### -> [[City]] "Hold on, no, this doesn't seem right. Are you sure you have that correctly?" Era was in a board room meeting with a couple of attending personnel. The room itself was modest - probably as grey a room made out of concrete could be - and so too were the attendees, all of them dressed in a suit and tie of varying shades, from black to *really* black. Each of them had a name plate in front of their position at the table - not identifying them personally, but rather the brand they represented - there were a couple from technology based businesses, but most were influencer brands or those related to markets. The one nearest the young boy, and that was trying to talk some sense into him, was the current chairman of Humo, a tech company most well known for appearing humanitarian and offering subpar products at absurdist prices. "Look, buddy, which one of us is the tactician here?" "I get that, but all I'm saying is, this war has gone on too long! This rebellion, it just- needs to be stamped out! Those damned *Cybers!* They make things so complicated." "We have both seen the light, but do not let it blind you. Now, I would appreciate it if I could continue." "We don't have time for this-" An all too familiar voice chimed in. Unlike the all male participants at the meeting, this one was more feminine, but still deep. It was like listening to a lady at the super market complain to the manager, in a tone befitting the name, The Lady. She turned around from her window view, revealing herself - her hair was blonde, stretching all the way down to the chair, which was as red as the dress she had on, as crimson as the lipstick she chose to wore. "Please, let the boy speak. He is my finest protégé." "With all due respect, madam, he is a young boy. Surely he does not know what he is talking about?" "I have trained him ever since he could wield a sword. Era, you may continue." "This is outrageous! I should kill your funding for this." The Lady smirked. "Era, you always bring your blade, right?" Era bowed. "That is correct, madame." The lady simply pointed a finger at the offending usurper. "If he interrupts you again, you may cleave him in twain." The man jolted in his seat, trying his best to remain orderly, calm, as if he truly had not said a word. "You may continue, Era." Era nodded, before directing his attention to the projected image in front of him, using a stick to point out what he needed to. It was a map of sorts - the bottom half represented the boundary of the city, and the upper half was the open desert, though it was not to scale. On it, a couple of locations were marked with a red X. Era pointed to one of them - the one closest to the city, though on the projection it was in the bottom left corner. "This group of rebels will need to be taken care of first. I recommend a pincer attack, coming from the sides, forcing them into a straight line. Then, we box them in, eliminating anyone who doesn't have or doesn't want to share any information. Those we capture, let them see the light, then we will use what they know against the enemy. Any questions so far?" One person raised a hand. Current branch manager of Apple-A-Day Markets, raised a hand. "What if they know about this attack already?" "I have just told you about it, Have I not?" "But... they *could* be listening." Era scanned the room. He didn't see any potential wires or hidden microphones. Except, maybe one. Withdrawing the blade from his side, he pointed it directly at the offending shareholder, everyone else on that side of the table leaning far back. "Why, are you telling them anything?" The branch manager stumbled. "Well, I- Uh- You see-" While he was stumbling, stuttering, Era noticed something in his voice. An ever so odd irregularity - his voice was lagging behind his own mouth movements. His lips parted, *then* sound came out, just slightly behind. "Show me your arm." "Wh- what?" "Show me. Your arm. The whole arm. Pull back your sleeve." Cautiously, the man did as instructed, starting to tear up, as he pulled back his sleeve. He revealed not skin, like you'd expect, but instead various wires and cables, connected to a metallic pipe, that was holding up a human hand. Era had successfully found a Cyber among the ranks of the elite. He turned to the lady, asking a question silently. "He is better dead than alive. Eliminate him." Era nodded. He leapt up onto the table, being careful not to disturb any documents, before coming head to head with the branch manager, *smiling.* He felt crazed, he felt out of control, he felt the emotion he was allowed to feel for all his life, he reveled in this moment. Bloodlust. Normally, he would close his eyes for his kills, but this time, he kept them open, watching as his sword, with all the effort of a knife through butter, cleaved right through the neck of the traitor. He heard a couple of sounds - the popping of bones, the slicing of meat, the final gasps of air, but mostly, he heard a ringing in his ears. The sensation of defeating a well earned opponent filled his head with such unbound ecstasy that his other feeling temporarily went offline, but he eventually recovered from the thrill, watching the blood drip down from the clean neck cut onto the supposedly brand new suit. The Lady turned to everyone else. "I believe that is all we have time for. Everyone is dismissed. Era, I want to talk with you about something privately. I'll send someone in to dispose of the body and alert the next of kin." To describe the exodus of the other council members as "running" would put the term on too high of a shelf. Within a matter of seconds, the room was emptied, as a Janitor waltzed in, sighed, and grabbed a body bag for the newly deceased. The Lady beckoned Era to be beside her, looking out at the window. The view itself was immense - they were in the tallest tower of the city, higher than anyone else, as they looked down upon it. The neon lights continued to burn brightly in the eternal night. The lady shook a glass in her hand, filled with some kind of red liquid - Era's best guess was that it was a tonic of some sort. "You like the view, Era? It'll be yours, one day." Era didn't respond physically. "The thought is great, but not something I would want to compromise my position for." "Of course." She took a sip from the glass. "I must ask you something, if I may?" "Whatever you please." "I applaud you for finding the traitor and dispatching them like that. But, I had no idea they wouldn't be on our side. What made you find out?" Era looked back at where the corpse was. The janitor was just cleaning up blood marks from the table. He returned his focus back to the window. "It was his voice. Maybe it was because he rarely spoke, but I could tell something was off. He spoke slightly *after* his lips moved. Only those who aren't properly calibrated are like that. Must have used something third party, I'm guessing - it doesn't truly matter. I figured his voice box wasn't in his throat, so I asked to see his arm. It was a lucky guess, to be sure." The Lady patted Era on the head. "You're a good kid, Era. Why don't you go take the rest of the day off, hm?" Era nodded. "I appreciate our time here, madam. See you tomorrow."