The news spread like wildfire, broadcast throughout the city on almost every channel, podcast, program. It was even mentioned on certain T.V. shows, becoming the main topic of conversation at Imperium, and on doubt the rest of New Miami. Johnathan had tried to stay away from such conversations the moment that gossip and hearsay were introduced, but he had to admit it was through suchs converstions that he found out that there were a lot more people who wanted the downfall of the Lord Ruler that he'd originally guessed. It was unnerving news, and Spectre's kidnapping of Mayor of Beodulf in broad daylight had ignited a hope in people that the Lord Ruler had squashed during the first years of his rule.
Johnathan thought that the news about a Copycat Superhero roaming the city, which I.N.C. published a day prior, would gain as much traction as Spectre's attack on Imperial Square. Both news, and their implications, meant that serious actions must be taken by the high ranking Royals. The Lord Ruler couldn't ignore Spectre anymore.
But to Johnathan's surprised, most people believed the video about the Copycat Superhero was faked and the news about him/ or her was published in an attempt to redirect people's attention from the idea that, for the first time since the Royals took power, a rebel organization was finally strong enough to challenge Royal rule.
What the people didn't know, however, was that taking down the Lord Ruler was like moving a mountain. Near impossible. Every Royals learns that lesson upon becoming a Royal by having to challenge one of the strongest Royal Knights in a fight. In Johnathan's case, he fought Beodulf, which ended in Johnathan's humiliating defeat. These - The Lord Ruler called them promotional fights - were mostly a display of power and a reminder of who's in control. After these promotional fight, every Royal is then told that the Lord Ruler has yet to be defeated by any Royal Knights. This is was taking down the Lord Ruler was a delusion, you needed to be exceptionally powerful to even attempt it...
The Copycat Superhero, in theory, could come close to being that exceptional, given the right circumstances and abilities. Yet many believed him to be a fake. A show, nothing more.
"It's too bad he wasn't there." Mila said, taking a seat beside Johnathan at the cafeteria. They were on lunch-break and Johnathan had decided to buy his own lunch from the counter this time around.
Up until now he had been enjoying his meal alone.
"I really wanted to see him in action, you know." Mila continued, opening her sandwich wrap. Her lunch was light, with just the sandwich and a soda. "There are some people who doubt he's even real, can you believe that?"
Johnathan took a long sip from his Iced Coffee, nodding in agreement. Mila was right. Someone able to use multiple abilities was an impossibility, an abomination of Lunam's Law. Because of that, many claimed that the videos presented during the news were faked. An attempt to spark fear into the Royals. A ridiculous, considering that Elek had been hospitalized.
What Mila had said got Johnathan thinking. What if this copycat's ability WAS to copy other's ability? Mimicry of abilities was an ability in it of itself, was it not? It wasn't a hard concept to understand. In theory is was possible. This copycat could be the key to Spectre's success in whatever it is they're after.
"I kept thinking..." Mila continued, after taking a bite off her sandwich and a sip of her soda. "If I were Spectre I would've had the copycat guy show off his power at Imperial Square for everyone to see. You know maybe then the Lord Ruler would deigned to show himself and teach the rebels a lesson. You know, remove a threat to his throne. I mean, not everyone actually believes that Spectre will succeed in overthrowing him anyway, but... I really wanted to see our 'mighty' ruler shaking in his boots."
"Should he?" Johnathan asked her, curious himself. "Be afraid, I mean." If an actual fight did happened between this Copycat Superhero and the Lord Ruler, who would the winner be? It was interesting to think about.
Mila shrugged. It now occured to Johnthan that Mila was talking too openly about her disdain for the Lord Ruler. This conversation with another Royal would've ended by now with her facing a beating. The mere mention of the Lord Ruler's name being used to demeanor him was enough to set most Royal on a bullying spree.
"I donno, maybe?" Her answer came after a long pause of consideration. "We don't know what the Lord Ruler's ability is. But it shouldn't matter when it can just be copied, right?"
Johnathan didn't think it was that simple. There had to be more to it than that. According to Wren, Lady did something to Spectres' members back then, which somehow made them stronger. Johnathan was willing to bet that whatever Lady did, had to be part of her ability, and knowing that, then what were the chances then, that the Lord Ruler had something similar for an ability? Maybe the Lord Ruler's ability was to make his Royal Knights nigh invincible.
