Law Of Conformity: Equilibrium

Arkham was just relieved that she had responded to him at all. He felt like laughing, but now wasn't the time. When he went back to his temporary place of residence later, he could laugh about it then as he went over the details of the day. He nodded to her and distanced himself from her making sure to add an extra foot to the distance she had mentioned. And so they could walk along, side by side, but with a pretty big gap between them.

"I appreciate you indulging me, Miss Eternal," he said, some of his relief seeping through his words. "My name is Dr. Arkham Goodenough, since you didn't get much of a proper introduction back there. You can just call me Ark though if you want." He paused. "So, has music been something you've been interested in your whole life? You seem rather dedicated to it, almost as if you've always aspired to be a musician. Did you ever have anything else in mind?" Arkham knew most people go through changes on what they want to do. He remembered himself back at around six years old wanting to be a meteorologist, but that dream obviously changed. He wondered if the same had happened to Sariska.

"Very well, Ark," Sariska said, accepting his offer to call him as such. She listened to his questions and paused for a moment to think about them. She would need to give her answer carefully, so as to not contradict herself accidentally. Sariska did intend to answer the question though, Ark seemed to be different from the other woman, much gentler with his words and actions.

"I've been interested in music for as long as I can remember," Sariska finally replied, "Music can do things that nothing else can. Music has emotion, it has personality, it even has a conscience. To be a part of music is to be a part of a community of people who understand and acknowledge each other. Music is the only way people can be different. Even with the Law of Conformity, it isn't possible to hide emotion in your music. When a musician plays an instrument, either alone or with a group, they are shouting to the world their defiance, their uniqueness, their humanity."

Sariska paused again, to let what she had just said sink in and simmer for a bit. She also needed to calm herself down. Talking about music always got her riled up, as if someone were prodding her with a red-hot stick. After a little while, Sariska decided to answer Ark's other question. "As for other things that I had an interest in, I did plan on joining the military around this time. My entire family has served the country of America. Most of them became high-ranking officers of the army or navy." Sariska frowned a bit. She then added with a sour tone, "I also wanted to study psychology so I can understand what goes on in my insane little sister's head, if anything at all."

Sariska looked forward. Her apartment was in sight now, they were getting very close. "Are there any other questions you have for me, Ark?"

Arkham smiled as Sariska actually answered his questions. He was pleasantly surprised. What the girl said seemed to strike home to him; she was right about music. What's more is that he knew that it wasn't just music that carried emotion. Most of the arts in general had emotion behind them, hidden messages that only those with understanding hearts could feel. He only thought that because the arts were still allowed under the Law of Conformity, so whoever established that law must be heartless.

"Ah, your apartment building, Miss Eternal?" he asked rhetorically, gesturing to the building they were getting closer to. He stopped in his tracks and bowed his head to her. "I forgot it was so close." A laugh escaped him. "I believe I'll hold any other questions so you can carry on with whatever business you have planned. I thank you for at least allowing me a chance. You know as well as I that we will be seeing each other again. I'll make it my mission to make the meeting a bit more pleasant."

With that, he pulled out his phone. There was a message from one of his coworkers concerning an experiment he had left behind before venturing to New York on his organization task; it wasn't that important. He figured he'd got to his hotel room and call Aurielle then to give her an update.

"Well, I suppose I bid you a good day, Miss Eternal. It was lovely meeting you. Do take care of yourself now, you hear?" He winked at her and turned on his heel to walk down a different street. It wouldn't take him directly where he wanted to go, but it was...oh. It wasn't a great day for a walk. Arkham shook his head. Gah, what was I thinking? Oh well. This way I can stop at the McDonald's and pick something up for lunch I guess, he thought.

Sariska watched for only a few moments as Ark left her to go another direction. She expected as much, they still wouldn't approach her by coming to her apartment. It seems that, for now, they were going to avoid coming to her apartment until Sariska started showing them more defiance. Sariska turned towards her apartment door and unlocked it.

The moment Sariska had opened the door, a flash of pink and brown suddenly came rushing at her. As a reflect, Sariska quickly moved to the side. The pink and brown blur was thrown out the door and skidded to a stop on the sidewalk. "Owie!" Sariska's little sister cried out, rubbing her forehead. Sariska ignored the girl and went inside, closing the door after her. "That's not funny, Star!" Chloe shouted, running up to the apartment and banging on the door. "Let me in!"

"The door is open, Chloe. Let yourself in," Sariska replied casually, making her way into the small bathroom. "I'm taking a shower, so don't disturb me."

"You should take showers as soon as you wake up!" Chloe shot back, "It helps you stay awake!"

"That's what coffee is for," Sariska said, closing the bathroom door.

It was still pretty early in the morning, though the streets were a tad less crowded as Arkham drew nearer to the more busy part of the city. Most people had already checked in to their jobs and were working the same number of hours as everyone else. Oh, how it had to suck to be them. Arkham strolled along the sidewalk dodging the monotonous people as he went. He thought about how his job allowed him leverage. Technically, he was working, since he left an experiment behind that he had to keep a constant check on. So he was doing his work, just from far away. Still managed to meet his quota in terms of the same number of hours that his coworkers had to work.

