"Enter by the Narrow Gate, Edi"

Edi found himself poking around in his bowl of fish soup while looking out at the flowers in the garden, where the 'sensei' was trimming a small plant that he had just introduced to the soil. Cap and Runa had previously installed the person they had found in the 'cauldron', in a bed in a cell, as they had done with Vemund - and, from what he had learned, both of them were doing fine and gathering up their strength. A few days had then passed, and Edi so assumed Cap and Runa had some close connection to the woman they had called Emma, and that they were monitoring her and probably sitting with her all day and night.

As Edi had spent his days trying to make time pass by wandering around the premises of his current abode - which was humble in one way, but very far from it in many other ways - he had found himself getting tired of just eating and tending the garden and sitting in the sauna with the 'sensei'. He had found out the 'sensei' had an actual name he struggled with pronouncing, and that he was a quite regular guy with a small family just up the road, he just had an affinity for saunas and martial arts - and gardening, as he had tried teaching Edi how to tend to a large flower that he knew needed patience and more patience to have it thrive and grow. It did not take with Edi, though - he had felt drawn to hunting monsters and sharks, and towards the stories of who Runa and Cap 'actually' were, and the connection they had to the woman he had discovered along with them - Emma.

As he remained seated on the chair that had no cushion, and that was slowly and surely gnawing away on his own 'behind cushion', he heard some raucous from outside the dining area. He walked out in the garden, past the contraptions they were drying seaweed on, and followed the path down to the main gate. Someone was outside of it, banging on the hatches and shouting obscenities about the whole establishment.

"Don't worry, mister. They do this ev'ry Midweek", a rusty voice mumbled from within a little hut with a window on it - the same kind as on the cells, the organic inky kind - but with a small 'talking' hole in the middle of it. Edi followed the voice to meet eye to eye with the guard he had talked to the very first time he had woken up in his cell. He sat in there and combed away on his moustache. An odour seeped out from there, similar to cigar smoke. "They're a pack of ultra-green anarchists and pacifists. Ev'ry time we prepare to go out diving and hunting, they gather outside here to do more or less peaceful protesting. They're close to harmless, no need to worry", he reassured Edi, who immediately and eagerly latched on to information that was latent in what the moustache man had just said.

"Are we going out hunting again?", he burst out like an impatient child waking up early on Christmas day, itching to open Santa's presents. The guard almost fell off his little chair.

"W-well", he stuttered, "I believe most of ya' are. Sometimes Mr. Caplan and the others in charge redistribute people from service area over to some other service area or task", he added, now getting up while supporting his lower back with one hand. He walked out of Edi's immediate sight, retrieved something with which he tried wrestling off a lid on, it seemed to be a box labelled "TEA" in unmistakable handwritten uppercase letters. "He must value your eagerness to make an effort for us, I reckon", he said to Edi from the counter where he opened a cabinet door to uncover cups and plates in plain porcelain. "... in grim contrast to those 'loudmouths' out there", he said while pouring steaming water from an old, well-used teapot, stirring his cup angrily, and he had clearly meant the crowds outside shouting in disfavour of the hunting activities Edi sorely wanted to continue doing. "Just step back inside, young fella'. Ya' have no business minglin' with 'em out there, see", he said in what Edi took as a warning. He anticipated more waiting around in the cafeteria area, and drug his feet behind him back to where he had come from.

He walked back to consequently see no one tending to garden matters, and stepped in to find the cafeteria all empty as well, and began fearing he had missed out on something important, and began running down the path that took him to the open space used for sports and other activities that would require such an open space, and over to the other building - where he had sat and endured unnatural heat and the smell of other men's sweat. The other half of that building he had never used for anything, but that was where he bet on that people had gathered. He came up to the sliding door and heard loud chatter from within. He tried yanking the door open as still and unnoticeable as he could muster but then heard a voice speaking directly to him from behind it. "Enter, please", the voice said, and Edi defeatedly slid the door all the way open, embarrassed that he had missed a whole gathering of their troops. He dared not to meet the examining gazes from the people speaking in front of the crowd, and so looked down and walked over to a chair in the front of the room, the only one that was still free to sit on. He then looked up and found it was Cap speaking with the 'sensei' by his side.

"As I was just addressing, we need to fill a vacant position. Most of you know - and some of you witnessed directly - the reason for that vacancy. Sadly, we lost one of our most dedicated servants a few days ago to an attack on our emergency response team, who were trying to retrieve a 'hopper' who had been taken away into uncharted waters. I believe most of you know the rest of that terrible story. And now we are here, at the point of having to promote someone into a leading 'hunter'. While grieving for our lost brother, we must remain proud to announce our new leader for 'Hotel' company - we call forth our brother Ilai!", Cap announced proudly. A tall, wide-chested figure stood to his feet. He had an understated, small smile, and was probably due for a haircut. "Brother Ilai has served a long time for us in countless capacities -", he recounted and then stopped to allow collective laughter, which made Edi scratch his head. " - and now, finally, he has agreed to step over from serving as a leading 'guard' in to fill this acute need of ours. Welcome him, all!" Cap exclaimed, and everyone stood to their feet - some applauding more sincerely than others. This Ilai character stepped forward to accept his new attire that was to signify his new role. He accepted the 'gift' from Cap, shook his hand, and proceeded to perform a quite formal and deep bowing down gesture in front of the 'sensei', who looked surprised but began laughing along with many of the others.

