Luca stepped out of the store area, emerging into the gray afternoon. The strangeness of hearing the words he had read again and again years before lingered for a moment, but when he pulled out his phone and checked the time, the nostalgia died under the weight of reality. Fifteen minutes until the meeting at Office D33.

  His gaze drifted across the landscape, searching for the Main Hall. It wasn’t hard to find—the monolith of dark glass rising from the other side of the road was quite visible. From this distance, it looked impressive and mysterious.

  Well, it had to be said that it has its own kind of beauty.

  Luca took a deep breath, steeling himself, and began walking along the paved path that led toward it. The closer he got, the more imposing the structure became, its sheer size dwarfing everything around it. Shadows clung to its edges, pooling in the corners between arched panels of glass.

  The entrance, an archway large enough for five people to enter side by side with their arms intertwined, stood open. Only as he approached did Luca notice details he hadn’t seen from afar: faint cracks spiderwebbing across the white concrete, barely visible until closer inspection. The patterns reminded him of the storm he had seen from the airplane.

  But it was only for a moment.

  In a blink, everything smoothed out, like it had been only his imagination.

  Luca pursed his lips.

  A cold breeze swept through the area, carrying with it an unfamiliar, faint scent. Somewhere nearby, a bird cried out—a harsh sound that sent a shiver running down his spine. When he glanced up, he caught sight of it perched atop a window, black feathers and small unnaturally smart eyes. It stared directly at him, tilting its head as if studying him. Then, with a sudden flutter of wings, it vanished into the gray clouds.

  Well, this isn't suspicious at all...

  Luca quickened his pace, finally passing under the arched entrance. The reception area beyond was unexpectedly opulent and modern, its red wooden counters gleaming under warm lighting that seemed almost too bright against the dreary whiteness outside. Behind one of the counters stood a woman—her skin unnervingly pale, almost translucent, and her crimson lips stretched into a smile.

  “Hello,” she said, her voice surprisingly deep for someone who looked so delicate. “Where do you need to go?”

  Luca returned the greeting, keeping his expression neutral, before answering, “Office D33.”

  She tapped something on her computer, the sound of her keystrokes unnaturally loud in the otherwise quiet space. Then she nodded, gesturing toward a corridor behind her with a graceful wave of her hand. “Follow that corridor and turn right at the end. Sixth door on your left.”

  “Thanks,” Luca said, offering a brief, grateful nod before following her instructions. As he stepped away from the counter, he couldn’t shake the feeling that her gaze lingered on him. For some reason, it felt like turning around would be a mistake, so he pressed on.

  The corridor she directed him to was starkly different from the lavish reception area. Narrow and sterile, with empty walls and only a faint hum of noise. The doors lining the hallway were plain, marked with golden signs—some displaying numbers, others letters, and a few with titles. It was a long corridor. Longer than he had expected.

  According to what he knew, the Main Hall had around a thousand floors, split between those above ground and those buried deep beneath it. Yet only a fraction was actively occupied. Delta claimed the first three; Gamma took the next three; Beta and Alpha occupied progressively higher levels. But the laboratories —where most of the activity truly resided, took dozens of subterranean floors.

  Not a surprise.

  Experiments required space. And secrecy. Particularly this kind of experiment.

  Despite the corridor’s length, it didn’t take Luca long to reach the end and make the turn. The little trip was uneventful —no one crossed his path, which struck him as odd. There were many sounds echoing through the corridors —muffled voices, the clatter of footsteps, the occasional ring of different melodies. Yet not a single soul appeared in front of him.

  Well, I won’t complain.

  As he found the sixth door, Luca paused briefly, studying it. Like the others, it was unremarkable—plain wood with a small brass plaque reading D33. Yes, there was no need to check further. Taking a steadying breath, he knocked gently, the sound reverberating softly against the polished surface.

  “Come in,” came the reply. It was a recognizable voice.

  Luca turned the handle and pushed the door open.

  Inside the office sat Michael. The man was seated behind a cluttered desk, in a chair large enough for two people. His glasses were perched neatly on his nose, reflecting the dim light of the muted white lamp, and his hair looked freshly styled, as if he’d visited a professional on his way to work. For some reason, he was dressed in a black leather jacket.

  “You’ve arrived just in time,” Michael said, his smile sharp as he spoke.

  Perhaps Luca hadn’t been stealthy enough to hide his glance —or the slight judgment in it. He felt a flicker of guilt, but black leather always reminded him of his little brother trying too hard to appear older.

  Michael gestured toward the seat in front of the desk. “I’ve already prepared what you need. Take a seat and look at this.”

  Luca obeyed, lowering himself into the chair. Michael slid a tablet across the desk. The weight of it felt lighter than it should have as Luca picked it up.

  “You’ll find your manual there,” Michael explained, leaning back in his chair. “Make use of the time. The available information about your new mission is already inside, updated to the last round.”

  Luca nodded curtly but hesitated. “May I ask you a question?” When Michael gestured for him to continue, he said, “Is there any special way to activate Traits and Perks?”

