Like the other batches who had received their vocation slips, the recruits huddled together outside Eagle’s Hall to share the vocations they received. Digesting words foreign to them, most wondered what these military terms meant. And fewer questioned the fate in store for them in their formations.

  “Administrative Assistant Researcher, Rank TBC. Reporting Location: Atantea Military Research Institute, AMRI. That's what it says. ” Neptune read the words on the paper, which differed significantly from his batchmates.

  All he received was a bunch of bewildered stares from his batchmates.

  “What do you guys get?”

  “Not as cool as yours, bro. Check this out,” Carmelo grabbed Bray’s posting slip, flashing it at Neptune’s face.

  “Hmm, Administrative Assistant, Rank TBC. Reporting Location,” Neptune’s eyes widened, “It sounds similar to where I’m heading. The Atlantea Military Ammunition Institute, AMAI.”

  Damian scratched his head. “That’s way too many words.”

  “That’s because you’re an idiot, Damian.”

  “Shut up, Bron Bron.”

  “Call me that again and I’ll mess you up real bad!”

  “Bron Bron!”

  “You!”

  Bronston and Damian began engaging in a scrappy fight with Batch 123 cheering them on like mindless spectators.

  “Yo, Neptune.”

  “What’s up, Finn?”

  “You and Bray sure have some ‘fancy-dancy’ posting, eh?” Finn shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly. “The boys and I are heading to the Atlantea Infantry Corps. Now that I think about it, most of us are.”

  Neptune feigned a look of shock and gasped loudly. “Did you just say infantry? My condolences…”

  It seemed fate played an awful trick on Finn as Neptune remembered teasing him about it minutes ago.

  “Yeah, you have more stuff to warn us about?”

  “...I don’t wanna play spoiler. All you need to know is that you’ll have a teaser of the infantry lifestyle during Field Camp.”

  “Did you just call it a lifestyle?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

  “Your sarcastic tone always gets me, Neptune.”

  “At least tell us what we’ll experience in the infantry!” Dom overheard the conversation and pleaded with Neptune for more information.

  “Like I said, you’ll see.”

  “–Uhm, you are…?”

  A pale-white-skinned female soldier waved her hand at the recruit who had started daydreaming in broad daylight outside the research institute’s giant gates.

  “You leave me no choice, I’ll have to send you to the Medical Wing because you look–”

  “...Ah!” Neptune snapped out of his daze and saluted the officer addressing him. “M-ma’am! I received an order to report here at 0800 hours!"

  He could tell the officer did not believe him.

  "My apologies!”

  "I actually contemplated sending you there. I guess everything’s fine from a visual perspective.” The officer began to size him up from head to toe. “I at least have to commend you for being early."

  "My apologies again, ma’am."

  “What’s your name?”

  “Recruit Neptune Smith.”

  The officer nodded. “Perfect timing, you got there, recruit. We were awaiting your arrival. Also, it’s not a good habit to stand out in the open, and you know–” The officer winked. “–do what you just did. Some might think you’re, for lack of a better word, crazy. Anyways, that's water under the bridge.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “I am Second Lieutenant Anastasia Nicola. Glad to meet you. Welcome to the Atlantea Military Research Institute.”

  The female soldier had pearl-white fair skin, features not of Atlantea but of a faraway land. Her eyes were a dazzling clear blue, a distinct feature of those born in the Tundralands. The way she carried herself resembled a person of a high social class. And considering her last name, Neptune wondered about her affiliation with the elite.

  “Ma’am. I am in your care.” Neptune held the salute despite his arms feeling the soreness of maintaining it at an intense, unwavering angle.

  “You can rest at ease, recruit.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Anastasia gestured for the recruit to follow her beyond the gates into the AMRI through a steel door.

  “Alright then, follow me. There’s no need to change passes since you’re with me.” They walked past the pass office toward the gantry, where the soldiers on duty saluted Anastasia on sight.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “How’s the training in Ravens Camp, recruit?”

  Neptune was surprised at the lieutenant’s polite tone, considering the officers he often interacted with seemed boastful and, at most times, unapproachable. “The training thus far has been challenging, but my batch has managed to overcome every obstacle we have faced as a team. Adjusting to a physical regiment was a problem initially, but it became manageable as we got used to it.”

