I stretched and yawned in the cozy bed, my body stiff, sore, and exhausted. I rubbed my eyes, smacked my dry lips together, and finally groaned while stretching out my whole body. Sitting up on the bed, I noticed I smelled terrible so I groggily made my way to the shower. After quickly getting washed up, I got dressed without realizing the room I was in was quite different from the shelter. Stepping out of the room I was met with a bizarre and different sight.
The hallway that I had expected to see was instead a wide-open area of bustling people. People of all shapes and sizes, all wearing somewhat familiar outfits, but something was off. I blinked in surprise and looked around in confusion at the space all around me. As I walked forward glancing around, still perplexed, individuals stopped, either giving me a dirty look or waving nervously.
I yawned once more and rubbed at my eyes, trying to make sense of the environment. The last thing I remembered was the shelter's pleasant routine and then...blood. There had been blood all over me, and Jordan and the coffee guy- or John, had appeared. There was also a brief memory of pain and a sense of dread before a weird sensation and a bright light. It was all fuzzy and felt more like a distant dream. I must have passed out and been transported to wherever this is, maybe another shelter... I thought to myself, the line of thinking simple. Either way, the resurgence of what I presumed to be my last moments before waking unnerved me.
In the already chaotic hustle and bustle, an unusual younger man frantically rushed through the crowd and into an open area. He was carrying a futuristic tablet and some other unknown materials. After bumping into someone and almost falling face-first, the items he was holding scattered onto the ground. The scene jolted me out of my thoughts, and seeing nobody even glance in the man's direction, I went over to help him.
"Here," I spoke gently, handing him some of the supplies he had dropped. He quickly took them and gave a cursory glance in my direction both thanking me and apologizing to me when he gave me a double take.
"Xavier! You're awake! What a welcome surprise, my, my, there is much to discuss." The man spoke excitedly.
I made an exasperated face, looked around, then pointed to myself and spoke sarcastically. "Me? No, I'm not Xavier. My name is Gregath."
"Ah, my mistake. Well, I apologize Gregath, I appreciate the help, have a splendid day."
And with that, the unusual man rushed off. I chuckled to myself, not believing that had worked, but I kinda felt bad. brushing off the encounter for now, I looked around, taking in the futuristic space around me. Where I had come from were the dorms, or bedrooms, whatever this place called them. There was one room facing the room proper, with a hallway on either side. They had doors on either side if the hallways that presumably led to rooms of their own. These hallways sprawled across to either side for some distance, eventually turning into a hallway of their own, no longer open to the main room. The design was reminiscent of the bunker, but instead of looking foreign and old, it looked foreign and new.
The biggest difference was the room proper, individuals were interacting with floating monitors, chaos everywhere I looked, and a giant device spanning vertically in the middle of it all. I walked over to the device and inspected it curiously, but as I got mere centimeters from it, I felt a strange pull towards it. As all of my focus had been drawn to this feeling, I didn't even hear my name being called out or my body falling over.
Before my body hit the ground, I was caught, and a familiar voice spoke. "Are you alright, Xavier?"
"Jordan? Uh, yeah, I'm fine, just suddenly felt weak, I didn't even notice." I spoke rubbing my head.
"I'm not surprised, you were out for a little over a week. Emily will be glad to see you back in the land of the living." Jordan smiled, patting the small of my back.
"Oh wow...I was out for a while this time, huh..? Where are we by the way? Is this place connected to the shelter or something?"
Jordan took a few moments thinking to himself before he answered me. "Where we are is a bit complicated, but everything will be explained once Emily is back. There will be a lot to go over, and things might get confusing or tense. Just as a warning."
"Right, the last thing I remember was standing over someone, blood, and the injured. It's all still hazy and seems like just a bad dream." I spoke, more to myself than to Jordan.
"It's alright, Xavier. Jordan spoke softly, rubbing my back comfortably. "In the meantime, though, I can show you around the facility. Just a short tour as a complete tour would take days." Jordan stated, his voice filled with excitement.
Jordan then took me around the facility for about 20 minutes, showing me the different areas and rooms within those areas. It was quite impressive, but overwhelming, the sheer scale of the place baffling. Not only this, but every inch of the huge facility was decked out in top-of-the-line technology. Stuff that seemed almost science fiction at a glance. The tech was probably conventional, but to me it was mind-blowing. Jordan attempted to explain a few things, seeming to be well-versed in a variety of processes within the facility.
