Rookies

Maeve's aloof expression did not shift, yet the slight tilting of her head betrayed her bewilderment. Upon this day the two were mere steps away from commencing their new jobs as NSRA officers. As a result, Maeve had not expected to suddenly be questioned over something such as cathedral donations. It felt entirely out of the blue… However beyond that Maeve herself was only a casual believer, having not attended a proper radiance for many years now. 

"Um… No, I haven't considered it." 

In the end, she answered despite her confusion. Doing so with a neutral tone. 

Still shaking her hand, Archie nodded at her words. However, the subtle intensity that Maeve had only somewhat sensed up to this point erupted as his eyes gained a new shine to their brown luster. 

It was the same shine a business man got when they unraveled an untapped market. 

Archie at last stopped the handshake which had already long exceeded what was customary, however instead of letting go he encased Maeve's hand into a tight embrace with two of his own as he took a few steps closer. 

"Well you should! I've been doing so since I received my first paycheck as a sales clerk back when I was a teen. Luminous is a forgiving, generous God. 'He' blesses us each day without any expectations beyond devotion. But devotion alone is cheap don't you think? Just as a father would not ask for a gift from their children, that doesn't mean it is not the children's responsibility to take the initiative and show their eternal gratitude. It's the same idea! So, Ms. Maeve, please consider it!" 

By the time Archie finished his breathless rambling, his face was only a few inches away from Maeve's own. Maeve had pulled back her head in an attempt to flee what appeared like an inevitable collision. When he finished speaking she had expected him to pull back, but Archie merely kept his passionate gaze her way, seemingly unaware of how uncomfortable she felt. 

"Okay, I'll consider it… Could you back off now?" 

She said, her voice neutral. 

Archie raised an eyebrow, then examined their positions for the first time. Maeve felt her hand be set free as Archie rapidly took a few steps back. He then scratched the back of his head with an awkward, yet ever gentle smile. 

"My apologies, that was ungentlemanly of me. I simply lost myself in the excitement… That said, it is wonderful that you will take what I have said into mind. God may be good, but it should not disqualify him from receiving kindness." 

You say so but perhaps money wouldn't be that helpful to a god, no? 

Maeve mused inwardly. 

By the time their brief encounter ended, the assistant had already finished. Somewhere along the way, she had used the 3D Printer to create smooth black cards with scannable verification codes hidden beneath their surface and handed it to them. 

"Now then, follow me."

The two were then led through the left diverging path and past what appeared like a few offices and break rooms before reaching the elevators. Similar to the train networks, Bastion had long since adopted magnetic technology into all its building elevators. 

Such a simple change had almost entirely eliminated the chances of an accident occurring. 

Once inside, they were greeted by a pleasant melody. The beautiful assistant picked the 18th floor as their destination which caused the alloy box to proceed forth in a seamless elevation. 

When they arrived, Maeve was surprised to be met with an appearance no different than that of a regular office space. There were desks lined up in an organized formation with many already occupied by their respective owners. The officers present did not pay Maeve or Archie any special notice beyond a cursory glance. Most appeared to be within their own morning discussions with a cup of coffee at hand. 

When they passed the main area, they entered a hallway and were led to the room at its furthest end. Before the room was a sign at its steel door which read: 

'Briefing'

Only now did the assistant speak once more. 

"Despite everyone having until eight to arrive, the majority of them reached far in advance. Heh-heh, I'm sure the months of waiting must have made them eager… Anyways, once you enter, that will mean everyone is now here so I will be informing your supervising inspector of your arrival." 

The assistant then tapped on a corner near the steel door which activated it and the door automatically slid to the side and into the wall. The assistant made certain that they entered before then bidding her farewells. 

The moment the door closed, eight sets of eyes fell onto them. Maeve immediately felt her skin crawl as she did not know what to do under such scrutiny. In the end she kept on her aloof expression and nodded simply. 

Archie meanwhile donned the same gentle smile and politely bowed. 

"Hello everyone, we are the last of the new rookies. Pleasure to make your acquaintance!" 

The briefing room was spacious and had enough space to accommodate at least 50 personnel. Despite that, the present 8 rookies had chosen to sit themselves in the front row. The rows themselves were composed of ten seats each, with the two nearest to the door being vacant. 

Maeve continued as she walked ahead of Archie with the intention to sit at the edge seat. However, when she approached, a sweet voice called out. 

"Hey, hey! Come sit here!"

Situated beside the two vacant seats was a young woman. She possessed soft pale skin and wavy brown hair which was long enough to reach her chest. Much like Maeve herself, the young woman wore her black suit properly, devoid of any notable flaws. She stared at Maeve with a set of blue eyes that shimmered with excitement, a mirth which beautifully paired itself with the curling of her cherry colored lips into that of a radiant smile. 

