Will woke up quickly when he stepped out of the hotel lobby and felt the chill touch of the Tokyo morning embrace him. It was easily below freezing temperature this morning, a fact that cheered him significantly. Clutching his large cup of coffee in two hands, he grinned out at the sea of Japanese workers heading back and forth in front of him. He always enjoyed this part of Tokyo. No nation but Japan could manage to have such a quiet crowd. There were easily hundreds of people flowing past him, but they all kept their heads down, not wanting to cause a commotion.
He glanced over in time to see Charlisa and Edward exiting the hotel, Noratuk behind them. The Lieutenant had a serious case of bedhead, and looked none too happy to be awake. She also had a large coffee in her hand, and merely growled in response to Will’s greeting. All three of them, like Will, were dressed in light clothes, a direct contrast to the thick jackets of the crowd. Of course, as members of the Fire Nexus, they were impervious to the effects of the cold, and so could afford to dress so casually. Charlisa and Edward were both wearing thin jeans, though Charlisa wore a sleeveless shirt that showed off her smooth arms to great effect.
“Good morning,” she said quietly, as Edward took a sip from Noratuk’s cup. “You look tired.”
“Slept too long,” Will croaked, drinking his own coffee. “Jet lag messed me up.”
“You sure you weren’t kept up by anything else?” She teased, nudging him lightly with an elbow. “Shouldn’t be hard to think of something.”
“You mean apart from the gorgeous naked woman who wanted a second round and wouldn’t let me sleep until she was happy? No, can’t think of anything.”
Her eyes twinkled at him above her coy smile, and she leaned closer, dropping her voice another octave. “You don’t look too upset about that. Besides, that gorgeous woman might want more before we’re gone.”
Will rolled his eyes in mock-horror. “Oh no, please! Anything but that!”
Charlisa laughed, but they dropped the subject as Edward and Noratuk drew level with them. After a quiet morning greeting, they loaded into the car that pulled up just in time to receive them. Edward took the front, leaving the other three to squeeze into the back, and they were off. The other Nexians, Will knew, would be coming after them quickly. As ever, Kada was present, though this time he drove in a car behind them. Will glanced around from time to time, and never saw their attendant more than ten feet away from them, gripping the wheel of his car with a casual, nonchalant air.
“Did Kenta ever call you back?” Charlisa asked, distracting him from his thoughts about their silent shadow.
“No,” Will sighed. “If he doesn’t get in contact with me today, I’ll have to go over to his house. Sometimes his mother forgets things. Or he’s sleeping over at his teacher’s studio, so she hasn’t had the chance to tell him.”
Charlisa shrugged, a little disappointed that she might not get to meet the friend, then changed the subject. “You ready for the assessment?”
Will grimaced. Truth be told, he’d been unable to think of little else in the past twelve hours. The assessment had even taken over his dreams, where he had to fight off dozens of other Nexians in an effort to prove himself. The dream had run on repeat, always ending with fighting Hitori himelf.. Invariably, he’d been killed by the Alpha of the Soul Nexus. It made him think of Bai Jian now. Had the first Alpha of the Earth Nexus been as terrified as this when Hitori had begun hunting him?
“I don’t know if I’m ready,” he finally admitted, after a few seconds of silence. “What exactly goes on at this thing?”
He’d asked this question before, of course, but in his nervous state, he seemed to have forgotten what he’d been told. Edward seemed to understand, and turned around in the seat to explain again. “You’ll be tested on your overall power scale. They’ll rate your skills, calculate your strength, and test your endurance. Depending on how you do in the entire thing, you’ll likely be given a new rank.”
Right, Will thought. He knew that new Nexus members, regardless of natural talent levels, were always classified as E-tier. At the assessment, their skill was truly judged. That had been the focus for his training, to ensure that he at least qualified to be D-tier. E through A, and each of those tiers had a plus and minus variant to them. Charlisa, for example, was C-tier. She hoped to earn B-tier at this assessment. Noratuk was a solid A-tier, but didn’t seem to care whether or not she achieved the plus at this event. Edward, of course, was S-tier, the tier reserved for Alphas, because their strength was that far ahead.
Out of everyone in the Nexus, he and Richard would be the only new members. On top of that, until Hitori had visited Fairbanks, Will had been the only new member that he hadn’t known about. He wondered now, as the Soul Nexus headquarters came into view, if Hitori had planned to spoil that surprise. There were bound to be new people in each Nexus, yet the man had decided to visit them specifically. Was it because he suspected Edward’s secret goal of defeating the Soul Nexus? Will still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that a group of people who had healing powers could be so evil.
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Their driver made a sharp right, entering the parking lot of Nexus Commons, the sprawling and fortified property where the Soul Nexus lived and trained. There was enough pleasant decoration to make the place look comfortable, but Will also noticed the high electric fences, topped with barbed wire, and the extra armed security stationed at every conceivable vantage point, their rifles at the ready. Prepared to take action should things get out of hand. Will took a shaky breath, starting to feel a little claustrophobic. It felt like they were driving into a box from which there was no escape.
