Chapter Five
Metamorphose
June 8th - 10th, 5328
Radios crack as the feed is interrupted by breaking news. ZEPHYR, HELIOS, and FRANKIE are standing at the gates of Aegis HQ with their deputies. The camera crews sending footage to televisions zoom in as ZEPHYR takes the stage.
A voice speaks, so familiar that nearly everyone in Glenys City knows it. A voice from the radio, TV, and public announcements. Everyone knows the heroes of Aegis, but nobody knows the people behind the masks.
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"Glenys City..." ZEPHYR starts. "As Aegis appears to change on the surface, its roots of rebellion are no longer there. Just like us, the New Elementals you see today are being used. For money, for clout, to control you. DOLORES ESPINA has passed away as of April. A human controlled by other humans. While her intent was once what we needed, now it is no longer... ZEPHYR was her face. All of us were her face. Aegis has long lost its meaning, and we can no longer do the jobs we came here to do with the hands of the government wrapped around our throats. ZEPHYR has died with DOLORES. My name is GALE O'DRISCOLL, and I am joining the spirit of rebellion against a corrupt system. There is no peace without justice, and no justice without equity."
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With that, he steps back, and FRANKIE takes his place. It's expected by now that one of the beloved Aegis members that Glenys has known so well for so long would take DOLORES' place. HELIOS and Aegis' "golden boy" are too obvious. Some want TERRAFORM or FIDDLER. Others want CARRION or THE PHANTOM ROSE. Fans screaming at the top of their lungs for TETRA and MISTRAL. Unnaturals gathering at the front of the crowd chant for the newer members, like VERMILLION and KEEPSAKE.
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It's a muddled mess of names. It's clear that the public's choice is split every which way, and new leadership is just as favored as the old.
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FRANKIE smiles. "Some of you may know me from the Trench, or the new science division posters. I've lived in Glenys City all my life and love the city and it's people with all my heart. I knew DOLORES in Aegis' younger years, and I respect what she set out to build. She was a good heart with good intentions, influenced by a corrupt system... My heart goes out to her, truly...
With DOLORES' death, she signed Aegis over to new leadership. I'm just as surprised as you may be by the decision... My name is FRANKIE INQUE, and I am an oil elemental and the new Head of Aegis. I am honored to serve Glenys and hope that I do right by you by advocating for Naturals and Unnaturals alike."
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Disgust and excitement rings out from the crowd. The announcement sparks violence in some as rocks and trash fly through the air at the Aegis agents. The agents are forced to keep them back and try to diffuse the situation while Naturals and Unnaturals start fights with each other.
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It's just a reflection of how much of a mess the city really is.
Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better, right?
"Riots have broken out all over Glenys, and the walls of Aegis HQ have been vandalized overnight. Garbage fires light up the streets, and crime is at an all time high."
"The public is asking: "Was this the right move? Or is this the end of Aegis?""
"Trench Rats are surfacing and crossing over from the Bronze district as we speak. Will Aegis barricade the bridge to keep the Silver district safe?"
"This is why equality is a dangerous thing. Who knows what Unels will do with it?"
"Masked individuals have taken it upon themselves to target Unnatural owned businesses, vandalizing, robbing, and destroying their property."
"There's been a murder in the Sterling Apartments parking lot. Aegis agents are moving in now."
"Is this the anarchy that Epoch wanted? Come out of the sewers to answer the public's questions."
"With Dolores Espina's death, and the revelation that she was never an Elemental to begin with, the public is wondering what else has been kept from us?"
[ Recording 23 ]
...
“Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do."
- Voltaire
And that's why we're here.
Why only now is it the time to rise? When we, the oppressed are fighting back?
Why do the privileged react the way they do when they don't get a crumb of what they want?
We have all lived until adulthood, wishing and hoping. Finding asylum amongst each other.
We were once children who were not granted the privilege of being children.
A child's mind is easily molded to the world it is presented. To hate what hurts, and to love what brings comfort.
Aegis and Epoch have made enemies of us, but I know who each of you are. Some don't deserve to be grouped up in the label of enemy. There are some I know do not deserve what we plan to unleash upon Glenys City.
The city is all we ask for. Some have the ability to stay.
If they choose.
Others, I am willing to help. For a price.
You'll find out who you are if you accept and survive the task. For some, this is a wake up call.
Tell me, how would you feel if you woke up one day, and you were suddenly like me?
It's time you met us on a more personal level.
