Now, the crap is about to hit the fan. . . . Now for that chapter.
CHAPTER FOUR:
The Demonstration
Green Lantern Sam, Myitt, Aquilai, Wild, Phoenix, and Aila were all bundled up for the cold weather, although Phoenix's inherent phoenician pyrokinesis rendered cold a moot point for him, but he had to look the part. They approached the venue, which was literally underground.
"Oh, wonderful," Sam muttered.
"Okay, guys," Phoenix said, in a whisper. "Spread out, but we'll use the buddy system."
"You know that never works, right?" Wild intoned.
"Buddy . . . system." Phoenix said with clenched teeth. "Sam, you go with Aquilai. Wild and Aila, you're together. Myitt, you're with me."
They moved to together, but allowed several people getting between them and the others, other than their buddy, of course. The undercover RAFians moved into the assembly hallway en masse with the other people. Phoenix wondered how many of these people were innocent, if curious, bystanders or if all these people were really xenophobic bigots. Although it occured to him that some of these people can be nonhuman aliens in a variety of human disguises: skinsuits, shapeshifting, and whatnot.
Then they came upon an arch, and Phoenix remembered about the 'purification arch'. All the RAFians managed to step through without incident, but a few moments later, something happened. An oddly inhuman shriek in three part harmony, and Myitt turned back to see three smoking skins of a beefy woman, a chunky man, and an obese boy, confused about what happened. Although Aquilai and Aila were well aware that those were skins used by Slitheen, but as Slitheen tried to kill either one of them at least once, they were not so disposed to be sympathetic. Clearly, they wanted to see just how much danger nonhumans, such as they, were in.
Eventually they reached the auditorium, and saw Loose Cannon on the stage. Each RAFian tried to hide and suppress their anger, their disgust, for this man. Because to show such negative emotion at this man would have been practically suicidal. They all took their seats in the red felt, flipping theater chairs with the shared, wooden armrests.
Meanwhile, Ash easily penetrated this auditorium by burrowing down into the house -- that is to say, the audience area of the auditorum as a bug, but in order to see, she needed better sight. So she shapeshifted into a very small gecko that blended in with the ceiling and wall. But she did that as the house lights began to dim into nothingness, and the lights came up on the stage.
Loose Cannon strolled onto the stage looking as if he was the long lost son of Magneto and Amon*. The cape
was a bit much, Ash thought. Especially since he did not shave off that "General Thunderbolt Ross" moustache, and the knight suit of armor was over the top. The overall effect, in the opinion of the RAFians present, was that he looked generally goofy.
"Welcome," he said in a thunderous voice. "Welcome, my brothers and sisters. And some new faces as well . . ."
Wild shifted uncomfortably, something seemed off, he thought. But he didn't know what.
"By coming here, you have chosen the righteous course of action, for no more will we have to put up with those monsters on our planet. No longer will we have to serve these lesser beings. No longer will we be relagated to the sidelines, while these monstrous filth pretend to be heroes. No more will we humans --rightful, the superior species -- have to hear about xeno-equality codswallop! We will rise from this war -- and it is a war, my brothers and sisters -- the victors, crushing all the worthless mistakes of nature beneath our heels. We will be victorious! Pure-blooded humans will be only species that flourishes, once we remove the weeds from the galaxy! We were the first, the ones that God chose to make in his image! This means we have the right to have dominion over all! Everything in this universe and beyond belongs to us, to the humans!!"
There was actually a cheer at this speech. Each RAFian present felt themselves die a little inside, but still tried to conceal it. Even though they probably wouldn't be noticed, the crowd was too into this. Myitt felt real concern -- if this many humans thought aliens were monsters and need to be destroyed . . . well, what exactly could they do without proving them exactly right?
"Now, my brothers and sisters," Loose Cannon continued, "I've called this assembly for quite another reason."
The seven RAFians were starting to become nervous. Had he made them? Should they flee? Should they fight their way out? While they were contemplating this, the curtain behind Loose Cannon whooshed open with the sound of tugging ropes. There, trussed up and looking very indignant, was the Virus, Rojo, and Azul. The RAFians were shocked, and needn't have hid it, as the crowd was also surprised, but for a different reason. See the three LOOKED human, very ugly and hideous humans, but they appeared human.
"Don't confuse these monsters with humans, my brothers and sisters!" Loose Cannon called out. "They are no more human that this podium or that curtain. They are viral data made real."
He unsheath an abnormally long sword, one Sephiroth would have been proud. But something strange about this sword was that its design was different based on who was viewing it. It was called the Beholder. Cannon approached the three who got the gist of what he was planning on doing, and screamed muffled screams and pleading.
All it took was one swing.
The RAFians said revolted and disgusted in to speechlessness. Unfortunately, they were a little too slow to cover this, and Cannon saw, but didn't call them out on it immediately.
"Three less impurities in the world," he announced, as the last of the three's data evaporated. "More will come with your support, my brothers and sisters. The Knights will clean and purify the world, they're starting even now at a well-known nest of this filth. . . ."
The RAFians stared wide-eyed, could he have meant --
"But there are few of your number right now, today, in this very room that are consorts of these evil demons."
Then he proceeded to point out each of the RAFians from the crowd.
"Prove your mettle! Capture them!"
"Oh, bloody hell," Phoenix cursed.
---
*Amon from Legend of Korra, naturally.
