Chapter Sixteen: Under a Lens

October 21, 2015. BAINE Headquarters.

Considering the circumstances, anyone else in Hester's position would be nervous. After all, she was seated in front of some of BAINE's most prestigious commanders, presided over by the Director himself, all of them ready to scrutinize every little detail she gave. She was the only witness, after all. Even though she wasn't being accused of anything, such a situation would be sure to give anyone a case of the jitters. Not Hester, though. 'Grace under pressure' was practically the Albrecht's motto.

Among the commanding officers in the stands was Daniel. While Hester wasn;t nervous, he certainly was. What went on here today could shape the rest of their conflict with the Children of Homeworld. Initially, he had been satisfied that Hester was able to escape with her life. Now, he hoped that she had been able to bring a little bit more back with her.

Director Mills sat in the highest seat, overlooking the lone woman sitting in the center of the rounded room. "If everyone is prepared, we may now begin," he said. "Agent Albrecht, could you begin by giving us a brief recollection of what occurred after you had been taken?"

"I'll do my best, sir," Hester said. "So...after I was knocked unconscious, I woke up being held in a dark cell. Mr. Echo was there, too. He wanted to know where you were, Director. I think that was why they attacked our base in the first place."

"An attempt on my life," said Morgan. "It wouldn't be the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last."

"Lucky you weren't around at the time," said one of the Captains.

"I'd hardly call that luck!" he responded. "One of my soldiers was taken in my stead because I happened to be absent! On the contrary, I should have been there instead!"

"The fault's all mine, sir," said Daniel. "My Fireteam is my responsibility."

Mills waved him off. "That's enough pointing fingers for one day. Miss Hester, please continue. How did you come to escape?"

"I got lucky, to be honest," said Hester. "Escaping from those two guards was one thing, but I just happened to find myself in a laundry room. For that matter it was just chance that nobody suspected me once I put on that disguise."

"Hold on a minute, Albrecht," said one of the Captains. "First, in your written description of events, you claimed that Mr. Echo was some sort of pink, undead creature. As if that wasn't enough, now you claim to have gone undetected while in an enemy stronghold for two months? I find your story hard to believe."

Hester shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a good actor. Plus, I have tons of experience going incognito."

Morgan contemplated this. "Sometimes, the stars just align," he said. "It's entirely possible that Agent Albrecht did indeed remain undetected."

"Of course it's possible, because it's true," said Hester.

"As for Mr. Echo," said Mills. "Him being several thousand years old, dyed pink after being returned to life by Rose Quartz is, while bizarre, definitely not the strangest thing we at BAINE have dealt with. Our history with the Crystal Gems and all manner of Gem dealings is proof of that." He nodded in Hester's direction. "And what happened during this time?"

"Well, I wasn't sent on any missions, thankfully," she said. "Now, I could have left at any time, but you have to take off your robe when you do, so that would've been a death sentence. I had to wait until I knew BAINE would be present before I could make my move.

"...And the rest is history," said one of the Captains.

"I see," said the Director. "So the months leading up to this date were...uneventful?"

"I didn't see any action, if that's what you mean," said Hester, "but I wouldn't say that they were 'uneventful.' I actually managed to snag quite a bit of information about the Children and what their end goals are."

"Did you?" said Mills. "Please, do tell!"

"Alright, then…" said Hester. "Where should I begin?" she wondered aloud.

"Why don't we start at the beginning?" suggested Daniel. "Start with what would be easier to understand first."

"Now that I can do," said Hester. "So, what we did know about the Children of Homeworld was that they worshipped Gems, and wanted to bring the Diamonds back to Earth so that they could become Gems themselves. But what we didn't know was why they were stealing those Cluster mutants from Polaris."

"We also don't know why Polaris was keeping them in the first place," said Daniel. "They at least should have let us know about them first."

"Well, anyways, they're using them to instill fear in the populace," said Hester. "These mutants-or 'Voidborn,' as they call them-are seen as extensions of the Cluster, which itself is seen as punishment for both the Crystal Gems and Humans rebelling against Homeworld. The Children seem to think that by forcing humankind to repent, they can stop the Cluster by appeasing the Diamonds."

"Is...is that it?" said one of the Captains. "They just want to scare us into praying to some aliens almost nobody even knows exist, in hope that will save the world?"

"I don't think it's that simple," said Hester. "That's what the regular grunts say, but I think the Radiant One and his Archons believe otherwise. From the way they talk, it almost seems like they're desperately trying to convince their followers that the Cluster can be stopped. It's like they know it's coming, and they know they can't stop it."

"That's a bit morbid," said another Captain. "But I suppose that's what I'd expect from an apocalyptic cult."

"What I want to know is, who is this 'Radiant One?'" said another. "And for that matter, who are his Archons?"

"Well, in the context of the Children the Radiant One is their leader, and the Archons are his generals," said Hester. "The five of them work together to spread the Children's influence far and wide. I have no idea who the Archons could be, but the Radiant One is a title passed down through family. Either his mother or father was the previous Radiant One, and so on."

