X
Mission No. 40
Corneria
Dawson-McClean Headquarters
Panopticism
X
"Does the CSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Cornerians?"
"No sir."
"…It does not?"
"Not wittingly."
"Does the CSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Cornerians?"
"No sir."
"…It does not?"
"Not wittingly."
"Does the CSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Cornerians?"
"No sir."
"…It does not?"
"Not wittingly."
"Does the CSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Cornerians?"
"No sir."
"…It does not?"
"Not wittingly."
Slippy repeated the seconds-long exchange over, and over, and over again. He stared in disbelief at the ease with which the Director of Cornerian Intelligence lied to parliament – even while under oath. He felt utterly shocked, but at the same time, sardonically validated. He had so little faith in his leaders that this was the only outcome he expected. Yet, at the same time, he hated being right.
He repeated the clip, heart sinking deeper in his gut with each loop. He died a little more on the inside every time he heard the Director answer. Everything about the treefrog's demeanor suggested falsehood. The way he perspired, causing his head to glisten. The way he leaned forward in his seat. The way he kept avoiding the MP's gaze, bulbous eyes briefly flitting up before lowering to focus on some useless piece of paper. How he shielded half his face by resting a hand on his head. How he nervously scratched at his brow. How he shook his head a little too emphatically at each response.
It made him mad. It made him furious. But at the same time, he was glad his leaks had made the rounds and garnered attention in the mainstream media – enough for parliament to launch an investigation. Perhaps, now that the information was out in the open, these programs would be shut down. But, for the moment, he continued watching the video play and replay, unable to tear his eyes off it.
"Working hard, Slippy?"
The frog jumped in his office chair, spinning around to find his supervisor standing behind him.
"Oh, uh…sorry Mr. Owens! I was a bit distracted by…current events," he admitted.
Slint Owens squinted at his screen, identifying the paused video. "Ah, you're watching Jamie Thatcher's testimony?"
He nodded, hoping his supervisor wouldn't be suspicious.
The stoat sighed and crossed his arms. "Can't say I envy his position; being grilled by his own constituents for actions that ultimately defend them. Some secrets aren't meant to be revealed – even under oath. For our sakes he has to twist every truth and dance around those questions like a cowboy in a western."
"…Even going so far as to lie?" Slippy blurted out.
Slint pursed his lips. "If there's no other way out, then yes." He glanced sideways at Slippy. "Why?"
The frog gulped; he shouldn't have said that. "Well…I'm just worried our operations might be exposed. Would it blow your mind if I told you I was an anxious person, heh-heh?"
He looked at his supervisor sheepishly, but he only grinned in return. He patted him on the back. "No Slippy, I'd never have pegged you as the nervous type!" he quipped. "In all seriousness, your nerves may be trigger-happy, but as far as I'm concerned, you're one of the bravest people I know. Heck, you flew with Star Fox all the way to Venom! That's a hundred times braver than I or anyone in this department could be."
Slippy glanced down. "Heh, yeah, I guess so…"
"Still anxious?" Slint probed.
He nodded. "My mind's racing right now, thinking about where this could lead. Is there a chance KRAKEN and STRATUM would be shut down, or the CSA's leadership might change?"
While outwardly worried, he secretly hoped his answer would be 'yes'.
But Slint shook his head. "Nah, probably not. This momentary outrage will pass. People will just get used to it, and then it'll become an everyday fact of life. Besides, if they're not doing anything wrong, what have they got to worry about? And if they are up to no good, they're more likely to stop. No sir, Parliament will never shut KRAKEN down. They may pretend to listen to the outrage for a bit, but in the end the security our program provides is too great to refuse. There's nothing to replace it with! How else would you track down criminals, terrorists, Venomian escapees and sympathizers?"
Slippy felt his heart sink. Perhaps Slint was right, and nothing would change. Were all his efforts for nothing?
"…Of course, there's the matter of finding the leaker. Who knows: the miscreant could be working for Dawson-McClean! Perhaps he's in this very office!" Slint shivered comically. "Ooh, it gives me the chills just thinking about it. But, until we catch him, security will be much tighter around here. Just wanted to give you a heads-up."
