After having reprogrammed the Obelisk, things had gone well. My conversation with Sis enlightened me to my suspicion that an event like this shouldn’t be able to happen again. Permission setting was not supposed to be a mechanic that was abusable to such an extent, though when she’d just begun incorporating the world she hadn’t had the processing power to check it. Knowing now what had happened, she began a wide sweep of every Obelisk in the system…

...complaining all the while.

“Honestly,” she’d said with a voice that somehow more real than it had been even before, “you humans are going to be the death of my processing units. You know how many Obelisks are here? Just checking all of them and their files is going to be a headache.”

“Thanks, all the same,” I smiled knowingly, choosing, perhaps wisely, not to engage her in active complaining. “I know we’re a handful, and we appreciate it.”

She paused and took a breath, smiling at what I said, “well, I guess it’s not that bad. Anyways, I’m going to go start at that. Good luck handling all of this!”

And she disappeared, leaving me to handle Sunvilla. Which, I had to mention, hadn’t gone anywhere near as badly as I’d suspected it might. Now that I had access to communicate with everyone, I sent the general plan as we understood it. Firstly, conflicts would cease, though I understood bad blood would likely still exist here. These people had fractured, their independent factions were in direct competition with each other over resources for survival. That wasn’t a situation I expected to be left behind in any reasonable amount of time.

The bigger issue that I’d found was that Mack and Benjamin, as well as their closest elites, were gone. They’d abandoned the city and had done so rapidly. I don’t know when they’d done it, but it was clear that no one had seen them, and when their compounds had been seized by angry citizens, nothing was left.

Aside from that foul taste that tinged this whole affair, everything else impressed me. Gerry and his people were celebrating with food and drink, and based on what I was hearing from Alice, the same thing was happening in Benjamin's ex-territory. Granted, there was an air of wariness and confusion that hung over Sunvilla that muted some people's enjoyment at first, but the fact that food was now much more freely accessible did much to alleviate concerns.

One sight that tickled me was a group of people eating cheeseburgers, shakes, and fries. It reminded me of the first time we’d had access to the Obelisk when we’d been eating little more than canned foods and preservable goods. Sure, these people had technical access to this stuff all along, but it was affordable now, not something that sat on the cusp of luxury. I moved through the city as quietly and unobtrusively as possible, putting a finger to the pulse of the city.

I wanted to know what the general outlook was. More than a few times I heard people worried about if they were going to be conscripted in an army. Some rumors had flown around that Gilramore was seeking to exploit Sunvilla for labor. Other, even less savory ones, being that we intended to get rid of Sunvilla entirely.

Of course, these malicious rumors were probably holdouts from Mack and Benjamin’s factions, not yet realizing that things wouldn’t change.

Due to the information we’d presented to each individual, though, these rumors didn’t seem to have any real traction, in spite of the insistence of the people who seemed to be trying to drive these rumors to the fore.

After everything that had been done to these people, and the evidence that sat before them in the Obelisk shop, they were willing to give Gilramore a chance. They might have been nervous and wary, but the days where they would blindly trust rumors and what those in power said were behind them. It seemed the Legion fell into the ‘trust, but verify,’ section for many.

I’d also noticed that Timothy Foster - the elite that had been with Mack and had come pursuing Arthur - had shed any and all equipment that could be tied to Mack. Some people still knew who he was, but he’d been an earnest and likable enough person that people didn’t immediately seek to crucify him.

That, combined with my official Legion release on the events that had transpired to the population helped assuage many passionate citizens’ anger. Most that were left in the city that had been elites of the two factions were now assembled, temporarily, as a Legion controlled militia, making a show of unity.

It was… rocky. There was still a basic level of distrust, but Timothy’s efforts were proving invaluable in bringing the elites together. Time would tell if Bulwark and Legion would be forced to dissolve the force, or if we could bring them in.

