Valkyrie Smash

By the time the press conference started, most people were already glued to their screens. Some chose to watch it at home, others gathered in bars and shops. It was one of the most important events in human history, even before the video from the previous night was released.

"This doesn't sound good…" Simon clicked his tongue, glared at the projection for a few more seconds then brought the half-empty beer bottle to his mouth.

He was sitting at the counter, away from the rest of his followers who gathered around a projector casting a large image on the empty white wall. Though they might come across as mindless thugs, they all held their breaths, not making a sound as the new Head General spoke.

Whether they caught the real meaning behind his words was a mystery, but at the very least they were putting in the effort to understand.

"You think?"

The question drew his attention to the bartender standing a couple of meters away. He was a tall black man whose muscles couldn't be contained within a shirt. Despite his hulking appearance, he was handling a small glass cup with the utmost elegance, continuously polishing it as if he were posing for a scene in some old movie.

Simon glanced at the man then sighed.

"He isn't even hiding it." He said. "The Resistance bastards were up to no good from the star, sure, but never did I think there will be someone who can top them."

"Pessimistic today, aren't we?" The bartender sighed. "At least try to see the bright side of this."

"There is no bright side to this, Antony. We are heading straight for one of those dystopian futures from the old movies."

The brown man took another swig and almost slammed the bottle only to stop a couple of inches over the counter. He wasn't the kind who would let alcohol fuel his anger.

The bartender stopped his hands, his eyes wandering down in thoughts. The speakers carried the Head General's voice across the mostly empty nightclub, and the more he spoke the gloomier the atmosphere got.

"I… Patricia and I have decided…" Those few words caused Simon to raise an eyebrow, his eyes showing some interest in the topic. "We are going to let Callie try it out."

It was the expected response so the brown man didn't look too surprised. As he took another swig of his beer, his mind went through all the possible benefits that could come from a child Awakening. Neither Antony nor his wife were the kind to take advantage of such a situation for their own gains. Their daughter, Callie, was three years old.

Awakening would guarantee that she gets a future the bartender could never earn through any means, whether legal or not.

"You don't seem too thrilled about it." Simon commented, having noticed the difficult expression on his dark skinned fried.

Antony kept his silence for a few seconds, going back to polishing the cup in his hands before speaking.

"There have been some unsettling movements as of late." He said. "Yesterday's ceremony was… like someone smoking in front of a gas pump. I hear some are trying to gather the idiots angry about the aliens coming here."

Simon couldn't help but snort.

"What are they going to do? Being annoying never did anything ten years ago. Guess they have too much time to waste."

Antony turned to the projection and sighed.

"It won't make the big guy change his mind, but we would still have to deal with it ourselves." He sighed again, turning his eyes to the young gang leader. "Some rumors are worse than others, though."

Simon's expression grew serious.

"Worse in what way?"

"There have been more cases of kidnappings as of late, even before that video came out. I don't believe everyone was as oblivious about tomorrow as we were, and as expected they're rushing to profit from it."

"That's…"

Predictable was the only way to describe it. If the Resistance is trying to have a complete monopoly on the Awakened, it would raise the price for anyone with the powers who isn't affiliated with them. Those powerful enough to know everything before it's publicly announced must've taken actions to secure more power for themselves.

"The human trafficking business has been especially lively in the past few days…" Simon commented. "I'm not looking forward to the next few years."

"We can hardly celebrate the war being over." Simon sighed.

The two turned their sights to projection once more. Not long after, the rattling sound of a phone vibrating on the polished surface of the counter drew their attention, and seeing the name it displayed, a smile formed on Antony's face.

"What? Are the two of you back together?" He spoke in a teasing tone.

"As if." Though he sounded annoyed as replied, the slight excitement in his movements as he answered the call didn't go over the bartender's head. "What do you want?"

Listening silently to the voice on the other side, the brown man eventually sighed.

"I'm at Antony's. Come over and let's talk."

As Simon closed the phone and sighed, Antony's eyes turned contemplative as he seemed to realize something.

"Hold on, this should be a big day for Sara, right? How in the world is she calling you in the middle of the conference?"

"Because she didn't go." Simon moved to take another swig only to realize the bottle was empty. "I met her earlier. "Don't know why but she seems to be stuck babysitting some rich kids."

"Babysitting? Our Sara?" Antony paused, holding a freshly opened bottle.

"That's how it looked to me, at least." Simon shrugged. "Apparently one of the girls she brought had her phone stolen. She wants our help to bring it back."

"Interesting…"

Taking the bottle handed to him, the brown man remained silent for a few seconds before asking.

"So? Any idea who did it?"

Antony couldn't help but frown.

"Who do you think I am? Some kind of clairvoyant?" He remained silent for a few seconds, contemplating his answer before sighing. "It's probably Kai and his friends. They have been doing this for a while, but not around here."

"... I see…"

"They're orphans, Simon. Go easy on them."

"Sure sure…"