"Th-thanks," Slippy said half-heartedly. But at that moment his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the number; there was no caller-ID, but he recognized it regardless. His heart did a little skip.
"Excuse me," he said, standing up. "I have to take this call!"
Slint waved him away. "By all means! But I hope you go straight back to work and forget about the leaks when you're finished."
X
Slippy walked out onto the roof of Dawson-McLean's headquarters, nearly blinded by the bright sunlight. The hazy blue sky of Corneria's west coast shone overhead, while Tetracon Vale's daytime skyline surrounded him on all sides. A simple chain fence – upwards of seven feet tall – surrounded the rooftop, with lines of barbed wire at the very top.
Raising an arm to shield his eyes, Slippy finally spoke. "Alright Peppy, I'm outside."
"And this line is still secure, right?" the hare's voice came.
"It's safe," he assured him. "You can talk freely."
"Well, in that case…"
Peppy's voice suddenly faded out, prompting the frog to listen closer to the earpiece.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" the device erupted.
Slippy leapt five feet in the air, nearly dropping his phone. "Peppy, I can explain-"
"You snuck your way into Dawson-McLean, won their trust, and kept a low profile all this time, just so you could BLOW IT?!"
The frog's posture began to slump till he felt only a foot tall. "Well, wouldn't you have done the same in my position?"
"Would I? No! Of course there are shady things Corneria's up to – we both knew that going into this. But this 'OCTOPUS' or 'SQUID' or whatever-it's-called nonsense-"
"KRAKEN," Slippy faintly interrupted.
"-doesn't amount to a hill o' beans compared to what you're after! I could have told ya Corneria spied on people! Everyone spies on each other! And now that the secret's out, your chances of getting caught before you find what you're really after dropped like a bowling ball in a black hole! Security's gonna be ten-times stricter because of those leaks, makin' the rest of your work nigh impossible."
Slippy suddenly straightened up, tightening his fists and puffing out his chest. "Listen Peppy; Fox always said to trust your instincts, and by golly that's what I did! Even if I get caught, it'd be worth it. I still think it was the right thing to do! I felt it in my gut, Peppy. My heart told me to. I couldn't continue working here with this weighing on me – it'd drive me crazy!"
Peppy sighed on the other end of the line, and all the anger in his voice seemed to drain out with it. "Slippy…I understand why you did it. Ultimately, no matter how the rest of your mission goes, at least we'll have accomplished good for Corneria's people. But that's only a small consolation in the long run. Surveillance is simply a fact of life. The fish we're looking for is ten-times bigger! Remember Slip, the impact this could have is on the scale of the Lylat War, and if we don't stop them before their plans are realized, saving everyone from Andross will have been for nothin'."
Slowly Slippy nodded. "Oh, alright. I see your point. Maybe I was a little quick to act."
"Remember, your focus is the Cerinia project. So, while you've been leaking information left and right, have you actually found anything?"
Slippy scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry Peppy, that secret work's going a little slow right now, but I was able to find some tidbits here and there. The reclamation program is headed by my father, but the Cerinia program specifically belongs to one Doctor Makepeace. And get this: after the war, she became Fox's therapist for a time."
"Uh-huh…" Peppy grunted thoughtfully. "That sounds like too much of a coincidence to be accidental. Doctor Makepeace, is it? I'll have to look into her."
"I wish I had more to report, Peppy, but the discovery process has been going slow – that's why I grasped for something like the leaks so desperately. I was just bored. Perhaps it would go faster if I had a bigger lead to go on, and if I knew what exactly I was searching for."
"It would! Which brings me to the other reason I called. I met with Fara's father. He mentioned something called 'Project Guiding Light' to me. We were only alone together for a short time, and he didn't want to tell me too much, but what he did reveal was that it's some sort of advanced energy source."
"'Project…Guiding Light'?"
