As Wade was about to speak, Erick woke up, groaning and rolling on the floor.
Ignoring him, Wade continued.
"As the deputy of the—"
"Ughhh," Erick groaned.
"—As the deputy of the—"
"My head," Erick interrupted again.
"For the love of —, Seraph, could you do something?"
Seraph turned his head toward Wade. He then glanced at the passengers, their eyes still fixed on Erick writhing on the floor.
"Very well." Seraph raised his hand, and Erick began to gently lift off the ground. Hovering about a metre in the air, Erick's body suddenly stopped before swiftly smashing back into the floor.
The passengers grimaced, the harsh impact forcing them all to involuntarily cringe.
Wade frowned, growling. "That's not what I meant."
Seraph ignored him as the Neos behind him snickered.
"He's dead," someone whispered.
"That was way too much force," said another.
Seraph replied, "Don't be ridiculous. He's still alive."
Eddy, who had been sitting far back with the passengers, got up to check on Erick. As he made his way down the steps, Savannah spotted him from where she and Jakob sat hidden behind their scorpion chairs.
"I can't believe he's working with them," Savannah whispered.
"Why, because he saved you?" Jakob said flatly. "One action is not enough to determine where someone's values lie. To do that, you need to observe them extensively over time."
She kept quiet, and they both continued to watch as Eddy placed his hand on Erick's neck.
"He's still alive," Eddy said. "Though with how badly he got smashed, I doubt he wants to be."
"Ok, thanks Eddy," Wade quickly replied.
"ETA: twenty-five minutes," an automated announcement blared.
Eddy got up and returned to his seat, but on the way back, he looked straight at Savannah and Jakob.
Savannah whispered, "What's he doing with his eyes?"
"He's telling us to get out of here."
Eyes widening, she swiftly looked at Jakob. "What?"
"For some reason, he thinks we'll be targeted, or that we are already," Jakob replied. He then looked up and scanned the balconies. "The problem is, if we move out of this position, we'll instantly be spotted."
Savannah's eyes frantically darted around the theatre. Rapidly tapping her foot, she said, "I did not go through all that trouble just to end up back in some rogue camp."
"It's easier to think rationally when you're relaxed."
"This isn't a relaxing type of situation. Not to mention that my powers don't work."
"You're willing to use your powers now?"
"I've had a change of heart… How are you so calm about this? Have you come up with a plan?"
"That's easy. I'm probably not the one they're looking for."
Savannah's expression went blank.
Jakob continued, "But to answer your second question, that would depend on whether or not Elijah gets here in time."
"Okay, okay, well, he's been gone for like fifteen minutes. He should be back soon, right?" she asked, looking at Jakob, who responded with stark, deadpan silence.
"Great."
Wade continued, addressing the crowd. "As I was saying, as Vice President of the Williams Group, I've seen things—horrors that if I told you today, the F.F.H. would lock you up under the guise of terrorism."
The theatre went completely silent. Only the electric humming of the ship's engines dared to make a peep.
Wade continued. "But for your safety, I won't. I don't claim to be a saint, but after the death of my son—"
Seraph raised an eyebrow.
That was a mistake.
"—I saw the error of my ways. Because of him, I was shown what true people, what a true society should look like."
Seraph turned his gaze, looking at the eyes of the passengers, which had now turned cold.
As I suspected. These people don't care about whether or not they have truth, freedom, or justice. What matters to them is strength. What matters to them is power.
Seraph then looked at Wade.
The old him may have been able to convince them, but as he is now…
A man shouted out, "How did your son die?"
Pausing slightly, Wade answered. "He died fighting for Nirvana."
"So Nirvana didn't protect him?" another shouted.
Wade turned to the shouter. "That's not how we work. We have different roles; he chose to be on the front lines."
"What happened to the peace? Sounds like you guys are recruiting soldiers."
Wade's muscles tensed. "No, none of you have to fight!" he shouted. "The reason why I'm here today is to show you a different, better way to live."
"Or maybe you're here to recruit us into fighting your war!" another yelled.
Grumbles and moans began to build until suddenly—
"There seems to be a misunderstanding," Seraph said, his voice booming across the theatre and silencing the crowd.
Wade whispered, "What are you doing? I can handle this."
"There's no point giving them logical reasons to join us," Seraph said. "What's stopping them isn't logic. It's fear."
"We had an agreement that aside from kids and silver-class Neos, we would let them choose."
"So long as they're too scared to think rationally, they can't make a choice." Seraph took a step forward but then stopped, turning back to Wade. "Don't get in my way."
Wade kept silent, watching Seraph take centre stage.
"You all seem to have fallen for the F.F.H.'s propaganda. You think we're weak because we're rogues, but you're wrong. We are strong—far stronger than you can imagine.
We are not here to bring you in because we need you or your numbers. We are bringing you in as an act of mercy. As a sign that we do, in fact, want peace."