No. Jonathan shook his head. Speculation will give him more questions than answers. If a fight between the Lord Ruler and the Copycat Superhero were to happen, the obvious victor wasn't going to be as obvious.
"What do you think, John?" Mila asked him.
He shrugged. "I think that the our Lord Ruler hasn't been scared since he took control." Control that the dome gave him. That had to be what Spectre was after, right? Information on how to take down the dome, which in turn would take away the Lord Ruler's control. It couldn't be just about overthrowing him, since that wont rid the city of Royals. It had to be the dome. No dome, no Royals. it made sense.
"There you are."
Johnathan looked up to see Wren walking over to his table, ignoring Mila entirely, as expected of a Royal who looks down on all but a fellow Royal, and greet him with a wave of the hand.
"Come with me." Wren said.
What's this about, Wren? Johnathan thought. "Where are we going?" Wren hasn't spoken to Johnathan for over two days after Imperial Square.
Wren smiled and waved him over. "It's time you for you to meet our Lady."
***
New Miami was ruled by a Hierarchy System that places every Royal in a rank, the higher your rank the lower your assigned number and the stronger you were. As you could guess, it was based mostly on strength, with the Lord Ruler being at the very top. Right below him were his four personal Royal Knights; Heimdal, Beodulf, Natalya, and Symvasi. The undefeated Royals, at least until Spectre took Beodulf captive. There had also been a fifth knight, no longer. She had renounced the title of Royal Knight to go do her own thing. Johnathan learned it had been Lady. The same Lady that created the Imperial News Company and became its C.E.O. and made Johnathan manager which she used to spread news to warn superheroes about the dangers of going against Royals.
She also had been wanting Johnathan to join her personal Royal Knights. But what does she really want with him?
"She wants to make a formal introduction." Wren said, pressing the 34th floor button on the elevator and registering his bracelet for authorization. "She trusts you John and whether you work with us or not, she still wanted a proper meeting. Though she, and myself, hope you make the right decision."
Johnathan hasn't told his friend this yet, but he had already made that decision yesterday after much contemplation. He said nothing to Wren, deciding to wait until Lady makes her offer to give her his answer.
The elevator stopped at the 34th floor. "Follow me." Wren led Johnathan through a white hallway, that looked like it it was cleaned every day. "Through here." They went through a door with a RESTRICTED ACCESS sign, entering a large room filled with computers that resembled a combination of a server room and computer room. The typical noise of of hardware running was quite loud. Computer screens lined the walls, playing live videos of Imperium's lobby, work layers, and some rooms and hallways unfamiliar to Johnathan.
"This way."
Johnathan followed Wren through a door in the back of the room which led to a much smaller room, simpler in a design, containing a single work desk. The wall opposite the entrance entirely made of glass which allowed the sun's rays to illuminate the room with its golden rays. But what grabbed Johnathan's immediate attention was the woman sitting in the ergonomic chair by the work desk. She looked to be on her mid-to-late fifty in age with long, flowing white hair. Her light grey eyes showed a combination of wisdom and authority. Her smile soft and gentle, which made her exude charm and acceptance.
"Hello, Johnathan." The woman's tone was motherly, yet professional. "I suppose you know who I am?"
"Lady..." Johnathan breathed.
She nodded. "That's my public title, yes. My name is Ada Doe. Welcome to my office. Thank you for bringing him here Wren."
Wren nodded, and after giving her a slight bow, walked over to stand by her side.
Johnathan followed Wren's motion, giving Lady a slight bow of his own in respect. "A pleasure to finally meet you... uh, my Lady."
She chuckled. "Just Ada is fine for the moment."
"Sorry, Lady- Ada."
"Don't fret, Johnathan. You're amongst friends. So..." She clasped her hands together in front of her, leaning forward, then laid them on the table. "Tell me, have you decided to become my Royal Knight?"
Lady was not what Johnathan had expected, she didn't have the look of a fighter in a system where strength mattered most. She looked weak and feeble. Yet somehow she had been in the same position as Beodulf, Heimdal, Natalya and the like, before stepping down and forming her own brand of Royal Knights. However, the fact the Lord Ruler had left her alone to do as she wished spoke volumes.
