Thirty minutes later...
Asha made sure to gather as many people as she was able to the vehicle hangar, the largest room within the DC Armory. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, looking toward her audience. Her friends. Jacob sat next to her in a chair, eyes hooded and filled with malice. His hands were zip-tied behind him. He hadn't said a word since he was taken out of the command center.
"I know a lot of you are confused. This doesn't look good," she began, clenching her hands tightly behind her to stop them from shaking. She knew this would be the hard part. Apprehending Jacob with four men was a breeze, but winning over his army? She took a breath and held her head high. "I understand your concerns completely and intend to clear them up right now. Casey and Robin should be back soon with a piece of evidence that will erase any doubts you have."
"You might remember that less than a few days ago, Jacob sent us on a mission for a cache that dropped right outside the northeast border of our territory. Scouts confirmed that no one else was in the area, so it was clear for the taking. When we made it to the drop point... we were overrun by an anonymous group that wiped out my entire squad, save Art and myself."
Pausing, Asha looked past everyone, eyes glazed over for a moment as she recalled the incident. Her lids narrowed to a close. "We lost Sanjay, Lucian, and Coralie. First and foremost, I need to apologize. I could not save them and I regret it deeply. Secondly, I need to make it clear that this was not an isolated incident. We have seen parties go out on seemingly harmless missions before and not come back. They were few, far apart, well placed. In the world that we live in, this didn't seem to come as a surprise. Despite this, I noticed inconsistencies. These suicide missions began with Jacob's drop in his health. I didn't see this at first; I was just as distraught as everyone else. But when two, three, and then finally... number four happened? I got suspicious, and I worked on finding out why this started to happen."
"Just today, Casey, Robin, and I listened to a rather stunning recording of a signal send in morse code from the Obsidian Knights command center. You might have guessed what they were," said Asha, looking from one face to another, meeting their eyes individually.
"They were coordinates."
Asha made sure to gather as many people as she was able to the vehicle hangar, the largest room within the DC Armory. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, looking toward her audience. Her friends. Jacob sat next to her in a chair, eyes hooded and filled with malice. His hands were zip-tied behind him. He hadn't said a word since he was taken out of the command center.
"I know a lot of you are confused. This doesn't look good," she began, clenching her hands tightly behind her to stop them from shaking. She knew this would be the hard part. Apprehending Jacob with four men was a breeze, but winning over his army? She took a breath and held her head high. "I understand your concerns completely and intend to clear them up right now. Casey and Robin should be back soon with a piece of evidence that will erase any doubts you have."
"You might remember that less than a few days ago, Jacob sent us on a mission for a cache that dropped right outside the northeast border of our territory. Scouts confirmed that no one else was in the area, so it was clear for the taking. When we made it to the drop point... we were overrun by an anonymous group that wiped out my entire squad, save Art and myself."
Pausing, Asha looked past everyone, eyes glazed over for a moment as she recalled the incident. Her lids narrowed to a close. "We lost Sanjay, Lucian, and Coralie. First and foremost, I need to apologize. I could not save them and I regret it deeply. Secondly, I need to make it clear that this was not an isolated incident. We have seen parties go out on seemingly harmless missions before and not come back. They were few, far apart, well placed. In the world that we live in, this didn't seem to come as a surprise. Despite this, I noticed inconsistencies. These suicide missions began with Jacob's drop in his health. I didn't see this at first; I was just as distraught as everyone else. But when two, three, and then finally... number four happened? I got suspicious, and I worked on finding out why this started to happen."
"Just today, Casey, Robin, and I listened to a rather stunning recording of a signal send in morse code from the Obsidian Knights command center. You might have guessed what they were," said Asha, looking from one face to another, meeting their eyes individually.
"They were coordinates."