I spent the few days trating on the stru. Although I had no problem getting the raw materials, Css I bots couldn’t work miracles. It was going to take at least a week to get the outer walls up, then several more to get the internal floor pn fihat was okay, I wasn’t in a huge rush, as long as the job was dht. After a couple days of busy work, Nyx brought a couple of surveilnce images to my attention.

  “What exactly am I looking at?” I asked Nyx, while flipping through the images from the squirrel vanguard. The images showed a series of storefronts, and crowds, ior 58, he middle of the uy. I flipped through the images, but didn’t see anything particurly special about them.

  I’ll highlight the importaions.

  The images instantly ged, either getting zoomed in to a specific part, hlighting an object. I squinted my eyes, not that it helped when iing something digitally, and trated on the ges. “Lighthouses? On the flyers in the windoatches? You think they’re reted to the cult?” I asked. They were simir, but still different from the pattern on the flyer I’d seen.

  I predict a 97.8% ce these is are used by the cult, modified so they won’t be immediately identified by the surrounding gangs.

  “That’s still a fair number of people… we must be getting closer to where the cult is established. Still, there’s more support than I expected, sidering what the Guiding Light did a couple years ago.” I tinued flig through the images, until something o one caught my attention. “They’re holding a seminar?”

  Indeed. It seems like something that happens regurly outside your sphere of influence.

  “And the gangs allow that to happen?” I sighed. “Some of them really do deserve to be wiped out, if they’re not willing to pay attention to such btant rabble-rousing ierritory.”

  I assume you want to send some squirrels to the area, so you follow them back to the headquarters?

  “Yeah… no wait, No.” I replied, stopping in pce. “Not yet. I have a better idea.”

  You want to go watch the presentation, don’t you.

  “You’re no fun… but, yeah, I was thinking if I showed up at the presentation, I could find out how they’re attrag so many followers.” I tucked the tablet I was using to monitor the drones under my arm, and jumped down from my perch. “Do you think I could get close enough?”

  We don’t have enough knowledge oly what surveilnce equipment the Guiding Light has access to, but even if they don’t have samurai tech for that, their supporters will probably report it if they see any of your vehicles, or bears.

  “So I’ll go inito. Throw on anything other than a bear hoodie, a dropped off a long way from sector 58 and walk. Maybe we stage a sewer-ing mission or something, to throw them off the st.”

  That may work. The meeting is in three hours, so if you want to get dropped off at a believable distance, and still make it, we o start preparing now.

  “No problem,” I replied, breaking into a jog, “I’m sure I have something I throw on, and once I do we get moving.”

  —

  I did not. I had a dozen or so hoodies, but they were all in my signature style, even the ones Jane bought for me, so I had to buy oh points. I ended up choosing a tattered bck hoodie and jeans, typical uy wear. I put two squads of bears into some APCs, then ordered them to fly over to a random sewer access Nyx found. I hid myself within the fuzzy swarm as it ehe system, then snuck bato the surface through a remote manhole.

  Once I was ba the streets, I just blended in, and slowly made my way to my destination.

  Sector 58 was on the edge of an industrial district, which meant easy access to scrap and garbage dumps, but also thick smog. I’d almost fotten how bad it could be in the industrial sectors, with so many people sick from the pollution. Since I couldn’t do anything for these people right now, I just put my head doushed through to the meeting pce.

  The meeting was being held in an old warehouse, abandoned, but not pletely destitute. Someone had obviously spent the time to up all the debris, sweep the floors, and put down folding chairs. No one in the uy would put in that much effort, uhey wanted something from you. There were enough chairs for about fifty people, and there were about a dozen people already inside when I arrived. I quickly gnced around, and since I couldn’t see any cult ckeys yet, I slipped into a random chair to wait.

  People slowly filtered ihe half an hour or so, not fifty, but enough to make the pce feel full. I was just starting to wonder if this whole thing was a dead end, when the cult showed up. They were far from subtle. Each had a matg outfit, new and , and eae was carryiher equipment uns. I really had to wonder how the gangs let the cult operate so btantly ierritory. Maybe I’d look into it after this was done.

  While the majority of the group was setting something up at the back, a pretty blond woman walked to the front, and started addressing everyone. “Good evening everyone. If you’re here, that means you’ve heard our message, or seen one of our fliers, and are ied in what we offer you. Thank you fiving us your time,” she said with a small bow. “In a few moments, my patriots will be showing you a video, which I hope will answer your questions. After it’s done, we’ll have a small Q and A. Hopefully some, if not all, of you will be satisfied by our presentation.” She smiled at everyohen stepped to the side. The way she moved… bothered me, but I couldn’t figure out why. I didn’t have enough time to think about it, because a few seds ter, the video started. They projected onto the front wall, like a movie.

  The video dispyed a simple, but well-appointed living room, or louhere were pin crete walls, shelving with books and niacks, and right in the middle was a man sitting in a fortable-looking chair. He was handsome, with a well-groomed brown goatee, aiful brown hair.

  Wait, that wasn’t right… the man was like twenty years older than me, and pin. He wasn’t that handsome.

  I shook my head, just as the man started talking. “Greetings, my children, I am Father Mathias, leader of the Guiding Light. If you are here today, you’d like to know more about us, what we’re about.” He paused for a moment, “Let me be ho, our main goal is to end the tyranny of the gangs. What happened six years ago was a tragedy, but that does not mean that oal was wrong. Look at what’s happened sihe gangs re-established themselves. Oppression, violence, ah, are a daily occe; Terror is a way of life. I do not believe people o live like that. Regur people, like yourselves, rise up, and shake off the yoke of oppression, with our help.” He leaned back, and smiled. I’d seen that smile many times before, the smile of a an.

  “Wheime es, rovide you with the support to free yourselves, but in the meantime rovide work, food, and housing. At least for some. As much as I’d like to shelter every person in the uy, it simply isn’t possible at this time. If you’d like to work with us, please talk to one of my associates, but if not, that’s fine. Even though we have ‘radical’ vieon’t foryone. All I ask you to do is think about it.” He smiled again, a charismatic smile this time. “My associates with you have more information for you, they either provide you with more ih literature, or answer your questions one-on-one. I hope they help you find what you’re looking for. Thank you fiving me your time. Go into the light.” He smiled o time, and the video cut out.

  I blinked a couple times, “That was weird… what was that?”

  That video had Css I influeng tech built into it.

  “Pardon?” I whispered. “You mean like brainwashing?”

  Not to that extent, but it would make viewers more likely to trust the message, if they were already predisposed.

  “Wonderful,” I muttered, as I rose to my feet. The presentation wasn’t a huge surprise, but at least I had a better idea who I was after now. “Get the local squirrels over here, to track whatever vehicle they have. I’d really like to start g down on these crackpots as soon as possible.”

  As I walked towards the door, the blond woman stepped in front of me. “Did you enjoy the presentation? Did you have any questions?” She asked with a smile.

  “No thanks, not my sort of thing,” I replied, trying to step around her. When I did, two other cultists stepped funs held at their sides.

  The woman smiled again, “That’s unfortunate. I know you don’t have any questions for me, but maybe you’ll have questions for Father Mathias? I know he has some questions for you, Teddy. Perhaps you’d be willing to apany us to meet him?”

  I looked up, slightly surprised. It was an obvious threat, but I was fairly fident I could easily overpower the two thugs and step out, if I wao. I knew following them was a bad idea, but if it led me to their stronghold… Maybe it was worth it.

  I put on my best fake smile. “Then please, lead the way.”