"Excuse me, ma'am. I believe you dropped this," he said suddenly, bending over to pick up a pair of sunglasses from off the sidewalk, handing them to a young woman who had passed him. She expressed her thanks and went on her way as did Arkham. It didn't take him long to find a McDonald's. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything signature about it anymore. It was just another burger joint. Fast Food Restaurant A102-8. All the food was the same as any other place. He walked through the front doors and waited in line. The place was pretty busy; that much would never change no matter what the law was.

"Welcome to our fast food restaurant, sir. May I take your order?" the cashier spoke to him as he made it to the front of the line.

"That you can, good man," Arkham replied with a smile. "I'll just take two sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits, please." He pulled out his wallet as the cashier rang it up.

"That'll be $2.06," he said, taking the three dollars Arkham gave him and handed him back the change. "It should be ready momentarily. Your number will be 78."

Hearing that, Arkham stepped to the side. In a couple of minutes, his food was ready. He grabbed the tray and found a table to sit down at alone. It was right by a window so he could look out at the street which just so happened to be a dreary sight. However, it was better than staring at a wall. Arkham savored the flavor of his food, taking a big bite out of one of his biscuits. At least it was good food. He whipped out his phone and glanced at the message concerning his experiment. Apparently, it was just an update notifying that nothing bad had happened and that it was still underway. He set the phone down next to his tray and thought about Aurielle. What a hasty girl...

After her shower, Sariska returned to her usual routine of preparing herself for the rest of the day. She didn't have a day job or anything like that, her musical career paid for her daily needs. The Law of Conformity prevented anyone from having more money than anyone else, so they were all given a day's wage in the mail and were supposed to either spend it or let it expire. Money these days was in the form of a small card. The card had an internal memory which held a record of a certain amount of money for a single day. Anyone with a mailbox got a card. The card's internal memory kept track of how much money the user spent during the day, and if they went over a certain amount, the card would immediately transfer that information to the Continental Financial Institute, the distributors of that card, and they would dock the appropriate amount of cash from the next day's card, which was fairly dangerous for the user of the card.

Of course, paper money and coins are still used, one simply had to extract the money using an ATM. People who preferred to use simple bills rather than the cards would normally do this. Each bill is printed out as soon as the card is swiped, and that bill also expires when the day ends. Sariska hated to admit it, but this method of conforming money wasn't all that bad. They managed to eliminate some theft from using this sort of method, but they couldn't give this card to everyone, because not everyone has a mailbox of their own. Chloe, for example.

Although she lived with Sariska, Chloe did not have a mailbox, because she was not supposed to be living with Sariska in the first place. Chloe lived off of her sister, and although it may not be accepted, there was no one who cold prevent them from living together (much to Sariska's annoyance).

Sariska sat down on the armchair in her living room, a steaming mug of hot coffee in her hands. She wore another pair of her anti-conformist street clothes now, which didn't differ too much from her outfit from this morning. Sariska took a sip of her coffee and glanced at the clock hanging on her wall. 9:45 am. There was still a lot of time left in the day. Sariska let out a sigh, which attracted Chloe into the room. Chloe was wearing a pink T-shirt and blue jean shorts. Her amber hair practically glowed with life, unlike Sariska's messy blond hair.

"What's wrong, Star? I heard you sighing," Chloe asked, her head tilted to the side.

"It's nothing, just..." Sariska hesitated, she didn't want to tell Chloe what had happened to her this morning, partly because it was Chloe. "I was approached by a strange duo today outside of Uncle's pharmaceutical store."

"Oh really?" Chloe moved around and sat down on the wooden rocking chair adjacent to the coffee table that lay in the center of the living room. "What were they doing there?" Chloe asked, intrigued.

Sariska frowned, taking another sip of her coffee, ignoring that it was still too hot. She placed down her mug on the table in front of her and sighed again. "Well," Sariska began, "at first I walked around them, since I was just thinking that it was an accident, but then the two of them started to follow me, so I ran."

"Then what? Did they manage to catch up with you?" Chloe asked again, Sariska shot Chloe a glare that made her make a zipping motion over her lips with her hand, and nodded. After that, Sariska began to explain what Aurielle had said to her. She even went through what she had replied with. Then Sariska told Chloe of what Ark had said and asked of Sariska. Once Sariska finished explaining, she made an unzipping motion towards Chloe's lips with her own fingers, showing that Chloe was allowed to speak again.

"Wow, that's really something," Chloe offered helpfully. "I think that woman you met is misunderstanding something though."

Sariska raised an eyebrow, she had not caught onto that at all. Chloe was better at this sort of psychology stuff than her anyway. Chloe seemed to be deep in thought now, her eyes were looking down at the table. "You said that they knew your name without you telling them, right? Well, if that's the case then they have obviously done their research on you. But even I know that no amount of research can ever show anyone who you really are. That's how unique you are, Star. Don't let them get to you!" Chloe offered a huge smile to Sariska, "Just do great in your next concert, that's the only thing you need to worry about!"

