Sunlight streamed through the flimsy, transparent curtain, draping half the apartment in warmth. With no ventilation, the heat lingered, making the room stifling.
Tyson would have been more selective about a temporary apartment to rent if he hadn’t been accepted on such short notice.
Today, the last day of the month of Nullar, he was to be enlisted—selected as a member of the newly formed squad within V.E.I.L.
The apartment itself was far from ideal. The bathroom, in particular, was in a sorry state. Its automated systems for brushing, bathing, and grooming have long since broken.
Even considering the urgency of the situation. He most likely still wouldn't have been so quick to settle for a place like this if not for his family's reluctance to support him financially.
Even with the confirmation that he was indeed accepted officially, his family was still skeptical of the legitimacy, and the meager funds provided wouldn't change anytime soon.
Not that it mattered. Tyson never really relied on automation anyway. To him, allowing machines to handle basic tasks felt dehumanizing. He preferred doing things himself and the satisfaction that comes with it.
Dressed in a simple black button-up and khaki pants, he slung his only possession over his shoulder– a backpack filled only with necessities– and stepped out of the apartment for the last time. He'd returned the key the previous night so there was nothing left to do but walk out the door.
‘I would have loved to explore the city a little more’ Tyson thought as he left the downtown area of Simulum city in a desticar. Weaving through spiraling bridge-roads.
The bridge-roads stretched high above, their titanium-alloy surfaces supported by billions of self-sufficient nanomachines, constantly repairing and reinforcing it along with most of the city's structures.
These elevated pathways eliminated the need for ground roads, keeping the cityscape clean and reducing the risk of accidents below.
Exit points served as the only connection between the sky-bound highways and the streets below.
Unlike the previous regions that were packed with vehicles, bright lights and towering buildings, this area was almost entirely forested, dotted only with scattered holes and factories.
Strangely, the sudden shift into a rural expanse made it quite obvious that there was more than what could be seen.
However, the deeper they went, the more obscure the route became. At times, it felt as if he was being taken in circles.
He recalled how the desticar took an unusually thorough scan and identity check when he gave the codename to District seven's 56th V.E.I.L headquarter as the destination.
These fully automated hover-cars had replaced manual vehicles long ago, their navigation dictated by a seamless network of radar, sonar, and ladar systems.
Unlike piloting an aircraft, which was now relatively accessible, obtaining a license for bridge-road driving had become nearly impossible. Though there was little need. need.
Desticars required nothing more than a destination, and the backup solar-powered charging stations at their transit terminals ensured they had need for manual refueling.
The desticar came to a sudden stop. No visible landmark indicated as to why. When Tyson exited the open door, nothing but trees were visible as far as he could tell. The road didn't stop either, but the car turned and drove off nonetheless.
“Where is this supposed to be?” He wondered and waited. A few moments after the desticar was out of sight he turned towards the road ahead.
When he did, his eyes widened. His vision was filled with the sight of a scarily large structure that he could tell right away, was his destination.
“That's… the headquarters?” Rising from the heart of an endless sea of trees, the headquarters stood as a silent monolith—an immense hexagonal structure of dark steel and tinted glass that stretched for miles.
There were no fences, no obvious security measures—only the overwhelming sense that this place was not meant to be approached without invitation.
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On the contrary, surrounding the building from all angles were around six dozen others facing it, some closer than others. A lot seemed as clueless as him and others seemed to know to walk towards it.
He couldn't help but notice the wide array of the kinds of people here along with him. Some as young as being barely eligible leave school, and others old enough to retire from normal jobs.
But he couldn't be too shocked considering, even though it was more tame, the age of the students enrolled at the academy varied significantly.
“Excuse me…” A voice suddenly came from behind him and he was quick to step out of the way. Strangely, he hadn’t seen anybody on the road he was before yet there were people in front, behind, and all around him, all encircling the headquarters.
Slowly walking past him was a short girl in a black, frilly short-gown. Her sparkling, platinum hair was held in a twin tail by bands of beads with each tail being noticeably large and twirled symmetrically.
