"In the end, we are fodder."
- Unremarkable Soldier
"--How are you today, Elise?"
"Same as always, doc."
In a room adorned with calm, muted colors, Elise eased herself onto a soft brown couch thoughtfully positioned for open and honest communication. Across from her sat a woman, meticulously covered in makeup, presenting a flawless and polished appearance. The therapist, who wore an olive-tinted blouse paired with a knee-length skirt, occupied a grey chair beside a small, circular wooden table.
"Is there anything you would like to talk to me about?"
"Nothing comes to mind right now."
"Okay... Okay." The therapist's gaze lingered on Elise, a subtle inquiry in her eyes.
"Look, I don't see any point in dwelling too much on it."
"Why's that?"
" Her luck ran out, that's it. Another day in the office if you ask me."
"Okay, well, I understand it might not feel important to you, but grief comes in many forms.Grieving a close colleague is hard for most, Elise. It's normal to be frustrated."
"Well, I can't deny that I don't feel bad about it. – it's just that, never mind."
"It's okay; you can take your time to process. There's no judgment here."
Unlike the therapist's empathetic tone, Elise's words carried a deep coldness, perhaps a hint towards a concoction of bottled emotions.
"If only this were a real therapy session." Elise thought to herself
To Elise, this "therapy" felt more like a scrutinizing exam than a genuine effort to understand her mental well-being. In her eyes, it was an evaluation of the higher-ups to determine if she was still "sane" enough to endure this grueling line of work for mere scraps of credits. Her skepticism wasn't baseless though—it all started from an incident last month.
A colleague, Dan, reached his breaking point and abruptly decided to leave the company after losing his entire squad to an entity, after failing his psych evaluation and getting removed from the company a mere week later, Dan mysteriously vanished, later on, he was found dead in his apartment with a bullet between his eyes. Due to insufficient evidence of a murder, it was later ruled out as a suicide by the police.
Dan wasn't suicidal though.
Elise knew this. What initially seemed like a tragic decision took on an ominous twist as Elise started to delve into the records of missing people associated with the company.
The pieces started to form a disturbing pattern. Other individuals who had left the company under various circumstances also shared the same fate—mysteriously disappearing and resurfacing with a bullet lodged in their head.
This wasn't just a string of unfortunate coincidences; it was a disconcerting tendency that she couldn't ignore.
As she sat in the therapy room, Elise fed into the wants of her "therapist" Dr. Harris. Who also served as one of the company's professional "liquidators".
As the therapy session continued Elise made sure to veil her true feelings under her compliant exterior, seeming bothered enough by her co-worker's death but stable enough to continue working.
Dr. Harris smiled coyly as the session came to an end
"Ok Elise, that's all for today. Thank you for your compliance today"
"Thank you too, doc I think I feel kind of better now"
As Elise exited the therapy room, she unexpectedly encountered one of her colleagues, Holtow, in the hallway. Holtow was always a peculiar figure, always clad in a black balaclava that concealed everything but his piercing eyes. At first, Elise found his attire strange. However, as she delved deeper into the unsettling realities of their workplace, she began to understand the reason behind Holtow's seemingly peculiar decision.There was some sort of an unspoken acknowledgment between the two, that hinted at their shared awareness of the company's darker secrets.
Elise often finds herself grappling with waves of regret, a gnawing emotion born from the stigma that she failed to hide her identity adeptly from the clutches of this unethical organization. She always bears the weight of self-blame, doubting her awareness for not being able to unravel the enigma of the company's illicit activities sooner. If only she had possessed the sharpness to unveil their secrets early on, she could have veiled her identity with the same finesse as Holtow.
Yet, a persistent doubt lingers—would the organization have tolerated an anonymous presence within its ranks? They surely wouldn't be naive enough to permit someone to expose their well-guarded secrets. This raises the intriguing possibility that someone within their midst may have known about Holtow's true identity. "Holtow" remains nothing more than a callsign to Elise; his real name remains elusive, tucked away beneath the mask he wears both literally and metaphorically.
Suddenly, anxiety arose from her mind, Elise contemplated whether or not the company knew about her past. If they did, the situation would be far more dire than she had originally suspected.
"What're you staring at?" Holtow asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Elise lost in her thoughts, hadn't realized her peculiar behavior. Unknowingly, her gaze lingered on Holtow's face.
"Nothing," she uttered dismissively, snapping out of her daydream.
Holtow, feeling a bit odd, took a moment before coming up with a response. "Do you want one?"
"One what?" Elise asked, genuinely puzzled.
"A mask. I have a pink one at home," Holtow suggested.
"Huh? Are you kidding me?" Elise replied, her expression incredulous.
"What? It would suit you," Holtow continued with a mischievous grin under his mask.
"Shut up," Elise retorted, rolling her eyes.
As the two bicker in the hallway, they eventually reach the main lobby, its grey corporate walls always gave off this somber tone, this was complemented by the dim grey light given off by the large chandelier in the middle of the lobby.
As they passed by the receptionist's desk a man with a lamp affixed on his head suited with a very bespoke black suit greeted them.
As the man noticed them he slightly bowed and greeted them "Good morning, Ms. Elise, Mr.Holtow." A small flame within the lamp lit up as the man spoke.
"Morning Charon" Elise replies dryly as she passes the peculiar figure and strides towards the entrance.
As Holtow and Elise leave the company's building they are met immediately by a bustling city road, the buildings of cast-iron architecture though still standing, bear the weight of an oppressive atmosphere.
"So where are you off to now?" Holtow asked abruptly, his sharp eyes fixed on Elise.
"Hm... the diner, I guess. Mama Anne mentioned something about wanting help with something. How about you?"
"Company gave me a contract," Holtow replied, checking the time on his silver wristwatch.
"Already? Damn..."
"Yeah, I'll be joining another squad in the meantime. An entity made a cage in ward 14."
"A cage? And they're sending you in? The Company must be getting desperate."
Holtow let out a dry chuckle. "Well, we're more of a distraction than anything. I heard a C-tier magus is joining us."
"Oh... okay. Well, if you die out there, all I can say is you're a damn idiot."
Elise smirked, zipping up her leather jacket.
"Fuck off. I know you'll miss me." Holtow said with a teasing grin, giving Elise a light shove on the shoulder.
"No... no, I won't," Elise responds slightly shaking her head whilst glaring at Holtow.
The two friends snickered, the ambient noise of the city providing a backdrop to their banter. As they parted ways, Elise threw a casual wave.
"Well, good luck out there."
Holtow waved his hand dismissively, a wry smile on his face, as he crossed the busy street, blending into the urban rhythm surrounding them.