The Devil's Crowning Glory - Part I

20th March

Malacca, Artemis, State of Luna

A week ago, a war began, but now it's already over. I'm not sure how Frank managed it, but three days ago his biggest opponents caved, and yesterday an agreement was reached. There's still some isolated fighting and minute details to be ironed out on Earth, but the moon's freedom and independence has been secured. Though I can't be sure how he managed it, Frank has done it. The moon is his, and he has forced everyone to recognise and acknowledge him.

But it's fine that Frank was this successful. In fact, it's good that he's been this successful. It means that the mess from his death won't be half as bad as it might have been. Now the only problem that we have, is timing. We need to remove Frank before he consolidates too much power. Of course, that's what I'm assuming Nozomi and whoever else she has recruited are thinking. I haven't had any communication from Nozomi since the day the provisional government met, and I saw her at Yohn's grave.

Today, I'm headed to Frank's apartment up on the Malacca ridge. Why doesn't it surprise me that where Frank chose to live, is somewhere with a view down onto the rest of the city? I don't know why, but Frank asked me to come see him today, and it would be difficult for me to refuse him. He is the Consul, after all, his self-made title. And until he is gone, I still need to play the part of Frank's ally. Just as me and Nozomi decided when we first agreed to all this. When we agreed that the best course of action would be for me to masquerade as Frank's ally, all whilst she plots to get rid of him for me.

I'm curious to find out what it is that Frank wants. What he's going ask me to do, or try to manipulate me into. Anyway, I suppose I'll find out what it is when I reach his apartment. Before then, however, I have to slave away, climbing up the ridge.

The apartment blocks up here on the ridge look more like squashed cubes, than the towering concrete trees the ones based on the cavern floor are. Frank's apartment is actually on the bottom floor, surprisingly enough, of his block. I ring the doorbell, and wait for his answer. The door opens, but it isn't Frank who answers it. Standing in front of me is a Lunar-born child, who's face is a little too familiar. He's taller than me, and his long black hair comes down to about his shoulders. His skin is incredibly pale, and his eyes, even though they are a strange crimson colour, seem very familiar to me. The shape must be the same, I realise. The boy looks at me and blinks. He must be waiting for me to say something. Just how long have I been standing there staring at him?

"Sorry," I begin, "what's your name?"

The boy blinks, then answers simply, "Akira. Father's on the balcony."

"I-I see."

Akira walks away from me, leaving the door open for me to walk through. He seems a lot like him. That only makes this harder. I step through the entrance, and close the door behind me. Since neither my apartment in Junction, nor the temporary apartment I have in Staghead, have a balcony, I'm not sure where to go at first, but then I see it almost as soon as I start walking deeper into the apartment. The balcony is located at the far end of the lounge, where the windows are usually located in most apartments. Instead, there's a sliding door out to the balcony, and standing there, leaning on the rail and looking out over the city whimsically, is Frank. As I make my way over, I hear the sound of children laughing from the second bedroom. Not one, but two. That's right, Frank has one other adopted child besides Akira.

The door out onto the balcony is wide open, so Frank doesn't hear me as I come out, or perhaps he simply chose not to respond. I walk over to the edge of the balcony, and rest my arms on the rail the same way he is. Looking over at him, I can see that his left arm is still braced in an exoskeleton. Still injured from the incident when Yohn died. His hair's gone completely grey now. Frank looks about ten or fifteen years older than he did two weeks ago. Even though he must realise that I'm here by now, Frank still hasn't said anything, or looked in my direction. He simply just keeps staring out toward the city. I wonder if he's waiting for me to speak first. That does seem like something he might do. Even though he was the one who asked me to come here in the first place.

"Congratulations, Frank. You actually did it."

Frank still doesn't look at me as he replies, "well… I'd been planning it for so long that it would've been shocking if it hadn't gone well. But in the end, I still only barely made it. Or as Koyomi might say, I was barely safe."

I don't know who Koyomi is, but 'barely safe' is an interesting way to put it.

"So, what did you need me for?"

Frank finally looks over at me, "well, I just thought now that everything's calmed down, we could talk. Since we're old friends."

"What do we have to talk about?" I say, perhaps a little too aggressively. But the way he's talking makes me angry because I think I already know what he wants to talk about.

"Yohn. I want to talk about Yohn, because I know more about the two of you than most people, not even mentioning Akira."