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Warm Up 14.4 | Declaration

Ricky intensified the lightstrips to highlight the confused, worrisome, and panicked faces of his volunteers. Everyone in the room started protesting on being stripped of their apparent Prospect protection. Sahara and Pascal shrugged it off, Cheez, Ace, and Azenu were adamant against it. Acer and Nero liked the challenge, and their holograms fist-bumped each other. Fritz had half of both while Easton thought about the Shades more. Dark and Fddhty didn't know what it meant to not have protection, but they had gotten to that point without so it was of little concern. Kuno, Umbra, Witch, Dix, Yanixter, and Redgath were neutral but deep down knew of a bigger challenge coming.

Fritz saw him staring down, and he bore his fangs in response. This was a sick game that his so-called friend played, and this compounding of mortality and realizations hit him in droves. He glanced around, people were discussing amongst themselves, Kuno and Ace wondering when he would take part in the conversation. Dark gave him the side-eyes too.

It was heated in the room, the other volunteers clamoring onto Sahara, Pascal, and Umbra to return to assist them, and that they should all stand by on Earth. Acer and his group decline to join, insisting that it was far safer on Aerth that reaped most of the benefits ever since the Flash. More recognition, higher investments, and most of all: Ethan was there. Who had been an apparent friend to both those dragons. Sahara, Pascal, Umbra, Witch, and Dix had their own businesses to attend to, vaguely stating it rested upon the stability of 'Bridgewater', another term Nicholas threw around as if it were gospel.

Cheez groaned at that, never having understood it, and it was up to those on Earth to fend for themselves, especially against the presence of Shades. And they all turned to Fritz who had been staring at the edge of his desk, deep in thought.

The rexoium felt their pressure, eyes upon him for they believed he was more than just a commander in simulated combat. But the gaze that Ricky had on him was far more immense, almost expecting something from him. Something rash, something justified. And he figured it was time the dox got it; he slammed his fist against the table, hard enough to blink the strip lights once, and everyone looked to him.

Fritz snarled, "What are we to you, Ricky?"

Kuno, Ace, Azenu, and Easton likened the question. They all stared at the dox too and wondered to themselves how Ricky truly viewed them. A continuation of Nicholas' antics, what were they really doing then? These poems, terms, CASFHA, and all that sort. What was their purpose, and why did it always seem that everyone's existence rested on their backs.

But Fritz's confidence in his accusation fell short as Ricky smiled at them all, giving a nod though he were impressed by the display. Everyone physically present shifted uncomfortably, almost as if they were to leave, except for the rexoium who held his hand out against the motion because who knows what the dox would do.

Ricky said, "Friends-"

"As if!" Fritz found no association with him on that term alone. "You said we're mercenaries at the start." He stood up and went around the room, everyone focused on him as he went on. "And you have us do these weird jobs, fine. It got us paid, but then you started doing these Campaigns, resulting in casualties, and you didn't even give two shits about us!" That gunship crash all those months ago while he was still part machine, or the deaths of people they all once knew. Kuno and Easton ascertained it, Ace and Azenu had an inkling on who they were before too. "And this whole 'Shades' concept; they were us, weren't they? Volunteers who became traitors?"

Everyone turned again to Ricky who gave off an eerie calm demeanor despite the accusations. Forgetting the fact that he had been the curator of such things. It seemed as if everyone did because he enjoyed dirtying his knees now and then. Sure he was immortal but it did not make him invincible.

Ricky went around the opposite side of where Fritz stood, behind Easton. They circled the desk, everyone waiting to hear what he would say. Acer tried to whisper something to him when he passed but paid no attention. And once he was at the other end, he said, "In order; you are friends who found yourself in a mercenary work. All of you here started out with the interest of adventure, or," he turned to Sahara and Pascal, "...wanted to hop worlds. Or..." and towards Umbra, "...wanted a concubine."

For a brief moment, everyone but Witch turned to Umbra who dusted off his shoulders. "Oi, why would a bloke like me turn down the second best and bitchiest woman in the known Realities?" He shrugged, Witch hugging him for she was and always would be the first.