Finished with his meal, Arkham had decided to sit back and play a little Tetris on his phone. There was no telling what was going on in Aurielle's mind at the moment, but he didn't think she would be in the mood to talk about anything that had happened that morning. He quit his game, not even close to his high score, and checked the time. It was nearing 10 a.m. already. He stood up and tossed his trash in the receptacle before taking a deep breath and walking outside.

The morning was still as chill as it had been a few hours ago. The weather was still deplorable. It wasn't raining, but the dark clouds overhead were a constant threat, capable of unleashing their contents upon the citizens below at any time. Arkham sighed and began to walk his way towards the hotel he was staying at: Lodgings A794-1. "How creative," he thought to himself and laughed as he entered the lobby of the hotel. It wasn't as swanky as it had used to be; all hotels had either been reduced or upgraded to an average as most other establishments had. It wasn't a bad thing.

Arkham waved to the receptionist who just bowed her head slightly and smiled as he made his way to the elevator. It was already on the ground floor so he hopped right on it and pressed 8 on the panel. There was no music to accompany the ride up, so he just hummed a tune himself before stepping off upon reaching his floor. He inserted his keycard to unlock the door to room 807 and closed it behind him, the automatic lock making a 'click' sound. Strolling over to the bed, he removed his phone from his pocket and collapsed back onto it. He could see his laptop charging on the glass table nearby.

"I wonder if Aurielle would be up for a little date?" he asked himself aloud with a sly smile, thinking of booking some tickets in an attempt to get another 'chance' meeting with Miss Eternal.

Sariska's cell phone suddenly started blasting her ringtone in the air, giving both Star and Chloe a slight shock. Sariska reached into her pocket, flipped her phone open, and said, "It's Star, talk to me."

"Star! Emergency band meeting! Two minutes! Get your lazy butt down here with your guitar and everything! We have songs to rehearse!" Click. Sariska sat there, motionless, her eyes looking at the cellphone that was just inches from her ear. It was one of her fellow band members. Sariska was technically the leader, but their vocalist, Tammy, was much better at getting them together.

Sariska sighed, getting up. "Chloe, don't do anything stupid today," Sariska ordered, picking up her keys and guitar, slinging the ladder over her shoulder. Sariska quickly left out the door, leaving Chloe to care for the apartment they lived in. Sariska bounded down several flights of stairs before reaching her car, which was a bright red color. She put the guitar inside the trunk, made sure that the amp was still there, then got in the front seat herself. The sound-proof windows of her small car remained closed, because when she turned on her car, music blasted out of the stereo and rang through the entirety of the inside of the small car. It was her own band's music, which to her, sounded the same as every other band.

That would change very, very soon.

~

Sariska pulled into the large, empty garage and got out of the car. She began setting up the equipment next to the instruments that were already there. She scanned the present instruments. A drum, a keyboard, and a microphone for the vocalist were set up already, however the bass guitar was not there, as usual.

Sariska walked over to a door that lead into the main house, which was fairly large. The house was abandoned by it's previous owners so that bands like Sariska's could practice without bothering the neighbors, who were also not there. Every band had a separate location as to where they may practice, and it was usually in the abandoned cities or towns that were too "diverse" to be accepted in the new world order.

The band vocalist (Tammy), however, was disobeying that rule and lived inside the house with her brother and his gay lover.

"I'm coming in," Sariska announced, entering through the door and into the house. She quickly stepped out of the short hallway and into the living room area. The television was set to the news channel, where a reporter was standing in front of a very large building, most likely a laboratory of some sort. On the sofa sat Tammy and her brother, along with the keyboard and drum players, Paige and Kenneth. Tammy was a thin, white-skinned woman about the same age as Sariska. She also wore suggestive clothing like Sariska, only not in the layers that Sariska had. Instead Tammy wore tight jean shorts and a very small tank top. She looked like a 16-year-old girl in that outfit, thanks to her baby-face as well, but she was actually a few months older than Sariska.

Paige was a thicker, white-skinned woman, who was a few years older than Sariska and Tammy. She was wearing a beautiful, velvet dress today. Her delicate hands sat gently on her knee, which was lying on top of her other knee. Next to her was Kenneth, the only male player in their band. Kenneth had his arm wrapped around Paige's shoulders. He wore street clothes, like most of the band did, only he wasn't as suggestive about it. A plain T-shit accompanies by ripped jeans.

When Sariska had entered, the news report had only just started. She took a look and listened in.

...The authorities to protect the peace have been looking for, has finally shown up on their radar. Many men and woman are going in now to search the facility and eliminate any hostiles and capture the traitors to this era of peace.

Thank you, reporter. It still amazes me that people are still fighting against the new world order. It is a good thing that the secret organization has been found out. Soon we will truly enter a world where no one will reject us...

