As the SUVs cruised through the moonlit streets, Trixie tried to make sense of the situation. "Guys, this is seriously creepy. They haven't said a word since they brought us out. Not a single word."
Uni, pale as a ghost, nodded in agreement. "Gaia Disciples are known for being completely mute when on missions.”
Esther chimed in with a note she wrote, her eyes wide with fright as she gave it to Uni. "I've heard rumors about them. They're like a cult. Extreme environmentalists. They see humanity as a disease and seek to 'purify' the Earth through whatever means necessary. They've done some pretty horrible stuff in the name of their cause."
Uni passed the note to Trixie and Piper, and they all exchanged fearful glances, panic seeping into them.
"Do you think they're going to...hurt us?” Trixie asked.
Uni shook her head, trying to calm her own racing heart. "I don't think so. They saved us from those guys, after all. My guess is, maybe they need Piper for something, I dunno."
The girls fell silent once more, each lost in their own thoughts, the eerie silence in the backseat of the SUV only adding to their mounting dread.
After what felt like an eternity of driving, the vehicles finally came to a stop. The SUV came to a halt in the middle of a large compound, surrounded by acres of land. The girls peered out the windows as they were escorted out of the vehicles and into the compound.
As they walked, they could see an array of buildings, from what looked to be a cafeteria, a school, and even a medical facility. The compound, in contrast to the industrial bleakness of the warehouse, was filled with lush greenery and signs of life. There was also lots of symbolism present in the form of flags, the most common of these being an outline of the planet and its continents, and an inverted peace sign.
The girls were led towards a building labeled 'Academy'. The interior was just as impressive as the exterior, with top-notch facilities and cutting-edge technology. The girls' fear began to give way to awe and confusion. Why had the Gaia Disciples saved them, just to bring them to a place like this?
They were ushered into a large auditorium, taking seats in the rows of chairs. The acoustics were fantastic, and the room was filled with a sense of anticipation. The girls looked around, trying to take in every detail. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and a figure appeared on the stage.
The figure, still concealed in the usual camouflage, walked towards the podium centrally located in the stage. He raised a hand, and a projector came on, displaying an image of Fairylyl, with the globe showcasing Yushalia as its focus.
"Let's begin." The figure spoke, his voice deep and slightly distorted by some sort of voice modulator.
The girls in the audience were taken aback; it was the most they had heard the man speak. They leaned forward intently, trying to discern any sign of emotion in the distorted voice. The figure continued.
"You each have been handpicked for a very specific set of skills and characteristics. We've been observing you diligently, for a long time.”
"We, the Gaia Disciples, see this as a disease, a virus that needs correction." The figure gestured towards the image of Earth, zooming in on the visible signs of damage, like cities veiled in smog and deforested lands. "We believe it's our duty to reset the balance, to cure the Earth of this disease called humanity.”
The girls watched on in silence, a mix of fascination and growing horror washing over them. They looked at each other, trying to gauge the reactions of their companions. Uni leaned towards Trixie, whispering in a low voice. "This is it. This is why they've saved us, to feed us their twisted ideologies.”
The man continued to speak, his words chilling the girls to the bone. "And it is not only the environment that humanity is destroying. Humanity was—and still is—destroying itself. From supremacist groups to fascists, from nationalists to isolationists, humanity's worst enemy throughout history has not been anyone or anything but itself. And the only way to rid the world of the virus known as humanity is by force via extreme methods."
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He paused, letting his words sink in before setting his gaze on Trixie and her companions. "You may wonder why we've brought you here and why we took you from that warehouse. We did not recruit you, nor did we save you out of self-interest. We saved you to show you the bigger picture, to make you understand the world you live in and the dire straits it is in.”
The words hung heavy in the auditorium, the girls' eyes wide as saucers. The Gaia Disciples had brought them here to teach them their twisted worldview, to convince them that humanity was a plague and that the Disciples' extreme methods were necessary to cure the planet.
Trixie felt a shiver run down her spine, the implications of the Disciples' plan slowly sinking in.
The leader, his gaze still fixed on the girls, continued. "We've taken you and a few other individuals who've been deemed suitable to play a part. A part in a grand reset that will save the world. We will rid the world of everything plaguing it."
The girls exchanged fearful glances, the full extent of their capture beginning to sink in. The Gaia Disciples had not only taken them, but others as well, to brainwash them and use them in some grand plan to 'reset' the world.
The leader stepped down from the stage and walked towards the first row. He stopped in front of Trixie, who flinched as his eyes met hers, the cold, calculating gaze sending a shiver down her spine. "I see a lot of potential in you." He knelt down to her level, his voice soft but cold. "You could be an excellent instrument of change."