"Yes. I want you to focus your research on that. Find all you can about the project! It's being jointly managed by the conglomeration of Space Dynamics and Phoenix Corp, but Edison suspects de Pon and the Cornerian government are keeping secrets from him. Call it a hunch, but I got a feelin' Fox and that alien vixen are wrapped up in it. Oh! And he also wanted you to locate a man nicknamed 'Daedalus'. Said he would be instrumental in stopping the project. You got all that?"
"Daedalus and Guiding Light…got it!" Slippy confirmed.
"Good. Hopefully you can lay low while the CSA is looking for this 'mysterious' leaker. From now on, assume you're always being watched. Constantly look over your shoulder. Act as if they narrowed it down to someone in your department – maybe as if they suspected it was you. So until one of us has something concrete to report to the other, we shouldn't make contact again – understood?"
"Yes sir! And for what it's worth, I promise not to leak anymore government secrets in the meantime."
"Now that's more like it. Peppy out!"
X
Pepper stormed into the main lobby of the Spire – the headquarters of the Cornerian Defense Force and home to his work office. He walked with long strides and clenched fists, a certain vein on his neck sticking out. He passed by a number of CDF personnel who at first made to greet and salute him. When they saw the look on his face, however, security forces stood aside, receptionists' bright smiles faded, and well-wishing officers shrank back, staying out of his way.
The general was not in a good mood. A few days ago classified information on several clandestine surveillance programs leaked to the public. He was frustrated about the leaks, but even more so at how the news media and average citizen reacted to them; with little understanding, and much blind rage. It meant a whole new headache for Pepper on what should have been a day off. As red colored his vision, his mind raced to figure out how best to approach the situation and perform damage control in the public eye.
But one persistent figure refused to leave his side when he passed her. He attempted to return salute and brush her off while his thoughts were still distracted, but she kept following him. Apparently she hadn't got the message. Ready to snap her head off, he whirled towards her like a hurricane – only to recognize his 'secretary', Selkie Williams.
That stayed his harsh reprimand – but knowing who she really was made him even angrier.
"If you'll follow me, General," she politely asked.
The otter led him to the elevators at the end of the lobby. She pressed the button to summon a car, but Pepper impatiently scanned his ID, letting the elevator know he was top priority. A car appeared within seconds, opening to reveal a group of very confused and indignant officers – but their expressions turned fearful when they noticed their general on the other side. He didn't have to say a word; they immediately cleared the car, giving hasty salutes while avoiding his gaze. Pepper and Selkie filed in and the doors closed behind them, leaving the compartment to themselves.
Now it was just the long ride to the top. With no way to speed up the process, Pepper tried to relax. There was nothing to do but be patient. He sighed, letting out a pent-up breath and releasing the tightness in his shoulders. Now was a better time than any to try to cool his temper before-
"Thank you for your prompt arrival," Selkie said in a chipper voice. "You have a meeting in five minutes for the Committee on Project Guiding Light. The main topic, of course, will be the recent security leaks."
Pepper rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm aware of that, Selkie."
The otter smirked. When he looked back he saw her fade from the homely and unremarkable 'Selkie Williams' to the alien vixen, Cerinian 26. She crossed her arms and leaned against the back of the elevator. When she noticed him staring, she raised an eyebrow. "What? No one can see us from this point on. We're headed straight for your office."
"It's not that, it's just…" He thought back to when he first met her, taking a similar elevator down to Aquas' capital. "…When I asked you to show your true form earlier, you hesitated. You seemed almost confused. Why?"
She looked away. "It's not often I'm asked to show my true form to someone."
"Yet you did for me when we first met?"
She smirked again, glancing back. "And how do you know this is really my true form?"
Before his eyes she transformed again, this time into a mirror image of himself. If Pepper didn't know better, he would have thought he were having an out-of-body experience or had come face-to-face with his doppelganger. She pointed to her bushy eyebrow – a mirror of his own. "You have some dandruff here."
Pepper flinched and swiped at his brow till he watched the dead skin fall from his 'reflection'. Only then did she transform back to her Cerinian self.
"That is…unsettling," Pepper remarked. Inwardly he wondered why Fredersen didn't just have him killed so 26 could replace him. He didn't dare express the thought aloud for fear of giving bad people good ideas, but the Cerinian just grinned.
