23 The Hidden Society

Verlin and Chloe left the house and wandered into the city, The whole city was vibrant and noisy about the war that had been announced, Verlin could hear everything that was going on in the City, he could feel the average hearbeat of the citizens increase by 20 hearbeats per minute. He could hear people's sorrow and despair. He could hear others calling their loved ones in worry and could hear the blood thirsty psyhopaths jumping in joy. I guess when there is a war, psycopaths that could kill people without batting an eye would really come in handy.

Verlin looked at Chloe and said, " I dont know if it's the right time to try and find some masked vigilante right now. Aren't you worried about your dad going to war?"

Verlin knew that Chloe was worried. Although she tried to hide it, her hearbeat also increased along with population. Verlin didn't know why she was trying to be tough. Although she was 18 years old, people on this planet reached adulthood at the age of 24. She was still considered a teen here.

Chloe kept walking forward and said, "Of course I'm worried, but it's not only my father that's going to war, I can't tell him to just come back home because Im worried. He would lose his honor. He has been training most of his life for a moment like this, you know, to fight for what he thinks is right."

Verlin nodded his head in understanding as they continued to wander around the city. Chloe suddenly stopped and said, " If we want to grab the masked blur's attention, We will have to cause some trouble. He only appears when there is some sort of crime happening."

"You're not thinking of robbing a bank or committing some sort of crime, are you?"

Chloe's face squeezed with a frown and said," Of course not, We are going to fake a crime scene. I'll be criminal, and you be the helpless victim. Come on, "

Chloe grabbed Verlin's hand and dragged him into an isolated alleyway. They both stopped at a very conspicuous place for a crime to happen, Chloe stopped and said, " Pretend I'm about to steal your phone."

Before Verlin could say anything, she reached for his pocket to grab his phone. Verlin grabbed her hand and said, " I don't think this isn't going to work, I doubt the masked blur would be in the mood to fight crime after a war has been announced."

Chloe paused for a second to think and said, " You're right, a crime fighter like him would sit idle while there is a war going on, I bet he would be the first one to get involved in the war. With his help, I bet the war wouldn't have as many casualities."

Verlin was silent before saying, " Yeah, well, we should probably head back, I bet no one in the city is in a good mood."

Chloe nodded her head as they both made their way back to Chloe's house, both lost in their own thoughts. Verlin couldn't help but think about the gravity of the situation. Maybe he had been too rash in his decision-making, but then again, he was an outsider, and he felt he shouldn't be the one to decide about the direction of an entire civilization he wasn't a part of. He couldn't help but think if others thought that the masked blur would also participate in the war.

Chloe, on the other hand, was worried about her father and the rest of the soldiers who were going to war. She knew that war meant death and destruction, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing her loved ones. She was also worried about the fate of her city and the people she cared about. The main reason she wanted to go out to find the masked blur was because she felt someone with that type of strength should be able to find a solution that would lead to the least amount of casualties. Before, she had wanted to find the masked blur, mainly because she had wanted to meet other Enhanced humans, but after the announcement, everything changed.

As they reached Chloe's house, she turned to Verlin and said, "Thank you for coming with me, Verlin. I know it was a stupid idea, but I just needed to take my mind off things."

"It's fine, I know it's your own way of trying to help out, even if you don't think before you act."

Chloe smiled a little and said, " Thanks."

Verlin was about to leave, but he could hear an unfamiliar heartbeat coming from Chloe's house, he used his x-ray vision to see who it was and couldnt help being a little suprised as, it was Chloe's Aunt who hasn't made an appearance in a decade, although he hasn't met her yet, he had seen photos of her from Chloe's Childhood. He decided to follow Chloe into the house.

As they entered the house, Chloe's aunt, who was sitting on the couch, looked up and smiled at them. "Hello, Chloe. It's nice to see you after so long," she said.

Chloe's aunt was a tall, thin woman with sharp features and piercing green eyes. She had long, dark hair that was tied back in a tight bun. She was wearing a simple black dress and a pair of black heels. She looked like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine.

Chloe looked surprised to see her aunt and asked, "Aunt Marie, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, my dear," Aunt Marie replied. "It's been too long since we've seen each other."

Chloe hugged her aunt tightly and said, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, my dear," Aunt Marie said.

Marie turned to Verlin and said, " I also came here to meet you, Mr.Verlin."

(Cleopatra is Chloe's mother)

Verlin was taken aback. "And what exactly do you know about me?" he said, unsure of what she was talking about.

"I know what you are," she said. "You're not from around here. You're different."

Verlin didn't jump into conclusion she might be thinking he was also an enhanced human, so he wasn't going to say anything to give his identity up. Before Verlin could reply, Chloe said, " Verlin is new to City A, I met him about 2 weeks ago. He is also an enhanced human."

Marie squinted her eyes and said, " Is that so? It seems both of you have been getting along quite well. "

After a slight pause, Marie continued and said, " Well, the main reason I came here was to bring Chloe along with me. "

Chloe and Verlin were quite shocked hearing this, and Chloe's mother face seemed grief struck when she heard this and said, " What do you mean, you are here to take Chloe with you. You said you would come back once she became an adult."

"If everything went according to plan, I would have waited for her to become an adult before coming back, but for some reason the Federation is getting anxious, which led to the war being brought forward much sooner than anticipated." Marie said while staring at Verlin.

Verlin could already tell that Marie knew something about him that only a certain few at the military should know. It seemed the military isn't as secure as they believed themselves to be.

Chlo was conflicted because she was happy to get to meet other Enhanced humans but was unhappy knowing that her mother made a deal involving her without her knowing. She turned to her mother and said, " What do you mean she was supposed to take me when I turned into an adult?"

Chleopatra grabbed Chloe's hand and took her into the kitchen to have a chat.

Verlin looked at Marie and said, " So, who exactly are you and what do you know about me?"

Marie looked at Verlin and wasn't sure what to make out of it, She had been told by their leader to approach him cautiously and to treat him with respect. She was told he was an alien, but from what she sees, he is just a kid who hasn't reached adulthood yet. Although she was a bit perplexed, she knew more than to treat the words of the leader lightly. She said, " I am one of the enhanced humans of The Hidden Society. The organization has existed for thousands of years and has watched over humanity from a birds eye view. We know everything there is to know about the planet."

Verlin could hear the pride in her voice as she spoke, but he was also curious as too how many enhanced humans where in this Hidden Society, so he said, " So, what is the real reason for coming here?"

Marie replied, " My purpose of coming here was to bring Chloe and let her join The Hidden Society, but my mission was to invite you to The Hidden Society. The leader has been wanting to meet you for a while."