Aftermath
As the blue dim lights slowly lit the chamber up, I took the time to turn back off the holographic reports still displayed in the center of the chamber. After all, those were for a private chat with the old ma- the Visionary, and I certainly didn’t want any of the other Overseers poking their heads into our business. True enough, it wasn't long before shadowy figures -darkened by the Identity Veils pre-installed into the seating booths- began materialising in their seats one by one. The built-in teleporters in each of our seating booths allowed for fast and convenient movement in and out of our respective seats. After all, Overseers tended to be quite busy most of the time. Especially during times when emergency meetings were called like this, since such meetings only ever occurred in the midst of crises, such as the one we were facing now. Well then, now that they were all appearing one by one, I turned to briefly look back down at my body, which I had privately reverted back to as a child after returning back with the Vice-captain. Although, I wasn’t expecting much of a fuss either way. The Overseers all knew the “Administrator” appeared in different forms. They just didn't know if it was their Ability, some high-tech illusion or a body-double of sorts.
Now then, moving back from tangent, it seems all of the Overseers had gathered. The figure of the Ambassador had materialised the last. Poor guy, he's probably been the most busy out of all of us, having to deal with the US and Canadian governments. Well then again, you reap what you sow. That's what you get for not taking Project Overwatch seriously.
Savouring the brief moment, I muttered under my breath in a small voice: “Idiot.”
Putting some well-deserved justice aside, with all Overseers present, it was time to get the ball rolling. I shifted my arm around, moving my hands in a familiar process I’ve done well over a dozen times by now. I clicked a few buttons on my seating booth to activate a built-in microphone in my booth, adjusting my voice to be played through the overhead speakers instead per standard procedure. As much as I wanted to continue the little family reunion between Yan, the Visionary, and I, duty calls, and we had a meeting to commence. Looking back up at Yan and the old man, who were both staying silent, I took the lead in commencing the meeting. Since I was back in my child form, my augmented, childish voice rang out from the overhead speakers: "All right. We're all here, it seems. I'm sure most of us here have become rather… busy, so as to say, so let's cut to the chase and get started, shall we?". As much as I wanted to take the moment to tease a number of the Overseers, (Looking at you, Ambassador.) even I knew that would be in bad taste. We're all busy, not to mention the death and destruction caused by the whole crisis.
Yan followed up, her augmented voice following suit through the overhead speakers: "Information is still quite scattered. As usual, let us first summarise the current situation from each of our positions. If there are no objections, I shall start."
With that, the holograph in the center of the Council Chambers lit back up, displaying a plethora of written reports and video footage. Yan continued: "As you all know, the massive red cracks that appeared over Canadian airspace has been quite a shock for all of us."
Pausing briefly, she continued: "They appeared within the vicinity of the second Crack, as I am sure you have all been informed by now. However, certain events have transpired back in the first Crack, whilst our attentions had all been taken up by the second."
Following her words, the holographic projector in the center turned on once again, displaying a series of silent video footage, coupled with photographs and on-field reports from Operatives. I could see several of the Overseers jotting down a few notes here and there in their miniaturised laptops. Or notepads, or whatever. Not like I actively went around asking, “A fine evening my esteemed colleague, may I be as brazen as to inquire about your method of notetaking during our oh-so pleasant meetings?”
Yeah. I’d rather die than show that kind of attitude. Anyways, whilst I was having such thoughts, Yan was carrying on with her little presentation, having reached the point about the first Crack’s disastrous breach event. I really didn’t need to focus as much, since I had heard a lot from Azul who had arrived back at the site before me, not long after the whole thing had gone down. Quite literally, since the cave system where the Crack was located in had completely caved in, and even most of the surface site had collapsed underground. It was a shocking sight to see.
It was a pretty big deal, all right. Using my Ability, I channelled my blood to reinforce my eyes, enhancing my eyesight. From there, I could see some of the Overseers shifting uncomfortably in their seats as Yan spoke. This time, I couldn't really blame them. But still, my own shock from what I had witnessed then was nothing compared to the absolute lightning bolt that just fell onto me out of the blue in the next few moments. As Yan continued on with her words, some of them violently caught my attention. Very violently, actually. I almost stumbled back from my seat listening to her next words.
