DISCLAIMER: Here I logged onto
my computer today and tried to look up my profits off of CoH sales, and
the blasted comp popped up an error.
"WARNING: City of Heroes is owned by NCsoft, not you"
Well, I dunno about the validity of that, but my computer told me so it must be true! Too bad, though.
CHAPTER 10: Well-Oiled System
"Calm yourself, hero. Don't be so hasty as to open fire on me... I
realise that you're willing to sacrafice your life to kill me, but
perhaps your views will change when we take a moment to talk like
civilized people"
Ace hesitated, then slowly
lowered his rifle. "What is there to talk about, Maarlynd? You're here
to take over the world and I'm here to stop you. What more is there to
this"
Maarlynd sighed slowly. "What do they call
you, hero?" "They call me Ace." "Ace, sit with me a moment." Maarlynd
took a seat, motioning to Ace to do the same. Taking a chair, Ace
glanced at the nearby command center. The screens showed many fights
occuring across Paragon. The heroes were slowly being beaten back, that
much was certain.
Maarlynd nodded to Ace, calling his attention back. "As you can see,
Ace, you are slowly losing this fight. However, take note of the items
most people miss. Anyone who surrenders is taken but not killed. We
have done no harm to anyone who did not stand against us directly. We
fight decisively, most certainly... but as you can plainly see, I am
not a madman bent on destruction of everything around me. "I spent a
long time learning buisness, Ace. It's how I built a successful
corporation based around genetic alteration and experimentation.
Because buisness is more than half politics, especially in the higher
echelons, I spent a lot of time studying that as well.
"What I saw disgusted me. Ace, I've been around for a while, and I've
seen some truly hopeless politics. A perfect example is here in the
United States, where we have a two-party system for the presidential
election and in each case, both candidates are vastly inferior to the
bonsai tree that I grow in my study. Fools banter words in Congress and
never truly correct that which needs change. Everywhere, people defy
and disobey the flawed system of our government. And we pay for it,
Ace... through murder, thievery, arson, we pay for it. People get away
with these things every day, even now, even with the Superheroes"
Maarlynd paused for a moment, taking a sip of water, while Ace digested
this. Throughout his work as a crimefighter, he was often forced to
think as the criminal would... and in most such cases, the criminals
were victims of the system. The poor and recently evicted often turned
to crime to preserve their own lives. Those unable to find honest jobs
turned to the black market. Gang members were often those who had lost
it all in various ways. Even many of the odder groups, such as the Tsoo
and the Circle of Thorns, were made up primarily of outcasts and
homeless people.
"Now Ace, imagine this for a
second. A unified world, ruled by a single person who wants nothing
more than the safety and health of those he rules. A system built on
the ideal of justice equal for all. Decisions made swiftly. No votes,
no pointless bickering, just a clean system. Yes, these people are not
truly 'free' in the sense that Americans are free, but what has this
supposed freedom gotten us? Bad economy, constant crime, rampant
idiocy. "My view, Ace, is for a world where I rule. Not because I am a
megalomaniac, not because I've got an overblown self esteem, but
because I know that I could run it right. A world where crime is truly
gone, where people work together in harmony, where everyone is safe in
the knowledge that I am looking out for them. Such a world would be
indeniably strong.
"Imagine if this world were under attack by the Rikti? The aliens would
be defeated in a matter of hours. Perfectly organised military with the
best weapons and armor we have to offer. You've seen how well
disciplined my army already is? Imagine that on a global scale.
"And it goes even beyond that, Ace... No more competition in the global
marketplace, just the common ideal of a better life. Research would be
constantly equally shared across the globe. Good ideas would be
implemented immediately, without consumerism or beaurocratic red tape.
Everyone would get a good education, everyone would be able to go into
a field they love"
Maarlynd slowly stopped
speaking, seeming almost lost in his ideal. Shortly, he stood up from
the table. "Come with me, if you would, Ace... I'll show you my
operations here. A man isn't judged by how he treats his equals, but by
how he treats those under him"
Maarlynd walked
through the exit, guiding Ace down the curving hall. "This place is a
corporation as much as a military establishment, Ace, and a corporation
is only as good as it's baseline workers. In this case, that means the
troops." Maarlynd turned down a hallway, nodding at passing soldiers.
"This is the barracks, Ace... as you can see, each person has a
separate room, all the privacy he needs. We have several thousand
soldiers here, and the barracks complex stretches deep and far into the
earth. These automated lifts can take you to any room block you want,
in a matter of minutes. The other end of the hall is the mess room, we
serve quality food"
They returned to the central
hallway, walking a short distance. "We work hard to accomodate every
person's needs here, Ace. This isn't the rat warren of a pyschotic
dictator, but is instead a well-oiled and efficient system dedicated to
perfection of all we do. It's taken decades to build up to this point
and we've reached a level of perfection that makes me proud of everyone
who was a part of it.
"This hallway leads to the
classrooms. Anyone who hasn't finished their education is given free
courses up to and through their bachelor's degree. Further along the
hallway is the research labs, where we work hard to enhance lifestyle.
"This next hallway leads to the power plants. We use a clean-burning
system here, which deposits almost no pollution into the atmosphere but
continues to provide a more than sufficient energy source. We've also
got a number of solar plants which generate excess energy we store for
emergencies.
"Each area, as you've seen, is
guarded by a security checkpoint. The job is boring so each checkpoint
has a minimum of two guards. We allow guards to choose who they want to
work with, and if any guard is too tired to keep a good watch they
simply page the main coordinator and ask for a temporary replacement,
so they can get their rest. A half-asleep guard is of no use, after all.
"Through here is the factory and development plant. Again, all of our
systems run on clean electricity and are checked daily by maintenence
teams. Beyond that, the system is almost fully automated. Right now
we're unfortunately using up our resources churning out weapons for
this coup, but soon enough we hope to switch to less violent production
queues"
As Maarlynd continued to explain his operations, Ace
considered his purposes carefully. He was very persuasive; the view he
had provided Ace with was incredible. A utopia, indeed... but Maarlynd
seemed to have all his bases covered. It seemed almost possible.
Ace still operated within his prime directive, but this utopia fit that
far better than the present system, too. It was true that these people
would lack their basic freedoms, but wasn't that a fair tradeoff for
total security and a perfect lifestyle for all? The more he thought
about it, the more it seemed that this was indeed a far nobler cause
than maintaining the current regime.
They reached the door back into
the command center. "So you see, Ace," Maarlynd said, "Our operation
here is actually for the benefit of all. However, most people are too
blind to accept this... it is unfortunate that we must come to war over
this, but unaviodable as well. I'm sorry for the sight you had to
witness when you first came here, but in war some atrocities are
necessary to ensure that worse ones won't happen in the future. Soon
enough we will win, and then we can begin ensuring that this will never
again be necessary"
Ace nodded, still processing.
"You have given me much to think on, Mr. Maarlynd, but I hope you
understand that I cannot simply ignore my duty to the state... with
respect, I'd like to claim a few days to think on this"
Maarlynd
bowed. "Of course, Ace, noone should have to make decisions without
time to think. I'll have an assistant show you out. Oh, and Ace?
"You may call me Thomas."