It was a cloudy day but the weather was humid. At a train station, a train had just arrived and many were busy getting off the train.
A young boy stepped out of a train with a small bag in his hands. He was tall with dark hair and a sturdy body.
A wave of unfamiliar smells – exhaust fumes, street food, and something vaguely metallic – washed over him as he went outside the station.
The places surrounding him were bustling with many people each busy with things they were doing.
He looked at his wristwatch standing at the side of the road.
"There's still a bit of time."
The boy spotted a small stall selling ice cream.
"One ice cream, please."
While ordering the ice cream he spotted a young girl sitting on a bench in the shade of a tree with a half-eaten ice cream in her hand.
"Can I sit here?"
The girl quickly moved to make place for him to sit.
"Thanks."
The girl seemed to be waiting for someone.
The boy rummaged through the bag and took out a book.
"Is that a book about the Mutant Extermination Force? Are you a member of the force?
"Yes, I am starting today."
"I want to join the force as well so I can be like my father."
"Your father works in the extermination force as well?"
"Yes, he does."
"Then maybe I'll meet him."
The sounds of the busy road at the heart of Slakvell were a constant backdrop to their conversation.
"It's more noisy than I expected it would be."
A tall man wearing black clothing approached him. The man's expression was neutral, almost guarded.
"Are you perhaps Mr. Vlad Romanov?"
"Yes, I am."
"Please follow me. I've come to escort you."
The man took the bag from his hands.
"Please come this way."
Before following the man Vlad looked back at the girl.
"Ah, I never learned your name."
"It's Mariya," she replied with a warm smile.
"It was nice meeting you Mariya."
Vlad smiled and waved at her.
"I hope we meet again someday."
"Bye-bye," Mariya replied.
Vlad got in the car.
"How long will it take to get to the base?"
"Forty minutes at most."
It was Vlad's first time in Slakvell so he was looking outside the car's window, his eyes darting from the towering buildings to the bustling sidewalks, trying to absorb the rhythm and character of this unfamiliar city.
"Why did you join the extermination force?" The escort asked, trying to make small talk.
"To exterminate every single mutant that walks on the face of Bruno," Vlad hissed, the words dripping with bitter resentment.
"Seems you have a deep hatred for them."
The escort looked at him through the rearview mirror, a sense of weary resignation settling over him.
"But they are the natives. It was us who invaded their home and made them into what they are now, though it may be unintentional."
"..."
"Yet when they fight back for taking what was rightfully theirs, to begin with, we kill them, painting ourselves as the victims while standing on stolen ground."
"But they kill humans, they want us all dead," Vlad defended.
"We're trapped in a self-made hell. The power we rely on creates monsters, monsters kill us, and we need more power to survive. It never ends. Survival demands we perpetuate the very thing that destroyed us. What a cruel joke the universe plays."
"The cycle exists, and the only way to end it is to ensure they can no longer play any part in it," Vlad replied grimly.
"..."
The car ride after that was filled with silence and subtle glances from the escort through the rearview mirror.
Vlad continued to take in the view of the city unfamiliar to him with his eyes clouded with a distant sadness, as if focused on a memory only he could see.
Vlad and the man reached their destination the Slakvell Mutant Extermination Force base, a facility deliberately located outside Slakvell's residential zones, right alongside the towering walls of Sector 5, which stood as humanity's defense against the mutants.
The moment Vlad stepped out of the car he was met with the massive military base which was filled with tall buildings and armed personnel.
Vlad looked up at the walls, impressed at how tall they were.
"No matter how many times you look at them their size never fails to amaze me."
"I agree," Vlad replied.
Vlad and the man walked inside the base. Many people were wrapped in their works. The man took him through it to the place Vlad needed to go.
As they were walking Vlad was taking in the view of the large military base. He spotted some force members some distance away conversing amongst themselves whilst being in full combat gear and with large luggage bags with them.
As they continued to traverse through the base the escort suddenly stopped at one point and turned around.
"This is as far as I will escort you."
"I see."
"Just walk through here and turn left at the end of the hallway there will be a gate just enter through there.
"What about the bag?"
"It'll be sent to your dorm room."
"I see. Thank you for escorting me thus far."
"You're welcome."
As the man was walking away Vlad wanted to confirm a hunch he had since he met him.
"Tell me something."
The man stopped and turned to Vlad.
"You're not just an escort are you?" Vlad asked, "You act and speak like an experienced member of the force."
The man looked Vlad in the eyes with a look of mild amusement before smiling.
"I don't know what you mean."
"..."
He turned back around facing away from Vlad.
"I'll be off now."
Vlad grew even more suspicious, his face tightening into a frown.
Suddenly Vlad saw two shadows of something going over his head. He looked up to see Atherions.
Vlad had not realized that he was standing right next to the aviation terminal of the base.
The two Atherions were not from sector 5, they came from outside.
Vlad was a little curious but decided not to waste time inquiring further and immediately headed in the direction he was instructed.
Following the escort's instructions, he reached the gate at the end of the hallway.
Vlad paused there for a moment taking a deep breath before stepping through.