Good Steel is More Valuable than Gold

...of purpose. Of who she once was, of who she is, of who she could one day be. Nothing drives home what Diana wants to do... needs to do, more than seeing her father.

She grew up with the stories, of how the old man in the corner, her grandfather, had once been a dreadnought of a man. Unstoppable, indomitable, powerful. Back then, she never truly believed it, for she had not seen it for herself.

But now, as she listens to her father speak in a meeting with the chief officers of the company... it really hits home. Her father had been dauntless, courageous, inspiring, when she was a girl. Now, he's tired, fearful, and withering away before her eyes.

Time, it seems, remained humanity's greatest enemy.

Back in her workshop, the first thing she sees is the glass case in the centre. A rose, made of wrought iron and tempered into the right colours.

Bridgette Lavoie... That witch represented all the best and worst possibilities of Diana's future. That potential, to not only improve the lives of humanity, but also to finally bring Time itself to heel, and either work with it or conquer it entirely.

...but also Diana's fear, of what else Bridgette represents. That slowed pace, seemingly fine to a witch, nothing short of stagnation to a human. The idea that Diana may slow down if she goes through with the transformation... represented a betrayal of herself, and all she claimed to support.

She owed a lot to Bri, without her she may have ignorantly gone forward, believing that the steel company and its various subsidiaries would be the limit to her contributions to the world. Now she had a much greater ambition, she was aware of her own madness and could use it well, and she had the drive to carry it out.

Bridget Lavoie, the accidental teacher, the driving force, and... despite sentimental feelings, someone Diana was certain she'd have to leave behind one day.

Diana walks across her workshop, stopping to stare at the symbol adorning the wall. The rings of steel that once encompassed her entire world...

This sort of loop, she'd been trapped in it for some time now. For all the breakthroughs Vulcan was making, if only in just accumulating knowledge, Diana still couldn't make up her mind. She'd work with the company, she'd spend time working on Vulcan, and then she'd stand in her workshop, staring at those rings. Unable to make that final decision...

But time, it seemed, would make that decision for her.

Her Holo Caster rings, and the man on the other end delivers her the news she'd feared.

Her father had suffered a heart attack, and was recovering in hospital. He would live, for now, but it was only a matter of time.

Time...

Diana takes one last look at those rings, turns, and leaves the workshop.

"So they are not interfering at all, just watching? Then continue construction. If they start to cause problems, only then should you intervene. Water sprayers will discourage them without hurting them. Only if they start to become hostile may you resort to proper violence. In that occasion, and only then, use Discharge."

"Welcome to today's holocaster broadcast. We're live in Eastern Lumiose, where a new orphanage is being opened. We're told that the sponsor of this orphanage is quite unusual. We're going live to our reporter, Frank, on the scene."

"That's right Rhonda, the orphanage's sponsor is an organization calling itself 'Vulcan'. It's a human-resources and social services organization, dedicated to improving the lives of citizens in Kalos and the neighbouring regions."

"Scrape away the rust... to bring out the metal's true shine."

Vulcan has been growing rapidly, counting among its ranks those blessed with the gift and those seeking it. Those who have made the irrevocable change and those poised on the precipice. They've never told anyone who didn't already know, yet their numbers are still quite large... and very youthful. Those who are suspicious of the old covens, those who rebel, and even those who double-dip in their services. Strong like steel, yet fluid like a river.

"Hot-blooded and waiting to be cast, scraping away their impurities to become more than what has been scoured from the earth. It is no longer about taking that last step, it is about doing it right. So not only may they be forged strong, but so they may stand on their own terms if we must part. Those who rise from our coals must never fear persecution, must never find themselves prey ever again, must never lose themselves to the whims of their so-called betters."

"So that this tragedy may never be repeated."

Diana lays a bouquet of flowers at the base of a stone, a fresh one in the cemetery.

"I am sorry. Your death, unlife, and death once more are on my hands. This is something that can never be undone, and a cruel reality has presented itself to us."

"I never said that, though."

"But you must have implied it, everyone knows you--"

"Can you cite a specific example?"

"Well not off the top of my head, but--"

"So it is nonsense. You can say want you want about me, but do not put words in my mouth."

"But everyone is saying--"

"I'm aware. Though I am a member of Sybil, I am first and foremost a businesswoman. And refusing my services to a potentially lucrative customers for a reason as flimsy as tradition is foolish."

"Well now, that is refreshing to hear. I look forward to working with you, I can promise you will be paid properly. Though I must say, I am surprised at your distaste for the old practices."

"Tradition just holds us back. Such a thing cost me my mother, and my homeland. I'd rather move beyond that, and business is a bridge across all peoples."