“... previously under supervision from Temporary Site Director, Ezra Calvin-”
Wait, did I hear that right? That Ezra Calvin? Shit. He- he. Fuck. Wait, he was alive? He was the supervisor? That was… That was not okay. That traitor should have been dead, for all I knew. Did I mishear her? Probably so. Still, I needed to check. Quickly catching myself, I interrupted Yan mid-speech, trying to hide the turmoil in my augmented voice: “Sorry for the interruption, but if I’ve heard you correctly, did you just mention Ezra Calvin?” Yan paused as I interjected, and seemed thinking of something before affirming my fears very casually: “Yes. I've looked over his records before appointing him to Division Uriel. It is the personnel you are familiar with, Administrator. Though, I hardly understand your surprise. Were you not aware of his pardon?”.
Now that made me do a double-take, though I fortunately didn't show it from my movements. Unfortunately, the same couldn't have been said for my augmented voice: “Excuse me? Pardon? Why? And from who?! This…… for god’s sake!! We’re Overseers, damn it. What is wrong with our internal communications? I issued his death warrant five years ago! Why am I only hearing about this now?!”
Catching my breath. I continued. My mind was half-consumed by fury and the other half by disbelief over this ridiculous news I was hearing: ”He was a traitor from the Inquisitors, as the former second-in-command, no less! There should have been no circumstances or reason to be pardoning him for what he had done.” Honestly? To say I had been caught off-guard was an understatement. I came in here ready to hear about the Cracks and the breach, and ended up with an additional bombshell that had been left unattended for five whole years straight. What a badly written joke. Or at least I wished it were. Organising my thoughts briefly, I turned towards the other Overseers, hoping for an explanation. Unfortunately, I got none. Silence permeated the venue. Then again, a small part of my remaining rationality told me it couldn't be helped. It would have been difficult for anyone to remember such a pardon from five years ago. Especially not when there was still the crisis going on.
Right. The crisis. I couldn't derail the meeting on my own like that. Inwardly sighing to myself, I made a show of waving my hand again, looking dismissive of the issue. "Look, I get we still have the whole crisis thing to deal with, and none of us or our close aides have the capacity to check over classified records at such a time. I can settle for a further explanation about this afterwards once this whole crisis blows over. Regardless, if he was at the underground site as the cave collapsed, I want his body sent over to my Ministry to confirm his death myself." With that, I dropped the issue, motioning for Yan to continue. The woman in turn, looked a bit apprehensive, before seemingly getting over it.
"Right, that aside, I shall continue on. As I was speaking…" Yan continued onwards with her words, but I was quite out of it. I made a mental note to investigate the mysterious circumstances of his pardon afterwards. I was also going to have to add another notch in the list of things I needed to confer with Yan about later on, about just how and why he was recruited to her own Division. Whilst having such thoughts, I shifted my arms ever so slightly, clicking the buttons to disconnect the built-in microphone in my seating booth from the overhead speakers. With a few more clicks, I re-routed its connection to a different source. I was going to have to make a call. Ezra was probably dead, but the Origin in question had been second-in-command for a reason. Though I'm not aware of what happened to him in those five years- from the man I once knew- I wasn't putting it past him to have smuggled in something like a teleporter on-site. The man was too dangerous as a potential risk, and I knew what he was capable of.
Speaking in a hushed tone, just enough for the microphone to catch, I muttered: "Rhythm and Beat, copy?" I heard a soft click coming from my seat's built-in speakers, confirming the two Origins were in fact hearing me. Wasting no time, I cut to the chase: "Begin a search for Ezra Calvin. Yes, that Ezra Calvin– No no, I didn't know he was alive until now, and no, I don't need it high-priority. With any luck, he might already be dead. Just keep an eye out for him… hmm……" Thinking to myself, I lightly tapped my fingers on the metal surface of the booth a few times before continuing: " –especially in the States and Canada. The man we all remember had a tendency to follow trouble, after all. If you do end up finding him? Call me. If I'm unavailable, get Division Samiel on the line. I'll let them in on your operation. No, not the Inquisitors. I want the Inquisitors out of this operation. Do you copy?" A few quick clicks from the other side of the call confirmed their response. With that settled, I quickly thanked them and disconnected the call, refocusing my attention back to Yan's speech. With any luck, Rhythm and Beat would track the Origin down if he was still alive and kicking. It had been those two who caught him before when he first turned traitor, after all.
But still, a part of me only really intended for this to be a safety measure. With any luck, the man was crushed under the rubble from the cave-in or ripped apart by monsters, and I would be confirming his body, whatever condition it may be in, in the next few days as the rubble was excavated. I really hoped that was the case. I really didn't need another problem piling on my desk, now.
