Author Games: The Absent Empress

Semifinals: Honor

Show me the man you honor, and I will know what kind of man you are.

--Thomas Carlyle

"They've made it to Japan, Sato-sama. A resourceful bunch, your heroes-- I suspect that they'll be on our doorstep any day now."

Sakura said nothing, her gaze lowered dully to the concrete floor. She sagged into her restraints; the chains pressed into her arms and left imprints of the links in long, angry red lines. 

Hey, uh, Cherry? He just gave us good news. Isn't it time to rub it in his face?

UNSUBTLE CREATURE. THE SHION KASANODA FLEA HAS NOT GIVEN US GOOD NEWS. HE IS USING HIS CONNECTION TO SAKURA SATO'S PAST IN ORDER TO SHAME HER. HE BELIEVES THAT THE PROJECT PHOENIX HEROES ARE INCAPABLE OF RESCUING HER. INCAPABLE, OR PERHAPS UNWILLING.

...did you just unironically call me unsubtle?

"Why the long face, Sato-sama? I remember when you were a little girl, always so talkative and happy to entertain your uncle Shion. You had better manners then--did you forget everything your father taught you about propriety with those barbarians you call heroes?"

That got Sakura's attention. She dragged her gaze up to face him, eyes tired. "I forgot nothing, Kasanoda-san. I just realized who deserved courtesy and who deserved fiery destruction. How did you survive the latter, I wonder?"

Kasanoda sneered. "You're not the only one who picked up a few tricks overseas. One of our agents teleports-- she found out about the destruction of the base and got there just before you arrived to tear the place apart. She managed to rescue me before you turned most of the Empire's commanders to cinders. Before you reduced everything your father worked for to rubble!"

"I brought down a criminal organization too powerful and well-connected for the police to challenge. That my father was Emperor of such a shameful enterprise is all the more reason to do so swiftly." Her voice was matter-of-fact and void of emotion. She could have been describing the weather.

"You tried to incinerate the only people to ever consider you family. With everyone but me, you succeeded." Sakura's throat tightened, but she didn't respond to the accusation. Kasanoda pressed on. "Even a minute before the fires started, we were ready to officially put you at the head of the Empire. You had completed your mission with aplomb, after all: Blacklight was dead, and even better all his supernatural power was yours for the taking. We were so sure that by killing him you had proven your worth beyond a doubt--"

"I didn't kill him!" Sakura had gone rigid with pain and fury. "I didn't--I couldn't. Not Miguel. Even if he wasn't so obscenely powerful, I didn't have it in me after I got to know him, and Amber, and Caer, and even that little shit Via. Maybe I never had it in me at all."

Kasanoda paused. "There was no shortage of blood on your hands before you joined the Sentries, Sato-sama. Did you spontaneously develop a sense of squeamishness in Blacklight's company?"

"No. I just-- They showed me what a hero really looked like. Not Mama, who couldn't survive the truth about Papa, or any fucking comic book or inspirational story about firefighters. Blacklight was a cagey prick, and Porter would have screwed anything with a pulse and questionable taste in men, and maybe Verica would have set anyone who bothered her on fire if she hadn't had her morning coffee. But they were good. They fought, and they cared, and they died to protect the world from messes no hero could have handled alone."

Sakura met his eyes, the old fire filling them again. "They were good, and when they died I actually felt bad about it. I realized that I couldn't rationalize hurting them, and that got me thinking: how could I have ever rationalized the others? When I realized that I couldn't, that I was so far beneath these people who had fought side-by-side with me..."

"You turned your back on your family?"

"I became immortal. I could risk more, fight more, do more. And I had all the power in the world to end my rotting Empire and be the hero they deserved."

Alarms began to blare, startlingly loud after weeks of silence. Kasanoda turned, lips thinning.

"Very passionate, Sato-sama. I must wonder, though: have you told your would-be rescuers that little story?"

She frowned. "Well, no--"

Cherry, don't! It's a trap!

Kasanoda smiled. "I thought not. I wonder if they will be so eager to save you when they know everything you once were?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Requirements

-You have located the base of the Empire, a criminal organization in which Sakura was once a high-ranking member. The Empress is being held inside. The base is, of course, heavily armed and fortified.

-During your entry, the heads of the Empire will reveal some rather disturbing details about the crimes Sakura committed prior to becoming Cherry Bomb. You must choose one of the following ways to react:

1. Leave her to her fate, withdrawing from the operation without a fight. If you do this, she will die as soon as the Empire interprets the remainder of Miguel's Compendium and learns how to magically remove Tifanos and Zachariel from her body.

2. Free her from her chains; with her powers unbound, the Empress will be free to finish her work of destroying the Empire (which would also remove the rest of the highly trained enemies attempting to kill you.) If you do this, however, you will be unable to compel her to do anything against her will.

3. Remove her from the base without removing the chains: though by far the most difficult to accomplish, you would then be able to bring her to any authority you choose for her crimes, or even punish her yourself.

The option you choose here will affect the task for your Finals entry!

Deaths: Two tributes will receive byes into the Finals round. The rest will go up for votes; two of those will be eliminated.

Due Date: Sunday, December 17 at 10 PM EST