A man yelled, "That's easy to say when you're talking to civilians, but—"
Seraph's eyes locked onto him, and the man instantly stopped speaking. As a bead of sweat dropped from his forehead, the man's throat went dry, and he slowly sat down.
Seraph continued. "It seems this was inevitable. Here's what we'll do: a few minutes from now, I will face your strongest warriors. If they win, I—along with all my allies—will willingly let our fates be decided by the F.F.H. However, if we win, you all will join Nirvana."
Gasps exploded around the theatre.
Wade quickly stepped toward Seraph. "That's not what we agreed—"
In the blink of an eye, Wade crashed into a row of empty chairs.
"Wade!" Eddy shouted as he ran toward him.
You were warned, Seraph thought. He then continued.
"I'll make it even simpler. If any one of you—those warriors included—can lay a single finger on me, you automatically win. We will begin in three minutes."
The passengers began talking to each other.
"He was talking about the soldiers."
"He was talking about Amp, a top 50 superhero."
"He never said we can't gang up on him. Maybe we should try our luck instead of relying on them." "Surely, if we all work together…"
The talking continued until finally, the announcement interrupted them.
"ETA to New Sentinel: 20 mins."
They looked back onto the centre stage and saw Seraph leaning back against the stage wall, eyes closed, arms folded.
He called out, "Before they arrive, does anyone want to try their luck?"
Eddy, sitting next to an injured, unconscious Wade, stood up. He paused slightly, but with a deep inhale, he began to move forward before—
"Eddy, stop—"
He turned back as Wade shakily grabbed his ankle.
"—He's in a completely different league. Stand down," Wade said, wincing as he clutched his ribs.
A passenger yelled, "You're obviously the strongest one here! Most of us are Zeros, not even strong enough to become soldiers."
Seraph smirked, and a few members of Nirvana laughed.
"Zero? What does being a Zero have to do with it?"
The passengers looked at each other in confusion.
Seraph spoke.
"It's worse than I thought. Somehow, you've been convinced that it's possible to have a superpower and yet be weak."
He then stood up straight, opening his eyes.
"Each power has its advantages and disadvantages. One's level merely determines the limits of their physical ability—how much and when they should hold back. So long as one takes that into account, there's no reason why a Zero can't beat even a Level 2."
Seraph then floated up and slowly made his way toward the edge of the stage. Looking up, he said, "Or do you disagree, Amp?"
The theatre turned, raising their eyes to the stairs. Their hope reignited as a muscular silhouette stood at a theatre door.
As the light from the corridor poured over him, casting a larger-than-life shadow, Amp stepped forward, fully embodying his heroic image.
Raising his voice, he replied. "No, I don't. However, that's in theory. In reality, a Zero versus a Level 2 would be like a snake fighting against a lion. You can train the snake all you want, but it will never be king."
Seraph snickered. "That would depend on the snake. But if so, tell me: which one do you think you are in this scenario?"
"I—"
Glass shattered.
The passengers gasped as two figures fell behind Seraph.
As the shards of glass rained upon them, the captain and the soldier rose from the ground.
Pulling his gun out and aiming at Seraph, the captain shouted. "By the authority of the F.F.H., you—"
With a flick of Seraph's wrist, the gun was forcibly yanked from his hands, flying across the theatre stage.
The big soldier readied himself as the captain's arms turned to solid iron. "Suits me."
As he and the soldier braced themselves, the captain shouted out, "Amp, let's do form 4-3-2!"
Silence.
"Amp?" he said, looking up. But Amp looked back at him, eyes burning with fury.
The captain paused. Seeing the fire in his eyes, the captain saw a sight he had only ever witnessed once before.
"He's starting to remember", he said to himself.
Amp clenched his teeth. "I don't know who you are, Rogue, but this is your last chance. Take your people and leave."
Seraph, who was standing in the middle of them with his arms folded and his finger tapping his left bicep, unfolded his arms and addressed the passengers.
"To illustrate my point, I'll even decrease my power level to Level 1."
Slowly, small chants for Amp and the F.F.H. began to grow.
The three stood at a standoff.
Amp thought to himself. As much as it annoys me, this rogue may be too much for me to handle alone. Working with Jack and Merc may be the most efficient strategy. Amp then shouted, "Once we take care of him, you'll tell me exactly where he is."
"Deal!" the captain shouted.
As the rest of Nirvana watched on, one of the recruits whispered,
"Shouldn't we help? That's three against one. I know Seraph's strong, but these are high-level F.F.H. Neos."
A large, muscular female Neo with short hair replied, "Don't be ridiculous. They only sent us here to help with escorting the passengers. Compared to Seraph—"
The cheers of the passengers grew louder and louder. The captain and the soldier burst off the ground, charging at Seraph, while Amp blasted from the stairs, ripping through the air.
As the cheers for Amp and the F.F.H. reached their zenith, the muscular Neo continued, "—All of us are nothing to him. But…"
Just before Amp, the soldier and the captain were about to make contact...
Seraph smirked.
With a sound like a church bell being struck by a cannonball, they all instantly sank into the floor.
"Ants."