The Bureau did what?
- Arlo
This is the 332nd episode of unORDINARY.
Synopsis[]
Arlo walks down the hallway, holding one of the Untitled fliers that have gone up around school, exasperated that he has another mess to clean up. Suddenly, a student bumps into him while running past, and when Arlo stops him, the student tells him that John and Zeke are fighting downstairs. Arlo goes to see for himself, and discovers John pounding Zeke into the floor, screaming at him in the process. Arlo pulls John off him, and John snaps at Arlo, yelling about his parents. Finding it surprising that John is suddenly having an outburst like this again and wondering if John is causing a scene on purpose, he orders the other students watching to leave, and everyone runs off, including Zeke, who silently vows to get revenge.
Arlo asks John what happened, and John informs Arlo that the Bureau murdered his father for writing Unordinary and that his mother, who John hasn’t seen in 15 years, has been held hostage and having her ability experimented on and harvested by the Authorities, which is where EMBER’s conversion tech comes from. John then reminds Arlo of a conversation they had a long time ago about who they looked up to, and how Arlo looked up to Rei, the vigilante X-Static who was killed by EMBER, who has now been able to harness his Lightning as well. Incredulous that Arlo can stomach working for the people who killed his mentor and are using both Rei’s and his mother’s abilities to keep killing more people, John warns that while Arlo has helped him, Seraphina, and a lot of others, if he continues to associate with the Bureau after knowing this, it will mean another war between the two of them, then leaves, leaving Arlo stunned.
At his apartment later, Arlo reflects on his motivations for joining the Bureau, hoping that if he spent enough time working for the Anti-Corruption & Transparency Department, he could expose every EMBER agent and get justice for Rei. However, Arlo has begun to realize that he may never get any of this information, and that EMBER has been able to stay hidden because the Bureau is protecting it from on high. Reflecting on past comments from Remi & Isen and what John has just told him, Arlo realizes that EMBER is far more than simply a means to shit down vigilantism, but a front for an even more sinister operation: experimenting on and killing high-tiers to use their abilities to empower themselves. Arlo wonders if that might be the fate the Bureau intends for Sera, Vaughn, Remi, Blyke, Isen, and Rein, but his train of thought is interrupted by his 4:30 alarm reminding him to go to work.
After going to work, Arlo approaches Kassandra, asking if he can take some time off. Privately, he asks how close she was to Rei, and she reflects on how proud she was watching him grow into such a strong leader, thinking of him as a little brother. Arlo asks how she would feel about working at the Bureau if she learned that EMBER was a secret Bureau task force, she expresses disbelief, especially when Arlo is unable to provide evidence of his assertion. She agrees to approve his time off request, but warns him not to let anyone else hear him saying things like that. Arlo thanks her and leaves, while Kassandra agrees to hold down the fort.
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