The two walk down the hallway without saying a word to one another. After a few minutes, they arrive at his office. It is similar to Vito’s back home, with a small desk and a couple of bookshelves nearby. Most of the shelves are filled with large medical books, while others hold pictures. Filing cabinets sit behind Doctor Visser’s desk, some partially open because the doctor did not have time to close them. On the wall opposite the door, small windows face the base, letting in a warm, gentle light. Unlike Vito’s office, the desk is littered with medical reports and stacks of papers.

  “Take a seat,” Doctor Visser instructs Danzo as he walks over to one of his filing cabinets. Danzo places his bag beside him and watches the doctor quickly sort his files. After a couple of minutes, he sits behind his desk and places a letter in front of Danzo. “You’re Danzo, correct?”

  Danzo raises an eyebrow and glances at the letter before answering, “Did Vito send word ahead of my arrival?”

  The doctor leans slightly forward and continues, “You are every bit as intuitive as Vito told me. But yes, he did. He told me you were joining the Slayers and would have FL Permissions. Furthermore, he told me to keep an eye on you.”

  “An eye on me?” Danzo repeats.

  The doctor sighs, “Listen, having FL permissions while choosing to be a Slayer is a bit tricky. One of them is fine, but together they raise some red flags. As a favour to an old friend, I requested permission to be your supervisor for your FL permissions. But you need to understand, these FL permissions are rare exceptions. If you were trained by anyone else, you would have been sent straight to R&S, but because it’s Vito, you were given an exception.”

  “So what is going to happen now?” Danzo asks.

  “We are going to go over your duties, discuss your schedule, and then we are going to do a small field trip.” Doctor Visser takes a lollipop and places it in his mouth.

  The next three hours pass as Doctor Visser reviews the responsibilities and requirements tied to Danzo’s FL permissions, most of it repeating earlier discussions. Regarding his schedule, Doctor Visser plans to make sure Danzo meets his deadlines a month early to get it out of the way. While they are speaking, they are frequently interrupted by the ringing of the doctor's phone. Rarely, the doctor stepped out for a few minutes and returned to his seat, continuing from where they left off as if nothing happened.

  Danzo pinches his nose bridge as he takes in the information, while Doctor Visser stands up and lightly stretches. The doctor picks up his phone and dials a number.

  “Good morning, Carrie. Please send a request to the Fracture Division’s Containment Facility. Tell them I will be on my way for a brief examination with Cadet Danzo Yamamoto, and wish to examine a fodder-class hunter. And in case they ask, they can send a Claw soldier, not two or three, just one. That is all, thanks.” The doctor places the phone down.

  “What is happening?” Danzo asks.

  “Come, we are heading to containment. Vito told me to give you a controlled first-hand experience with the Apexers.” Doctor Visser opens the door and waits for Danzo to join him.

  Danzo remains silent and picks up his bag, following the doctor. As they walk toward the Fracture Division, they pass through the rest of the R&S Division. Unlike the Slayer and Claw Divisions, the housing for the soldiers here appears to be of a higher standard, with stronger-looking tents and more facilities available to them. Numerous personnel would greet the doctor as he passed by, while some would give disapproving stares to Danzo.

  “Why does Vito want me to meet and confront an Apexer?” Danzo asks.

  “In his letter, he mentioned something about you being able to take one down with an asterisk.”

  “Asterisk?”

  “Yes. When he and I worked together, there was a lot of competition in the R&S division. Just in case someone found our notes or got to it before the other did, we would use symbols for context. In this case, an asterisk means there is more to it.”

  So Vito wants me to show him the blood ability.

  Upon reaching a gate, a large sign reading ‘Fracture Division Sector Gamma’ is beside the guards. Doctor Visser greets the guardsmen, and both he and Danzo show their identification cards. The guards let them pass through without issue. As they walk through the area, Danzo observes the Fracture Division. Excluding the blue uniforms with white stripes, the sector is similar to the Claw Division. The soldiers here are slightly larger than those in other divisions. In addition, they wear much bulkier armour, and the weapons they carry look heavy as well.

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  After several minutes, they arrive at a large building with the words ‘Containment Facility Charlie’ printed on the front. It is a sturdily built steel and concrete building with reinforced plating covering it. Its construction ensures nothing can get in or out easily. A large steel-plated door is on the front of the building, with a group of soldiers guarding the building whilst some patrolled the area. Danzo felt dwarfed by the building.

  “Heya, Doctor Visser,” a familiar voice greets.

  Danzo turns to the voice and immediately recognises Captain Kira walking toward them with a smile.

  Why did they send him here?

