Flashes Of Light

The Recitative

Jay takes a deep breath. Logar, the first person who, despite his roughness, had believed in her, is now giving her cause to think other people do.

And there's just so many of them.

"Good news!" Ane Dioretsa yells from another room. "I found it!"

"What did you find, exactly?" Logar asks. He looks weary. Jay knows that, otherwise, he would have already cracked a thousand bad jokes by now.

"I was studying all the laws in the US-UK Alliance," Ane says. "And I found rule number 30. It's written in very difficult and complex words, but the most important part is that it says that the only way to control this alliance is to have at least two important politicians at the same time. We don't have an Anti President anymore, and do you know why no one from the United States arrived saying they'd like to rule alongside President White?"

"Because they're all dead?" Percie asks. "Come on, at this point nothing would surprise me."

"No, because they must have believed all of this time that The Anti wasn't dead," Ane replies. "Imagine it. Six years. They're going to be so pissed when they find out."

"So, of course, you're going to tell them," Logar realizes. 

Usually, no one would put their trust in another politician, especially considering those of the alliance seem to be of the same stock. But in this case, this is the best they can hope for. Someone who wants to undermine Osiris-Rex' authority, and who might be interested in The Anti's lies and corruption.

"Alright, then, Ane Dioretsa, I have two tasks to give to you," Logar says. "First, write an e-mail to some of the American senators. You can use The Anti's old e-mail for all I care."

"You think the Armed Hand does not have the e-mail addresses of the senators? The whole world fears me," Ane tries to say it lightly, with a little smile.

"And second, you try to meet up with Osiris-Rex without being blown to bits, and tell him that he can't do anything until he's the only one in power. That this lasted six years, but it stops now."

"Hey!" Percie complains. "That actually sounds pretty dangerous."

"Don't worry," Ane replies. "I know that this is what all of this, our year together, the six apart, have been leading me to."

Percie nods. "Alright," he says. "If this was my job, I'd do it too. I have no reason to ask you not to take any of this seriously."

Ane greets them, and runs upstairs to write the e-mail. Logar knows the look on Percie's face --- he's someone who would have expected a goodbye kiss before Ane went. But the two of them are still the way they used to be six years before. After the day of The Anti's murder, none of them had been able to proceed with their lives, and that left Ane and Percie in that awkward phase where they'd told the other that they were okay with being best friends.

"She would die for you, and you would die for her," Logar tells him. "I think it's as good as it gets."

Percie sniffles. "Why am I taking relationship advice from you, of all people?"

"Because you need it, man," Logar patted his shoulder.

"And as for what you're going to do," Jay added. "You'll talk to people in power and tell them of what we're planning. People like you, and not the way they like me. They wouldn't have your photos on t-shirts, though I don't know why. You're fucking handsome! But they trust you. They would be loyal to you."

"Even those white old men in their fifties who don't trust anything," Logar says. "Even them would trust Percie Tolkien."

"Guys, thank you, but it feels a little as if you're sugarcoating me."