Sariska stopped listening, walking towards the others on the sofa. She reached down and snatched the remote, then turned off the television. "Come on guys," Sariska said, now that she had their attention, "we came here for practice, not to watch the news channel."

"It's over Star," Tammy replied, glaring at her, "the big organization that was in charge of that whole anti-conformist riot was caught. Why even bother?"

Sariska rolled her eyes, frustrated at them. "Do you honestly believe that the organization is actually in that building? What kind of idiots hides out in a enormous laboratory five minutes away from civilization?! If you ask me, they're still out there somewhere, and no authority will ever capture them just by looking in those giant labs. Now get up and move your asses into the garage!"

Arkham closed his laptop and got up to place it back on the glass table. He had messed around playing Bejeweled, but finallly managed to get focused and book the tickets for that weekend. He was about to pick up his phone to call Aurielle when it started vibrating and playing some monotonous little jingle that was the default ring tone for the phone.

"Dr. Goodenough speaking. How may I help you?" he spoke into the phone formally.

"Woooah, lighten up there, Ark. It's me. Roger Hallister," the voice on the other end responded causing Arkham to grin widely.

"Well, if it isn't good ol' Rog. What's up?" Arkham replied, his tone lighthearted realizing it was one of his friends from the organization.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to see how it went with that Chloe Eternal girl or whatever."

Arkham smiled uneasily and wiped his brow. "Well, she's..."

Roger chuckled. "She's as fiesty as we predicted, right?"

"Of course not. She's just the kind of girl to take crap and run with it. I mean, how would you feel if a couple of strangers approached you and started talking nonsense, especially if one of those strangers happened to be Aurielle?" Arkham posed his question in a serious tone, despite the fact it was supposed to be a joke.

"Oh damn, man. You got Clain as your partner? I'd be hightailin' it across the country if I ran into her in a dark alleyway."

"Then you see my point," Arkham said, finally breaking down with a laugh.

"So what're you gonna try next?"

"I booked some tickets for her next concert this Saturday in Atlanta. I'm taking Ms. Clain as my lady of the evening," he explained, holding his sides from having to stifle a huge laugh. "I was....just about to call her--"

"By all means, man. Have at it. Take care of yourself now, you hear?" Roger interjected before Arkham could finish. He hung up before Arkham could even say goodbye.

Arkham sighed and dialed Aurielle's number. It was for the mission, so it's not like it would be difficult to ask her.

Arkham smiled uneasily on his end upon hearing Aurielle's voice. He could never tell what she was thinking with a tone like that; it worried him from time to time, but it was pretty easy to tell when she was truly angry, so he wasn't about freak out now. Still, what he thought wouldn't be an intimidating chat just so happened to be transmogrifying into one.

"Ahem, y-yeah. Aurielle, it's Ark, though you...probably already knew that, right?" he started, only to wind up laughing. What was he getting so flustered about? He thought back to the Starbuck's this morning and relaxed. "Anyway, enough of the silliness. Since our attempt this morning was a failure, I figured I'd take iniative and scope out an opportunity for the next attempt."

From Aurielle's end, he could hear something. He turned around and looked out the window to find that it was pouring down rain, flashes of lightning appearing every so often. How had he been so unobservant? Ah, yes. Between Bejeweled and securing the tickets for the concert and their flight to Atlanta, he had been drawn into something like his own little world. He trailed off in his thoughts, but quickly shook his head when he realized he was still on the phone with Aurielle.

"Anyway, I was hoping that, well, you and me could go see Miss Eternal's next concert this Saturday in Atlanta. It's a direct flight from here to there, so we can depart this Friday and just stay overnight, maybe get a chance to become familiar with the area....and, well, perhaps get something to eat?" he explained and chuckled. "I already booked the tickets, and I'm going regardless. I figured you wouldn't say no since we're partners and all, but it's not just that. Being in the organization while maintaining normal life can be a bit taxing. So, why not enjoy the job that we're doing? I think we can wind up having a good time, though we'll have to make sure not to shirk the task at hand. How does that sound?"

"We're doing it again," Sariska said, practically glaring at the other members of the band. They had all gotten up and started practicing, which is what they had gone there for. Sariska felt that the practice wasn't really necessary, but since the others had given up on the plan for Atlanta, Sariska thought that punishment was in order, so she was forcing them to practice over and over again until she was satisfied with the results.

"Star, we've already played through those five songs like...20 times already," Tammy complained, her voice sounding a little hoarse. Sariska noticed Tammy's voice and immediately grabbed a water bottle and threw it at Tammy's head. The woman practically shrieked and ducked out of the way. The water bottle hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Tammy looked up at Sariska, her expression showing fear and shock.

"That's rich, coming from the person who called me here," Sariska snapped, still in a foul mood. "Get that water bottle and clear out your throat. We're resuming in two minutes."

"Okay, okay!" Tammy said quickly, trying not to anger Sariska again and picking up the water bottle. She took a sip of it and nearly gagged. "This water is warm!" Tammy coughed. Apparently she wasn't expecting room-temperature water to go down her throat. Tammy stared at Sariska in shock, "Do you ever have cold drinks?" She asked, astounded.

