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“Tanya, language,” sighed Michael King, putting down his weapon first.
“Who cares?!”
However, after he had lowered his weapon, a few others did the same. Only the tenser ones kept their weapons up, visibly still unsure about the situation.
“Eden.”
Dante’s voice seemed to wake her up. She glanced at him. The Tiger’s expression was dead serious, and he hadn’t lowered the gun pointed at the Dragon by one inch. She knew he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot. It was all down to her choice, now. Eden knew that if she wanted, they could both try to flee this room right now, Loir shutting down the lights, and Circé and Rolf trying to cover them, although they’d most definitely all lose their lives in the process. She could imagine it so clearly it was almost scary...
“How long have you... known?” she asked the Dragon, her throat a bit tight.
“For a while now, young lady,” chuckled the Dragon. “I am very much aware this must come as a surprise, but Ghost is not much of a secret. At least, not anymore. Your own father tried his very best so his child could survive and live a life of her own, anonymously.”
“My father...?” Eden gasped.
She didn’t know her father herself. How could the Dragon, of all people, know about both her identity as Ghost and her biological father she had no memories of...?
“Come, sit.”
The Dragon’s voice sounded polite, but Eden could read the tension in the room. Her eyes went to Dante, who hadn’t moved an inch, not even blinked. She let out a faint sigh. If it wasn’t for Pan also being here, she might have seriously considered running away. However, she wasn’t as crazy as Dante and was not ready to die without understanding what was going on here... Hence, she quietly stepped forward, putting a hand on Circé’s shoulder to let her know she was fine. Eden stepped up to the table, a shiver going down her back. In truth, she had no desire to sit there, she just wanted to understand what was going on, why this felt like she was just the target of a big joke...
They all watched her take her designated seat at the table in awkward silence. The Zodiacs all seemed about as confused as her, except for the Dragon and the Hare.
“Dante.”
Her voice was the only thing that got him to move. The Italian slowly lowered his gun, and sat down, but his glare wasn’t leaving the old Dragon for one second. He was visibly furious and prepared to do anything if Eden changed her mind.
As he seemed calmer on the surface, the few people left who were still also pointing their weapons lowered them, although most didn’t put them away, only leaving them on the table, or where they could be grabbed. It was as if the mention of Ghost and Dante’s threat had completely shattered the perfect image from before, and no one could be bothered to pretend to play nice any longer.
“...I didn’t know school reunions could be this intense,” muttered Loir in her ear.
“Pan, what are you doing here?” Eden asked, her eyes still on the Dragon.
She was even more nervous because she had to be seated next to one of the most powerful Zodiacs, and the oldest. Adding the fact that all eyes were now on her, scrutinizing the woman revealed to be Ghost, the pressure was real. For someone who had spent most of her life trying to survive, Eden felt like this was the worst situation she could have possibly gotten herself into.
“He isn’t technically here,” said A. “This is a long-range hologram that allows him to be here. Prometheus is still in the Core.”
“In the Core?” Eden repeated, stunned.
“He has never left it,” said the Dragon, grabbing his cup of tea.
Eden was shocked once again. She had never met her master in real life, and so far, she had thought he was either really well hidden somewhere in the Suburbs, just like Loir had been in his basement, or he was located in a different city. She had never completely ruled out the Core because he seemed to be exclusively focused on the Chicago Core, but to think he was physically there was so hard to believe...
“Once again, who the heck is this?!” groaned Tanya, impatient.
“The hacker known as Pan is one of the most proficient hackers in the whole world,” said A. “In Chicago, Ghost is the number one Dive Hacker, but on a global scale, Pan is the only hacker to have successfully hacked every single Core in the world at least once. His main base of operations is Chicago, though.”
“Well, it is the first and main one,” nodded Pan, as if he was trying to act humble. “Moreover, I had promised to take care of Eden and the Edge.”
“The Edge is gone,” groaned Eden, annoyed, “and you barely showed up at all!”
“I am sorry I disappointed you, Eden,” said Pan, “but I did appear when you needed me. Unfortunately, being in the Core, I am not as free in my movements as I would hope to be. I also had to be careful not to reveal too much about you, which is why I purposely minimized our interactions.”
This wasn’t nearly enough of an explanation for Eden. She was still holding a grudge from years of surviving on her own in the Suburbs, and all the time she had lost looking for a master that didn’t seem to care at all.
“The Edge still exists,” declared the Dragon.
“...It can’t be,” said Circé, stepping forward with a hand on her hip. “I was part of the Edge. It was destroyed when that damn Warlock sold us out; most of us got arrested! Those who aren’t dead are still behind bars!”
