The Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense Central Offices occupied a sleek, glass-and-concrete building in the heart of the sprawling campus. It stood almost like a crystal in a series of brutalist concrete buildings used for training and dormitories. Emma sat in a straight-backed chair that seemed designed for discomfort, facing a large desk in the Captain's office. Various medals and commendations decorated the walls, alongside tactical maps of the colony and what appeared to be monster classification charts.

Captain Helena Reed, Emma had finally caught sight of her name on the office door, stood with her back to Emma, looking out the window that offered a commanding view of the colony. Her uniform was immaculate, her posture rigid. Everything about her projected authority and discipline.

"When did you awaken?" Captain Reed asked without turning, her voice clipped and precise.

Emma shifted in the uncomfortable chair. "I don't know exactly." It was the truth. 

The Captain turned, eyes fixed onto Emma with a hard stare. "Symptoms typically manifest over a period of days or weeks. Strange sensations. Awareness of dark energy signatures. Involuntary responses to Mage activity. When did these begin?"

Emma thought back to the first time she'd felt that strange prickling at the base of her skull. It had been subtle at first, easy to dismiss as a trapped nerve, stress or exhaustion. But perhaps her denial was stronger then she thought.

"Maybe a month ago," she admitted. "But I didn't know what it was."

"A month." Captain Reed scoffed, her expression tightened. "And it didn't occur to you to report these symptoms?" Emma understood that Reed's question was also an accusation. Colony codes dictated that any awakened individual report themselves for assessment immediately. Because most people awakened in their teenage years, high schools were plastered with posters and students were bombarded with P.S.A announcements around awakenings. There was no way that Emma could feign not knowing what the codes were.

"I didn't know that's what it was," Emma protested, feeling defensive under the Captain's accusatory glare. "I thought I was just stressed. My sister-" Emma started, but suddenly felt she should not complete that sentence. "I've had a lot on my mind," she continued instead.

The Captain's eyes remained glued on Emma, her expression revealing that she was not accepting Emma's answer. She moved to sit behind her desk and pulled up something on her computer screen, eyes scanning rapidly. Rather then replying to Emma's last statement. Reed picked up on what she had started to say.

"Your sister…" Reed started, still looking at the computer screen, pausing for a moment as if she was contemplating what to say. "Your sister is a registered conduit. You should have been well aware of the protocols," she continued, eyes not leaving the computer screen.

Emma's hands clenched in her lap. She had no response to that. It was true, even if she had missed every lesson taught on awakenings in school, she still knew exactly what the protocol was after watching Lily go through the experience of awakening. As Emma tried to rack her brain for a response that made some kind of sense, she noticed the white-blue computer screen light reflecting off of the captain's eyes and suddenly she realized that the captain was reading some kind of profile about her sister. Emma thought about jumping up suddenly and twisting the computer monitor so she could read the screen. Would this answer her questions that she had so desperately sought?

What if it was just a simple profile, age, name, date of enlistment... Emma thought

"Miss Wylde," The Captain's eyes snapped up from her screen, narrowing slightly. But Emma didn't hear a word she said and was still staring at the back of the computer monitor.

Would I get arrested? Would she interpret my lunge as assault?

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Emma jolted in her seat, a shiver ran down her spine. But after that brief second of panic, she realized just as quickly that the tapping had not come from her mind and was not a symptom of her recent unfortunate abilities. But that the captain had tapped on her desk to gain Emma's attention.

"Miss Wylde," Reed repeated. "You have a duty as a citizen-"

"What information do you have about my sister?" Emma interrupted.

Captain reed did not entertain the question and merely repeated her statement with more emphasis.

"You have a duty as a citizen of this colony to report any symptoms of-"

"Am I in trouble?" Emma interrupted. 

There was a growing pit in Emma's stomach. It frustrated her to no end to be in one of these ministry rooms again, being lectured by some official who demanded so much from her without giving her even just a tiny bit of information about her sister. Was the captain really lecturing her on duty? The same kind of duty that landed her sister missing? Did the Ministry go about demanding duty from its citizens while not showing any proclivity for duty to protect those enlisted?

Emma finally thought again about what she had witnessed earlier today. Somehow on the journey here, placed in the back of a dark armored car in front of the cafe, she had put a lot of it out of her mind as she focused on what was about to happen to her. But now her mind circled thoughts on exactly what had happened. The bored mages, the conduit being shown disrespect. The rampager, that poor soul that had reached out to her for help. Emma's patience, still emotional from what she had recently experienced, was wearing thin.

Captain Reed had not responded to Emma's question, her face remained impassive. She had no response for Emma. While it was a violation of colony codes not to report, Emma could feign ignorance, and it could be argued that the Ministry only needed to schedule her for assessment, or charge her a fine. It was certainly over the top to bring her to the heart of Floating City, sat in the office of a Ministry Captain. Anyone outsider observing would ask the question: Why?

"Do you have information about my sister? You're looking at a profile about her right?" Emma asked, feeling she didn't have to play nice anymore. Now returning the Captain's gaze. Although her heart was starting to beat faster, she did not let her face betray her. Keeping her expression firm and focused.

Reed again, ignored this. After a breif moment, continuing to hold her gaze, Reed finally averted her eyes from Emma. Leaning back in her chair. "Miss Wylde, I am asking you about your awakening," she said.

Emma understood this response to mean "No, we won't be sharing any information about your sister."

"Then can I leave?" Emma's voice cracked and looked down to her clasped hands in her lap. Replying to Reed as if she had heard that exact statement from her.

Captain Reed's face was still impassive. "No, not right now."

Emma did not respond.

A heavy silence fell over the office. Captain Reed studied Emma for a long moment, then returned her attention to her screen, tapping a few keys. Reed stared at the screen for a few moments as if contemplating something.

"Lily Wylde," she said finally, her tone shifting slightly. "Conduit, Rank Two."

She turned the monitor so Emma could now see what she had been reviewing. As Emma had thought before, it was a personal profile. With Lily's image (a military type photo). Date of birth and other standard information. However Emma had noticed an additional detail, the profile had her team listed as assigned to "Defense Special Division"