The sinister criminal organization known as the Controllers led an army to invade the Tower of the Chosen. They attacked in the middle of the night with the intent of destroying everything the Chosen Ones held dear. The Tower's security forces fought valiantly to defend their home from the enemy, using all of the weapons and psychic powers at their disposal. An enormous number of innocent people died in the crossfire. The fighting raged through the streets until, eventually, the Controllers broke through the front door.

In the midst of the chaos, one lone guard stood his ground. His name was Leland. He was strong, brave, and loyal to the end. While the fighting moved through the Tower, he held off the onslaught of the Controllers' slaves with nothing but a ceremonial dagger. He protected the Tower with little regard for his own life, holding the line until reinforcements arrived to drive out the invaders.

The fighting lasted for two hours. The bodies of dead and wounded Controllers, mind-controlled slaves, hapless bystanders, and Chosen Ones in black cloaks littered the streets of the Pit like toy soldiers drenched in pools of blood. It was a grisly sight. The surviving members of the security team were exhausted from the fight. A few of them collapsed to the floor and fell asleep, while others hugged each other and cried. One of the guards in a black robe sat on the ground, his back resting against a wall. Another was curled up into a ball and shivering uncontrollably. The battle had exacted a heavy price, and many feared that the worst was yet to come.

Miss Planner found out about the carnage by phone. Elder Presence called her personally to inform her that the Elders of the Grand Temple were coming to the Tower for an emergency meeting. Miss Planner went to work a few hours earlier than normal to get the situation under control. The Elders were upset and the lower ranks were in a state of panic. A storm was brewing at the Tower of the Chosen.

It could be said that Miss Planner was selected for her role specifically to give the Chosen Ones a fighting chance against the Controllers. Her research division had been silently gathering as much information as possible about them for months. This was Miss Planner's big chance to prove herself worthy to the Elders, and she was determined not to let the Chosen Ones down.

The meeting took place at ten o'clock sharp. All of the Elders were present except Elder Drifter, who remained to defend the Grand Temple. The six old men took seats around a large table. Unfortunately, none of the Elders had much rest leading up to the meeting. This caused them to be short-tempered and tired. The balding Elder Incarnate in particular was in a foul mood at the outset.

"I don't see why we aren't holding this discussion at the Grand Temple," grumbled Elder Incarnate. "The Tower is no longer safe."
"We aren't safe anywhere," muttered Elder Omen. "Evil is all around us."

"Bah! You're too pessimistic, you blind old crow," spat Elder Crown. "I don't fear these repulsive Controllers one bit! If they wish to challenge us, we will meet them with all our might."

Incarnate snarled. "These Controllers are no simple nuisance. They are a clear and present threat. I remember how they turned my Spirit Hunters against one other. We cannot defeat them through force alone..."

"Your lame-brained sheep were too stupid to resist," Crown hissed. "My loyal Hounds will show no such weakness. They will tear the flesh from the Controllers' bones!"

Elder Witness, who was traditionally in charge of overseeing all meetings, attempted to take charge. He knew the other Elders had nothing important to say anyway.
"Silence! This is no time for petty bickering! We must decide a strategy to prepare ourselves for the fight to come!"

Crown didn't appreciate being interrupted. His voice grew louder.

"The Controllers are nothing but an annoyance! They can only attack at night and they have a limited number of pawns to use against us. All we have to do is wait until their numbers dwindle and then strike back with overwhelming power, as we did before. The battle won't even last more than half a day. Do you understand? This meeting is completely pointless!"

Witness's face flushed with anger. He tried again to get the Elders to focus on the matter at hand.
"The Controllers are a very real danger. Let's not waste any more of our precious time arguing over trivialities. Our goal today is to determine what needs to be done to protect the Tower and its inhabitants from harm."

"Hee-hee! We should immediately begin purging our ranks of potential traitors," said Elder Mirror in a high-pitched voice. "Any who don't pledge their lives to us should be executed on the spot!"

Elder Witness shot him a fierce look but didn't say anything. He was shaking, trying his hardest to control his temper. Elder Presence and Elder Incarnate looked at each other nervously. Elder Mirror just continued making things worse for himself.

