Alaia Skyhawk: Yep, I know it's been about a week. However I've been planning this next arc out so it wouldn't turn into a repeat of the one with all the science conferences :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any related characters etc. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes.
~(-)~
Chapter 93: Revealed
It all began as Northern Summer took hold, eighteen months after that Christmas. A whirlwind year and half as all immortals with believers did as per Tsar Lunar's instructions. Each seeking and gaining a good percentage of adult believers in their territories and Ranges of Belief. But along with that was the growing numbers of sightings by 'not so believers', the internet flooding with posts on forums across the whole spectrum of social sites. The tide was surging, so many questions were being raised. What were these strange people? Were they real?
Jack strolled into one of the rooms, which lay in an annexe just off the main workshop at North's place. The chamber had become a sort of 'centre of operations' for a small group of assistants monitoring the chatter on the internet. Phil raised a hand in greeting, as the leader of the team on the internet side of things, and Baby Tooth zipped over to buzz around Jack's head.
He laughed, holding up a hand so she could land on it.
"Hey, Baby Tooth. How's it going?"
She smiled widely and pointed to where the rest of her team of fifty tooth fairies each hovered in front of a small screen. Each was blinking rapidly between a set of TV news channels, staying on each one only long enough for the quick-minded fairies to identify if the topic related to immortals or not. It would have been impossible without them, and their inherited knowledge from Tooth of every spoken language used by humans. Add their ability to stay awake for weeks on end, especially in this rather less than strenuous environment compared to their usual, and the Guardians had a twenty-four/seven watch on global news-feeds.
Jack followed Baby Tooth over to a little switchboard designed for her tiny hands. Whenever one of her team thought a topic might be of interest, they touched a button on their screen that recorded the rest of that news segment and forwarded it to her station. It was now that she started to look a little excited, bringing up one particular recording of a news-feed from Russia.
It was a language that Jack knew, being well-versed in most of the dialects used in the coldest places in the world so he could interact with the children in those places. He listened intently to the thirty-second clip, his eyebrows rising by the end of it.
"Public government acknowledgement of the 'strange sightings', with an announcement of intent to investigate." He started to grin, pulling over a chair and sitting down next to Baby Tooth's screen. "I think I'm going to stay here and watch... There's no way the US are going to keep quiet when Russia has made a response. Let's see how long it takes for them to react, and what they react with."
The Spirit of Winter remained there in amused vigil, even going so far as making a mirror to his Hall of Mirrors when the daily frostdust and weather report time came around. He sat on the other side of it, doing that work but still able to listen to the news-feeds that were forwarded to Baby Tooth.
It was almost sixteen hours after being shown the Russian report, that an excited squeak from one of the fairy team preceded a new news-feed being directed to Baby Tooth's screen.
Jack, once again ensconced in his chair, watched intently even as the excitement brought over everyone else in the room. Because there on the screen, at what was mid-morning in Washington DC, was none other than President Archenfeld stood at the traditional podium to make a public announcement.
The scientific community had 'lifted the lid' to all of the major world governments almost eight months ago, about the veritable mountain of research and evidence they had on the matter. And finally one of those governments had gotten up the guts to do something about it.
'I, President Archenfeld of the United States of America, would like to make an announcement. For some time now, there have been numerous sightings of strange individuals that remain invisible to most. I am now in a position to confirm that scientific study into these beings has been taking place for almost three years, and that the existence of those beings has been proven beyond doubt. That these 'immortals' as they call themselves, these living legends formerly just of lore and myth, have worked unseen alongside humanity for thousands of years. That to believe is to see, when interacting with them. As confirmed though thousands of hours of scientific meetings and conferences with members of their number. I now hand over the podium to the appointed US Liaison to the Immortals, Dr Marcia Hiller.'
On the screen, Jack and the others watched as Marcia stepped up to the podium and looked into the camera.
'As one of the first people to make recorded contact with one of the Immortals, and as one of the leaders of the many studies done since, I would like to confirm their existence. Many who pay attention to reports from Antarctic research, will be aware that three years ago a team was sent to investigate a 'glacial anomaly' there. That team instead discovered that the altered ice was a deliberate act to draw attention, created by the Spirit of Winter... One 'Jack Frost'. As unbelievable as it may sound, the research done since provides incontrovertible proof, and the Spirit of Winter remains in daily contact with a meteorological centre right here in Washington DC. Providing them with exact forecasts for upcoming weather events across the world. It was another of the Immortals who also supplied the design and knowledge to build the Etheric Turbines, which have since revolutionised electricity generation across the globe. Several other offers have been made, to assist with rectifying the effects of Global Warming, in addition to access to other technological advances based on Etheric principals. In that, the Immortals' stance is clear. They have watched over and supported us for years beyond counting, and it is their intention to continue to help us.'
