*Spoiler Alert*
Mercy is officially cancelled. This is an autopsy of a failed sequel
What Mercy Was Supposed To Be
First some context.
New Aeterna : Queen and Country followed the political machinations and attempted assassination of Paris Prince 5 years after the fall of New Aeterna's Helion Empire. In the midst of chaos there is an uprising by a terrorist organization led by an old enemy (Anne).
By the end of the story Paris is deposed. His political rival, Edwin Bless, is named Prime Minister. Sera leaves the New Aeterna military to restart SGI, a private paramilitary organization with Leon. It's also revealed that Helios was not killed and has been held in a secret undercover prison.
A prison he just escaped from.
Rogue (Which I see as a mini side story and not a true sequel) follows Paris, Sera and Leon as they head to Mexico to find Helios and tear down the last remnant of his power. The trio are captured but eventually break free after Sera brutally kills everyone and then Helios-- proving again that she exist in opposition to Paris more pacifist ways.
(In Rogue and QC it's overstated that Paris is a pacifist. In the Severance flashbacks Sera gets mad at Paris for asking the judge to show mercy to their attackers. This is a callback to him willing to forgive and grant mercy to his enemies in the New Aeterna 'verse)
At the end of Rogue, Sera and Aria (Who has become an Executive Assistant to Bless' family and is an aspiring politician) meet up.
Aria
So here I was. 5am in the morning at the Remembrance Memorial. Sera ran a hand through her cropped hair, I caught a flash of her silver filigree ring with its white bone centerpiece. I nervously rubbed a thumb over my matching one. She was jittery but I attributed it to her trying to quit smoking. Sera kneeled down to look into the stroller at little Persephone. For some reason I was always nervous when she touched my girls.
“I have what you asked for”, I say reaching under my sleeping angel to take out a file folder, “I’m already on thin ice so it was risky for me to access U.S military files”
“Did you read it?” she asks laser focused.
“How about a ‘Hello Aria’ ? ‘How are you?’ ‘Thank you for risking your job for me’?”
“Aria”, she says as if that was too much to ask for. Then reconsiders, “Thank you.”
“How did you know this project existed, Seraphina?”
“I saw it in one of Helios’ files when we were packing up in Mexico. Paris looked right past it. Is Project Last Hope what I think it is?”
I look around to make sure we are alone, “Yes. The Edwin Bless administration has been giving corporate tax breaks and providing top secret contracts to USPharma and ChemicaEnterprises. They specialize in chemical warfare.”
“Humans are going to kill us all.” She says, “Helios was right.”
“No”, I said, “I know Edwin. He’s like every other human…he’s scared. I think they just want a fail safe. Just in case things go bad again.”
“You keep telling yourself that.” Sera says.
“Well, they aren’t going to start a war today or tomorrow. So until then I’ll keep watching from the inside… there is one more thing, Sera.”
“I think I know…”
I take a deep breath
“USPharma and ChemicaEnterprises had a team of scientist based in a U.S prison camp 12 years ago. Around the same time you were a prisoner. Their job officially was to study foreign organic compounds for future drug research purposes. However the project changed course when they suddenly had access to “Alien” stem cells that could be used for chemical warfare research. Before it was called Project Last Hope… It was called Project Arrow.”
“What does that mean?”
“I think the reason they imprisoned you and the other Angels was to develop a weapon against Helios… I think Arrow’s arrival was a breakthrough they didn’t expect. Whatever they are working on…it probably started with his stem cells.”
She tries to shake the tension out of her neck.
“Humans can’t be trusted”, Sera sounds calm. Almost rational.
“Seraphina?”
“This was supposed to be our country. The humans are tolerating us until they can kill us. They took power from Paris, they want to reunify…they want to exterminate us. Things need to change in the country. We need to fight back.”
I put the Project Last Hope file under the baby’s blankets and watch the sunrise.
“Well, maybe they need a few new leaders.” I suggest. Sera leans against one of the marble columns.
“That is why I’m getting a new commission. SGI was never going to need me. New Aeterna does.”
I’m shocked
“You’re joining the military again?”
“If things are going to change around here I’d rather be on the inside. I want you with me Aria.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I just hope you know what you are doing, Sera”
She nods as a good-bye and I give her mock salute back. She turns on her heels and walks out
.
Okay this is the Epilogue to Rogue.
Sera jerks a small girl forward. The child is thin with threadbare clothes and a fearful look to her. Her dirty bright red hair is tangled and covers her wild green eyes. The little girl is holding a cheap plastic toy protectively with a wild look in her eye.
“Sera, what the hell is going on?” Paris demands.
“It’s us versus them”, she says staring down at the feral child. Daring the child to make a move.
