By David C. Daoust
Clover moved with purpose. When it came to the Wards of Ergos, ‘moving with purpose’ was not truly a thing one could tell- just by looking (considering they flew everywhere they went). One may note his legs were a little more tense than they would normally be; bent a bit more, knees closer to the chest. Hands, clenched into fists, pushed slightly further back. His toes clasped at his heel a little tighter and his body was at a bit more of a slant as the enigmatic light-forged thrusters, at his shoulders, pushed him through the city. The accelerated speed may be a clue, but the lack of hair, and the form fitting Wards clothing, did not give too many indicators of the rate at which he disturbed the air around him. The determination, apparent on his face, however, was that of a Ward with a goal. The narrowed eye and furrowed brow– most telling.
He came upon the veritable sea of Wards, packed around the outer structure of ‘Hearth’; the kitchen and dining area of the local community of Wards. The arched door was packed with flying children, trying to peer through the crowded masses. All chattering and gossiping about whether or not what they had heard was going on within, was truly going on, within.
Clover did not have time for speculation. He had to get within, he wanted to get within. The problem- Hearth had a ‘maximum capacity’. A max capacity that was currently at its limit. This meant the AI were turning people away at the door.
A crippled AI that was too stupid to reason with.
Not to mention the Wards own nannies would help enforce the capacity limits.
As soon as Clover neared the archway, his nannies spun up in front of him, forming a holographic screen, listing the laws in place, that did not allow him to enter. It felt more like a force-field, shielding him from where he was trying to get.
Clover grimaced, the determination still clear on his face. He peered within, studying the crowd on the other side of the main archway (those lucky enough to have made it within, before the limit was reached).
He knew someone would recognize him- if he could get them to stop trying to see over the shoulder in front of them.
Finally, someone glanced back, clearly taking a sudden interest in how big the crowd outside was, rather than the spectacle within.
Her eyes lit up with recognition as he caught her eye. He was a publicly recognized Hero after all, a celebrity to say the least. He signaled her to come to him- she was happy to oblige. As soon as she crossed the threshold, his nannies dropped back down to orbit him.
Clover thanked her quickly as he passed her- taking her place within before someone else beat him to it.
She didn’t look too happy when her own nannies suddenly blocked her from re-entering, but he was sure she would get over it.
Now, Clover had to navigate those pressing within. Hearth’s high-ceilinged interior was packed with flying children, all angling for a spot. They had formed a ‘dome’ around the spectacle. None willing to get too close. Yet enough- to block Clover’s view from his current position.
After much bobbing and weaving around feet, and over heads, pushing through bunches and groups of Wards, all of which gave freely enough when pressed, Clover managed to catch himself a glimpse. That is, before the group ahead shifted, for no apparent reason.
What he saw was not what he had expected. Not what he had ‘heard’.
What he had heard– what had him move with such purpose, plastered such a look of determination on his face, was that one of the other Agents, Percy, was amassing Wards for purposes unknown; Speculation was for a little more offensive tactics than Clover had been suggesting…
This threatened all Clover’s new plans.
Or so he had thought.
Wards were gossipy though. And gossip was a waste of air. Much of his determination watered down, as the puzzle formed in his mind. What was everyone doing in here?
Honestly, he was not even sure what he saw in that lucky, momentary glimpse.
The Hero of Ergos flew forward, angling for a gap to fly through. He managed to fly all the way up to the ceiling, over everyone’s heads, even passing through the rafters, before he found a way through. His eye caught a small group of agents, in a small circle, just within the dome of flying children. Percy was within the group. He reweighed the gossip as he examined the group. None of them were actually conversing with each other however, instead, there attention was pulled to the same place everyone else’s attention was…
Clover had to lower himself down further to get a clear view, finally within the dome itself…
‘Twas a Giant– sitting on one of the many long tables, cross-legged, with a bowl of grub in his lap, shoving food in his mouth. Not even using utensils! Just shoveling it in, handful after handful. Surrounded by the dome of flying children, the giant looked at them each in turn, indifferently, as he shoveled.
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