Chapter 299

It's just, your stories are some of the best I've read...

- Jane

This is the 299th episode of unORDINARY.

Synopsis[]

According to her message, Jane broke ties with her old family for the sake of love. But the Authorities quickly zeroed in on her now that she was a lone high-tier in a hierarchy-oriented world. Naturally, she managed to keep them at bay with her superior might for some time. Learning all of this for the first time is devastating for William, but Jane's struggle of affiliating with him only got more difficult after John was born. She came to realize that even she couldn't protect the both of them from the Authorities, so she was forced to cut a deal for their sake. She turned herself over to the government, and in return they turned a blind eye to anything her loved ones might get up to. Small wonder that they remained free despite each of them making a splash in a big way. Jane expressed her hope that William would forget about her and move on. He simply couldn't. The day she approached him was his most cherished memory.

Years ago, William waited at his reserved spot at the Annual Wayward Book Fair. It looked like yet another disappointing venture in a long (and ultimately costly) string of failures. He contemplated giving up entirely when he heard an enthusiastic voice asking if he was "Mr. William." He looked up and saw a young woman, who introduced herself as Jane, a major fan seeking his autograph. As William remained stunned, she went on describing how she could never get enough of his work, and that she looked forward to this encounter ever since she learned he'd appear at the fair. William courteously thanked Jane, who was puzzled to have been the only one at his booth. William explained that he got dropped from most reading lists once it became known that he had no ability whatsoever, and expected that Jane would feel the same way.

To his surprise, Jane firmly put forth her book. She wrote off his former fans as twits, and made it clear that she had no intention of being denied the autograph she waited so long way for. An odd one for sure, William thought, but he signed off as she wished. Jane said that there was too much shallow obsession with abilities and power levels going around, and that William might escape from the professional rut it caused him by simply adopting a pseudonym. A good plan, William admitted, albeit with reservation. Jane assertively banged on the table and made William look her in the eye so he could absorb her next point. She said that his physical limits didn't stifle the power of his written word. His was a special gift. William graciously returned her book, and was caught off guard yet again by her next request: she wanted to personally get to know him better over some coffee. He was up for that, and they capped off the perfect day at sweetcoffee.

Jane's upbeat demeanor in those days only make her current captivity even more painful for William. The fact that she chose to make such a sacrifice does little to change his contempt for the Authorities. Not only did their relentless hounding keep them apart for fifteen years, but they took a mother's love out of John's life and replaced it with a three-month lesson in self-loathing. William sits on his couch, both fed up with the abuse of power that's kept his loved ones down, and mindful of Jane's wish: to continue to share his gift with the world.

Over at Wellston Private High School, the daily grind is disrupted when the intercoms blare out a summons to the headmaster's office for Seraphina. Arlo and John barely take the announcement calmly, despite having expected it.

Vaughn sits in his office, hosting Nadia once again, along with her colleagues Byron and Arnold. Byron asks what's taking so long for Seraphina to appear. Vaughn suggests that she's absent, which Arnold doubts is coincidence. The headmaster is prepared to respond to such aggressive suspicion, but Byron intervenes and tries to mediate a peaceful solution. He explains that Seraphina is suspected of colluding with terrorists, and they intend to bring her in for questioning. Vaughn asks for evidence, so Nadia provides the photos taken from the security footage of the Arcwood NX Gen Facility. They show Seraphina assuming a false guise and infiltrating restricted areas to steal sensitive materials. Nadia elaborates that their interrogation of Terrence, an ex-student of Vaughn's and another member of the terrorist group, bolstered their case. Vaughn isn't able to deny this, so Byron requests that he relinquish Seraphina at once. The headmaster states he cannot bring anybody forth if he doesn't know where they are. Byron wonders if Seraphina had some advance warning that they would be coming. Then he asks with the situation as it is, then perhaps they might question some of Seraphina's friends so that they may find her. All he gets is a reminder of Vaughn's policy: the Authorities may not question any students without a warrant or proof of their wrongdoing. When Vaughn is told that it was a matter of national security, he responds that the circumstances it would make it quite easy to get proper clearance.

Arnold storms up to the desk and grabs Vaughn. He angrily warns him that nobody in the Authorities is obligated to get permission to do their job, especially not some headmaster. He demands respect, while ignoring Byron's urgent warning. Arnold orders Vaughn to bring Seraphina to them, or else they'll go and take her. Vaughn lights up his eye and calmly tells the brash officer to get his hands off of him. The next thing Arnold knows, he's being violenty flung to the opposite side of the room. Having flexed his headmaster's authority, Vaughn tells the three government officials to clear off the premises.

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