I Am The Truth II

Prologue

The crowds were roaring with excitement as a single man stood, unwavering, on the podium overlooking the thousands of humans that had gathered before him. It was a magnificent sight, and such was one of the more enjoyable parts of a rally. Here in Hyperia, one of the more human-dominated metropolitans, there was no question who was in charge.

"We got quite the crowd here in Hyperia, huh?"

The crowds cheered, a deafening sound that vibrated against the very earth. Anyone who saw such a spectacle would understand how much power rested in the palm of his hand. And with that understanding comes another, the reason why no opposition has succeeded thus far.

The blond-haired man waited for the crowds to quiet down before leaning close to the microphone. In public, it was all about putting the best performance. All most voters know of the candidates they support is simply what they see and hear from them. As long as he was out here, he had to say exactly what they wanted to hear. He played his sentences to their tune, knowing which chords to hit, and when.

"We come together once more to decide the fate of all of Ardonia," He began. "So far, you and I have traversed together on the road to a better world, a successful world. Diamond Heights has been doing its very best to ensure that the happiness of all humankind remains strong, and with your support today as well as the weeks to come, we can continue to keep that promise."

There was a chorus of applause before the crowd went silent again.

"Now," He said, stressing the word. "Our Conchordian neighbors to the west have been dealing with what I personally would term as an insurrection. Protests have been turning violent, quite dangerously out of control-"

"Those damned Ardoni!" A voice shouted from the crowd and there were murmurs of agreement.

"Of course, tensions rise before every major election," The man began, deliberately downplaying it with the intention of channeling the crowd's emotions. "However... there is a certain limit we cannot cross. In fact, I have footage to show to you, perhaps to remind you what our world may be like under the CPRU."

At once, a video was being projected onto the screen. The crowds watched as the violence of the CPRU rally in Oakendale now played before them on the screen. The audio wasn't perfect, but it was clear enough to hear the chaos unfolding. Various clips were being shown, all of them featuring various non-human species attacking police or burning buildings. The video had been edited of course to only show scenes that were favorable to the image of the Diamond Heights, but who among the crowd would guess? The clip ended with the face of an unidentified Magnorite protester, his eyes ablaze like that of a mad dog. 

"The partisan groups have begun stepping up their campaigns of destruction, many of them led by the CPRU," He continued, his voice amplified through the large speakers that his microphone fed into. "We've seen what they did to our honorable police. Imagine what they will do to our children."

"Never!" A voice shouted, and a chorus of yells followed suit.

"It is the duty of humankind to uplift the other races from anarchy," The man declared. "We gave them the order that they need, and in return, we were repaid with violence? And we know what Abbigail and Denny have planned for the future of Ardonia should they come to power. It will be, simply put, a grave injustice."

"Long live the Diamond Heights!" A voice yelled, and the chant soon spread across the thousands of humans assembled there.

The man clapped, smiling now. Sulliman as well as several other Diamond Heights officials were there behind the platform, also clapping.

"Thank you my friends," He said finally. "You know what to do. Help us by doing your part on the day of the polls, and I will most certainly do mine for the entire term. For the good of humankind, and all of Ardonia!"

The applause was thunderous, so much so that a person could have gone deaf from it. The man smiled, waving to the crowd before stepping down from the podium. His speech had been brief, but that was all he needed. Years of experience honed his communication skills to the point where his words were like bullets fired by a sniper. Only one was needed to hit his target.

"Long live the Diamond Heights!" The chant began. "Long live Allister Evanstein the third!"

Allister walked away, a satisfactory smile on his face, his gait confident as ever. Sulliman was there, waiting with folded arms.

"What do you think?" Allister began to the home minister.

"Hydraphel is a guarantee," Sulliman answered. "As far as the popular vote is concerned, we have no problem."

The two walked away, surrounded by the guards as the crowds still cheered behind them. There was much to be done in the few weeks to come. The elites of Crown Peak had covered for the party's campaign funds, leaving Allister with a wide variety of cards to play. However, there was one nagging though in his mind. Allister carefully eyed his surroundings before leaning in close to Sulliman.

"Has the Legion been able to track Abbigail or Denny yet?"

"One of the partisan factions is shielding them from us," Sulliman answered quietly. "Even my top hitman was unable to break their many barriers, and whomever we did catch yielded no results."

"Hmm. And the Mendoris girl?"

"Gone."

Allister only nodded. Wherever they were, the CPRU had to be eliminated... by any mean necessary.

"I trust you are doing your best."

"Doing my best," Sulliman replied. "Though I cannot guarantee success with the way things have been going thus far."

"That's alright," Allister assured. "Just hold them at by long enough till the elections are over. After that, we know what to do."

Until the elections were over. Till then, there was work to be done. If all went to plan, Allister would checkmate his opposition in no time.