As I arrived in Gerry’s area, flanked by several Determinators, the guards at the gates visibly paled. My figure cut a rather intimidating image, so surrounded by steel killing machines. I nodded to them, “relax, I’m the Reaper.”

“Fuckin’ right, man,” I heard one man murmur, getting an elbow to the ribs for his comment.

“The rest of your Legion are near HQ. Just go through this path,” he said as he sent a map with directions to my feed.

I nodded to him, and then directed the Determinators to split into two groups and begin patrolling the city areas without encampments abound. The guards eyed the display with open wariness.

“They’ll be scouting for biotics.” I attempted to put them at ease, “no reason to make anyone inside nervous.”

“I appreciate that,” the man who’d given me the directions nodded, “and… thanks for helping us out. You didn’t have to stick your neck out for us, but you did. If you need anything, let us know.”

The group seemed to agree with the sentiment, and I couldn’t help but smile warmly, though I kept my helmet on to not freak anyone out. “I appreciate it. We’ve all got enough problems without fighting each other, after all.”

We spoke for a few more moments, and more than once did I see them look to the Obelisk in the distance.

I did too, admiring the handiwork of the last, little detail I’d changed for the Obelisk.

The ordinarily black marble structure bore a deep red streak on two sides of the towering monolith, the symbol for the Legion emblazoned in bright, shimmering red on the black sides. The skull with lotus petals almost seemed to ripple from wind, glistening for all to see.

As cool as it was, it also would be the symbol for Sunvilla to know that the future was changed. Whether they look at it in hope, trepidation, or outright fear, it was their physical proof beyond all else that the status quo was broken.

“Actually,” I paused, turning my attention fully back to them, “there is something I could use your help with. Anyone here have a truck?”

-Richard P.O.V.-

We sat outside of the HQ building that belonged to Gerry, being myself, Alice, and Jeremy’s team. Jokes and laughter echoed from the veritable courtyard, a dozen gentle swaying elm trees breaking up the concrete profile of the city around us. We weren’t the only ones, either, many others from Gerry’s people had joined us. While Matthew wasn’t here yet, he said he wouldn’t be long.

I couldn’t help but keep a grin from my face as I thought about how well this operation had gone. For the most part, this wasn’t exactly difficult as it was sticky. None of us were interested in fighting against our fellow man. As far as I was concerned, Bulwark could handle that part in the future.

All things considered, though, I was content. That was a rarity for me.

Beside me was Alice, close enough that we could lean on each other. It had been a long time since I trusted someone enough to let them in. Trust was something hard to come by these days, yet Alice had found her way in and I couldn’t imagine not being around her.

Rather, I didn’t want to imagine a future not around her.

The sappy thought came and went, leaving warmth in my heart and chagrined emotions spinning in their place. Once upon a time I’d believed in romance and love, and had been utterly, totally burned by it. Yet, here I was, and in spite of that ugly specter of fear and doubt that crept up from time to time, I was more comfortable with Alice than most anyone, save for maybe my baby sister.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Alice looked at me, inches away from my face, her sky-blue eyes encompassing all of my attention.

I felt a mild heat in my cheeks, “just thinking about silly things.”

She had a thoughtful expression on her face that turned mischievous, “you’re a little tsundere, I think.”

“I’m a little what?” confusion abounded on my face, only for Arthur to groan loudly nearby.

“Oh, get a room,” he shook his head, “I haven’t seen you in years and I already wanna get rid of you.” He mocked seriousness and winked.

“But, seriously, what’s tsundere?” I frowned, “is that a good thing?”

“Some people really like it,” Alice’s mother, of all people, answered, “it’s kind of a quirk or fetish thing. Our family watches a lot of anime and plays games.”

“It’s not like I like you, b-baka,” one of Alice’s sisters mocked in a highly pitchy voice, leaving me only further confused by the references.

“Oh, I regret saying that,” Alice cheeks were now on very red, leading me to blush fiercely too.

