Area 51, supposed resting place of military alien technologies, the stronghold of proof that the truth was not out there, but already on the planet, was one such popular myth. Which was silly really, since everyone knows that all Extraterrestrial materials were kept in storage houses in Jersey. I mean, really people... why do you think everyone stays out of Jersey?

The KGB, the strong arm and secret police of the USSR, led their tirade against those who opposed the State's regime of socialism. True, the members were kept secret, but everyone knows about the KGB and their actions. And the CIA. There was also the case of a certain lecherous President and his feisty intern... but we all know how *that* secret turned out. The secret to destroying the Death Star was one small auxiliary port. And everyone knows that the secret to beating the bad guy in the Buzz Lightyear game was not to use the main entrance, but the secret entrance to the left, hidden in the shadows. Ginger ale removes stains on fancy dresses... chocolate goes good with peanut butter... and eggs explode in the microwave. Things like this cannot possibly be kept secret.

But... there are other secrets. Groups. The ones that operate walking the tightrope between what is "good" and "just" and what is "bad" and "evil." These are the things that are always kept secret, whether because no ever left these groups alive, or maybe they didn't really exist, or maybe... just maybe... they were *that* good at keeping their secrets.

The members of the Guardian's Council filed out of the room.

Unbeknownst to the great majority of them, several figures met again, in a room that very few knew about. This not knowing was probably contributed to the fact that the room was neither here nor there, but existed in its own dimension. Seated in the bright white room, around a futuristic table made of glass and twisted metal, with advanced technological tools around them, several figures waited, looking up to see the arrivals enter.

A middle-aged man with greying hair clasped his hands on the table. "You are late," his voice (which would make the Arctic seem like Hawaii) intoned. "But this was expected. How did the meeting go?"

"It worked like we thought," the Guardian with pink hair replied. "Everyone voted for the withdrawal from the current Game. Except, of course, for Artemis, who was not present for the vote anyway."

A puff of smoke billowed up from the corner of the table. "Of course he wasn't there. This was planned for."

The Leader of the Guardian's Council frowned. "And there will be no trace?"

More smoke. "Of course not. The license plate on the truck will trace to a non-existent address. There weren't even any witnesses to the event."

A Guardian, this time with teal-colored hair, snorted. "Are you sure we won't be traced? I seem to recall that you're having some difficulty with two FBI agents..." She let her phrase hang in the air like the cigarette smoke.

"That's quite enough!" the Guardian who was known as the Leader's Assistant snapped. He slapped down his folder of photos and papers onto the table. "We're not here to pick fights amongst ourselves. Operations, what's the word from Oversite?"

Operations, the man with grey hair, smirked. "We are to operate as we wish. After the debacle at Disneyland.... The destruction of the Statue of Liberty. The fall of the Eiffel Tower. The crushing of DisneyWorld. Havoc across Europe. An army of warriors fighting in downtown Tokyo. An 8.3 earthquake that shook the entire *world*. Eight girls with the potential to destroy the world cannot go unmonitored. It is foolish for anyone to think that we would let power like this slip through our fingers. They could be quite useful to us. The next Game that starts is of no importance to us... *these* Otaku are the ones with the unbridled power. These are the ones Oversite wants."

"How are we supposed to operate?" the pink-haired Guardian asked. "Operations, you have Section One to rely on, Cigarette Smoking Man has Purity Control, we have the Guardian's Council and they've already scrapped our plans!"

The Leader scoffed. "Not exactly. With the Council's withdrawal from the Game, all Guardians in the field and involved in the current Game must be recalled, sent in for performance review, and either reassigned or put on stand by. It's standard operating procedure. P-kun has always been one of the top Guardians in the organization. Orion--I'm sorry, Eurydice, does good work, and has never made any major mistakes. Kell and Zeke have great potential, despite their relative youth and inexperience. Orion..." the Leader frowned. "Well, let's just say that his performance of late has been lackluster. He may have to be eliminated."

"What if they refuse to leave their charges?" the Cigarette Smoking Man asked. "Should they be allowed to guard the Otaku, or be forcibly removed?"

"I say let them stay," the teal-haired Guardian spoke up. "We can tell them to report in regularly, as they technically shouldn't be watching these girls anymore. Such a minor thing would be a trifle for them to stay with their charges. We would have good information on several of the Otaku's locations and conditions. As for the Council, the Guardians simply could report to one of us," she motioned to the herself and the other three members of the Guardian's Council in the room, "and we could take care of all the information. We report to the Leader anyway."

"I agree," said Operations. "They will never know who they are really working for. It will be simple to mislead them. If any problems do arise, it will be easy to eliminate them."

A woman wearing black looked up. She had been quiet up until this point. "As a representative from the Watcher's Society, I can take care of the updates on the Otaku Susanne and Nyx. I'm assuming that everyone is updated on their conditions, as well as Roger's?" Nods met her question. "Very well. Susanne's current Watcher reports to Joe Dawson--"

"Dawson!" the Leader's Assistant laughed. "The fool could never keep a secret, which is one of the reasons your organization had that 'crisis' a few years back. We might as well have the phone lines tapped. You have the easy job."

"What about Dionysus? And Roger?" the pink-haired Guardian asked. "Christopher was one of us... shouldn't something be done about his death? And Roger may prove troublesome."

"You mean terminating Dionysus?" Operations asked. "Isn't he in the company of P-kun and Orion? Just bring him in for the 'performance review' as well. We may be able to gleam information from him. We have no real hold on Roger, we should just let him live in the fantasy of everyone thinking he's dead. Those two are no real threat to us anyway."

"So are we agreed, then?" the Leader asked. There was no negations, so he continued. "Very well. Operations, if you would please contact the Oversite Committee and tell them that the plans are now underway. My people will send out the performance review notices for the Guardians in the Game, excluding Roger, of course, as soon as possible, and see what information we can get from them. Cigarette Smoking Man, I'd be obliged if you would check on Artemis' health condition. He is a good Guardian... despite the branches in his family."

"And I'll keep us updated on the Immies in the Game," the woman in black added. "We also have Iipok to rely on for the rest of our information. Very well. Shall we do our jobs?"

The room soon emptied leaving only cigarette smoke and secrets hanging in the air.

TBC...