Signs of Humanity Chapter 12 - Sign 4
Sitting in a clean well-kept office suite somewhere among the rows of other similarly designed pillars of metal, concrete and glass. Was a man happily chatting away on the phone. He was out of his normal street walker clothes, those dusty rags he used to blend into the underbelly of the city, clothes that while not at all his style were very handy in keeping an unwanted eye off of him.
Finally, he could relax in his more favoured silk shirt and jet-black suit. His iconic black mask sat in its usual place on his desk surrounded by neat stacks of papers covered in copious scribblings and notes. Lit by the glow of his monitor, getting a working computer was hard these days, but the extra effort and cost was well worth the efficiency it added to his work.
He liked to glance at the mask from time to time, he paid a pretty sum to have it custom-made. After all, if he needed to cover his face that was scarred and misshapen, why not do it in style? His face, actually his whole body was deformed when his mutation advanced to level 2, it was severe enough that he would often be confused for a wild Gen X, so for ease of life he needed to keep his form under-wraps. The design was inspired by a doctor's mask from a commedia dell’arte play he enjoyed, a deep black mask with a large, pointed bird-like nose, covered in a detailed and intricate golden spiral pattern.
For him the mask was better than a business card, no one else would wear such a thing and those who knew who he was, would notice him in an instant. It was also his way of breathing a little bit of himself into the drab clothes he needed to wear when he was crawling around in the shadows.
Ely chuckled "And he didn't give you any grief, he just agreed to come? What about the girl? Did she come with him as well?"
The voice on the other side of the phone crackled something in agreement. It was hard to make out, the landline his subordinate was using must be decaying in a forgotten ditch. He listened intently to his caller's response as he looked over the filing cabinets stocked full of papers and notes, years of work he had put into filling them and finally, he could start putting them to use.
His subordinate finished talking and was waiting for his boss's response. Ely took a moment to take in the breath of the work he now had in front of him. Looking over the knickknacks and trophies he had collected over the years hanging on his wall, these seemed to be pieces of junk to anyone else. But to him, they were reminders of battles won and lost, deals made, betrayals committed, some happy, some sad and most painful.
He smiled to himself, and told his subordinate "Excellent, well make sure he gets you back here in one piece."
There was a pause before the person on the other end replied with a simple, annoyed "Yes sir" before hanging up abruptly. Clearly, he didn't enjoy the joke.
Trent slammed the phone down on the receiver muttering to himself "asshole". He was already tired, exhausted from the day's walk and he was still feeling uneasy being around Jericho, not long ago all he knew about the man was that he was Seon's most wanted, now? Well, now he was more than likely going to be his colleague. Behind him Jericho and Joe were loudly joking and telling stories, why had they become such fast friends? While Eliza and Lilith chatted away happily.
He stepped out of the old pay phone that was practically falling over under its own weight and headed back to the group to join them.
"I still can't believe it is you three. So, you left Seon?" Jericho laughed while slapping Joe on the back.
Joe flinched, but quickly relaxed "Yeah, well after being bested by Subject 24 instead of facing repercussions from our higher ups we decided to leave. We were already on thin ice with Seon, we... Probably would have been kicked out anyway."
"I'm still confused how do you and Jericho know each other?" Lilith asked Eliza.
Eliza ran her fingers through her orange hair which was beginning to bleach now that she was spending so much time outside. "We well... He used as bait to control a Vile, then when he didn't need us anymore, he tied us to a tree."
Lilith cocked her head in confusion, "Vile?" There was a lot about the outside world that had gone over Lilith's head, but since they left Broken Hill, Eliza had been more than happy to answer all questions Lilith had.
"They are mutated animals, they can be anything, some are harmless, some aren’t, and some are just so big they pose a danger by just walking around. The one we ran into was like a giant ant-scorpion thing." Eliza responded in a very matter-of-fact way like she was explaining what a cloud was.
Lilith let the thought sink in for a moment "Oh ok... and Jericho tied you to a tree after he was done with you?" She eyed Jericho with a mixture of contentment and suspicion.