"Hang on a second, Hester," said Daniel. "That's all fine and good, but there's one thing still bothering me. Why would Mr. Echo ally himself with the Children of Homeworld? Aren't their goals kind of opposite to each other?"

"That's just it," said Hester. "He just sees them as pawns. He's manipulating their devotion towards Homeworld to get them to destroy us and the CGs. I imagine he was doing something similar with SEEN, too. Hell, he's probably been doing this for millenia. Guy's got a lot of money, too. He owns stock in all sorts of companies."

This made Morgan pause. "Including Polaris?" he asked.

"Probably," said Hester. "He's been around long enough to know a big fish when he sees one. I imagine he'd have to use a pseudonym, though. Can't exactly imagine all that money going to a Mr. Gilgamesh Echo."

"Quite," said Mills. He then stood up, drawing the attention of his Captains. "Well, unless there are any objections, I suppose we can wrap up here."

"Actually, there's something I'd like to ask," said a Captain. "Were you able to locate where the Children's base was, exactly?"

"No, unfortunately," said Hester. "I wasn't able to make my way outside the base without raising suspicion-though I did try a few times. And when we left to intercept the convoy, we were transported in large vans with no windows."

"Mmm. We'll just have to keep searching, then," said Daniel.

"Indeed," said Mills. "Well, on that note, this meeting is adjourned. Everyone may return to your regular schedules. I have something I need to take care of."

Hester nodded. "Will do, sir. I'm glad I could help."

"And we're glad to have you back home, Agent Albrecht," said the Director. "Dismissed."

As be prepared to dial Mr. St. Augustine, Morgan felt a pang of apprehension. It wasn't so much that he was particularly close with Barnabas. The two had only recently become acquainted. No, he was nervous due to what he thought could wait for him on the other end, once he asked the right questions.

The viewscreen stayed dark for quite some time, the only image upon it a spinning circle. Of course, this was to be expected. Barnabas was never one for urgency, unless the matter in question involved his company. After trying to get a hold of him for several minutes, the image of the C.E.O. finally appeared on the screen.

"Director Mills," said St. Augustine with a curt nod. "To what do I owe this pleasure? You wouldn't have happened to put a stop to those Children of Homeworld, have you?"

"Not quite," answered Mills. "We have, however, come across a few interesting tidbits of information regarding them. Ones I think you'd rather like to hear."

"Well, that certainly sounds like good news," he said. "But I'll be the one to judge. Please, go ahead."

"It's about that mysterious stockholder you mentioned," said Morgan. "That 'John Doe.' I can't offer proof, but I have reason to believe it's none other than Mr. Echo himself."

"I see," said Barnabas, almost casually. "Well, thank you for your efforts, Director. My security team will take it from here."

He was about to end the call, when Morgan cut him off. "Wait!" he said.

"Eh? What's the matter?"

"The matter is that of the cluster mutants," said Mills. "The ones that the Children have been stealing from you."

"Oh, yes, those things," he said. "You know, we're learning quite a bit about Gems from those little things! It's only in the testing phase for now, but don't be surprised if Polaris Industries corners the market in solid light technology a few years from now!"

"And therein lies the rub," said Mills. "If you value these Gems as commodities so much, why put them at risk? You keep them in low-security facilities, rely solely on us to defend them, and send them across the desert in vulnerable convoys through hostile territory...it almost looks like you want them to be taken."

St. Augustine's face momentarily tensed up, but only momentarily. "Director...it sounds awfully like you're accusing me of something."

"In fact, I'm accusing you of working for Mr. Echo," said Morgan. "As a big stockholder in your company, he must buy quite a large sum of your products. Enough to outfit a small army, if I may be so bold. And given how long he's been on the scene, perhaps two armies." He looked up, meeting eyes with Barnabas. "Am I close?"

For a moment, Barnabas looked stunned. Slowly, a smile crept across his face, before he descended into mad laughter. "Director, I must say, I had you all wrong," he said. "And here, I pegged you for a simple, naive old man, deluded into thinking he could save the world by working with Gems instead of against them. I was even somewhat fond of you. Do you think it's a coincidence that I called you in for a meeting at the exact time when the Children attacked your base?"

"What's the meaning of this betrayal?" asked Mills.

"It's simple," he replied. "Polaris Industries strives for a better future. The future we have in mind is only achievable through Gem technology; the Gems themselves, though, stand in the way of that goal. And if I get to make a profit along the way, then why not!?"

Mills only shook his head. "Then why did you have us fighting against the Children, if you're working with them?"

"I never said I was working with the Children," said St. Augustine. "I'm merely partners with Mr. Echo. Or, should I say, Gilgamesh. As for why...merely so I can keep what is rightfully mine without having to pay for it. Having my cake and eating it, too."

"I suppose I can consider our partnership over, then?" asked Mills.

"Partnership?" said Barnabas. "Director, this was never a partnership. I was the artist, and you were the sucker. Nothing more, nothing less. Unfortunately for you, I've gone and found myself another sucker. Farewell, Director. Good luck surviving the Cluster!"

With that, the video feed cut out. Barnabas St. Augustine, and Polaris Industries as a whole, had turned their backs on BAINE. Morgan sighed; they had lost a longtime ally.