[center][img]http://imgur.com/vXyLnCx.png[/img][/center] [b]Ryan Valois Airport, Paris - June 11, 2049[/b] Four fighter jets kept the skies clear in the vicinity as an aircraft prepared to launch on the ground below. It was an average sized business jet with a clean white exterior that almost shone whenever glinted by the sun. The EDA's blue logo had its place on the rudder and the company name on the side of the vehicle, but otherwise it had a rather unassuming look. [i]“Tout est prêt,”[/i] announced the overseeing air traffic controller to the pilot, both French. No surprise, after all they were at the country's largest airport, the rechristened [i]Aéroport de Ryan Valois.[/i] The name was chosen some years ago after a widely advertised popular vote and became one of the first occasions where a public facility was named after a living person. However, technical difficulties ensued as other corporation-controlled countries were hesitant to recognise the new name, deeming it a simple flair of pride from the Visionary despite his company not actually being involved in the vote. Thus, most official registries still used the alternative name, ‘Roissy Airport’. “Ready here too,” came the follow-up from one of the fighter pilots in the air. The green light given on all fronts, the pilot proceeded with the security check-ups, engaged the engine and took off. All this was done with great care, even more meticulously than usual—there could have been no margin left for error, for the jet carried none other than the current EDA leader. Roxana sat in a large leather seat, reclining back with an uneasy expression as the plane steadily ascended. It was not that she was squeamish or unused to travelling as such—the reason for her frown was much different. This was a journey that she would most likely have not undertaken on her own volition. She was pressured into accepting Calison's proposal after it was met with universal support from the rest of the Adepts. Even if the idea itself was quite sound, she knew full well how caving in to their demands was the type of weakness that one could not afford in the highest leadership. Besides, public speaking was not exactly her forte—sure she had made plenty of speeches for company members in the past in Ryan's absence, but those had been mostly written or at least planned out by him and she had only been acting as a conduit. Even after she had officially taken power following the mysterious disappearance, she usually kept things quiet and focused on keeping the giant corporate machine running smoothly. “We are in air.” Suddenly the pilot's accented voice came through in the communicator. [i]“Merci, Pierre,”[/i] she replied. Things were different now however and she had to realise that. She was no longer a simple assistant who acted on the leader's behalf, she was the leader. She could not hide in the confines of the tall EDA tower forever. Stepping out into the spotlight and legitimising herself in the eyes of the masses and the global elite alike was the best way to both keep her position and the sacred vision intact. Having mustered some determination like this, she took her datapad from the table ahead of her and started typing away. While the PR department had already prepared a speech for her as in tradition, she wanted to...make it more personal. She had about two hours. [hr] [b]Meanwhile - EDA main complex, building M[/b] The numerous buildings surrounding the central tower in the [i]La Défense[/i] usually served a singular purpose within the long chain of production. The tower, fittingly, was the both the centre and the starting point of the process; this was where most of the theoretical work took place with creative minds from all around the world brainstorming for long hours and creating designs in hopes of finding the ‘next big thing’ that could change the world. From here, plans and blueprints were sent to building A, where their technological feasibility was evaluated and information on any missing links were forwarded to the various R&D departments to be developed and sent back. If the design was deemed to be sufficient for creation, it was brought into building B, where the engineers and scientists began putting the vision into reality. That place was the birth of most first prototypes, which were then sent to their respective divisions where they could be refined and rebuilt for actual usage. Most of these divisions were specialised in one category of implants or augmentations to make sure that only the most qualified people worked on every single EDA project. Building M was the focus of many news in the recent past, both inside and outside of the company. The teams here had been making increasingly quick progress on matters of the mind: specifically, cranial implants. To bolster this tendency, the EDA leadership allocated more funds to the division, which in turn led to an influx of new talent being brought in. Even now, the teams inside were buzzing with work... “So...what do you think the name actually stands for?” asked one engineer from another standing besides him. They were in an extended room, both working over a wide table with dozens of miniature metal parts and wires laid out. Behind them were people heading to and fro, lab-coated figures and other staff alike fading into the flurry of background motions and noises. “Really, Sharner? That'll be the first question you ask from me?” The other looked over quizzically. “Oh, uh...small talk helps keep my mind on track. I know it's weird, but...” Sharner did not look up from his work, but the embarrassment on his face was almost radiating. “Well they did tell me you might be a bit difficult to work with...” The senior engineer let out a small chuckle. Jacob Sharner was a new employee, assigned to her through the EDA's mentorship program which ensured that the ‘recruits’ assimilated into the company and adopted the culture accordingly. In the preliminary report, he