"No," was Sariska's reply. "The human body absorbs liquid much more efficiently when it's room temperature. You're a vocalist, I thought you knew that? Stop complaining and drink."

Tammy complied, albeit a little reluctantly. She must have preferred cold drinks, like most of the population. Sariska strove to be different, and in a lot of ways, that made her much healthier than most others. Sariska picked up a handkerchief and wiped her brow, only now noticing the sweat that was forming there. She looked at the others for a second to observe how they were doing. Kenneth and Paige were stretching their arms and wrists, looking a bit sore at the moment, but they didn't dare say anything. Their bass player had finally arrived as well, but she seemed perfectly fine.

The bass player was by far the youngest member of their band. She was the only one who couldn't drink yet, but she was still legal at the age of 19. Her name was Amber, and she was by far the most calm and collected member. She had a tendency to wear gothic clothing and make-up, though, which gave her a dark, ominous look all of the time. She never smiled and she hardly ever talked. The only reason Amber had joined the band was because she wanted a chance to perform on stage in front of thousands of people.

Tammy gave a little cough, bringing Sariska's attention back to her. "Well? Are you ready for round twenty-one or not?" Sariska asked impatiently, glaring at Tammy. Tammy paused for a second, not looking at Sariska at all. She seemed to be thinking hard about something.

Tammy took a deep breath, turned around, and said something so quickly, Sariska could barely comprehend it. Sariska glared at the girl, who flinched in response, then repeated what she had said, only slower. "I think that we've done enough practicing, Star. We've done all five songs perfectly twelve times in a row, so I don't think we need to worry about it any more!"

Sariska stared at Tammy, as if what she had just said broke a cardinal rule of the band itself. Then she sighed, taking off her guitar and laying it on it's stand. "Fine, I'm satisfied with out progress so far," Sariska said. The entire band seemed to sigh with relief (besides Amber). "But remember this!" Sariska suddenly added, causing most of the band to flinch, "We are going to Atlanta with only one purpose: To remove this damned law that prevents us from being who we truly are."

Sariska glared at the other band members, then took her guitar and amp, put them into her car, and drove away, leaving the band behind to do whatever it was that they were going to do.

Sariska sat down in the room that was provided to her by the hosts of the theater that she and the rest of her band would be performing in. It was early in the morning, but she had to arrive a day early in order for their entire band to prepare for the upcoming concert. Sariska had hardly any time to sight-see in Atlanta, but she wasn't planning on it anyway. In the room given to her, Sariska was provided with all of the essentials for her concert: make-up, clothes, and a small guitar tuner. Sariska was busy with her electric guitar at the moment, cleaning it with care. She didn't want the strings to snap during the concert, and clearing away all the dust would help give the guitar a greater presence on stage.

A knock on her door caused Sariska to look up from her work. The door opened and the vocalist, Tammy, walked in. After receiving a disapproving glare from Sariska, Tammy quickly turned and closed the door behind her.

"Star, we need to talk," Tammy said.

"Obviously, otherwise you wouldn't have come in here," Sariska replied coldly, returning to cleaning her guitar.

"Well, we - I mean the others and I - have been thinking about this upcoming concert. Are you really sure that we're ready to do this?" Tammy asked, twiddling her fingers behind her back, looking down at the ground, as if she were ashamed of what she had just said. Sariska sighed in response. She placed her guitar on its stand and stood up.

"Bring the others in here," Sariska told Tammy, who quickly left to do so. In the meantime, Sariska picked up her acoustic guitar and threw the strap over her shoulder. Sariska ignored the guitar tuner and did the tuning herself, measuring the pitch to her specifications. Tammy soon returned with the rest of the band in tow.

"Okay, we're all here," Tammy said, "So what is your motivational speech this time, Star?"

Sariska ignored Tammy and simply struck a chord on her guitar, making one final check to see if it was correct. Sariska looked up at the group then, and began playing. She immediately caught their attention and listened to her play and sing. Even the one who showed the least amount of emotion, Amber, seemed shocked by Sariska's playing.

The song was over before anyone could say anything. Sariska removed the guitar from her shoulders and placed it back down, then looked back up at the band. "That is why we're here. Alright?" Sariska asked, her gaze turning into a glare. The rest of the band nodded in unison, it seemed that they finally understood. "Good. Then we'll all be ready to play at 6 tonight, right?" The band nodded again, "In that case, get out of my room and make preparations."

Arkham had put the finishing touches on his outfit for the concert which was unbelievably professional for such a casual occasion. He donned a black suit and black dress pants, complete with the snazzy black dress shoes as well. A white button up, collared shirt, ironed and wrinkle-free, rested beneath the suit with a vibrant red tie attached to it like a parasite. The doctor's hair was full of mousse and brushed so it would remain intact throughout the crazy night. He felt like a man on a mission, though he questioned himself on whether or not it would be the proper thing to wear. He felt right in it, and he didn't feel like Aurielle was one to dress too casually either. Speaking of which...

