Roland
"And I thought the City had the market cornered on cheap tragedies." I set the book down on the small table in front of me, rubbing my eyes in a vain attempt to calm myself down.
It was rare for me to actually read over any of the books left behind by our guests, always giving the excuse that it felt too much like peeping on someone without consent. However, with more time under my belt, I could recognize that had been an excuse for my cowardice, wanting to turn my back on the horrible things I had done in order to see my revenge through.
The very least I could do was try to understand the people who came to the Library, form some meager connection to those whose lives we had to end. Most of them were what could be expected by those who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the chance to gain power or money, the same story I had seen a thousand times in the City.
Maybe it was foolishly sentimental. I had warned the other librarians countless times to just accept the way things were and move forward. But after all that I had experienced, that reaction no longer felt like it was enough to shield me from my mistakes as it once had.
"It's rare to find you with such a concerned expression on your face, Roland."
The smell of coffee heralded the arrival of one of my fellow librarians, the blue-haired Chesed. He was carrying two cups with him, placing one in front of my spot at the table before taking his own seat opposite of mine. "It seems for the moment we have time to spare, so I wouldn't be opposed to listening to your thoughts over a cup. I think this particular blend might agree with you~"
Coffee had always seemed like too bitter a drink to have in a City where life was already hard to handle, but after multiple talks and shared cups I had to admit the person who had the greatest chance of actually getting me to enjoy the fragrant drink was probably him.
With a sigh I put down the book far away from the cup and picked it up, slowly taking in the first sip and finding the flavor to be far more complex than the usually simple brew that he offered during our talks. I couldn't quite call it bad, but it was far more bitter than I would have liked. "I think I'll just take the cheap stuff the next time we talk, if it's all the same."
That got a small laugh out of Chesed, who leaned forward to pick up the book I had set down, looking at its cover. "The Book of Skitter… Ah yes. We recently received a group, didn't we?"
I wasn't surprised that he had been unaware of the details of the latest reception, the damage done to the Library was quite extensive, and adding to that the force that had struck us was causing the normally instant process of restoration to slow down to a crawl. A number of other librarians and assistants were currently being healed by means that I couldn't quite understand, but I was looking forward to their recovery.
A fact that I would have to carefully guard, lest a few choice elements use it to mercilessly tease me for becoming sentimental.
"It was quite the read, a life of misfortune capped off by a final battle here," I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, trying to focus on the scent of coffee and not the horror of the eyes of the young men and women whose lives I had cut short. "Compared to the life of a human in the City, theirs was far better than average though. Well. That's--"
I trailed off. It was empty rationalization, and nothing more. The likes of which I'd uttered dozens of times, cursing my own fate.
"-this, and this is that. Still, when we'd decided on how to proceed in this place, I thought that our methods would be a bit more clean."
Chesed only gave a soft hum in response, flipping through a few pages of the book, eyes lazily scanning the pages. Unlike me, Chesed had been a member of the upper crust within the City, living in the vastly more wealthy, protected, and well-educated Wings. It took him mere moments to devour the book, whereas it had taken me the better part of a day to get through it. "There is no methodology so perfect that it can avoid every tragedy," he eventually replied in his usual dulcet tone. "But I do agree with you, we were perhaps ignorant moving forward as we did with what information we had."
I silently agreed with him and focused on my coffee.
When we had first arrived in this place, the Library had been hanging on by a thread, forced to reduce its power in order to maintain the space which allowed us to exist. In order to gain enough power to continue existing, a decision had to be made: whether it was worth abandoning ourselves to nothingness or to try desperately to survive.
Eventually a compromise had been made between the remaining active Librarians, using the Library's ability to find targets for invitations, we would carefully cultivate the ideal guests to be received, targeting only those absorbed by negative emotions, the kind of monsters that could be found anywhere in the City.
The first operation had been a complete success, drawing in a number of guests whose books spoke to their more negative qualities, Neo-Nazis, as they called themselves. With their books taken into the Library, a new source of power had been discovered from within the books of two particular guests, Night and Fog. While the exact mechanics weren't even understood by Angela, once they'd been added to the Library, a significant amount of power had been fueled back through them. Not understanding the mechanics behind it was putting a significant amount of stress on her shoulders from what I could tell, but with how things currently were we had to accept any silver lining we could find.
