Steel Fire

Olivia left the interrogation room with the smile still on her face, until she saw who awaited her.

“Explain.” Arakiel commanded, without threat or curiosity.

“The Federation flag is black with white stars. Nuclear war would look like that from space,” she explained as she continued her way to the coordination center. “Their campaign was aimed at raising tensions within and between our nations, building up to a climax that would not work without. It’s like a song to them.”

Arakiel followed her, keeping an exact distance between them. “There has constantly been tension between our nations since the fall of the Reich.”

“The Federation is internally fractured. Plutocrats and warlords hold onto any scrap of power they can get. Revolts threaten that power.”

“New powerful individuals always rise in their place when one falls.”

“Yes, but it makes the Federation look weak,” she explaining, wagging her finger at the goul. “Never mind that we are too busy with our own problems. They don’t know that. Not even we know more than we need to.”

“They believe the Republic will attack them.”

“Why wouldn’t they? We’ve tried very hard to project strength.” They arrived into the coordination center. Several nervous aides turned to them, trying to look like they had been busy.

“The Republic is strong. The Federation persists only because we allow it.” The knight of the Order of Overwatch turned away from her to stare into the distance. Olivia wondered what he was seeing in his mind’s eye. When she had shaken off the thought, she turned to the map that formed the center of the coordination center. On it, was the continent that the entirety of the Republic occupied. A small outgrowth at the bottom indicated the city-state of Serenissima, small and stubborn, and across an expanse of nothing but blue to the east, was the large island nation that was the Federation of Free Peoples. On this map, it was smaller than Olivia knew it to be, and showed no cities or harbors or streets. Enforcement didn’t need to concern itself with the internal matters of the Federation, and so they didn’t know about them.

“To know the target of these terrorists, I need something from you, Sir Arakiel,” Olivia said, loudly, so all her aids could hear. Arakiel didn’t move, continuing to stare at nothing.

“Point out all sites of disruptions by the Locust and...Tyr that preceded this last one. Give me the truth,” she said, staring at the map. The white mask slowly turned to her, she saw in the corner of her vision.

Arakiel was slow to move, and when he finally did, he moved sluggishly as if it pained him to comply. He picked up a box of black pins and started to stick them into the map. By the time he finished, the box was almost empty.

“It’s really that bad?” André asked, wide-eyed.

Olivia ignored him. “Am I right in assuming that they moved roughly east?”

The mask moved down in a slow nod. The gray eyes behind it locked with hers. Her legs weakened, and the urge to look away was intense, but she persevered and broke away to look at the map.

She spoke her thoughts out loud while all the pieces fell into place in her mind’s eye. “Tyr separated from Victor after the last concert. There is a limited selection of high-priority targets he could have reached since then. Victor believed that she- he would have the time to free some of their followers and use them to prevent reinforcements at that location.”

“What would be his target?” Arakiel asked.

“This is an Enforcement base, government controlled, so it wouldn’t be the first choice for assistance if a purely military or knightly base was attacked.” She pointed at a pin with a lime green color. It was the only one that made sense to her right now. “That’s a joint base of both military, knightly and government significance. There must be at least forty warheads stored there. Not all of them will be ready for launch, but he needs only one to-”

“Retaliation would be immediate and total,” André said.

“It’s the one thing in this Realm that could still threaten the Republic,” one of the aides added, before André silenced them with a quick gesture.

“We must stop this,” Arakiel said.

“How could a singer infiltrate a nuclear base and launch a missile?” André scoffed quietly.

“Tyr is not an ordinary person.” Olivia said and locked eyes with the knight. It seemed he already knew about what Maria had told her.

“We must stop this,” he repeated.

“Radio that base. Quickly,” Olivia commanded. Aides sprung to action, and the volume of the speakers was turned up. Patiently, Olivia waited as proper protocols were exchanged.

“This is base Alpha-21. Colonel Lucia Katti speaking,” a voice finally came through. “With all due respect, we’re dealing with a possible incursion here so please keep it brief.”

Olivia grabbed the microphone from the operators hands. “This is commissioner Olivia Terzi. We have a-”

She felt the slight pressure of loose leather on her shoulder. When she turned to it, trying to continue her explanation, she stared at a white ceramic face. The eyes were hidden while he looked past her and at the microphone. Arakiel’s voice was calm and precise.