Closing the door to his hotel room and locking it with his keycard, he walked to the room next door and gently rapped upon its door. Room 807. His was room 809. Room 806 was across the hall between the two odd-numbered room. He hated that configuration and laughed at his own petty thought. "Aurielle, are you ready? The concert's gonna start soon. We want to get there early even though we're ensured good seats with these tickets I bought. Third row. Right up close to the action. Do you need some more time? Just tell me if you do...," he called out, just loudly enough for her to hear. He didn't want to disturb anyone else on their floor. He trailed off at the end though as he realized he was rambling.

Sheesh, Ark. Let the woman answer, he thought to himself, chuckling nervously, a look of uneasiness upon his face. Just have to play it cool. It's bound to be an awesome concert, even if we don't manage to achieve much tonight, he continued thinking to himself whilst awaiting Aurielle's answer, his heart slowing a bit. He felt a bit more calm now.

As the rest of the band left Sariska's room, she put down her acoustic guitar and returned to her own preparations. She soon left her room and locked the door tightly. If something were to happen to their equipment, the entire concert would be ruined. Hopefully none of the incompetent room keepers would mess with her things. Sariska had already thought of what she would do to any room keeper she found in her room, and it was not pretty.

"No one will interfere," Sariska uttered under her breath.

Sariska stepped out onto the stage, looking over the place momentarily. The theater was by no means small, it was able to hold up to ten thousand people on the ground floor alone, and there were multiple floors where the audience would be able to sit. At the moment, no one was in the theater except Sariska and some of the band equipment.

Sariska moved to the center of the stage, where the vocalist usually stood. Tonight, that spot would not be occupied by just the vocalist, Sariska would also be standing there to perform. "This concert may be my last one," Sariska thought to herself, placing her hands on the microphone stand.

"You are Miss Sariska, correct?" a voice called out, echoing through the theater. Sariska turned her head to look at the person who was calling her. A man wearing a black suit and sunglasses stood next to the large, black curtains, almost blending in.

"What does an old officer of security of the Eternal family have to talk with me about?" Sariska asked, seeing through the man's guise. "You were disbanded when the Law of Conformity was established. You shouldn't have anything to deal with me."

"Contrary to your beliefs, the Eternal family never gave in to the Law of Conformity," the man stated frankly, his expression remained unchanged.

"Contrary to your beliefs," Sariska snapped, glaring at the man, "I never believed that in the first place. So? What does mother want with me this time?"

"My mistress - your mother - has decided upon the person you will marry. The traditions of the Eternal family will be upheld, no matter what law is placed upon civilization." The man took a few steps closer to Sariska, talking as he approached her. "You are to come with me immediately, to meet this person. Preparations have already been ma-ARGH!"

The officer of the Eternal family security had been suddenly thrown onto his back the moment he had gotten close to Sariska. Sariska flipped him over and forcefully bent his arms and legs up, grabbing the nearest wire and hog-tying him. "In case you haven't noticed," Sariska began, giving one final tug on the wire, "I don't plan on going back there right now. I have something to do here, and I will not leave until it is completed, understand?"

"If I do not return with you in an hour, your mother will send another," the man said, already trying to get out of his bonds. Sariska kicked him.

"In that case she'd better send an army!" Sariska declared, her eyes alight with a terrible fire, "I will not leave this place until I have done what I have come to do!" With that, Sariska grabbed the man and hefted him over her shoulder, carrying him away. She would lock him in a closet and undo the wiring there. "Stay in here. If you come out, I'll paralyze you. Permanently," Sariska growled, slamming the closet door and locking it behind her.

Arkham had to rush after Aurielle to make it to the elevator on time. He smiled uneasily to himself as the doors closed. Ah, she's...just in a hurry to listen to some good music? he thought to himself, though posed it as a question. Looking over at her rather stoic expression, he realized that probably wasn't the case. Regardless, he just kept his mind off of it by thinking about Sariska. As the elevator reached the ground floor and the duo departed the hotel, he remembered that she probably wouldn't be too pleased to see them. Arkham called a cab and the driver whisked them away to the place where the concert was to be held: Stadium 1099-AT. Charming, Arkham had thought drolly to himself upon exiting the taxi and paying the driver only to see the rather plain and boring sign stating the name on the front of the rather large building. It was sure to hold tons of seats and a stage within, along with back rooms for the performers to prep before playing.

The line was pretty orderly for something such as a concert, but Arkham was pleased when the so-called 'bouncer' asked for their tickets. It took but a second for the production, and after appearing satisfied, allowed Arkham and Aurielle to pass. They were just typical music buffs, after all. They found their way to their seats in the third row. The seats were in good condition, and Arkham sighed as he made himself comfortable. There were a lot of people in the place, many were already standing, so excited to hear the music they just couldn't sit still. Echoes of murmur and constant babble filled the air, and Arkham tried to catch bits and pieces of conversations only to fail miserably. It was just too much for the poor guy to handle.

