous northern and western quadrants of the city, are not exactly pushing a pro-Legion stance, instead couching their words in political doublespeak. But hidden underneath their words is a consistent message: the government of old has failed too many Americans, particularly those of more humble means. And we should not let this opportunity pass to radically revamp our social and political organizations.
One of the two, an older Black woman serving the sixth ward on the north side of town, has also been pointing out how her ward has sustained the largest number of attacks from the monsters that have plagued Earth since the System’s arrival. It also has the fewest soldiers deployed to protect them, instead relying on citizen militias to fill in the gap. This, while the interior midtown wards, wealthier already and naturally insulated from monster attacks, have emerged largely unscathed, with the notable exception being my own doing.
I’m not going to say I regret my actions because, while tragic, they were the only option I had at the time. No other combination of techniques and Skills I possessed could reliably deal with so many harpies, not without unacceptably grave risks of failure. But my heart does still ache for the eight who lost their lives nominally at my hand.
As soon as the mayor, a middle aged, clean-shaven, slightly-wizened man, well-dressed in a tan suit, sees Chloe and me, he calls toward us. A shadow of a man, likely some sort of [Assassin], lurks behind him, some combination of Skills helping him to blend in and distract our minds from his presence. It doesn’t work on me, and I give him a smile as a subtle acknowledgement.
He responds in kind, giving a small nod of his head. Enough to make it clear that he’s an agent working to protect the councilors and their staff, not someone working to take them out.
“Ms. Mortensen, Ms. Jacobs,” the mayor says. “I’m glad that you two have arrived, and earlier than your previous estimates.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I respond. “We didn’t realize the urgency of the situation, and when two armed sheriff’s deputies arrived this morning, banging on the door before the crack of dawn, my instinct is to think that we’re being arraigned or attacked, not summoned to such an important meeting.”
“Apologies for that,” the mayor responds. “Although I’m sure the news has already circumnavigated the planet by now, right now, our official policy is not to acknowledge the tragedies of last night, at least until we’ve come to a decision about what the city’s stance will be.”
“Mr. Mayor, if I may ask one question,” Chloe says. “What is our role in all of this? I understand that we’re at a crisis point here, but Sera and I are civilians here. Whatever responsibilities we may have assumed as far as the defense of our home is concerned, neither one of us is a politician, and I know Seraphina absolutely abhors the very idea.”
I nod in a combination of frustration and resignation.
“I don’t want to say this too loudly in front of the press, so…”
I Manifest a sound barrier out of my glyphs, surrounding the three of us, plus the mayor’s shadowy guard. “Please, Mr. Mayor. I have assured the privacy of your next words.”
“We, and I assume many other governors and mayors, have received a missive from the leadership of this New American Legion. They are requesting we send emissaries— liaisons, if you will— to a summit in the coming weeks, to hash out a series of mutual defense pacts between the various city-states which are still more-or-less populated and functioning. They are planning a full-scale reorganization and centralization, making use of their military might and technological prowess to enforce a new order. We have been invited to participate in this summit.”
“And… you want us to serve as your emissaries?”
“That is still to be determined. Come, sit down, and we will discuss our stances on the matter in greater detail.”