Most notably, he went into depth about the control room. It was apparently where he had been spending most of his time, as, how he put it, "It's remarkably similar to my previous work, besides that I'm now working with a team both here and in the field." There were various monitors with data, images, and general information displayed on them. In the middle of the room was a large conference table. It was relatively neat, besides a few of the chairs and space in front of them having miscellaneous items strewn about.
"The team just finished up with a mission and are currently on their way back. We are all on standby if an incident occurs, but they are almost bac,k so I believe that won't be necessary." Jordan spoke, looking at some information on one of the screens.
I sat in one of the chairs and tried not to get a headache from all the information being thrown at me. The fact I had a deficit of context made it that much worse but I nodded along anyway. What baffled me the most was just how organized all the chaos was, even before all of this happened, I couldn't remember a time when I saw such activity. Not that I could remember much other than vague concepts.
I was trying not to think about all that had happened but the present moment; it was better to keep my mind active that way. All of this new information and stimuli was at least distracting enough. I sat for a few more minutes watching the dizzying monitors and Jordan inspecting it. I wanted to ask him what all of it meant, but I got a feeling it would go in one ear and out the other.
Suddenly, my wandering thoughts were interrupted by the door to the room being forcefully opened. The figure that emerged through the door was an imposing one. I could already tell he was head and shoulders over my 180 centimeters. Along with this, even through his attire, you could easily tell he was well-built, impressively so. Lastly, his face displayed a wide grin, even though his expression was one of clear anger. After taking in the hulking man, something at the back of my mind itched with familiarity, which was becoming a common feeling.
"Jordan!" The man yelled, his tone commanding and harsh.
Jordan, caught up in staring at the monitors, spun, startled. "C-Comander, Sir!" Jordan sputtered, saluting and bowing in one motion. "What are you doing here?" Jordan asked, still bowing, not daring to look up at the man.
"What am I doing here? What are you doing not informing me of Xavier's presence?" The man questioned. "I learned about it through Ash rambling about meeting someone without a uniform, by the name of Gregath, fitting Xaviers' description."
"I-I apologize, sir. I figured since you are so busy-"
"Hah, it's ok, boy." The man interrupted cheerily before walking over and patting Jordan hard on the back. "What could be more important than our newest valued member of the team?"
"I'd think with the way Jordan was galavanting me around, the whole place would know about my presence, and ergo, you," I remarked.
"HAH! Yes, I did get many reports about you boy, but not a peep from Jordan. You see, it breaks my poor old heart." The man said in what I assumed to be mock sadness, but I wasn't quite sure how genuine or disingenuous he was being.
Suddenly becoming serious, the man walked over to me from Jordan and gripped my shoulder, hard. "Kid, what you did to my lead scientist, Ash..." The man muttered, seeming to hold back a great amount of rage. "Was absolutely hilarious!"
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Just as he said this, a booming laugh erupted from him. The hand gripping my shoulder was also removed, but instead of coming to his side, it swung back. With this, an impending sense of dread hit me like a truck. My body went cold and then hot, my instincts screaming at me to move, but as soon as the sensation came, it went, and a forceful slap hit my back. It was enough to knock the air out of me and hurt a good bit, along with putting the fear of the man in the forefront of my mind.
"Come now, boy, I wish to speak with you alone." He spoke cheerfully, guiding me out of the Control Room.
I looked back at Jordan, both fear and confusion etched on my face. Jordan simply gave me two thumbs up and a big smile. This did not alleviate my worries.
Following the man, I decided to start whatever conversation we were going to have with some basic questions. "So, you're the Commander? What exactly is your name or is Commander what you go by?"
"Ah yes, of course, Xavier, it is only proper you know my name since I know yours. I am Commander Caeruleus Semideus, but most refer to me as Commander in more formal settings and Commander Caeruleus in more casual settings." Commander Caeruleus stated, as if the response was rehearsed.
"Alright, Commander Caeruleus, I've got a lot of questions, but I guess you wanted to give me a spiel, so go ahead."
