“Huh… I was warned that Sayaad Corps were full of egotist and Nihilists. Doesn’t really matter, I suppose, when you are responsible for saving countless millions, right? That’s where the superiority complex probably comes from but cooperation is key in any given team and if your… apprehension leads to any issues down the line then you will each be put on notice. That said, I will do my best to fit into your little family here.” I stared right back at their animosity filled glares.

“Tsk. Whatever.” Jenette clicked her tongue before walking past me with the one referred to as Chocolate in tow.

They took the elevator down alongside Doctor Piorra leaving me with a narrow eyed Bulkkoch.

“I guess I have to be your tour guide.” He wheezed through what sounded like a microphone similar to those given to patience with suffering from severe throat injuries.

I joined him in waiting for the elevator to return and we promptly exited the head office, stepping back onto the hanger floor main.

Bulkkoch led me towards 44-Ghoul and I couldn’t help but silently gasp.

This was it.

Battered and bruised as it was, the Alsayaadin represented the will of mankind.

Made manifest in sinews of steel and copper.

It was glorious!

But I had to suppress my excitement.

I could tell my crew was gonna be a handful and it wouldn’t help my case if they saw me as little more than an Alsayaadin nerd or fan boy.

I had to be the Sayaad Commander they needed and nothing else.

“We’re not all Nihilists, you know.” Bulkkoch breathed as we walked through a sea of sights and sound.

The air was awash with roaring machines and yelling people all of whom worked to further strengthen humanities hold on the planet we called home.

“I consider myself quite the optimist.”

“Oh? And what makes you different?” I raised a brow at Bulkkoch who glanced at me with eyes that made it seem as though he was gleefully smiling.

“I am surprised that our vomitous kind is still here and I hope we continue to fight until the very end. Such is the nature of all living things. To endure.” He returned his gaze ahead and I couldn’t decide whether he seriously thought his outlook was even passably optimistic.

I chose not to think about it too deeply yet and followed his to the one of the doors in the cylindrical wall that made the giant dome’s interior.

The door was marked “4” and, since I knew the dome’s structure, I knew that several sections were reserved for the use of Alsayaadin crews.

Bulkkoch led me into what would come to be my home.

It was a two floor space with the first floor having a living room to the left, a kitchen to the right and a bathroom in the back which was opposite a set of stairs. The second floor held four rooms, one for each unit member and another bathroom.

The walls were all made of smooth concrete although the furniture within was cozier and rustic to counter the abundant brutalism in the architecture.

I glanced to the left and saw Chocolate sitting upside-down on one of four couches that faced a wide holographic display which showed some old cartoons.

I was surprised he was even outside because C-cons or Core Controllers were usually put in pods where they rested until the next mission came.

This was because C-cons were in charge of feeding Glass Energy to various parts of the Alsayaadin and this task was so demanding that they were all frail, small and very sleepy individuals.

It was also known that they were artificial humans in that they were gestated in machines after being heavily genetically modified to control Glass Energy via telekinesis.

These new beings, however, were short lived.

Simply due to their frail nature and primary occupation.

If their organs didn’t start failing, then they were doomed to fade away in the Core of an Alsayaadin.

“Welcome.” Bulkkoch prompted that I enter barracks before guiding me to the living room where he asked that I sit.

Chocolate, after noticing my presence, sat upright and this revealed to me that his bandana was off, revealing that his eye sockets were hollow.

I tried my best not to wince in horror and succeeded to some extent.

Bulkkoch, however, saw through me and chuckled.

“Go ahead. Express those little thoughts of yours.” He said while smiling with his eyes again.

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“I… err- where are your training facilities?” I coughed lightly but this just made Bulkkoch even happier for some reason.

He then undid his bandana, revealing that his lower jaw was missing.

In its place was a black structure fitted to his upper mouth and jaw. It housed the microphone through which he spoke and two other openings.

“We use the common training area whenever we feel like it.”

“I- I see. I read a few of your field reports and saw that your unit not only has twenty confirmed kills, you were also a part of operation Abyssal Deluge.”

Bulkkoch’s eyes narrowed.

“Yeah? And?”

“I was just wondering if you noticed a difference in Hayulâ behavior before or since then?”

Bulkkoch crossed his arms and leaned back while loudly sighing.

“No. They are just as ugly as they were before. Only thing that changed is that they now have glass lined claws and teeth. And besides, only one person can really say he knew anything substantial and now he’s chum. The Ocean gaveth so our recompense must be in full.”

I noted Bulkkoch’s words.

I was always suspected that the Hayulâ were more than just monsters from some hellish realm sent to torment us.

I mean, we were taught that they were organisms designed with destruction in mind but whose mind was it that designed them?

They didn’t seem very intelligent and there as very little evidence suggesting that they spawned from the bottom of our world.

They must have had a purpose.

A goal.

Something that always puzzled me was the fact that all Hayulâ skulls were empty.

This mystery had yet to be solved by the world’s top scientists.

“Sir?” Bulkkoch called, snapping me out of my thoughtful daze.

