Chapter 5-3: Queen's Gambit - An Audience with a God

Richard- United Human Faction- Night 49

            Richard made his way through the crowded streets of the city, completely ignoring his surroundings. Everything but the destination was a blur to him. Even with his experience, Richard had never been forced to deal with travel in this kind of an environment. In the run-down gang territories, there were no guards qualified to oppose him, there was no watchtower to recognize his face. San Francisco was different. The orders to corrupt his name had originated not in John's head, but in this city. The plan came from behind the security cameras and black glasses which dominated every street corner. The idea of being discovered terrified him. The Faction was his holy director. If he could not fight in its name, there was no place for him to retreat.

            “Agent Campbell. That’s a good name. You should use it more often,” it said.

            Richard turned immediately, and was shocked by what he saw. A thin man stood before him, arms crossed behind his back. The people walking by all turned to acknowledge his presence, marked by his stark black hair and the brilliant white mask covering his face.

            “Julian,” Richard gasped, barely audible.

            “Do not look at me like I am your god. If I died, a thousand others could take my place. We all wear a mask, I just choose to make mine less complex than yours. Never forget that,” the Masked Man growled.

            Richard was speechless. He had dreamed of coming face to face with the leader of his revolution hundreds of times, but never believed he would actually be able to experience the twisted fantasy. The man standing humbly on the sidewalk was his superior, whether the voice behind the mask would admit it or not.

            “You would follow me to the end of the Earth, wouldn’t you?” the Masked Man asked.

            Richard only stared in awe.

            “The question is, would you lead the way,” the man said, extending his upturned hand.

           Richard looked through the mask at the cold, dark eyes of the so-called vigilante mastermind. For the first time, he saw his leader as a human being. The Mask had always been the one giving the orders, not the disgruntled valedictorian who wore it. For the first time, he saw a weakness in the Masked Man, and that weakness was the man.