“Damn, Walter,” Vadeem muttered in awe as we opened the glass doors and entered Hope’s Memorial proper. “You were stuck in here as that thing last time? Shit, maybe our time in that sitcom wasn’t that bad after all.”

  I waited for Noel to quip back, but surprisingly, she didn’t. What the hell… did the transfer here break her brain or something? I turned her attention back to the redhead and saw that she was still functioning, but the intense look in her eye showed me none of her usual playful nature. I gave the big man an incredulous stare and pointed at the normally idiotic woman. Holy crap, was Vadeem, and Jae-Hyun actually right?

  “Yeah, I know,” Vadeem grumbled, “That was the exact expression I wore when I first saw her. Well, technically I saw her like that first, then what she’s like normally, but you get what I’m saying.”

  Noel gave the two of us a seething look before finally saying something. “You two make it sound like I’m useless normally. Also, it is very hard to maintain my professional demeanor if you continue like that!”

  “Sorry, sorry,” I said, waving one of my massive hands in defeat. Now that I was in my doctor form, I dwarfed even Vadeem; Noel was almost waist-high. “Anyway, you’re right, Noel. We’re on official business now, and unless we know it's safe, it's best to be professional. Let’s stay on task.”

  “Aye, boss,” Vadeem said, his expression turning colder by the second. “Let’s get this registration over with.”

  I nodded. “You two know the roles you’re to play?”

  “Yes, boss,” Noel answered. It was still strange to see her answer without adding on a bunch of useless chatter.

  “And make as big of a first impression as possible,” Vadeem grinned. “What we do best. Just lead the way, Dr. Walter.”

  I took a deep breath and fully immersed myself in my role here. I couldn’t allow any slip-ups, not when it wasn’t only my own safety that I had to ensure. My two friends might not have noticed, since it was their first time here, but the hospital was more muted and depressing than I’ve ever seen it.

  The place usually exuded an aura of gloom, sure, but most of that had lessened as Alice healed. In fact, as the girl brightened up, that oppressive atmosphere had been replaced with a semblance of calm and homeliness. Having a pair of kids happily helping out did wonders for the spirit of the staff. Now, however? The air was heavy with unseen dread, and even the normal-looking reception space was suffocating. It was as if every inhabitant of this place was on edge, which, I suppose, was true. The Director was due to depart in a few hours, and this was a change that no one was comfortable with, not when the staff knew what was to come.

  “Morning, Sarah,” I greeted with a wink. “Looking great as ever, eh?”

  The mysterious woman - someone I still couldn’t figure out even with my relationships with Molly and Abigail - looked up from her trance. Something clicked in her brain as if she was nothing but an automaton prior to my greeting, and her face livened up as she waved a greeting back. Seriously, every time I tried to inquire about the woman, Molly or Abigail would dodge the question, but one thing was certain: Sarah was absolutely crucial to the continued operations of this Hospital, and one of the main tasks that the Director told me to do was to ensure her absolute safety.

  “I see that you can still joke even in a situation like this one,” The plain woman said with a tired smile. “But I suppose it’s refreshing to see that some things never change, even if everything else has. What can I help you with today, Dr. Walter?”

  I pointed at the two individuals beside me and leaned in closer to the receptionist. “I think I told you about ‘em before. Let’s just get the two registered so I can start fixing the mess we’re about to nose dive into.”

  Once again, something worked in the background of Sarah’s mind as she turned her gaze at Vadeem and Noel. The abrupt shift of her lively expression into one of cold stoicism was freaky, and I was thankful that my two friends were prepared for it ahead of time. I silently gestured for Vadeem to go first, as per the plan

  Vadeem nodded and shifted into his giant form. Well, it was more accurate to say it was a half shift since his normal titan size would been too large to contain even with Hope Memorial’s rather tall ceilings. Instead, he bulked up to about 8 or 9 feet tall, just a tad bit larger than Dr. Walter was, but the sheer presence that my usually gentle friend exuded was scary. And as I thought, Sarah didn’t bat an eye when she saw him transform right before her eyes. It was like she didn’t see him at all before he introduced himself.

  Vadeem’s new form was very different than what I’d seen before. He called this transformation something ridiculous that I forgot, but it’s more like he’s able to compress his normal titan bulk into a size that was more manageable in tight(ish) spaces. With the new levels and upgraded classes, he lost none of the strength of his full-sized form while gaining quite a lot of agility. The only downside was, and I quote Vadeem here, that “it felt like having a wedgie 24/7 in this form.”

  Vadeem hulked over to the receptionist, his entire body radiating anger and violence with each step he took. The air was distorted with steam due to his high body temperature, making him look like he was walking out of a warzone. The shrinking of his body had the unfortunate effect of making all of his muscles bunch up and contort, which made his face look monstrous. He was also exploding with built-up energy, and his body took on a distinctive red shade.

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  He all but slammed his fists into Sarah’s desk - which, surprisingly, didn’t even dent the thing - and grunted a word of greeting. The plain nurse didn’t even flinch at my friend’s approach.