"Mimicking your voice and mannerisms is more difficult," she assured him. "And mimicking that great mind of yours is impossible. But, if need be, I could convincingly portray you for a short period. Plus," she winked, "I can only replace so many people at a time without things getting ridiculous – like a girl who accidentally asked two boys to the prom, and now must carefully juggle them."
The canine shivered. "Still, this current form of yours," he gestured to her, "it's the closest to the real you, yes?"
"Perhaps. I'm the most familiar with this Cerinian form. But it's been so long since I've seen myself I've forgotten what I look like. I'm only borrowing the face of someone else. Besides, having only one identity is dangerous. If I keep changing who I am, I have no real identity, and can never be pinned down by our enemies."
"You…you've forgotten what you look like?" Pepper asked in disbelief. "Isn't it as simple as turning your powers off and looking in a mirror?"
She shook her head. "No. I never show my true face anymore – not even to myself. If I act like people are watching me at all times I can never be seen or caught."
She'd piqued Pepper's curiosity. "Show me," he said.
"What?"
"Show me what you really look like. Turn your powers off. I…just want a glimpse."
She crossed her arms. "I'm afraid not, General."
Pepper began to feel his frustration rising again. Snidely he asked, "Don't you have to be awake to keep yourself disguised? If you're, for instance, sleeping, could you still keep it up?"
Selkie smiled suggestively. "Why don't you invite me over one night, and you can find out?"
Pepper clenched his fists. It was the final straw in a long line of frustrations: his soldiers left without their promised pay from the war; Bill's endless search for the missing Cerinian; Fredersen's blackmail; the stresses of the UPL meeting; and even more recently, the explosive leaks. And now this silly girl refused to show him her face.
The elevator slowed to a stop, and the disgustingly-pleasant chime sounded.
He snapped.
Springing forward, he grabbed her wrists and held her in place. "What if someone knocked you unconscious? Could you stay disguised then?"
"General, please!"
He pushed her back against the elevator wall, jostling her. "It would only take a few seconds! Show me, or I'll find out for myself – the hard way."
She struggled to break free, but the larger canine was more powerful, and his grip too tight. For a second she gave up, simply staring at him with gritted teeth and a defiant expression.
Then, she vanished.
Pepper blinked, finding himself staring at the blank elevator wall behind her. Then he realized what she had done; after all, he could still feel her wrists in his hands. But before he could react he felt a sharp blow strike his stomach, and his grip weakened. Her arms wrenched free and she brushed past him, slipping into his spacious office as soon as the doors opened wide enough.
Pepper doubled-over, struggling to catch his breath from the unexpected blow and wheezing slightly. He wheeled around to face the interior of his office. 26 still didn't show herself, but, looking down, he was able to trace her shoeprints to a spot beside the near wall, where he could see the impressions of her high-heels in the carpet.
After a few seconds Pepper regained his breath, calming down in the process. He straightened up, brushing off his sleeves and straightening his uniform.
"I'm…sorry," he admitted, looking in her direction. "I lost my temper there. I didn't mean to hurt you…though, perhaps I did. Really it's the stress of so many things weighing on me lately; too many to count. The leaks are just the latest in a long line of worries. You, being the tool of Fredersen's blackmail, were just an easy target to take my aggression out on. I am deeply sorry…"
More time passed, till finally Selkie faded back into existence. She was an otter once more.
"Thank you. I…won't report this altercation to Fredersen, seeing as I pushed you too far. I promise not to tease you anymore – so long as you mind your own business as far as my own history goes."
He nodded. "Understood."
Wordlessly Pepper entered and sat down at his desk. Selkie started the holoprojector and connected the office to the meeting.
This time when the committee met, Pepper's seat was far from the center. He was now part of the arc of holographic figures, rather than being at the focus. On his left sat Yaru de Pon, the CEO of Space Dynamics, and Dr. Werhner von Liebegute, former Venomian scientist. On his right sat the Director of Cornerian Intelligence, Jamie Thatcher, and a blank spot for Dr. Makepeace, whose only visual was a message that read 'Audio Only'.
