Chapitre 20: Know What to Choose
Rod Sugg guided Koji and Tahiko through the surroundings of the imposing building within the largest military base of the Tower in the country. The presence of vigilant soldiers reinforced the seriousness of the moment.
"Do you think more trouble is coming?" Koji whispered to Tahiko beside him.
"I wouldn't doubt anything from those scum."
As they walked down the corridor illuminated by cold lights, Rod maintained his serious demeanor, reflecting his subtle coldness.
"I don't know if you heard or saw on TV about the two and a half million lives lost in Dynami," Rod said in a grave voice.
He paused, observing the reaction of the two bearers. Koji clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing, while Tahiko frowned with a look of rage on his face.
"The government is using the moment to mask their mistakes. It's clear to me that those congressmen think of nothing but themselves."
Rod stopped walking for a moment and turned to face the duo.
"The culprits are a group of criminal bearers called the Foundation. We can assure you that they are all from high classes and extremely dangerous to the coexistence of humans and bearers in the world."
"Sam really knew," Koji thought, lowering his head, remembering that Sam had already told him about the Foundation.
Koji looked up, recalling his colleague, and interrupted Rod.
"And Saik, where is he?"
"Is he the third bearer? Don't worry, he's already on his way with Agent Nahome."
Tahiko, who had been silent until then, couldn't contain his anger any longer. His eyes sparkled, and his body was so tense that his arms trembled with fury. He suddenly asked Rod,
"Why did you take so long? Why didn't you send reinforcements earlier?"
"We don't have all the autonomy we would like. Despite being an independent and international department, we must comply with the rules and limits that each nation imposes on us. Here in Brazil, we always need federal permission from the president to deploy so many soldiers in large emergency operations like in Dynami."
"But… Why didn't you, the Tower, the Alliance, and all the others take the initiative sooner? Even if a federal permit was required to act, you shouldn't have waited! You should have acted as quickly as possible to save lives instead of waiting for any authorization."
In a perhaps confrontational and intimidating manner, Tahiko asserted in an assertive tone.
"And do you think I don't think about that? That I could have made a decision without waiting for government approval? I know you're angry, but understand that the person who feels the greatest guilt in the world for not having acted on my own and ultimately not saving more than two million lives is me."
The president responded, maintaining his serene and imposing posture like an important executive. He didn't want to dwell on this negative atmosphere for too long and quickly continued to explain the current situation.
"For your information, our objective is to dismantle the Foundation's operations as quickly as possible. Therefore, we need you and your abilities."
"Oh, and you'll also need to take a shower and change clothes because we're going to the headquarters. The commander wants to meet you personally."
Koji exchanged a look with Tahiko. They knew they had no choice but to move forward, face this new threat, and try to save as many lives as possible. The weight of responsibility was on their shoulders, but so was the hope that they could make a difference.
An hour passed, and there they were, freshly bathed and in new clothes, standing beside Rod in the elevator at the Tower's headquarters, ascending to the top floor.
"Could you… tell us again, who are we meeting?" Koji asked.
"The commander, her name is Ava."
The elevator finally reached the top floor, and the corridors were bustling with intelligence and mapping staff heading to their respective offices.
"With the Dynami case, these months will undoubtedly be the busiest for the staff, maybe even the whole year," commented Rod, walking ahead of Koji and Tahiko among the other people.
When they reached the door of the main meeting room, Rod opened it and stepped inside first. Ava was standing, looking at the city view through the glass wall.
"Here they are," Rod said to Ava, nodding and smiling slightly.
Koji and Tahiko entered right after Rod and immediately spotted Saik, sitting in one of the chairs around the meeting table, sipping coffee. Saik looked up and gave a side smile.
"Saik?" Tahiko exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.
"How did you get here before us?" Koji asked, genuinely curious.
"I had a bit of luck," Saik replied, shrugging and letting out a brief laugh. "I took a C-97… or maybe a C-99, C-99?"
Ava turned slowly and spoke in a welcoming yet serious tone.
"Welcome, it's a pleasure to see you in person. I'm Ava, the commander of the Tower in this country."
As Ava continued her explanation, Tahiko took a few steps forward with an intimidating expression on his face.
"We're hosting you for one reason: to dismantle the Foundation. Our credibility is shaken due to Dynami, and rightly so. But I don't want to leave things as they are; I want to fix them by eliminating the root cause."
"My agents and I are human, and we can only progress toward this goal with the help of bearers like you."
Tahiko, with his imposing and muscular presence, was a man who demanded respect. His serious expression and firm posture made his determination clear, despite the complicated relationship with the Tower because of the Dynami case.
He had his own ideas about how things should be done, which sometimes caused friction.
"We're here because the Tower needs us, right? Is that what you'll keep telling us all day? The whole country needs us because those bastards from the Foundation can come back and destroy everything. And certainly, you at the Tower won't do anything again, like in Dynami," Tahiko said, crossing his arms and staring directly at Ava. "I don't trust you at all."
Ava, calm and with a penetrating gaze, sat in her chair at the table and responded assertively.
"You are bearers; you can kill me and the other staff in this building whenever you want, and you know you can. The freedom to choose is entirely yours. But you must remember that we, humans... I and the agents, can't do much on our own, and this country will collapse. So, if you still have humanity, even with demons inside you, tell me if you want to join the Tower temporarily or not."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone