“Shit! I’m ‘bout to miss the train!”

She ran the crowded subway, her sole focus fixed on beating the clock. Spotting a narrow, deserted passageway, she turned sharply to the left, her feet pounding the cold tile floor.

The echoes of her footsteps can be heard through the empty hallway. But as she spotted the train, she slowed her pace, her breath catching in her throat as she waved, hoping that the doors would stay open.

“W-Wait!”

She collapsed onto the seat, she let out a sigh of relief, her chest heaving with exertion. She scanned the train car, her gaze darting from one empty row to the next, the unusual stillness a stark contrast to the typical chaos of rush hour. The only sound was the soft hum of the engines and the occasional creak of the car as it swayed along the tracks.

—Huh?

—It is… eerily quiet…

She decided to completely ignore it, waiting patiently for the train to arrive at her designated station.

Archynne Martin or Arch as she usually referred to was an immigrant, she was born in Kivos but moved to Commix for an education opportunity.

Arch rummaged through her handbag, pulling out a small mirror to do a quick appearance check. She scrutinized her reflection, her wheat-colored hair mussed from her hasty departure. Her darker yellow eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement as she smoothed out her hair.

“Could have done better if I hadn't rushed.” she said to herself, making a mental note to leave earlier next time.

Her casual wear consisted of a short sandy brown skirt, white thigh-high socks, cream shoes, and a peach-colored shirt. She looked like a typical college student.

A soft melody floated through the train's speakers, and Arch's gaze drifted to the window, where the station's name, Yeka, slid into view.

She gathered her belongings, tucking the mirror back into her handbag, and stood up, smoothing her skirt. As the train doors opened, she stepped out onto the platform, joining the trickle of passengers exiting the station.

It took her quite a while to exit the station, but as soon as she made her way out of it, the faint figure for the gigantic research facilities could be spotted from a distance.

—Can’t wait to see how my first day goes.

She made her way through the streets of Yeka, there aren’t that many people compared to where she lives. The streets are rather quiet, only the faint sound of people chatting and bird chippings persist.

As she walked, the imposing structure of the Yonex Research Facilities loomed before her, its sheer scale taking her breath away. She approached the entrance, her eyes widening in awe as she took in the sprawling complex. A map caught her attention, and she wandered over to study it.

“Eleven square kilometers? This place is massive!”

Shaking off her wonder, Arch refocused on her task. “Let me see… Sector A, B… B should be right?”

She turned on her smartphone checking the message from her employer just for sure.

“Right. It is definitely B.”

She made her way to the Yonex Research Facilities Transport station system. The facility's vast size had prompted investors to install four bus stations, each corresponding to a different sector – A, B, C and one at the entrance of the facilities.

Archynne sat down at the bus stop, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. She glanced up at the bus schedules, looking at the rows of numbers and times. The buses seemed to run on a fast and rapid rotation, with a new one arriving every few minutes.

When the bus arrived, Archynne stood up and boarded it, looking for a seat. The bus lurched forward, its wheels screeching as it picked up speed.

Archynne gazed out the window at the scenery. The buildings and trees blurred together, with each area looking almost identical to the last.

But as the bus passed through Sector C, the sight changed dramatically. Archynne's eyes widened as she took in the sight of choppers, bear cats, howitzers, and artillery. Troops can also be seen walking around, guarding places.

"Are they operating a private military company or something?" she furrowed.

A moment passed, the bus arrived at the entrance of Sector B. Stepping down from the bus she was greeted by two security guards.

“Morning, lady. May I see your id please?” a guard approached, he gave her a soft smile and extended his arm waiting for her to hand the id.

She searched through her hand bags for the id. “Here.”

The security officer took the id and carefully inspected it.

“Archynne Martin? I’ve heard a lot about you.” the guard said, his eyes widening slightly.

“You’re the one who fixed that reactor, right?”

“About that… I surely did, but it wasn’t really a big deal. It was just an old reactor.”

“Don’t sell yourself short! You should be celebrating!”

With a nod, the guard signaled to his partner, who stepped forward to open the door, allowing her to enter the bustling Sector B of Yonex.

“It’s no wonder they moved you to the main facilities. Anyway, have a great day!”

“Thank you!”

Archynne stepped into the building, she was surrounded by the conversation and the soft clatter of keyboards.

Employees gathered in small clusters, their laughter and chatter creating a cozy atmosphere.

She wandered through the lobby, her gaze flitting over the sleek furniture and vibrant artwork adorning the walls, before turning back toward the reception counter.

Just as she was about to ask for directions, a voice cut through the ambient noise.

“Miss Archynne, I presume?”

Startled, she turned to face the speaker. “Eh? May I ask for your name, mister?”

“I’m Konstantine Kuznetsov, but you can call me Kosta. I will be your guide today.” he said, a friendly grin spreading across his face.

“Oh! It’s nice to meet you. I’m looking forward to that.”

Archynne took a moment to assess him. Kosta, of average height, had floral white hair framing an inviting face. His electro blue eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and he wore a white lab coat, safety goggles resting on his forehead and plastic gloves on his hands.

“Shall we?” he gestured toward the hallway that led deeper into the building.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Yes please.”

The two ventured deeper into the building.

“So, from what I’ve heard, you were a trainee at the second Yonex research facility in Maryina?”

“I did. I gotta say, the training was a walk in the park.”

Kosta chuckled softly. “If that’s the case, I guess I don’t need to give you the full tour, do I?”

“You don’t have to, but are there any specifics I should keep in mind?”

Kosta’s demeanor shifted slightly, his tone more serious. “Actually, there are quite a few. Unlike Yonex 2, this facility is heavily secured. You’ll notice a lot of armed guards and soldiers around.”

“Security checkpoints?”

“Very common.” Kosta confirmed, nodding as they approached an elevator. A sleek panel indicated that an ID card was required for access.

Kosta retrieved his ID card, the smooth motion practiced and confident. He pressed it against the lock, and the doors slid open with a soft hiss. Arch watched intently, mentally cataloging every detail.

“Let’s move.”

As the doors closed, she glanced at the illuminated numbers above. “Umm, why are we going up to the 8th floor?”

Kosta leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “The 8th floor is where you can change and keep your clothes. I think you should switch up before we head down to the lab.”

“I see.”

The elevator hummed softly as they ascended, a moment of silence enveloping them. Just as the doors opened, Kosta’s voice broke through the stillness.

“The storage and changing room should be to the right of this area.”

“Alright, give me a few minutes” she said, rushing down the hallway toward the changing room.

Kosta sat down on a couch waiting for her. Moments later, she returned, donning a yellow hard hat, a cacao brown Carhartt bib, an orange shirt, a leather work apron with twelve pockets, light brown work boots, and yellow knee pads.

“Now we can start talking,” a smirk formed on Kosta's face.

Kosta stood up from his seat. He signaled Arch to follow him back into the elevators, and she quickly fell into step behind him. As the door closed, Kosta pressed the button for the -3th floor, and the elevator moved downwards.

"Umm... why are we going to negative floors?" she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of skepticism.

Kosta's expression was matter-of-fact. "The main labs are located underneath the surface " he explained. "It's a security measure, required to protect the facility's sensitive research."

Archynne raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite herself. "I see."

As the elevator continued its descent, the air grew thick with anticipation. The elevator doors finally opened, and a frantic shout echoed from the corner of the room, drawing their attention.

“What the hell is going on with our equipment!”

Arch’s gaze darted to a group of scientists huddled around a malfunctioning machine, their faces etched with frustration.

“Why does this keep happening? It’s already the fifth time today!” one of them exclaimed, slamming a fist against a nearby table.

Arch exchanged a glance with Kosta, the tension in the air palpable. Something was clearly amiss, and they were about to find out just how deep the problems ran.

“Ain’t that an opportunity for you to show us your skills?”

“Yeah, I will take a look.”

