Tales Across the MultiBurst

A Change of Plans

In which we see a different beginning to the life of the ultimate Blader born from science, and the drastic changes that follow regarding his upbringing and his purpose in life. (Artificial Life AU, this isn't canon to the main story.)

-----

I enter the name of the newscast into the browser, then after a moment it loads with about a million different results.

"All this buzz, and it's only been one night..." Yellow Eye mumbles, staring up at the large monitor on the wall.

I click on the first video result, then when it loads I click play. It's security footage taken straight from the streets of New York, and it features the man us Masked Bladers know very well.
Theodore Glass, also known as Ashtem, and in the video he's approached by a man of unknown identity. They speak for a moment, then this man reveals his identity to Ashtem, holding up a badge that undoubtedly has FBI on it.

The agent then tries to apprehend Ashtem, who dodges and then takes off. Ashtem manages to outrun him for a few blocks, but then more agents pop up out of the woodwork and help their buddy to corner him. For a few minutes, they're all in the darkness of an alleyway and we can't see...

Then they emerge, the agents victoriously holding Ashtem under arrest. The video ends there, and we all slowly look at each other.

"So... Are they going to find out about the Snake Pit?" Azure Eye asks, picking at his gloves nervously.

"I... I hope not." Silver Eye sighs.

"What are we going to do? Without Ashtem, the Snake Pit-" Gray Eye trails off, looking to me. "No, that's not true. Ashtem did always say that if something happened to him, Gold Eye would become the next leader of the Snake Pit. He even had a document made as proof."

"Yeah, he did." I nod, though I can feel my stomach knotting itself up at the thought of that authority. And if the FBI finds out we're here, I may meet the same fate as Ashtem. Or worse...

"You won't be all alone." Silver Eye says, coming over and putting his hand on my shoulder. "If we stick together, it will be like nothing ever changed here."

"He's quite right." Black Eye agrees, but there's something in his expression I don't like. It seems everyone else notices, too, because he pulls off his mask and looks back to us all. "I don't lack faith in us, but... Should things remain exactly the same as they were under Ashtem? After all, for these past three years he's been... Well, he's changed. And not for the best."

"I- I have to agree." I sigh, pulling off my own mask. "His perception's been warped, and I don't think that we should leave the training regimes the way they are."

"I second that motion." Gray Eye says.

"Now that Ashtem's been caught, there will be searches for the Snake Pit. If they do find us, it's best that they don't see kids dropping like flies from exhaustion." Silver Eye points out.

"We need to get started as soon as possible." I glance at the screen over my shoulder, feeling my chest tighten and heaving a soft sigh. "We can't waste time feeling bad about Ashtem... He wouldn't want that, anyway."

I turn back to the others and they nod in agreement. With nothing else to discuss, we go to work. We tell the Bladers and the scientists about the change in authority. We have to get the document when we tell the scientists, because they feel slighted by the fact that Ashtem's putting me in charge.