[email protected] THE HIDDEN SOURCE: MANKIND MUST EVOLVE SYMBIOTICALLY WITH TECHNOLOGY THE OBSOLETE MUST BE PHASED OUT THE EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEM OF ECONOMICS MUST BE DEFENDED AT ALL COSTS THE CHOSEN FEW, WHO ARE THE FUTURE OF MAN MUST BE PROTECTED OVER THE DYING MANY PHILOSOPHIES THAT CONTRADICT OUR OWN MUST BE MANIPULATED OR ELIMINATED OUR EXISTENCE MUST BE KEPT HIDDEN LADY HANJA The rain drummed down hard upon glider roof steel. She had drifted off to its soothing percussion, smothered in the blackness of sleep, temporarily released, timeless in her dreamscapes. The vast forest was in half-light, As dawn mist hung like a thick blanket over the treetops, Luminous and violet. As the rising sun softly illuminated the sky, The crystal mountain became bright and incandescent, Radiant in the horizon s awakening, A glowing amethyst stone !lowly the sun ascended, "ehind the transparent rock, Refracting and shifting, graceful, dancing rays, #utting through the clouds and digging through the trees, The once dark forest now drowned in the haze. The sky grew brighter, As the summit became blinding, The eye, $hite and full, %ow at its highest peak. &listening silver ripples, 'pon the chill morn lake The star now unshielded In the deep cyan sky. "Gwent!" A loud voice called her name and shook her prematurely from her sleep. The confusion of waking settled in, a limbo state. "Gwent wake up! She’s here." The voice belonged to Roach, her assigned partner. He was sat in the driving seat, s#uinting through the water as it cascaded down the windscreen. His modified eyes adjusted and a woman two% hundred feet away came in to clear focus. She was getting out of a glider and onto the sheltered sidewalk. They were on a job and the target s name was Lady Hanja and she was the political leader of the Unity party. The direct opposition to a politician named Lennex; the leading force which had brought the recently formed, Progression party to the forefront of the political spotlight in just under a year of its formation. Economically defined social zones and cross level social tensions created a real and media perpetuated climate of paranoia. Swift change was needed. An abrupt political reshuffle was proposed by none other than the recently governing leader before his, resignation. His office had been exposed in a scandal over Isis Security.s surplus weaponry and where it all really went. Money was being made off the books whilst fuelling the violence of the defunct western district, the unofficially named Ghost City. This double% dealing crook claimed he had nothing to do with this of course but could not allow a party so corrupt that it had blinded and tricked its own leader, to continue to govern Isis. He was going to cut and run, according to press reports the pressure had apparently been too much for him and he committed suicide. Eighty stories down from his apartment balcony had created quite a mess on the tarmac. It was lucky for Roach and Gwent that they had not been behind that particular job but if they had, it would not have got quite as complicated. Despite their reckless and hedonistic personal lives, when it came to their work they were consummate professionals, they got the job done, quick and clean. "anja.s angle on this social turmoil was to present her agenda loosely wrapped in an image of compassion and love, a mothering figure the children of -sis could turn to in this confusing time of crisis. In this atmosphere of political ambiguity many would vote for either side, regardless of their apparently different agendas, just to regain concrete conformity and the illusion that society was a solid, ordered entity. The desperate times welcomed desperate measures and in the next day.s election either the gracious Lady Hanja or the tough%talking Lennex would be chosen by the people to become the next fall guy. Lady Hanja had stepped out of her bulky security glider stretch and onto the wet empty night street. Two identically formed bodyguards that nearly doubled her in si,e protected her, one holding the door as the other checked the entrance to the hotel. This obvious security presence and her arrival in a limo had compromised her identity. Her face was completely disguised by a gas mask, protecting her from the fumes of a ruptured waste%disposal pipe a street away. To need a mask top%side was a rarity that was grudgingly endured. They hastily made their way through the chemical ha,e to the grand entrance of the )eak-view. The hotel ascended all the way to the top levels of the city, though only the base was