Meanwhile, Morgan Fredersen had usurped Pepper's usual place at the front, with all the other members facing him. There was nothing the disgraced general could do about it; not when Fredersen still held the blackmail material over his head like a stone. Selkie, the bull's chosen operative, came to stand behind Pepper's shoulder; arms folded behind her back.
Looking around at the flickering, pixelated visages belonging to the other members, Pepper wondered how many of them were in on Fredersen's little coup – or, more vainly, how many knew of his secret folly. Last time he had gone out of his way to bar Fredersen from joining the meeting, after the businessman suggested a coup in private. This time, Fredersen had returned, but as the head of the committee. Pepper was surprised to still be on it at all. But noticeably missing were Edison Phoenix and Beltino Toad…
Fredersen steepled his hands, looking rather perturbed. "Ladies and gentlemen—the next meeting for the Committee on Project Guiding Light is now in session. Allow me to open with a few remarks." He nodded toward Pepper, dipping his horned head. Pepper tensed—he could feel Selkie breathing down his neck. "Thanks to the general's skilled diplomacy at the United Planets of Lylat, Corneria has maintained its hold over the Copperhead missiles and solidified its status as Lylat's protector. Tensions were high, but his maneuvering kept the situation from deteriorating further. So, we must give credit where credit is due."
De Pon dipped his head while the Director of Cornerian intelligence smiled commendingly his way. But Pepper knew that was the only good news or praise he'd be hearing that day.
"Unfortunately," Fredersen's tone darkened, "our celebration was short-lived. I'm sure you all have been briefed, but the lid was blown off a number of our surveillance projects. KRAKEN, PENTAGAZE, STRATUM – everyone from our worst enemies to our own citizens know about them now."
"It's a good thing the whistle wasn't blown before the UPL talks," Pepper mumbled.
Fredersen's face wrinkled, and he sneered at Pepper. "Would have made your job more difficult, certainly. But best not to point the finger yet. Regardless of whose department the leaks came from, we must deal with the fallout. Now our subjects are aware of the CSA's mass surveillance, our Lylatian allies are furious to find we're spying on them, and our enemies on Eladard and Macbeth can say we're the pot that called the kettle black – while they laugh at us from afar."
De Pon shrugged, looking rather smug. "It's only a minor hiccup in our plans. We have the real power. Public opinion and outcry only lasts for so long till the next big controversy comes along to take its place. And, even if we're forced to discontinue these projects, it won't be a complete loss."
Fredersen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Care to explain?"
The tanooki grinned. "It's simple. The knowledge that you're being watched will cause you to behave much better than if someone were surveilling you in secret. If the programs are shut down, we'll have several billion people who are worried their every move is watched and recorded, and thus police their own actions. It's better than any actual piece of software we could instate!"
"Better, even, than MINDSCAPE?"
Pepper turned to see it was Dr. Liebegute who had spoken. The baboon sat slouched in his chair, leering at the others darkly.
"…In a way," de Pon continued. "But that reminds me; KRAKEN and STRATUM are outdated technologies. In fact, technology itself is outdated, now that we have MINDSCAPE. So, as I was saying; the recent leaks were but a minor setback to our plans."
"But MINDSCAPE is threatened," Liebegute insisted.
The tanooki cocked his head. "How so?"
The scientist looked across the room at the Cornerian Intelligence director. Fredersen cleared his throat.
"Director Thatcher, do you have something to tell us?"
Thatcher – a spindly, red-eyed treefrog – straightened up in his seat. "Our operatives and allies on Zoness have reported suspicious, mind-altering activity in one of the cities – a similar kind to that seen in MINDSCAPE test-subjects."
Fredersen looked concerned. "That would indicate another leak somewhere – one months old – or perhaps a rival research project with the same goal as ours, no?"
The treefrog shook his head. "No, it's unlikely Zoness's bureaus are in on it since they faithfully reported the issue. It's assumed Venomian refugees escaped to the slums of Zoness and are simply selling off their experimental chemicals as recreational drugs. It shouldn't be a long-lasting problem, as their supplies are finite… but for the moment it's spreading. They either escaped with a large portion of the drugs, or figured out how to manufacture more on their own, in which case it could potentially grow as an issue."
