Specter

Chapter 4 (Night 1): Order In The Court

We last read Chapter 3, in which Monica Drevis a.k.a. Voltara---while having a FaceTime conversation with her younger brother Dr. Duncan Drevis---pays a short visit to the Rusted Citadel with the help of the latter's airship. She ventured to the liberated city to see Doc, a medical specialist who was part of Moody a.k.a. Specter's rebellion back in 2021.....and who also happens to be her rapist. With Moody acting as her host, the duo travel to the Ember Holding Cells by motorboat and eventually arrive at Doc's cell; on the way, they discuss the Watchwomen's recent adventure against Allie Bannister and the Diamond Legion, and even briefly peruse Bannister's social media account.

To Doc and Moody's surprise, Monica makes it known that although Doc does need to be held accountable for his actions towards her---and to a lot of the other women in the disbanded rebellion---she still wants him to learn from his mistakes and emerge from this situation as a better person. To that end, Doc reveals that King Ryker---the new ruler of the Rusted Citadel following the Iron Kingpin's usurpation---has placed him on an intensive rehab regimen that meets once a week at the very least, and that it's been going on for the past couple of years. Meanwhile, Moody internally gives her own thoughts on the situation, immediately assuming Monica has Stockholm syndrome due to her continued sympathy for Doc in spite of everything he's done to and taken away from her.

The conversation ends with Doc and Monica parting ways on legitimately good terms, with Doc going off to sleep for the night and Monica leaving the Ember Holding Cells with Moody in tow. While using the motorboat to return to the mainland, Moody confronts Monica on what she believes to be "intense optimism", even going so far as to state that if she were in Monica's shoes, things wouldn't have been the same. Monica simply states that she's changed, and soon, she bids farewell to Moody as she leaves the Rusted Citadel again to return to her home city of Mercury Heights, New York.

This time, the butler Sylvester brings an urgent news report to his new boss King Ryker; a report that prompts immediate action.....

***********************************************************************************************

-Obsidian Sanctum, Rusted Citadel, Asia-

In the Sanctum's grand kitchen, the butler Sylvester was busy creating a steaming hot cup of tea for His Majesty, King Ryker. He had already made the drink itself, poured a large amount of it into a kettle, and then placed said kettle on one of the stoves to begin heating. While he waited, he reached into one of the upper cupboards, took out a saucer, and placed it on the countertop in front of him, before repeating basically the same procedure with a cup and putting it squarely in the middle of said saucer.

Eventually, the kettle began steaming and whistling, signaling that the tea was finished. Sylvester deactivated the stove, picked the kettle up by the top handle, and smoothly poured the tea into the cup until it was about 7/8ths full, taking a deep breath and soaking in the sweet floral scent of the infused green tea leaves in the process. Deciding that delivering the tea to Ryker should take priority over putting away the equipment---he didn't wish to keep the king waiting, after all---he swiftly departed the kitchen, taking care not to spill the drink, and made his way to the exact same briefing room where Ryker, Specter, T.J., Logan, and the mole had also met mere hours ago.

Inside, King Ryker was leaning back in his cushioned seat at the head of the table and concernedly scrolling through a series of still images on a tablet. His worry temporarily gave way to relief as Sylvester gently set the cup and saucer in front of him and the scent of the green tea hit his nostrils as well.

"Ahhh.....just as wonderful as ever, Sylvester....." King Ryker commended. "Your old boss, Margo, would be proud of you."

"I have no doubt that she would, Your Majesty," Sylvester responded, barely showing any emotion despite how close he had been with her. "She died aiding the very same rebels who would later go on to free the Citadel. She'll forever be a hero in my book."