“Let me tell you about the truth behind the Dawn Initiative.”
They all sat up straight at that. Even the name of the project they were the pilot for was classified to high hell. While Mr. Bethany had to be a big shot in the AA for Miss Walker to have trusted him with their training, they were still surprised he’d give them direct information.
“The main component is exactly what you know. A good chunk of money was set aside to build new teams of rookies from the ground up, thus refilling the starved ranks of Awakeners at the Agency.” He explained, getting nods from all around. “But there is more. You have experienced what leaving everything in the hands of Guilds is like on your own skin. What it means to have no oversight over their operations.”
“There's a reason why the Federal Government has decided to get directly involved and create this initiative.” Mr. Bethany continued. “Guilds have been, in many ways, poisoning the well. Exploiting talents, monopolizing the field, and deciding who rises and who falls. Their power and influence have become too broad and too deep, and it’s eating at the very foundation of society.”
This was a well-known problem, debated and discussed in whispers and online forums. Everyone had their own opinions on the solutions to the question, ranging from abolishing the AA entirely to nationalizing the Guilds. Still, they all agreed that things couldn’t stay as they were, because the balance tilted too far on one side - the Guilds’- which would send the whole system crashing.
“The Dawn Initiative is not just about raising new talents. Yes, we want a corp of powerful and relatively loyal Awakeners. But it’s not the main reason why the big-heads in Washington agreed to fund the project.” He leaned back, his massive frame making the sofa creak under his weight. “You are, to be quite honest, bait.”
And there it is. Well, it’s not like we didn’t know. Miss Walker was clear that we were knowingly being sent into dungeons whose information had been falsified or deliberately let out. At least she was honest with us and even broke ranks to check the Montauk dungeon for anything outside our possibilities.
“We already knew that.” James finally said, making the old man blink in surprise. “No one said it directly, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize. Miss Walker told us about things happening at the higher floors and that they suspected several Guilds of wrongdoing.” He continued, careful not to be too specific.
Mr. Bethany might have proven himself a good teacher and an intelligent man, but as long as Miss Walker didn’t personally vouch for him, he’d still treat him with wariness.
“It’s good to know you can use your brain then. It will make this discussion easier.” The older man responded. “Leila was never one to stick too close to the rules, but I suppose I have some fault in that, being her teacher and all.”
“You were her teacher?” Lauren interrupted, looking surprised at first and then pensive. It made sense if one thought about it. Miss Walker would only send someone she trusted completely to take over for her.
“I was. Back when the AA was still a newborn Agency, and things were fluid, I led a team of ex-soldiers and cadets who had Awakened. I taught her the ropes and made sure she wouldn’t kill herself.” Mr. Bethany explained, sounding fond; it was clear to everyone in the room that the old man cared deeply for their instructor.
“Anyways, as I was saying, it’s important you understand that the Initiative received the funds it did because of the hidden promise behind it.” He continued, looking serious once again “The Chief Director’s talks with the White House are not available to me, but I’m ready to bet my pension that he assured them he would retake some power back from the Guilds and that you’d be the tool for him to do so.”
It wasn’t surprising to James that even people ostensibly on their side, like the AA’s Chief Director, would use their future like a bargaining chip to receive more funds. Still, if there was an actual plan behind the mess they were in, it would be better to learn as much as possible. “Does that mean we’ll continue being sent into falsified dungeons? So that the AA can rack up a pattern of similar misdeeds by various Guilds?”
Mr. Bethany smiled, pleased at how quickly he had caught on. “That’s part of it, yes, though it won’t be long before the Guilds become wise to that kind of tactic. I wouldn’t be surprised if they started keeping tabs on you to find out if you are AA plants there to bring their ‘mistakes’ to light.”
“They already are.” James interrupted. That was all the confirmation he needed to know he wasn’t being overly paranoid after being spooked by the blonde woman in Montauk.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Rather than being surprised, like he had expected him to be, Mr. Bethany looked extremely excited hearing that.
“So they have already started moving more directly. That’s good to know.” The old man’s grin was almost boyish, as he seemingly had a lot of fun imagining the next steps.
“The problem with large organizations.” Mr. Bethany chuckled “Is that their left hand seldom knows what the right hand is doing. That gives us a certain advantage for now. However, it won't last long. Some Guilds must have gotten spooked, and their relative fragmentation allows us some maneuvering space, but the major ones will reel the others back in soon enough. If we can get at least one big fish to eat the bait, it’ll mean we can start with the next phase.”
It was clear that the old man enjoyed this game of shadows and deception as much as he did the physical training. There was a kind of thrill in the dangerous dance they were playing.