Marcia stepped aside, allowing the President to take the stand once more.
'A full name list of all currently confirmed Immortals will be published later this day, with access to all currently completed scientific studies to follow tomorrow. As President of the United States, I am honoured to be the one to have announced this momentous discovery to the world. Thank you.'
The president stepped down, the transmission ended, and Jack let out a low whistle of awe.
"That took guts. And now, if you will excuse me, I think a slightly stronger worldwide dose of frostdust is in order... right now."
He zipped off through an ice mirror, leaving Baby Tooth and Phil to the task of alerting North to the news. Things were about to get very busy.
Which proved to be an understatement, given Jack sent apologies and didn't attend the emergency Guardian meeting that followed. Instead he ensconced himself in his Hall of Mirrors, listening to the winds as they brought him news of any areas of high tension to which he quickly sent additional frostdust. Kosmotis was also likely working at full speed, dashing from place to place removing any and every surge of Unnatural Fear he could detect in response to the announcement.
The efforts of the two of them, combined with the fact that roughly eighty percent of the human population now believed in at least one immortal, meant that the public response over the following three days was almost disturbingly calm. People had their doubts, but were too cheery and relaxed to illogically work themselves up over it while their minds worked through the logical details and came to a good conclusion.
The individuals who couldn't be calmed to logic by this, the people who would likely turn extremist over the coming months and years, would probably call it 'brainwashing'. Except Jack and Kosmotis weren't forcing anyone to think anything, just keeping them composed enough to have an open mind.
By the end of day three, the internet forums and social sites were alive with people talking about the one or more immortals they believed in and knew of for their area. It was as well that over half the human population lived in Asia, where ancient traditions still held very strong and so the filtering through of the news wouldn't raise many eyebrows there so long as some of their own legends were among those confirmed to exist. The Arab Nations were more tumulus, and where Jack was having to send most of his extra frostdust. Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas were fairly balanced midway between the two extremes.
It was late on day four, as the amounts of frostdust needed to maintain goodwill began to settle back to just a little above the normal daily level, that Phil arrived in the chamber.
Seeing him, Jack dropped down from the spire and sighed, expecting the usual.
"Another meeting at the Workshop? I know I missed the other one, but I was busy."
Phil rolled his eyes and shook his head, muttering in yetish.
'Marcia called the internet team, because your computer isn't connected or turned on. She wants to speak to you.'
Jack blinked, flying back up onto the spire and starting up his computer. Phil stayed down below, despite the fact that as a Lieutenant of Winter he almost certainly now had the ability to fly. He just seemed to want to keep his feet on the ground, even during the new annual tradition he and Jack had started up last Northern Winter. Where Phil came to Burgess to help tell the second one of the 'Sneaking into Santa's Workshop' stories, after which he'd play a game of it with the children just as he had at Santoff Claussen. He always arrived in one of North's small spare sleighs, just big enough for the yeti and pulled by a single reindeer. Though naturally the kids loved it either way.
Up above, opening a mirror to the usual phone-mast, Jack brought up Marcia in the contacts for video calls. She answered almost immediately, looking a bit flustered when her image came up on the screen.
"Finally! Do you realise I've been trying to contact you for almost five hours?"
Jack sat down in view of the camera built into his screen, frowning.
"What's so important you couldn't wait for me to connect at seven-am Burgess time? It's what, ten o'clock at night where you are?"
Marcia took a deep breath, clearly annoyed but setting it aside.
"You're needed for a very important meeting. Not to say anything, but just to prove your presence. It starts tomorrow a one in the afternoon, but you'll need to meet me at nine o'clock before that."
Jack looked bemused.
"Who and what is it this time?"
Marcia's expression remained serious.
"You're going to be introduced to the President of the United States of America, and attend a meeting of the US Senate."
Jack remained motionless, blinking, while down below Phil looked a bit dumbfounded. That is until a few moments later Jack let out a resigned sigh and nodded.
"Fine, I'll meet you at the parking lot behind the Antarctic Research Institute." He closed the connection and got to his feet. His voice laced with sarcasm. "I get to meet the President... Yippee."
Phil just shrugged.
