The information broker turned the bird in front of his face. The presumed male was wearing a long leather trench coat, its design stylish in that particular, military sense. The officer’s haircut and black leather gloves fit further with the look. Although not entirely unfitting, the gasmask on his face was peculiar. Dark green and with giant lenses that hid the eyes behind their opaqueness. The breathing apparatus rattled and a moment later another cloud of visible gas left the filter. Streaks of short light blonde hair were visible at the side of the man’s head. There was something made of metal on his cap, but the verdin couldn’t quite make it out. At least he could cast Observe through Possession.
It was completely bugged out.
“The Gamer,” the voice was raspy and distorted to a degree that it was impossible to make out the exact tone of it. The pitch however made John fairly certain that he was male. Perhaps that was just another layer of obfuscation though. “A Mechanical Verdin series MVTS-17. You will have to answer me through your phone. After all this is one-way audio. Unless you can make this bird talk.”
Jeehan: What do you want?
“Just a little chatter.” The informant said, “I am bored and watching you is more of a side activity currently.” A distorted giggle. “What a grand game of coincidences. Fate must have led me here.” John watched the people passing by below them. They were on top of the flat roof of a supermarket yet no one was wondering what a guy in military get-up was doing there. Not even John had been able to see him.
Jeehan: I didn’t see you before you grabbed me, why?
“Because you didn’t invest high enough, I suppose. Or because you’re weak, still. When there are ways to reveal people, there are even better ways to hide people.” The informant turned the little bird in his hand. “But I digress. I was watching your school that day out of desperation, you know? I have been looking for a certain thing for years and thought maybe the Brightons would lead me to it eventually, or maybe that history teacher of yours, maybe Regan Hollmey, maybe that Gorbachev girl, one of them was bound to lead me to something. Then along came you.” He laughed, it sounded almost like white noise. “Man, who would have thought that I would find a gold mine like you Possessing a pair of panties? Not your proudest moment, I would assume. Then again… you aren’t exactly shy about your desires.”
That just confirmed what John had been guessed all this time. The person who had looked at him during the first day he used his powers, that had been SecretBlonde all along.
“At first I tried to sell you off, but boy am I happy that it didn’t work,” The informant admitted. “You gave me an in with powerful people. A direct line to forces in the Abyss. Lydia, Maximillian, Magoi, Romulus, perhaps even the Rat. Everyone loves to watch a Latebloomer grow and to gauge when they should weigh in. You gave me money, piles of it, and with it the ability to finally grasp at what I was seeking…or so I thought. I didn’t even need the money, you showed me where the thing I wanted was as well. All by accident.” The man lowered his head and looked with what John interpreted as mocking eyes. “Thank you.”
The metal piece at the cap came into his sight. It was an Iron Cross. Not some kind of religious symbol, at least not in this iteration. It was the iron cross of the German army. An outdated version that no one would accept these days – because a swastika was etched proudly into its centre.
Jeehan: You are a Nazi?
John did not expect an honest answer. He got a variety of one, probably. “That is correct. Don’t mistake me with those skinheads with their torches nowadays or the brutes of old, however. I am looking for the refinement of humanity, nothing more,” The informant turned to the people below. “Look at them. Look at them all. Going about their daily lives like sheep, only focused on their ambition to keep living until they die of natural causes. Such low ambitions. We must all strive higher. The world is nothing but a cradle for powerful beings to be born. Like yourself. A cosmic chance made you, John Newman, and I will maximise the odds to repeat a similar wonder. Further and further iteration, until it's all but guaranteed.”
He threw his arms out and shouted his determination to the world, despite no one being able to hear him.
“The highest beings! A god, the Übermensch, the master race, it doesn’t really matter – all that is important is that it is created from the essence of humanity. We’ll unlock the key to immortality and our own superiority. To that end, war is such a wonderful thing. Mengele used to understand that. Then again, I used to think he was useful in many regards. A disappointment through and through. When he failed to refine his creation, he regarded it as a failure, not his process… but I digress.”
The information broker opened his hand and the verdin was let go. Fluttering his wings, the Gamer quickly flew in a circle. He tried to keep his eyes on the man. Before the second was over, the man shifted from view. John’s phone buzzed again.
SecretBlonde: You may be happy to know that I sold the information about the two people you were watching before to the Golden Rose. This matter will be taken care of shortly. :D
Jeehan: I am absolutely disgusted that anybody would work with you.
SecretBlonde: Naw, don’t be like that. You bought information off me before. It’s not like the fact that I am a Nazi is common knowledge. I would get super big problems with Blood and Princess_of_Steel if it were. A few of the others too, although their convictions wouldn’t be quite as strong.
Jeehan: Maybe I should just tell them then.
SecretBlonde: Lol, are you threatening ME with Information warfare? Well good luck.
In his house, John clicked his tongue in annoyance. The guy was right. Still, he had learnt a lot today and at the very least he roughly knew what SecretBlonde looked like now. He had been about…how tall?
John blinked repeatedly. Was it because he had been watching through a bird’s perspective or was some kind of magic at work? John could recall what the informant was wearing perfectly but how tall he was or how broad his shoulders were, those details slipped from his grasp, it was like grabbing at wet soap in a shower.
Frustrated, John decided to sleep over all of this. A new morning would bring new answers. Or at least get his mind off all of this.
