Sydney Opera House, Sydney
10 May, 2011
00:40—Babyface's Perspective
:-:
Local surveillance has caught eye of Tender Lover's storm in Sydney Harbor.
It remains stationary, but the impact it made will never be forgotten: An international landmark…decimated in minutes.
The opera house is no more… Decades of memories, gone.
"I know the country won't forgive me for this, but I could care less.
Infinity is our enemy. Their destruction will appease the Nightlord, Count Valdo. To achieve this, I will discard everything I love…even my people."
A glint of crimson appears in Babyface's eyes, a gentle glow like the light of the blood moon. But this glow… Something is dreadfully wrong about it, and his final words, "even my people," weren't spoken with his normal voice.
He sounded like a completely different person.
"Destroy it all…destroy…
In the name of the Nightlord, ruler of this wo—" His reverence is brought to a pause simultaneously with the return of his original voice.
What…is this increase in existential force?
It should be impossible… To increase one's sync rate, one must be completely aware. Their mind, body and soul must be one.
Existence is as its name implies: The power of one's life force; one's beinghood. As all nightwalkers are either posthumous life forms or those bound to death, their existence is tied a variable state of being. To ascend is to find freedom, but there are those who have descended… Babyface is one of the latter.
Madness plunges the spirit into the darkness of the true self. Insanity is a piece of the heart suppressed by the illusion called "morality": The distinction between good and evil, right and wrong; respect for and obedience to the rules of proper conduct; the mental disposition or characteristic of behaving in a manner intended to produce morally good results… Morality is the leading ideology of humanity, but this system of belief has been corrupted over the ages.
The ascended aim to perpetuate morality, but their methods are also corrupt: They, too, have taken lives…just as much as the descended.
"You are no different from us. So how?
Where do you get this power from!?" Babyface's mentality shifts once again, before Tender Lover's storm is disbursed by an explosion of air… Two employed his artificial existence much sooner than the zombie expected.
It happened the moment Babyface applied the In-Spite release: Two began circulating his existential currents with that of the storm, creating a defensive shell of solidified air that ceased the Highwaymen's suffering.
He only needed to keep his sync rate at a mere 2% to complete this task.
Three supplemented the effects of Two's release by coating his defenses with existential flower petals. His assistance camouflaged the squad's augmentation of their unique abilities. Once the Methuselahs' existences reached their peak, they were able to summon special "helpers" to aid them.
Familiars: Attendant animal spirits employed for specific purposes. Methuselahs are granted familiars for the purpose of accessing the depths of their existential force. Much like contracts, familiars tend to the combative needs of their summoner. But there are other uses for them outside of battle.
Babyface realizes what this means: The Highwaymen are serious, and are no longer holding back against the rampaging zombie.
"MT Familiar, lineup." One initiates a roll call. "Okami the Wolf!"
"Hebi the Snake!" Two seconds.
"Kitsune the Fox!" Three continues.
"Kuma the Bear!" Four concludes.
Babyface feels their power… It's massive. Enough to instantly decimate him.
They had *this* much… Impossible! There's no way…
—absolutely no way in hell…!
"Release, Breaking Love!"
The zombie attempts a preemptive strike, summoning a storm of sand to crush his enemies to death!
However… "MT Familiars, Greatest Howl. Fire!"
—One initiates the decisive blow: A concentrated concussive wave of existential force, unleashed from the familiars' opened mouths, aimed directly at the oncoming Breaking Love release.
Flowers of the earth, winds and thunders of heaven, light of the spirit: Methuselahs are more than weapons of mass destruction, they are apostles; powerful advocates of Infinity's mission…to unite the races.
In an instant, Babyface's Breaking Love…is *literally* broken. The Methuselahs' Greatest Howl release lays waste to the zombie, consuming him its brilliance!
"N-no…NO! This can't be… I…
—help me, Count Valdo…!"
Not a single trace is left behind.
The Highwaymen have completed their mission: Babyface's existential force has vanished; hence, he is no more… The zombie has been exterminated.
All that remains of the zombie is the pellet in One's possession. Proof of Babyface's defeat.
The squad leader draws the pellet from his jacket, observes it and smiles.
"Good job, cowpokes. But…" One faces the ruined Sydney Opera House, displeased by what became of the historical landmark. "—talk about bittersweet. Leaves a hole in your heart it does."
"Yes, and there's nothing we can do about it. This is a church settlement, so…
—we should get going. I'm heading out first."
Ever the cold one, Two augments his jets and departs. Three and Four follow shortly thereafter.
One, on the other hand… "May God accept you into His kingdom."
—has difficulty accepting the fatalities accumulated throughout the night. He departs nonetheless, knowing that staying behind will do him no good.
Ferryman Trading Co., Sydney
10 May, 2011
00:45—Major Lewis's Perspective
:-:
That… That was…incredible…
The power of existence makes for quite the spectacle indeed.