Jericho noticed this and quickly spoke to defend himself. "It wasn't like they were in danger the Vile ran off a cliff, and I gave them a knife to cut their way out, I just wanted to put some space between us before they were free."
Eliza responded with a flat "You gave the knife to Joe... He dropped it, it took us hours to loosen the ropes."
Jericho looked at Joe and then to Trent as he rejoined the group "I'll be sure to give Trent the knife next time."
Trent was a bit confused by the sudden comment and the chuckles from everyone but didn't pay it any mind. "I finished our progress report with Ely, we can get going now, hopefully, we can be back in Melbourne in the next 3 or 4 days."
Joe let out an exhausted moan "Really? Are you saying we are only halfway?"
"Maybe I can find us another Vile to ride." Jericho joked causing the three to shiver in unison.
"Don't joke about that." Eliza groaned.
Trent frowned and let slip a sentence he probably shouldn't have "What's wrong with you two, how can you be so buddy buddy with him?"
Joe and Eliza looked away from Trent, they didn't want to make eye contact with him. "Oh? What's on your mind, Trent?" Jericho cut in.
Trent's voice caught in his throat, now he'd done it, but he powered on regardless "Look, Jericho, you're Subject 24, Seon's most wanted, you're a mutant and a Brute. Sorry, but it's a bit hard for me to suddenly trust you."
There was a long pause between everyone, which was broken when Lilith spoke up. "So? Trent you were Seon weren't you? From what Eliza told me you were a part of a group that tormented and brutalised Mutants, your group even destroyed Jericho's village and captured him.”
"They were also the group that both created me and kept me as a lab rat. We have just as much reason to not trust you, yet we do."
Trent's head fell in shame, Lilith was right, why did he think his affiliation made him more trustworthy?
Then Jericho spoke up to change the subject "So, Ely finally gave up on that stupid name?"
The question caught everyone off guard, but out of reflex, Trent answered "No, he had us call him Shadow Mask when we first started working for him. But when he sent us to contact you and Lilith, he told us to use the name Ely. Said you would be more trusting of the name. Shadow Mask is such a horrid name, we started using the name as well."
Jericho laughed, "I see, good to see I'm not the only one that thought the name was stupid." The mood in the group brightened as they packed up their things and continued the journey.
Eliza turned to Jericho, "Jericho, have you given any thought about Ely's offer?"
To say Jericho was shocked when he found out who the three people who helped him and Lilith get back to Broken Hill would be an understatement. For them to be the same Seon soldiers that he ran into when he travelled to Melbourne in the first place felt like fate was messing with him.
What was even more shocking was learning they had left Seon and started working for Ely a Psychic. It was so ludicrous that he was beginning to think it was a lie and that Trent, Eliza and Joe were acting, and this was a plot cooked up by Seon to try and capture him again.
But after some convincing and forcing Trent to contact Ely so that Jericho could talk to him, Jericho finally relaxed enough to listen to the three. What they had come all this way to offer on Ely's orders was a job, working for Ely. Jericho knew Ely was an information broker, but he didn't know much beyond that.
Trent, who seemed to be the one managing the group gave Jericho the full back story. Turns out until recently Ely had been working pretty much all by himself, for almost a decade he had been accruing information, resources, funds and contacts for something big. That something big was now ready to be set in motion and he needed to build a team.
That team was to consist of Seon defectors, powerful Brutes and Psychics as well as a smattering of trusted go-betweens to act as a communication network. They could be Brutes, Psychic or Unchanged humans with the only caveat being that they be able to act with discretion.
Trent and company were brought on as part of the Seon defector faction of the team and Jericho as well as Lilith were to join the powerful Brutes and Psychics faction. From the way Trent explained it Jericho and Lilith would be agents sent out on assignments being required to travel all over the country.