  Doctor Visser shakes Kira’s hand and asks, “Captain Kira? I didn’t expect the Claw Division to send a captain.”

  “What can I say? I guess they don’t want the Base’s number one sustainer to be killed by a captive,” Kira answers with a grin. “So as I understand, you want to see an Apexer?”

  “Actually, I was hoping to introduce our new cadet to our enemies. This is Cadet Danzo Yamamoto, a Slayer and Fleeting Lifeline,” Doctor Visser introduces.

  Kira shakes Danzo’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Danzo. Don’t see many Slayers nowadays– well, I mean outside of their base,” Kira laughs.

  Danzo doesn’t question Kira’s feigned amnesia and decides to go along with it.

  After the greeting, Doctor Visser walks toward the facility, and one of the soldiers shouts something. The doors begin to open, a loud alarm ringing as they do so. The doors stop as a small gap is opened for them to walk through.

  As they enter, the doors close behind them. Inside, they arrive at a large corridor that is brightly lit. Armed soldiers are present, and cameras are placed at the end of each corner. Heavily-plated doors are present throughout the hallway, each with a unique number above it.

  “So you guys just want to see a simple fodder hunter?” Kira asks.

  “Sort of. I’ll explain the rest when we are alone,” Doctor Visser explains.

  They reach the end of the hallway and arrive at another door with the words ‘Selective Observation Platform’ printed above the door. Kira scans a card on the card scanner beside the door and opens it, revealing a long set of stairs leading down.

  “After you,” Kira says.

  Danzo and the doctor walk in before Kira closes the door behind them. After a few minutes of climbing down the stairs, they arrive in a room with a woman in a lab coat, busy writing on a clipboard, and a Claw Soldier standing by a control panel with various buttons. To the left of the control panel is a large monitor with various pieces of numerical data being displayed on it, as well as words. Behind the control panel is a large glass window looking into an empty room with another heavily plated door and lights covering the area. On the far right is another heavy door that presumably leads to the empty room in front of them.

  “C-C-Captain Kira!” The soldier announces as he salutes in a panic.

  “At ease, at ease. You’re not in any trouble, Cadet Walton,” Kira tells the soldier. “We are going to do a quick induction and want you to be out of here for the next–” He turns to Doctor Visser and says, “30 minutes?”

  “Make it an hour, just in case,” Doctor Visser tells him.

  “You heard the man, for the next hour. If we end earlier, I’ll radio you, but until then I’ll be taking over here.”

  “Sir!” The soldier salutes one more time before he leaves the control room, closing the door behind him.

  “What did you do to get them so scared around you?” Doctor Visser asks.

  “Let’s just say I had a very public disagreement with a captain, and I showed them why I’m a captain, including the other captains,” Kira chuckles, his laugh undercutting the weight of his words. “Hey Zoey, you going to stare at that clipboard all day, or are you going to help?”

  “Nice to see you too, Speedy. In a moment, I’m almost done here,” Zoey answers.

  Zoey, the woman in the lab coat, is focusing solely on the clipboard she is writing on. She has long brown hair that is neatly tied in a ponytail. She wears a lab coat that hides her slim figure, with her identification card clipped to her collar. Her glasses hide the bags under her eyes. Similar to Doctor Visser, she has sleepless nights and looks exhausted, albeit she still has the energy to apply her cherry red lipstick.

  “Is it fine if I operate the panel, Zoey?” Doctor Visser casually asks as he approaches the control panel.

  “Go ahead, Felix. A fodder-class hunter is already loaded into the chamber,” she answers without looking up.

  Is Felix his first name?

  Captain Kira leans on the wall next to the panel as the doctor begins to type. “You sure you know how to operate this thing?”

  “As long as they didn’t make changes I am unaware of, yes. Danzo, for your responsibilities as a Lifeline, or a Fleeting Lifeline in your case, you will need to know how to operate this panel when you need to conduct field studies, especially when you encounter a new variant. I’ll teach you how to operate this another time, but for now, you need to prepare yourself for facing the hunter.”

  “Understood,” Danzo simply answers.

  After a few minutes of typing, Felix presses a button and watches the chamber ahead of him. An alarm blares as the space begins to shift. Walls retract while others slide into place, filling the gaps. When the movement finally settles, the chamber has expanded into a much larger space.

  “In case you are curious, this building is meant to simulate various environments, either for training or observation purposes.” Felix stands up and walks toward the door. “Come, let's do some learning.” After Felix scans his card, he grabs a radio from beside the door and opens the door. Kira and Danzo follow him. As the door closes behind them, Zoey puts her clipboard down and walks to the control panel.