  The man looked at him, the weight of his gaze heavy even behind the sunglasses. “No. They work automatically. You can ‘cancel’ them temporarily through the system, though.”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Ah, so it’s like that,” Luca murmured to himself.

  “If I may ask you a question now,” Michael began, slightly pushing his sunglasses up. “Did you obtain—?” He didn’t finish the sentence, but Luca knew exactly what he was referring to.

  “Yes,” Luca replied, pausing for a moment to consider how much to reveal. “It’s paired with my Trait. I got pretty lucky.”

  “I see.”

  The Traits of employees were available in the database, accessible to all agents and beyond. Michael, who was obviously the senior assigned to him, would already know what Luca’s Trait was. And while it was subtle, there were few Traits that paired as well with Stealthy as Night Vision.

  But why was him asking about it as if he didn't know?

  Are you testing me...? Really?

  "It's alright to be careful when speaking about this with others," Michael said, almost bored. "Now, if you have nothing more to ask, then you may continue reviewing the mission."

  Luca nodded and pulled a sweet from his pocket, leaving it on the corner of the table. “Thank you, Michael.” Then, without waiting for a response, he turned his attention to the tablet. Once he unlocked the screen and settled into the seat for comfort, a simple interface appeared.

  It was quite old, to be honest, even for his own parameters. And the design wasn't quite good —the screen was divided in two sides, with the left, narrower one containing the tabs, now only one: Primal Dream.

  As Luca distractedly noted how familiar it seemed, the sound of crinkling plastic and then tearing reached his ears.

  Suppressing a smile, he focused on the page. He recognized this—not only by name, but by reputation. One of the named characters had met a tragic end there, devoured alive in a scenario that could only be described as a nightmarish, crueler version of Jurassic Park. Because here, this John Hammond hadn’t intended for his creations to stay inside their cells.

  A sharp knock echoed through the room, startling Luca from his thoughts.

  “Who?” Michael asked, as he moved around his desk, tossing something into the trash can.

  “Nagato,” came the reply, hesitant. “And Liona.”

  “Come in.”

  The door creaked open, revealing Tim and Samantha—or rather, Nagato and Liona. They stepped inside, their expressions guarded but tinged with apprehension. Both looked distinctly uncomfortable. Tim’s usual confidence seemed muted, replaced by a wary stiffness, while Samantha’s wide eyes darted around the room, avoiding both Michael and Luca.

  Michael gestured for them to sit, his movements precise and smooth. He pointed to the clock on the wall. “You’re late,” he remarked coolly, though there was no real accusation in his voice. To anyone else, it might have sounded like he was bored.

  Nagato cleared his throat awkwardly as he took a seat beside Luca. “Sorry. We got lost on the way here.”

  Luca almost snorted. He didn't know there were still respect for the classics at that side.

  Behind Nagato, Liona nodded silently, her demeanor far shyer than Luca recalled from the bus.

  “Here. Study the material for the mission,” Michael said, handing out the tablets. “Try to understand the rules. Your lives will depend on it.”

  After that, silence fell over the group. Like the others, Luca focused on the tablet, skimming through the information. Under the summary, there was a section labeled Rules. He pressed it.

  It was so obvious which role was the most problematic and what one was the 'easiest'.

  In summary, everyone had to stay in their roles until the disaster began but once everything went sideways, they could do whatever it took to survive without worrying about their assigned roles. Alright. Until here it was good and all. But —why was the last section empty?

  He asked this aloud to Michael.

  "Due the sudden urgence, it wasn't possible to finish updating the manual on time," the man answered. Something cold was settled on his voice. "You’re going to have to make do with what you already have."

  Luca felt his respect for whoever had written that plummeting below zero.

  Tim cleared his throat. “Sorry—but—you’re going to give us some equipment, right? There are carnivorous dinosaurs. And they’ll be roaming free alongside us? For hours?” His tone was skeptical, almost disbelieving. “How are we supposed to survive this?” He frowned, his voice rising slightly. "And for how long?"

  Michael smirked. “Well, to answer that, you’ll be inside for twelve hours before the security mechanism kick you off.” He paused, his gaze sweeping over them. “And equipment? At Level 0? You don’t even have the inventory unlocked. Quit dreaming.” His tone was bored, almost dismissive.

  Liona clutched her tablet tightly, her knuckles white against the screen. “Then—we’ll have to survive on our own, without even a weapon?”

  Michael raised an eyebrow. “Why did you think the salary is so good? Kindness?” He shook his head.

  Luca glanced around at the pale, nervous, and even slightly angry faces. He chose to speak up, his voice calm but firm. “If you’re all amenable, we can brainstorm about the Roles and the possible missions. We’ve still got some time.” He glanced at Michael with a questioning look.

  “Yeah, feel free to use your neurons,” Michael said, waving his hand dismissively. “You’ve got 20 minutes.”

  “I think it’s a good idea,” Liona said, her voice steady but tinged with relief.

  Tim sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m a simple guy who just wanted a gun, but alright, I’m in.”

  Since it had been his idea, Luca took the lead. “I’ll go first, then. I think if someone gets the Tour Guide Role the missions wil probably be about…”