New Orders

Black boots clicked with a solid tick tick tick as they quickly made their way down the hall. No one bothered to look up, no one stopped for casual conversation or a friendly exchange here. This building was not used for such a purpose, this building was home to the Minister's and their dark deeds. Hidden in the heart of Orlando itself, this simple office held some of the most vile men in employ of the Exarchs and was the nervous system for the whole city structure.

Though it was all beautiful, the building and decoration that of a kings chamber in medieval Europe, Mahrime did not pause to look and admire as he might have in the past. Thoughts, dark and confusing to his normally simple mind-scape, swirled around and warred within his own skull. His emotions waged war in his heart, doubts fighting the methodical and cold "lessons" he had been taught upon his Awakening. His eyes snapped forward as he reached the door,tracing the sigal for entry and pushing with silent doors wide open.

Sitting behind a desk and surrounded in a haze of cigar smoke, a shadowy figure wrote on a piece of paper. The only sound in the room was the scratching of his pen, and when finished he folded the letter and handed it to an aid. "Make sure this gets to the proper channels." The voice of the Minister was warped, his visage hidden as was his right to protect his identity and station within the Ministry. Though his eyes were unseen, Mahrime could still feel them boring into his skull. He quickly drops to both knees, looking down in fear.

"You summoned me, Minister?" Mahrime's voice reveals the smallest quiver of fear, was this the day his traitorous thoughts were discovered at last?

"You are pulled off regular rotation, you have been assigned a special assignment," The voice is cold and robotic, as a file folder is tossed down at Mahrime's feet. "As you are aware, the terrorist factions of Banishers have been banding together these past few years, they are preparing their first opening strike as a united front. This assault cannot be allowed to succeed, it must utterly fail and thus forever destroy the moral of the terrorists." He figure sits back, fingers curling together.

Mahrime opens the file folder, his eyes wide as he starts to glance across the pages. "Sir, these blueprints..."

"Yes, the terrorists think us unaware of their cell here in Orlando. They think we are falling for their ploy on the West Coast. They are wrong. False information has been leaked to several key Graverobbers, our spy within the UA ranks who has aided us in constructing this whole affair has informed us they only boast a mere 100 fighting capable Banishers, with an extra 25 considered too fresh for fighting." The shadowy man picks up a cigar and takes a long drag before allowing the smoke to billow from his mouth.

"Sir...you're fielding more than four times their rank. This isn't a fair fight, this is a slaughter..." Mahrime's voice quivers a bit as he steals a glance up to the Minister.

"Is there a problem with defeating terrorists who want to destroy the governments of the world and force humanity back into a dark age, an age ruled not by those who have power but by those who are most popular?" The man speaks slowly, but his voice sounds like that of a knife being sharpened on a whetstone.

"No Minister..." , Mahrime mutters a soft reply.

"Excellent. You have a key target for assassination, if she's removed the resistance will crumble around her. You have 8 hours until the assault is scheduled to begin, I suggest you get to work." The Minister waves and the doors open once more.

Mahrime doesn't take a moment to hesitate, he walks out of the room as quickly and calmly as he can. He steals a glance down at the file folder and almost stops from a heart attack as he looks at his target. In 8 hours or less, he was expected to kill the heart of the local MD: the young Magi named Eucharist.

"What am I going to do..." he whispers, staring up at a sky covered in a thin film of haze and pollution.