~(-)~
When Jack came into view of the parking lot the following morning, on what was a balmy summer's day in Washington DC, part of him seriously wished this out-of-season visit was because he was going to the Summer Fayre at Burgess. Where he was really needed was the Winter Sanctuary, but he'd been forced to settle for a slightly stronger than normal frostdust distribution and a inward hope that nothing would crop up while he was 'unavailable'. And then there was the weather system heading for Chile and Patagonia that he was also meant to be tending to. All-in-all, this interruption was rather unwelcome but equally unavoidable under the circumstances. Telling the President of the US 'no', after he'd had the guts to make that announcement, wouldn't make a good impression.
Jack flew down to where Marcia stood near a limo and two obvious bodyguards, both of whom flinched when she called out a greeting to the individual they couldn't see.
"Hi, Jack. Thanks for coming."
Jack headed straight for the car, ignoring the startled gasps of both bodyguards when from their perspective the rear door opened by itself.
"Let's just get in and get going. I've a lot on my plate right now, without also having to detour for this."
Marcia had the grace to wince at that, even as she nodded to the two men that they should set off for the White House. Once she was sat on the back-seat with Jack, and the limo was pulling out of the lot, only then did she speak again.
"No snowballs in the White House, unless you want President Archenfeld's guards to pull their guns and shoot at you."
Jack remained nonchalant, drawing patterns with frost on the window next to him.
"Wouldn't do much even if they did. They'd only put holes in the walls, not in me."
Marcia gave him a warning look.
"Jack..."
He sighed in resignation, slumping back against his seat.
"Ok, fine. I'll keep things serious. Even if today I am effectively being paraded around like a dancing bear."
The rest of the drive was spent in silence, for the half-an-hour it took to navigate the city and reach the White House. For the purposes of letting the people, most of whom could not see him, know where he was, Jack deliberately left little patches of frost on the floor whenever he took a step. It drew more than a few startled stares as he followed Marcia into the White House, while she talked quietly about what to expect to apparently thin air. But for the undeniable trail of frosty footprints following her, she could have been viewed as talking to herself.
Eventually they reached a small waiting room, the nearby clock ticking towards and passing ten before at last an aide came to inform them the President was ready and waiting.
Entering the Oval Office was rather an anticlimax for Jack, not that he'd been anticipating it much anyway. But to give President Archenfeld credit, his gaze settled on the Spirit of Winter immediately. Someone, probably Marcia, had primed him ready for this meeting.
He strode towards the pair, meeting them halfway across the room with an outstretched hand.
"Ah, Jack Frost. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Dr Hiller has spoken highly of you."
Jack accepted and shook the offered hand, returning the greeting.
"Pleasure to meet you too, Mr President." He narrowed his eyes slightly, still smiling in faint warning. "And don't even think of mentioning last Northern Winter's bad storms over the US. My peers and I have already made things clear to the climate researchers we met two years ago."
The President hesitated slightly as he released Jack's hand, but nodded all the same.
"I've watched the tapes, of that meeting and all of the others. I also had the Senate instructed to read the transcripts of them all."
Jack began to glance around the office, his tone mildly sarcastic.
"They must have loved that." Marcia elbowed him, and he gave her a stern glare. "Sarcasm isn't snowballs, and at three-hundred and thirty-one years old I think I'm entitled to use a bit of sarcasm when I refer to politicians. I may look young, but I can be as much a cranky old geezer when annoyed. And you wouldn't believe the amount of stupidity I've witnessed from politicians in my time. So forgive me for being a bit sceptical of their general ability to be mature when they're told that Santa Claus really does exist."
An awkward silence followed that statement, before the President tentatively gestured to the two chairs set up ready opposite his desk. He then headed for his seat behind it.
"I can see that you're a very practical fellow, and well-versed in human follies. I would guess we seem childlike to someone of your years."
Jack sat in the offered chair, his reply bland.
"You forget that I was once a normal human myself. Becoming immortal may skew your perspectives and priorities, but not much else. I'm practical because my way of life requires it, and because I was raised that way while young. I know plenty of immortals who are just as prone to moments of unbelievable pride or stupidity as mortals are. Immortal doesn't translate to 'infallible', it just means we make sure to fix our mess-ups before anyone notices. We have a good track-record for it... unlike most governments I can think of."
Yet another awkward silence fell upon the occupants of the room, President Archenfeld clearing his throat and tapping his fingers on his desk.
"...Mortal governments hold no meaning to you, do they? We don't impress you or your fellow immortals in the slightest."
"That would about sum it up."
Marcia had been rendered utterly speechless, even as the President let out a long breath and nodded.
"Then I guess we should head to the Senate and prepare for the meeting. I shall do my best to ensure we don't use up too much of your time."
Jack smiled in mild amusement.
"I'm glad we're on the same page."