If only our targets had been petty hate-fueled monsters such as that, or even just people consumed by simple greed, it would have been easier to stomach. But it was apparent that, despite some negative history clinging to our latest guests, they weren't the kind of targets we had agreed upon, a case I would bring to Angela once I figured out how to do it properly.
"I don't think any of us were prepared for people so young to be caught by the Library," Chesed put down his now empty cup and focused on the book in front of him. "In the City, the ones we would turn our focus on had at least some form of strength about them, things that normally came from advanced weapons, body modifications, or even the Distortion Phenomenon. The former of which require funds outside of the hands of children, and the latter being exceptionally rare. The idea that one might randomly awaken as a parahuman due to a single moment of trauma, gaining great power from tragedy is disturbing."
I couldn't help but find something odd in his words. "Is it that different then what you were seeking to do during the White Nights and Dark Days, awakening the true natures within the people of the City?"
I saw a rare flash of annoyance across the man's eyes as he narrowed his gaze at me. "EGO is the power of the self, awakened using the strength of one's will and acting as a natural extension of one's body. The powers that people of this world manifest have more in common with the Distortion Phenomenon."
There was no argument I could make against him in that situation, as one who had experienced both the trauma and overwhelming power that a Distortion could force one to undertake. I had thrown myself toward my sorrow for an ounce more power during my rampage, only pulled out at the last minute by Angela's act of mercy and sacrifice. Seeing her willingness to give up on her dream to do what was right had been the ignition toward my own change.
But somehow I had managed to once again do something that filled me with regret in order to survive, because without the Library all of the hopes that we librarians had would turn to so much dust. At first it had been an act of survival to send out invitations once more, but after reading the books left behind from their defeat I saw something a bit further than I normally looked. As an outside force the Library was in a unique position to make a difference in this world, one that might set the stage for our eventual return to the City in order to fulfill Angela's goal of taking the fight to the very heart of the City's suffering, A-Corp. Or rather, the Head.
"I could be wrong, but it seems like there is something else on your mind that you haven't brought forward yet," Chesed's voice cut like a knife through my thoughts, bringing me back to reality.
"Oh, have you developed some special ability to read other's minds?" I tried for humor to deflect from his observation, but the quirked eyebrow on the other man's face gave no relief. "Fine, hiding something from an observant guy like you would be too much trouble for a straightforward guy like me," I took a moment to compose my thoughts. "I see a lot of myself in the girl," I glanced toward the book between us. "So I can't help but think that it's not that I am morally opposed to what we've done, but rather just selfishly reaching out because of personal bias."
Chesed humed for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "The City is not a place that breeds sentimentality very often, I suppose. If you are worried about the situation, a good first step you can do is make any selfish thoughts into genuine good for others."
I let out a small laugh, putting down my cup and picking up the book from the table. "I suppose a washed up guy like me can still manage something like that. Thanks for the good advice."
"Anytime, Roland~"
I gave my farewells to Chesed and made my way through the Library's twisting halls, taking a stop by the room that Angela had converted into a makeshift hospital, lines of assistant librarians laid out in deep trances, an odd black glow in the shape of a lock hanging above their bodies.
Separated from the assistants were the Patron Librarians that had been injured in the attack, the same locks hanging above them in an almost death-like state. Other than myself, Chesed, Hod, and Binah, all of the others had been injured to the point that they had required an emergency use of J-Corp's Singularity in order to ensure their survival, as administered by Binah. They were currently 'locked' in their current states, hanging between life and death until the Library was able to regain enough power to properly heal their injuries.
"There haven't been any changes, but I imagined you knew that before coming here." Binah appeared behind me in that same mysterious way that she seemed to have mastered long before becoming a librarian. "Even after our most recent reception, it seems that the vast majority of power obtained from our guests has been transmuted into defenses against this world's more esoteric threats."
"That makes sense, it's just strange seeming them like this," the sight of fallen comrades was about as common to me as the sky given the life I had led, but I had grown close with everyone that was currently laid out in that room in one way or another over the course of our time in the City, and even more so during our time on the Outskirts once I had let go of the anger that had clouded my mind for so long.