“You’ll be walking a thin line. A precarious balance between being the unsuspecting victims and the proactive agents of change. But remember this.” He emphasized, leaning forward in his seat, his massive arms resting on his thighs. “The key to your survival and success lies in your unity and trust in each other. We can’t guarantee you’ll always be safe, but you already knew this would be a dangerous job. However, I can promise you that you are not alone in this fight. Important and powerful people are betting a lot on this, and their resources are plentiful.”
Then, he relaxed, his expression returning to the jolly amusement he had presented himself with “It's a big game, children. The pawns are many, and the knights and rooks are always ready to strike. But sometimes, a pawn can become the most powerful piece on the board if moved wisely. Being a small fish often means you can go unnoticed for much longer, until it’s too late.”
Maria tilted her head, processing his words. “Does that mean that you expect the surveillance to not last long once they have realized we are not high-rankers pretending to be H-rank to screw them over?”
“That’s exactly right. I might be wrong, but in the grand scheme of things, they can’t be seen as too interested in you. Certainly, your failure would allow the Guilds to claw back the little breathing room we made, but they are likely to leave that to smaller, weaker Awakeners. The big shots will turn their focus on Washington, and that is the beauty of this plan.”
“With their attention elsewhere, you intend to sweep in. Take out at least one large player.” James realized. It was an ingenious plan, especially since it relied on the Guilds feeling safe once they had ensured nothing was out of place. Since they were truly H-rank, it wasn’t too farfetched.
“And if things go south?” Lauren’s voice was calm, but James could see the tension in her eyes.
The old man’s face became somber. “In the world we live in, children, there's always the chance that things will go south. And it can happen faster than you think. If it does, your first priority should be ensuring your safety and that of your teammates. You’re no good to anyone dead.”
Mr. Bethany stood up, his towering frame casting a long shadow over the team. “It's late, and you have another long day ahead. Remember what we talked about, and keep your eyes and ears open. You might be a single cog of this machine, but you are an important one. Keep up with your training and you’ll achieve all you want.”
----------------------------------------
Being technically in New Jersey, South Mountain Reservation should have been outside their range, but since the entire North-Eastern District was headed by the New York AA Branch, they had some privileges others didn’t have.
Mostly woodland made of hardwood trees and hemlock fields, the Reservation was a wild place. It had been left to itself since the 1930s, aside from the construction of the Recreational Complex, thus resulting in few visitors venturing deep enough to notice any changes.
It was a stroke of luck then that the ranger corps, during their periodical sweeps of the area, had detected an unusually high level of mana and, after personally checking in, had found that a dungeon had spawned.
Since it was relatively new, and the power in the air was not enough to declare an emergency yet, such a place would normally be auctioned to private Guilds. Still, its presence on County property made things a bit dicier.
Normally, the bureaucrats in charge of such departments would salivate at the idea of getting some free money in exchange for having one of their problems solved, but this time, the man that should have simply rubber stamped the Black Crow Guild’s request for a lease had refused it.
He had refused even their second offer, which was twenty thousand dollars for a renewable lease of ten days. Quite generous, considering it was a H-rank dungeon.
That left a vacuum, as the New Jersey AA department didn’t have the resources to deal with such a low-priority problem. That meant it was sent back to the main branch for the district, the New York AA, where it should have been auctioned again, hopefully receiving the County official's consent.
Instead, it was snatched up as soon as it arrived by a masked woman with red eyes, who gleefully went over the process of getting it approved and received confirmation that the Park bureaucrat had accepted the request.
That whole chain of events was why Team 0 was, one early Thursday morning, trudging through the humid woodland, headed towards the dungeon with a hand-drawn map and their mana-detecting device as a guide.
“And you’d think that being rangers, those people would show some more willingness to accompany us, but no. They all had duties to attend to!” Lauren complained, skipping between roots thanks to her enhanced AGI.
“Well, you know what they told us. There was a plant monster that didn’t die even if they shot it several times. If I wasn’t an Awakener, I wouldn’t want to come and deal with murderous plants as well.” Ezekiel answered, trying to calm the Rogue down.
“At least this time, I should be able to do something.” Maria interjected, sounding gleeful at the thought of successfully setting a monster on fire.
James shook his head in mirth, keeping the mana-detecting device ahead of him and following its indications.
Finally, after a good half an hour of trekking, it pinged loudly, signifying the presence of enough concentrated magical energy for a dungeon. “Alright, we’re here.” The Thakinetic said, setting his bag with the fragile device between a rock and a tree so that it could stay hidden for the duration of their dive.
As soon as he was done and had turned around to check on his teammates, his senses screamed a warning, and he threw himself to the ground, barely avoiding what looked like a feathered missile that would have slammed into him with enough strength to break his face.