Aftermath
As the blue dim lights slowly lit the chamber up, I took the time to turn back off the holographic reports still displayed in the center of the chamber. After all, those were for a private chat with the old ma- the Visionary, and I certainly didn’t want any of the other Overseers poking their heads into our business. True enough, it wasn't long before shadowy figures -darkened by the Identity Veils pre-installed into the seating booths- began materialising in their seats one by one. The built-in teleporters in each of our seating booths allowed for fast and convenient movement in and out of our respective seats. After all, Overseers tended to be quite busy most of the time. Especially during times when emergency meetings were called like this, since such meetings only ever occurred in the midst of crises, such as the one we were facing now. Well then, now that they were all appearing one by one, I turned to briefly look back down at my body, which I had privately reverted back to as a child after returning back with the Vice-captain. Although, I wasn’t expecting much of a fuss either way. The Overseers all knew the “Administrator” appeared in different forms. They just didn't know if it was their Ability, some high-tech illusion or a body-double of sorts.
Now then, moving back from tangent, it seems all of the Overseers had gathered. The figure of the Ambassador had materialised the last. Poor guy, he's probably been the most busy out of all of us, having to deal with the US and Canadian governments. Well then again, you reap what you sow. That's what you get for not taking Project Overwatch seriously.
Savouring the brief moment, I muttered under my breath in a small voice: “Idiot.”
Putting some well-deserved justice aside, with all Overseers present, it was time to get the ball rolling. I shifted my arm around, moving my hands in a familiar process I’ve done well over a dozen times by now. I clicked a few buttons on my seating booth to activate a built-in microphone in my booth, adjusting my voice to be played through the overhead speakers instead per standard procedure. As much as I wanted to continue the little family reunion between Yan, the Visionary, and I, duty calls, and we had a meeting to commence. Looking back up at Yan and the old man, who were both staying silent, I took the lead in commencing the meeting. Since I was back in my child form, my augmented, childish voice rang out from the overhead speakers: "All right. We're all here, it seems. I'm sure most of us here have become rather… busy, so as to say, so let's cut to the chase and get started, shall we?". As much as I wanted to take the moment to tease a number of the Overseers, (Looking at you, Ambassador.) even I knew that would be in bad taste. We're all busy, not to mention the death and destruction caused by the whole crisis.
Yan followed up, her augmented voice following suit through the overhead speakers: "Information is still quite scattered. As usual, let us first summarise the current situation from each of our positions. If there are no objections, I shall start."
With that, the holograph in the center of the Council Chambers lit back up, displaying a plethora of written reports and video footage. Yan continued: "As you all know, the massive red cracks that appeared over Canadian airspace has been quite a shock for all of us."
Pausing briefly, she continued: "They appeared within the vicinity of the second Crack, as I am sure you have all been informed by now. However, certain events have transpired back in the first Crack, whilst our attentions had all been taken up by the second."
Following her words, the holographic projector in the center turned on once again, displaying a series of silent video footage, coupled with photographs and on-field reports from Operatives. I could see several of the Overseers jotting down a few notes here and there in their miniaturised laptops. Or notepads, or whatever. Not like I actively went around asking, “A fine evening my esteemed colleague, may I be as brazen as to inquire about your method of notetaking during our oh-so pleasant meetings?”
Yeah. I’d rather die than show that kind of attitude. Anyways, whilst I was having such thoughts, Yan was carrying on with her little presentation, having reached the point about the first Crack’s disastrous breach event. I really didn’t need to focus as much, since I had heard a lot from Azul who had arrived back at the site before me, not long after the whole thing had gone down. Quite literally, since the cave system where the Crack was located in had completely caved in, and even most of the surface site had collapsed underground. It was a shocking sight to see.
It was a pretty big deal, all right. Using my Ability, I channelled my blood to reinforce my eyes, enhancing my eyesight. From there, I could see some of the Overseers shifting uncomfortably in their seats as Yan spoke. This time, I couldn't really blame them. But still, my own shock from what I had witnessed then was nothing compared to the absolute lightning bolt that just fell onto me out of the blue in the next few moments. As Yan continued on with her words, some of them violently caught my attention. Very violently, actually. I almost stumbled back from my seat listening to her next words.
