Storm Watch Pt. 3

The Undercity district is famous for many things, even among the wealthy residents of the Golden Age district. Some are legal while some are less than morally right. Among what is popular are the hundreds of bars scattered around.

One, in particular, was arguably the most famous: 'Del Leona's.' Despite its small and humble size, the elegant mixtures are unmatched in the business.

Sitting at one table was a crowd of large men. At first, they could be seen as scary, but their jolly laughs and dry humor made it difficult to maintain a negative first impression. Next to them, a small group of young ones were talking about the latest gossip, namely the resurfacing of the legendary Calypso squad.

Upon the bar counter, a lonely woman sat, shrouded by a hood and uninterested in the jubilation behind her. The bartender slid her a glass, free of charge. While she took a sip, an unseemly man approached her from behind.

"Hey, little lady," he greeted her with a confident smile. "You here all alone? How about joinin' me for a good night?"

All it took was for her to tilt her head to shut him up. As soon as he saw the glowing hollowed diamond within those grayish-blue eyes, a chilling sensation spread across his entire body. Such a menacing glare was indicative of her killing intent, yet she looked so calm at the same time.

"Sorry, I'm uninterested," she smiled.

She turned back around and took another sip while the man was left at the mercy of his friends.

"Couldn't have entertained him just a little bit, Minerva?" the beautiful bartender chuckled.

"Hah, why should I?" Minerva scoffed. "For guys like those, it's best to let them know straight away. Otherwise, they'll keep persisting until I feel like snapping their necks."

"Oooh~ Scary. Just the thought of a sweet little girl like you doing something like that is amusing."

"They never expect it."

Suddenly, the deafening sound of a gunshot exploded from outside of the bar. All heads turned to the front entrance. From beyond the windows, a crowd was forming, screaming and shouting over one another.

"What's happening?" asked one.

"Looks like a fight's about to break," a second scoffed.

"Nah," the third disagreed. "Didn't you see the soldiers out there tryna push the folks around? One of them must've opened fire."

Minerva crossed her eyebrows. She picked up the cocktail glass and held it in between her fingers as she stood.

She then turned back with a confident smile. "Thanks for the drink, Leona. I'm outta here."

"What are you going to do?" Leona asked.

"Something slight. Something dumb. Something... Heh. Epic."

With that, she walked towards the entrance and pushed the door open, taking a sip on the way out.

Left and right, people were running around. Based on what she heard from the shouting, it seemed like the folks inside the bar were right. The soldiers have opened fire on protestors.

Amidst the chaos, a lonely girl walked calmly in the rain. With a massive hood over her head, she slowly trailed along the path. Many people ran past her. Some were leaving, but many more were rushing towards the scene.

Finally, she caught up to a blockade in the center of the street, where a massive crowd gathered with signs and posters of dissent. At the forefront was a man lying still on the ground, blood oozing from a hole in his forehead. Standing at the opposite end of the opening was a platoon of soldiers.

"We're gonna say this one last time, people!" the captain warned through a megaphone. "Break it up and go about your business! If this continues, then all of you will be marked as defective. You know what that means, don't you?"

"To hell with that!" a protestor cried, which caused the crowd to scream once more.

"Get the fuck off our streets!" another one shouted.

Inch by inch, the enraged mob advanced. With each step they took, the soldiers backed away.

"Last chance!" the captain yelled. "Don't make this messier than it needs to be!"

However, they refused to stop. They kept moving forward, spouting insults and contempt for the High Order. All the while, Minerva walked alongside them towards the front of the group, careful to remain hidden.

"Boss, they ain't backing up," said one soldier to his captain. "What do we do?"

"Tch... Put another bullet in one."

"What? B-but—"

"Do as I say, soldier. If these guys wanna ignore my warnings, then they'll pay. That's how this world works, now do it!"

Hesitantly, the soldier looped his finger around the trigger of his rifle. He shut his eyes and pulled, sending forth a stray bullet shot at random.

Within a single second, Minerva stepped out of the crowd with an arm raised. Right as the bullet was about to strike the head of a protestor, she flawlessly snatched it out of the air.

All went silent save for the rainfall. All turned with bated breaths. All looked upon the woman covered in an oversized jacket as she lifted the cocktail glass and took a sip.

She held up her fist for all to see. When her fingers lifted, a shining glint caught the eyes of the masses. Even in the veil of so many rain droplets, a single bullet could be seen falling to the ground.

A wave of gasps and murmurs erupted from the crowd, but not as much as the soldiers, whose nervous movements were very obvious.

"You guys saw that, right?" she asked.

Minerva lifted the cocktail glass once more and drank the whole thing. Confidence is the key. With enough of it, anyone is capable of anything. As she stands here now, she has the undivided attention of everyone in the vicinity.

"Here you all are, walking, protesting, no violence at all, yet those who call themselves the 'authority' just killed one of your own," Minerva said. "Without even displaying the slightest bit of remorse, they were about to kill another. Is that right?"

The voice of the crowd grew once more, seemingly agreeing with the stranger's statement.

"I thought their job was to protect the people, so why did they pull the trigger? We didn't hurt them in any way, so why are they hurting us?"

Again, the voices grew louder.

"So... As the common people of New Olympos, shouldn't we do something about this blatant abuse of power?"

"Yeah!" the crowd chanted.

They raised their hands in the air and cheered, forcing the soldiers to move back. Each one was an inspiration to the other, allowing them to press forward without hesitation. No longer would they turn away. No longer would they allow the fear of death to hold them back.

"Shit, what do we do, boss?" a panicked soldier turned to their captain and asked.

"Fuck... Light 'em up!" he shouted.

"We can't do that!" another one protested. "One was enough, let alone a fucking hundred of them!"

The captain grabbed the soldier by the collar.

"Do you have a better solution?! If we retreat, we'll be mocked all across the damn city. We need to set an example here and now. All of you, line up and get ready to fire!"

Reluctantly, the soldiers did as he ordered. They formed a line across the street and lifted their guns, but that did not deter the mob.

"Code: Trojan Horse," Minerva whispered.

"Fire!" the captain shouted.

However, nothing came out except for a bunch of clicks. The mob stopped, alarmed by the sudden outcome.

"Heh, look at that," Minerva chuckled. "They were so ready to open fire on you guys, yet you stood your ground like true freedom fighters."

Finally, she lifted her hood, allowing the crowd to awe at her presence. Minerva lifted her head with a smile, her eyes glowing a sharp hue of dark blue. Her short hair swayed back and forth, and two large buns curled towards the back of her head. Although she had such an innocent look to her, everyone knew exactly who she was and what she was capable of.

"Remember this moment, my friends," she said. "Remember the words of the first defect, Nyx. We will live our lives the way we desire. Remain vigilant and steadfast, no matter what comes our way. Give them our answer, and show them who we are. Show them... that we will not bow to their authority."

Once more, and perhaps much louder than before, the crowd threw their arms into the sky and roared. Appalled, the soldiers were left with no choice but to allow the protestors to continue their march.

Minerva shut her eyes as the crowd passed her by. Only now did she realize that she was a revolutionary icon, just like her former captain was.

"Astrid to Minerva, come in."

"I'm here, Astrid," she replied. "What's up?"

"Zephyr has our boy. I'm sending you the coordinates so you can meet up with her."

"Eh? Does she need my help?"

"Not necessarily. You're actually gonna be the one to help her. You know how she is."

"Ah, right, right. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Sounds good. Astrid, out."

Minerva took one last look at the marching protestors as they faded into the thick layer of rain. With an accomplished smile, she turned and began walking the other way.