Chapter 93 - There's a New Imperator in Town

They landed in central park. Mike squatted down with one hand on the ground while cradling his forehead with the other. They had run like cowards and abandoned Marius. Worse, Mike knew he would do the same thing if he found himself back in that moment again. He had thought himself dead, then thought himself safe, then thought himself worse than dead, and now he didn't know what to think. The whiplash of his status combined with the inevitable bounty on his head to make him numb to the future. All he knew was that he had abandoned his mentor. Marius might have been a self-serving asshole using Mike for his own ends, but they had been comrades in arms before Mike managed to exchange places.

"You shouldn't have picked me," Mike said.

"I disagree. You have more potential as a soldier than Marius ever did. He . . . none of the followers Nallit accumulated possessed leadership qualities. His recruiting pitch appealed to the vain, the desperate, and the greedy. Those who survived his program to the end did not do so by demonstrating any form of integrity." Cassandane awkwardly knelt in front of him to place a hand on his shoulder, clearly not comfortable with the role of comforter. "You demonstrated great courage today. I bear the full responsibility for the death of Marius. It was my plan to confront Nallit, it was my decision to sacrifice Marius, and it was my order to retreat. Your contributions today were the cause of our only success. Further, I require your advice as a local, so any psychological health measures will have to be delayed."

Mike sucked in a breath. "You got it, boss. I'm not big on 'psychological health measures' anyway."

"We need to contact the media to make a formal statement. While I hate to draw attention to our organization so soon, this nation needs to believe we are allies. We must apply pressure to prevent interference from political authorities. The two of us may have the personal power to withstand any consequences they bring to bear, but the same will not be true of lesser talents. How many soldiers do we have?"

"Four, not counting myself. Two of them are brutes. We also have one siren and one aeronaut. There were several others who only attuned a single talent, but Marius released them from service."

"And where is the remainder of the army located?"

"Pittsburgh."

"Which is where?"

"A few hours of flying time west of here."

Cassandane nodded. "Did Marius give a name to this army?"

"Marius liked to call us his army. I like to think of us as more of an Earth Defense Army."

"The E.D.A.," Cassandane said. "I know this is unlikely, but is there an official mission statement?"

"You guessed right, boss. We never had any more direction than the expectation to obey Marius. There was some vague talk of fighting off the Chekowan."

"Then our mission statement will be 'to defend the planet from any and all external threats'. We will need to find a media outlet to make our statement to. Do you have any ideas on how we can go about that?"

"We can go to Times Square," Mike said. "We can snag an interview there."

"Good," Cassandane said. "If you are able to speak, it would be reassuring for the man who caught a building to say a few words. Either way, I will need you to stand at my side while I make us a legitimate organization."

Mike shook his head. "Yeah . . . I'm not eager to address the nation."

"Understood. I will require you to sit for an interview at some point, but today you can stand behind me." Cassandane held out a hand to help Mike back to his feet. "Guide me to Times Square."