His second time at the AA building, James knew what to expect. He was still nervous, as today was the day he’d meet the team he would go on dungeon dives with, but it was a less pervasive emotion. There was no chance he’d be rejected and have to go back to his dreary days as a retail worker.
Taking the leap to sign the contract with the federal agency had been initially motivated by spite and a desire for protection that he couldn’t give his family. Still, once he had cooled off and had a long chat with his grandparents’ lawyer friend, he realized that the conditions the AA offered were even better than Ms Walker had initially hinted at.
Snooping a bit in the online forums had revealed that it was common knowledge in the guilds that something hush-hush was happening at the AA, but no one seemed to know exactly what.
Some believed that they had received an order to finally let go of the last dregs of autonomy they had, thus releasing their elite teams from their contracts, but it seemed by far the most fringe theory.
Others had understood that rather than collapsing, the AA was preparing to fight on some level. Discussion still abounded on whether it was the agency’s death throes or a new resurgence.
Hidden in the lines of the contract, Thomas Abramowitz, his grandparents’ lawyer, had seen the signs of something promising. Indeed, he believed that the AA might have gotten the funding to do much more than just establish a team of rookies in New York. The contract was standardized and generous enough - especially for a notoriously penny-pinching organization - that it had to be a nationwide effort.
Well, whether it’s truly the start of a new phase for the AA or not, I still appreciate all the resources they are putting into this. Once I’ve grown enough to stand on my feet, I’ll see what to make of it.
The reception at the AA was less crowded than the last time he had been there, probably owing it to being a Tuesday morning. Still, he was quickly directed toward the fifteenth floor, where the orientation would take place.
In the elevator, he was joined by a pretty redhead girl with Eastern European features, whose hair was loosely kept in a bun. Her makeup did a good job of covering them, but James could spy heavy bags under her eyes. She looked close to his age, and given that her presence positively blazed to his Thakinetic Awareness, she seemed to be an Awakener too.
A suspicion quickly formed that she’d be one of his new teammates, strengthened by her saying she needed to get off at the fifteenth too. Still, he kept his mouth shut about the new team, having been warned repeatedly not to speak of it to anyone beyond his immediate family, on pain of contractual penalties.
Seeing how she was throwing pondering looks at him, she might have had the same idea.
Soon enough, they both got off the elevator, a sterile corridor greeting them with a glowing sign that read “Rookie Team Meeting, room 5 ->”.
James became certain of his suspicion when they both started walking in that direction, which was further confirmed when the redhead finally opened her mouth. “So, it looks like we’ll be on the same team, huh?”.
She had a New York accent, though mild enough that it wasn’t noticeable to anyone not paying attention.
“I am. Signed up a couple of days ago. I’m James Summers, by the way. Pleasure to meet you.” He said, extending a hand while keeping his eyes firmly on hers.
First impressions were not the end all be all, but overcoming a bad one was complex and lengthy. Better to just start off on a good foot.
She smiled, revealing pearly white teeth, and took his hand in a firm grip “Maria Olegova, the pleasure is all mine.”
They were prevented from further small talk by the door to room five opening on its own. When they went in, they found three more people sitting on a comfortable-looking sofa. With no sign of Miss Walker anywhere, James went to greet his new teammates.
The closest to him, and tallest person in the room by far, was a young black man called Daniel Smith. His voice was smooth and calm and he had kind eyes. James noticed a scar below his right eye from what looked like a knife cut.
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Next, standing at least three inches shorter than James, was another boy, this time very pale and with curly, messy hair. do you have questionsv was evidently very excited to be here as he almost vibrated. His sharp features, coupled with the mole above his lips, gave him a vaguely noble look.
The last person, the shortest but also the oldest at twenty-three, was an Italian-American girl named Lauren Digiovanni. She had a strong Brooklyn accent, a loud voice, and was quite busty. For all that, she blazed the most to his senses, and James made a note not to underestimate her.
From what he had understood, his Thakinetic Awareness didn’t necessarily pick up on a person's power but rather on the strength of their Will. That didn’t necessarily translate into a danger rating, but it was still useful information.
Once everyone had greeted each other and they all took a spot on the sofas, the lights in the room dimmed as shadows started converging to the small stage set in front of the projector. The darkness churned and they all watched in awe and wariness, until it finally coalesced into a familiar figure.
Miss Walker, the high-rank Awakener who had saved James after his foolhardy dungeon run, stepped through the shadows, dispersing them with an errant wave of the hand.
