A Farewell to Ada-King

You never saw the beast coming. SNU's campus is shadowy and treacherous, especially with the lingering damage from the riot. So all things considered, it's not surprising that the massive, lumbering amalgam managed to get behind you and slam you against the wall. Ada-King stepped out from behind it, spindly medical instruments emerging from her back. The message is implicit: try to use your Stand, and it's gone. Nonetheless, she smiles at you, and gently says "I'm not here to hurt you." Her voice sounds somber. Sad. Remorseful. Tears glisten in her eyes, caught in the dim light of a flickering streetlamp. But she speaks to you.

“You haven’t known peace since that day, have you? It’s been a decade, at this point. Almost exactly. You got yourself in over your head, you tried to do your best, to do good in the world, and look where it got you. The Grand Tour, then the Urban Uprising, and ever since then the world has been chaos. You can’t feel at rest. You can’t feel like yourself. You feel like it’s all somehow your fault, don’t you?”

“I know how that feels. I never meant for this to be the lethal fiasco it’s become. More than 300 deaths over the past five semesters… that’s an average of a death every other day, Geoff. And that’s only counting the ones that happened due to this experiment. We both know how that weighs on a conscience. I mean this to say that my sympathy isn’t just empty platitudes. We’re in similar places. Our hearts have known the same pain.

“But you’re a winner. Your spirit burns brighter than anyone else’s here. You survive, you persevere, and you succeed. And with your help, we can make the world a safer place. This won’t ever have to happen again with us in charge. An upper echelon founded on merit and worth, where we can make sure no one irresponsible or maniacal gains the ability to do what has been done before. No more madmen with grand plans. No more GIANTSs, no more Nates, nothing like that. Stands granted based on how certain we can be they will be used for good. Join us, Geoff, and help us make that a reality. Help us make a safer world, where nothing bizarre and dangerous will tear people -- or the world -- asunder. Don’t you want that?”


Caught off-guard by Ada-King, Geoff makes no attempt to resist. He wouldn't be able to reach the Ace of Wands in time, Heat of the Moment would be obliterated the second it appeared, and IRM doesn't know where he is to give him the drop out of the situation he'd need to either fight back or escape. So he listens.

He listens to this woman who somehow knows about the Grand Tour of the past universe, something she has no way of remembering firsthand. He relives all of the pain of the dissolution of the Soul Rebels and the actions he took just to give the world a second chance.

He listens to the reminder of how the entire world squandered the second chance he offered it. He listens to the woman who seems to genuinely understand the weight of responsibility he feels for every single thing that has happened in the world in the last ten years. He listens to the woman whose response is to yearn for the very power he rejected when he chose to give the second chance to everyone, even those who didn't deserve it. He listens to the reminder of what a mistake that was.

He listens to the offer of a second chance for the one person he hadn't given it to: himself.

He knows the Terracotta Angels are worse than any of the Soul Rebels, he yearns for the power to make the world a safer place in his own image, something he'd refused the last time he'd offered it - the most ethical choice, with arguably disastrous results.

"You have no idea how much I want that," he eventually rasps. "But I've seen who you've robbed of their fighting spirit and who you've kept in your employ. The woman who committed that massacre, the man in charge of the football team, that bloody idiot who called himself an expert on literature. You have an interesting view on who is not irresponsible or maniacal. I won't join that veritable Tower of Babel who've declared war on you, but I can't work with you either, no matter how much I empathize with your desire here."


Ada-King winces with each member of Providence you mention. The amalgam holding you tight loosens its grip ever so slightly, Eliza’s fortitude and wherewithal slipping as you speak. She’s shouldering a lot of pain, a lot of guilt; her posture slumps, and she looks down at the ground with a heavy sigh.

“Money was kept around because was a useful idiot, and Farm was the Eye’s choice. I never liked him — I never liked either of them. And Saskia... what she did was truly unforgivable. None one us were expecting that to happen. I already said this to someone else, but every night since I’ve had nightmares. I’ve heard her victim’s please, seen the fear and agony in their faces. I don’t want this to persist. I don’t want to fight anymore, I don’t want anyone else to die. This has been too much for me. I just—” she chokes back a sob, wiping at her face with her handkerchief. “I just want my fucking wife back, man.”

She rolls her head back slowly, gazing up at the night sky. “My point is, none of those people would be employed under the Eye’s guidance and tutelage in our new world. In the meritocracy of the future, they would all be far too unstable to earn their keep. But not you — and you know better than almost anyone what sorts of people are the most dangerous when it comes to Stands. You can help us stop the madmen, keep them from ruining anything else in our world. It won’t be easy, I know, but the peace will be worth it. We’re fighting for a world of valor, Geoff. Of honor. Merit. Stand against us, and you side with a world that will only create more would-be conquerers, world-enders, and supervillains. There’s a serial killer on every street corner, Geoff, and I can’t stand it anymore. I don’t know how anyone can. I’m sorry for rambling, but please — just take my hand. Fight for an end to this eternal maelstrom of death and competition.”

She smiles up at you, bright teeth glistening in the light even as tears soak her face. “I don’t want you to hurt anymore.”

"I don't want anyone to hurt anymore," Geoff replies softly. "Everything you're saying sounds great, but..."

The images of Farm taking Emmy hostage, of Coach Money's abuse of Wanderlei, of the riot, and of all the innocent people who lost their fighting spirit - the ones who had no signs of being the next conquerors, world-enders and supervillains.

"No matter how sincere you are about this, I just can't work with the same Eye of Providence who chooses Mastodon Farm, who sees Jonathan Money as useful, and didn't see Saskia Kalashnikov coming from a mile away."

Watching the emotion in Ada-King's face, Geoff softens just a little. "I won't stand against you and yours unless it's the only way to save innocent people. I'll even do what I can to stop these madmen you and I both know can't be allowed to continue as they are. I'll even help you where our ideals do align. I just can't join you. Not yet. But I'm not... closing the door entirely either."

Ride_ai01/31/2021
Eliza nods, a sad smile on her face. “Of course, Geoff. I understand. I’m not going to argue against that; Money, Farm, and Kalashnikov, their actions are indefensible. I don’t blame you for refusing because of them.”

The amalgam loosens it’s grip, letting you back down onto the ground. “It’s good to know that your morals line up so close to mine, at the very least. You’re a great man, in both senses of the word, and I’m glad to have you at the school. Good luck in the coming days.”

She turns away from you, the mechanical arms of her Stand fading.

“You’re free to go.”