From atop the executive office,past the tranquil waters that surrounded the massive, headquarters, epicenter, nearly the entire city of Shercon could be surveyed. All could be seen through his eyes. The malevolent gaze of Ashack "The blaze" pierced through the translucent window before him, engulfing the utopia in a siege of avarice presented by his eyes.

Through them everything was his; and if money was power-and it was-then the city belonged only to him. Ashack, bore the facade of a gallant young man. He looked remarkably no older than the age of 36, though he had seen the rise and fall of many an enterprise, raised the champions of his day, and still found time to bear a son and daughter. He was dressed, as he often was; sporting the parapharnelia of dreams: A "Bad Lad" suit and accessories, each item priced as high as a mansion's mortgage.

"Mister Ashack." His assistant, the insatiable, Kitsune called to him from the edge of the room. He turned slowly. Ashack had pretended not to notice the hoard of patricians enter the office and take their seats casually. He exhibited a surprised gesture, smiled, and took his seat at the head of the table. As always, he propped his legs atop the polished wooden foundation though spoke with the utmost formality.

"Glad to see you all could make it." Ashack announced his hands rising in declaration. The man sitting opposite to Ashack was none other than Sharlemane himself. The sinister looking, bear of a man was the first to speak, his arms crossed. "No time for formalities, Mr. Ashack," he bellowed. "I believe you know why we are all here."

Ashack's sharp eyes addressed his assistant and she knew to take her leave.

"Let us begin... " Ashack interlocked his fingers professionally. The room fell into an eerie silence. Sharlemane narrowed his broad shoulders, and perched his chin atop a bridge of tettered fingers, his dark features accented by the rays of the evening sun. Sharlemane's deep, hollow voice demanded attention.

"We have a considerable problem, Ashack. Not only are the Lenarain Renegades still running a muck, but... the beast of Pairadine runs rampant throughout the city as well."

"I and my people are already taking adequate precautions, Sharlemane... they won't make it out of the city alive. And the B.E.A. are already hunting down Milyardo."

"You are aware of the insurmountable importance that the stolen items represent, are you not?"

"I am fully aware... and as I said..." Ashack cracked his neck, and Sharlemane raised an eyebrow.

"You have no idea where they are, do you?" Sharlemane smiled dismissively.

Ashack released a fleeting flash of anger before responding. "The harbinger of death was on the trail of two suspects... we lost contact with him. And the squadron that was hunting the demon, turned up dead, all except one- "

"Have you any means of identifying the Renegades?"

"No, there was only one witness, my daughter, but as of yet we have been unable to contact her."

Sharlemane lifted his head, and chuckled condescendingly "Are you telling me, that you have no way of identifying the culprits, that the only person able to identify one of the Renegades is missing, and that your soldiers are too incompetent to arrest a simple group of flunkies. This is a joke." He leered, vainly concealing his amusement.

Ashack snarled blatantly, and removed his feet from the table. "Don't insult my intelligence." He growled. "If the demon of Pairadine was so easily apprehended, I'd have expected you to capture him when he first escaped. And, as for the 'flunkies' that you so pompously dubbed them, they have in their ranks, based on our intelligence:A child prodigy, an ex hybrid-class E.A.C.U member, an exceptional Advance robotics engineer,...and a master swordsman known for dropping A.C.U like flies...Thats just the start, it only gets worst from there." Ashack's snarl warped into a pleasant smile as he viewed the "understanding" faces of his company. He continued.

"Due to the compliance of another specialist of sorts, the Renegades were able to significantly change their appearances and even render D.N.A evidence useless."

"This is quite the eccentric bunch." The remarkable beautiful woman, to the right of Sharlemane could hardly conceal her amazement.

"Cherub's right." A fourth party entered the fray. "But in any case, they all must be stopped." He drummed his ringed fingers. "If the word of the prototype comes to light, it will be the end of everyone sitting at this table. I suggest we combine our resources, station posts at every possible turn, and most of all... " the speaker starred directly at Ashack. "Find your daughter."

Sharlemane spoke once more, his tone remarkably somber. "Ashack, the reason you've amassed so much power, is because since the project began in late '92, you've been able to keep it under airtight lock and key. How it managed to unearth itself, this far in the game vexes the organization and I to no end."

Ashack held back brimming anger.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing... I only think that someone with a particular insight would even think to steal... what was stolen." The two met eyes.

"And...?" Ashack gnarled his teeth. "I'm not stupid enough to cross Parallax, no one is."

"And I prefer to keep it that way." Sharlemane smiled grimly while standing. "The infidels must be laid to rest, and an example made of each of them... if that is all," his eyes looked for disapproval in his abrupt leaving, though they found none. "...I'll take my leave."

He and three enigmatic followers headed out the doorway, the sounds of their echoing footsteps fading away into nothingness, as they did the same. Many other suited executives started out as well, each addressing Ashack with slow nods and dismal eye contact as they strolled through the open corridor.

Even so... six overseers still sat, each one more incongruous than the next. Through their eyes, Ashack saw nothing... only an endless abyss of unknown intentions. A dark aura that cloaked the deepest vestibules of their minds and left nothing to be displayed. This fact caused a smile to flicker across Ashack's lips. For they were his equals, his rivals in every aspect of his life. And with the exception of Sharlemane (and with the exception of a few others sitting at the table) he'd trust them all with his very life.

Ashack's eyes focused on Cherub.

"How goes the Renaissance Project?"

Cherub fiddled her delicate fingers.

"As you know,"She began."Milyardo is no longer in our custody. He escaped from central Hayet, and unfortunately stole the Machina system, God Complex."

"...If the God Complex makes contact with Body..." Ashack clinched his teeth in frustration.

"We are fully aware of the dire consequences that would surround such an event?" Cherub peered over her glasses. "That's why it is imperative that you kill all the Renegades,... we believe Body is among them."

"Damn... " Ashack cracked his next one more, revealing to everyone the uneasiness, the situation had brought him.

"How is Mind doing?" He detoured from the subject matter. Ashack noticed Aniax Palmer, a young man sitting to the right of Cherub cringe in revulsion.

"That bitch gets crazier by the day." He reported skittishly."I've been talking to Sharlemane about putting her down-but he

Cherub broke in. "Not to mention the fact that Milyardo stirred her, he managed to break her out of the Harlock Cell. That, put a massive strain on her."

Ashack took a long drag from the lit cigar lodged between his fingers. His eyebrows arched, as they often did when a thought had surfaced.

"So Milyardo's hunting Hierarchy? If we find him, we find Body. And then..." A cloud of smoke expelled from his nostrils. "...everything else will fall into place..."

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