Aisyle was an unordinary name.

It didn’t trip any alarms in her mind. Elysia was known to have all kinds of weird names to begin with. Once upon a time, she met with a person named ‘Frost’ in another Site: F-H5, a Facility-orientated Site located far away from here.

That person held more authority than the figureheads who ran ImpulseWorks.

They were small too and was always surrounded by smaller people in fine suits, aside from one person. It was a woman with white hair and dark skin, dressed in a thick, grey-feathered coat.

Now that she thought about, Aisyle did kind of resemble her.

“Is there something on my face?” The woman calmly questioned, tilting her head to the side.

No. She’s human. The other woman was an Angel. Aisyle doesn’t have golden eyes either. Not that I’ve seen them anyway.

“Nothing. Let’s see… Aisyle. And Papilia. We can run a quick confirmation on the Cognition Terminal.” Papilia quietly said. “Do you know how to operate it? I checked the manual, and it doesn’t say anything –”

“Hush. The machine speaks.”

A silent hum suddenly filled the Command Room.

The guttural groans of the Site disappeared within their confines. Pale, opaque screens filled one wall, each attached to a grotesque machine via dangerous-looking apparatuses.

In other Sites, this exact room was called the ‘Operation Room’. The reason it was called a Command Room instead was because G – General Sites had other subservient Operation Rooms, all of which answered only to the Command Room.

These other rooms were to be filled by specialist roles, such as Retrofitters who scoured the hearts and minds of Workers for the blueprint of their ‘aspirations’, and Impulse Artificers who manufactured weapons in the shape of one’s desire.

The main ImpulseWorks branch – M-A1, focused solely on the manufacturing of weapon and items created by the Corrupted. Here, they’d have to manage everything themselves, meaning they could not outsource weapons.

Everything had to be made here.

The Site was remote enough.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The machine in question, which flickered colourful lights like a kaleidoscope was the Cognition Terminal. Only the Overseer could operate it, with the Navigator having partial control over its functions.

The machine took upon the appearance of a sprawling tree, the metal branches holding the screens like fruits. A cross section of the entire Site could be found in the central screen, showcasing every available room and all relevant information.

The machine knew the events of the past, and the events of the present like an artificial, omniscient being. How the combined knowledge of ImpulseWorks was shared throughout so many Sites never failed to astonish her.

The central screen turned black suddenly, dimming the room further as the two watched various names appear on the central screen.

Both their names were registered within G-Z7’s Cognition Terminal. Thankfully, Aisyle was indeed the Overseer. The screen turned black again. Their reflections stared back at them with unease as the hums faded away.

“It strains the mind. Overseers have a terrible time operating it. It’s no wonder you’re less disposable as we are.”

Aisyle solemnly spoke as the screens returned to broadcasting the Site’s layout. She then patiently stared into the light with sealed eyes, a thought stirring in her mind.

“No storage devices. No electronics. No radio… It always boggles my mind how such things operate on liquid woes and pleasures.” She added, amused by this.

“Electronics? Radio? I’ve never heard of the term before.” Question marks seemed to appear over Papilia’s head.

Electronics was a foreign term to her. Radio just as much.

“Don’t mind me. I’m just citing random chatter.” Aisyle hummed, shuffling slightly closer to the girl. “Chatters… This Site will be noisy soon.”

“I don’t hear anything though.” Papilia was a little irked about her Overseer’s mental state. She turned to the woman, hugging her handouts tightly before reaching to touch the woman’s forehead.

She struggled to reach her forehead. Papilia was only 140cm tall, compared to the voluptuous woman who stood at a staggering 180cm. She was practically a giant, and she lumbered like one too. Basically, her Overseer lived in slow motion – a trait that was dangerous for a job like theirs.

Papilia needed to see her in action before she could pass on her judgement. Aisyle did not crouch or entertain Papilia’s efforts. If anything, she stood straighter and patiently waited for the girl to give up trying to diagnose her.

“The silence should be cherished.” Even though Aisyle’s eyes were shut, she could feel an intense gaze scrutinize her. “You know that is for the best. A strong mind is required for the job. Quotas are important to keep our overlords satiated.”

“That’s correct.” Papilia reluctantly agreed.

They shared a handshake again after the confirmation. Beginning on good terms was necessary to keep operations moving as smoothly as possible. She didn’t know what to expect, but she had an odd feeling that there was more to Aisyle than what met the eye.

Regardless, if things went south, then Aisyle would be due for immediate termination.

It was a fate Papilia would never wish upon her worst enemy, but this was just the way things worked in ImpulseWorks.

Soon, 'day 0' would be upon them.

And they’d receive their first batch of Corrupted, Workers and Employees.

In the meantime, she searched for information regarding the Essence of Light within the Cognition Terminal, and to her surprise –

– There was already an existing entry.