The exit bell rang. While most of the students were rushing out, Mark and his friends moved to the faculty office. Since Mark was the one called, the secretary by the door let him in. His friends were made to wait outside. The young man walked through an area filled with cubicles. After two minutes, he reached his home room teacher's cubicle. The woman waited for him while drinking a cup of warm tea.
She looked at the young man with a nervous grin. After taking a deep breath, Miss Justus looked again at her student and pointed to a meeting room nearby. "Let's go over there so we can talk in privacy." The woman stood from her office chair and walked towards the meeting room with her student.
Mark had witnessed the caliber of this woman back at the black site. Even though she was terrified, she confronted the armored man trying to save the test subjects trapped at the underground facility. If she were a bad or selfish person, this woman would never have risked her life for others. The young man decided to hear her.
Once inside the meeting room, she sat and placed her comm-pad on the table. With her fingers, she interacted with the device's screen, and a low sound came from it. She looked at her student, trying to disguise the fact that she was a nervous wreck. "Mr. Warren, please take a seat. I would like to discuss some sensitive topics with you. Don't worry, this is a safe place." The woman pointed at the humming device.
Mark sat while looking at her comm-pad. It was not a commercial unit. The thing looked custom-made and expensive. He deduced that the low-frequency vibration was intended to disable listening devices. With his curiosity piqued, he decides to indulge the woman for the moment. " What do you need, Miss Justus?"
The woman cut to the chase. "I'm aware of your situation. A few days ago, you were kidnapped by an unsavory group. Yesterday, the group tried again, and an armored man appeared to save you."
After these remarks, Mark looked at her with a bit of frustration. The woman was only speaking about matters of public knowledge. "And your point is?"
The woman felt an unnatural presence from the teen. Even his gestures were uncommon for a boy his age. "My point, Mr. Warren, is that I belong to an organization that can help you and your family."
Even though he knew this woman was not a bad person, he tread carefully. He knew nothing about the people backing her. Mark decided to question her and get some information. Even if the information was vague, it could be useful. "What is the name of your organization?"
Miss Justus was reluctant to answer the young man's question. Instead, she decided to wave a carrot to see if he fell for it. "The name is not important; what's important is the things we can do for you. We can keep you and your family safe. Also, we can help you grow your virtual workshop."
Mark decided to confront the woman. Having used his map function on her, he knew she was part of an organization, but he was not aware of the Conclave's intentions. He opted to ask directly. "You are part of the Conclave. What do you want from me? Do you want to take me away?"
The woman was taken aback. She never expected Mark to know that name. But perhaps he was aware of it because of his grandfather. Also, she saw the need to explain herself. "No. I don't want to cause you any harm." She quickly organized her thoughts. "My faction wants your help. We are willing to aid you and support your workshop."
Mark caught a piece of information he did not expect to find. The woman used the phrase "My Faction." After this, it was clear that the Conclave was a fragmented organization. Perhaps there was even conflict amongst their ranks. A new question surfaced in his mind. Which factions could he trust?
Miss Justus glanced at Mark. The teen looked lost in thought. Since time was of the essence, she decided to shake him from his contemplation. "Mark, are you listening to me?"
Mark needed to know more about her organization before he could make a decision. "I'm sorry, Miss Justus. I was lost in thought for a moment. The truth is, I don't really know much about the Conclave. Do you think you can clarify a few things?"
The woman thought for a moment. It was highly irregular to discuss her organization, but if she wanted to draw the young man to her side, it was necessary. "OK, Mark, I will answer what I can."
Mark thought carefully about his questions. After a minute or two, he started his inquiry. "What exactly is the Conclave?"
The woman answered his question quickly. "The Conclave is a conglomerate of intellectuals and people of influence, whose purpose is the proliferation of the human species."
Satisfied with her answer, Mark moved to a second question."I heard you talk about your faction. This phrase suggests that the Conclave is not united. How many factions are there?"
Miss Justus thought for a few moments before answering. "There are many factions, and depending on the situation, more than one can get involved."
With the woman's explanation, Mark saw a flaw in the organization. "That seems counterproductive. Do you think it's best to keep the organization united?"
Miss Justus smiled; it was not the first time she had been faced with this question. "That is done on purpose. It is a system that forces the Conclave to balance itself and prevent tyrants from taking over the group. In other words, factions were made to prevent a single individual from taking power."
Mark was a bit confused by her explanation, but he decided to press on. "Which faction do you belong to?"
This topic touched upon a complicated matter. Miss Justus tried to answer as best as she could. "I align myself with the Wellfare Faction amongst others. One does not simply belong to one faction or another. Some people, like myself, can align themselves with multiple factions depending on their ideals."
Mark felt that the organization was unnecessarily convoluted. In his mind, the young man wondered how an organization could even operate with such a lack of order. "Has anyone tried to rectify the lack of organization in the Conclave?"
The woman looked pensive for a moment. She felt like they were deviating from the subject. Yet she answered his questions. To her, it was clear that they needed his cooperation. "Yes, that would be the council faction. However, it does not have much support. Most of us feel that consolidating power will take away from our main purpose."
Mark could notice her uncomfortable gestures. He changed the topic to his more immediate concerns. "What will you demand in exchange for helping me and providing protection?"
