A few hours ago...
Jarxen nervously twiddled his thumbs while he waited inside the leader's office. The official first day for the new recruits hasn't even started and he was already called out to the office two times.
New recruits, new worries, and now I have to deal with teenager troubles?! I guess things are going to get busier than ever. He sympathetically wallowed in himself but he didn't want to make it obvious from his expressions.
The office was located on the second floor of the dome, just like all the other offices of different blocks. However, the other offices didn't have a fighting chance in comparison to this office. It was more spacious and formally decorated compared to the rest. A ceiling fan with a span of two meters hung overhead, directly above the overly polished marble table in the middle of the office. The sofas were pure white, just like the interior of the dome, and the carpet was evidently hand-sewn to flawlessness. All the materials in the office were top-notch, and this made Jarxen feel a tad bit uncomfortable.
And Jarxen wasn't alone in the room.
On the opposite of where he sat was another guy that looked like he's still in his mid-thirties, but judging from his disheveled hair and the uneven stubble on his chin, anyone would assume that he's in his mid-forties, regardless of how youthful he looked. Aside from his round-brimmed glasses and spotlessly clean lab coat, his overall features weren't something noteworthy.
Just like Jarxen, the man wearing the lab coat was also nervously fidgeting as they waited for the one who summoned them to show up."Hey, hey! Fujimoto!" Jarxen hoarsely whispered, trying to attract his attention.
Fujimoto finally snapped back to his senses. Adjusting his round-brimmed glasses and the collar of his lab coat, he replied while imitating Jarxen's hoarse voice. "Yes?"
"Why do you think Head Cipher called us in his office?" Jarxen asked.
"I have no idea either," Fujimoto replied. "Did anything happen with the new recruits at your end? "
"Um, nothing really worth mentioning." Jarxen thoughtlessly shrugged. "How about you? I heard you also got quite a few new faces in your block as well. Man! I'd gladly do anything to be put in another block!"
"It's not like we have any choice. Moreover, we have our own fair share of troubles."
"But it's nothing compared to my block. Everyone's dropping dead like flies over there. I think this year, a total of ninety-seven deaths already occurred, and it's already the lowest annual record I got. Compared to the other blocks, this is way more frustrating. I feel like I'm getting used to witnessing all those deaths. I don't even feel anything anymore every time one of them gets hurt."
"You'll get used to it." Fujimoto teasingly responded although he didn't mean every single word he let out.
"I don't want to get used to it. But hey, It's not like I got a choice." Jarxen said, shaking his head. "Now, I'm trying not to get attached to those kids. But it's getting really hard, you know."
"You were probably a doting parent in your past, that's why you feel that way to those teenagers."
"What?! No! It would really be a bit nicer if I was a selfish man in the past. That way I won't feel remorse for those poor kids."
While Fujimoto and Jarxen were discussing and assuming their past lives, a small circular machine hovered at the other end of the room, attracting their attention. The machine was likened to a huge disc, with a slight curvature at the top and bottom of it. Adding to its techy image were the laser-like blue lights that ran through its circumference.
The disc-like machine lit up and a steady whirring was heard. It sounded like a cat purring louder and louder.
Suddenly, a human figure slowly manifested at the top of the disc. Just like the color of the disc's circumference, the human figure had the bluish color as well, but it began to fade soon after. The process only took a minute and a hologram of a man emerged. The color wasn't bluish anymore, in fact, it was so detailed that one could even see the detailed strands of the man's hair waving slowly.
"I see you're early as usual." The man had a voice that resembled a clear flowing spring. It was a subtle yet strong voice. That and the appearance of the man had made him a couple of times creepier than imagined.
It should be said that the man doesn't look ugly at all, in fact, it's quite the opposite. But the way he spoke and moved in a graceful manner made him seem like a mannequin more than a human. This resulted in Fujimoto and Jarxen's uneasy feelings towards the man.
"Head Cipher, we express our greetings." Fujimoto bowed down on a precise ninety-degree angle whereas Jarxen only abruptly bowed his head and didn't speak a single greeting.
"At ease," Cipher replied with an anomalous grin on his face. Both Fujimoto and Jarxen didn't know if he's smiling or frowning but his expressionless face gave them the chills. "Do you know why I called you here?"
"Please enlighten us on the cause, Head Cipher." Fujimoto responded.
"A few minutes ago, I had the notion that the new recruits today were strangely different compared to the previous ones. That's why I had them go through a surprise test. Of course, these tests weren't derived from my single notion, it was decided by the board of directors themselves." Cipher began. "For the Sorting blocks, we had them sort different sizes of gears in an hour. They finished a few seconds above the time limit so they pass. For the Assembly block, we had you use those gears to assemble our latest humanoid. Moving on to the Finishing block, we had them polish the humanoid to perfection. And lastly, we have the Testing block test its combat prowess. Personally, I also wanted to see the potential of the recruits and I'd say I wasn't disappointed."
"But..."
"... two things struck me as odd," Cipher said with a smirking expression written all over his face, making Jarxen and Fujimoto gulp as they tensely waited for what he's about to say next.