Part 4

Time: 1:45 p.m.

Location: NEO New York City Hall, Civic Center, Manhattan, NEO New York City.

A loud sigh from a male broke out in a large blue-walled room.

The ceiling lights were turned off, so the only source of light that entered the room came from a large ceiling-to-floor window that gazed out to the Manhattan skyline of NEO New York City.

Following the sigh, a left index finger began light tapping on the black circular painted wooden table.

“My god, this is starting to drag on.” The male said in an exhausted tone.

Javier Ramirez.

The Bronx Borough President.

A middle-aged Hispanic male, dressed in a gray business suit, a white button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone, and white sneakers. He had black slick back hair and a light goatee.

With a soft exhale, he sat back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling and yawning.

“Must you do that so loudly?” A woman's voice broke through the dull silence in the large room.

Maria Inoue.

The Queens Borough President.

A young Japanese female sat at the table across from him with black hair with bangs parted, revealing her forehead, dressed in a black turtleneck dress that fell below her knees, black stockings, and black high heels.

Twirling a pen with her left fingers, she opened her eyes, staring at the man.

Not a word was spoken between the two as they stared at each other.

Sensing the growing tension, another male sitting at the table spoke up.

Anthony ‘A.J.’ Jones.

The Brooklyn Borough President.

A black middle-aged male with long graying dreadlocks, dressed in a grey vest over a white button-down shirt, grey dress pants, and dress shoes.

He leaned forward, placing the book he was reading on the table.

“If it isn’t too much to ask, one day, just one day, I would like to have a meeting where we are not at each other's throats.”

A male voice at the table spoke out in an annoyed tone.

Tan Huan.

The Manhattan Borough President.

A middle-aged Chinese man with short hair, dressed in a black four-button suit vest over a white button dress shirt, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

He rested his left elbow on the table with his left palm under his chin.

President Javier turned his body to President Haun.

Before President Javier could say anything, another voice spoke out.

“Please let us not bicker among ourselves; the citizens of this city expect a level of decorum, even among us.”

The female voice of the fifth and final member of the borough presidents.

Leslie Johnson.

An elderly black woman with graying hair that was tied into a bun, wearing a black jacket over a black sleeveless dress with a white belt above her waist, black gloves, and black shoes.

She then turned her head slightly right toward the man standing next to her, who was pouring tea into a cup right next to her.

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“That will be enough, Arthur.”

The blonde-haired man dressed in a grey business suit with white gloves stopped pouring the tea.

“As you wish, Madam President,”

Placing the silver kettle on the rolling tray table, the man began to walk away.

President Johnson grabbed the cup, raising it to her face. She closed her eyes, taking in the smell.

“For this city to continue to progress, it will take all of us…”

She took a sip from the cup.

Savoring the taste, she opened her eyes, staring at the other four.

“…and that requires all of us to be on the same page.”

There was silence in the room.

Suddenly, there were two quick beeps, causing everyone sitting at the table to turn their heads to a door.

There was a faint click, followed by a few seconds of silence.

The door slid open, revealing a lone individual with the appearance of a young male with pale white skin and white shoulder-length hair.

The individual was dressed in a baggy long-sleeved shirt that fell above his knees and baggy white pants that stopped at his ankles.

Slowly, the male opened his eyes, gazing upon the five individuals in the room with red eyes, lightly smiling.

Barefoot, the male entered the room, walking towards an empty chair at the table.

With a soft voice, the male spoke.

“As always, I am grateful that you five could be here on such short notice given what transpired over the last few days.”

The five borough presidents had their eyes fixated on the male as he pulled the swivel chair out from the table.

Such a strange individual.

Despite his appearance and the positions of the five sitting at the table-

This individual-

This person-

A few knew of his existence, and even less knew of his true nature.

A man with more authority than the five of them combined.

The male sat down in the chair.

Raziel.

The being that was known as Raziel.

The founder and leader of this vast metropolis that was NEO New York City.

“A while ago, I ended a call with the president of the United States.”

The male took a sip out of his cup that was placed in front of him on the table, closing his eyes as murmurs broke out in the room.

“The President…..himself”

“…of America.”

“For what reason?”

There was silence coming from Raziel as he lowered the cup onto the table, still with his eyes closed.

“This is about the intruder?” President Inoue asked.

Raziel opened his eyes.

“Yes and no.”

It was a vague response, but that was to be expected from an individual like him.

“The intruder, there is someone that I believe may be able to deal with the intruder if they play the correct cards, but then the question then becomes: What do we do next?”

The borough presidents all stared at Raziel in silence.

“What... happens next?” President Jones slowly repeated.

“The reason I brought us here today is to let everyone know of mine and the city plan going forward in the coming days.”