[That didn't go well]
Loras emerged back into the room shortly after everything had unfolded. He carried brown souvenir bags adorned with an exquisite letter G in a fancy but official font. Loras paused for a moment, frowning as he noticed the deduction in their numbers. Nonetheless, he placed the bags on the nearest table.
"I can see things aren't going well," Loras said, walking over to the shelf where he had previously stored some files.
"Of course things aren't going well, it won't go well with this lot," Nate retorted, still trying to get hold of Jamie. "You know what happened the last time we were there."
"So, you're afraid of blaming yourself if any of them dies?" Loras asked, shuffling the papers.
"What? No. I'm afraid they're gonna slow me down. Me and Jamie. And then, none of us will come back alive," Nate finished with a deadly glare at Levi.
"That is true," Loras said, crossing his arms and staring straight at Nate. "But when you got no options, no choice, you look for solutions instead of whimpering like some scared critter." He picked up the bags and distributed them, handing one to each of them. The two left for Abby and Paige were handed to Levi and Jamie, respectively.
Levi did his best to piece together a compelling story from the limited details they provided. It seems Abby and this Nate guy must have a huge brawl, even before this crew meeting, Levi thought.
"The Director says so, you act so," Loras said, clapping his hands as he walked to the front of the room.
"The Director knows nothin'," Nate hissed.
"Be careful now," Loras cautioned as he handed out the papers in the same ratio as the bags. "Not all tutors are like me." He went on, "And... bear in mind that the Director answers to someone else, someone we be mighty familiar with," he finished with a short glance at Jamie.
Loras clapped his hands one more time and rubbed them together. "Okay!" He boomed. "Shall we?" He asked, gesturing to the door.
Everyone remained seated for a while. Jamie stole another glance at Levi, as did Nate. Nate drummed his fingers on the table while the room was enveloped in silence.
Box made the first move. He did so by getting up quickly and walking to the door while patting Levi's back. Levi was shocked. Box was the one he defeated at The Colosseum, wasn't he?
Loras checked his watch before looking at the motionless academics. "This is almost 9pm, I don't have time for this."
---
Loras had taken them to another building at the far end of the institution, picking up Abby and Paige on the way.
Levi noticed the increase in infrastructure, although the area was scant. The ground was not tarred or tiled; instead, it was made of smooth metal. Levi could see steel-like rectangular boxes arranged in various locations throughout the vast place.
Loras drove them in a vehicle that looked like a golf cart, stopping occasionally to clear with the security officials scattered everywhere. It was astonishing—enough to derail Levi's periodic eye contact with Jamie.
[Isn't it surprising?]
[The rest of the world is an abyss, in chaos, suffering or experiencing mediocrity and this place is booming as ever]
Levi couldn't help but agree with the construct. He had grown up in the North Wing, despite being born into a poor home, he still lived a better life than some people. A better life than those in the southern regions of the West and East Wings, where the raid had seeped in slightly.
Although people carry on with their daily activities, the situation is still terrible. The cloud grows darker further south, civilization declines, and the standard of living reduces. Levi considered himself very lucky to have saved enough for a bus fare from the West Wing back to Tundra in the North Wing.
He stared into the dark sky and at the moon. The half-moon struck a beautiful pose, casting its light upon the imposing institution. Levi carefully observed the security personnel. They were all troopers dressed in black, armed with phaser and raeger rifles.
The sight of these weapons always made Levi shiver. Red and blue colours, with tiny discreet hydraulic movements in the breech area. Levi sighed; he had always known Namib to be the most advanced city in the four wings, but not as advanced as this.
Loras stopped the vehicle at the foot of a building beaming with the usual golden lights. The academics all stepped out, still keeping the malice in the atmosphere.
Inside the building, Levi noticed it looked like a hotel like those he sees in movies. There were majestic adults inside, all walking elegantly on the red rug. It's definitely a hotel, Levi concluded. What's a hotel doing in The Academy?
Loras led them to the end of the reception room, toward an elevator. Nate and Jamie were faster and walked with confidence, must be because they've been there before.
The preoccupants; a man in a blue suit and a lady in a red gown walked out when the elevator opened. Loras stepped in, alongside Nate, Jamie and Paige.
"C'mon, chop chop. Let's go," Loras said. No way they were all gonna stuff themselves so closely together in that. Box got in first with his hands in his pockets. Abby, Brody, and Levi followed suit reluctantly.
The lift was slow and quiet, only disturbed by Paige's loud gum chewing. Brody, Levi, and Box were leaning against one side of the wall, while Nate, Jamie, and Paige were on the other, their cold gazes moving back and forth. Abby stood with Loras, facing the elevator door as if she planned to burst out first.
The door opened with the usual ding on floor 27. The group stepped out to see a closed hallway. It was just a hallway with doors on each side and no further connections.
Loras quickened his pace and stood in the middle of everything. He smiled at them with both arms extended towards the walls, presenting the hallway. "Here we are!" He exclaimed. "Gosh, I've always wanted to do this!"
Brody and Levi stood close to each other, occasionally giving each other glances to make things feel less unfamiliar.
Loras continued loudly as he spun around, "Pick any room ya like." He gestured towards the ten doors lined up in the hallway, five on each side. "Don't worry 'bout food and clothes, they're all there. None of ya are vegans and y'all fit in the same body size bracket." He let out a short laugh. "Enjoy yourselves while you can, tomorrow we'll be goin' through med tests and other procedures," he finished before stepping into one of the rooms.
The academics stood still for a while, not sure if Loras was pulling their strings. Not until they heard his door lock.
Levi and Brody gave a swift handshake before they chose their rooms. Abby, Paige and Box had already entered different rooms. Levi felt his heart wrench when he saw Jamie and Nate going into the same room.
He stood there for a second, hoping to be proved wrong. But he heard the door lock.