  “What a detailed and diplomatic response, considering you're only a recruit.” The automatic door slid open, and Anastasia gestured for the recruit to follow her. “I’ll inform the training officers about your feedback.”

  “That’s the truth, ma’am.”

  Anastasia did not say a word and smiled.

  “This looks like serious business.” This massive room had a gantry for them to pass through. The number of soldiers guarding the entrance intimidated Neptune from stepping forward until Lieutenant Nicola gave her next orders.

  “Alright, Recruit Smith,” Anastasia waved at the security trooper, a soldier who belonged to a branch of military personnel trained in securing strategic perimeters. “Kindly remove all your belongings from your possession. After that, empty them onto the tray over there.” Anastasia pointed at a row of trays as she emptied her pockets of their contents. Picking up the tray, she placed it onto the automatic conveyor belt to scan the contents before walking through the smart gantry, detecting any hidden, undeclared objects on her, as the trooper inspected and processed her entry through his monitor.

  The trooper gave a thumbs up and saluted her, which she returned in kind.

  “All clear, ma’am. Please proceed.”

  “Thank you. Have a good day ahead, soldiers.”

  Neptune moaned bitterly. “This looks excessively complicated…”

  “Sorry, what did you say?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Just follow what I just did,” Anastasia called out to the recruit at the other end of the gantry, where she stood beside the security trooper. “Don’t tell me I have to hand hold you for this…”

  “No, ma’am. It’s just…”

  “What?”

  “It just feels incredibly pointless for such a measure.”

  “In what way?”

  “Nothing, ma’am. I’ll be going through now.”

  Neptune maintained his composure as he walked through the gantry, wondering if he had to repeat this process daily. Intellectuals like him hated two things: red tape and bureaucracies.

  “I got a question, ma’am.”

  Anastasia heaved a long sigh, placing her hands on her waist. “...You sure ask a lot of questions, Recruit Smith.”

  “Sorry, ma’am. I’ll not ask you about it again.”

  “It’s fine. Carry on, what would you like to ask me?”

  “Is it always like this, ma’am?”

  Anastasia folded her arms as she raised her eyebrows. “Like what?”

  “The procedure to enter the AMRI. Is it always this complicated?”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “...Well, for starters, we don’t want you smuggling things in and out.”

  “Smuggling?” Neptune leaned his head back in shock. “Ma’am, there are people who smuggle stuff? I thought most people are, well, civilised?”

  “You already said most people.”

  “Does that mean the exceptions to the rule are all in here?!”

  “That’s for you to find out. A couple of times, some researchers tried to bring back some dead animal carcasses to bury them after an experiment went wrong. They claimed they developed an attachment to that piece of meat, funny indeed. We also have some incidents where they tried stealing toilet paper to replenish the ones back home. Don’t ask me about that; I thought only girls would do it. There’s more, too. I can probably spend the whole day here sharing it with you. You seriously want to listen to all of them?”

  “...Thanks, but no thanks.”

  How Lieutenant Nicola revealed everything without flinching made him think twice about calling this place home after graduating from the GMT.

  “Good choice. You should experience it first-hand rather than hear it from me.”

  “Experience it…? Ma’am, what exactly goes on in the institute?”

  “Nothing that concerns you immediately, let’s carry on.”

  A hint of nostalgia struck Neptune as he walked inside the walls of the AMRI. The colours and structure reminded him of somewhere familiar. He felt his head throb violently, as though it had gotten progressively worse as the wailings intensified.

  The cold black walls with no windows reminded him of an abyss that engulfed the souls of those who walked through this passageway. These souls contributed to the blueprints of destruction, resulting in the near end of humanity decades ago. This institute contained rooms and quarters without windows, carrying a sinister vibe to the secret duties of a type of soldier Neptune had to become.

  He wondered who else occupied this institute. As he thought about it, he noticed its structure mimicked an asylum from the old world. It was as though the environment, with its dark colour scheme and nefarious vibe, could transform a good-natured man into an evil genius over time.

  “Erm…ma’am,” Neptune was surprised to hear his voice echoing throughout the narrow hallway. “Where are we going…?”

  “We’re almost there.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I have another question for you if you don’t mind.”

  “Another question, eh?”

  “Ma’am, I do not want to trouble you in any way, so…”

  “Go ahead, Recruit Smith. We still have some time.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. Which batch are you commanding?”