Ricky caught their attention as he went on, "I cared enough for you guys throughout that Campaign. How else would you be alive?" And when he was right back where he started, Fritz at the opposite, he concluded, "Lastly, Shades were people I once knew, some of which some of you had known too." His eyes bounced from Fddhty, to Ace, Cheez, Azenu, Easton, Kuno, and especially Fritz. "All of you have somewhere to go back to should the Shades kill you. I will be rendered vulnerable, and I will have no one to go to when I die."

Fritz retorted, "But you have your Prospects-"

"They are a product of me, Fritz, still vulnerable to these Shades. They too will perish if I had done so too, Fritz." Ricky grumbled, "And the decision to remove your protection does not come easy- I invite the challenge of the Shades, as well as the aid of Volunteers outside of C.A.S.F.H.A."

"And why would you do that?" Easton spoke up, most others having wondered that too. "If you knew it could end you, why risk it?"

Ricky sighed out loud as if to admit something, but he inhaled and exhaled at the last moment, "I'm not disclosing the details other than my pursuit of a reward."

"What kind of reward?" Sahara spoke, her robotic voice bounced around the room.

He shot her a glare, "Not saying yet."

And when there were no further questions, the dox turned on the proper lights of the room. He said, "Meeting adjourned. Live out there." But he affixed his sights on Fritz, "You stay. I'm not done with you."

The hologram attendants had shut themselves off, and those in person got up and went the way that avoided Ricky. Didn't make eye contact or looked in his direction. Fritz stayed staring him down too, and Easton as well that the dox didn't bother quarreling about with staying. The hallway outside continued a worried discussion of sticking close, and started planning codewords, rationing, and strategy.

Only when those discussions stopped echoing from the hall did Fritz spoke, "Alright Ricky, what the fuck?" He sat where Dark was, Easton moved closer and sat where he did earlier. "Who were these Shades to us? Why didn't you tell us about this earlier? That would've been useful knowledge." His tone slanted from frustration to sarcasm. "Like, way before your godawful campaigns!"

Easton didn't try to stop him, shaking his head in disapproval to the dox.

"I can't say who they were other than the fact that they were someone to you guys before." Ricky sat at the edge of the table, facing the wall. He smiled at the blank white paint, "Because they were volunteers who died, have turned on the cause, or have vexed me through means outside your existence."

"Were they our close friends or something?" Easton asked, leaning himself back on the seat.

"I am not to say that because you may become Shades in that regard."

Fritz reacted, "So this means that you told these people what they were, and that's why they became Shades?"

"Nope," Ricky said. "They became Shades because the Ayenephosphere deemed it so."

Great, another return of that term that neither Fritz nor Easton liked nor wanted to delve into. It was vague yet expansive enough that they regret wanting to pursue this topic, yet it was important. Fritz asked, "Explain that, please."

Ricky started with how he discovered the Ayenephosphere where Fritz and Easton groaned at certain points just because of how drawn out it was. The important parts were that the Ayenephosphere had these invisible bridges that interconnect series of Realities, and that the disconnected individuals in this Reality would become Shades. Well, the Shades that they were familiar with. Other details they paid no attention to anymore.

Fritz said after, "Why didn't you tell us about them before?"

Ricky turned on his seat and sat cross legged on the table, turning to him, "They appeared as Shades only some time ago. A few months before the Great Flash. The ones that would only concern you, that is."

"And the other Shades," Easton spoke up, "When were they a thing?"

"Too long ago." Ricky looked at the opposite wall, frowning. "A lot of upstanding people." But there was something horrid to it that followed, a vile undertone that flickered the surrounding lights.

Fritz kept a stern face because Ricky was trying to seek his pity. And he turned to Easton with a slight shake of his head. Do not trust the dox. Easton narrowed his view back at him, giving their 'friend' the benefit of the doubt.

"There were three of them, one of which I reviled the most. Targets of the Chroma Fire Campaign. Thought I killed them." Ricky shuddered in disgust at the thought of them, and his own failure. "Came back like Ethan did. They came back when I lost him."

Fritz and Easton felt as if they knew the name. Ricky didn't want to think about it anymore. The latter said, "There are Shades with those who presently joined us. It's neither of you for sure. Stay vigilant, or not. You choose how to live."