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Eden was in no mood to laugh, though. One by one, all the Zodiacs were speaking up, ready to rally with the Dragon or not. After Thao’s speech, none were willing to be called cowards, though. Under her stunned eyes, all of the Zodiacs were slowly agreeing to rally behind whatever her father’s plan was. Eden couldn’t even keep up with what was going on. She had come here as a bodyguard, yet now, she was suddenly mentioned as the key to the whole operation?
Her eyes went to the hundreds of small holograms still floating above the table. Those people were all part of the Edge and ready to follow her and Pan? All because of her father? Why? Why had a father she had never even met done so much? Why did he have to make it all revolve around his estranged daughter? She couldn’t understand what was going on, and it was scaring her.
“Eden.”
She turned her head to Dante, who was staring at her silently. Unlike the other Zodiacs, the Tiger hadn’t said a word for or against the plan. All this time, he had been watching her, gauging her reactions and waiting to see. Eden took a deep breath. She ought to snap out of it. Regardless of her father’s plan or Pan’s involvement, this plan wasn’t just all about her now, it was about the survival of thousands of people. It was about people living on her block, and people like Jack who only wanted to live peacefully. This would all be reduced to nothing if she didn’t step up herself. She had to stop thinking like Eden, she had to act like Ghost.
“...I want to participate too,” she suddenly said to the Dragon, gathering all of her courage. “I will lead the Edge, and the hackers, against the Core. I want to know what my father’s plan was.”
The old Dragon smiled at her, nodding with a satisfied expression.
“We were counting on your participation, Eden.”
“We could use Ghost to lead us inside the Core,” said A. “No hacker but you can go inside, so you might have to lead a group there.”
“...So you really want to send a group inside the Core?” Thao raised an eyebrow. “How is that even possible? You know there is no entry possible for the Suburbs citizens... You need an original SIN to enter.”
“I should be able to go in,” said Eden. “My SIN is an original, and my father modified it. It’s a completely blank slate that even the Core cannot process. I’m literally a ghost to them; even if I enter the System, they won’t notice that it’s me.”
“If Ghost can get in,” said A, “we should be able to hack the System from both sides and allow more people to barge in.”
“You’ll need a distraction or you will be kicked out right away by the army,” said Tanya with a wry smile. “We can do that here. If they want a war, they will have it.”
She exchanged a knowing look with Michael King, who nodded, visibly excited by the prospect of a battle too.
“We will need two groups,” nodded A. “One that will infiltrate the Core and hide Ghost’s hacking, and another one to fight the Core on the ground. The explosions already caught their attention, so they might launch their attack earlier if we do something similar a second time.”
“I would love to participate in that!” exclaimed Joaquin. “I have a few pretty little dynamites I’d love to deliver to those bastardos!”
“I’m going with Eden,” said Dante.
All eyes went to him, but as before, his eyes were set on the young woman. She smiled back, feeling a bit relieved. Thao grimaced.
“Ugh, you guys need a room... Fine, I’ll accompany the lovebirds. De Luca and I agreed to share the leftovers from the Snake anyway, and I would love to try their toys.”
Quickly, a plan was starting to be designed, and Eden felt like she was fully part of the Zodiac. Despite what she had initially thought, the Dragon and the Hare’s backing made the other Zodiacs fully consider her opinions, and as Ghost, she had full authority when it came to the hacking and the Edge. Pan was also doing his part, warning them about the Core’s probable tactics in terms of attacks.
“They will also try to attack from the sky,” he said. “The Overcrafts they sent were a new model, harder to hack.”
“There is nothing that cannot be hacked,” said A. “The Edge will find a way to hack them as they come and turn it against them. We have enough hackers to work on it.”
“It still means there will be weapons coming from the sky,” grumbled Thao. “I have no intention to be shot down like a freaking rabbit...”
“This is our terrain,” said Michael. “We can prepare hideouts and headquarters on the territories near the border, prepare places for our men to regroup, while the inhabitants should be hidden in safer places, away from the battle.”
“I can take care of the evacuations,” said Lecky. “I am the only one who can speak to all the communities... and those who aren’t in any. If you all entrust me with some men, I can make sure all the non-fighters will be safe. I won’t be of any help on the battlefield, anyway.”
Indeed, this man didn’t seem like much of a fighter at all. Eden was shocked to see the Zodiacs all cooperating already, making choices to protect their people and deciding who would be on the field. She sighed, going silent to let the Zodiacs make their choices; this had quickly turned into a war meeting...
However, she glared once more in Pan’s direction. She still had a lot of questions for her master, and she was still mad at him for hiding all this time. When he noticed, her master smiled at her.
“I hate you,” she mimicked with her lips.
He kept smiling and answered in the same fashion.
“It’s alright, Eden. Come and find me in the Core. When we finally meet... you’ll understand.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