"Hoo-hoo! Ah! The Tower of the Chosen has been infiltrated by the enemy! So many people need to die! Hoo! Hoo-hoo! Aha ha! What a wonderful opportunity to purge the Tower of all the useless fools!"

Mirror was getting carried away now. He was starting to sound completely ridiculous. Everyone in the room was starting to lose their cool.

"You damned clown," said Elder Witness, glaring daggers at Mirror. "If you lay a single finger on our acolytes, I'll tear you limb from limb!"

The Elders were close to the point of no return. Witness shook with rage, while Incarnate started growling like a wild animal. The air in the room was thick with tension and hatred. The Elders glared at one another for several seconds, waiting to see who would make the first move. It was then that Miss Planner entered the meeting room with her head held high, accompanied by her secretary Milly. The bickering between Elders stopped immediately.

"My apologies for the wait, almighty Elders who are destined to rule over all. I am here to report on the current state of affairs."

Miss Planner spoke calmly. She had a commanding aura about her. The six Elders sat up in their seats and listened to her with rapt attention.

"The research division has been watching the Controllers carefully. Just as our organization has been undergoing a shift in priorities, the Controllers have also changed. Most likely, their leadership has undergone some sort of major transition. You can consider them to be under new management."

"What do you mean?" asked the blind Elder Omen. "They attacked us at night using an army of mind-controlled slaves. How is their behavior any different from before?"

"They've made a few important adjustments," replied Miss Planner. "I believe I'm correct in saying that the Controllers' ultimate goal remains unchanged: to enslave all of humanity, turning us all into their mindless followers. However..."
"However, what?" demanded the balding Elder Incarnate.

Miss Planner gracefully picked up a remote and pressed a few buttons. Within seconds, the meeting room was dark and the projector displayed an image on the wall, a 3D map of the city with several colored dots spreading out from a central location.

"The Controllers have begun to work together closely with other black organizations. More specifically, the psychic material specialists known as the Black Gloves and the loose group of human traffickers known collectively as the Wild Cards. It is my belief that we are facing a true threat."

"A threat?!" hissed Elder Crown, slamming his bony fist down onto the table. "Don't you dare try to scare us with your baseless accusations! We know the enemy is out there. They attacked the Tower and killed dozens of our followers. But they are ultimately nothing more than a minor nuisance. Once we mobilize our forces, we'll crush them without mercy!"

"The Controllers aren't a threat because of their fighting power or even their ability to infiltrate us. To be honest, they don't stand much of a chance against us in a direct confrontation. Their real strength, their unique strength, is their organizational ability. The Controllers have recently begun to coordinate large groups of people for non-violent means."

The Elders looked on as Miss Planner pressed another button, and the presentation changed. The whiteboard showed a grainy picture of a typical overweight Controller in a filthy sweatsuit next to a piece of industrial machinery.

"The Controller in this picture is capable of manipulating over twenty people at once. He's overseeing a crew of factory workers assembling heavy machinery for the Black Gloves."

"Alright then, Miss Planner. Please, would you tell us why we should care about this fat fool and his little crew of machine assemblers?" asked Elder Crown with disdain.

"The critical point is that this represents a shift in the Controllers' priorities. Previously, they hoarded their manpower and only used their abilities to steal, kill, interrogate, infiltrate, and destroy. Now, they're using their minds for cooperation for the first time ever. They've integrated into wider criminal society."

"You're telling us they're becoming more like the Chosen," interrupted Elder Witness.
"This isn't good," Elder Omen whispered.

"Internally, our research division has been calling the new, more social breed of Controllers by a new name, 'Coordinators.' We have reason to suspect that their attack this morning was experimental in nature, designed to test our defenses."

"Why don't we exterminate this new threat immediately?" Elder Witness asked. "I will send my seven strongest Psychic Slayers to crush this pathetic band of rats!"

"As much as I'd love for us to eliminate this new threat before they grow in power, we're not sure exactly how many Coordinators there are or where their headquarters is, nor do we fully understand their capabilities. For now, all we can do is wipe out their operations as soon as we discover them. That brings us to my plan to defeat them."