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.
"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..."