"I wouldn't go that far," Elias replied, leaning back slightly. "Those suits are incredible. They've probably saved more lives than we'll ever know, just from sheer defensive capability alone."
Geras nodded thoughtfully. "True. But they're tools, not solutions. The reason I wanted to speak with you personally goes beyond suits and programs. You already understand that I'm working to build a force to fight back when the aliens return. Now, I want to offer you sothing even rarer—if you're willing to step up."
"And what might that be?" Elias asked, his brow furrowing.
"I have intel from the Chairwoman herself," Geras began, his tone serious. "She oversees all deploynts and strategic actions. Call it an old man's connections, but I know she's authorized a private expedition back to Cradle Planet in five and a half months."
Elias's eyes narrowed. "Cradle? Why? Isn't that place a nuclear wasteland now? What could anyone possibly gain from going back there?"
"I don't have all the details yet," Geras admitted. "But the Chairwoman's always been ahead of the curve. If she's greenlit this, there's a purpose—sothing we're not privy to yet. And who knows? Maybe it'll give you so closure."
"Closure?" Elias repeated, his voice quiet. He thought of his father, of the legacy left behind on that ravaged world. "You're offering a chance to go where my father was killed. But why ? I'm just a regular guy. I'm not so hero. I'm not even in the military. I work, I go ho, and I sleep. If you're looking for soone to rally people to your cause, why not soone like Elara?"
Geras smirked faintly. "You're not wrong. I considered her and others. There are three soldiers—two officers and one enlisted—who bonded with shards. I even thought about the twenty-six shard-bearers we've currently got quarantined. But none of them fit the role quite like you."
Elias tilted his head, skeptical. "What role?"
"An inside perspective," Geras explained. "Soone who can connect with the shard-bearers, keep tabs, and understand them. Given what we've learned about those requirents that showed up on your scorecard, we're designing tools and programs to unlock the potential of the shards. You'd be pivotal to that process."
Elias chuckled, shaking his head. "You're not really giving much of a choice, are you?"
Geras leaned forward, his voice firm but understanding. "You do have a choice, Elias. But consider this—without this program, without control, fear could take over. If this effort fails, there's every chance they'll decide to eliminate shard-bearers altogether. With this program, there's hope—not just for defense, but for the people who've been chosen."
Elias hesitated for a long mont, his mind racing. The weight of Geras's words pressed down on him, but so did the thought of his father. The chance to step into sothing greater. To make this second chance matter.
"Fine," Elias finally said. "I accept. I still think it's bold, with a thousand ways it could go wrong. But if it keeps people alive—and if it lets learn more about my father—I'll do it."
He glanced down, lost in thought. This could be the beginning of sothing monuntal, or a path to disaster. Either way, he felt he had to try.
Dot's suddenly popped up, her voice light and teasing. "So dramatic, Elias. You could've just said, 'I want to be cool like Dad.'"
Elias sighed, but a small smile crept onto his face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dot."
Elias leaned forward, steadying himself before speaking. "Alright, I think this is the best route to go. But the key here is going to be flexibility and offering sothing worthwhile for their ti."
Geras tilted his head slightly, curiosity evident in his posture. "I don't follow. What exactly do you an?"
Elias gestured with his hands as he explained. "You're asking these people to completely upend their lives—so with families, others with promising futures. You have to give them a reason to WANT to do that."
Geras furrowed his brow. "And what do we offer them? Money? A place for their families to live?"
"Maybe. It has to be more than just orders. It could be financial stability, housing, education for their kids, or even healthcare. Whatever it is, you've got to make them feel like they're gaining sothing aningful in return," Elias replied.
Geras sighed, leaning back in his chair. "We've only tracked down 26 shard users so far out of the estimated 100. That's barely scratching the surface." He stood and moved to a large wall map depicting seven continents surrounded by vast oceans. Picking up a marker, he circled a significant portion of the map. "This is the area we've covered so far—about a 100-mile radius from the initial shard impact zone."
Elias got up to study the map. "That's not much ground, considering what you're looking for. But here's an idea: why not put out a broadcast? Explain what's happening and offer incentives. Maybe people will co to you willingly."
Geras tapped the map thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing. "A broadcast might work, but it's risky. There's no telling how people will react to learning the truth. Fear, chaos—it could spiral out of control."
Elias folded his arms and countered, "And yet, it's been what? A week or two since this started? Most of us have already had so kind of vision or encounter with this so-called Doctor. Things are only going to get crazier from here, whether you control the narrative or not."
Geras sighed again, though this ti with a trace of reluctant agreent. "You might have a point. The question is how much risk we're willing to take." He capped the marker and turned back to Elias, his gaze firm.
"I knew it was right to bring you in for a discussion; I will review what we talked about with the council this evening and get back to you. Anything else you wanted to discuss?"
"Yes, there is a critical situation going on. As you know from the numbers ntioned, the 'Doctor,' as the Ikona call him, ntioned that roughly every 24 hours, we would get an updated report on our numbers. If we fail to et the mark after a certain ti, bad things could happen."
"I will say he was utterly vague on what that ant, but a uniform decision on what to do to ensure people make the requirents is an obvious suggestion."
"That is right. Nothing we can do but run so tests, so for the rest of the day, that's what we plan to do. Please wait in the room for Oliver to co back and get you. He will take you to get so ID stamps, and then you will be sent to A Block with seven other shard users. We are keeping them separated for the most part because the last thing we need is soone killing each other and possibly losing a shard."
"That makes sense, I suppose," Elias said as he stood up and headed toward the door. Dots, he thought to himself. No matter what happens, I have to get strong enough to defend the world my father died for... that's my headspace right now.
As he walked out the door, it sealed shut, leaving Geras alone with himself.
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