“Override 54flippedA, detonate a device now.”

“Acknowledged,” a voice in the background responded. It was the flat tone of an inquisitor. Colonel Katti sounded like she was starting to object, but was cut off. The transmission terminated soon after without exchanging sign-off protocols.

Everyone in the room went silent as Olivia slowly turned to Arakiel.

The thing that had been a man once returned her gaze passively. It was clear to Olvia that she wasn’t going to get any immediate answers from him.

“Get me the nearest station,” Olivia said, slowly.

“That would be-” the operator started to explain.

“I don’t care. Just do it.”

She grabbed the microphone before protocols had been completed.

“Something is happening. Tell me what you can.”

The man on the other side of the signal sounded shaken before he even started speaking.

“The station was hit by a shock wave, ma’am.” There was a pause, followed by a sob, before he found his voice again. “I can see the cloud on the horizon. It looks just like a mushroom, ma’am. We’re already dead, aren’t we? It’s just like a big mushroom.”

“André,” she said, calmly, “please instruct all individuals within the affected area around the base to follow standard evacuation procedures for a nuclear attack. Then inform the Order of the Nuclear that there has been a...breach, and that their expertise will be needed to treat the wounded and clean up the area. Their sensors are likely picking this up already.”

“Yes, commissioner,” André said, and started issuing orders to the aides, leaving Olivia room to turn her attention to the knight next to her.

Arakiel had retreated to a respectable distance, and was straightening his uniform and leather trenchcoat when Olivia turned to him.

“What was that?” she said, her words calm and professional, while her eyes spat fire at him. He didn’t seem to notice.

“I put an end to a situation that resulted from the failure of the Brotherhood of the Night,” Arakiel said. “You were very helpful in resolving the situation. I will leave the clean-up to you.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that, which he used to nod politely and walk past her and out of sight.

A familiar feeling, that made her uncomfortable for the first time, came over her. It was time to do her job. It was time to clear the records. She had done it many times before.

Olivia didn’t feel anything as she stepped into the interrogation room, and was greeted by the crazed grin of the Locust. Her holstered weapon felt heavy on her hip.

“The record will show that the Below corrupted you,” she said, her hand resting on the butt of her revolver. “Except, I know, that it was us who made you like this. You should hate us, but I hope you can forgive us.”

“You can’t kill me. I am already dead,” the woman said.

“I am sorry. I see no other way to prevent further suffering,” she said, and her eyes betrayed genuine remorse. Her hands were steady though, as she reached for the weapon in the holster on her belt.

“We are all-”

She fired once, and twice more when the body had slumped to the floor.

Olivia stepped into the cell containing the two teenage delinquents, and felt something again. At her orders, they had been interred together, with copious invasive surveillance of course. All of that had been turned off now. As she entered, they stared at her in fear, once again reminded of what could still be taken away from them.

“Your existence has already been erased. It was never supposed to become known to anyone outside of the project,” Olivia said. “I don’t care what you do with your lives now.”

“We can go then?” Frederick asked, incredulously.

“Thank you,” Maria said.

Olivia smiled, turning her one functional eye from one to the other. “I believe there is something greater than us. I’m just not that sure what that is anymore.”

“You are right to doubt,” Maria said, and approached her, touching her hand.

Fredrick just stared at her, suspiciously. When Maria stayed silent, he carefully started to push her in the direction of the door. She kissed his cheek, before they both ran through the door, leaving Olivia behind.

“What did you do?” Arakiel asked, as soon as she entered the coordination center. He had remained behind to observe the evacuation procedures, but as soon as Olivia entered his sight he seemed to sense that something was wrong. His bright gray eyes now bore into her.

“I am not a monster,” she said, casually enduring his gaze. “I am not like you.”

“You betrayed the Republic,” he stated, as if it were fact.

“I would never, ” Olivia responded. “You could not prove it if I had, and I am no knight. Only a judge can punish me. I have rights.”

The eyes narrowed, and an awful sound came from behind the white ceramic. Arakiel chuckled. He turned around, his shoulders still rising and falling as he walked away.