~(-)~
One o'clock arrived, with Jack sat at a little side-table near the main podium in the meeting hall for the Senate. He had a screen positioned above and behind him, to display as text anything that he said as well as the picture from the thermal imaging camera that was part of the unit stood on a tripod slightly to the side in front of him.
The unit was a combination of most of the tech used at that long-ago first science conference, put together into a compact device for easier transport and setting up. Being 'sat in front of all this crap again' described Jack's reaction to being parked at the table, and in his following boredom as he waited he began making little thaw-resistant figures out of ice.
Namely figures of every US President he'd ever seen, and he'd seen most of them. All lined up in a little row along the front edge of his table, as he then proceeded to list the major mistakes of every one of them using the convenient pen and paper also on his table.
He'd worked himself up to seven sides of A4 by the time the meeting finally started, and even then he kept writing as he idly listened to the President addressing the Senate. About an hour into the proceedings he created a small ice-mirror, covered his microphone, and spoke through it to Zuě Hu. Telling the Lieutenant to gather his team of sub-Lieutenants and go start shaping the weather system heading to Chile. Making sure it was a Grade Four when it hit, and not the Grade Six it would be otherwise.
After dismissing the mirror, Jack then resumed entertaining himself by making small ice-cubes and throwing them into the jugs of water set out at intervals among all the Senators. The random 'plunk' of ice into water startled more than a few of them. Jack was making his presence very much felt, even if he'd not uttered so much as a word beyond the initial greetings.
It was only when President Archenfeld got to the main point of the meeting, when he made clear the outlines of his intentions for any official interactions between the Immortals and the American Government, that Jack showed any interest. And that was when several objections were raised to the statement that all immortals who held ranges within US territory would remain completely autonomous and not be subject to any of its laws.
Within seconds of the objections being raised, Jack interrupted by dropping the temperature in the room by ten degrees. Those able to hear him, aware of angry note in his voice that the text on the screen didn't convey.
"Excuse me, but there's no way I'm going to sit back and let you try and cite sanctions against me for 'property damage' every time a winter storm hits the US. Not when you're going to get very advance warning of the big ones from now on." Jack was now on his feet, frost spreading over every surface in his immediate vicinity. "We already have our own laws, and probably the strictest Code of Conduct anywhere on the planet. Any Immortal who breaks them, and ignores the warnings for any initial violations, gets stripped back to minimal power and left to linger on the fringes until they give up on existing and fade away."
The President actually stared, aghast.
"You mean... they die?"
Jack voice made 'stern' an understated description of his words.
"Yes. They're reduced to almost utter powerlessness and then shunned. It's never actually happened, barring one sort-of exception, but then why would it with a deterrent like that?" He held up the relevant number of fingers. "We have four laws... First: Don't try to kill each other. Minor sparring is permitted, so long as it's not allowed to get out-of-hand. Second: Never deliberately seek to cause another immortal to lose believers, if they have them. But if it happens due to legitimate duties causing conflict, then that's just unfortunate. Third: Never seek to destroy the home of another immortal. But again, if legitimate duties cause damage, that's just unfortunate. Fourth: Try not to get in the way of another immortal's work, but again this only applies to non-legitimate actions." Jack gave them a all a long look. "Basically we can have our disagreements among ourselves, and can express them however we like so long as we don't go overboard. But when it comes to work, nothing is ever personal. That's something humanity is still a long way from learning. So don't even think about trying to apply your laws to us, because you'll just look stupid when we ignore you. We answer to only one supreme authority, and that is Constellation Tsar Lunar."
For the third time in a single day, Jack created a very awkward silence. One that only ended when the President resumed his speech. When he was done, the Senate almost unanimously passed into Law the motion that the Immortals would have permanent and irrevocable diplomatic immunity of the highest degree. They would be above Mortal Law in the United States.
When the meeting finally ended, no one, not even Marcia, commented on the terse farewell that Jack gave the President. Truthfully they were all relieved he left without icing the entire room, such had been the intensity of his glare for those able to see him. And by the end of the meeting, almost everyone in the room had been able to see it.
~(-)~
A month passed by an in the Hall of Mirrors, the top of the spire had been expanded somewhat and was now a veritable office. Jack had also become a veritable mailman, with the winds bringing in news which he then wrote down. Those messages then dispatched via Sprite or Lieutenant to whomever needed to know it.