When Jericho asked what exactly Ely was hoping to accomplish Trent pulled out a small media player and played a recording which he referred to as 'The Invite', Jericho immediately recognised the voice of Ely. "Hello, you're listening to this because you have been identified as an invaluable asset for my team and I would like to extend an offer of invitation. But let me tell you what it is I plan for you."
"Surely you have noticed the state of our world, how it's a rotting corpse that is slowly being picked away by vultures. Each day that goes by things are a little bit harder, cost a bit more, you have a little less freedom. Over the past 200 years we have lost more and more, from the point of the great detonation, a time that should have brought us together to rebuild, we have done nothing but destroy."
“From Seon to Warlords, the Brute Sentinels and Psychic Arcana faction that take what they can and wipe out anyone that stand up against them. They grow fat off our efforts, taking what we produce and leaving us nothing but scraps to fight over.”
“I have a dream, a stupid, foolish and naive dream of pulling this world back together and healing it. To topple the power structures of this world and put the power back into the hands of the masses. Chances are that you also share this dream or a version of it, if so, I want you... No, I need you on our team.”
If you wish to join, come with the person who bears this invite, and we shall begin to resurrect the corpse of our world."
After the audio file finished Jericho looked at Trent "I don't remember Ely being so, idealistic."
Trent smiled "No, you wouldn't guess it, most of the time he's obsessing over his appearance, keeping you at arm's length and flaunting his knowledge over you. But when it counts, he is working late into the night, obsessing over the human cost of every one of his movements and threating over every decision he makes. He isn't a lick like those I knew in command at Seon, he's a man whose plans I trust wholeheartedly."
From there Jericho asked Lilith if this was something she wanted to do, to Jericho this seemed like a natural move. Seon had taken so much from him and working towards their dismantling seemed like a natural move, but for Lilith? This seemed like a big ask, she just came into the real world and now he would be asking her to devote herself to a world she knew nothing about.
But to his surprise Lilith had already agreed to go with Trent and the team, she told him "Seon, created me yes, but they through me aside and left me to rot without me ever knowing what was what. If they have done anything like that to another person... I can't just turn away from that. I also... I need..." She huffed whatever she wanted to ask seemed to embarrass her, she instead muttered "Use your Release." She then asked him for a favour, something she didn't want the others to hear, she spoke so softly that if you were standing next to her you wouldn't be able to hear it. But thanks to Jericho's hearing amplified by his Release he could hear her loud and clear.
"Jericho, I need you to teach me how to fight, I'm so green to this world and without a way to defend myself, I won't last long. I won't be of any use to you, Ely or anyone so please... teach me." She wouldn't look at him.
Jericho simply replied "Ok" and she gave a stiff nod in return.
From there they stayed in Broken Hill for a few more days, Jericho catching up with Lisa and Doc as well as playing with the kids at the orphanage. While Lilith left treatment plans for Doc, explored the town and asked Eliza countless questions about everything.
When the time came for them to leave it was... tearful to say the least all the children in the orphanage howled as Jericho said his goodbyes. Taz cried the most of all of them, clinging to his side not letting go until the very last second.
Doc shook Lilith's hand as they were leaving, taking his time to release his grip, he'd probably have kept her there forever if he could, afraid to let his greatest resource go. But he did eventually with a smile and a genuine "Hope I see you again soon Doctor." Lilith made to correct him but thought about it for a second, she might as well be a doctor compared to this world's standards. She smiled and thanked him in return.
Lisa, well, despite how she and Jericho usually talk to each other, now seemed soft, almost motherly. She sobbed as she hugged him goodbye. Jericho did whisper to her, with a quiver to his voice "I thought you said I wasn't the first you've said goodbye to."
She just squeezed him tighter, "I never said it was easy."
Tears rolled down Jericho's face "No, it is not."
Now they were walking down dusty roads, through abandoned towns, in a dry landscape dotted sparsely with old gum trees that have seen many passers-by.
Jericho looked back to Eliza "I think Ely could be a good fit, though I'm not too fond of having a boss all of a sudden. Does it pay well?"
In unison, the three responded with a flat annoyed "no."
Jericho sighed "Oh."