by The Eurostar, T5 and GoozX
The EPS:
Edulcore Cicciotto:
I was walking across the infinite corridors of the headquarters, directed to the training facility, when I found a book, left on a shelf, as if it had been read and then forgotten.
It's the first book I've seen for a long time, so I took it and brought it here, to my cell; stangely enough, it is a book from a man of my country, albeit from a long, long time ago.
The Prince, by Machiavelli.
I had studied it when I was in high school. Well, I should have studied it, but at the time I was more interested in athletics and girls, so I didn't remember anything about it. Now I am reading it avidly, although it is a book that suits, I think, Walker's morality better than mine.
But just before the end, on the last page, four lines -- the last four lines, quoted from Petrarch -- set fire to my heart.
Against barbarian rage,
Virtue will take the field; then short the fight;
True to their lineage,
Italian hearts will prove their Roman might.
The exhortation to liberate Italy from the barbarians. What a coincidence. Machiavelli wrote the book five centuries ago to incite the people of my country to get rid of the foreigner that ruled over Italy. Now, after nearly five hundred years, there are evil men ruling over my new, adopted nation, the metahuman nation.
It's time for the rebellion. It's time for the revolution.
The corridor floors in the EPS compound shone brightly clean. The smell of cleaning aids was still lingering, and not a sound could be heard. The cold glow of neon lights in the ceiling gave the place a sterile ambience, a place void of emotion.
It was in one of these corridors a sneaking figure who ever so slowly walked with her back pressed against the wall, would set events in motion that would change the life of the former Eurostar forever.
The girl with blond curly hair, red leather jacket, shorts, and boots carried two guns in each hand and a weird-looking, metallic backpack. She had the look of determination in her eyes.
"How far away is he?"
"You have to pass the next door with two guards," a reply came from her earpiece.
"Remember, all you have to do is give him the means, then get yourself out of there."
"Yeah, I got it, boss. Relax, he's in good hands. Over and out."
A laugh broke the silence, and a man with a rough, whisky-sodden voice croaked, "And I said... that's not a baguette! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-wha-ha-ha-ha!"
She paused at the corner of the corridor, checked her guns, and then suddenly just walked up to the two guards who were laughing their heads off.
"Hi, boys. I know two good jokes as well, and you're it."
The shots were silent but effective. The two men died instantly with a look of stupid surprise and a hole in each forehead. Blood sprayed the heavy, dark, metallic door behind them, making it look even more sinister.
She quickly grasped a small gadget out of her side pocket on the backpack and pressed it against the lock. A whirring sound, and the door opened. Without pausing, she hurried down the vaguely lit corridor, and at the end she saw the sign: LIVING QUARTERS.
That door proved to be even simpler, and she tiptoed into the reception lounge.
A few voices could be heard from what seemed to be a training facility, but she hurried past the open doorway and continued to the private compartments.
Suddenly, a door opened into the corridor, and a man stepped out. "I want that Animal Man project's complete profile in the morning, Curie."
"No problem, Doctor. It's done already. You'll get it first thing."
The girl activated her backpack, and she shimmered into nothingness. The two figures walked straight through her, not seeing her or feeling her presence. The Gaia unit had done its job, as usual, keeping her in-between quantum particles that make up reality as we know it.
Once they had passed, she returned to this dimensional continuum and walked carefully toward the end of the corridor, listening for any more nasty surprises.
At the last door, she knocked. The door opened, and she said, "Hi there, handsome. I'm Crasher."
Turner laughed to himself as he viewed the monitors in front of him. A little blonde was able to walk right through Walker without him even noticing her.
Priceless.
It appeared that she was moving right for the Italian hero's room, apparently to break him free. This would soon get more interesting.
Turner sat back, not pressing the alarm but watching, finally entertained.
Edulcore Cicciotto:
Who is this girl? Wait... it's the girl from the Zoo, from months ago, here in Chicago.
"I remember you, lady. Why are you here?" I ask, watching in every direction and fearing the arrival of guards, or -- worse -- of Lochlan.
"I'm here to free you. You're needed out in the world, not here. Get ready, I'll take you away."
I smile, a sad smile. "Crasher, I can leave this place all by my own means, there's no way anybody can stop me!"
The girl looks at me, puzzled. "The child, right?" she whispers.
"No, I think I could even take the kid without being stopped. It's me that don't want to leave!" I explain.
"But why? Are the rumors that you've allied with these idiots true?"
"No, far from truth. They have somehow forced me to do some filthy acts, but I hope that's behind."
"So?"
"Ehe," I laugh, watching the tiles under our feet. Then I raise my head and look at her directly in her eyes. "I'm in love, lady. I'm in love with an EPS agent with mental powers, who keeps me chained to this place!"
The girl opens her eyes wide, then begin to laugh. "Oh dear, this is unbelievable! What do I have to do? Kidnap you?"
I wonder at those words. "I... don't know..." I babble.
Then she says something at first I don't understand, but then I notice she is talking into a microphone to a remote location. "Boss, this isn't what I expected. We have to rethink the operation. Over and out."
She makes a step toward the door, then turns back to me. "I will be back soon."
I take her hand. "Don't fear for the revolution. I'm working for it right now!"
On the face of the girl appears a sarcastic smile. She waves her right hand and disappears.
After a minute, I spot Lochlan and two guards coming toward my place. I don't want to talk, so I turn into air and disperse along the corridors.
Elsewhere:
"Who are you?"
"I am the Ghost."
"The Ghost?"
"The Ghost."
"They say you have died, and many others say that you have betrayed your own kind."
"That's... not the truth. Believe only what you see."
"Why did you come?"
"I have seen you and your people. I have seen your life. I have seen your place. The life you must live in order to survive cries at the eyes of God. There are evil forces that want to use our kind for their own filthy schemes. The time has come to put an end to all this."
"How?"
"Do not hurry. I will be back soon."