In the teeth of Cydonia, many people had gathered for the day. Strangers, bystanders, the homeless, and even the insane had gathered around the Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish. Mumbling, murmuring, they pressed in around a giant golden ribbon tied across the gate, with Kremidal arriving behind the crowd.
Members of the DCD (Damage Control Department) split the crowd apart just so Kremidal could pass through. Despite that, the crowd cheered, and Kremidal smiled as he waved in response. Misty was walking right behind him, yet the crowd still seemed to keep its focus on Kremidal.
"[Baby Eagle, got any anomalies on your end?]" said Poppy, perched on one of the commie blocks beside the church.
"[Still nothing, Pinky. What's wrong, getting bored?]" said Zephyr, holding a .50 cal sniper as he lay on the concrete of the opposite block.
"[By the way, Baby Eagle, how come you get to hold the .50 cal?]" Poppy asked.
"[You have shit aim. You can't even get a clean shot with a homing bullet. How the hell do you fuck that up?]"
"[Shut up.]"
"[Aight, aight, I'll stop. Besides, you've got crazier powers than me. Plus your knife aim's already preem.]"
"[Just shut the fuck up, Baby Eagle. The big event's about to happen.]"
Misty handed the giant silver scissor to Kremidal, the crowd cheered when he touched the giant scissor. He raised his hand as the cheering quickly fizzled, he announced.
"You know, we couldn't have done this without any of you. Damage Control, Demolition Team, SSIA (Secret Security and Intelligence Association) wherever you are, the homeless that sought shelter in this place and even helped rebuild it, the insane that managed to hold themselves together to lift these walls up, the hands of the church - ever loving and giving. "
Kremidal glances at Misty, pulling her by the hand and hugging her on his side, he announced "how can I forget the woman that helped bankroll this project, Misty Crowe!"
Misty blushed, smiling and waving at the crowd.
Kremidal continued with a softer voice
"Most of all, our founder Lyle, whom has helped us uphold the very value of what this place cherishes the most.
A purpose
A guide
A home
For the abandoned, by the abandoned!" He said with teary eyes
"May this day mark the reopening of Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish!"
The people cheered even louder, Misty was even whooing as she was clapping
Poppy smiles
"[Well that got you sentimental hey Princess Pinky?]"
"[What the- how did you?]" she leers at Zephyr's direction, she spots that He's using the scope to spy on her.
"[Can you aim that to someone else! Besides, you wouldn't get it. If it wasn't for Kremidal, I'd be a kid in a milk carton. Besides, you wouldn't know]"
*Minutes later*
All of the people living in the church funneled down along with their luggage. Some who are even disabled, waddled around the place, assisted by DCD
Kremidal was looking all over them on the choir balcony, Misty nudged him by the arm saying "Hello big man, never seen you a smile that wide before"
Kremidal grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her on the lips, at first misty acted surprised, but then she gradually closed her eyes, hugging Kremidal as they continued kissing. They stopped as they stuck each other's forehead, their giggling heard all over the church from the balcony.
Kremidal sighed "You've done so much for us, if there's anything that you need so I can return the favour?"
"Actually" Misty pulls out her phone, showing the online post saying
"[Electorial Campaigns have begun
Candidates for mayor
Atty. Joaquin Chevalier - Liberal Party
Emil Saxton - Republican Party
Atty. Misty Crowe - Independent
Candidates for Vice Mayor
Dr. Belle White - Liberal Party
Atty. Asad Abgadi - Republican Party
Stephen Tevez - Cydonian Union
Clarice Phoenix - Children of Noctum]"
Kremidal stared at Clarice's photo. She looked like a perfectly normal young adult, nothing like the kid he'd last seen. A bead of sweat formed at his temple. "This name..."
"Hm? What name?" Misty asked as she pressed her hand on Kremidal's chest
"Clarice Phoenix, Claire's sister… Last time I saw her, she was still worrying about her exam. Seeing her this old already, is baffling"
"Not that, silly. Me! I'm running for mayor. Since I helped you with a big task, it wouldn't be too much trouble to help me with this one, would it?" She smiled.
"Of course. It's just that the Phoenix sisters confuse me a bit. Anyway, wanna look around the church while we still have time?"
*Meanwhile, on the commie blocks*
"[Hey, Pinky, how's Pixie?]"
