Chapter 27 – To Make a Legend

“The mayor will see you now, Mr. Riot.”

Arwain stared at the secretary robot, the same model as the one that had tried to attack them with an Icarus bomb. He half expected to be attacked as soon as he stepped foot into the city hall plaza before the Thousand Wonder.

But then again, this society didn’t work like that. With the circumstantial evidence that they had pinning the bombings on Mayor DeWine, he was still innocent until proven guilty. The public still saw him as their rightful leader until otherwise sentenced.

As a result, there was no reason for Arwain to be attacked in broad daylight. That gave him time to do the one thing that needed to be done.

“Mayor DeWine, I’m resigning as your champion.”

The mayor froze at his desk, where he had been idly signing forms. He set his digital pen down and sighed.

“What is your reason?”

“Do I have to spell out what you tried to do to us last night? We turned in your droid to the authorities. I’m sure they can connect the attempted bombing to you in time.”

“In time, perhaps. But time is something that we as mankind sorely lack. Mr. Riot, do you know why I chose you?”

“Dodging my question now, are you?

“No, just answering yours with a relevant one, just as you did to me. Very well, it was never my intention to hide my plan forever. Simply put, I found you to be the perfect person to carry out my will, blind to my ultimate goal.”

Mayor DeWine reached under his desk, throwing what he retrieved at Arwain. It was a small, round ball. Arwain immediately reacted, preparing to catch it and hurl it out the window. But then, he noticed that it wasn’t beeping.

“Relax, that one is inactive . But you and your team are correct. Daedalus is none other than I. A fake existence, creating a fake problem, all to highlight a growing issue that our citizens have gone complacent over.”

“And that is?”

“Taking flight for granted. Refusing to embrace the progress of humanity while keeping to one’s traditions. When some hold themselves back while others have taken flight, it becomes a tether than we cannot escape from.”

Arwain’s face turned into a snarl.

“So you threaten people’s lives to get your point across? People died because of those bombs! What kind of leader are you?”

The mayor stood up and paced around his desk, arms behind his back. He went up to one wall, where he stared at a montage of achievements from his predecessors.

“An ineffective one. That is for sure, since I had to resort to such measures. The public couldn’t see the problem that was apparent in my eyes, so I had to construct a way to call attention to it. I did not acquire the scientific expertise of my grandfather, who invented the man-propelled flight, nor did I have the insight to architect a society for flyers as my father did. I gained this position from their popularity, their ingenuity. Regardless, I am no less determined to fulfill the legacy left behind by them.”

Mayor DeWine turned back to Arwain, a sudden vigor in his voice.

“Mankind will fly. Everyone will in time. It is futile to make excuses and shy away from how the world will change. Look upon my drooping wings and grey hair. I’ve squandered a lifetime with no real mark on history. The only choice I have left is to oversee the end of such a societal shift. To make my mark by accelerating this city’s citizens to the sky! Stratos will be the city that defines mankind in the near future!”

Arwain took a step back. He fought to understand everything that was going on. Rather than deny his involvement, the mayor was giving a flat-out confession. But for what purpose? And amid all of this, he still had not answered the one thing he was burning up to know.

Mayor DeWine walked up to him with a snide grin plastered on his face.

“You look confused, Mr. Riot. I can tell. I’ve studied up on you. Seen your records. You’re a straightforward, simple fellow, but that kind of person makes a great hero for people to look up to. An imaginary villain needs a similarly imaginary champion to rival. And you were all too glad to take up the reins.”

Finally, things were all starting to click for Arwain. The mayor had tested the city by creating a tragedy. The initial bombings had planted a sense of fear that people had long become numb to, and amidst that challenge, someone dug his heels in and charged forward instead.

That someone had been Arwain. Just like a pope finding his zealot, Arwain had been given a title and recognition, all to reinforce his personal belief in flight.

Cameras were placed around him and his crew, showing the public how grand people that fly could be. And as a result, it moved some that were hesitant before. Dingleberry’s father had even mentioned that some on the surface had left for the city after seeing him in action.

“You know it clearly now, Mr. Riot. People who saw you, how you oozed a natural adoration for flight… well, that made it all too easy for them to believe that ‘wings grant freedom, please fight for it’. And conversely, those that hated wings became more willing to pitch in as bomb carriers in hopes of tarnishing your legacy. After all, a good hero does not simply move his own people, but those of the enemy as well.”

Suddenly, the mayor’s grin dropped. He went back to his desk and plopped into his chair.

“Unfortunately, a hero’s influence is short-lived. You rejected my offer, and you started to show consideration for the No-Flyers… as I expected you would. When you decided to be a hero for everyone, that was the moment when all eyes were on you, both sides of the fence. How could I make sure that our champion’s legacy would endure as long as possible?”

Arwain gulped as the mayor waved his hands up in the air like something exploding.

“You go out with a bang. Martyr a hero, create a legend. Citizens of this city would honor your memory. The young would aspire to become like you, imitate your selflessness and take up wings while encouraging others to do the same. It is a cascade of enthusiasm trickling down from propping you up.”

“And what about you? Do you think you would get away with this?” Arwain shot back.

“No, not in the slightest. I’ll be put in jail and left to rot.”

The flatness of that statement surprised Arwain, not knowing what to say to that. He was before a person that knew the consequences of his actions and did them regardless. There was a conviction in the mayor’s eyes that mirrored his own.

“But I’ll let you in on a little secret, Mr. Hero. I know the laws of this city quite well. Even with a confession straight out of my mouth, there is due process. And that takes time. Plenty of time to make up for the missed opportunity yesterday that you managed to scrape away from. Plenty of time for you to fulfill the legacy I have for you.”

The bomb in Arwain’s hand suddenly spurred to life. It glowed with a deeper, darker purple than any other bomb that he had handled before. A timer started counting down from fifteen minutes.

“By the way, I lied to you. Now, it’s active. And don’t think you can use the same trick to shield yourself from the blast. It’s one of a kind. This one has the original code from my grandfather’s days, a failsafe in case the wings ever went haywire and needed to be stopped. From his research notes, the effective radius is around five kilometers.”

“F-Five kilometers? That’s the-”

“The whole damn city. From side to side and top to bottom. I trust that you know what you need to do as the hero of our people,” Mayor DeWine smiled victoriously at him. “I’m counting on you.”