It was strange to see them like this, after all they had at the time wielded the power of some of the strongest members of the City that we had encountered. But nothing was more disquieting than seeing Gebura laid out, the Color Fixer that even I had looked up to once upon a time.
I managed to push past my worries for a moment and put on a forced smile. "Maybe we will be able to convince Angela to throw a party once everyone has awakened."
Binah let out a small chuckle before turning to me. "You are overestimating the sentimental nature of our Director if you believe that to be a possibility," her eyes turned to the book in my hands for a moment before looking at me. "Ah, mayhaps vastly overestimating?"
I simply shrugged my shoulders at that. "If I go with a reasonable argument, I don't think she will ignore a suggestion that might be helpful in both the short and long term."
"I suppose I can't blame you, and if there was any person within this place who might be able to make such a request I think you would have the highest likelihood of reaching a positive outcome." Binah's face wore the same unreadable smile that she always wore when she was holding something back.
"So I take it you don't have any objections to what I'm planning?" At this point, I was under no illusion that Binah couldn't read my intentions like an open book. I cut straight to the point rather than dance around it.
Binah for her part gave a hum with no clear meaning. "I can't say that I mind one way or the other on this matter. However, should your plan go through, I would request a certain favor be fulfilled. With so many of our assistants locked in slumber, I've found it rather quiet on my floor. This world's unfamiliar night sky may be fascinating, but it will not remain either forever."
Something told me that there was more to that request than was being shown on the surface, but I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Her being for or against could be problematic either way given her… extremely dubious history. It would have been much better if Binah had been neutral towards the idea. "I somehow doubt that will be an issue, especially if we continue to receive Guests."
"Of that, I have no doubt. I do admit to finding the prospect of using the Library as a tool for positive change an interesting one. Even if it all ends in ruin, I will enjoy getting to experience whatever happens next."
She turned her attention to the beds. "If there is any change, I will make sure you are one of the first to know, so don't feel the need to come here and unnecessarily bother yourself with their sleeping forms."
"Right, I'll keep that in mind." Receiving such kind words from Binah was certainly a rare enough experience, and one I wouldn't wish to sour with any real reply. Thus I made my way to Angela's office, rapping my knuckles against the door. Within a moment the door opened itself, revealing the Library's director writing while sitting behind her desk.
"Ah, Roland, I'm actually quite happy to see you," she put down her pen and stood up, walking around the desk to stand in front of me. "I believe I've made a breakthrough on the mystery behind the guests and the mysterious energy source they have been able to provide to the Library."
My own query was put to the back for the moment, instead focused on what she had found. It was difficult to tell, but given the time we've spent together I was able to make out when Angela was excited about something. And if my insight was right, if she was anyone else (say, Malkuth), she would practically be jumping up and down with excitement. "So long as you can sum it down to a level that I can understand, I am more than willing to listen."
A slight roll of the eyes was the most that my comment got from Angela, holding out her hands and summoning forth two books.
Book of the Pure
Book of Fog
"These are two of the books that we received from our first batch of invitations, one being rather uninteresting beyond some surface-level information about the world we're in. But very specifically," she tapped her finger on the Book of Fog. "The one containing the essence of the 'parahuman' that we received is a touch more interesting," she placed a hand over the cover, a soft glow coming off of the binding of the book.
"It…lights up?" I knew that likely wasn't the main draw, but I couldn't resist lightly needling her when the opportunity arose.
An unimpressed look was all that resulted from my labors as she continued her explanation while skipping over my attempt at comedy. "It produces energy by itself. Whatever effect grants people of this world their 'powers' seems to come from another source that I can't quite make sense of yet. I believe that once we gather more books, we might be able to illuminate the origin of abilities from this world. However, until that point, we can use the connection to produce energy for the Library by creating false signals with the books to mimic them using their abilities."
A bit of that went over my head, but I was used to things to a certain degree by this point to be able to at least pick up the basics. "So it's a bit like using one battery to jumpstart another?"
"To simplify it past the point of all reason, yes, I suppose you can look at it that way." with her explanation finished she turned her attention toward the book in my hand. "It's unusual for you to partake in the use of the books outside of combat. Did you finally accept Hod's offer to join her little book club?"