"How about a backstage visit to our lovely Miss Eternal after the show's over? That might require a bit of sneaking; I didn't have enough money for VIP passes," he suggested, explaining his rather unfortunate predicament, trying to pass it off as a humorous matter with a nervous laugh. "At least the operation would be a bit more exciting that way. Security doesn't look too tight around this place anyway; I guess there really isn't a need for it. The only ones after Sariska happen to be us, and we don't mean her any harm." He thought for a moment, and something had came to mind, but he brushed it off as something silly.

Sariska took a peek out of the stage curtains, eyeing the crowd. All of the seats she could see were filled. Good, that would make her life much easier. The less people who saw her concert on television and the more who saw it here and now, the better. The media was controlled by those who wished to keep the crowds silent. But with Sariska's new army of the future, she would lead them back into the right era. To appeal to such a young group was originally Chloe's idea, and Sariska liked it.

Sariska moved back and walked over to where she would be standing for the first part of the concert. The rest of the band had already gathered there in preparation for the soon-to-be live concert. Sariska gave them a look of absolute confidence and gratitude, without them she would have never made it so far.

"To think, that this war is nearly over," Sariska spoke, loud enough for the rest of the band to hear over the noise of the audience. "Would be incorrect. In fact, this war is only just beginning, and it begins with this concert. For too long now, we've been subject to the Law of Equilibrium. I've told all of you how much it means to me, to get rid of this abomination of a law. And you decided to help me complete my goal." Sariska bowed her head to the band, pausing for only a moment before saying, "Thank you."

Sariska pulled herself back up and picked up her electric guitar, "Enough chatter now, let's get this concert started!" Sariska slammed down on the strings, her chords reverberating through the air and silencing the audience for just a moment before they erupted with glee. The band quickly followed Sariska's example and the first song was on it's way.

Arkham's eye twitched slightly as Aurielle spoke to him in a manner he...wasn't quite used to, to say the least. Yikes, he thought, coughing as it passed through his mind. Aurielle had finished her rather...intriguing commentary on the situation at hand. "I do appreciate that you're definitely 'in it to win it', Aurielle, but do try to keep your calm," he assured her. "Your hostile approach will only drive her away....." Here, he paused and stifled himself from saying the next part. Or have her wind up in a body bag, he thought grimly, looking at the stage after seeing the curtains move a bit. It looked as if someone was eyeing the crowd from behind, but he couldn't tell clearly who it was. Probably just one of the band members, or Miss Eternal herself. He didn't care. He was just glad to have a distraction from Aurielle because she was frankly creeping him out, not that he shouldn't be used to it by now.

"I think the show's starting. The people will silence themselves after the show's over, so don't do anything rash in the meantime," he quipped to his partner, his rather nonchalant and slightly humorous demeanor returning as it normally did. He figured it was the best way to handle people like Aurielle. Just act like you're unfazed and...well, whatever. He didn't know what he was trying to accomplish. Probably to prevent the woman from gunning down the entire place like a terrorist or something. As if our organization didn't have a bad enough rep, going against the conformity. It's such a bad thing and we're such violent people. Psh, he thought, mostly thinking of himself and some of the colleagues he knew rather well within the organization. Of course, only some were non-violent. Others...he questioned why they were even allowed to serve the purpose. Biggest example, he thought in his mind, glancing briefly at Aurielle and giving her a bright smile.

After the light show, the band began to play their songs, one after the other, giving no introduction to the concert, as Sariska wanted to save that until before the last song, her song. The crowd, restrained by the laws of conformity, could only get to such a high pitch of cheering, but that was enough for the band. They continued to play, to please their "fans" who were forced to like nearly every genre of music.

But Sariska knew, there was one song that could tie them together. Her song was the only one that could break the law of conformity once and for all. And if it didn't work, no song would ever work, for the police force in charge of keeping the law of conformity would make sure that this wouldn't happen again. It was a make it or break it moment for them, but Sariska was not nervous. She did not hesitate after their last song ended, and she did not pause for even a second before addressing the crowd.

"Thank you for being here, all of you," Sariska spoke into the microphone, she had been given permission, as the band's leader, to talk to the crowd and introduce her band, but they didn't approve of her singing, which would be quite a shock to them when she did start. "You all know me as Star, but my real name is Sariska Eternal. I decided long ago that I wished to become a musician, and now here I am. But I couldn't have gotten anywhere without my team."

"'On vocals, as I'm sure you all know, is Tammy," Sariska announced, gesturing over to the girl to her left. Tammy smiled and waved, greeting the crowd's applause in her own microphone. "Tammy and I first met in the studio, where we were pretty much forced to get a band together. But, I think it turned out alright, wouldn't you say, Tammy?"

"That it did," Tammy replied, giggling a little bit.