Miss Justus decided to be sincere. Nothing good could come out of lying to him. "We need your blood. More specifically, samples of your blood."
As he heard about the blood samples, his expression hardened. The only other person who was interested in this was Dr. Parker, his grandfather. Mark spoke with an angry tone. "Is the Conclave doing my grandfather's dirty jobs?"
The woman understood his anger. After seeing the Doctor's work firsthand, she was inclined to agree with him. "I will not deny that Dr. Parker is part of the Conclave. However, he belongs to the Evolutionist Faction. If you cooperate with us, we can use the merits of the research to dethrone your grandfather's faction."
His anger gave way to confusion. Mark used his next question to clarify his doubts. "What do you mean by dethrone?"
Miss Justus noticed his anger subsiding. Perhaps if she explained further, she could brighten his mood. "While the Conclave has no leader, the factions have a merit system. The more they contribute to humanity, the more merits the faction accumulates. The faction with the most merits gets to steer the rest of the factions in the sector."
Mark's face suddenly brightened. "So that means if I help you, I will be hindering my grandfather's efforts to take over the sector?"
Miss Justus looked at him. The woman was puzzled by the sudden change in his mood. She knew he was cautious of his grandfather, but she was not expecting the Bad blood. "Well... yes. The point of doing this is to move the Evolutionist away from the leading position."
Mark took the chance to ask about his other problem. "I have another problem that I think you can help me with. There is a guy that I know as GACT that I think belongs to you. He has been a thorn in my side lately. Is he part of the Conclave?"
She sighed; the frustration on her face was evident. Miss Justus knew the person he was talking about. "Yes, I know who he is. Like me, he has ties to multiple factions. One of which, the Technologist, has been trying to get a licence to export your mechs around the sector."
Mark said nothing, but he was really interested in this. Selling his mechs around the sector would generate a ridiculous amount of TP. The young man decided to ask why the faction had to do this. "What reason could they have to distribute my mechs to the rest of the sector?"
The woman answered without hesitation. Getting Mark to cooperate with the technologist faction was one of her objectives. "One of the goals of their faction is to improve humanity's technology. They are planning to use your mechs to raise the standards for the technologies in that field. That way, the field of mechs will advance faster."
Suddenly, Mark thought of a way to exploit the connection with the Conclave. He could use the organization to gather the materials needed to repair the system. Being stuck in Berant City was hindering his ability to find what he needed. With his next question, he hoped to probe, "If I were to cooperate with you, what else can you give me besides protection and a sales platform?"
Mis Justus was expecting this. After all, the young man was Parker's grandson. He had to feel that he was getting the upper hand. She resolved to indulge him. "What do you have in mind, Mr. Warren?"
Mark entered the Design Space. He wanted to wake Aurora to compile a list of materials needed for the repairs. Moving near the partition, he tapped in front of the sleeping Anuviar. "Aurora, can you wake up. We have the opportunity of a lifetime."
The blue mist appeared behind him and slowly took the vague shape it always took. "Yes, User, I am here. What do you need?"
Mark's enthusiasm was evident. If the Conclave was going to exploit his blood, He was going to exploit their connections. "I need you to compile a list of all the materials needed for the repairs. I managed to convince a secret organization to help get the things that we need."
Aurora's shadow hesitated for a few moments. In the end, she decided to trust the young man and provided the much-needed list. "I have placed the list in the design space terminal. You can download the list to your comm-pad."
With that done, Mark decided to inquire about Aurora's condition. "How are you feeling? Have things gotten any better lately?"
The shadow floated near Mark. A feeling of calm washed over him as both conversed. "Thank you for your concern, User, but the system is doing OK. While the biological components are operating at minimum capacity, the system is still running smoothly."
Mark was reluctant to treat the system as a machine. After witnessing the relic's true form, he was inclined to treat her as a person. "Aurora, I gave you a name. Please use it. It feels weird for me to treat you like a machine, call it a cultural difference if you will. Do it to make me feel comfortable."
The shadow stood quietly for a moment, contemplating his words. After a minute or two of deliberation, the shadow spoke back. "The system recognizes the user's request. Changing designation from The System to Aurora. Do you wish for the change to be permanent?"
Mark did not hesitate to answer. "Yes, Aurora, I want the change to be permanent."
Aurora's shadow acceptedhis request. "User's preference has been confirmed, changes have been implemented permanently."
Mark nodded in acknowledgment. He then transferred the list to his comm-pad. With the task done, he exited the Design Space. Not a single second had passed in the real world. Mark takes out his comm-pad and slides it towards Miss Justus. "I need the items on the list for an experimental alloy treatment. It is hard for me to get some of these materials. Do you think that your faction or the Technologist faction could help me?"
The woman understood his meaning. Mark's cooperation was based on the acquisition of the items on the list. She saw this as a test for the Conclave; if her people could not get the materials, the young man would not cooperate with them. "I understand. Transfer the list to me, and I will get my people to work on getting these for you."
Both of them saw no further need to keep talking. Once they had the necessary items, they could convene again. Both of them left the conference room. Mark left to find his friends, and Miss Justus moved towards her cubicle. After the talks, she needed a cup of tea.