"Haha, yes, everything will be explained, if not now, then later when the team is back. I'll start by addressing what I imagine would be the most pressing question in your mind. We are currently in the heart of the Anti-Bureau Headquarters. The compound stretches many miles underground and has many different facilities at different elevations. Although I'm sure you aren't interested in the specifics of the schematics, that is the basics of where we are located. "
I continued walking, listening to the man intently. "Mh yeah, I guess it does paint a picture of the grand scope of this place. Not sure I can exactly picture how grand, but either way, what you've already told me is a lot to take in, and quite overwhelming."
"Ha! That's just the start, you'll be experiencing that a lot, boy, hahaha!" Commander Caeruleus laughed heartily. For how serious this all seemed in my head, it was slightly concerning that the person in charge was so hysterical. After coming down from his laughing fit turned coughing fit, the Commander started back up on his rant. "But yes, we are the Anti-Bureau, a group dedicated to fighting back against the Bureau from the shadows. Our official title is The Shadow Anti Bureau Eradication Regime or SABER for short. To the wider populace, we are only a conspiracy, but to The Buruea, we are their number one adversary."
"Hm, I see. So, you mentioned a team. Is Emily a part of this team?"
"Ah, yes, that was the next thing I wanted to talk to you about. But first things first, how are you feeling? You seem...well." The Commander asked, his demeanor changing to one of genuine concern.
"Oh, uh, I'm doing alright, all things considered, I guess."
"If you wish to not speak more about this, please let me know, but never be afraid to bring anything up if something is wrong. There is no strength in suffering alone, after all, we all carry our burdens together, and I expect you to be no different." Commander Caeruleus said, an unexpected warmth and vulnerability in his tone.
"No offense and I appreciate the sentiment, but I didn't expect you to have such a healthy outlook for mental health. Not to stereotype you of course; it's just that your whole persona and vibe up until now had been very unstable. Okay, maybe a little bit of stereotyping. I mean, can you really blame me?" I rambled.
The Commander stopped in his tracks and gained a curious and somewhat confused expression as he glanced at me.
"Xavier...are you trying to tell me that I don't come off as a comforting and cheery individual? I'm always smiling, see?"
Attempting to prove his point, he lifted the corner of his smile with his fingers, accentuating it further. In this moment the man never looked more psychotic.
"Yeah, no, I hate to tell you, but if that's what you're going for you missed the mark," I said, trying to let the man down easy.
"HAH! Good joke kid, you're real funny, but I'll have you know nobody has ever told me that." The Commander replied cheerily, but towards the end of the sentence became deadly serious.
"Alright, well, I'll take you up on the offer, whenever things cool down or there's downtime I'll come find you and talk to you."
A single tear came to the man's eye but failed to escape it. "Thank you, son..."
Man, this guy has got some serious issues.
"But yes, back to the team, you will undergo a bit of an initiation so to speak. Once you complete it you'll be an official member of Operation SHADOW."
"Operation SHADOW? Why are the naming conventions so edgy, the Shadow Buruea and now Operation SHADOW?" I asked quizzically.
First off, ouch, I had to sit in a 3-hour-long meeting about those names and I think they are very fitting. But yes, Operation SHADOW, so far we only have one team, it stands for Super Human Anti Division."
"Super Human Anti Division...makes it sound like you are anti Super Humans or anti-divisions I guess."
"Right." The Commander immediately responded.
"So it is anti-divisions?"
"No."
"Uh, Okay, so, It's a team made up of Super Humans, that are anti-Super Humans?"
"Yeah, you get it, I'm glad you immediately understood, I was told that the name was confusing but I am once again proven right."
"...okay, but where does the last part come-"
"The what?"
"The-" I was interrupted, as the Commanders hand hit against my back leaving me winded. "Ow!"
"Oh, the last two letters! O and W, because we make the bad guys go Ow!" Commander Caeruleus burst into laughter, taking a moment to hunch over and place his body weight on his knee. I stood there unamused rolling my eyes at the man. Having not been paying attention much to where we were going, the sudden opening of an extremely large door startled me.
Sighing loudly the Commander spoke up once more. "Alright Xavier, let's get back to the pressing matters at hand, the team." He gestured to the large vehicle coming into view. The door opened from the ground up, like a garage door on steroids. I mean, it just seemed like another part of the massive walls that make up the huge corridors. The vehicle was an armored minibus of sorts. It drove into the hall a bit and the back of the vehicle opened up. Emily shot out and ran towards me, while 4 other individuals stepped out.