He then pulled out a tiny box from his suit's side pocket, giving it to Trixie. "Inside of this box is a button. Whenever you observe or personally experience any form of prejudice and injustice, wherever you may be, then press this button. The nearest members of the Gaia Disciples will arrive at your location in the dozens, any time, anywhere. We will purge the world of humanity's darkness at any cost, but we need the cooperation of you and the other specs of hope in humanity to aid us in our cause.”
Trixie stared at the box, her heart pounding in her chest before taking it after a moment's hesitation. They wanted her to be a spy, to report on injustices and summon the Disciples.
The leader's gaze left her and landed on Uni, who shrank back in her chair. "You, young lady," he said. "You don't seem too enthusiastic about our mission. Why is that?”
Uni, her voice shaky, managed to respond. "Because...it's wrong, you know? To...to kill so many people for the sake of the few. There are ways to change without resorting to violence!"
The leader let out a low grunt. "That naivety is why we're here. Your 'change through compassion' is not a cure, it's a band-aid. And humanity needs more than a band-aid, it needs a full-blown surgery.”
Uni fidgeted for a moment before responding, "I-I mean...I'm half-Black, so I know what it's like...what it's like be—"
The Disciples' leader raised a hand, prompting Uni to stop speaking before he spoke in his low tone. "You are mixed, so you must know what it is like to be treated as lesser than because of your biracial heritage. To not be fully accepted by both the White community or the Black community. This type of discrimination is the very thing that drives our group to cut humanity—the cancer—out of our beautiful world.”
He leaned closer, his gaze fixated on Uni. "Imagine a world free of discrimination, of prejudice. Where you're no longer seen as 'half' or 'quarter' but simply as a human being, accepted for your individual value. That is the world we're trying to create. A world without the disease known as humanity staining our Goddess Gaia's creation.”
Uni bit her lip, the leader's words striking a nerve within her. Deep beneath her vivacious veneer, she had always felt the sting of not belonging, of being a child of two worlds but fully belonging to neither, combined with her family's name and their history that comes with it. It was a pain the leader seemed to understand, his words almost resonating with her.
The leader then turned to look at the rest of the young ladies, his gaze cold and calculating. "All of you have experienced discrimination in some form. From racism to sexism, even ageism. We, the Gaia Disciples, are giving you a chance to help create a world where these injustices have no place. A world where Mother Gaia's creations are protected from the plague that is humankind."
The projector cut to another image, this one of Gaia, the Goddess herself. She was beautiful to an unfathomable degree, a reflection of the beauty of the planet mankind and the other races call home. She possessed eyes that were a deep, vibrant blue like the world's seas and oceans. Long, curly green hair like the finest grasses and mosses. A radiant umber skin tone resembling the healthiest and most fertile of soils. She wore a long white dress that hugged her curvy form, and no footwear, her mature appearance exuding wisdom.
The leader began to walk alongside the image to further hammer in the message. "Gaia, our Earth, our Mother, she has witnessed unspeakable horrors inflicted by Man. From the desecration of her lands to the poisoning of her waters. Even her very body has been tainted by Man's lust for power and domination. And even with all this evil that Man has committed, she still loves them. She loves them more than we can comprehend.”
He pointed at the image of Gaia. "But the love is in vain, for Man does not love Gaia in return. Man is a parasite, feeding off of Gaia's resources with no thought about what harm he brings to her. If Man was a healthy cell, it would be symbiotic. But Man is a cancer. He must be eliminated. And we, the Gaia Disciples, are the chemo.”
With his speech nearing its end, the leader turned to face the girls once more. "You are the few who can see Man's illness for what it really is. You have felt the pain and anguish of Man's cruelty, and you have a chance to help heal humanity's sickness, to ensure that one day, Gaia's love will be returned once more.”
He then reached out, his gloved hand gently cupping Trixie's chin, lifting her head to meet his eyes. "You, my young friend, have a unique burden on your shoulders. But that burden can be a gift. You have the power to summon us, to call upon us to purge the injustices you witness and the horrors you experience, and to aid us in our mission.”
Trixie met his gaze, her heart torn. He made the Gaia Disciples sound almost...justified in their actions. But was it truly right to use violence, murder, to achieve their goals? Her thoughts were interrupted as the leader stepped back, looking down at the box in her hands. "We will now be escorting you back to your place of residence. Thank you for your time. And do remember to keep that box in handy wherever you are. We have chapters all over the world, in both urban and rural communities. We will be there whenever and wherever you need us. Let us work together to cleanse our world and reciprocate our Mother's love, as all should be.”
The girls were escorted back to the SUVs, their thoughts and emotions swirling like a turbulent storm. They climbed into the idling vehicles, their minds racing with questions and doubts. As the SUVs pulled away from the compound, the girls could see the Gaia Disciples standing outside the entrance, watching them go.