"Steel flows at incredible temperatures, but what if it were possible to make steel that can flow at lower temperatures? Something that would be able to be reshaped and hardened as needed. Well, that is something for another time. I have an interview to attend."

"How is she?"

"Not good, if it hadn't been for a passing cab driver, I'd bet it would have sucked her dry. Our witch friend... did warn us about this, but..."

Diana is standing in the middle of a Lumiose thoroughfare, with her is one of the researchers working under her. There's a smear of blood on the ground, and police tape all around. They've let her this close only because they're afraid of Diana. After all...

...she's pretty angry.

"So these so-called vampires prey on up-and-coming mages and witches, sucking away blood and magic. Disgusting creatures."

"The witch says it's an illness with no cure-- that they are victims in of themselves."

"And yet, they are left to run amok, with little effort to contain them? Even if there is no cure, there has been no attempt made to treat them? We are to simply negotiate with them to protect ourselves and leave those unaffiliated to their whims? That girl, if she contracts the illness, her life may as well be over. Not human, nor evolved, a mere echo of herself that may be deluded into believing that it is a fine way to live. That such a rancid power makes them strong."

"Lady Krupp, what are you--"

"Just watch me."

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A dark alleyway, once more. A young woman is scurrying through the night, a woven basket in her arms and a shawl over her head. A well-dressed figure seemingly pops out of nowhere next to her.

"Oh, what's this? Did you not hear about what happened the other night? Walking out alone in the dark is dangerous, especially for one so delectable as... what?"

"Ahaha~! My charade has come to a close, it seems. Yes, it seems you have made an error! I am not some helpless witch, I am something far, far more dangerous."

"You're just a human with magic power, you're not that strong. Look, if you're just going to waste my time, then--"

"Last night, that girl you attacked was a member of my group. And I was told I must negotiate with you for protection."

"Ahh, some sense then. So how about--"

"I told them I would not. Instead, I lured you out here, and I intend to punish you."

"What? You think you can just threat--"

"Oh, I do not make threats."

Diana reaches into her basket, and throws a handful of powder into the vampire's face. He reels from it, and begins choking.

"Metal shavings, hidden beneath a fabric you cannot sense through, and mixed just right. Can you feel it burning? For a human, this would be harmless, for a witch, irritating, but for you?"

The vampire is clawing at his face and throat, trying to get the dust off. As he gets more and more desperate, his nails dig deeper and deeper. As he does so, Diana grabs him by the leg, and drags him away.

"I will put you where the sun cannot find you, but your friends are sure to look. They will see what I have made you do to yourself, how helpless they are against us. I will carve into you my ultimatum for the rest of your light-forsaken kind."

Underground, in a part of Kalos hidden from the naked eye, concealed through the back of a fashionable clothing store...

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen."

It's a quiet club hall, a dozen or so round mahogany tables on a red carpet. At each table are between two and five people. The only lights in the room are from the exit signs at the back, and the spotlight aimed at the stage. Standing in that spotlight, is Diana Von Krupp.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation, I spared no effort in seeing to it that you would be well accommodated. Now, some of you may recognize others here, or see familiar patterns in the way you carry yourselves. This is not a coincidence, you have all been invited here for the same reason. Maybe you have a unique talent that you don not speak about, or you heard a radio message that no others could, or perhaps you came along with a friend because you did not dare let them go alone. All of you are welcome here."

Diana gives a bow, and the spotlight on her goes out. She raises a lantern and lights it, and begins to walk among the tables.

"Even if you do not have the same talents. Even if you lack them entirely. Even if you feel you do not really belong here. You are welcome."

She stops in the middle of the room, and a chair slides into the light around her. At each table, a candle lights up, and reveals the room around them ever so slightly. There is no one who could have handed her the chair. She sits down.

"I wish to help you hone your gifts, and achieve a new level of being. Evolution, as you know it. There are those who have achieved this in the past. Some who seek it within this room. And one... who has already achieved it within this room."

Someone at one of the further tables goes stiff.

"It is fine. You are welcome, too. In truth, my goal is to welcome all. To extend my hand to anyone who would be willing to evolve, and bridge gap between those who will and those who will chose not to."

Diana slowly removes her gloves, laying them in her lap. She places the lantern at her feet.

"Vulcan's goal is simple. To make evolution possible, and available. To keep it from being something available to only those with born talent, or those with incredible wealth. Where even a poor man can evolve, without sacrificing everything else in his life to make it possible. But to do that, I need help. I am one woman, I have money, I have resources, but I only have two hands."

She lift her hands in front of her, in a welcoming gesture.