Season 03 - Episode 16

‘for ourselves perhaps’

Pho slips effortlessly through the corridors of The Offside. Diligence scuttles along beside and little behind her, flustered and messy, reading continually from reports. As they pass, people around them fall to their knees and Pho raises a hand to each in turn.

Finally, they enter a room with a long, empty table. Pho walks past it and steps up onto the dais beyond to settle onto a large, ornate chair. As Diligence continues to report, Ri moves to crouch beside Pho's chair. Pho listens to Diligence in silence, absently landing a hand on Ri's head, stroking her gently. Eventually, the reports are complete and Diligence pauses to catch her breath.

“The leader of The Order of The Future, Sco, is outside, Holy Mother,” she says then.

Pho nods and waves her away. Diligence walks the long length of the room, past the table, to the door and then leaves. For a moment Pho sags in her chair and suddenly appears much smaller and older. Then the door opens and her back straightens as her almost aggressive serenity returns.

A tall, wiry man enters the room, followed by a brief, worried gaze from Diligence who lingers at the threshold and then closes the door again. Sco is dressed all in green and his forehead and nose are heavily tattooed with a complex design. He strides the length of the room then falls to one knee before Pho.

“Holy Mother,” he says, staring down at the floor. “Thank you on behalf of my order for granting my this audience.”

“Such is your right, Sco, my son,” says Pho, sounding almost bored. “Rise.”

Sco stands, looks Pho in the eye for a moment but then drops his gaze.

“Holy Mother,” he begins, his tone determined. “I come before you today with a heartfelt plea on behalf of my brothers and sisters.”

“Proceed my son,” says Pho. “I would hear it gladly.”

“Holy Mother,” says Sco, then swallows. “We wish to leave The Church.”

“Do you,” says Pho flatly.

“Forgive me, Holy Mother,” he says, his voice not quite shaking. “But when I brought the Children of The Future into The Church, it was to destroy GovCo, not to be slaughtered. So many of us have fallen...”

“Holy martyrs all,” Pho interjects calmly.

Sco pauses awkwardly, then continues without acknowledging her comment.

“There are just so few of us left now,” he explains. “We believe we have done our duty, now we wish to leave The Offside and The Levels and set out in search of a new home where we can build a new life for ourselves.”

“Perhaps that would be best, my son,” says Pho kindly.

“Wh.. what?” asks Sco, confused.

“Membership of The Church is voluntary, my dear Sco,” she says, smiling kindly. “If you wish to leave then you should. We shall be sad to see you go, but if you must, then go with love.”

“Well...” says Sco, unsure how to respond. “Ok then. Thank you, Holy Mother.”

Pho continues to smile at Sco until he relaxes and smiles himself. As he turns to leave however, the smile falls from Pho's face and is replaced by a cold look of furious disgust. Without taking her eyes from Sco's back, Pho slips Ri's hood back, exposing her mess of blonde hair.

She continues to glare after Sco as he approaches the door but then falters as nothing happens. Turning to look at her Archangel, she finds Ri trembling, staring ahead with crying eyes and clenched teeth, desperately trying to control herself.

For just a moment, Pho's mouth falls open and her eyes widen.

“Ri!” she hisses, composing herself again.

Ri lets out a strangled little cry then leaps forward, tearing after Sco. Hearing the cry, Sco turns to see her coming but is too late to do anything else. Ri crashes into him in a frenzy of rabid violence.

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