//------------------------------// // History, Intentions, and Coffee // Story: Consequences // by shallow15 //------------------------------// If you asked Cosmos Stormking, Director of the Specialized Taskforce Overseeing Remarkable Matters, the secret of his success, he would most likely respond with the phrase “pre-emptive action.” He had started out in the motor pool during his time in the military, then gradually moved up the ranks until he was recruited by military intelligence, thanks to a timely action on Stormking's part that ousted an enemy agent that had managed to infiltrate the ranks during an operation somewhere in Marejevo. Of course, the little detail that said enemy agent also happened to be a fellow soldier who had evidence that Stormking was selling supplies to various black marketeers in the area went uncommented upon at the time. But what did that matter? He was commended for his quick action and soon found himself off the support lines and into intelligence gathering. Much to his delight, he found himself well suited to the way MI operated, especially when it came to the... messier scenarios that needed to be dealt with. He approached them all the same way: assess the situation, determine the root cause, and remove it by any means necessary. His unit quickly developed a reputation for efficiency and speed. And if there happened to be some collateral damage or unintended civilian casualties, it was all in the name of protecting the country's interests abroad, right? By the time he had left the military, he had cultivated a network of contacts all over the Beltway and in nearly every department of government. That had led to a stint with the State Department, then Homeland Security, then, perhaps inevitably, to the DIA. It was while he was there that he discovered the existence of STORM and it's mandate. And as soon as he had, he began making plans to assume control of the taskforce. It took a few years, but eventually, he was able to network, call in favors, place a couple of bribes, and found himself first in an administrative position, then eventually the directorship when the previous director retired. And if the previous director had opted to resign, rather than risk certain compromising photos that happened to be in Stormking's possession going public, well, he should have thought better of visiting those kind of establishments in the first place, shouldn't he? STORM suited Stormking very well. He was a problem solver by nature. And STORM dealt with plenty of problems the way he liked: quickly, silently, and mercilessly. “Pre-emptive action” had managed to keep many of the stranger and more dangerous things that lurked out there beyond civilian notice from becoming imminent dangers to the public. And had also occasionally unearthed some things that the boys in the Defense Department and the Pentagon thought might be useful. There were many high ranking officers and politicians that enjoyed Stormking's largesse when it came to STORM's findings. STORM agents under Stormkings stewardship soon learned his methods. Results were the quickest and most reliable way to promotion in the agency. The more cases closed, the more interesting things found and contained, the happier the Director was. The Director has found himself deliriously happy when Tempest Shadow was recruited to the team. She shared his taste for ruthless efficiency. She closed her cases with amazing speed. Admittedly, she never quite reached a perfect record, but Styormking had been in the game to know that sometimes, bad luck just happened. Bad intel, a craftier than usual target, unexpected mishaps. These were all part of the game. But if you did things right, you could at least minimize them. And Tempest had a knack for that. The Director had taken a personal interest in Tempest. He felt that she might be just the right type of person to take over when it was time for him to leave STORM. Someone who could ensure things would be done the right way, his way, when he was gone. Because Cosmos Stormking had plans. Oh yes. The country needed protection, but constantly defending its borders was a persistent drain on time, personnel, and resources. Much better to take the pre-emptive approach. But to do that, he was going to need to be in a more powerful position, and to do that, he was going to need something spectacular to impress certain people in equally powerful positions. If they were privy to his thoughts, some might have naturally assumed this meant he was considering a run for the Presidency. Stormking scoffed at the very idea. He'd been playing the game long enough to know who really had the power in the nation's capital. There would be time enough to assume public leadership after the dust had settled. And if there were those who objected to a world under Stormking's rule, well, they might find themselves a target of a little “pre-emptive action.” Even if they didn't get it, those who were left behind would. But, that was some time off. Stormking knew this, despite his natural impatience. So, rather than force what he knew couldn't be rushed, he focused on the smaller things he could move along. Such as this nonsense in Canterlot City. Normally, he wouldn't have cared all that much about reports of hybrid horse girls, but the footage he had seen from the mall security cameras told him that whoever these girls were, they had some sort of power. Power that he knew several of his contacts would nbe very interested in putting to work. For the good of national security, of course. Frankly, given what Tempest had reported back to him, he was surprised the city had stayed off his radar for so long. Even so, the last thing he needed was any of this to become more widely known. Right now, even the news media in Canterlot City seemed to be in the dark about the horse girls. No major stories, no half baked conspiracies disguised as human interest pieces, not even a blurry photograph. At least, not until the mall rampage. Could the whole city be in on it? Not the citizens. In Stormking's experience, when presented with something inexplicable, most of humanity would prefer to pretend nothing strange had happened at all, rather than acknowledge anything that challenged their own worldview. But the local government and those affiliated with it? Tempest was certain the two administrators of that high school knew something, and Stormking was inclined to agree with her. There had to be some kind of network protecting those girls. Maybe not a formal conspiracy, like Stormking had both encountered and orchestrated over his career, but a loose collection of people who, for whatever reason, had an interest in making sure these girls' secret stayed a secret. That seemed far more likely. Stormking was startled out of his thoughts by his cell phone buzzing on his desk. He leaned forward and brought up the screen. A text from Tempest had arrived. The current POIs are doing something in the woods out on the edge of the city. Am following. Will report back later with what I find. Stormking smiled. A wide, confident sneer. He was so glad Tempest had finally come into her own after the demise of Agent Drops. It had proved to be the thing which had unlocked her full potential as a field agent. It was a tragedy to lose another agent in the process, of course, but that was the nature of the game. He buzzed for his assistant, demanding his usual afternoon coffee. The bespectacled woman responded with her usual promptness. Another efficient worker in his hive. She hadn't been able to hack it in the field, but Stormking had found her very resourceful and useful in the administrative side of things when Posey had left the position. He glanced up at her as he took the mug. “Send an email to Commander Rampage. Tell him to have his team on standby. We may need them soon.” She nodded. “Where will they be deploying to, sir?” “Canterlot City,” said the Director. He sipped from the mug. “One way or another, we are going to wrap this up tomorrow.” She nodded and turned smartly on her heel, returning to her desk. Stormking watched her go. Efficient, but soft. But she was learning to keep her mouth shut about matters that didn't concern her. Shame Agent Drops wasn't able to learn the same lesson. He sipped his coffee and looked out his office window, watching the sun begin to set over the city. There was still a lot of work to do. There always was. But, for now, he allowed himself a smile of self-satisfaction. Things were proceeding just fine.