At the highest floor of the Fortextile headquarters stood a vast command chamber.
The room was enormous, its ceiling disappearing into darkness far above. Steel beams crossed overhead, and dim lights glowed faintly along the walls. Holographic screens floated in the air, displaying shifting reports of Voletile activity across the world.
At the far end of the chamber stood a massive glass wall overlooking the sleeping city.
Before it stood a lone figure.
Three figures stood behind him in salute.
One of them was Terrisia.
The man by the window spoke first, his voice deep and steady.
"Firstly, I would like to thank you for accepting the role of examiner again this year, Terrisia… despite your renowned position."
Terrisia kept her posture straight. "Think nothing of it, Supreme Commander."
The figure by the window remained motionless. "Your loyalty truly pleases me."
A faint mechanical hum filled the chamber from the hovering monitors.
"Now then—"
"Forgive me, Supreme Commander." A serene voice interrupted.
Standing beside Terrisia was a woman with long dark hair and sharp jade eyes.
"But I feel this must be said."
Her gaze shifted toward Terrisia.
"Captain Terrisia's exams are always unreasonable. For the past few years many cadets have lost their lives in her trials, and others have even lost the will to fight."
Her voice remained calm. "Forgive me… but those cadets are still human children."
The shadowed figure did not immediately respond. He continued gazing out over the city then his voice came again. "Yes… you are correct."
"Most cadets are children."
A bird flew by as silence filled the chamber.
"But if they cannot pass an exam… how do you think they will survive Voletiles on an actual battlefield?"
The weight of his words pressed against the room.
"Out there they must protect not only themselves… but civilians as well."
He finally shifted slightly, though his face still remained hidden in shadow.
"Captain Terrisia's methods may be harsh."
"But they are necessary."
His voice turned toward the woman. "Captain Chantelle… you have served the Fortextile for many years."
"You have seen comrades die before they ever encountered an A-ranked Voletile… let alone a B."
A brief pause followed.
"And that still doesn't begin to scratch the surface of an S-rank."
Chantelle shifted a bit as she looked down "Yes... of course... but I just..."
Chantelle lowered her gaze slightly.
"Yes… Supreme Commander."
"I understand… but I just..."
"Jeez, Chantelle… you're such a worrywart." Another voice cut in, breaking the tension, it was lazy as if talking, alone annoyed him.
He leaned against one of the steel pillars nearby, his black hair hanging over his eyes as he stretched his arms above his head.
"Urgh… this bickering is giving me a headache."
He shifted his weight with a groan.
"I've been standing here for like… six minutes... My legs hurt."
He tilted his head slightly toward Terrisia.
"Terrisia… just come clean already."
"Come clean?" Chantelle asked.
Terrisia sighed and folded her arms. "I wasn't bickering with anyone."
She glanced at Chantelle. "But if it will stop her fussing, I suppose I should come clean."
She closed her eyes calmly. "When you grow up."
Chantelle's expression twitched. "Urgh… why you—"
"Enough." The Supreme Commander spoke again.
The single word straightened Chantelle and silenced the entire chamber.
His silhouette remained motionless against the vast glass window.
"Captain Chantelle… have you prepared the next examination?"
"Yes… Supreme Commander," she replied.
He continued staring out over the endless lights of the city.
"Good. Then finalize it."
Outside, the city stretched endlessly beneath the night sky.
"…We are already a thousand years behind."
*****
Reol hadn't expected the headquarters to be like this.
Below the main facility were the examinee quarters, and "quarters" was an understatement. The place was enormous. Maids and butlers moved quietly through wide halls, tending to every request. Each cadet had their own room—no, not a room. A suite the size of a penthouse.
Food was provided.
Clothing.
Medical care.
There were even private doctors and specialized labs dedicated to maintaining their body suits.
The price of becoming a Fortextile clearly came with its own set of privileges.
Reol stood there for a moment, stunned by the sheer luxury.
'If I sold all this…'
His eyes widened slightly.
My siblings could go to school for life.
He quickly shook his head, almost as if scolding himself.
"No… no stealing."
Bandages wrapped around parts of his body as he wandered through the room, still taking everything in. Then he saw it.
The bath.
It was massive, large enough to look like a small indoor pool, steam slowly rising from the surface.
Reol stared at it, dumbfounded.
"It's crazy how much the Fortextile industry has…" he muttered. "After all, they're the only ones capable of beating mankind's greatest threats…"
His gaze drifted slightly.
"But I wonder…"
His voice lowered.
"What are we…?"
A pause.
"What are Voletiles…?"
The thought lingered for only a moment before he shrugged it off. His eyes softened.
"No… why do I even care?"
He looked away.
"I'm not doing this for humanity anyway."
A faint breath escaped him.
"If my siblings are alright… then I don't care about the rest."
He stepped into the bath.
Later, after washing up, Reol dried himself and stretched slightly.
"I should get some fresh air…"
He paused at the door and muttered. "I just hope I don't run into that mohawked neat freak on the way."
He left the room as he walked on the corridors looking at the other rooms, as lab workers ran up and down in one huge scientific room enriched with blue lights as Reol thought.
"I'm sure Cassidy would love this...." Then he thought again about her quaky personality. "but she probably wouldn't fit in."
He saw an outing as he walked towards it, as he stepped out he saw Xeno, standing with his arms folded and gazing at the night skies intensely, a lion's tatoo spread s distant and without even turning, he said
"The Honeybadger..."
'I barely made a sound though...' Reop thought "I was sure of it."
He walked up to him as Xeno asked without even turning to him.
"Tell me... how did you pass that exam?"
"What?"
"I'm sure the question's simple enough to comprehend."
"What's with this jerks high and mighty act." Reol muttered to himself then he said.
"Well... we passed by completing the objective... just like you."
Xeno paused for a moment. "See... that wasn't so hard..." as he turned around and just walked passed him without even gazingnat him. "Just because you an Enhancer don't think for a second you're special... Honeybadger."
'He doesn't even see me as a threat...' Reol thought then a faint smirk formed on his lips.
*****
High above the Fortextile headquarters, the wind howled across the rooftops.
Two figures sat casually on the edge of a nearby skyscraper, their dark cloaks fluttering violently in the night air. Far below, the city stretched endlessly in a sea of lights, while aircraft drifted silently between the towering buildings.
The massive Fortextile headquarters loomed nearby like a steel giant, its upper floors glowing with cold blue light.
Both figures kept their faces hidden beneath the shadows of their hoods.
One of them finally spoke. "Beautiful city, isn't it?"
The other scoffed. "Oh please… don't give me that crap. We both know the only thing you find beautiful is violence."
Her voice cut through the wind, calm and almost amused. "Anyway… the little Enhancer you've been so interested in is actually taking part in the Fortextile exams right now."
For a moment, the man beside her said nothing.
Then a crooked grin slowly spread across his face, barely visible beneath the darkness.
"Oh yeah…?"
He leaned forward slightly, looking toward the towering headquarters.
"So he's still just a blooming flower, huh…"
His grin widened. "That's dope."
"I guess I'll have to wait and see if he's worth a damn."
A low chuckle escaped him before it suddenly exploded into a crazed laugh that was nearly carried away by the wind.
"Let's see if he can pass those exams."
He rested his chin lazily against his hand.
"Besides… if we attacked now, we'd just run into those Captains."
He clicked his tongue. "And I'm not really trying to fuck with them… just yet."
Below them, the cars and civilians moving and unaware of the brewing storm.