[After a lengthy journey, the Airblade touched down at the Shadow Phoenix Headquarters’ Hangar…]

Stepping out of the Airblade, which had just parked with a soft hum, I gestured for Kaelith and Farthington to follow. They emerged from the sleek, metallic craft, taking in the vast surroundings of the Shadow Phoenix base's grand hangar. The expanse was massive—easily large enough to store a passenger plane or two, with its ceiling lost in the heights above with beams of artificial light illuminating the space below.

Along the north side of the hangar was a row of parked cars which ranged from Heavy utility vehicles to a luxury sports car (I’ve been looking for the right excuse to get my hands on it). Installed beside the parking space was a section of the hangar that looked like a mini auto repair shop. Apart from that, though, the rest of the hangar was mainly open space at the moment.

“Hmm, this hangar is quite decent. Don’t you think so, farm boy?” Farthington remarked, a smirk playing on his lips as he glanced at the luxury car in the distance.

Kaelith chortled while taking in the view,

“I guess it really is impressive…”

My previous assumption was affirmed, as, while I was making up for my many hours of missed sleep (the Airblade was set to autopilot), Farthington and Kaelith had become quite acquainted with one another, which could prove to be both a good and a bad thing.

“Once we get into the main building, we’ll fill out your paperwork and get you two settled in,” I said, leading them from the Hangar to the 'Research and Development’ section of the complex, which was located on the opposite side of the base. It housed quite a myriad of different rooms, ranging from the weapon development room and medical research rooms, all the way to the tech department.

‘I’ve probably spent more time in the tech department’s workshop than in my own room. Not sure if that’s really healthy… Oh, I overlooked this place as well’

We found our way to the filing room and I used the key to open the door. Inside, a bland repository of shadowy, neglected archives laid bare. Dust coated the surfaces in thick layers, with the scent of old paper hanging heavily in the air. Rows upon rows of filing cabinets stretched out, holding a vast amount of folders and papers within them.

“Bloody… looks like it hasn't been used in ages. Don’t you have anyone to clean up these things?” Farthington animatedly retched, scrunching his nose at the musty surroundings.

Sighing, I replied, “That’s because there’s no one around to do those things. Currently, including the two of you, Shadow Phoenix’s entire count is four people.”

“Wait, just four?” Kaelith interjected.

Farthington put his hand to his chin, “If that’s the case, what’s the need for a complex this large for such a small group of people, madam?”

‘Both valid questions. I want to know that, too!’

“If you really want to know, you can ask the boss when he’s back,” I answered, trying to sound indifferent. Can’t have them questioning my seniority this early on! “Anyway~ I’ll get the contracts printed for you guys to sign. Wait here while I’m doing that.”

After a short while, I returned with two crisp contracts in hand. The smell of fresh ink mingled with the dust as I walked over to a nearby desk. Swiping the dust off, I laid the contracts down and placed a pen, which I had just grabbed from the copying room earlier, beside them.

“Alright, here are the contracts. Read over them and sign at the designated spot on the final page. Once you’re done, I’ll show you to your rooms and explain your responsibilities in more detail.”

Farthington immediately picked up the contract, poring over the lines with intense scrutiny, his eyes narrowing as he read. Kaelith, on the other hand, stood frozen in front of his contract, simply staring at it with his lips slightly pursed. His hesitation was palpable.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Confused, I asked, “Is something about the contract not right with you, Kaelith?”

Scratching the back of his head, he replied with a nervous smile, his voice low,

“I hate to bring it up now, but I can’t really read…”

“In that case, let me read it to you so we can move this along,” I said, picking up the paper.

‘Just as I thought that was all of the patchwork…’

After about ten minutes, I finished reading the contract aloud and placed it back on the desk. “Well, there you have it. Now, if you would please sign right here,” I pointed to the designated signature line. “Do you know how to write your name?”

Taking hold of the pen, Kaelith replied, ”I was at least taught how to write that, fortunately.”

As Kaelith began scribbling his signature, Farthington approached me, his own contract in hand, already signed.

“I have a question, madam. And I don’t mean to insinuate anything, but, what exactly does the boss see in him?”

“Same as my previous answer. Speaking of that— as far as I’m aware, the boss should be back from his business trip in a couple days for your official ‘debriefing’ of sorts. Perhaps he’ll also have a task that needs to be completed as well.”

“Alright, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Farthington said, clearly intrigued.

Kaelith finished writing his name and handed his contract over to me. I scanned the papers using my glasses, digitizing them for easier access, and placed the hard copies in a folder, which I then filed away in the designated cabinet.

Turning to Kaelith, who had found a seat and was patiently waiting, and Farthington, who was sitting beside Kaelith, fully engrossed in his book, I announced,

“Ahem, now that you’re both officially part of the team, let me welcome you to Shadow Phoenix’s quarters. You’ll be rooming individually there for the entirety of your time with us. I think you’ll find your quarters quite nice.”

Farthington looked skeptical. “Tsk, how nice could they be? If the whole ‘military base’ aesthetic follows, I doubt they’d be that great.”

A Few Moments Later...

“This room is exquisite!” Farthington exclaimed as he inspected every nook and cranny of his new abode. His earlier skepticism had completely vanished.

The rooms were outfitted with a spacious living room, fitted with a large flat-screen TV and a plush couch. Behind the couch and TV was a kitchenette with a microwave, coffee maker, and mini-fridge. A connecting hallway led to the bedroom, which featured a large bed with a bedside table and night lamp, as well as a wide personal desk with ample workspace. A door led to a private bathroom and closet, making it luxury living for most people, Farthington and Kaelith included.

“Does this meet your standards? If not-”

“What do you mean? I never said anything about the rooms…” Farthington turned to me, his face the picture of feigned innocence.

Suppressing a smile, I replied, “All the employees working on-site will receive a room like this each. There are 30 of these in the staff quarters.”

“Must’ve been expensive~” Farthington muttered as he resumed playing around with the coffee maker.

“Alright then, once you're done looking around, meet me in the employee lounge right down the hallway outside,” I said as I left the room.

In the lounge, I took a seat on a stool at the main kitchen island.

‘Let's see… After they’re done looking at their rooms, I’ll have them spar with me to gauge how they fare in a fight. I wonder how the reconfiguration of [Combat Trance] is coming along…’

During the trip back to Shadow Phoenix Headquarters, I instructed [Neuro] to analyze that error that the trance had, and find alternate pathways to enable it. The new version should detect and lock onto those that I’ve set a [Data Tag] on. Still, the range of motion that [Combat Trance] has is quite limited due to the fact that I’m not yet confident in linking it directly to my mind.

[Combat Trance: version 2.0 is now ready for use.]

“Miss Tokei, we’re here,” Kaelith’s voice came from the hallway leading into the employee lounge.

Turning to look at him, I saw both Kaelith and Farthington approaching.

“You can drop the ‘miss,’ Kaelith. It’s not important to keep up formalities with me,” I said in a relaxed tone.

Apparently, after telling the both of them my name, Kaelith seemed to have wrongly thought Farthington's habit of being overly couth was a policy.

“Oh, okay. Tokei from now on then,” Kaelith said, looking somewhat relieved that he didn’t have to be formal.

“Alright, then. I think it's about time we have ourselves a sparring match.”