was described as a scatter-brained computer scientist with sparks of genius that separated him from his peers—truly a typical candidate for the coveted ‘mad scientist’ post. Among other things, she was there to make sure that did [i]not[/i] happen. “I'm sorry...” The man was in his mid 20s, about five years younger than his mentor. He was of particularly short stature—as if he had never got a teenage growth spurt—and he seemed to wish he could have shrunk even further in that moment. The preliminary report did not quite touch on his emotional stability... “What? No, I was just kidding! There's a reason you're here and that's because you can help us change the world and elevate humanity. That's what we're all here for, after all.” She flashed him a reassuring smile. Indeed, being part of the EDA—and especially its core branch in Paris—was considered a huge honour and a testament of skill in most circles. “That...doesn't sound like something I'm capable of...” “You don't have to be. This is why we work together. You know, to become something greater than the sum of our parts.” “Right, that makes sense... Thank you, Dr. Raina.” “Please, just call me Zuiko. Some people over here would rather die than let the newbies use anything but their full titles. But I'm not like that. We'll be working together for a while. Let's be on friendly terms, all right...Jacob?” “I prefer Jake.” He only allowed himself the faintest of smiles on the surface, but he felt much more relieved deep down. Prior to travelling to France from his home country of the United States—what was left of it, anyway—, he had heard all kinds of horror stories about the EDA's infamous condescending elitism. He imagined he would be harshly scolded for the slightest of mistakes which would have no doubt led to him cracking under the pressure... It seemed like these worries were, for now, naught. Or maybe he had just gotten lucky with the partner assignments... Zuiko nodded and turned back to her work, but quickly spoke again: “So, Jake. To answer your question...I don't know. But I have this gut feeling that we're approaching it from the wrong angle. Like, what if it's not even an English abbreviation? The Visionary spoke numerous languages...or so I've heard. Never actually met him or even seen him speak personally... I wish I would've! You know the legend goes that those he met in person through all those years had all become destined for greatness and most of them have already accomplished it since. Like Ms. Neosca! They say he approached her specifically and told her she'd lead the company one day... And voilà! There she is, Roxana Neosca, the Visionary's successor. Ah, how I envy her...” Jake listened intently even though she went off on quite a tangent. “So that story is actually true...amazing...” “The older employees I've spoken with have all said so. But who knows, maybe one day you can ask the boss lady yourself...” She let the idea hang in the air for a little while. “Anyway, could you pass me the injector please?” [hr] Alexander Rocheford, foreign affairs chief, had a busy schedule ahead of him. Shortly after the meeting of the Adepts, he had got informed that the CEO of Jötunn Global, Ronald Krongold himself was planning to make a visit to Paris for interesting reasons. For now, he passed the issue down to the leadership of Arcadia Hotels & Resorts, the EDA's new tourism branch, to determine the accommodation details and set the man up with something good. He would take the reins back soon enough, but in the meantime, he had another matter to focus on. Word came that a team of diplomats from Titan Company, leaders of the Arab world and self-proclaimed ‘Guardians of the East’, would visit Europe to talk about the Vatican incident and a potential alliance. While Alexander was sure that they had other plans for said alliance—dealing with the ISIL threat, specifically—, it was still a notion to be considered and Roxana had given him the green light to aid the organisation of a diplomatic meeting. He planned to involve the other European corporations and had already sent out his aides to contact their representatives. All that was left to do now was waiting... [hr] [b]Over Italy[/b] The time passed swiftly on the jet. An onboard computer screen displayed in high resolution exactly where and which country's airspace the plane was in and how much time was remaining until the final arrival in Rome. Aside from that, the expected comfort features and commodities were all present in the cabin, equating it to the first class of any commercial airliner, no more and no less. It was exactly how Ryan had wanted his personal aircraft to be—without any flaunting luxury like gold-dipped furniture or a whole service staff on board. Technically, there was enough space for four people, but in actuality the plane rarely carried more than two. And even those two were usually the same... In the moment, Roxana seldom cared about the plane's equipment or past, instead devoting all her focus to her datapad. Typing quickly and efficiently like this was second nature to her, though creative writing was an altogether different beast. Still, she managed to edit her ‘default speech’ quite considerably and with about 15 minutes remaining before landing, she felt much more confident about stepping up to the podium. As she was rereading the final revision, her phone's screen came alive and moments later, so did the computer display which it was connected to. She had an incoming call. Curious, she walked up to the monitor and pressed the ‘Backtrace’ button helpfully arranged below the ‘Private Number’ line. The device worked for a few seconds before returning one broad result: ‘Scandinavia’. That was enough for her to know that it came from Carolus Holdings, which explained the great secrecy and the fact that the otherwise advanced backtracing technology came up with almost nothing. “Roxana Neosca, EDA. Who am I speaking with?”