“... previously under supervision from Temporary Site Director, Ezra Calvin-”
Wait, did I hear that right? That Ezra Calvin? Shit. He- he. Fuck. Wait, he was alive? He was the supervisor? That was… That was not okay. That traitor should have been dead, for all I knew. Did I mishear her? Probably so. Still, I needed to check. Quickly catching myself, I interrupted Yan mid-speech, trying to hide the turmoil in my augmented voice: “Sorry for the interruption, but if I’ve heard you correctly, did you just mention Ezra Calvin?” Yan paused as I interjected, and seemed thinking of something before affirming my fears very casually: “Yes. I've looked over his records before appointing him to Division Uriel. It is the personnel you are familiar with, Administrator. Though, I hardly understand your surprise. Were you not aware of his pardon?”.
Now that made me do a double-take, though I fortunately didn't show it from my movements. Unfortunately, the same couldn't have been said for my augmented voice: “Excuse me? Pardon? Why? And from who?! This…… for god’s sake!! We’re Overseers, damn it. What is wrong with our internal communications? I issued his death warrant five years ago! Why am I only hearing about this now?!”
Catching my breath. I continued. My mind was half-consumed by fury and the other half by disbelief over this ridiculous news I was hearing: ”He was a traitor from the Inquisitors, as the former second-in-command, no less! There should have been no circumstances or reason to be pardoning him for what he had done.” Honestly? To say I had been caught off-guard was an understatement. I came in here ready to hear about the Cracks and the breach, and ended up with an additional bombshell that had been left unattended for five whole years straight. What a badly written joke. Or at least I wished it were. Organising my thoughts briefly, I turned towards the other Overseers, hoping for an explanation. Unfortunately, I got none. Silence permeated the venue. Then again, a small part of my remaining rationality told me it couldn't be helped. It would have been difficult for anyone to remember such a pardon from five years ago. Especially not when there was still the crisis going on.
Right. The crisis. I couldn't derail the meeting on my own like that. Inwardly sighing to myself, I made a show of waving my hand again, looking dismissive of the issue. "Look, I get we still have the whole crisis thing to deal with, and none of us or our close aides have the capacity to check over classified records at such a time. I can settle for a further explanation about this afterwards once this whole crisis blows over. Regardless, if he was at the underground site as the cave collapsed, I want his body sent over to my Ministry to confirm his death myself." With that, I dropped the issue, motioning for Yan to continue. The woman in turn, looked a bit apprehensive, before seemingly getting over it.
"Right, that aside, I shall continue on. As I was speaking…" Yan continued onwards with her words, but I was quite out of it. I made a mental note to investigate the mysterious circumstances of his pardon afterwards. I was also going to have to add another notch in the list of things I needed to confer with Yan about later on, about just how and why he was recruited to her own Division. Whilst having such thoughts, I shifted my arms ever so slightly, clicking the buttons to disconnect the built-in microphone in my seating booth from the overhead speakers. With a few more clicks, I re-routed its connection to a different source. I was going to have to make a call. Ezra was probably dead, but the Origin in question had been second-in-command for a reason. Though I'm not aware of what happened to him in those five years- from the man I once knew- I wasn't putting it past him to have smuggled in something like a teleporter on-site. The man was too dangerous as a potential risk, and I knew what he was capable of.
Speaking in a hushed tone, just enough for the microphone to catch, I muttered: "Rhythm and Beat, copy?" I heard a soft click coming from my seat's built-in speakers, confirming the two Origins were in fact hearing me. Wasting no time, I cut to the chase: "Begin a search for Ezra Calvin. Yes, that Ezra Calvin– No no, I didn't know he was alive until now, and no, I don't need it high-priority. With any luck, he might already be dead. Just keep an eye out for him… hmm……" Thinking to myself, I lightly tapped my fingers on the metal surface of the booth a few times before continuing: " –especially in the States and Canada. The man we all remember had a tendency to follow trouble, after all. If you do end up finding him? Call me. If I'm unavailable, get Division Samiel on the line. I'll let them in on your operation. No, not the Inquisitors. I want the Inquisitors out of this operation. Do you copy?" A few quick clicks from the other side of the call confirmed their response. With that settled, I quickly thanked them and disconnected the call, refocusing my attention back to Yan's speech. With any luck, Rhythm and Beat would track the Origin down if he was still alive and kicking. It had been those two who caught him before when he first turned traitor, after all.
But still, a part of me only really intended for this to be a safety measure. With any luck, the man was crushed under the rubble from the cave-in or ripped apart by monsters, and I would be confirming his body, whatever condition it may be in, in the next few days as the rubble was excavated. I really hoped that was the case. I really didn't need another problem piling on my desk, now.