The information broker turned the bird in front of his face. The presumed male was wearing a long leather trench coat, its design stylish in that particular, military sense. The officer’s haircut and black leather gloves fit further with the look. Although not entirely unfitting, the gasmask on his face was peculiar. Dark green and with giant lenses that hid the eyes behind their opaqueness. The breathing apparatus rattled and a moment later another cloud of visible gas left the filter. Streaks of short light blonde hair were visible at the side of the man’s head. There was something made of metal on his cap, but the verdin couldn’t quite make it out. At least he could cast Observe through Possession.
It was completely bugged out.
“The Gamer,” the voice was raspy and distorted to a degree that it was impossible to make out the exact tone of it. The pitch however made John fairly certain that he was male. Perhaps that was just another layer of obfuscation though. “A Mechanical Verdin series MVTS-17. You will have to answer me through your phone. After all this is one-way audio. Unless you can make this bird talk.”
Jeehan: What do you want?
“Just a little chatter.” The informant said, “I am bored and watching you is more of a side activity currently.” A distorted giggle. “What a grand game of coincidences. Fate must have led me here.” John watched the people passing by below them. They were on top of the flat roof of a supermarket yet no one was wondering what a guy in military get-up was doing there. Not even John had been able to see him.
Jeehan: I didn’t see you before you grabbed me, why?
“Because you didn’t invest high enough, I suppose. Or because you’re weak, still. When there are ways to reveal people, there are even better ways to hide people.” The informant turned the little bird in his hand. “But I digress. I was watching your school that day out of desperation, you know? I have been looking for a certain thing for years and thought maybe the Brightons would lead me to it eventually, or maybe that history teacher of yours, maybe Regan Hollmey, maybe that Gorbachev girl, one of them was bound to lead me to something. Then along came you.” He laughed, it sounded almost like white noise. “Man, who would have thought that I would find a gold mine like you Possessing a pair of panties? Not your proudest moment, I would assume. Then again… you aren’t exactly shy about your desires.”
That just confirmed what John had been guessed all this time. The person who had looked at him during the first day he used his powers, that had been SecretBlonde all along.
“At first I tried to sell you off, but boy am I happy that it didn’t work,” The informant admitted. “You gave me an in with powerful people. A direct line to forces in the Abyss. Lydia, Maximillian, Magoi, Romulus, perhaps even the Rat. Everyone loves to watch a Latebloomer grow and to gauge when they should weigh in. You gave me money, piles of it, and with it the ability to finally grasp at what I was seeking…or so I thought. I didn’t even need the money, you showed me where the thing I wanted was as well. All by accident.” The man lowered his head and looked with what John interpreted as mocking eyes. “Thank you.”
The metal piece at the cap came into his sight. It was an Iron Cross. Not some kind of religious symbol, at least not in this iteration. It was the iron cross of the German army. An outdated version that no one would accept these days – because a swastika was etched proudly into its centre.
Jeehan: You are a Nazi?
John did not expect an honest answer. He got a variety of one, probably. “That is correct. Don’t mistake me with those skinheads with their torches nowadays or the brutes of old, however. I am looking for the refinement of humanity, nothing more,” The informant turned to the people below. “Look at them. Look at them all. Going about their daily lives like sheep, only focused on their ambition to keep living until they die of natural causes. Such low ambitions. We must all strive higher. The world is nothing but a cradle for powerful beings to be born. Like yourself. A cosmic chance made you, John Newman, and I will maximise the odds to repeat a similar wonder. Further and further iteration, until it's all but guaranteed.”
He threw his arms out and shouted his determination to the world, despite no one being able to hear him.
“The highest beings! A god, the Übermensch, the master race, it doesn’t really matter – all that is important is that it is created from the essence of humanity. We’ll unlock the key to immortality and our own superiority. To that end, war is such a wonderful thing. Mengele used to understand that. Then again, I used to think he was useful in many regards. A disappointment through and through. When he failed to refine his creation, he regarded it as a failure, not his process… but I digress.”
The information broker opened his hand and the verdin was let go. Fluttering his wings, the Gamer quickly flew in a circle. He tried to keep his eyes on the man. Before the second was over, the man shifted from view. John’s phone buzzed again.
SecretBlonde: You may be happy to know that I sold the information about the two people you were watching before to the Golden Rose. This matter will be taken care of shortly. :D
Jeehan: I am absolutely disgusted that anybody would work with you.
SecretBlonde: Naw, don’t be like that. You bought information off me before. It’s not like the fact that I am a Nazi is common knowledge. I would get super big problems with Blood and Princess_of_Steel if it were. A few of the others too, although their convictions wouldn’t be quite as strong.
Jeehan: Maybe I should just tell them then.
SecretBlonde: Lol, are you threatening ME with Information warfare? Well good luck.
In his house, John clicked his tongue in annoyance. The guy was right. Still, he had learnt a lot today and at the very least he roughly knew what SecretBlonde looked like now. He had been about…how tall?
John blinked repeatedly. Was it because he had been watching through a bird’s perspective or was some kind of magic at work? John could recall what the informant was wearing perfectly but how tall he was or how broad his shoulders were, those details slipped from his grasp, it was like grabbing at wet soap in a shower.
Frustrated, John decided to sleep over all of this. A new morning would bring new answers. Or at least get his mind off all of this.