“Err… sorry. What were we talking about?”

Bulkkoch raised a brow.

“You were wondering if there are any differences between the uglies of old and current day.

“Oh- yes. The only difference is now they have Glass claws…” I muttered.

“And teeth, and spikes- heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if they started shooting laser beams from their eyes at some point. A big mistake on our part was thinking they were limited to whatever forms they showed us.” Bulkkoch sighed and I couldn’t help but nod I agreement.

“Mmm… oh- something else we should probably discuss the state of A-G2-44.” My words made Chocolate sit upright for some reason.

“Oh. The Ghoul. Well, his core functionality is actually all greens, as I’m sure the reports detailed. Radiators three and four were pushed really hard but they should be in the green before the week ends. The steel muscles and armor that were damaged should also be replaced before long although we should be able to get you in his head by tomorrow to see if you gel well.”

“Has the professor discerned why they are starting to change?” I asked and my answer came in the form of a sigh as Bulkkoch stood up.

“Nope. First thing that came to everyone’s minds is that they are adapting.” He said while walking into the kitchen where he opened the fridge to retrieve a nutritional bar which was about half the size of a ruler, just as wide and two centimeters thick. It was an A-grade bar, meaning it was quite nutritious compared to lower grades which went all the way down to Z-grade.

This was because the world had been hit by wide spread food shortages as cities or entire regions would be destroyed whenever a Hayulâ managed to break through our defenses.

The damages caused set us back decades and forced all for that was produced to be gathered in large factories where it would be turned into bars of varying grades.

Bulkkoch threw the bar at Chocolate who excitedly caught it before triumphantly raising it in the air.

“Chocolate!” He yelled before sitting down and tearing the plastic wrapping open with his small teeth.

I turned a curious eye to Bulkkoch who returned to his seat.

“What?” He tilted his head but before I could say anything, Jenette descended from the stairs and while her expression was initially neutral, it turned hostile upon seeing me. Like Bulkkoch and Chocolate, she had removed her bandana revealing that the top half of her head was covered in burn scars. This also meant that she had no hair. A thin scar line could also be seen going from her left temple to her right.

“Mmm… Chocolate, switch to the news. I heard they’re gonna let a few of the Gen 3 pilots speak.” She said as she walked up to the seat next to Bulkkoch.

“Oh? This should be good.”

Chocolate did as instructed and the holographic display now showed a conference room.

Sitting behind a long table, in front of a sea of journalists and other members of the media, were three Alsayaadin Units who were identifiable by their jumpsuits.

[Could you perhaps share what makes your generation a worthwhile investment considering the substantial increase in production costs?] One journalist asked and it was the Sayaad Commander of the central most Unit that spoke.

He was a tall, muscular man who had strong facial features, dark skin, sharp dark eyes and fairly long kinky hair.

He wore a beige jumpsuit which bore a patch that depicted a Protea atop which floated the number “1”. Behind the flower were two spears which crossed each other.

The display showed that the man’s name was Mkhonto, Sayaad Commander of the 111th Squad and pilot of Shaka – the Iron Spear.

[Its hard to say at this point since we only started operating but if we look at the statistical improvements across the board, I think you’ll get at least part of your question answered.] He smiled.

“Tsk. Fucker speaks like a suit.” Jenette spat.

[But I believe you yourself got to test out these boons in the field recently. Could you illustrate how your performance differed to that of the Gen 2’s?]

[I won’t directly compare between generations since we are working with fundamentally different hardware. I will say that, thanks to our pure Glass cores, human to machine responses have been reduced to the nanoseconds, heat generation and management have been further improved and due to the fact that Gen 2’s are sleek, repair and maintenance costs should see a decline in the near future.] Mkhonto explained as camera flashes filled the room.

[This is a more personal question but do you see signs pointing to an end to this war? Perhaps your fresh perspective could identify something that the shell shocked vets of previous generations are missing.]

Mkhonto’s eyes narrowed and the room fell silent.

[I genuinely can’t say as of this moment.]

“Ugh, you can turn it off now.” Jenette groaned and Chocolate promptly switched the display back to the cartoons he was watching before.

Jenette stared at me for a moment before letting out slither annoyed groan.

“This sucks.” She deflated with a sigh.

“You do know you can quit, right?” Bulkkoch chuckled while joining her in leaning back.

“Yeah, I know but who would take care of Chocolate when I’m gone?” She sighed.

“Huh? Don’t talk like you’ve ever actually pitched in!” Bulkkoch yelled but all Jenette responded with was a series of shrugs.

“Tsk. Anyway, your room is the last one upstairs. You can do whatever you want until tomorrow when we have to rest your compatibility with the Ghoul.” Bulkkoch sighed.

I nodded before making my way upstairs where four rooms lined the corridor.

I made my way to the one marked with a big “1” and entered it to find my luggage, which had been sent to the base a week earlier, dumped carelessly on the ground of the small cubical space.

I let out a sigh before taking off my blazer and getting to work.

I didn’t expect any special treatment but I could tell it was gonna be an uphill drive with this bunch.