This Ilai sat down again, and Cap retook his place and sturdy stance in front of the men and women in the onlooking audience. "Now", he exclaimed - "on to the part you seem to always anticipate in excitement", he said as to try and tease them, to build up a strange tension - at least Edi took it as such. "We are sending one lucky fella' up to our neighbours on the surface", he said to the jubilant 'oohs' and reckless cheers of all who were present.

"Just the one this time too, Cap?", one officer asked him, and Cap nodded slowly.

"Yes, good of you to ask", he answered. "Just the one like the last time. The one we sent last is still active in his assignment, and he has performed wonderfully well - well above and beyond what we could dream of, actually -" he said. "- at least, according to our scouts and informants up there", he summed up. A young, extremely blond man walked in and greeted Cap. As he turned around to greet the rest of the officers and the men, he unveiled a gigantic birthmark covering at least half of his face. Edi felt like there was something quite familiar with him, and as this man let his gaze glide over all the people - he nodded lightly to some to acknowledge their presence as if he already knew many of them - his eyes seemed to lock for an extra second with Edi's examining demeanour.

"Good day, men", he said, and the men answered, some added his name.

"Good day, Johanan!", they said.

"Thank you for allowing me to join this meeting", he said in a formal tone. "I am honoured to be in your honourable presence, and very much appreciate all you are doing here", he said and turned to Cap and the 'sensei' and the other officers. "I and Bo have been guarding the shore post for a month now, and have apprehended the one you sent a couple of weeks ago. We put him in our 'guest cell' for one night, and had meant to keep him there and debrief and further brief him to prepare him for what the 'surfacers' call the 'SuRuST' competition. He still made it out of there, for some reason we still are to uncover - we suspect he has had external assistance to break him out of our building", he concluded with some disappointment. Edi had no idea of who or what this Johanan was talking about, and he was looking around him to examine the others to see if he could find someone who was as confused as himself, to no luck - they were all listening as intently as possible. "The next part was a strange tale in itself. He made his way to what we call 'the Dome', where we tried to apprehend him to hold him for a few more days - yet, we failed, and he was drafted for the competition - and, if you can believe it, he is still a part of it, and people seem to be favouring him to win the whole thing", he recapped for them. The response was mostly surprised gasping, raised eyebrows, large eyes and whispering amongst the men and women present.

"The reason I have come here, is we are planning to take one more up there immediately to have a prolonged briefing and training period - one of you will be the lucky customer", he said, and Cap joined him again to silence the cheers and chaos erupting amongst his subjects.

"Silence, men", the 'sensei' sternly exclaimed from the 'sidelines'.

"Thank you. Yes, young Johanan is speaking the truth. We will now select the next 'surfacer' who will immediately depart along with him and begin training up there. We meant to send Vemund, but his soul is resting in everlasting green pastures, peace be over him", Cap said - the last part made his voice break a bit. "We will accept appeals for who should be going", he announced, yet only mumbling and whispering could be heard in that room of brave and mighty warriors. Cap scratched his head. "Yes, they have commenced with treating their captives violently and inhumanely. I will see to it that whoever volunteers will have another fate than that which you seem to already know of with my dear friend who has just returned to us", he said, and someone whispered 'he means Emma, surely'. Cap straightened his back and made a mean face. "Brave warriors! Where are you? Have you shrunk into grains of sand or been taken away by a light ocean breeze?", he asked with a serious tone to his voice - he spoke rhetorically, Edi thought. He then put up his hand, to his own surprise, and felt like he was elevated out and over his own body. He could see himself from above and tried asking himself what in the world he was doing.

"I can go if no one else volunteers", he said, now even more surprised at what he was actually doing. "I do not know what the job description entails, but I am sure I can do it", he continued, and realized he was standing up while talking, and took in the silence and some subtle looks in his direction.

Cap laughed a slight laugh, admiring his courage - naive as it could be. "Oh, but Edi... You are not ready. I would like someone else to go...", he said, but stopped himself. "... but maybe you should do it after all. This all reminds me of the last election, and it seems to have worked out well", he said, reasoning with himself in front of everyone. "Ok, I will allow it unless anyone else of my fellow officers has something else to say", he said and turned to his left. The 'sensei' spoke.

"I believe he can do it. We have had some time, just the two of us. He will do, I have no doubt about it", the 'sensei' said to commend Edi.

"Very well", Cap said. "Say your farewells and join Johanan by the gate, and you will be on your way", he finished and signed for everyone to leave the meeting. Edi was given a snug backpack with some food and other necessary equipment. They opened the gates, and the gatekeeping guards removed the protesting crowds outside and escorted Cap, Edi and Johanan out and through the city, past the pools and fountains, up the hill into the tunnels - and through the 'cauldrons', one by one, in a hurry to get through them before they were filled with piping hot water - and the tunnels with deadly gases.