"But will it disrupt MINDSCAPE?" Fredersen cut to the heart of the matter.
He nodded slowly. "If the drug catches on, and enough people become users, then yes. At least for the moment it seems localized to a single Zonessian city – one District 13. The Bureau there is monitoring the situation closely, in case it spreads to others."
Fredersen tsked. "I don't exactly have faith in the bureaus, given their cooperation with Zoness's criminal organizations. Pepper?"
The canine met his eyes.
"Have the CDF monitor all exports coming from Zoness – but especially the thirteenth district."
He nodded. "Of course. We'll setup a blockade and search all outgoing shipments. But…under what pretext?"
Fredersen waved his hand. "Tell them you're looking for Venomian refugees smuggling WMDs again. They won't question you, and it's not far from the truth. If worse comes to worst, we can simply invade and isolate the cities one-by-one till we find the culprits. After all, Zoness is merely a network of floating city islands. If they want our aid in recovering their planet, the bureaus will cooperate."
"If I may, sir…"
Dr. Makepeace's voice startled Pepper; he had forgotten she was listening in at all.
"Recently my team found a puzzle piece, but we didn't know what to make of it. Now I know why. It didn't belong to our puzzle; it belonged to yours."
"What do you mean?" Fredersen asked.
"Thanks to Mr. de Pon, we located the arwing Fox brought to Cerinia. Only, it wasn't his; it belonged to Falco Lombardi, his wingman. We performed a deep dive on his flight logs and discovered Lombardi visited Area 6 before rendezvousing with McCloud."
"…And?"
"The wreckage from the space battle at Area 6 has become a hideout for Venomian refugees fleeing the planet. Lombardi's arwing increased in weight after he visited it, while also discharging shots. It's not too big a leap to assume he picked up a valuable cargo from certain escaping Venomians, is it?"
Thatcher's eyes widened. "Especially when you consider Zoness is his homeworld, and he was last seen headed there."
Fredersen thought for a moment. He nodded. "It's him. I'm sure of it. I don't know whether he's working to supplant our project or if he's simply making some dirty money, but we can't take that chance. He must be stopped, and the krystal lysergic acid confiscated. We'll contact the Bureau and have them apprehend the rogue immediately." He turned to Makepeace. "Thank you, Doctor, for the tip. Perhaps I have something of equal value for you in return. I too received a piece that belongs to your puzzle."
"Oh?" her audio crackled. "By all means, explain."
"It's another vision from #38."
For an awkward few seconds Makepeace's audio channel went dead silent.
"…Are you still with us, Doctor?"
If Pepper could see her face right now, he imagined she'd appear quite shocked. "Y-yes. It's just odd Sibyl would offer a prophecy without my presence. It's unprecedented, but I am still grateful for any help she might give. What was her message?"
"She said to search east of the ruined city. There you will find Cerinian 28."
"…That is a good omen indeed," Makepeace breathed. "If Sibyl has received such a vision, our search was meant to last this long – no matter how frustrating. It must be for the best; perhaps 28's powers needed this long to gestate before we brought her back. Please, deliver my thanks to Sibyl! This will make things much quicker."
Fredersen propped his head up with his hand. "And how goes the search? Are you making progress?"
"Yes sir, we're on the verge of locating 28 now. We know she's in the nearby vicinity. If she so much as sneezes, 19 will hear it and pinpoint her position. Then it's only a matter of reclaiming her, and Project Guiding Light may proceed as planned."
Pepper looked at Liebegute to see his reaction. As usual the baboon scowled darkly, but otherwise kept his head down like a single brooding thundercloud, remaining quiet. In the past he was the most vocal about keeping the Cerinians out of the project – but without Edison Phoenix or Beltino to back him up, he knew arguing would be futile. Still, the gears in his sick head seemed to be turning even in his defeat…
"Splendid," Fredersen said. "At first it was doubtful we could ever recover her, but now it sounds likelier all the time. I wish you well on your recovery efforts."
