Proceeding down Street #6, the clouds gradually start to drizzle. Water droplets fall over your Colors as you continue ambling toward the Institute.

​

You wonder who will be the first to comment on the stain on your Colors. You guess it'll be Observer Daniels from his vigilant perch next to the entrance stairs each morning, but then again Observer Caldwell is notorious for his staunch appreciation for the Guidelines. You dread having to acknowledge your mistake to them.

​

Turning onto Street #11, you find yourself gazing longingly at the Institute's towering spire shrouded partially by clouds. Only the most essential Observers are stationed in the Institute's tower, with the other high-ranking Observers occupying Observatory #2 in Old Square and Observatory #3 in the Outlying Lands.

​

"Watch it!" yells an elderly man, suddenly colliding into you with his chest. The man is walking with two young girls, and they all sport the golden Colors of the United Covenant.

​

"Or what? Don't make threats you can't keep, old man! Fucking mistake," you call out as the family continues past you.​ Upon hearing your retort, the man quickens his pace to the point he's nearly jogging. You laugh at his inability to defend himself, yet feel an ounce of frustration that your disagreement didn't turn violent as you had hoped.

​

Shaking your head, you curse the man audibly as you come-upon the front facade of the Institute. You ascend the entrance stairs quickly, hardly allowing your feet to touch one step before striding for the next. Once at the top, you proceed toward the set of double-doors in front of you, catching a glimpse of Observer Daniels out of the corner of your eye. Ignoring his eye contact, you continue on your path. You've never been eager about owning your wrongs.

 

Right as you grip the door handle, a hand squeezes firmly on your shoulder. "Good morning. Have we forgotten the Guidelines today, Josiah Henry? It would truly upset me to begin this glorious morning disciplining you for forgetting Guideline 6C regarding daily upkeep of your Colors."

​

Turning to face Observer Daniels, you menace an apology through your teeth. "I apologize, Observer Daniels. I was careless with my Colors. Believe me, I'm as upset as you are. It won't happen again."

​

"It most certainly will not," he repeats loudly, before pausing again. "I am glad to hear you are addressing this breach of Guidelines most seriously."

​

"Of course, Observer Daniels, I always do," you explain. Before proceeding inside, you catch him crack a wide smile at your last statement.

​

​

 

Inside the sprawling second floor of the Institute, you head directly to your classroom with Observer Carrow. As far as Observers go, Carrow is one of your favorites. Boasting hawkish eyes and a notoriously short temper, Observer Carrow refuses to ever waste a lesson. You think that more Observers should be like him—strong, rigid, and unforgiving. You enjoy his daily lessons and constant drilling of knowledge.

 

Today, Carrow starts by concluding yesterday's lesson regarding the history of the Organization, before launching into a lesson on the role of the Organization in The Society.

​

"The Organization is entirely dedicated to upholding our great Society. They defend us from the rest of this horrible world, and they ensure the continued existence of both the United Covenant and the Consolidated Coalition," he bellows. "As an impartial entity, they seek to enforce the Guidelines to the letter."

​

Listening intently, you manage to note every single point Carrow makes in today's lesson. You refuse to be ignorant about any single aspect of your Colors.

​

​

 

After Carrow gives a comprehensive overview of the Organization's place in the Outlying Lands, a Communicator abruptly sounds off on the ceiling, dismissing you from the Institute for the day. As usual, you glance around to locate Matlock.

​

"So when are we stopping-by this Event of Pride tonight?" you ask him, approaching his desk on the opposite side of the classroom.

​

"Xavier and I were saying we should go now. I wanna get there early so we can throw stones at those fucking idiots before their little Event kicks-off," he exclaims, motioning to his pocket overflowing with round stones.

​

Your eyes immediately light-up. You've been looking forward to this Event the whole day. "Why are we still standing around then—let's leave," you say to him.

​

"Ever eager, huh Josiah?" Matlock retorts.

​

"You know, unlike you and Xavier, I genuinely enjoy beating the shit out of these losers."

​

Matlock laughs with glee. "I think I knocked out more of them at the last Event of Pride than you have in your entire life."

​

"Oh, bullshit. We both know I sent those two kids to the hospital last time. Either way, we'll correct that tonight," you laugh maniacally.

​

​

 

Once outside the Institute, you, Xavier, and Matlock speed down Street #8 toward Old Square. As you cross onto Street #8, Old Square comes into view. At the end of the street, the alley opens up to a massive cobblestone plaza almost entirely surrounded by the sprawling campus of Observatory #2. Alongside the observatory is a row of tiny shops huddled together.

​

Motioning toward one of the shops in the distance, Xavier speaks-up, breaking the momentary silence. "See that run-down bakery? There's a stairwell there we can access that'll take us onto the roof," he explains. "From there, we should be able to hit at least a half dozen of these Covenant shits before they overrun us."

​

"Works for me," Matlock replies.

​

"Perfect," you state affirmatively.

​

​

​

Approaching the golden mob gathering in Old Square, you avoid making eye contact with any of the golden Colors. Individually, none of them intimidate you. But, amassed together at least fifty golden Colors deep, they represent a force.

​

Disregarding the golden Colors vigilantly eyeing you, Xavier, and Matlock, you follow Xavier to a side entrance of the bakery. Trying the handle, Xavier curses aloud when it refuses to turn.

 

"Gonna need you to shoulder this thing, Matlock," he resigns, side-stepping out of the way. Shoving his hulking frame against the door, Matlock rams himself against the door twice before the door shoots open, the lock crashes onto the tile floor.

​

You follow Xavier and Matlock into the stairwell. From atop the stairs, you come upon a dilapidated storage closet. The blue-striped wallpaper is  peeling, and miscellaneous maintenance tools litter the linoleum. In the corner lies a cardboard star cutout painted an unappealing mix of red and white shades. You ignore the random assortment of items and point toward the suspended ladder leading to the roof.

 

"Onward and upward," you mention off-hand to Xavier and Matlock.

​

Reaching the top of the ladder, you lift the ceiling exit and find yourself atop the bakery. Just as Xavier said, you have an ideal vantage point of the entire crowd of golden Colors.

​

"These fools will never know what hit 'em," Matlock says, erupting into a fit of laughter. He hands you a fistful of stones from his pocket, before doing the same with Xavier. You follow Matlock to the edge of the roof, gazing down at the oblivious bystanders below. This is too easy, you chuckle to yourself, and begin to cock your arm back.

​

Suddenly, a loud crash emerges below you, almost shaking the entire building. Your arm drops to your side, as if on instinct. "What the fuck was that?" Xavier cries out, gazing back at the ceiling exit.

​

"Should we go check?" Matlock asks unsure. They both turn toward you to decide whether to return downstairs and check-on the noise or to begin your assault on the Covenant's Event of Pride.

​

​