“Sera”, Paris begins a bit of unease in his voice.
“Bless is going to destroy us. All of us eventually. When he does we are going to be ready with a weapon of our own.
“What does this child have to do with it?” I ask.
“This isn’t a child”, she says pulling the girl from the floor, “This is Mercy."
What was Mercy supposed to be about ?
By the end of Rogue :
- Edwin Bless is named the first Prime Minister of New Aeterna.
- Paris Prince is stripped of all power (Cause of all the corruption he did in QC) but kept his title as a courtesy and and a marketing tactic for the fledgling country. He serves as a diplomat and ambassador for New Aeterna but can still secretly run things from behind the scenes.
You can read the first and only chapter of Mercy here. Then come back I'll talk more about what i wanted to happen.
🧡🥀🗡️🩸🕷️🖤Chapter 1 - Mercy 🧡🥀🗡️🩸🕷️🖤
Mercy was supposed to be set 7 years after after Rogue (Just like Severance. It's all tied together). We are introduced to 15-year-old Mercy, an orphan being trained in martial arts, shooting, combat and archery by The Queen of New Aeterna.
We learn that a plague has spread in New Aeterna that only impacts Helions.Those infected are quarantined at a research center in Oslo (Ft. Calihan) . Due to the plague and unrest, Bless has instituted a hold on elections and has remained in power for 7 years. No one minds because he is a beloved leader... at least among the humans. There is unrest among the non-humans.
One of the most famous infected is Paris Prince--- who has not been seen or heard from in 7 years. He only communicates to the country and his wife via letters.
Sera has reluctantly stepped into his leadership role and she's a lot less polished and civil. There is also a war going on in the U.S that they are in the middle of. I never quite figured that out. Something about the US splitting into two countries (Which nowadays I could total believe) .
The plot kicks off when Sera finally gives Mercy a mission. She wants her to go undercover as a student at Down River Academy, befriend Edwin Bless' son , get close to the Bless family, spy, and then kill Edwin Bless.
Mercy is lethal, a little snarky and a dedicated solider.
That's where I lose steam
YA academy stories aren't my strong suit. I guess I imagined some sort of an enemies-to lovers situation happening. A little knife-to-the throat I guess. I wanted ALL the tropes for fun. I also imagined bubbly Athena Argos being a foil to Mercy.
At some point Sera would tell Mercy that a handler has been sent to work undercover and assist her . We learn that this handler is the school's custodian, who is of course Arrow. In my head he was imprisoned for the stunt he pulled in Arrow and Sera releases him to complete this job for her.
The only thing I knew for sure was that at the 60% mark there was going to be some school event where Sera shows up as a guest. Then a fight/battle/attack breaks out. At the end Arrow gets stabbed and dies. While he is losing blood he begs Sera for one moment of kindness. It's left ambiguous if she is able to do this or not.
The plan was for Arrow to die. He was alzways supposed to die young.
His stabbing in Severance was supposed to mirror this, but I let him live in Severance because I had no idea if I'd ever get to his true sad ending.
At some point it would also be revealed that Sera purposely infected Paris for the greater good because he wasn't the vicious leader she felt they needed. Mercy would have all these jumbled memories from the night Paris was quarantined and she's eventually figure out that what she saw was Sera infecting him.
Then I figured there would be another fight scene near the end. It would be complete chaos and then these Northern European soldiers would rush in to save the day . Then Paris Prince would enter and unceremoniously kill Edwin Bless.
We learn the reason he hasn't been seen or hard from is because he has been horribly disfigured by the illness and become a bit more unhinged, radicalized and violent. (Just what Sera THOUGHT she wanted) I imagined him looking like this and that would be the end of part one.
Now, when asked about why I had this picture...I lied. Sorry Appletini. I knew why I really had it.
Finally, it would be revealed that Edwin Bless had passed a law that allowed his son to take over as Prime Minister should he die. Mercy would have to decide if she would stay loyal to Sera or join Edwin Bless Jr.'s new rebel government.
Then I had no idea what Part II looked like. I mean for sure some spicy mask stuff...but then what ? Also I was afraid that would take away from the 'teen' angle.
What Now ?
I think there is room to do a NA4 but I don't think it will be this plot. I'm not even sure Mercy would show up. IDK. Give me 6-10 years.
Cold and Severance were kind of cathartic because it let Paris/Sera have their over-the-top, non-traditional obsessively devoted relationship without all the dark toxic tension in New Aeterna. In New Aeterna they are deeply in love, but they also hate what that love has made them endure and suffer through.
I started Mercy waaay before 2020. I tried to go back to this after 2020 and I couldn't pick it up. I just had a totally different reaction to it.
That's one for the vault.
Next up...
Lipari
or another LL novella.