Maeve's steps came to a halt as she suddenly was unsure of what to do next. 

Witnessing this, the young woman excitedly stood from her seat and wrapped her arm around Maeve's own. 

"Don't be shy, come! We are the only two girl rookies so we should get along!" 

With a bubbling energy she dragged the helpless Maeve to the seat next to hers and made her sit. Maeve could only give in to her fate as she awkwardly faced the smiling young woman. Without breaking her aloof expression Maeve parted her lips. 

"Um, hello…"

Situated beside her, the young woman giggled. 

"I'm sorry, was that too much for you? I admit I got too excited. Here, let's do it properly." 

Reaching out her hand, ones which were hidden behind a black glove, she continued. 

"My name is Cory Hudson, and like you I'm also a rookie assigned to this station. So let's be friends okay?" 

Maeve awkwardly reached out and took Cory's hand. 

"My name is Maeve Dawson… I don't mind being friends." 

She said in a neutral tone. 

Maeve did not have any friends, mostly because she had dedicated herself to excelling within the NSRA academy. That had not only pushed away those who she grew up with but it also left those around her thinking that she was cold and distant. Furthermore, as the first of her class, some even began disliking her for such a reason. 

At best she could say she had favorable acquaintances. 

That was why she found herself at a loss when Cory had closed the distance between them with a palpable enthusiasm. 

"Maeve huh, what a beautiful name. So tell me, where are you from? Why did you join the NSRA? What was your morning like? Hmm do you like these custom suits?"

Cory's enthusiasm had no end in sight as she jumped straight into an interrogation. Not far from them and witnessing this exchange, Archie quietly sat at the edge seat. Aside from him, everyone else had already returned to their silent chatter with the exception of the figure situated on the opposite end of the row. 

There a tall man sat with a relaxed temperament. The man possessed a lean body, jet black hair that he placed in a slick back style, and dark eyes which currently rested beneath the veils that were his eyelids. He wore the standard NSRA suit with black laceless shoes, a black trouser, and a long sleeve white dress shirt. He wore the suit's black vest but neglected to wear its jacket. Wrapped around the shirt's collar and neatly tucked beneath his vest was a gray tie with black stripes. 

In contrast to the tense or excited states of the other rookies present, he alone remained indifferent enough to try and catch a short nap as they awaited their supervising inspector's arrival.

*****

Meanwhile, in a different room within the 18th floor of the SW-4 Station, a beautiful woman currently sat behind her desk with a slight frown adorning her face. The desk itself was composed of steel legs and edges, however its surface was of glass. The glass currently was working like a monitor and displayed countless digital paper stacks neatly separated into different corners of its surface. 

The woman was scrolling past a stack of these files. She stopped at one, made a motion to grasp at it, then pulled it out of the screen and into a holographic projection which levitated a few inches away from her.

The woman, Inspector Alina Krutova, currently had visible dark marks beneath her eyes. However, despite such a flaw, her beauty remained untarnished. She possessed wavy onyx hair which was so short that it resembled the typical haircut of a man. Not that any could ever confuse her for one since she bore a perfectly proportioned face that emanated a feminine charm. 

Her soft porcelain skin, her long eyelashes which were dazzling to watch flutter with every blink she made, her small, perfectly rounded nose, her plump lips that were of a soft pink hue, all of it could captivate any man's heart upon just a glance. 

Naturally, Alina's slender body was wrapped by the standard black suit required of all NSRA agents. However, she did not wear a tie, preferring to leave a button or two free which exposed the start of her collarbones. 

Alina watched the holographic report with empty eyes. Then after a few seconds, she blinked repeatedly and realized that she had not processed a single thing she read. Instead of forcing herself to focus she collapsed onto her seat, rubbing her brows as she did.

Alina had made an attempt to complete all her backed up work by staying until dawn, yet here she was with the hour at 7:59 AM and her being far from finished. 

Damn it, I want to die.

She thought in bitter resignation.

"Ten today huh… Does the captain not care about my health?"

She murmured to herself before shutting her eyes in the hopes of catching some respite. It did not last long though since only a few seconds later, she heard knocking. 

TAP

TAP

TAP

To her, such a sound signalled the sealing of her fate and the cruelty of her present reality. She sighed, then answered. 

"Come in."

The door automatically slid open and a beautiful assistant came into view. 

"Good morning Inspector Alina. I came to inform you that everyone is already present and awaiting your arrival."

Alina stared blankly at the beautiful assistant before she nodded with a bitter smile. 

"Thank you, I'll be right over."