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Shin Ghost NoteBeneath the Mask IV
Location:The City of Glass - Vandelay Campus
Attendees: Susie, Raz, Goldlewis, Zenkichi, Roxas, Midna, Karin
Viewers: Blazermate, Tora, Giovanna, Geralt, Sakura, Pit, Benedict, Partitio
Word Count: 1566 (+3)
While some semblance of control had been reestablished within the debate hall, the accusations leveled by both candidates had done irreparable damage to the professionalism and integrity of the debate. Both painted an ugly picture of one another, with animal cruelty, illegal fusion, and the willful sabotage of Seiran on one side, and debt-based forced servitude plus child soldiers on the other, nothing proven, but all plausible enough that anyone looking for a weapon to wield against the other side would happily take hold. Of the two men, however, only one currently harbored the position-mandated responsibility of public welfare, that being Shinra. Despite the strong inherent incumbent bias in his favor, Armstrong was making a strong case for himself purely by going one hundred percent offense, even if his claims couldn’t be substantiated.
With the event already behind schedule thanks to the turmoil, the moderator wasted no time with the next question. “Gentleman, though the Ever Crisis is Midgar’s number-one concern, it is by no means the only threat we face. President Shinra alluded to ‘rogue elements’ earlier, and this next question is about them. What do you plan to do about insurrectionist and terrorist organizations like Avalanche, the Hermits, and Reunion, especially the threat posed by Reunion’s leader, former ARI researcher Jena Anderson? Senator, you’re up first.”
Raz kept his focus on Armstrong for this one; the Seekers’ knowledge of the bit players in the Ever Crisis was lacking, and the Senator seemed to know a lot of sensitive information, whether or not it was true.
“First of all, the Hermits are nothing more than a nuisance,” Armstrong declared. “The idea that they represent the same kind of threat as Reunion is a serious misconception. They are petty thieves and hackers restricted primarily to Quarantine Valley by the forces of DespoRHado operating as peacekeepers within Detroit, since General Affairs and Peace Preservation don’t really bother showing up.” He gave a dismissive shrug, then adopted a stern frown. “Jena Anderson, however, is considered Sector 08’s public enemy number one. She preys upon the sick and resentful, urging them to lash out at ordinary people just trying to live their lives. She’s a dangerous criminal, moving in secret through the city’s underbelly, spreading Redshift in your streets and homes!” He faced the audience. “But when my word is law as President there won’t be anywhere left for her to hide. We’ll expose her lies and give the people she’s deceived the help they need!”
Pain in my ass…no way she’s on her own…who’s working with her…gotta be some link to PubSec…redshift getting worse…Reunion attacks…Quarantine Valley…Hermits stronger than ever…everyone against us…can’t give up now.
Shinra glared at Armstrong as if the Senator had stolen his thunder. “DespoRHado’s clumsy attempts to do the job of Neuron are the exact reason -and the only reason- that Anderson had evaded capture so far. But I digress. Anderson might claim that she seeks to end discrimination against the infected. The fact is that redshift is a cruel and relentless malady, almost impossible to stop let alone cure, and such a nightmarish disease warrants countermeasures of utmost seriousness. Portraying the thankless and self-sacrificing efforts of Peace Preservation as ‘oppression’ is the product of a truly warped mind, if she even believes her own lies. In truth, she is merely using it as an excuse to try and justify her crimes, and her followers in Reunion are just the same. As for Avalanche…” Shinra gave a dry, humorless laugh. “Need I say anything, really?”
Without waiting for the moderator’s go-ahead, Armstrong narrowed his eyes at Shinra. “But Mr. President, didn’t they just blow up one of the city’s precious Mako Reactors just last night? And you’re saying they’re not a threat?”
“The exaggerations of the media should not be relied upon,” Shinra told him evenly. “While they managed to cause a scene, the damage to Mako Reactor 1 is not critical, and repairs are underway. It was ultimately a feeble attempt, befitting Avalanche and their feeble justification for eco-terrorism. They claim that Mako is the lifeblood of the planet, but look around Midgar! The land is full of life, and trees as tall as skyscrapers bloom from Kunad Highway and the Valley of Ruin! If Avalanche doesn’t fall apart under the weight of its own inadequacy, it will be dealt with soon.” He stroked his mustache as he stared at Armstrong. “I’m curious, though. Misrepresenting government programs? Preying upon the weak and downtrodden? Inciting them to violence and crime? Working to destabilize Midgar? Put another way, Anderson’s modus operandi is not so dissimilar from your own, Senator.”
Armstrong’s lip curled. “Midgar needs change, Mr. President. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Anderson doesn’t believe in change, and thanks to her, people everywhere have been suffering, especially the undercities! That sound familiar to anyone?” He gazed over the audience. “But I believe in change, and under my leadership I’ve turned things around for Sector 08. Fighting back against the status quo. Giving people the chance to think and fight for themselves!” He put his fist over his chest. “And that’s what I plan to do for the whole city, whether they’re suffering thanks to Anderson…” He turned his pointed gaze to Shinra. “Or anyone else!”
