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Eden looked away from him, still very much upset. She had a hard time believing that. Pan was just another in the long line of betrayals she had experienced her whole life. Loir, giving up to work under Dante. Dante himself, tricking her one too many times. Her mother, or more accurately, the Core, who had conned her with her mother’s voice... The only person she was madder at than Pan was her father. Eden was baffled to hear that the stranger she shared her blood with had prepared so much, unknown to her and yet everything revolved around her. She hadn’t asked for all this.
She hadn’t asked to be put in the middle of a large plan to take down the most powerful organization in this city. She had never asked to be involved with the Zodiac in any way, yet there she was, sitting at this table like she was the eleventh member or something. None of this felt real, but it was definitely happening in front of her eyes. It was no simulation of any kind and she probably wouldn’t have been able to dream such a thing either. Her own brain was on some sort of auto-pilot, quickly answering the questions shot at her while the Zodiacs perfected their plan. Eden’s only comfort was Dante’s warm, gleaming eyes on her. No matter what, she could feel his support from across the table as if there was an invisible thread between them signaling their alliance. The Tiger was actively participating in the meeting, his ability to lead dominated over most Zodiacs present. If Eden had to rank them, Dante, Michael, and Tanya were probably one level above the others, and the Dragon above them all. The elder was clearly leading this, despite leaving a lot of the talking to the younger Zodiacs. Eden felt like the newcomer at the table and she also probably was the youngest, except for Pan who looked barely out of adolescence. The strangest part was, everyone around the table seemed to have acknowledged the two of them in the blink of an eye after their identities had been cleared up. Or, to be more precise, the Zodiacs cared more about their usefulness than their identity. Things were very clear: they trusted their expertise, not the person behind it. Eden noticed how none of the other Zodiacs called her by her name, either. It was “you”, “Ghost”, or “the Architect’s daughter”. The only ones who used her name were A., the Dragon, Pan, and Dante. The first two obviously had known about her from her father’s instructions, while the other two were familiar with her. All the other Zodiacs probably couldn’t have cared less about who she really was, right now.
“...You do realize that if we succeed, this will change the city entirely?” suddenly muttered Lecky, fidgeting with his rosary. “It will... Nothing will ever be the same again. If we destroy the Core, this might lead to anarchy. The situation in the Suburbs would be the same in the Core. Their people too... they will be our responsibility.”
“Our responsibility?” scoffed Tanya. “What for? We might as well burn them all to the ground, or use them like they used our people!”
“...The Core’s population isn’t responsible for their leaders,” said Sanyam, frowning.
“Aren’t they, though?” Thao tilted her head. “They were part of a corrupt system, and it’s not like they never knew about us! They saw us like rats living in sewers and they didn’t mind any of it!”
“The System is a double-edged sword,” retorted Michael, slowly crossing his arms. “Sometimes, it’s harder to get out from the inside. Those people were raised there and shaped into what their leaders wanted them to be. They received their beliefs like believers receive a lecture, day after day without any other option shown to them. While they certainly are guilty of being an active part of it, there is a systemic side to it.”
“The Architect rebelled, though, didn’t he?”
“The Architect was a different citizen. In some ways, he was more aware of the System than anyone else since he built it. Or rather, he built its foundations, only to realize his mistake and see what those people had done with it. ...I don’t blame the man. I blame the leaders who were aware of their crimes and ensured they’d perdure. It’s been decades now.”
“Life in the Core is much more controlled than here,” added Eden. “I was there for most of my childhood, and I remember enough. Every movement is controlled, every decision is overseen by the government. There is only an illusion of freedom, and each citizen is pushed in the way they want. It’s not that they don’t care about the Suburbs, they simply see what the Core wants them to see. Why do you think they only let their citizens come to our leisure businesses? To the sex shops, the bars, the gambling salons? They want them to see the vices in our streets, but not the virtues, the innocent people. Most citizens of the Core have no idea what’s going on. Just yesterday, I learned the Core sends the old and the disabled people into fake nursing homes and gets rid of them! Who the hell would accept their family being treated like that?”
A heavy silence followed her words. The Zodiac was aware enough of the Core’s ways to know Eden’s words were nothing but the truth. After a while, Michael sighed and turned to his peers.