"[She's doing great. I actually just enrolled her in—]" All of a sudden, Poppy went quiet.
"[Hey, Pinky, enrolled in where?... Pinky?]"
"[We got company.]"
Zephyr scrambled back onto the sniper rifle. Even from afar, he could see a group of armed men in uniform. He hastily looked through the scope. "[Pinky, these guys are cops!]"
"[What? Why? Inspection?]"
"[I dunno! I'll radio Tengu now!]" He changed the channel on his headset. "[Tengu, calling Tengu!]"
Kremidal heard it through his earring and tapped it. "Oi, Baby Eagle, what's the sitch?"
"[Tengu, you've got pigs at six o'clock!]"
All the church inhabitants stepped aside to make way for the cops. Kremidal looked down from the balcony and saw a group of heavily armored police officers armed with rifles. An officer in a blue camouflage jacket looked up at the murals until his eyes drifted to the choir balcony.
"Pontiff Kremidal Swanson, you are hereby under arrest for mass murder. Please cooperate, or we will have to use force."
"Coming~!" Kremidal yelled.
"I need you to get down here NOW!"
Kremidal landed right in front of them from the balcony, as if weightless - standing up with his stature, towering over everyone else. The church inhabitants flinched, and the cops immediately pointed their rifles at him.
"No need to play the bad cops now, since I'm cooperating. So what am I in for?"
The cop in the jacket gulped, then answered in a shaky voice. "I... I am the Commissioner. We have an arrest warrant for mass murder, multiple homicide, and multiple counts of aggravated assault."
Kremidal scoffed and raised his hands. "Just so you know, I will not be speaking to you until my lawyer is present."
The Commissioner turned Kremidal around and cuffed him. Once he was cuffed, the Commissioner kicked him off balance, and Kremidal's chest hit the ground.
The church inhabitants yelped and cried out for him. Misty shouted from the balcony: "KREMIDAL!" The whole church fell into panic, so loud that it carried to the neighboring commie blocks.
"[Tengu, Baby Eagle here! We're hearing a commotion. What's going on in there?!]"
"[Pinky here! I'm going down from position!]"
Kremidal had left his earring mic open. "No, stay in your current position! Don't fire, or they'll hurt the people of the church—" A cop clamped a muzzle over Kremidal's mouth, cutting off his words.
The cops lifted him by the armpits, and another cop punched him in the nose, making him bleed.
The crowd started yelling.
"He gave us a roof, you pigs!"
"Stop kicking him, he's not fighting back!"
"Let him go. Him and Lyle have done nothing to us but good! Unlike you, retards!"
"YEAH! Let him go!"
The other cops, unoccupied, stepped forwards and pointed their guns at the unarmed crowd.
DDT had already surrounded the cops aiming their own rifles at the cops.
Kremidal shook his heads at them with muffled words "No DDT stand down-" he was suddenly punched again by the commissioner
The Commissioner pulled him by the neck and whispered in Kremidal's ear. "Oh, don't worry, we'll take care of your little trust-fund project here. You have no idea how long we've wanted to do this." Then he kicked Kremidal in the stomach, and Kremidal fell onto his back.
The crowd kept heckling the cops, inching closer.
The Commissioner squeezed Kremidal's cheeks. "Take him to max-sec. Let's give him a nice pampering before we throw him in the wringer for interrogation." Then he shoved Kremidal's face back to the ground.
The cops lifted Kremidal and dragged him toward a police van. He barely squirmed on the way, only looking back at the people trying to stop the cops. All he could do was let out muffled screams and shake his head at them. Whenever someone managed to touch a cop, they were hit with steel batons and rifle butts.
"Stay back! Stay the fuck back!" the cops yelled. But DDT was forced to step in and beat the cops with their own weapons.
The commissioner yelled at his men "knock it off, it ain't worth it! We're only here for their pontiff!"
Once they were out of the church, his ass was dragged along the pavement.
Poppy and Zephyr watched the whole scene. Zephyr kept yelling, "That's Kremidal! [Tengu, do you hear me?! TENGU, SAY SOMETHING!]"
All he could hear in his earpiece was his muffled voice and the crowd heckling the cops.
The van slammed shut. The cops got away with Kremidal.
-WIP-