The walk towards Ingrid's office was quiet save for the rhythmic footsteps as the trio ascended the steps. Each in their own world of thoughts and Larnos was beginning to question just how comfortable had humanity become during the last two centuries.
Most of the people he saw had no inclination of the on going war or if they did, they masked their concerns extremely well. He glanced at the duo ahead of him. Nikkes, designed to protect man but mistreated by their own creators and are privy to being 'corrupted' as they put it which would no doubt mean turning against humanity in one way or another.
Another glaring fact was their apparel. Granted they were exceptionally fast but that doesn't mean they will never get hit by enemy fire in battle. Were they to simply shrug off the hit and continue fighting under incompetent commanders from what he had heard to protect people that merely saw them as objects to be ridiculed?
He clenched his jaw as he struggled to maintain a stoic face. The absurdity of it all baffled him. Young men and perhaps in some extremely rare cases, women with practically no actual combat experience and trained based of watered down simulations of the enemy which was constantly evolving being in charge of extremely lethal killing machines who had little to no armor on and wore skimpy clothes.
' How in the actual hell hasn't this place been found yet? ' He thought as the door to Ingrid's office came into view.
Ingrid's office subtly hinted at her military background as it was arranged in a way that prioritized functionality over style. Her desk was to the side of the room which gave her a vantage point of the room and he was certain that she had a weapon close by in case of an emergency. Across from her sat a plaque of a nikke he had never seen before.
Syuen, Mustang, Anderson, Lu and Rapi were in the room. Anis and Neon immediately went to Lu's side and he stood at the farthest end from everyone else.
" I see you're well. " Ingrid spoke, her tone monotone.
Larnos sighed before he answered, " It would seem that way. "
He surveyed the room. The three C.E.Os stood in close proximity of one another with Anderson in between them and Lu and his group. Commander Lu stood directly parallel to them with Anis, Rapi and Neon by his side. Perhaps it was a subconscious thing done by them but he still took note of it.
" We called you hear to discuss your stay in the Ark, " Mustang stated. " What do you know of brain chip?"
Larnos shot Mustang a quizzical look and answered; " Not until you mentioned it just now. "
" Well, " Mustang leaned back. " Think of it as a means of identification for the inhabitants of the Ark. "
" And I'm guessing you want to fit me with one? " He asked.
" That would be a yes, " Mustang replied.
' A chip in my head huh? ' Larnos mused. ' Surely nothing can go wrong. '
" And if I were to say no to this? " He probed.
" Honestly I have no idea how that would play out but, " he glanced at the lone man. " I will admit that I am genuinely interested in how it would play out if you refused. "
" I see. " He contemplated before speaking again. " What do you know of the discrimination against Nikkes? "
The three leaders shared a look amongst themselves and he caught a quick glance shared between the three Nikkes. Lu had a bashful look and Larnos was sure he knew something about this.
" We've been investigating this for a while, " Ingrid said and he could smell the bureaucratic bullshit almost immediately. " But this is a delicate situation. "
' Of course. ' He thought.
" Do you have any contingencies in place for when things go south? " He inquired.
" There are a few in place, " Ingrid responded. " We are working on a few more contingencies in case things go 'south' as you put it. "
He simply nodded.
" Is that all? " He asked.
Ingrid nodded and informed him that he was free to do whatever he pleased since they had no need for him at the moment. He excused himself and exited the office.
With having free time on his hands he decided to explore the last bastion of humanity. Taking the stairs he came into the entry area where people went about their business. He exited the building but overheard the whispers of nearby people.
The sidewalks had a myriad of shops with various advertisements placed above them. The artificial sun lazily drifted across the pale blue fake sky. The resources that would be needed to keep this place functioning would be staggering and resources weren't easy to come by. In the distance was a park with greenery that seemed out of place for him. It felt forced, as though some force placed it there to distract the inhabitants from something sinister.
Multiple groups of people idled around said park. A few children ran near the boundary of the park and quickly catching up to them was a quadrupedal mechanical device that looked extremely similar to the infamous robotic dog developed by Boston Dynamics that were used for specific operations by certain experimental branches of the various organizations.
' Just how much longer can this place keep going? ' He thought as he walked down a random street. The subtly placed advertisements made his skin crawl. Just like the picturesque city of New York there were most likely areas that would be considered slums by today's standards.
Perhaps the theorists who constantly spoke about complete control over people by corporations were right? Those implant would most likely have some form of tracking built into them as well 'contingencies' in case the subject became a liability to whatever corporation was pulling the strings at the moment.
Something hit him but barely made any attempts to slow down. It turned out to be a young man rushing past pedestrians as a group of men were chasing him down. Intrigued by this he followed the man, easily catching up to him.
" What the hell do you want?! " The man asked between breathes as they both weaved through confused on lookers as his pursuers slowly began to catch up.
" I'm merely observing, " Larnos responded. " Seems you're quite popular with those guys back there."
He gestured towards the group which seemed to be getting closer. The man's face fell and Larnos decided to intervene and grabbed the scruff of his neck and pulled him into a nearby side path.
With desperation in his eyes he gave Larnos a look of betrayal and in response he merely shrugged and turned to face the group that just turned the corner. There were five of them and two immediately held their midriff as they let out sighs of exasperation. All five wore a variant of red and black and from where he stood he could see bulges in their clothes which were apparent telltale signs of concealed weapons.
Clearly they were hired men and it seems they were just about to capture the man and if it was like anything from two hundred years ago then the poor lad would disappear under "mysterious" circumstances and if they were really intent on removing any trace of his existence then any one who came into contact with him would be targeted.
" So I'm guessing he fucked up something important? " He gestured to the fear stricken man behind him who began crawling away.
" Listen, " one of the five pursuers spoke up. " This doesn't concern you. Just give us the man behind you. "
He glanced at their target. One of his allies stepped closer and whispered something in his ear and his gaze landed on Larnos's attire and he faltered for a brief moment before assuming his earlier posture.
" Honestly I should just walk away. " He began to roll his sleeves and began to walk towards them. " But let's pretend that doesn't happen. Let's say I want to involve myself in this cluster fuck of a mess. "
The apparent leader looked at his allies for a moment before backing away. His allies hesitate at first before following their leader's act and leaving the area. Slight whimpers came from behind him and he turned to the cowering man.
" I'm guessing they will return when I leave so how about you tell me what's going on? " He took a casual glance around the vicinity. Passersby had gone back to doing whatever is they were already doing although a few still lingered around, occasionally glancing in his direction. A vehicle was parked a decent bit away but he knew its inhabitants were simply waiting for him to leave before they moved in.
" And how should I know you're not working with them? " The man inquired, his tone full of doubt. " How should I know this all not an elaborate ruse to throw me off and take me out when my guard is down. "
He was suspicious and that was a good thing. If Larnos was to convince the distraught man that he was a friend it would take an approach he was not used to.
" Listen kid, " he leaned against a nearby wall. " I'm not your savior but I will admit I am interested in whatever you got yourself into and besides it's better than the veil of perfection over this place. "
The man looked at him and then at the ground as he clearly began to contemplate his next action.