"Next to Tammy over there, our youngest member but also the most motivated of us all, Amber on the bass!" Sariska moved her hand back a little bit and gestured to the dark-skinned girl on the bass. She smiled and waved, more of a timid response than Sariska expected. "I thought it was adorable when Amber approached Tammy and me and asked us if she could join our little band. We accepted, of course, and we were amazed by her abilities, despite her young age."

"And behind us all are Paige and Kenneth, our keyboard and percussion players," Sariska jammed her thumb back at the couple, both of whom greeted the crowd enthusiastically. "They were the final additions to the band, the record company pulled us together, because they needed a vocalist and guitar players, and we needed percussion and keys. Both of them are excellent members and I am very grateful to have them with us."

Sariska looked over at Tammy, who smiled back at her. Sariska nodded once, and strum a chord on her guitar, in an effort to quiet the crowd down. "But now, I'd like you all to hear our new song. And I promise you it won't be anything like the others." Sariska's comment was much too vague for anyone to see what she meant by that, but after the first few chords, Sariska was sure that they would recognize her meaning.

But soon, Sariska began to sing, quieting the entire concert hall, in shock that she would do such a thing, and not Tammy. Tammy hummed along with Sariska, and the band played a slower, more emotional tune.

"When we faced each other, we did nothing but fighting,
Yet those were good memories, too.
Now that you're gone, I feel empty inside,
All things I hated about you were simply my own faults."

Sariska's voiced pierced the air in the hall, all attention was focused on her.

"Everywhere I go, everything is the same,
We are becoming a forgotten age without you.
It's too bothersome to list your flaws,
But there is one thing that I know now."

Tammy picked up for Sariska after the second verse, speaking into the microphone in a low tone.

"Without you, there is pain,
Without you, there is emptiness,
Without you, there is regret,
Without you, there is equality."

Now Sariska re-entered, her beautiful, sad voice taking all the attention away from the rest of the band

"I've tried so hard to get rid of you, and now that I succeeded,
I find myself thinking,
'Was it really worth it?'

No!

There are dreams I want to fulfill and dreams that I can’t reach,
That itself turns into a dream, turns into hope, and I am able to live on, right?
A door exists there; it’s waiting there,
So I’ll reach out my hands and open it!"

Sariska held onto the final note, sustaining it with such professionalism that hadn't been heard since before the law. Tammy spoke through the refrain again, like she did before in a lower tone.

"Without you, there is pain,
Without you, there is emptiness,
Without you, there is regret,
Without you, there is equality!"

Sariska ended her note and took a deep breath away from the microphone. Tammy continued onto the next verse, with Sariska not too far behind.

"So then, come back to us,
Show us the true meaning of happiness.
Return us to our original selves,
Don't let a single being come in our way.

It’s you who are crying, it’s you who are lonely
You’re right, you’re being human

Tears I’ve shed will say this
It’s not a lie that it’s so beautiful, even like this; thank you for our true selves."

Tammy left Sariska after the second half of the second verse, so that Sariska's voice was prominent and stood by itself, beautiful, and sad. Sariska felt emotions rise within her, just from singing this song that she wrote. She was sure that the audience noticed this, and she was sure they were feeling the same emotions as she. How could they not?

In the next round of the chorus, Sariska started singing, with Tammy following close in the background.

"With you, there is understanding,
(Without you there is pain)
With you, there is happiness,
(Without you there is emptiness)
With you, there is righteousness,
(Without you there is regret)
With you, there is truth!
(Without you there is equality)"

Now Tammy joined Sariska and they sung together, their voices weaving together so beautifully, their enchanting stage presence nearly blinding.

"Thank you to the miracle,
That we were able to meet in a dirty and ugly world; even like this.
So don't go away,
Stay and give our lives some meaning!"

Now they both stopped singing, Tammy continuing to hum to the tune of the song, while Sariska spoke into the microphone, in a loving, motherly voice.

"That is my one and only wish,
To bring back the world of inequality.
This new law that we must abide by,
It's just too much for us to deal with.

Don't you see, this world was created,
For the sole purpose of rejecting equality!
So don't be afraid to reject the world,
Even if a nation is against you, you still have your honor!

Look around you, and tell me,
What is it you see standing beside you?
Is it a person just like you,
Or is it a life that stands strong, different from others?

I offer you my song, and my entire being,
And I swear upon this very moment that I will not rest
Until the world has been restored to it's rightful place,
When all equality is banished, forever!

And so my heart cries out:"

And now Sariska sings,

"With conformity comes pain,
With conformity comes emptiness,
With conformity comes regret,
With conformity comes equality!

Without conformity comes understanding,
Without conformity comes happiness,
Without conformity comes righteousness,
Without conformity comes truth!"

Returning to her speaking voice, Sariska's eyes shone brightly with love, and sadness, and pain. Her heart cried for the lyrics, they cried for her song, they cried for the injustice of the world.

"I ask of you, take up your pride,
Take up your true selves,
Rebel against those who deny your life,
Rebel for the world and make it right again!

The revolution is here,
But it is up to you if we succeed or fail.
We can't turn back now,
We've got the whole world on our side!"