Page 18 of Remnants: Disruption
“Can I help you find something?” I startle hearing Alice’s voice behind me.
I turn to face her, only now realizing just how much shorter she is—probably five foot five or so. She gives me a small smile. Her soft, blue eyes glint up at me with curiosity.
“I’m looking for something like this symbol,” I say, passing her the photo of Mara’s wrist. Alice hesitates for a moment before she takes the photo.
She bites down on her lower lip, studying the symbol.
“I’m not sure I recognize it,” she says finally, sounding apologetic, “but you might try one of the churches.”
I take the photo back from her, giving her a grateful nod. “I’ll try that next, thanks.”
“Anything else?” she asks, and I can’t help but notice the way she watches my lips.
Alice is definitely pretty—blonde hair, blue eyes, and a full figure.
Except she’s at least a decade younger than me. And definitely not a Remnant.
“No,” I say, giving her a polite smile, “thank you for the coffee.”
Thankfully, she takes the rejection in stride. Her smile returns, but it’s professional now, rather than anything more.
I return to my spot and pick up the hot cup, reveling in the warmth as it permeates my hands. With my dPhone on the table, I warily open the news app.
Double homicide: is there a serial killer loose in New Chicago?
Rubbing my eyes fervently, I groan into my next sip of coffee. Of course, the media already learned about the murders. I’d blame Bellick or McRoberts, but I know they’ll never cop to the malpractice.
I switch over to a social media app and scroll through my feeds. The DAEMON logo is literally plastered on every single page. When nothing interesting appears, I swipe to the learning app I've been using to catch up on twenty years of missing memories.
Be it fate or simple misfortune, the page opens onto the corporation in question.
DAEMON is always involved, and they either own the business or are in the process of purchasing it. Monopoly laws fell to the wayside after the Affliction Wars, especially given how influential DAEMON’s arms dealing operations were. They ensured which power-brokers received which city-states in the final carving of post-war Nye Verden.
The Affliction War and DAEMON share nearly the same history. Robert Damien I began his company as a simple investment firm. In the years following the Second Disruption in 900 A.D., civil discussions between Remnant groups and official authorities became tense. DAEMON was formed in 930 A.D. with the intent to fund programs that would care for the needs of Remnants while also ensuring the sanctity of the human political landscape.
DAEMON became the necessary evil in a world that was in dire need of structure. I know that as much as anyone else does. It was like the wound that refused to close. The bleeding and seeping corruption from the company is there. We all see it—but no one can, or will, do anything about it.
DAEMON became the next step in Nye Verden’s evolution to a globalized economy and freer market. Their influence turned from corporate to political. Presidents and political figures from the city-states looked to DAEMON for their marching orders. They looked to DAEMON for the next steps in peace between Remnants, humans, and those who sought to use Affliction for their own benefits.
The learning app is, of course, sponsored by DAEMON. Their information is likely to be tainted by what DAEMON wants us lowly citizens to know and removes what they’d rather we never figure out.
But the gist is there.
And DAEMON has sown its roots deep into Nye Verden. From the city-states that actively owe their independence to the company, to each militia that uses its weapons and ammunition.
The only thing DAEMON doesn't own are the Remnants.
Because we're always too dangerous to control.
Chapter 11
Dangerous
Six P.M., October 22nd, 1030 A.D.
There are no governments outside of New America. Europe, Asia, Africa, and nearly every other continent and major landmass is gone. The result is that every Remnant on the top ten list resides in New America. And, for whatever reason, most of them call New Chicago their home.
RISE Administrator, 1025 A.D.