Thinking back, he remembered that the guide book never did state any specific dress code. In fact, the acceptance letter noticeably encouraged non-uniformity.
The most noticeable feature about her was her eyes. They were seemingly cold and dark, contrasting her bright look. She’d referred to him yet it didn’t feel like he was registered in her mind at all. Like nothing was.
She glided past him, towards the building along with the others.
As if on cue, all around the building, doors appeared and slid open. Behind each door were men in suits and shades waiting along. They said and did nothing but the feeling they gave to each recruit here, was that they weren’t to be trifled with.
Before long, they were all heading towards the center. After everyone was through the door and the crowd met at the center of a hall inside, the doors shut.
Suddenly, there was a change in the color of the silver walls. They suddenly turned white.
What followed was a gravitational change, most got knocked right off their feet and some even temporarily in the air.
They could barely keep their balance and it was apparent that the room was moving somewhere at breakneck speed.
What wasn’t so clear was which direction they were heading.
Tyson was one of the few who could remain somewhat stable, but he couldn't help but support himself with a knee.
The room came to a stop, and the white shining walls shifted back to silver, but the room did not look the same. On one side of the room, a stage was now present with two people conversing on it.
“Come on Jid! You don't expect anybody to follow such a stupid advice do you?”
“What's wrong with that? When your life is in danger because your authority cannot overrule an opponent's, the best thing to do is to sacrifice and change your conviction then and there. They won't see it coming at all. It's the best way to-”
“It's the best way to die shamefully is what you mean. When you establish your conviction, you should be determined to stick to it till you die…”
A young man and woman were chiding each other up on the stage. They didn't bother acknowledging those now in the room.
“Of course you'd think that, muscle-brained gorilla woman!”
Thud
“Ow!”
“Who're you calling a gorilla you bastard! I should-”
“Ahem…” One of the men in shades who were around the recruits was forced to intervene. Finally getting their attention.
They both turned to look below.
“Oh, the last wave is here.” The woman finally addressed them.
They both made the effort to stand professionally. As if what was just observed was a figment of the imagination.
“They look like a promising bunch. A bit colorful too-”
“Hello one and all. And welcome to Veil. Our organization, dedicated to the protection of life, light, and peace throughout the cosmos.” The woman obviously intentionally cuts him off, but it'd be classless to address it now so the man could only suck his teeth and accept it.
“My name's Ally.”
“And I go by Jid.”
“Let's make this quick and easy. You're here to be distributed into your respective squads. You've each been selected and drafted according to your evaluations.”
A hand shot up from the crowd and somebody spoke. A brawly young man with black hair spiked to the back. “I assumed there'd be a test. Wouldn’t it be better for us to be evaluated before being enlisted to such dangerous tasks?”
Jid responded with a smile. “Ah, I appreciate your sentiment, but don't worry, if you're here, then you've already been qualified.”
“What?”
“From the moment you registered, each and every one of you has been monitored individually till you arrived here.”
Loud gasps and shocked reactions erupted from the crowd.
“And yes, that does include those of you flown in, as well as you academy graduates. ” Ally sought to clarify.
“Do not underestimate our screening process. We take the process very seriously.”
“But don't worry, if you're here, then there's no issue. But as for whether your captains will put you through more initiation tests well... that'll be up to them.” Some of the recruits could've sworn they saw sinister smiles on both of their faces.
“Anyway.” Ally snapped her fingers, and in that moment, multitudes of wristbands appeared next to each recruit and were attached to their wrists.
“You're officially in Veil headquarters. Those bands will guide you to your assigned base of operation. There, you'll meet your respective captains.”
“Those will also be essential to you as long as you're a Veil officer. They'll be useful for communication, tracking, guidance and more. Keep them with you and do your best to not lose them.” Jid added.
A streak of light shot out from each band, pointing towards different directions, then disappeared soon after.
“Follow where those beams were pointing. If you lose your way, they'll emerge once again. But as trained Eminents, that shouldn't be a problem for you.”
Before long, the hall was clear, and the agents were dispersed as well, leaving only five of the recruits behind.