Areas covered by the Range of Belief of at least one localised immortal, were all fairly stable and still reacting well to the global revelation. On the flip-side, in some isolated places and also in a few cities, cluster groups of crazies and fanatics had also begun to crop up. That is people either screaming the 'End of the World is Nigh!', or people screaming for all the 'heretical creatures' to be killed... As if mortal weapons could kill an immortal... The most dangerous minority though, were the ones that thought their local immortal, or 'deity' as a few were declaring them to be, should help them destroy all the 'unbelievers'. Basically that last group, if they could, would drag every immortal they could into conflict and start World War Three.
By the time Jack had sent off warnings to almost four-dozen immortals related to that category, along with locations for the extremists who needed a stern talking to, he was ready to beat his head off the nearest wall and instead planted his head face-down on his desk.
He was still in that position an hour later, when a certain Pooka entered the chamber.
"That bad, huh?"
Jack raised his head with a groan, and flew down to where Bunny stood.
"Not really. Overall things are pretty good. Panic is low, acceptance is high especially in the areas more remote from modern society where the local Legends have greater cultural influence. Although the immortals with Legends in Asia and the Middle East are the ones with the most overall problems, for various religious issues among their believers. But early signs show that Tsar Lunar's recommendation that they teach their believers the 'Source Legend' they started out with for their current persona, will eventually solve those. After all, it was humans who blew the stories way out of proportion over the years, so going 'back to basics' is the obvious answer."
Bunny grimaced.
"But there's still the crazies, and a few of them potentially have their fingers on the buttons of detonators."
Jack sighed.
"Not surprising, considering just about every current religion on the planet has had at least a few holes poked in it. There's at least one Immortal linked to each of them, and they're having a hard time convincing people that it was humans who came up with those stories. It's piling fuel on more than a few tempters, even though it's being made clear we're not debunking religion as a whole. Just telling them that we can't say if 'higher powers' truly exist or now. So, back to topic... Any chance you know a way to disable atomic warheads?"
Bunny clapped him on the shoulder in reassurance, and gave him a wry smile.
"I don't need to. Tsar Lunar has already got that under wraps. Any missile fired above a certain undisclosed altitude will have the explosives in its warhead turn inert. It's a subtle suppression of certain chemical processes, that'll cling to any explosive of certain chemical formulas or variants. Once they pick up the charge of the spell, the detonators can go off, but the explosives themselves might as well be play-dough. They won't go boom, and the missiles will just thud into the ground in a burning ball of any remaining fuel. Damage will be minimal."
Jack glanced at him hopefully.
"Any chance of him putting it lower? A bomb went off in China three days ago, right in the middle of a festival for a local Legend. Luckily she spotted something was suspicious and grabbed it. But even shoved down the nearest hole it did some damage. Eleven people were injured, although naturally she got away without a scratch."
Bunny shook his head.
"We can probably look forward to a few more of those. As for putting the anti-explosive field lower, if he did it could be viewed as trying to take control. That would make people panic. They just have to fumble around themselves for a bit, while we concentrate on the next generation." The Pooka grinned. "Popularity in the Guardians is high, really high, especially among the young teens who hadn't long stopped believing in us. Tooth has just decided to take a plunge and cease using coins for a year or so in the most modern countries. She's going to use special trinkets instead for a while, of all different patterns, so the kids can collect and compare them with each other like trading cards."
Jack raised his eyebrows at that, impressed.
"Cool, that'll raise her profile a lot."
Bunny nodded.
"And North is considering going 'back to basics'. By giving up designing toys made of plastics and with electrical gizmos in them, to instead make toys from natural things like wood seeing as he owns a lumber company. Forget needing batteries, he's going to go all-out with adding magic to them. So that the kids' own belief will make the toys move and do things."
The Guardian of fun was now staring, his face creased with a small frown.
"How do you know all this? I've not been told any of that!"
The Pooka rolled his eyes.
"Because you missed another meeting, since you've been locked in here almost twenty-four-seven for the past four weeks, mate. Kosmotis has been out almost constantly, diffusing tensions formed by Unnatural Fear. Compared to him, you've been a total hermit."
Jack flinched, and after a moment to look at his 'office' he sighs.
"You're right, and I should be out there helping him. I can leave the mirrors open, and Marzanna can take over in here doing this. Do you know where Kosmotis is right now?"
Bunny regarded him with a wry expression.
"China, probably in the region where the bomb you mentioned went off. He'd be tracking down every scrap of Unnatural Fear he can find in that area, knowing him."
Jack reached under his cloak, pulling out his bow before striding towards the palace exit.
"Then that's where I'll join him."
~(-)~
Alaia Skyhawk: Baby Tooth and Phil both making an appearance (someone asked about Baby Tooth) and next chapter we'll get Kosmotis. A little something for you all to look forward to :)