Adenovirus 423 DC Armory: Vehicle Hangar

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."
 
Trys had followed Asha back into the Hangar. The crowds were forming thick and fast to see what was happening exactly. Everyone was whispering and Trys was still rubbing his cheek which had started to bruise from the impact of Dicken's fist. Hopefully no one had taken much notice of the other's words. He hoped not at least. It was obvious that the people that followed Dickens would, but if everyone started doubting him then that could ruin everything.

Asha said her piece and Trys looked at Val. "What do you think? Do you think Jacob would do that?" He asked.

Dickens was glancing Trys' way every so often with a glare. Once Asha had finished speaking, he chose to speak up. "And how do you know that he's the only one involved?"
 
After the scuffle with Dickens and all the tension surrounding the incident, Valerie had been somewhat on her toes as she entered the Vehicle Hangar once more, where she had first talked to Trys. The two young boys that she'd told to guard the place were still there, now standing in the crowd amongst the unharmed mechanics. Everything had been alright, after all. It seemed like Abington was still a no-show, though. Wonder where that girl went.

Deciding to think on it later, she took her place next to Trys in the audience and raised her head, staring at Asha as she gave her speech. The woman was pretty influential. Already she was starting to believe these things - though she was new and hadn't paid much attention to those suicide missions, it sure sounded real. Could be a lie to gain power on her part, but... It didn't matter. Jacob had been bested. He lost, and he wasn't a worthy leader. Nor was he an involved one. A leader should be active and friendly to the people they lead; not hide away in their office doing god-knows-what. Hopefully that would be solved now.

The voice of Trys next to her spurred Val from her thoughts, and she turned her head towards him, scratching the back of her neck. "Err... I don't know. You've known him longer than I, haven't you? But honestly? I wouldn't put it past the guy." She responded quietly, thinking on his reclusive and ill-mannered personality. "Guess we're gonna see." She was pretty interested to view this evidence, and she could only imagine the outrage once people found out. Trys asked a question and she glanced towards Dickens, noticing the hostile look he was giving the mechanic. It was returned with one of her own.
 
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