"But…Fredersen," Pepper spoke up. "What about the leaks? Our people feel betrayed and confused right now, and a response will be expected from me personally. How am I to address the issue?"
The bull smirked and returned to drumming his fingers again. "That sounds like your problem, General. But…" He sat up. "Is it safe to say Fox won't be returning to Lylat? At least, not as a free man?"
"Yes. Captain Grey confiscated both his dreadnaught and fighter craft," Pepper reminded him. "I'd say at this point the only way he returns to Lylat is clapped in irons in the Justice's brig."
Fredersen sighed. "A pity. McCloud was another popular figure we could have utilized. But at this point he's too disgraced to be allowed back in the public eye, and too much of an embarrassment to be disciplined. I think it's time we cut our losses. Pepper; declare the death of Fox McCloud."
"What?!"
"As far as the rest of the system knows, he died the moment he crossed that gate. The death of the hero who saved Lylat will come as a blow to many. All planets will come together to mourn his death, and, for a time, tensions will be soothed – long enough for the leaks to blow over, and for the general public to forget about them."
Pepper sighed, shoulders slouching. He was fond of Fox, and could never repay him for his services. But he was beginning to look less like a selfish hero and more like a loose cannon each day. No, he couldn't feel any remorse. It had to be done.
"Alright. I'll…announce his death and schedule public funeral services to be held in the capital's mall."
Fredersen held up a finger. "Televised, of course." He smiled to himself and folded his hands. "Soon there will only be two men left in Lylat standing in our way…"
Pepper snorted. "Seems like there's a lot more than just two of them. Besides McCloud, there's also Lombardi and this new leaker. Even if the public forgets of him for a time, there's always the chance he may reveal more. KRAKEN and STRATUM were only the beginning. If MINDSCAPE and Guiding Light were to be spoiled as well, they'd become impossible to continue."
"Please, I'd hardly say any of these individuals pose a fatal risk to our plans. McCloud has almost been apprehended – if he's still even alive – Lombardi's days are numbered, and the worst this leaker could do is speed up our timetable."
"But who is he?" Pepper continued. "Was he in the CDF? Space Dynamics? Phoenix Corp? Is he simply acting on his conscience, or was he planted by our enemies?"
Fredersen thought for a moment. "It's unlikely he's an operative of Eladard or Macbeth; if he were, he would have released the information before the UPL meeting, as you mentioned." He glanced at the Cornerian Intelligence Director. "Any leads, Thatcher?"
"We're still trying to unmask the leaker. We haven't narrowed down the division they're assigned to, but all our intelligence agencies are working on it. All we know is they go by the name 'Verax'."
"'Verax'…" Fredersen repeated. "I wouldn't be surprised if our good friend Edison were behind this."
Pepper raised an eyebrow, glancing at the two empty seats. "Is that why you called the meeting without him?"
"In a way. Regardless of his connection to this leaker, Edison has become too much of a stumbling block for Project Guiding Light. He now represents an existential threat to the program, and for the good of Lylat must be prevented from stopping it. It is time he ceded control of Phoenix Corp to someone more…persuadable."
Pepper felt his heart stop. "And how would you suggest we…'deal' with him?"
"The people must welcome MINDSCAPE with open arms, while Phoenix must be removed from the helm of Guiding Light."
The bull cracked his knuckles.
"I think we can kill two birds with one stone…"
X
Author's Note:
Apologies for the long wait again, and a relatively exposition-heavy chapter to return with. Got a bit distracted with other creative endeavors over the past few months. I have 8 more chapters planned to close off Act II, so the story should pickup during this last leg. I'm really excited to wrap this up, but even more so to finally get to Act III!
Looks like this'll be my last update for 2020. I'm certainly glad to end this miserable year. Every year since 2015 or so I'd see memes saying, "20XX was the worst year ever! I can't wait for it to be over!" which of course were exaggerations. But with 2020 I can confidently say, yeah, this was no ordinary 'bad' year; it was exceptionally bad! And while I held up pretty well, I know many others got it worse. So, here's hoping next year starts to improve things. Merry belated Christmas and a Happy New Year!
