In an underground base within Baldimore, many people of different ages stood together in a robe or something similar to a white scientists coat over their original clothes.
There were a couple of very old and young males or females within the group while the most of them ranged from twenty to sixty years old.
As they waited for the meeting to begin they talked to each other about how their projects were going along with seeking advice from the elders with their studies or their current experiment.
The occasional conversation was about the recent news and gossip within the island or what they had red about the outside world.
The heavy door was unbolted and opened allowing a messy looking and lethargic woman with glasses to enter followed by three others and a small cat.
Several people around the same age group excitedly approached her and asked. "Hey Ein! Who are these people? Can we trust them? Are they useful?"
Ein yawned lazily and answered. "They are skilled in their own way and my master vouches for them so you do not have to worry. You can all see for yourselves later."
A weak and delicate looking man got close to her and casually whispered into her ear. "Even if it is your master, we cannot be too careful so do not take any offence to what they are thinking."
She pushed him back and turned her head away, revealing her slightly blushed ears. "Fool, who cares about any of that."
It was true that she had joined this group for her friends and wished to look out for her old comrades but there was also a hidden reason why she could not leave.
One of the people within her friend group had a closer relationship with her but it had not developed into a romantic relationship and remained somewhat ambiguous.
He often made casual gestures that invaded her space and broke down many of her barriers, however their relationship had remained this way for several years making their relationship a little awkward.
Although she liked him and could not leave him and her friends within the group, it was in her best interests to not get too involved with the group.
She knew she was being controlled by her feelings which was something a skilled scientist should not do but it was already too late, still there was something wrong with the groups leader and she smelled his greater ambitions.
The leader was willing to sacrifice others for his goals and push everyone to work to impossible deadlines so that his goals could be achieved very soon.
Many experimental projects were pushed to her since she was Dr Tsukimi's student but all she could do was try to buy time for to find a way out or convince the others.
Everyone was too fascinated by the leader and his vision, many were willing to sacrifice for this vision while a couple among them had their own goals within the group that differed from everyone else.
Since she could not find a way to reveal the leaders true face, Dr Tsukimi was her final hope to get some advice.
Even after bringing Alyssia, Nica and Ashwin to the room, she had expected this ambush by her friends but the mans words and actions caught her a little off guard.
His actions were more intimate and a little more forceful than before as if trying to state his claim or warn off others, showing how close they were in public.
Although his words explained why the group was had acted that way and got her to calm down and not hold a grudge against them, he still made it sound like the way everyone had acted was correct and she should be forgiving."
Alyssia saw this scene and examined him closely. 'Is this a male version of a green tea…. Or is it a white lotus? Hmm… I smell something iffy about this man.'
She had read novels and heard many gossips about certain situations caused by a man or woman, they give off a friendly and flirty atmosphere making everyone love them.
Those that love them give them gifts, take them to expensive places and shower them with love but they never receive anything beyond a certain boundary and never cross that line, oftentimes there are multiple people being used in the same way by that person.
Although the man looked close to Ein, it did not look like the type of possessiveness that comes from love but instead because he feels threatened that his important reliance is at risk of leaving.
If Ein joins forces with others within the scientific union, he will get left behind and lose all of the prestige he had built up for himself after participating in many projects with Ein and her group.
He was less talented and was a small member in the group at the beginning but using his own methods, he was able to gain extra help from others along with Ein being one of them.
Alyssia observed the mans actions within the crowd as he was playing the role of the peacekeeper and receiving everyones love because of his kind and gentle character. 'Fake.. fakefakefakefakefake! Bleergh so disgusting! So this is the reason why she wished to stay? Those friends too.. I do not know which ones that he may also have worked his charms on. Perhaps some of them may even be in on it. Don't tell me that Ein has a high IQ but he people skills suck. I am not much better myself but at least I can spot that this person is bad news for her. Then again… she is too close to see it for herself, I am an outsider so it is easier to spot. Hmm.. what to do about this."
Although not everyone would be aware of what was going on in private, there had to be a small group among them that were working with him to keep her by their side and helping them achieve greater recognition and successes."
Alyssia nudged Nice who was by her side and quietly made eye contact with her, signalling her too act.
Nice was dressed in a white scientists coat, striped jumper, black pants and boots with rubber soles along with the small top hat on her head and a pair of mechanical goggles fixed on her head. "I am Nica, this is Alyssia and Ashwin. We are studying under Dr Tsukimi right now and each have our own fields that we focus in. I enjoy building weapons, tools and vehicles that can assist others in combat or their daily lives. Alyssia… I can only say that she does not have a set preference and likes to combine different types of things together to make some interesting things. Ashwin has his own specialty using his homeland's Dial technology."
Ashwin looked towards the group and quietly acknowledged them with a nod.
After spending some time on the ship he had grown and bulked up a little after being fed the Boin Archipelago food along with the food Alyssia had been experimenting with after acquiring her new unique skill.
His clothes were more neat and newly made compared to his days living within the Sky Island's trash cloud, he was dressed in thick and warm light purple jumper, wide blue trousers with a white cloud pattern on them, black long boots and a white jacket over his shoulders.
After seeing his usual dress sense, Alyssia once thought to herself that he does indeed possess Skypiean blood within him along with Shandoran blood, his dress sense was very similar to how the God's Guards dressed and all that he really missed was the beret.
Alyssia calmly nodded her head to greet them all while examining each of them one at a time.
She closed her eyes and calmly let her system detect the various skills within the room and began collecting anything of use until something caught her eye among many of them. 'Infiltration, Shave, Acting, Science, Engineering, Concealment, Detection, Information Gathering and many more! Curses… I was right! Someone already knows or will know soon. Now the difficulty has been raised.'
A member of one of the Cypher Pol branches had placed a spy or two on the island for a long time so it was no wonder that she had not heard about this event within the manga.
She had not been within any of the laboratories so she had not been able to meet everyone and view and absorb their skills, so she had missed the hidden spies within the island.
She took a deep breathe and calmed herself down. 'There is still time, how much left is unknown but it is too late to back out now that I have made the Doctor a promise. Alright! Bring it on!'