‘Body, what the hell? Stop it.’ I mentally tried to control myself, and then failed utterly as Alice shifted in place and rested against me. ‘Nope, I give,’ I practically felt the response from my subconsciousness. In spite of how embarrassing it may or may not be, I took the initiative to hug her comfortably.

“Ah, to be young,” I heard Alices’ dad murmur, and then lean into his wife, whispering something in her ear. She giggled fiercely at that, and bumped her shoulder into him. I wasn’t sure what was said, but I could certainly recognize the mischievous twinkle that both of them shared with their daughter.

“Mom, Dad, you’re such creepers.” I heard one of Alice’s other siblings laugh.

“Good speech, by the way,” Arthur said, laying down in a patch of grass around one of the elm trees, feet resting on the concrete that outlined the plot. “I especially liked the ending.”

“Don’t do it.” Alice warned, I could feel her groaning already.

“How did it go? Oh, right-” he cleared his throat and did a frankly horrifying impression of a female voice that supposedly would be Alice, “-this has been Alice DeLeon of The Reaper’s Legion, with lo-”

He didn’t get to finish it, as Alice picked up a small rock and chucked it at his temple. It was harmless enough, but shocked him out of his monologue.

“Shhhhhhut your face!” She cried, dragging her hands across her face, “oh my god I never wanna hear it again!”

I leaned down and whispered into her ear, “actually, I think it suits you.”

“You enjoy my suffering too much,” she pouted playfully, “I’ll get you back for this.”

“Of course,” I hid my massive grin in her hair, “I know you will.”

We talked amongst ourselves, sharing stories between us. Jeremy and Gerry’s people swapped stories, and there was a gathering that clustered around Mr. Strauss - he was one of a short list of people that earned my respect - as he told a story about how they’d raided the Carrier Den in New Damond.

He may have been embellishing the story, detailing how he and his team had fought tooth and nail through swarms of Spindlies alongside the Reaper and myself to get to the cores.

‘Alright, he’s hardcore embellishing parts of it, but he’s damn good at it,’ I idly listened in, feeling enraptured by his retelling of it, even though I’d been there.

“Hey, you guys said Reaper was this dude in black armor with red highlights who looked like a murder-bot, right?” Someone called out from near the front of the courtyard. Several heads turned, curious at the description.

Jeremy coughed, “uh, I may have said something like that. Why?”

The man smiled, “he’s giving out free food for anyone who doesn’t have enough M.E. Figured you might want to come check it out. Pretty legit setup, actually.”

Jeremy, Alice and I made eye contact briefly before we, indeed, were curious enough to go see.

It wasn’t far away, but I was surprised to see what looked like a truck with a very long trailer, capped with a fabric canopy, driving around. Silver shining energy was constantly shifting as the man sitting in the truck bed was creating the individual ingredients for what looked like…

“Cheeseburgers?” Jeremy tilted his head, “smells really good, though.”

The trailer had several grills, and some people had donated a sum of M.E. to make more of them. However, the bulk of ingredients came from Matthew, who currently sat without his armor, covered in a nearly skin-tight suit with padding.

“Don’t be shy,” I heard Matthew call out, an uncharacteristic smile on his face, “I’ve got plenty more, take what you want.”

As I watched, he was purchasing boxes of materials for food. One man ran up, a guard from the front gate, I think, and at first I thought there was going to be trouble.

Instead, the man breathlessly leaned against the truck as Matthew leaned in. “Alright, we’ll be getting another truck, Joe thinks he can get it running. You sure about inviting people from the other encampments is fine?”

“Definitely,” he nodded, “I’m sure Gerry will be thrilled to have guests over.”

The man hesitated briefly before he shrugged. In the minutes that he’d known Matthew, he’d actually come to like the guy. At least, that’s what I assumed, seeing the way that a group of people were working around him, seemingly not caring about the strange texture and color of his skin, nor the wire like hair, or the red eyes.

Honestly, seeing him still made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end every time. Something about how little human remained gave me pause.

Near us, I heard a short, sharp snort of laughter from Pat, Gerry’s right-hand woman, before she suppressed it. Something must have been funny to her.