"Xavier, you're finally awake!" Emily ran, tears in her eyes.
"Oof, mhm, yep, I'm awake alright," I muttered, the wind getting blown out of me as she slammed into me and embraced me in a hug."
"Haha! Alright, alright, let's introduce the boy to the team!" Commander Caeruleu's voice boomed out, grabbing everyone's attention.
A man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties stepped up, his ethnicity not visibly apparent, a very common occurrence in Reunity. He wore a spandex outfit with an intricate geometric motif, but peering at the others his shorts were a bit short."
"Hello! My name is Braden and my ability is to kick good!" Braden roared, laughing and flexing his legs.
"Braden! We talked about this, that can't be your opening line." A woman standing next to her scolded.
"But it's true! And it's quite an efficient and elegant opening, it illustrates my ability in a short and concise matter." Braden said, speaking elegantly while flourishing speedy kicks in what one could call a performance.
"We are supposed to be professionals, and you open up with 'kick good', it gives a bad first impression. You can do a lot more than kick, you can run faster, jump higher, and use your legs to block attacks."
"Yeah, and I use all that to kick gooder!" Braden said genuinely.
The woman face palmed and gave me a slightly annoyed but welcoming smile. "My name is Raven or Flaming Raven, my abilities allow me to control flames to fly, burn enemies, shield allies, and whatever other application the occasion calls for. It's nice to meet you, Xavier."
Raven appeared to be of Northwestern European descent, her pale skin, freckled face, and orange hair making it seem apparent. But I wasn't an old-world geographic ethnicity expert or anything. She wore a similar spandex outfit, the material accentuating her features quite nicely if I were to be honest. But I greeted the two awkwardly and looked on to the other two with interest.
A younger-looking man spoke, his voice lacking emotion. "My name is Grey, my ability makes me immortal. I am able to regenerate from very serious injuries, amputations, and even from being beheaded."
Braden and Grey's abilities seem to be extreme versions of base abilities, while Raven's ability seems a bit more unique and unconventional. I thought tp myself, taking in the bland young man's appearance. He wore a basic grey spandex outfit, his whole vibe very simple.
"Hello Xavier, I'm known as Sam, and my ability allows me to alter my body mass into a myriad of different shapes. I'm then able to enhance that modified part of my body. Pretty neat and unique don't you think." They said, winking.
Sam was quite interesting, not only did they have a flamboyant personality, but they were as androgynous as one could get. I couldn't be sure if this was how they always looked, or if they had used their ability to alter their appearance. Either way, it was a very versatile and powerful ability if utilized well. Pulling myself away from my thoughts I noted how strange it was that I was analyzing their abilities. Back in the moment I gave them a small wave before looking to Emily who was still by my side.
"And you know who I am, but my ability allows me to enhance any part of myself, objects, or other people. But all of the information we shared is just base-level stuff, it's all a bit more complicated, besides Braden." Emily teased, the snide remark seeming to go over the man's head. "But we're also always learning how to use our abilities and what all they can do! Do you want to share about yourself at all?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. Um, well as you all seem to know my name is Xavier, a lot of what I can do is still a mystery to even myself as I seem to have memory issues. Emily and Jordan probably know more than I do about my capabilities. But from what I know, I can heal others, and that's about it. I'm not sure if I'm strong or not, I have brief flashes of myself fighting but nothing very concrete." I said, embarrassed and nervous talking about myself with such a lack of context or understanding.
It felt as if I wasn't like them at all, they had power and control over it, and they seemed to be helping people. I just didn't feel like I felt in at all, but something deep down told me that thought was wrong a weakness. I suppressed it and just rubbed the back of my neck, looking towards Commander Caeruleus.
The man clapped loudly and gave a hearty laugh. "Good, good, now that the introductions have been made, the first step of your initiation has been completed, Xavier. Let's all get back to the Control Room for a short briefing, and then a huge explanation that will take the rest of the next chapter!"
"Rest of the next chapter, Commander?" I asked, visibly confused.
"Yes, what you will learn, and be a part of, will be the next exciting chapter of your life boy!"
"Ah, I see, well, I suppose I'm eager to be informed."