MINOR TIMESTAMP ERROR DETECTED
APPROXIMATELY +1.10.17 POST-INCIDENT
BINARY BROTHERHOOD AND SUMMIT OF HEROES DIRECT LINE
INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MIDAS AND WIGHT
VIDEO ERROR — AUDIO ONLY
"Midas, explain to me why Summit units have been deployed alongside your Brotherhood forces without authorization."
"Wight. Always a pleasure. If this is about Emmett Laraway, save yourself the breath—I'm handling a problem the Summit should've stamped out years ago.
"Don't play coy with me. You commandeered our operatives under false pretenses. You falsified clearance. You're deploying military hardware into a residential district. You're going after his family, Midas. That's not a sanctioned operation. That's a vendetta.
"You're overreacting. I'm ensuring that a rogue, dangerous, and frankly inconvenient asset is neutralized before he causes more damage. This isn't personal, Wight. It's necessary."
"You expect me to believe that? You didn't even run this through Rivera's office."
"Rivera's office is slow. Bureaucratic sludge. I don't have time for the endless parade of approvals and denials. You saw what happened when Emmett broke containment—stole a swarm of nanites, made a fool of Bastion. You know what he's capable of, and yet you're clutching your pearls over a proactive solution?"
"A proactive solution does not involve turning a neighborhood into a war zone."
"What do you know about solutions and stability, Wight? You observe, you whisper, you maneuver behind the scenes. I make real progress. After this—"
"You took this operation outside the chain of command. Have you thought about the political fallout this is going to have? Have you thought about the Code? Emmett is one man. He's not worth what you're about to do."
"One man? One man tore through Bastion's systems. One man bypassed my security and walked out with a weaponized nanite swarm. One man could undermine the stability of the States and the world. You think he'll just vanish? That he won't come back? No, Wight. He's like us. He doesn't just disappear. He'll rebuild. He'll adapt. He'll retaliate—"
"That doesn't justify targeting his family!"
Midas's voice turned cold. "Don't interrupt me again. Only one thing stops someone like him, and no one else is prepared to do it. If you have better options, by all means, enlighten me."
"Midas, you're acting without authority."
"I have a mandate from above and below. It doesn't matter how this goes down. Once we spin it, the public will back us, and so will Rivera and the other talking heads."
"Pull your forces back. Now."
"No."
"I won't ask you again."
Midas chuckled. "You're not in a position to give me orders."
"...What did you do?"
"You think you have authority, but the only authority that matters is results. Right now, I'm the one producing them—"
"Midas, what did you do?"
The technomancer's voice turned smug. "Right now, your counterparts are calling a Vote of No Confidence. Even Paragon's going to vote—can you imagine that? The alien is actually standing up for something... Check your messages in a few minutes. As I said, you're not in a position to give me orders. Soon, you'll be taking them. And if you disobey, you'll go to the Vault like all the others."
Despite the threat, Wight's voice stayed firm. "If you do this, you fracture the alliance between the Summit and the Brotherhood. There will be war. I hope you understand that."
"We've already vetted most of the Summit; regime change is stressful, but they'll cooperate. Your allies were dwindling all this time, Wight. How does it feel to miss something again?"
"If you do this, I won't be able to protect you."
Midas scoffed a laugh. "I don't need your protection. You've done a great service for your country and for the world, but your services are no longer required. Goodbye, Wight."
MIDAS DISCONNECTS
TRANSMISSION STILL ACTIVE
WIGHT ATTEMPTING TO CALL SUMMIT EMERGENCY LINE
CALL DECLINED
WIGHT ATTEMPTING TO CALL SPEAKER RIVERA'S PRIVATE LINE
CALL DECLINED
WIGHT ATTEMPTING TO CALL AVA SAVANUS
CALL DECLINED
"Damn you, Midas."
END OF TRANSMISSION
~ ~ ~
YOU ARE READING
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