  “Well, that’s a first. Nobody has asked me that question outside of the administration.” Anastasia lightly smiled at the thought of someone special to her. “I’m the platoon commander of Batch 77.”

  “...The first place batch.”

  Those words carelessly left his mouth.

  “You’re aware of it?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I heard about it from my batchmates.”

  “Ah, alright.”

  Anastasia continued walking, leading the recruit from the front, never looking back to check, for she knew there was nowhere for him to run.

  “Are you a researcher, ma’am?”

  “Are you seriously interrogating me?”

  “No, ma’am. I’m just curious. I’ll lose my mind if I don’t talk. How does someone work in such a place like this?”

  “Trust me, it isn’t that bad.”

  “Roger, ma’am. I’ll see it for myself.”

  “To answer your question. I do carry out research tasks here. Apart from my appointment in the GMT, I’m also a researcher here.”

  "What sort of research, ma'am?"

  "Another question, recruit? And you said this wasn't an interrogation…"

  They took a sharp right turn, and the corridor had the same black obsidian walls.

  Neptune noticed the lieutenant's olive-green beret. “Isn’t that an infantry beret?”

  “Yes, it is, I also have another,” Anastasia whipped out a dark-blue beret as she led the way, “This is the beret I commissioned with as an officer. The green one is part of my attire as a platoon commander. As you know, the GMT falls under the Infantry Corps' command.”

  “I’ll need to brush up on all your military lingo…”

  “We’re here.” Anastasia finally stopped, facing a wall with the same obsidian black colour as the other walls.

  Neptune stared at the blank space, then turned to face the lieutenant, whom he believed had made an error. “What’s next?”

  “Recruit Smith. Hold on right here. Just turn around.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Sensing a presence disappearing into thin air, he turned around, dropping his jaw in shock.

  “Wh–”

  The lieutenant had disappeared. Her existence vanished. Poof. Like that. Turning his head around frantically, he knew there was nowhere she could go. Unless there exists somewhere metaphysically beyond his imagination that one could access from here. Neptune pinched himself to check if he was dreaming.

  “Where did she go…?”

  Suddenly, an unsettling voice whispered. A creepy, sombre tone that haunted Neptune for many sleepless nights.

  “Smith…”

  His head instinctively turned toward the North.

  Who was that?

  “Let’s go.”

  This time around, Neptune recognised the voice. A human voice, unlike the almost robotic one from earlier. Her distinct foreign accent had an undertone that made her stand out from the North Atlanteans.

  “You have been approved.” The lieutenant waved her hands after mysteriously appearing behind Neptune.

  “Ma’am, where did you go earlier?”

  “The answer to that question will be answered soon.”

  “Holy–”

  Anastasia tore the wall open beside her, revealing a pathway toward another corridor. This wall that appeared solid in reality was an optical illusion, similar to the technology he had back home.

  "That legitimately surprised me."

  Neptune nearly lost his balance at the lieutenant's magic trick.

  “Let's not keep them waiting.”

  She pressed the door’s bell button, then placed her hands at her back, a customary practice for soldiers of a lower rank interacting with a senior officer.

  “Sir, permission to enter the room!”

  The door slid open with a vacuum sound. Instead of a male officer emerging to greet them, another female officer walked out as scented perfume filled Neptune’s nostrils. Immediately, he recognised who she was from that stunning visual alone.

  This officer, Lieutenant Brenda Reynolds, truly captured his primal instincts as a man. Never once has his eyes been blessed with the sight of a beautiful young woman trapped in the fittings of a military uniform.

  If not for the United Atlantea Federation's draconian policies, Lieutenant Brenda Reynolds wouldn’t have her feminine curves concealed by the uniform of assured doom. She would most likely be a highly decorated athlete, judging from her physique and stature, winning multiple gold medals in those international sports competitions that have ceased since the Singularity War, he read about in books. The chance of her capturing the gaze of several nobles from Drazen and the warlords in the Tundralands would be uncontested. Even the royalty in the Kingdom would desire her. In all likelihood, this superior female specimen would be betrothed to a superior male from a faraway land, where her vessel would serve as a seedbed for genetically superior offspring that one could no longer artificially create with the Smart Grid’s deactivation.

  “Ma’am, congratulations on your promotion.” Neptune respectfully saluted his platoon commander.

  Brenda smiled, showcasing her well-maintained pearly whites, “How did you know I got promoted?”