Stifling a wry laugh, Goldlewis shook his head. “They couldn’t call each other the same as that terrorist lady fast enough,” he murmured to the other Seekers. In a way, it was almost heartening to see that the oldest trick in the book -comparing your political opponent to the biggest universally-condemned villain you could think of- still held true here. He couldn’t help but wonder more about this Jena Anderson, though. That name had been floating around for a while. Shinra painted her as an insurrectionist, while Armstrong posited her as a tyrant. What role did she -and Reunion- really play? The Seekers still knew almost nothing about the Chimeras, Redshift, or the Astral Plane, and if Anderson did, it might be worth finding out. Somehow.
”I get the broad strokes of it, but what exactly is a ‘terrorist’ anyhow?” Midna asked, such a concept having not been invented in her world (yet).
Roxas could really only stand in silence. The talk of groups and terrorists just sort of flew over his head for the most part. The only thing that really stood out to him was the focus they were putting on Jena Anderson, whoever that was. They made it sound like she was singularly responsible for all the Redshift stuff that Neuron had to deal with, but was that really true? Could one single person really be behind all of that? He wanted to ask about that, but another conversation started up before he could.
Goldlewis would’ve tried to bend close to whisper in the imp’s ear if he could tell where she was. “Someone who commits violent crimes to coerce civvies or the government into somethin’ for some sort of’ ideological purpose,” he told her as discreetly as he could.
Midna wasn’t quite sure how said ‘terrorists’ thought that would work, or how it exactly applied to the one group she did know about, who’s attack on the reactor made complete sense to her militarily without any coercion angle, though she kept that to herself rather than make it a whole distracting line of conversation. It was very much a concept outside of her time, though whether she liked it or not, it was one she was likely to get quite familiar with should the path forward involve looking into organizations branded as such.
”Hmm… Well either way they are mentioning quite a few people of interest we should look into ourselves perhaps.” Susie said softly, scratching her chin.
"Oh, definitely." Zenkichi added. "Though I'm with Shinra on this one. PubSec might be under Konoe's thumb, but those cyborgs are hardly decent investigators. I wouldn't doubt that they've pulverized plenty of evidence that could have been used to actually implicate the people they're after. Call me biased all you like, but not everybody in PubSec is rotten."
”True, that one cyborg we’ve met didn’t care about collateral damage. And you have to wonder how much intel those like him have destroyed in their rampages…” Susie said, remembering how they ‘assisted’ DespoRHado at that construction site.
Raz relayed what he was able to pick up from Armstrong to the group - PubSec, redshift, the Hermits strength, Reunion, Quarantine Valley. ”Do we know anything about any of that?” he asked, ”between getting into Psych-OSF and the Other fights earlier I sorta forgot some of our debriefing…”
That was too much ground to cover for now. “We’ll have to sum up later, the next segment’s startin’ any second,” Goldlewis whispered back.
”Could always think about it,” Raz joked.
The veteran was not joking, though. “You stay outta my mind, son. I’ve stared straight into hell, and it ain’t suitable for anyone who’s too young enough to drink.”
With a nod, Raz returned to the debate. ”You got it, sir.”
And just like that, Roxas missed his chance. Hopefully he’d remember to bring up his question later when the chance presented itself.
Right, the terrorist groups... but with men like these as leaders, was it really any wonder why people would fight back against the regime? That being said, Pit couldn't agree with their methods. He'd seen the effects of redshift himself first hand last night - why would anyone purposely infect other people with it, let alone innocent people?
For a moment the merchant's fist unclenched, resting his arms on the bar counter. Partitio wondered if the city would be better in the hands of someone like Armstrong, would the people's lives be better? Neither fellers' seemed like good folk, but still to him there was something to the big man's words. Call it being too narrow minded or not seeing the bigger picture, but he liked the sound of change cause it's the same damn thing he'd do. Heck it's exactly how he pulled himself and all the folk back home out of the depths of poverty, the merchant put a hand on his chin and looked to Benedict and nodded to the television "That big feller…He makes a good point, at least about change. Don't care much if it's good or bad..Just needs to happen, for all them fancy words there is a small grain o' truth." the other man took a deep breath, sighing before he replied Admittedly Mr. Yellowil I agree, to that indeed Midgar is in need of change. However that may come… the two nodded in silent agreement, for once their matter of opinions could be set aside and returned to seeing the debate unfold on the strange box people called a television.
"No way, what's the point of changing if it doesn't make things better?" Pit countered, glancing at Benedict and Partitio with his eyebrows knitted together. "That's what they're arguing about, right? Which one of them is better for the city? But they're both bad guys." Though it wasn't like the Seekers could interfere right now anyway, so the citizens could only pick between the familiar and unfamiliar. It was frustrating as an outsider, so it must have been doubly so for the people that lived in Midgar.
"Once we beat the guardian and free the city, it'd be nice to find someone good to take over."