The lights immediately returned to normal, though they all remained silent, waiting with bated breath for the woman to speak.
“Well, at least you have some manners.” She began expressionlessly, thanks to the face mask and armor she wore. “As you all can imagine, you are here because you decided to take part in the new AA program, the Dawn Initiative!”
Seeing that she had their full attention, Miss Walker continued “I have been authorized to inform you that you are not the only team we are building, as the higher-ups took a liking to the idea of taking entirely fresh rookies and turning them into rankers. They pulled some strings, threatened some people, begged others, and we have finally received enough funding to do something more than scrape by.”
The tension in the room suddenly rose as the woman twitched minutely, somehow sending shivers down all their spines. “That should tell you the level of importance this program has. No failure can be accepted here, so if you feel you are not up for it, now is the time to go back home to your simple, slow lives.”
Her eyes, the only truly expressive part of her body visible, were a fiery red, glowing like embers. They were deadly serious, a stark contrast with the easy-going, at times clumsy person James had first met.
This is a high-level Awakener. Not someone to be messed with, to be sure. She’s not doing anything and it feels hard to breathe just being in her presence.
When the masked woman was content that her message had gotten across, she relaxed minutely, releasing them all from the tension they had been in.
Daniel and Ezekiel slumped, while James and the two girls sighed in relief. It didn’t feel like a skill had been used, as no mana had moved at all, but it had not been a pleasant experience.
“Very well, now that you are all committed, we can start with the boring stuff.”
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An extended orientation had followed, as rules and regulations for how to behave both in the building and outside of it - as they now were all technically AA Agents, and so part of the Federal Law Enforcement - were explained in a general overview that they were promised would be expanded upon in the following months.
Miss Walker took pity on them two hours later, seeing their bored expressions. “We’ll stop here with the introduction to your duties for the moment. Now, who wants to do something practical?”
A cheer rose as they scrambled away from the room, doggedly following their teacher down the hallways until they reached a blast door, which opened after Miss Walker put her hand on a display and injected some mana into it.
An enormous room, tall enough to cover three floors and with reinforced walls strong enough to withstand a natural disaster greeted them. “This is training room 7. It will be your home away from home, so make sure to get comfortable.” Miss Walker said, gesturing toward one of the corners, where a glowing glass wall separated a parlor from the rest of the room. Cozy-looking couches, a wide-screen TV and a cooking area were all present.
“I mean it when I say you’ll be here a lot. You’ll spend some time in the morning following tactics and law lessons in the room we just left, but the rest of your time not on duty outside will be here with me.” The masked woman continued, walking toward the opposite corner to the parlor, where an armory with all kinds of weapons had been set up.
“Before we begin with the practical side of the day, does any of you have questions?”
Immediately, Ezekiel raised his hand, drawing chuckles from all. “Yes, Ezekiel? Despite all the lessons, you don’t need to act like this is school. You are all adults here, and though you don’t have much experience in the field, you still deserve at least that recognition.” Miss Walker said, motioning with her hand for the curly-haired boy to go ahead.
“Are you going to be our only teacher? Will we have assigned roles in the team? Are there other people we will learn from? When is our first mission? Is this room truly all for us? Do we have to reveal our Status to each other? Do we have lessons every day?”
Once he was done, the boy looked a bit out of breath and scratched his head embarrassedly. “Sorry, sometimes I get too excited.”
Shaking her head in amusement, Miss Walker answered “No, I won’t be your only teacher. I did the theory lesson today since it was orientation, but most of the time, someone else will hold them. And theory lessons will be held only two to three times a week, depending on your duties. When we’re sure you know enough, we’ll just do tactics once a week. No, I don’t know who your other teachers are. As for the team composition, it is only you five, the room is really just for you, and though it’s not required to show your Status, revealing your Talent and Skills will go a long way to help you make good strategies.”
The information dump complete, the woman picked up a staff whose end had been wrapped with a cloth filled with a soft substance, seemingly so as to not injure when it hit.
“Now that the boring bits are done, we can get to the interesting part of the day. One by one, come with me to the middle of the room. We’ll have a spar so that your companions and I can learn a bit of what you are capable of.”
The way her eyes squinted in happiness should have been cute, but James only felt a cold shiver go down his spine. Still, he steeled himself, not wanting to make a poor showing.
Before he could speak up, the shortest member of their team followed their teacher, a bright grin on her face.
“Very well then, Digiovanni. Show me what you can do.” Miss Walker said, holding her staff at the ready.
As soon as she finished, Lauren disappeared from sight.