Chapter 4: An Evil Savior
Day 1, 21:00
"The Yusnaan train is now arriving. Please stay clear of the yellow line. All passengers for Yusnaan, prepare to board the train. Passengers for the Wildlands or the Dead Dunes, please head to South Station."
The PA echoed through the small train station, the clear sound of the prerecorded woman's voice louder than even the rattle of the monorail. Lightning rubbed her neck as she stood up; she wondered if she'd pinched a nerve when she was thrust into one of the seats by Hope's little machine. The train came to a complete stop and Lightning disembarked.
The train station was small, but it was efficient. Two small corridors connected together, both leading to a stairwell in the middle of the station which led down into the plaza. The checkered floor was clean, but hardly shining. Everything in this station seemed to have a slight feeling of decay about it. Somewhat appropriate given the state of the world. And yet, Yusnaan had been nothing short of opulent. Perhaps the two cities differed on their priorities.
The shining neon sign that announced the train arrivals and departures suddenly went black. At first Lightning thought that maybe it had just lost its power, but then several guards approached the front of the train. The one in the lead gave a series of unheard orders to the conductor and then headed down to the plaza with his men.
"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention!" the conductor shouted. "The plaza and this station are on lockdown! The train to Yusnaan won't be leaving until the Inquisitor completes his investigation."
There was some muttering and more than a few sour faces, but surprisingly there was not much in the way of protest. Lightning headed towards the stairs leading to the Plaza and Hope began buzzing in her ear again.
"Luxerion, a bustling metropolis. The divine city of light and the holy see of salvation. It's the last bastion of peace and order in a dying world. Most of the people who live here worship the almighty Bhunivelze. The city is governed in his name by a powerful religious sect known as the Order of Salvation. God's followers believe in ultimate redemption and their faith helps keep the fires of hope burning. But even in this pious city, a darkness lurks untouched by divine light. A heresy that rejects the teachings of supreme Bhunivelze."
Lightning had reached the bottom of the stairwell and now stood out in the middle of the lamplight plaza. A small clock tower that was only about twenty feet high stood in the center of the plaza. The soldiers were now surrounding it. The two gates on either side of the plaza were brought down and additional sentries were posted in front of them.
Lightning recalled the image she'd seen back on the Ark and had a suspicion about what this could mean. It was confirmed by a passerby who stood a few feet before Lightning.
"It's another girl."
"How awful..." another said.
"I bet it's the heretics' doing."
As the passerby's moved out of the way, Lightning saw the faintest glimpse at the young body she'd seen on the screen. Blood soaked the ground near her corpse.
"The divine city doesn't look so holy now," Lightning commented.
"This was no accident," Hope said. "The girl was left here intentionally."
Once again, Hope was clearly right. As the crowd continued to thin, Lightning saw that the dagger sticking in her back also bore a note. Lightning moved closer to try and get a better look when suddenly a woman behind her screamed. The woman was pointing at the top of the station, where Lightning noticed yet another, much larger clock. What had caught the woman's attention, however, was the figure of another woman being hurled over the side.
"Light!" Hope shouted.
The figure stopped, at the end of a rope hung about its neck. It jerked slightly as it swung in front of the clock.
"Help her!" Hope pleaded.
"There's no need," Lightning said, calming down after she got a better look at the figure, which she now realized was composed of steel rigging and sacks covered in clothing and a pink wig. "Just a dummy. Hope, did you see who dropped it? They must still be close."
"My sensors didn't pick up anything at all. I'm running a search of the city's video database, but I'm coming up blank so far," Hope replied.
"Doesn't matter. I'll just find out myself," Lightning replied.
As Lightning spoke a message appeared on the wall next to the clock tower. Lightning recognized the text:
The evil savior will die at the hands of the Shadow Hunter.
"Luxerion, the divine city of light- is that what they call it? Trouble is, the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows."