quis custodiet ipsos custodes

Or, who will watch the watchers

Humanity had consumed the world years ago; used it up, drained it of all if had to offer, allowed greed to blind them in their quest for more. More wealth, more security, more everything. They hadn't thought about anything other than amassing personsal possesions. Humanity grew greedy, living like they were in a famine during times of plenty. They couldn't keep going, but they wouldn't accept it either.

War upon war destroyed cities. Wiped out entire nations. They resigned entire languages and ethnic groups to history books - or the ons that survived, at least. The inability to let go of the past and forgive each other was what ultimately took out the majority of the human race. An eye for an eye was the excuse of the old religions. An eye for an eye made the whole world blind.

As the cliffs crumbled and fresh water reserves ran out, whilst the planet around them began to crumble and die, what little structure was left finally stopped squabbling long enough to agree something had to be done, but none of them knew what. How does one solve radiation, multinational starvation and a millenia of warfare? No-one seemed able to produce an answer, not that would leave another out in the cold at least. Every solution seemed as if it was going to cause more problems than it was going to solve.

Until they stepped in.

No-one would question a relatively small business at the time: crackpot researchers with talk of human conditioning and safe zones. All they needed was a little financial assistance and their product could be shipped worldwide. It was laughable at the time. Nothing could be conditioned to the point they were talking about. Personality couldn't be bred out. These were people, after all, not machines. And besides, why had they only selected a handful of men; where was the female representation? Did they not feel that women could do as well? Typical of Korean companies was the overwhelming line of thought, for, in thir eyes, retreating back in to archaic social patterns. Though, when weighing up all the options, what else could be done? They provided the only option that would benefit everyone. Provided they could turn out enough of their so called product to police these safe zones and have them present from the word go.

It still took years after the initial meeting to construct the zones. Great domed areas, surrounded by mile upon mile of machinery and guarded by this promised product. These Personas. Units varied in size from just one through to five, occasionally six. As the years went by and people began migrating, the units increased in size and purpose; seven, eight, nine. A show of power, settling and orientation, research. Eventually they started thinning the crowds outside and in. Only the smartest and strongest could get through. Only the most capable and the most powerful. Those who weren't quite good enough found themselves stuck in holding areas. Mass extermination; no-one challenged it. The world's armies had been taken apart to preserve what was left and provide the materials and man power for creating these zones in the first place. No-one was willing to challenge the Personas, or the company producing them. Industry was not to be questioned. They knew exactly what they were doing and how to control the masses. Fear had always been the most wonderful weapon.

Their weakness though was in the very product they produced. You can't breed humanity out of humans, even if you rename them.

"What do you mean Vicis is gone?"

He couldn't help but stare; there was no reply. There never was when you were talking to any of Femina's Personas. You couldn't find more perfect examples of how the product was supposed to be if you tried. Waving them away, he slumped down in his seat and switched on a screen, staring as the images flickered in front of him. Flashes of movement jumped from screen to screen, evading even the drone cameras. They were good; too good, in fact.

"It's their bloodline brother, I told you there was something wrong with mixing them the way you did. Didn't you learn anything from the Basileus project?"

Oh, how he would just love to put them in their place right now. He had been so sure this time...Basileus wasn't meant to happen again, only this time it was worse; they'd lost five, not one. And it wasn't just any five either. It was Vicis and they were designed to survive, thrive even, in any given set of circumstances. They were dangerous. The Watchers always were. His silence seemed to be taken as a refusal to answer as the chair behind him creaked and the sound of shoes tapping on the floor came closer. Hot breath prickled over the back of his neck

"I'll send Candentia after them, shall I then?" The other muttered beside him. It wasn't a question he wanted to answer. Who else could they send though? Venia were another generation, they just weren't able to keep up with a group like Vicis. Femina were researchers now, or for now they were. Besides, the two projects were too different to be able to predict what the other would do. Regina was just one and as good as she was, one alone wasn't enough to get them. Even if she was paired off with Perditus, it wouldn't be enough; he had been out of circulation for so long they had their doubts he was capable of doing anything anymore. That was it, who other than Candentia did he have to offer? There were his groups, admittedly. Procul were...Procul; besides, he was having enough issues with them as it was. Basileus would need to have the Personas put together. They had numerous other projects in various stages, but they didn't seem right. There was only one fit.

Candentia were their doubles. Crafted at the same time, in the same conditions, by the same Research Project. They were so similar and yet so incredibly different from each other. Different conditioning techniques, different bloodlines in some cases, raised in different conditions and around different individuals. They thought alike, talked alike, planned alike...then again, they were both Watcher groups. The first of their kind. A revolution, that's what they were supposed to be. A little bit of the Researchers, a dash of the Custodians, a hint of Spectacle...the list went on. All those techniques from breaking them out and chemicals added at and through the creation period. They were meant to be perfect, and yet only one of the two projects could meet that high standard. Some would argue it was the bloodlines, but he was almost certain it was conditioning. After all, there had been only one bloodline involved in Caelicola and that had clearly gone so well. But...how was he supposed to explain away Procul? He'd had them created to the letter they were already showing signs of splintering. He didn't want to admit it was blood; there had to be something more. The Regis project had turned out so very well; the perfect example of how a Spectacle project should be and she shared the bloodline of members of both Procul and Vicis.

However, he could ponder that problem later on. Right now there was a rogue Watcher project heading for the limits and no-one was ready for them. Custodians hadn't had their data delivered yet. The Militia weren't trained for guerilla tactics, not yet. Hell, even Research didn't have them fully figured out yet. No, they had to be brought back and it would seem only Candentia would do.

"Send for them. We want Vicis back alive, don't forget to inform them of that part."