"I... was hoping to ask you a few questions before giving you my answer." Johnathan told her, trying his best to push his nervousness away. "If that's okay with you my La- Ada."
She nodded, giving Johnathan the go ahead and telling him she'll answer any questions he had to the best of her abilities. Why was she so trusting of him? Was she not afraid he might report her to the Lord Ruler? There had been rumors going running through Imperium, of a high ranking Royal serving as a Spectre spy amongst the Royals. The Spectre bit, Johnathan had dismissed, but the idea of a powerful Royal in league with a rebel organization...
Johnathan started with the obvious question. The one that had made little sense to him. "Why me?" He just wanted to know. "Why choose to elevate me to Royal Knight when there are more qualified candidates at Imperium?"
"Because I don't choose my Knights base solely on strength. You possess a quality that's difficult to find in a Royal these days. A quality I cherish very much. Compassion."
Johnathan had guessed, but had refused to believe it to be the case. Until now. He had seen the hints. Wren's mockery on his treating Commoners as equals hadn't been mockery.
Johnathan's next question wasn't an easy one to ask, and if his first impressions about Lady were wrong, it could cause him to lose everything. "Are you the one aiding Spectre?" Wren himself had all but confirmed it during the Mayor's kidnapping. "It was really you who helped Spectre back then, wasn't it?"
Lady didn't look surprised, or even fazed by the question. She looked like she had been expected it. "I am." She said simply. Johnathan waited for elaboration, but none came. So he asked "Why?"
"Because I want what they claim to want." She said. "The removal of Royal authority. People shouldn't have power over other people. We're all the same, don't you agree Johnathan?"
He nodded.
She smiled. "Spectre, you, and I share a common goal. I want to know if we can count on you to help us achieve that goal. What's your decision then?"
Johnathan's decision had already been made, so all he had to do now is make it official. He nodded. "You can count on me. I will join your Royal Knights."
What came after was the public announcement. Johnathan's promotion to Royal knight was delivered by speakers throughout Imperium, echoed on every floor for everyone to hear. He was rewarded with a new bracelet by Lady which gave him limited access to the restricted floors in the building and a new suit with a small pin resembling a golden sword and shield, clipped to it.
As he made his way through the lobby after the announcement, many of the Commoners who had previously trusted him, and sometimes confided him, now shot him glares and scoffs. It felt like a betrayal. They didn't know, and thus no doubt assumed the worse. Even Mila avoided him, though unlike the rest of his crew I.N.C. she was respectfully about it.
"This is what I was trying to avoid." Johnathan told Wren some time later while walking out of Imperium after work. "The scrutiny from the Commoners is harsher than I expected."
"Don't let it get to you." Wren told him, placing a hand on the shoulder. "Let them think what they want. Besides... you want to be avoided, considering what our Lady told you."
"I suppose..."
Wran tapped him on the shoulder. "Let's focus now on our mission now. Besides, you'll get to meet Spectre face to face soon. Isn't that what you wanted."
Johnathan nodded, remembering the conversation. After Lady told him that one of her knights, Klaus, was part of Spectre and that she was to meet him and the organization's leader soon, Johnathan jumped at the opportunity. He requested to join, to which she accepted with a nod.
"Welcome to the team, John." Wren said after a pause. "It's good to finally have you."
Again, Johnathan nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."
***
"I believe congratulations are in order." Elsa said, hugging Johnathan from behind and kissing him on the cheek. Her lips were cold to the touch, and that probably wasn't because of the night breeze blowing through their balcony. "It's a beautiful night for a Royal Knight to receive a reward, don't you agree."
Johnathan turned around, facing her. Elsa looked stunningly beautiful whether it was day or night. It wasn't hard for him to force his thoughts about all he had learned earlier today. About Lady and her involvement in overthrowing the Lord Ruler. About meeting Spectre's leader, and hopefully learning about the so called copycat superhero. All of those were great news and deciding on become a Royal Knight had made it possible.
"What do you have in mind for such reward?" He whispered, leaning for a kiss.
"Let's go to the bedroom and I'll show you." She said, returning the kiss with passion, her lips cool and soft. "Come on."
Johnthan let his girlfriend drag him inside the house, giggling and stripping the whole way through, into their bedroom, and into bed.