Anthem's Fall

Chapter Fifty Seven

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Lord General and Royal Guard

The wind whipped and roared in Darien's ears as he barreled in Lord General Hoff's wake through the heavy clouds lingering high in the atmosphere over Chicago. Needles of rain pelted against his face, and he strained to keep Hoff in sight as he nearly disappeared in the mists below. It required all of Darien's focus to keep the eagerly accelerating Lord General from pulling ahead.

As he descended through the lashing precipitation, the grand city seemed to increase in magnitude as the height and breadth of the skyscrapers appeared. The tall dark spires, beautiful and solemn against the rainstorm, pierced the very heavens. Their sharp lines and dark forms jutted through the pallid fog that hung among the concealed streets below.

A city doomed to fall, like so many before. This city's grandeur would descend to tragedy against the might of Sejero power. He, he, was going to destroy this place. It was brutal, but it was an order. Orders were followed. Darien would destroy this city for the cause of the Felix and the salvation of the Primus race—his race. Darien was the last surviving Royal Guard of the Epsilon, a quintessential vision of Sejero prowess and loyalty. If he did not have the stomach to do what must be done, who did? He shook away the slight compassion rising in his heart as he descended from the sky. Now was not the time for half measures, now was the time to prove his tremendous worth. Focusing all his power into his speed, he accelerated his meteoric plummet and pulled alongside the fellow giant. The Lord General Hoff turned and gave an impressed nod as they simultaneously erupted downward.

...

"Yes, ma'am, I completely understand, and we are doing all we can to make your switch over to our service as pleasant as possible."

Alyssa Ware sat at her office desk—though it was little more than a booth—and spoke into the mouthpiece of a headset while she drew doodles on the back of a weekly memo. She was an entry-level customer service rep for a cell phone provider with a bachelor's degree in Sociology. Alyssa graduated last spring from the University of Illinois, Chicago, with honors. But times were tough, and this position was the only employment she could find. It was her second week on the job, and Alyssa already hated it.

"No! The salesman at the store told me my monthly bill would be seventy dollars. Now I'm sitting here looking at a bill for . . ." the shrill woman on the other line scoffed, "ninety dollars! I knew y'all would pull some sort of trick like this!"

Alyssa closed her eyes. "Yes, ma'am, the first month's bill includes a sign up fee. It's a one time payment that—"

"No! This is unacceptable, missy. I want to talk to your supervisor right now!"

Alyssa wearily opened her eyes and looked out the window with a sigh. Her company leased the fortieth floor of the building, and despite the innumerable negatives of her job, she did have a desk facing the window. The lofty view of the other skyscrapers in the financial district of Chicago provided a nice distraction during monotonous afternoons.

The weather outside the rain-streaked glass that hour was unusually bleak and dismal, even by Chicago standards. A misty fog draped among the tall skyscrapers outside, and the street level far below was lost in the gloom. Alyssa's desk, often saturated in bright sunlight, was today only illuminated by the faintly humming fluorescent bulbs overhead. Her workspace was cast in a greenish artificial hue.

"Ma'am," Alyssa said as brightly as she could. "The sign up fee isn't negotiable. But again, it's only a one-time payment. Your next bill will be for the amount you had signed up for. I can put you through to my manager, but he will tell you the same thing."