“Alright. We will see what happens to the Core’s population after we take down their leaders. We will listen to those who want to discuss it with us. Those who don’t... Well, I doubt they would be able to do much, anyway.”
That was also true. The Core had an army to defend them, highly trained soldiers, but apart from them, no citizen supposedly had any way to defend themselves if some mafiosos barged in. Weapons were strictly limited and, for most people, illegal to own. Only the higher-ranked citizens were given access to weapons, and most would never use one in their lives as there was no need for self-defense. Eden confirmed those facts with the Zodiac, and quickly, they finished the details of their plan. She had given most of the intel she had, but it looked like they also took her as the highest authority when it came to hacking, even Pan and A. It wasn’t just about her ownership of the Edge, but her reputation as Ghost as well. The other Zodiacs each had their own skills, and that was showing in the plan’s creation. Tanya, Michael, and Old Man Long were clearly leading as the strategists of the group. Thao and Joaquin were more in-action people, coming up with the weaponry, traps, and unconventional tactics. Despite their constant bickering, they had the best ideas on how to operate on the field. Meanwhile, Sanyam and Lecky were more about the precautions to be taken, the defense, and the protection of the populations. Dante sounded like an expert on everything, and often, his voice weighed heavily on their decisions. Because his territory would be at the heart of the attack, the others were even more willing to listen to him, although he would be with the group infiltrating the Core. However, this only made Eden realize all the more, he would be at the center of the action.
When the Dragon insisted everyone start eating, it almost felt like a real dinner, except for all the mentions of firearms, hacking, and the snarky remarks or insults thrown from one side to another from time to time. Eden could barely swallow anything, and it had nothing to do with the food, The Dragon had made sure to accommodate all diets. She felt nervous and couldn’t keep up with this act. Despite being a highly skilled expert in her own field, she was different from the Zodiacs. She felt different, like a child in a conversation full of adults. She could keep up and understand everything, but there was a wall between her and them, a gap in their attitudes. The Zodiacs clearly lived those kinds of battles every day. This one would be bigger than any other, but it wasn’t enough to intimidate them. Eden, on the other hand, felt scared. Not for herself but for everything she had to lose in this.
After a little while, she excused herself and quickly made her way to the nearby bathroom, to get some time alone. She only realized once she was out that being in a room full of the most dangerous criminals in the city felt almost normal now. If not, at least it was bearable. Her feeling of fear had moved from these people to the upcoming war. They were all kind of crazy in their own way, but just like she had already seen, none of them had become a Zodiac by mere luck. Those people weren’t afraid to kill or die and they would put their lives on the line without blinking. Some were blood-thirsty even, while others were more selfless and doing this for the sake of others... Eden could almost clearly distinguish who belonged to either of those two groups.
She rinsed her face several times with cold water, staring at her wet reflection. She could barely recognize herself. It was as if she had grown a few years older, looking the part with cold eyes, but there was still a hint of fear in the hazel of her irises. Eden didn’t even react to the sound of someone walking in. She could recognize his familiar steps so easily, it was almost shocking. Dante’s tall figure appeared behind her and he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest with his elbow against hers. The warmth of his embrace wasn’t embarrassing anymore to Eden. She put her hands on his arm and looked up at him in the mirror. He left a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
“...You okay?”
“Yeah. I just needed... a minute.”
Eden leaned her head against his shoulder, staring at the two of them in the mirror. She knew Dante could feel her heartbeat going wild and fast, but she could only blush a bit about it.
“...Shouldn’t you be with the others?” she asked.
“I needed a break too.”
“Bathroom break?”
“...No, a you break.”
She chuckled, a bit amused.
“...You’re a bit crazy too,” she muttered.
Dante didn’t bother to refute that. His other hand was on her arm, gently caressing her skin and waiting for her. She knew he would probably not move from there until she did.
“Do you think it can work?” she asked. “That plan?”
“Yes. It could work.”
“Do you trust the other Zodiacs?”
“No. I trust their interests, though. Most of them are smart enough to know that losing against the Core will be the end of our way of life. Their position, territory, and people are more important to them than us betraying each other. Even if they do, we are the mafia. We will use each other for as long as we can before turning our guns.”