I shrugged, moving closer, “Matthew!” I waved to him.

He looked up at us, waving back, in a definitively good mood, “just in time. Grab some grub! I was feeling nostalgic, so I decided to make some burgers.” He explained, and I found myself blankly looking around at the food.

Another shrug hit me, “I am hungry.”

It was strange, seeing what quickly evolved from one truck to what quickly became a neighborhood-wide barbeque. People poured out of the woodwork, some from the other areas of the city. Apparently an invitation had been extended, something unheard of before. They were eager in part to meet the supposed Reaper of the Legion, and in no small portion there were many who wanted to see what was on offer.

Those who traveled described seeing metal men escorting groups, a flying vehicle armed to the teeth occasionally blowing something up in the distance with the help of the machines. After it was clear that they weren’t going to harm people, and that the way was at least mostly safe, more people decided to risk the venture.

By the time it was near evening, the entire area was filled with some manner of celebration. Matthew, I knew, had an inordinately large amount of Matter Energy on his person, and his own generosity seemed to bring it out in others. The elites that hadn’t fled with Mack and Benjamin were contributing openly, trying to demonstrate their good will.

I didn’t know if he intended for that to happen, to bring people together, or if everything really was just on a whim. Knowing him, I could say that either could be the right answer.

“Everyone!” I heard Matthew call out to the crowd, opening a feed to communicate with those further away, including the still hefty number of people in the other camps. “I’d like to unofficially introduce myself. I am Matthew, the Reaper of The Legion.” He wore none of his armor, bearing only the most basic emblazoned symbol of the legion on his chest, no armor to speak of at the moment.

“Thank you all for coming out,” he started, “I’ll keep this brief. There’s someone that I would like to thank for his assistance in the events from earlier. Gerry Brueter and the brave men and women made it possible for us to win with as little bloodshed as possible. That’s no small feat,” he paused them, gesturing and dragging the image to a surprised Gerry and amused Pat, “whatever you feel for the situation, saving lives is always a wonderful thing. Let’s give them all a hand!”

I listened to Matthew, feeling his good humored and happy mood to be strange.

It was then that I realized he was about to wind up for the punchline.

‘Oh, this’ll be good.’ I grinned widely, Alice beside me clapping her hands. There were a lot of people hooting and hollering, even those from other encampments that had come. Whatever people felt about Mack and Benjamin, it was a fact that the battle had been short, and fairly bloodless, that was to be celebrated.

“Now, perhaps just as importantly,” Matthew began, “I wanted to draw attention that this man put everything on the line, knowing that everything could have failed around him. Because of that, the Legion has decided that Gerry will be the first City Order Commander! So,” he got a mischievous grin on his face, “until Bulwark gets here, he’ll be helping to keep everything running, being the responsible for all of this, I’m sure he’s got what it takes. So, don’t hesitate to bring up anything to him!”

Matthew had the decency to wait the two seconds before Gerry could school his stunned, complicated expression to one of friendly demeanor. For the most part, this exchange was one that Matthew wanted to do in some manner to ensure that everyone was aware that Gerry was an approved choice by the Legion.

I just doubted he told Gerry about any of this. Pat knew, but she seemed just as amused to see him have to adlib an entire speech as Matthew was.

“I suppose that’s Matt’s payback for Gerry’s ‘negotiation’ with him,” I murmured, happy that Matthew wasn’t interested in doing anything truly malicious.

“What was that?” Alice looked at me, having not heard what I said.

I grinned, “It’s nice what he’s doing for him, don’t you think?”

Alice beamed, “Yeah, that’ll make things easier, I think.”

For another minute or two, Gerry managed a respectable and heartfelt speech with the gratitude of the people in the mind. I don’t think he’d have any trouble in his new position.

Afterwards, Matthew bid everyone farewell, and laughed at the stink eye that Gerry gave him.

Today was a pretty good day, I’d say.