Major Lewis has witnessed it before, but never has she seen a more beauteous sight: The majesty of the Highwaymen's Greatest Howl.
You seem shocked.
Were you not expecting this? Her employer has yet to leave her, which is a good thing considering her current position.
"No… No, I wasn't.
But I'm glad it happened. If they didn't stop Babyface when they did…"
She's right to feel this way: Sydney could've been completely leveled by Tender Lover's In-Spite release.
The opera house has been destroyed, along with the night watchmen employed to keep it secure. Unfortunately, they were forcibly "clocked out;" their lives were taken by a creature who once swore to protect the city.
Madness and fear go hand-in-hand. They cannot be separated.
Babyface was once a virtuous soul, but that was long before he became a nightwalker… Long before he met the man that changed his life forever.
"…The Nightlord?" Major Lewis takes a guess.
Yes, the ruler of this world. A man revered as a god by the weak of heart… Count Valdo and his clerics have power over the people.
But that is what makes them weak.
"How so?"
They depend on the love of humans to keep them whole. As Major Lewis ponders these words, it makes sense: The church employs people to do their bidding, and uses intimidation to keep them loyal.
They…depend on the love of humans? The Nightlord and his clerics?
…Yes…yes, that does make sense.
There are so many of us and a limited number of them… But numbers mean nothing. Just one cleric is enough to demolish an entire army.
So that means…
"…There's another way to earn the people's trust."
Major Lewis makes quite the statement.
What do you have in mind?
"It's a little embarrassing, but…
—when I was younger, I was in a musical group called The Yayas. It was a band of four: My friend, Yolanda, was the guitarist; her cousin, Yvette, was on drums; our classmate and neighbor, Amber, worked the synthesizer; and me…
—I was the lead singer. But I wasn't about hogging the spotlight: Yolanda had a great voice, and she was the one that kept the group together."
Major Lewis' face flushes at the thought of confessing something so personal. Considering her current status, one wouldn't expect a secret like this from a soldier. Then again, one should never judge a book by its cover.
Are you…proposing that we should start a band of our own?
"Well…yes, I am. Music is a universal language after all.
If Infinity had a band, we could spread our message to the people. We could also start a non-profit organization to assist Gideon refugees.
I…know it sounds stupid, but…it's a start, right?"
What's "stupid" about the language of music? That was a very impressive suggestion, Lewis, and I'll be sure to look into it.
All I have to do is run this by my peers. I can't promise you anything, but, considering the possibilities of what may come of this, I'm sure they'll agree. The only problem would be gathering talent.
Major Lewis comes up with an idea off the top of her head. "We can start a talent search. That's sure to get us somewhere.
Also, we'll need good management. I'm still really close to Yolanda, but I haven't heard from the others in years… Time creates distance, I suppose."
Distance: The one thing preventing humans from uniting against our oppressors.
The Yayas were rebels.
We resisted societal injustice through our music. But after I enlisted in the services and Yolanda married her husband, we went our separate ways.
We accomplished our mission back then, but I'm pretty sure our town is back to being the way it was before: Oppressed…by "that woman".
Major Lewis pumps herself up by swatting her cheeks. She then balls her fists, and begins acting like her normal self: A charming young woman.
"I'm a musician. Being a soldier was never in the cards for me, but I'm glad nonetheless. I learned to defend myself should the time call for action.
…Boss, I know this will work. It has before, and it can again… I wouldn't propose something unless I was certain it would get the job done."
You've the heart of an entertainer. I understand, and I accept that.
But enough loitering. I've issued you a transport back to Ft. Arista.
Major Lewis panics. "Ft. Arista!? But…"
Don't worry, child. My team has abrogated all enemy units.
You'll be joining us on a little trip to the Barcelona Branch. I'm sensing something there… Another enemy, but it's not an aggressive one.
"What do you propose we do about this person?"
After these recent events, both sides will be on hiatus until certain issues are resolved. There won't be any major activity for a month, which gives us time to get things started.
Also, I'll be requesting some assistance from the Rutherford Branch. We need a field unit to investigate an area of activity to ensure no harm has befallen its people.
Suddenly, their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of emissive particles circulating from the distance behind Major Lewis.
Looks like your transport is here.
Upon her employer's word, she turns around to notice a curious sight: Another Methuselah draped in black like its siblings.
"Greetings, sister. I am Eight.
The Baron has sent me to fetch you. Please, take my hand." Eight extends its right hand. This one is a woman like Four, but behaves more stoically than her sister.
Major Lewis nods, approaches Eight and takes her hand.
"Thank you, Sister Eight."
"Don't mention it. My apologies for what happened to your team."
"No need to apologize… It was an illusion, after all."
"Understood. We're off."
The wind gathers the emissive particles into a funnel, which quickly disappears…transporting them from the area.
Major Lewis has proposed a great idea, but…
—can Infinity reach the people…with the sound of music?