Penance

Chapter Five: New World Order

It had been ten years since the untimely deaths of his parents. He'd recently been elected the new President of Bricksburg- the youngest the realm has ever had. But his plan had been put into motion even before he got into office- he'd had the ear of President Stirien for a long time. So it had been under the administration of President Stirien that two specific new laws had been introduced- Master Builders must all be registered, and they must all have a license to Build. A way to keep tabs on who was Building, and when. He hoped the idea would spread, but for now, Bricksburg would be his test realm. He was surprised that a few actually complied, but as he predicted, most were refusing to adhere to law.

Sirius had quietly put out an advertisement for a very special job, once he'd been elected. A surprising number of applications had been turned in, quite a few of them even from outside realms. He hadn't been expecting that. But he'd gone through each and every one of them, picked out the ones that stood out the most, and began the interviews.

So far, every applicant he'd interviewed had looked promising on paper, but were rather lackluster once he met them in person. He hoped the same couldn't be said of his next appointment. This one in particular was... amazing, and he couldn't wait to get a look at the guy.

He was a police officer, only a few years younger than Sirius himself. Graduated from Harvard for Police, finished his probation in his home realm of Bricksburg, and had a remarkable record, for only being on the force for a couple years so far.

Having access to such information didn't prepare him for how huge the guy was, though, when the cop stepped into his office. Sirius caught himself staring and shook himself out of his stupor, a pleased grin crossing his face as he stood to greet the man. "Welcome," he said, shaking the cop's hand. Standing so close to him, Sirius felt tiny- this guy was easily six foot four, and at least two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle. It was an unusual sensation, one he'd never experienced before; he was always the biggest presence in the room. But this dour-faced officer, with his reflective aviator sunglasses and black uniform, was intimidating in a way Sirius could never hope to be himself.

He was perfect.

"It's Officer Callaghan, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Please, have a seat." The cop sat, taking off his cap and sunglasses as he did so. He didn't look quite so scary without the shades, and Sirius relaxed. "So tell me- Cary, is it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Interesting... Why did you apply for this job?"

"For much the same reason you started your campaign," he answered. "The Master Builders need to be dealt with. You've made a start, which is more than most can say, but you need someone to enforce the laws you've passed. Someone who's willing and able to stand up to them, let them know we're not putting up with their chaos anymore. We've seen first-hand the results when the citizens try- at best, they're simply ignored. At worst..." He shook his head. "I'll just say the results aren't pleasant. The fights are getting worse. But we can take them. We've done it before."

He certainly had. That was perhaps the most impressive part of this cop's records. Took the Master Builder on, one on one, in unarmed combat- which in itself was almost beyond belief. Only superheroes or other Master Builders had ever been able to take one on in close combat with any amount of success, and Sirius knew for a fact this officer was neither. And not only that, but he'd bounced back from a blow that would have knocked anyone else out, shocking the Master Builder enough to wrestle him into submission and cuff him. Granted, they hadn't been able to hold him for very long, but the fact that this cop had even made the arrest in the first place was mind-boggling.

But there was that persistent 'we' that confused him. He'd noticed there was an Alastar Callaghan that had applied too- same age, same background, so he'd assumed twins. "I just have one more question for you," he said. The officer nodded to him. "You said 'we' several times. Do you mean your brother?"

"Yes, sir."

"You're partners?"

"You could say that."

He frowned slightly at that. "Would you mind explaining?" His eyes went wide as their face... switched, somehow, and he found himself staring at a pair of round spectacles and a bright smile.

"Hello, President Business! It's a pleasure to finally meet you! I know you set the interview to be with Cary, but as you can see, we're kind of a package deal." Sirius leaned back in his chair, stunned. Janus twins. That certainly explained a lot. "I hope this doesn't throw his chances of getting the job..."

"No..." Slowly, Sirius started to grin, mind already churning out ways in which he could use their unique situation to his advantage. "No, rather, I'd like to offer you both the job."