I gripped the book tight for a moment before nodding. "I had a particular interest in this one due to the experience I had during the reception," I took a deep breath, allowing myself to focus on the words I planned to speak and how exactly I would say them. "I believe we made a mistake on our most recent guests."
Angela didn't respond right away, simply staying silent and allowing me to give an explanation behind my thoughts. I appreciated it.
"When we came to this place we needed information and a way to restore the Library's power. The decision to send out Invitations again, despite how things went last time, was based on the idea that we would only target those who would actively harm others." I tried to maintain a professional air about me, like I had back in the old days while explaining things to my fellow Fixers after a rough mission.
"But the ideas and values we used were ones that we experienced from the City and the lives that we led in our own world. We weren't careful enough and ended up catching much smaller fish than we meant to with our net."
Angela was silent for a moment, seemingly sorting her own thoughts before finally speaking. "I'm prone to agree with you," I was a bit shocked at how easily she had agreed to my thoughts. "When we obtained the books from our recent guests, I had expected to find more of the same personality types of the previous parahuman guests we received. And while I would hardly call them innocent, I find it difficult to put them on the same level as the first group. Trying to control the Library without the Light we had gathered is much more difficult, so it's possible that our current route may run into such errors, it's certainly something to be wary of going forward."
It seemed for a moment that things would go off without a hitch, yet I couldn't help but feel a 'but' coming at the end of it.
"However, while I would agree their crimes belong on a lesser tier, they are neither innocent nor were they ignorant of the consequences for signing the Invitation. For a chance at a reward, they entered and were defeated. So I hope that you won't suggest we simply free them and turn the other way. Especially when we still require their books to repair the Library and awaken the other Librarians." Angela leveled me with a gaze. "I understand they are young, but even so that doesn't discount the harm they have caused." her voice was a bit softer here, showing me that regardless of her words she was also dealing with the situation.
I waved my hand at the suggestion. "No, I feel bad for them but it's not like any of them are saints, you know?" While I felt bad for the 'Undersiders', they had used their powers for their own benefits and hurt other people along the way. They had still used their power like any other denizen of the City and Library, trying to gain their own benefits and hurting people along the way. "But at the same time we are low on manpower: rather than just keeping them as books, why not put them to use filing our ranks?"
"I suppose that could be practical, and I believe that I should be able to keep their powers trapped within a 'Page' while allowing the greater portion of their being to act freely within the Library," Angela considered it for a moment. "You do realize however I would expect them to pull their weight, and they might not thank you for putting them through whatever trials we might face later."
"True, but the worst case scenario is that we place them back into their books and allow them to aid us in that way. And in the best case we gain a number of… decently battle-tested agents to fill our currently deplenished ranks," Everything hinged on Angela's agreement. If she flatly said no, I wouldn't argue against her any further. As she had said, my personal feelings on the matter aside, they weren't innocent by any stretch of the imagination despite the tragedies they had encountered.
I knew there was one final thing I had to say. "And all practicality aside…" I took a breath and simply looked at her, letting the walls between us down for a moment and speaking to her as someone who had stood by her side and grown alongside her. "I think it would be the right thing to do. Or at least maybe a step in the direction that we wanted to go once we were ejected from the City.
There was silence between us for a moment, before finally she put aside the books in her hands and reached out. "I will be too busy with further research of this world to worry myself with integrating any of them into how things work, so the responsibility over them will fall squarely on the shoulders of you and the other librarians."
I felt a relieved smile come over my face as I handed the Book of Skitter over to her. It was probably the first time I had felt genuinely happy to make more work for myself. "I think that is something I am willing to put up with." I knew that Angela wasn't the type to be overly emotional when it came down to it, thus I could accept that this was her own way of saying that she was okay with things.
Angela closed her eyes and hovered a hand over the book, with it flipping open suddenly as if a massive wind had flowed over it. Light gathered over the area to the point where I had to cover my eyes until finally the room dimmed again.
Sitting between the two of us was a young woman with long hair and a confused expression on her face, the black and gray bodysuit she had worn during her reception replaced by a black suit not unlike the one I wore myself, expertly fitted over her body as if touched by the hands of a master tailor.
"Welcome once again to my Library, Taylor Hebert. I believe we have an offer for you."
