The Circle

"Talks between the world leaders began instantly with stress running high. The bombings from the machines had been increasing ever more, making them turn away from the table. However, voices from the Japanese officials persuaded many in the assembly to consider the offer seriously. Japan, like many other countries, was having difficulties keeping their public unrest controlled. The riots and fighting in the streets had diminished greatly after the broadcast leaving the public uncertain. They no longer had a unified consciousness.”

Herbert Stein, Machine Historian -

General Yoshima left one meeting only to be forced into another. He hated playing the messenger and voice of the organization to the machines. It was a requirement of him since the machines already were in his military. If they knew how deep the organization ran it would only destroy their plans. He understood this, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. Yoshima sat down in the end chair of the room. He would be forced to listen to scheming businessmen conspiring against the machines acting like they were superior to him.

A high-rise building held in black tinted glass concealed the large room that held the weekly meetings for the Ophanim Organization. Those around the table made up the wealthiest and most powerful people in Japan. Arranged years ago after the last machine war that saw many changes in administration for the sole purpose to effect change in Japan. Their goals had changed once they realized that the machines were still alive, seeing them as an opportunity to use them to take over control of the government. Now they secretly worked with the machines pretending to be aiding them.

At the head of the table was business CEO Michio Yamada in a typical dress suit. Only Yoshima attended out of formal attire, but his military uniform was the only thing he ever wore to these meetings. Yamada looked around the table viewing the expressions of the others after Yoshima reported to them about the meeting he had with the machines. It left the others silent for once, but silence only meant that they were calculating their next move. "Malakh…the machines had been hiding that secret with them."

"Hardly much of a surprise," Hiroki Ito said, one of the more outspoken members of the organization. He usually had something to say about everything that was spoken as though speaking made him more important. However, he would remain attentive reading the situation, not mindlessly speaking. "They came to us about Malakh acting like they needed us to find him for them. It was no doubt a ploy by them to make us create another side in their trap for Malakh. They are machines after all. All they know is secrets and how to betray."

Yoshima leaned forward in the chair, bringing him in front of the others along the table. "With Malakh we will be able to recover our plans," he said to assure the others that the machines hadn’t ruined anything. They were merely machines and no schemes that they had in mind would disrupt the organization. "Hashimoto failed us, but he was just a weak man futilely believing that he was following his grandfather's steps."

Yamada leaned in, addressing Yoshima directly. "Remember General that there is more to it than just capturing Adam." He knew that the General was an impatient man, a flaw that was all too common with those in the military. It was like a child with single-minded focus on one task rather than seeing the bigger picture. If they didn’t need the military he would have never invited the man to the organization.

"I'll make sure that we secure Adam and I'll take Satoru Kuromura in custody. I'll dispatch the rest to the summit in preparation," the General said narrowly to Yamada. The superior attitude that he was speaking down to him with annoyed him more than the machines talking back to him.

"Kuromura is more important right now," Ito said, stepping in to remind Yoshima that it was the more pressing matter. They already controlled the facility. There was no rush to get Adam. "He already knows too much and no doubt he is heading to the summit with plans to expose what little he knows. That cannot be allowed to happen. In addition, with him is that machine, the one that they seem so interested in."

Yamada closed his eyes for the moment speaking out over his hands that were supporting his head. "Yes, enough that they would rather have her destroyed to cover up what she truly is." There was enough proof between the two of them to affect at the very least those at the summit. They couldn’t allow a deviation in opinions or policy that would jeopardize their carefully laid plans.

"Walk carefully General," Ito said, seeing that Yoshima was looking as pig-headed as ever. The man needed to be told what to do all the time, but he was also just smart enough to realize that he was being treated differently. He complicated matters too often. "Rushing to show our hand will leave us exposed."

"We can't afford a mistake at this point," Yamada said to the General, seeing him standing up from this chair.

The air was becoming thick with the condescending attitude pouring out from the members towards him. Yoshima walked away from the table towards the door, not willing to be in the room with them insulting him anymore. "I know that already. I'll make sure it is done."

Satoru was surprised to hear that the machines weren’t unified. It was the belief of everyone that the machines were making coordinated attacks around the world. There was speculation whether there was a centralization command that gave orders or individual groups spread across the world working through a networked collective mind. "What do you mean that there is more than one group?" He never had given it much thought that there could possibly be multiple groups of machines attacking them with different goals in mind. It made him wonder how much didn’t understand about the machines.