visible. The heavy night fog swallowed the building the higher it went in a thick yellow cloud, its wind blown motion illuminated and patterned by the light of the hotel's windows. "Get up!" Roach shook her as Gwent remain laid on the back seat. "2ou need some Retium3" he asked. "Always." She replied sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Roach rummaged deep into a pocket and pulled out a jar of clear red capsules and tossed them to her, sleepily she popped the jar and knocked back a couple as Roach watched her. "2ou had some weird dreams just now." "2ou.ve been watching my dreams again!? I told you not to do that!" "Sorry sometimes I can.t help it, it s like when you speak I cannot help but hear it, it.s exactly the same with powerful thoughts. Especially when I.m working, I.m more focused." "That s why I always try to tone down my thoughts when I m around you." "2ou.re a liar...Don.t worry though, you have a more healthy mind than most." "!eally3 Sometimes I think I.m pretty messed up." "-f you only knew." Roach.s tone was serious on this point, silence followed as he turned back to his seat. She used to envy telementals, their ability to communicate in silence, know what others were thinking and secretly manipulate brain activity but through the years of knowing him she had learned that it was as much a curse as it was a gift. In that respect she was happy to be a kappa%class kinetic, there was no downside and covert ops always paid well. !oach had been feeling faint himself and had already popped a Retium capsule, and now the dim chemical mist that hung round the glider had become a bright yellow ha,e. His mind ignited and he felt ready to go to work, his abilities sharpened by the drug. "Are you ready?" He asked Gwent. "2ep, we'll need these." She tossed him a gas mask. Gwent flicked a switch on the mask's side and the eyes glowed a luminous green, followed by a gentle wiring of the air filters. She raised it and pressed it to her face as the mask moulded, clinging to her as if it were alive whilst Roach did the same. He gave her a sharp nod and they exited the vehicle. The doors slid back, closed and locked automatically behind them. As they walked towards the hotel's entrance, data flashed up inside the visor indicating the air quality, T-Level* 4,. The hovering street lamps were barely visible through the smog, lighting the street with only patches of illuminated yellows. The entrance had its emergency air%lock activated and as they approached it the first door automatically slid open. They entered and the door locked firmly behind them sounding a beep as the gas was sucked out by vents. As the last of the vapour cleared, there was a ping and the door to the main reception slid open. Air Quality: 0.+, - Clean flashed as Gwent flicked the switch, the mask dropping off like a dead leech. The vast lobby was adorned in black marble and gold, portraits of past civili,ations hung from the walls, like obituaries to culture. Heading towards the reception desk they passed through a row of tall marble pillars and under a grand crystalline chandelier that hung from the centre of the room, it was at least thirty foot across and was the welcoming focal point. Passed from generation to generation of blue bloods over the centuries, da,,ling and exquisite it now lit up proudly the faces of the modern bastardised equivalent. Some of the richest members of Isis stayed here often tending to business, prostitutes, untraceable off-line deals, drugs whatever. The lobby was eerily empty and despite being one of the largest hotels in Isis it often remained this way as few could afford to stay there, this suited the clientèle fine. The light reflected sharply off the shining floor and mirrors, it was too bright for Roach. 5linking rapidly he filtered out the light triggering a chemical release which inked his eyes entirely black, glancing over at Gwent he saw that she had done the same. The receptionist stood bolt upright with his hands behind his back, smiling, and had been in this pose ever since they entered. If Roach had not had known better he would have guessed he was a human replica but the repressed chattering of human thoughts had been audible since he first laid eyes on him. 6ivid telemental waves. "Good evening." The receptionist greeted them, nodding to each as he did. 7"ow may I help you38 "9e’re here to see Lady Hanja." Roach replied. ":h I m terribly sorry sir but tomorrow is a big day for her as you may know and she has insisted that no one disturbs her under any circumstances." !oach on this closed his eyes, a still silence.