Kada was at their door right as they came to a stop, surprising Will. The young Japanese man seemed to be able to move with incredible speed and discretion, popping into their field of vision without being noticed. He opened the door for Will, and oddly polite gesture, and bowed, gesturing for them to step out. They did so, Will offering Charlisa a hand, then stood, staring up at the central tall building with a sense of omen coming over them.
“Welcome to the Nexus Ward,” Kada said. “Master Hitori has requested that you wait inside the entry hall inside. I shall remain outside, awaiting the end of your assessment.”
Right, Will thought. The assessments were a very private affair. Only Nexians were permitted to attend, and see the skills that were tested. A detailed report would be sent out to the public after the event, of course, for the Nexian Scholars to study, but as for the actual even, humans were not allowed to spectate. He waved briefly as Edward moved forward, taking the lead, Noratuk just behind him. The two older Nexians were more purposeful now, holding their heads high as they walked towards the front doors. They had a reputation to uphold, Will thought. He immediately straightened his shoulders, standing as straight as he could.
It was a shock to see so many people gathered in one hall, but that was nothing compared to the aura that hit him as soon as he stepped over the threshold. The hall was massive, easily large enough to hold five hundred people. At the moment, however, it contained four separate groups, each taking up a different, excluded position. There didn’t seem to be any mingling of the different groups, either. Each crowd was gathered around one or two people, talking quietly amongst themselves. There were no other Fire Nexians, as they were the first to arrive. Will couldn’t help looking around, studying the others. It was his first time seeing the Earth and Air Nexuses.
The Earth Nexus all looked serious, and they were talking the least. They stood or sat in a solemn cluster, seeming to keep an eye on everyone else. They all wore traditional Chinese robes, deep green in color, with gold embroider, and Chinese lettering stitched over their hearts in shining red thread. They looked like shaolin monks, he thought wildly, with their baggy pants and simple sandals. He couldn’t understand a word that any of them were saying, not being able to understand Mandarin, but he could recognize the tone.
The Air Nexus, by comparison, was positively giddy. They all wore a wild variety of clothing, and they were talking and laughing with each other as if they were at a park. Will saw one man wearing flowing robes in a bright yellow color, giggling like a school boy at something that a serious-looking man in a business suit had just told him. He cackled loudly, slapping his thigh, then turned to nudge the person next to him, repeating the words. Another laugh, this one shared by the group at large.
The respective Alphas were all too easy to spot. They were the center of attention for each group, and they radiated the typical aura of power. For the Air Nexus, it was a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and white cargo shorts. He was chuckling merrily along with the rest of his group, and Will could actually feel the air moving around him. Will knew his name was Kevin Williams. The Alpha of the Earth Nexus was almost his polar opposite, sitting silently in the middle of his Nexus, his face set in serious and guarded lines.
The Water Nexus had already gathered as well, of course. Out of all of them, they were a healthy mix of watchful and energetic. Will could pick out quite a few happy faces there, a few voices raised in laughter. Rachel Smith was talking animatedly with her children, while their father hung just behind her right shoulder. Olivia and Felix both looked around as the Fire Nexus entered, and the siblings both waved merrily enough. Rachel, for her part, only nodded in welcome. Will remembered that she and Edward were supposed to act adversarial in public.
The Soul Nexus was present too, but their Alpha was nowhere to be seen. Three members, clad in ornate but serviceable white robes, were standing by a door that led tot he back. One of them was Togai, the one with the thin face, whose expression was amused. For the briefest of moments he met Will’s gaze, and they locked eyes, only breaking away when Togai gave him a polite half-bow. Will did not return the compliment, and forced himself to look away. The two Soul Nexians beside him gave no hint that they recognized anyone else, but stood, arms behind their backs, silent to a man.
The air, already charged with tension in those first few seconds that Will had to take in the room, became considerably heavier. As one, the Alphas of Water, Earth, and Air turned to look at Edward as he appeared. Will didn’t think he could blame them. With the war still fresh in their mind, and Rachel already having made some effort to improve public relations with her Nexus, Edward was the only Alpha left who had a warlike reputation. He very much looked the part too, with his proud stance, chin tilted up as if in silent challenge.
Why hadn’t Hitori arrived at the same time? Will glanced around the room one more time, as if he could have possibly missed the man, but didn’t see him. Maybe he was waiting to enter for dramatic effect. Or he was just busy taking care of some last minute management. Or, his tension-charged brain offered, he knows that the Fire Nexus is hell-bent on defeating them, and doesn’t want to expose himself. He shook that fanciful notion away with a literal shake of his head. Hitori might have a calm and peaceful air, but he was a dangerous man, and would not hide himself away.
“Lovely sort of atmosphere,” Will said in an undertone to Charlisa. “I love the air.”
The smallest smile broke out on her face. Though it was fleeting, the sight helped calm his nerves considerably. “Always is. Just wait until you’re introduced.”