After a moment of silence Asami had gathered herself together again to speak to Satoru. There was so much that he didn’t know or understand, but she didn’t have enough time to explain it all to him. She began to walk forward knowing that they couldn’t allow this to delay them. Satoru quickly followed up with her listening closely for when she began. "The machines are not a single organized group like everyone believes. We are divided in our ways of thinking just like humans."

Hearing that the machines didn’t agree made him take a step back from what he thought that he knew. Even something so basic didn’t seem to be accurate. The machines that they were dealing with were far more complicated and independent than what anyone could have imagined. They were so few and yet still weren’t united. "If that is the case then who is it that is bombing buildings?"

"That is the faction that I used to be a part of," Asami said after a pause, afraid that admitting to be associated with those that were killing humans would distance Satoru from her. However, she realized that he already knew that she was part of them even if she had never said so openly. Now that she spoke the heavy words it felt like a pressure was lifted from her shoulders leaving her open to continue without hesitation. "They are known as the Seraphim Faction."

Satoru knew that Asami was part of the group killing people, but he still didn’t like to think about it. Neither of them had ever verbally acknowledged the fact while silently knowing the truth. He forced himself to push through that fact to a different matter at hand. If there were other groups that must have meant separate goals and ideas.

Once he realized that he began thinking where Isaac fell in with the machines seeing as he appeared to disagree with the other machines. 'I can't believe I didn't see that. The signs of disagreement.' The broadcast was a clue. Everything that was happening made him ignore that fact. There were two sides to this issue making him wonder if the machines might be waging a secret war between the others. "If they are the Seraphim Faction then what about the rest of the machines then?"

She knew that she couldn’t give him the entire history of the machines that the humans didn’t know about, but she wasn’t sure how much she could give without leaving him too confused. The sides were a little different and less clear in their motives. Asami tried to find a common point to work from that he would understand easily. "The other faction of machines is the Malakhim Faction which Isaac is from."

"What does the Malakhim Faction want then?" He knew that if Isaac was involved with them then it was probably a more peaceful group of machines. Satoru wanted to believe in the machines again. He wanted to know that they weren’t all corrupted by the old programming from their previous masters that had a death wish for all of humankind. 'There is Asami after all, there is another beside just Isaac.'

"The Seraphim want to be independent and not be indentured to humans. They attack and kill humans to achieve their goals and the Malakhim disagree with that view. They used to be part of the original group of machines that were created from the First Machine War. When the machines were told to attack the humans some of them disagreed with that in spite of their programming. They gathered around Isaac and disappeared. I don't know anymore than that as they have been in hiding ever since. If they are with Isaac they are probably carrying out his ideals." The Seraphim had been attempting to hunt them down ever since they disappeared. Even in the decades since they disappeared there was never a sign that the Malakhim would do anything, yet the Seraphim couldn’t trust that the status quo would remain. They were an ever constant threat that could come back to destroy all of their plans.

Satoru couldn’t understand why if there was a group that opposed what the machines did and knew more about them than anyone else why they did nothing all these years. The Malakhim Faction had the best chance of bringing a solution to the continued fighting and did nothing until now. 'What's changed to make them come out now? Something must be different, as though they were forced to move…' Satoru didn’t like what he was thinking. He was afraid to know what would force them to take action. "If they were opposed to what the rest of the machines were doing, why didn't they do anything to stop them?"

"I don't know," Asami said. The same question had been asked repeated and no one seemed to know the answer. The only ones that knew anymore were Isaac and his Malakhim Faction. When they reached the summit that question might finally have an answer. She wondered if it would actually have a purpose, since it couldn’t undo any of the deaths that had been caused. "That's all I know."

Satoru had a feeling that she didn’t have an answer. If she did she would have told him already. However, he realized that the talking was delaying them from getting to the summit before the Seraphim Faction attacked the summit and ended the last chance and peace. Satoru saw a taxi in the distance coming towards him finally filling the street with life once more. "It still doesn't change the fact that there are machines trying to kill everyone at the summit. If all of the world leaders died it would mean chaos."

Asami saw what Satoru was thinking and rushed ahead to get the taxi's attention. "We better hurry, Satoru. According to Yuu, the summit has already begun. I don't know when they are planning to strike." She signaled the taxi bringing it to a stop shortly in front of her. Satoru caught up to her while she was already giving directions to the cab driver, a human this time rather than the automated ones. He quickly got into the back seat waiting for her to enter, allowing the car to take off down the street.