Emergency Meeting

Finally, I entered the council. Many squads were already lined up in front of the main stage where the announcer is.

I was still in my coat and I saw Moe-chan lined in the upfront, suited in the Red Ring.

Suddenly, we heard the tap of a microphone through the loudspeakers and the whole place went silent. Every movement stopped.

'Huh... Is that... One who taps the mic before entering the room? Is it... Tanaka Shinji?' I asked myself. I've attended to some of his announcements and he did this like in every single one of those meetings.

Then, a man walked through the crowd and all the Rings made way for him. I couldn't get a clear view, but I could definitely tell that it was a higher up.

And the moment he stepped into the stage through the steps, I could tell who he was.

The long white hair, white overcoat, face like a beauty, grey eyes, and fairly tall.

Tanaka Shinji, the prime minister of Japan. The higher-up of the higher-ups. The higher-ups were the ones who were in control of a part of the nation and the very man who stood in front of us was the guy who controlled all of them.

The Prime Minister, the one who has all the power, Aka. The Emperor.

He stood at the top of the stage and everyone was looking at him with a dumbfounded expression on their faces.

'Damn... That guy here? It's definitely for the Glitch case!' I thought.

He looked around to see the Rings lined in front of him. His eyes met mine but didn't stick to me.

Then, he raised the microphone and spoke.

"Everyone... We're gathered here today to discuss the most urgent matters we've been facing for nearly 2 and a half years now... The terrorism...

And even above that, we're facing an issue that could destroy the whole planet. As you may know, the terrorists have stolen one of our most important projects, called the Glitch..." he paused.

A wave of whispers went by in the lines. I looked around and sighed. I knew exactly why he stopped. To see whether everyone knew about this...

Suddenly, I heard Miyaki's voice from the rear of the crowd.

"Sir! Can you please tell us, how is it capable of destroying the world?"

That was a question that had been ringing on my mind too. I wondered how a mutation could do that. No mutation had that much power...

"Oh... I was just getting to that part. Then... How is it going to destroy the world? Because..." he paused again.

Then, taking a deep breath, he blurted out his secrets.

"We were the ones who created that power. It was an experiment... We tried to create an energy source that could... Achieve the impossibility. A speed that could surpass light itself, a power that could make a hole in time. With this power, light speed, time travel, and the next step of our generation would be possible."

'Light speed? Does time travel? Another fucking generation! This thing was a masterpiece....' I gasped.

Suddenly, he looked down. His face had a darkened expression. There was no joy, even though this plan of his would give us another whole generation.

"But... To contain this power, we must have test subjects. And now... If the one who carries it is an enemy to us, he is our destruction too. Two of our scientists volunteered to join in as test subjects and both of them distorted. They left their lives just for the sake of this experiment. Now... Please, do not kill the Glitch. Try to convince him, if they're smart, they'll retreat... But if you're left with no choice, I'll permit you to kill."

That was an obvious lie. Those scientists must've been used as test subjects by force. This bastard!

After 5 seconds of silence, the guy looked up at us once more. Then, he looked around at the faces of every one of us Rings.

"Can you tell me... Who's in charge of the Glitch case?"

My fucking heart skipped a beat. I'm in charge? Oh, wait... I'm in charge of a case this important? Wha– what the fuck should I do now?

I looked around me. Moe-chan was staring at me from her line. And a row behind me, Miyaki was standing there with an evil grin.

He mouthed something to me... I could totally read that. 'Your up, boy!'

"Right here, sir!" Miyaki pointed at me.

Oh crap!

"Senpai... If you could please step up to the stage... I need to know what you might think about the case," he said to me.

He waved his hand, gesturing me to step up to the stage. I was hesitating but I had to make the move now. I sighed and looked up at the stage.

All of the Rings stood aside, making way for me.

'Damn... This is getting embarrassing...' I thought. From the side, Takata-sensei was looking at me with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

I took a deep breath and walked to the stage.

I have never seen Tanaka up close. He extended his hand and greeted me to the center, handing over the mic to me.

"What may be your name?" Tanaka asked me, leaning a little towards me. I narrowed my eyes and looked at his evil face. At least evil for me.

"Jason... Jason Winters."

"Everybody! Give it up for Jason Winters!" Tanaka yelled to the crowd. Everyone gave a faint clap to me.

Sigh... The embarrassment. I could see Miyaki laughing while clapping. That damn son of a bitch.

"Any words from you, Jason?" Tanka asked me. I looked at him and faintly said, "Yes..."

I saw Moe-chan giving me a thumbs up from the front row. But the expression on her face... It looked like she had gone blank.

I took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Uhh... Good evening to you all. Now, let's get to the case. For all I know, for now, the attack in the Blue Lotus is related to this case. I went with two members from my squad to talk to the people who had witnessed the scene. But none had any good information. But there is quite a suspicion... If the Glitch is within the possession of a human being...."

I paused for a second. When I said this, Tanaka was all ears to my speech. Then, I continued.

"Within the possession of a human being, it might well as be a Gear. The witness himself told us that he was attacked by Gears under the very tank that carried this mutation. As for now, that is all we know... Soon we'll manage to get to an edge of this case. I'm hoping all of you will support," I finished, giving back the mic to Tanaka.

Tanaka was lost deep within the matters I spoke of. Even all the Rings were all ears to my speech.

Then, Tanaka looked at me. "Give it up for Jason Winters..." he said.

Everyone started to clap. That was a bit good actually. I was like a fucking leader up there. Never knew I had it in me.

"Now, that's a nice leader. Well, I should say no more. It is past 10 pm and it's past my time. I have to go back or my wife would kill me... Sayonara, everyone!" Tanaka waved at the crowd and stepped down the stage.

He looked at me and smirked as he did so. It got into my nerves and I did a creepy smirk too.

For a moment, the guy was not as bad as I thought.

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