  “What can I do for you?” she asked, her tone devoid of all emotion.

  “I’m the new head of security,” Vadeem grunted and took out one of the pieces of paper I had given him before we left. He shoved it on the woman’s desk. “Contract states that I’m to be in charge of defense for the next week. No bloody invaders are getting through me.”

  Sarah nodded slowly, some of the life appearing back into her eyes, and I felt that strange sensation of… acceptance from the hospital that I felt before. Seriously, what was her role here?

  The nurse read over the contract and nodded. “I see. You must be very good at your job if you were recommended by both the Director and Physician Walter.”

  Not missing a beat, Vadeem gave Sarah a savage, predatory grin. He gripped the seemingly indestructible table before him and squeezed with everything that he had. To the surprise of Sarah and myself, it actually broke beneath his strength. Now I knew for a fact that the furnishings of Hope’s Memorial were unusually tough. I’d seen many a patients try their best to break free of their confines, and there wasn’t so much as a dent even when the strongest Aspirant tried to use force.

  I wasn’t sure if Vadeem was gaining extra strength as his role in the Hospital solidified through his interactions with Sarah or if he was just exerting more force now since his earlier punch did nothing to the table, but his newfound aggression definitely made a big impression on Sarah.

  “I am the best.” He said without the slightest bit of self-doubt.

  Huh, he was doing surprisingly well right now, since his usual acting skills were... bad, to put it mildly. Maybe it's because he's just used to acting the part of a bouncer or loan shark, so this came naturally to the big man. I'll have to keep that in mind if I plan to use him in future roles.

  Sarah nodded slowly, and her expression slowly changed as more of Vadeem’s presence was accepted into Hope’s Memorial. The nurse’s uncanny blank stare shifted into one of subtle discomfort and unease, and that was when I knew that Vadeem’s role was more or less solidified. All that was left was to pass the woman’s strange interview questions.

  “I just have a few questions, um,” She hesitated when she saw my big friend’s brutal stare, but her professionalism won out and she continued. “They’ll be quick. It’s standard procedure…”

  “Ask.” Vadeem all but spat.

  “Now the form states that you’ll be in charge of the hospital’s defenses, but the Disciplinary Squad is already in charge of our safety, how will you integrate yourself with them…?”

  “They will follow my words, or they will die.”

  Another shift in the hospital, this time I could distinctly see Vadeem’s body change ever so slightly. His veins grew more pronounced and his skin started to discolor, even his plain shirt and sweatpants were starting to slowly morph into a neat military uniform. My friend noticed the changes as well, but he had been warned about the potential side effects of the shift beforehand. He took out a small silver amulet and quickly put that on.

  According to the Regressor, that thing should help keep the worst of the mental discomfort and dissonance at bay, otherwise, such a huge shift would cause an incredible amount of pain to the recipient. I had Noe when I first came here, while the other two who entered were inhuman in their own right, so I didn’t notice the problem. I had to thank Jae-Hyun for the foresight, otherwise Vadeem and Noel would be in a world of hurt.

  “I… I see…” Sarah managed to say, her posture as far back to the big man as possible now. “I’ll… I’ll make sure that the others know.”

  “Good,” Vadeem grunted, “Any other questions?”

  “Normally there woul-”

  My big friend squinted at the woman, his hands continuing to pulverize the furnishings around him. “Are you sure you want to continue with that sentence, little nurse? I have the approval of the Director and the Doctor; I'm allowed certain allowances here, and I'd hate for certain accidents to occur on my first day on the job.”

  Sweat was starting to pool around the poor receptionist now, and she did everything she possibly could, even sneaking in a few pleading glances my way, before shaking her head. “No… That’s everything. Um, thank you for your time, s- sir.”

  With that final word said, Vadeem’s entire figure shifted. An old, dusty military uniform that looked like it was straight out of the Cold War replaced his old clothes, and an aura of pure unrelenting violence and death radiated from every pore of his body. Thankfully Vadeem was monstrous enough already that the other changes were more subtle. His muscles became scar-ridden and raw, while there were patches of decay and raw sinue spread across the visible areas of his skin.

  The biggest change was the man’s eyes. Where his deep, brown eyes used to be were now replaced with two pure black, pupilless pits that extended way back into his skull. Just looking into those things gave me the creeps, but apparently, it didn’t impact his vision as he was able to make his way back to my side without issue.

  “How are you feeling?” I whispered.

  “Itchy…” he grumbled, his voice now a tone or two lower than usual, “I’ll need a bit of time to get used to the changes, but the amulet’s holding up. I’m good to go.”

  “Perfect,” I muttered before turning to the other individual by my side. “You’re up now, Noel.”

  The girl nodded, slipped the same pendant that Vadeem had on, and shifted into her inky form. She gracefully slid to the half-destroyed desk and slipped a new sheet of paper to Sarah. The nurse’s expression had shifted back into one of robotic indifference as she surveyed the newcomer. She took the offered papers and scanned them the same way she did with Vadeem, only nodding when she was done.

  That was when Noel chose to make her introductions, and she took “a big impression” quite studiously.

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