  “There are two black bars instead of one now since the last time we met, ma’am.” Neptune pointed at his commander’s upper torso section, where that fabric signified her rank.

  “You have a good eye.”

  “Thanks, ma’am.”

  “Alright, let’s move on, shall we? Your commanders are awaiting you,” Brenda gestured for her recruit to follow her lead as she turned her attention to her subordinate, “Lieutenant Nicola, please proceed with your research.”

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  “Oh, wait, one more thing!”

  Anastasia turned around.

  “ME5 Newton wants a progress sheet update. You can send it to him at the end of the day. That is all. Sorry for holding you up.”

  “Roger, ma’am.”

  Neptune watched Lieutenant Nicola salute First Lieutenant Reynolds before walking into another wall as she bid him farewell.

  “Farewell, Recruit Smith.”

  “Take care, ma’am.”

  “I would like to have your attention now.” Brenda snapped her fingers to summon her recruit’s attention.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “The most important thing, please remember to store your phone in one of these lockers,” Brenda pointed at the small wooden cabinet outside the room. “Strictly no cameras allowed inside.”

  “Is this necessary?”

  “We have SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) here.”

  “So, it’s the same as entering this institute.”

  “Yes, get used to it.”

  Neptune stored his phone in the locker after setting a password. He groaned in annoyance at the numerous protocols and procedures. Who knew if the strict security protocols would accompany his research work at this institute?

  First, a full body scan. Now, no more camera phones. Neptune wondered what came next: the possibilities of working naked in this facility so nobody would ever suspect anyone smuggling research out?

  *

  With its single-tone colour scheme, the room was similar to the obsidian black hallways. Instead, the entire room was painted white, with the equipment sharing a similar beige-white tone everywhere. A section of the lab appeared cordoned off with giant red and yellow tapes covering it, which Neptune surmised was where experimentations happened. He remembered his father telling him about the importance of labs having the colour white to spot stains.

  She was right.

  Something about the symmetry of equipment lined up in this room spooked him. The overall cleanliness felt freakishly spotless. Simply put, this lab was taking the overcompulsive-like disorder too far. Way too far.

  “Troy, this must be the young Smith?”

  A bespectacled soldier spoke, his white coat extended to the floor as he sat, observing the young soldier he had read about. Neptune analysed that the soldier’s spectacles would easily cost as much as an average worker’s wage for a week.

  “Yes, it is. I believe that’s the first time you have seen him in the flesh?”

  “Once when he was a toddler, but that was ages ago.”

  “Even you had the chance to get invited to their bashes, what a perk of being his mentee.”

  “Anyways, he does look like him. A splitting image, I would say…”

  “Allow me to make the introduction.” Captain Graves walked over to the recruit under his command. “I trust you have been well, Recruit Smith.”

  “Yes, sir,” Neptune responded, concealing distaste for his OC. “I received an order to report here.”

  Troy nodded, for the decision was a mandate from the President himself–not that this boy would ever know about it until he passed all the assessments.

  “I was just talking to your new commander over here, who will be in charge of your time as an assistant researcher moving forward.”

  The bespectacled soldier stood up to walk over. The soldier had a neat haircut and a moustache–a facial aesthetic rare for military personnel. His white coat was far longer than he imagined. Also, the rank insignia he wore wasn’t something he recognised. Perhaps it was a new military scheme? Five black dots on his rank insignia made Neptune wonder what it meant.

  “I’m Military Engineer Five, Ivan Newton. I’ll be your commanding officer after you graduate from the GMT. Long story short and to save time, I’ll be your mentor after graduation.”

  Strangely, Neptune felt he could trust his mentor already. “Sir, I look forward to working under your tutelage.”

  “I think I’ll look forward to it more than you,” Ivan smirked at his new assistant, noticing his strikingly familiar features.

  “Does everyone get a mentor upon graduating?”

  “No, only you.”

  Neptune blinked rapidly, unsure what to make of this arrangement.

  “This feels strangely poetic,” Ivan remarked.

  Newton. A family known for their scientific marvels that built Atlantea during the Founder’s era. He never knew someone representing the South’s interest would exist across the border on the Federation’s side.

  “Indeed, sir….”

  How did Newton end up here? Neptune did not know. For one to imagine a Newton living away from their ancestral home would be preposterous.