Nearby, one of the scientists was banging on the machine, clicking buttons in a desperate attempt to revive it.

“It would be better if we have an engi–”

“I’ll take care of that.” Arch interjected, stepping into the group of scientists.

The scientists watched as Arch opened the machine, a cloud of smoke billowing out. She rummaged through the tools strapped to her apron, pulling out an energy meter to take some readings.

Turning to one of the scientists, she said “Erm, the machine itself isn’t the main issue. The electric current seems abnormally high.”

“What? The electricity network of Yonex was designed to work seamlessly with these machines” the scientist replied, frowning a little bit.

“I don’t have an answer for that” Arch admitted, her brow furrowing in thought.

She glanced back at Kosta. “Can you lead me to the power generator? I need to check it out.”

“Sure, follow me.”

They made their way back to the elevator. As the doors closed, Kosta swiped his ID again, granting them access to the lower levels.

“You seem to have a lot more privileges than the other scientists.” Arch noted, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t actually work in Sector B. I’m part of the Sector A team”

“That explains a lot. But where is Sector A? I only saw B and C on the map. It mentioned Sector A but didn’t pinpoint its location.”

A sly smirk appeared on Kosta’s face. “Of course, Sector A is the most important sector of Yonex, so they keep it as secret and hidden as possible.”

“Of course.”

“Honestly, I didn’t expect my first day at the main facilities to go like this.” she chuckled, shaking her head.

“Neither did I.”

As the elevator doors slid open, a blast of cold air hit Arch and Kosta like a slap in the face. They stepped out into the frozen room, their breath misting in the chill air. The generator, normally a humming behemoth, stood silent and still, its metal skin encased in a thick layer of ice.

"What the...?" Kosta trailed off, his eyes fixed on the frozen control panel.

Arch shivered. "Is it supposed to be this cold?"

Kosta shook his head. "I've never seen anything like this. How did this ice even form?"

Arch wandered closer to the generator, her eyes scanning the ice for any sign of what might have caused it. It was smooth and glassy, with a strange, almost... uniform texture. She reached out a hand to touch it, and then pulled back, her fingers numb from the cold.

She retrieved the pipe wrench from her work apron and began to chip away at the ice, the sound of the metal striking the frozen surface echoing through the room. As the ice began to crack and break away, a loud hiss of steam burst forth, and the generator roared back to life, its soft hum filling the room.

Arch grinned, giving Kosta a thumbs up. "There you go. It is rolling once again."

Though a look of concern still furrowed Kosta's face, Arch could sense that his expression was more than just a simple worry.

“Is everything alright? Kosta?”

“We are in hell a lot of trouble… These are definitely magically formed ice. Just to make sure, can you check the coolant pipes?”

“Okay.”

Arch looks up at the ceiling and then down at the generators again, there is no sign of coolant leaking from the pipes.

“Nope, not a single leak at all.”

“Damn it. It means that someone must have done this on purpose!”

Kosta clenched his fist, he swiftly grabbed his phone and dialed a number. As the ringtone ended a voice came through.

"Kostaaaaa~? Why did you suddenly call me?" The person on the other side of the line sounded like a young woman, her voice cheeky.

Kosta's expression turned grim. "Get your ass up, Sparky! This is no joke. We might have had intruders!"

The woman's tone shifted instantly, her voice firm and commanding. "What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Kosta’s voice was clear and firm, with a hint of reprimand. "Stop blaming me, I'm not omniscient. I don't know everything! Besides, I was just leading a new employee through the facilities when I stumbled upon this. ”

“The generator was frozen, and there's ice everywhere. It looks like someone's been messing with the systems.”

The woman's tone turned decisive. “Alright, alright. My bad. I'll send people down there and make sure that no one can escape the facilities.” The line went dead as she hung up.

Arch, who had been standing there listening to the conversation, spoke up, her voice cautious. “So... what shall we do now?”

“We wait for Sparky's team to arrive. And then we'll get to the bottom of this.”