Project ZEAL

Scene 17 - Corridors of the Council (Symmetry)

[OOC: The names of the Council members used here are not their real names, but rather pseudonyms.]

Ironically, the most important decisions concerning the kingdom of eternal light were made in room of nearly impenetrable darkness. In a tiny room in which only five people in all of space-time had access to, the members of the Council convened. The only light that was ever allowed to shine -- for certainly none shone from the hearts of the Zealians who met there -- came from a small, translucent crystal orb that rested on a golden tripod in the centre of the room. Curled around the tripod was a circular table at which the members of the Council sat -- except one member, who always stood.

"We seem to have a problem on our hands--" The standing member paused, looking over each of the other members of the council. Although the room was too dark to actually see his eyes gazing upon them, each member knew precisely what their leader was doing. "--and I am sure I do not need to bore you all with the details."

"Argus." A man sitting across from the leader chimed in.

"Correct, Thanatos. I speak of Argus."

Another member with a deep voice piped up in an obviously mocking tone. "Argus? You mean the same one Chrona nominated to be her successor?"

Chrona shot back, equally as snide. "Ha! His powers, while crude and unfocused, displayed the greatest potential of all our temporal scholars. He was the obvious choice to train should the need arise. Besides, it was you who verified that Argus was a trustworthy and reliable subject. If anyone here has reason to be embarrassed, it is you, Eros!"

"Silence, both of you. We have not the time to argue. You are both at fault for letting someone such as Argus become so deeply involved in the project and tamper with our experiments as he did; however, determining who is at fault is not why I have called you here. What happened cannot be undone; we must learn from this mistake and see to it that such incidents do not happen in the future."

Another female member of the Council spoke up. "Agreed. We cannot let our power be defied like this. Argus must be executed immediately."

"No. Argus must not be killed until we have had the chance to discern his motives; his mind must be scoured, his thoughts must be laid bare. To make sure the same mistake is not made again, we must see to it that people of-- questionable moral character are not granted access to the Centre's research.

Chrona snickered. "Looks like Eros here has a chance to redeem himself."

"I will attend to the matter personally."

"No. We must focus on our latest experiment. Find someone dependable to question the traitor as soon as possible."

Eros grumbled. "So be it. I will make the necessary arrangements at once, if I may."

"Please. We have nothing more to discuss." The standing figure looked over the other members of the Council once more, each of them knowing precisely when his gaze fell upon them. "You are all dismissed."

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