'As we grow up, we live knowing that one action is right, and the other wrong because somebody else told us. But we forget that all these are decided by those in power. By the strongest and richest of the world. They decide what we believe, then we end up calling these beliefs morals.'
I simply watched as a young guy, escorted by his huge bodyguard, slowly walked from the back of the queue all the way to the front. One of the guards at the door walked behind them, to make sure the receptionist didn't make a fuss.
"Congratulations on passing the entrance test and welcome to the Elite Association, Sir."
The receptionist said this with a beaming smile which she seemed to have dedicated hours to master, as she quickly handed the young man his card. The young man took it and together with his bodyguard left.
The guard went back to his post at the main doors like nothing had happened. But then again, such incidents were not uncommon. The lady must have felt it too. The reason why no one protested when the young man cut the queue. A queue twenty people strong, all waiting to receive their cards.
'This is a world only meant for the most powerful, those with the biggest influence, or so I think.'
That huge bodyguard was a peak 4th order. Everyone at the reception felt the power emanating from his body the moment he walked into the building. Hence, no one had the guts to protest.
After the man left, the smile on her face vanished, as if it was never there to begin with.
"Name?"
"Caspian Flynn."
The lady started typing.
After giving me a scrutinizing look, she gave me that 'you're in for a world of hell' look before handing me a green digital card. The card almost looked like an I.D, with my details engraved into its shiny premium look. It kinda felt good holding the sleek card in my hand. I now understood why such a prestigious organization would give them to agents by hand. It's because they're so precious.
[Name: Caspian Flynn
Age: 19
Squad: Zayin (jr)
Unit: Villain Affairs]
"Welcome to the Elite Association. Proceed to the second floor, boardroom 3."
This time she said it like it was just another flat phrase she had to say to all new agents.
'The weak and powerless might cry about it all day, but that won't change a thing. That's how a meritocratic world works, right?'
As we were all seated silently in the small conference room, I couldn't help but notice the determined looks on my fellow squad mates. They looked like they were born for this. If only I had that same determined look.
"I'd like to once again welcome you to E.A. It wasn't easy for most of you, but in one way or another you each proved to be fit enough to become members of this organization. The five of you have now started a journey to greatness. E.A is well respected among other organizations, so I hope you will find your place here."
The moment I heard her speak, I knew she was different. Her long black hair was tied back to a ponytail, which complimented her wear. I guess she must be in her mid thirties.
"I'm your squad overseer, which means I'll be accountable for everything you do. Since you're still in training, this is a minor squad. You are not yet ready to be called elite agents, so you won't be sent on any serious missions until you finish training and become an elite squad. But you still represent E.A in all your actions, so think before you act."
She remained silent for a while, almost as if to let it sink in.
'I already feel inspired to give my best yet she's barely spoken for two minutes. That must be a talent or something.'
"If you look at the cards you were each given, they have all your details, including the squad you belong to. Notice the (jr) on your squad's name. This is to show you are still minor agents.
"That card is your identification out there. Every agent in E.A has one. It was given to you for free, but do not lose it. You will use that card in everything that has to do with E.A. You have also been assigned a digital version of the card, E-cards, though those are not available to you right now. It is very costly to apply for new ones. Trust me, you will not easily afford it. Since you are not yet official agents, those cards are not yet activated. They will be activated once you finish training.
"I know most of the other minor squads will start performing their duties today or tomorrow, but I'm giving you tomorrow off before training begins. Any questions?"
All five of us present in the room remained silent. I guess none of us saw the need to ask why she gave us a day off, or about anything else she said, hence, no one asked.
'She's giving us a day before we begin our training, while officially, the Association only gave today, then training starts tomorrow. I guess the overseers hold a lot more power over us than I thought. But I don't think she's giving us tomorrow for the reason most would think.'
"I advise you to first try and gain full understanding of how the mission panel works. That's where you'll receive details of your missions once we begin training. You will each receive a notification giving you more details about your squad. I will give you details on how the squads work in our next meeting. Otherwise, you are dismissed."
Her presence demanded respect from all. It was almost impossible to drift away or fail to concentrate when she was speaking. Something I found interesting. She picked her items from the table and left.
I looked at the girl seated next to me. She was reading through E.A's terms of service.
"Are you going to stay there looking at me or are you gonna say something?"
I was caught. 'Well, there's no backing out now.'
"My name is Caspian."
"I'm Alicia. You're not the best at dealing with girls, are you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
She had that trustworth appearance, that as I now presumed made it easy for her to socialize. It didn't help that she was also beautiful. She stood up.
"The longer I'm here the more I realize how complex this place is."
"What do you mean?"
Feeling compelled, I stood up as well.
"You know how most other anti-crime organizations let you decide which unit you want to join? Here, you don't decide where you want to be. And I don't think we're just randomly placed into squads. I'm going to check out the missions panel. Are you coming?"
"I was planning on doing that later, but sure."
As we were headed there, we both received the email notification,
[Squad: Zayin (jr)
Squad Overseer: Melissa
Members: Alicia, Caspian, Garnet, Lucas, Flora,
Unit: Villain Affairs
Role: Extermination_
Neutralize solo or small groups of villains
Squad Ranking: N/A_
Any inquiries may be made by replying to this email any time.]
"I'm guessing this is how E.A will communicate from now on other than through the overseers."
"Yeah."
The moment I saw that notification, I felt something big had begun.