Giovanna smiled, a little bitterly. “Best man for the job got outta the game a while back, if you ask me.” Vernon hadn’t just left because his term had ended, though. Midgar had defeated him, convinced him that it could never be a place he could be proud of. Even then though, he couldn’t have imagined just how bad things could get.
Sakura was grinning, happily counting points for both Giovanna and herself. She asked a random person nearby if they wanted to join but to no avail. “Who?” She found herself asking off-handedly on natural curiosity, though she’d probably regret it if she heard some big long political answer.
The secret agent made an effort keep a hold on her typical bluntness as she replied. “...Vernon.”
“Cool! That’s too bad. ” Sakura threw another dart.
These people, these Seekers saw nothing but black and white; good and evil, neither side mattered. Benedict closed his eyes, and shook his head "You think it's so simple, while I applaud that your view is incredibly naive. Everything isn’t as simple as what you think. What is right for you is not right for someone else." the former Turk spoke in the same tired voice one would hear an adult explaining something to a child, but he lacked the motive to even add an element of condescension to aim at Pit.
"This is the real world, not some fairy tale where the hero's win." it wasn't necessary to say let alone look in the Nopon's direction when Benedict spoke, it was implied or a given "Now come on there partner there’s got to be some good in this world," Partitio sheepishly raised a finger, he didn't see no sense in arguing over this again least of all in a public place still he could get on board with what the angel boy had in mind "Look we can all talk bout' the nitty gritty when it darn well comes to it fighting for change has its merits no matter how it gets done."
”Well, beating the bad guy is fun all in all. And if a new bad guy takes his place, you beat that one, and that one, and that one… Eventually you’ll run out of bad guys. There are so many of them after all.” Blazermate said, totally missing Benedict’s point. ”Either way, what do you guys think about looking into the people they mention? Enemy of my enemy and all that.”
If only things were that easy. “It’s almost impossible to find anyone in this city,” Giovanna told her. “Especially if they don’t want to be found. We still don’t even have a good way to delve into Quarantine Valley. The more I hear, though, the more it seems like we ought to pay it a visit. Right now, it and Suoh interest me the most.”
What Benedict said had rubbed Pit the wrong way, which was clear from the agitated floof of his feathers and the wrinkle of his nose. This world was filled with plenty of heroes from plenty of other worlds where they did win, and the angel was going to make sure that was the case here in Midgar too. After Partitio and Blazermate shifted the topic he shoved the last of the peanuts into his mouth before chiming in again.
"I think we should look for them too! There's gotta be a way, otherwise how do they all meet up with each other?" However the Seekers decided to try, it meant a lot more field trips in the future.
Geralt watched the back and forth about good and evil and reality and ideals, and just sat there. It was a conversation he'd had a thousand times and would likely have a thousand times more, but tonight, he just wanted to see what was going to happen. "Giovanna, how much of what he just said about Anderson is true? We didn't stick around Detroit very long to get an idea of how bad things really are."
Crossing her arms, Giovanna pursed her lips for a moment before answering. “Our intel on her is limited. We know she’s a former head researcher from the Administration’s R&D division. Supposedly went missing…twenty years ago?” She furrowed her brow. “She appears without warning, often in the middle of Gate events, as if she’s instigating them herself. Aberrations and redshift follow in her wake, but they never seem to bother her. Under her leadership, Reunion commits terrorist acts. Everyone in the organization’s redshifting, lots of ‘em barely distinguishable from Aberrations.” So all in all, most of what the candidates said about Anderson was true.
"Fuck." Geralt sighed. That sounded like one hell of a problem to deal with. And the Seekers would likely be the one dealing with it.
”Wait, 20 years ago? Uuuh…. Is that galeem time or our time?” Blazermate asked, noticing the massive time gap that could have possibly happened. Unfortunately for her, Giovanna didn’t know what she could possibly have meant by that.
“I thought you were there for that. We learned it while we were in Detroit. At least here, people have memories going back about that long in this city. Which…presents a serious problem. We don’t know what that’s going to be like when people have to reconcile that much time being lost or replaced. I only had a few weeks of memory from being in the Land of Adventure, thankfully.” Geralt reminded Blazermate.
Sakura stood up straight. “Uhh, what? Wait, what? Really?” She looked at Geralt. “But that doesn’t make any sense, Mister Geralt. How could-? What, like a big shared dream?”
Geralt just shrugged. “Galeem’s basically a god. It can do whatever it wants with this world. It could have been pulling people from other worlds for decades, or centuries even, building this place up slowly.”
Sakura tried to wrap her head around that. ”I haven’t noticed anyone getting pulled in, have you?” She asked. She hesitated on aiming her next dart.
”Oh, man. That’s really creepy.” Sakura said.
“Unless he dropped them right in front of us, we might never know.” Geralt replied simply. “But that’s all hypothetical. We have no idea how this really all works.”
Something about that didn't seem right to Pit, but he couldn't say for sure. "When it happened, it seemed like it was everything at once..."
”Geralt-san is right. Still…makes this whole place seem faker.” Sakura concluded uneasily.
