As they walked down the corridor, Clyde couldn’t shake a bad feeling, while Casca kept her eyes on him as Amara and Mary led the way ahead. Reaching the last door on the left, Amara swung it wide open and gestured for them to step inside. Once they crossed the threshold, Clyde’s unease deepened upon seeing that besides Ryker, five fully armed soldiers and a bald man around thirty-five years old wearing a lab coat stood holding a tablet beside a seated Ryker.
"Click."
As soon as they all entered, Amara closed and locked the door, then strode past Clyde, Casca, and Mary, who stood frozen in confusion as to why armed personnel and a scientist were present in the office. Amara then sat next to Ryker and whispered something to him, causing Clyde and Casca to grow increasingly restless, when a holographic screen suddenly opened in front of the two, broadcasting static,
["Clyde... Casca... save Corie... be careful... trap... run."]
Hearing the broken, disjointed voice of a girl cut through the static in their heads, the two went tense and braced themselves; but Ryker seemed to notice the shifting atmosphere around them, standing up and approaching the pair, passing a still-stunned Mary. Ryker placed a hand on each of their shoulders, making them flinch while remaining on high alert,
"Relax. I didn’t bring you two here to hurt you. Allow me to run a few tests on you," Ryker said.
"What? Tests? What kind of tests?" Clyde asked, his suspicion rising.
"Health checks. You haven’t had one yet, have you? That’s why Dr. Andy Choi here is going to perform a medical evaluation," Amara piped up, introducing the bald man in the lab coat.
"Hello, my name is Andy. Come, I’ll help you through the evaluation," Andy said, stepping forward.
"Back off!" Casca shouted, slapping Ryker’s hand off her shoulder.
Clyde brushed Ryker’s hand away as well and backed up beside Casca, both dropping into combat stances; but then they noticed Mary looking simultaneously bewildered and anxious.
"Why is a health check necessary?" Clyde asked.
"Standard procedure. Since you’re from the farm, you naturally need to undergo testing to ensure you aren’t carrying any viruses or pathogens from there. Surely you understand," Amara replied.
Clyde and Casca exchanged glances; what Amara said sounded logical, and besides, they still didn’t fully understand the protocols of this city, having arrived less than a month ago. Slowly, the two stood back up straight; seeing this, Mary looked relieved, while Ryker’s previously stoic expression softened into a smile.
The procedure commenced; Andy set his tablet on the desk and asked Clyde to place his palm over it. Though hesitant, Clyde eventually pressed his palm down; a green light emerged and scanned his hand before fading away, after which Andy requested Casca to do the same. Once finished,
"Alright. Now take a seat, let’s talk," Ryker said.
"No need. Just say what you came to say," Clyde replied firmly.
"Yeah... standing is fine," Casca added.
"Mary, why don’t you have a seat?" Ryker replied, staring at Mary.
"Forgive me, Commander, but I’m still confused by this setup. I have a responsibility to oversee them on behalf of the central authority, so I’ll remain standing," Mary replied firmly.
Clyde and Casca turned to look at Mary, who glanced back at them and nodded with a subtle smile.
"Very well. Everyone please relax. As the guild master, I officially welcome both of you," Amara said with a smile.
Clyde and Casca stared at Amara, offering forced smiles and nods, after which Ryker returned to his desk and sat beside Amara. Suddenly, "beep... beep... beep," the tablet chimed; Andy’s face abruptly turned pale as he showed his tablet screen to Ryker and Amara, whose expressions instantly shifted as well. Seeing this, Mary grew uneasy and looked around, five heavily armed soldiers were watching them closely, prompting her to slowly reach toward her hip and grip the handle of her sidearm. But before Mary could do anything,
"Just as I suspected. You were the one I encountered at the farm that night, the one who took down the Ravager all by yourself, Clyde," Ryker said in a cold voice, his sharp gaze locking onto Clyde with absolute gravity.
"Click."
Clyde could see the five soldiers around them raising their weapons and aiming their barrels straight at them,
"What is the meaning of this, Commander? Why are they pointing weapons at us? I demand an explanation!" Mary said, drawing her sidearm.
"Holster your weapon, Mary. You don’t need to get involved in this. Please step outside," Amara said.
"Huh? If I leave, they leave too!" Mary retorted, pointing her gun at Amara instead.
Ryker gave a subtle signal to two of the soldiers; instantly, the two men lunged forward and restrained the startled Mary, pinning her hands to prevent her from firing.
"Hey... what is this... let go of me!" Mary yelled.
One of the soldiers covered Mary’s mouth with a chloroform-soaked handkerchief; Mary’s body went limp, and she slumped unconscious. The two soldiers then dragged her body aside and laid her on the sofa.
"Hey... what the hell! Why are you attacking Mary?!" Clyde shouted.
"Don’t try anything! Let us go, we’re going home!" Casca screamed.
"Hmm... care to hear the results of your analysis? Please read them out, Dr. Andy," Amara said.
"You possess no magic capability... the ORBs inside your bodies belong to the first generation, a prototype... your DNA contains 25 chromosomes instead of the standard 22 found in normal humans... and you basically do not breathe, because your internal organs are machinery. That is the summary of the analysis," Andy said, reading from his tablet.
"W... what?" Clyde asked in shock as they grasped what was displayed on the holographic screen.
"You originate from the aftermath of the 100-Year War, humanity’s final weapons that could not be controlled by man... Chimaera," Amara said.
"Chi... Chimaera?" Casca asked, her face turning pale.
"Alright, enough talk. It is time for you to serve humanity. Subdue them," Ryker ordered.
Clyde and Casca looked at each other, then turned away and whistled; a brilliant light instantly enveloped their bodies as a reddish-black aura swirled upward from their feet, while a cloud of white, steam-like smoke engulfed the room. The soldiers and Andy retreated while shielding their eyes, but Ryker and Amara remained seated calmly. As the light faded, the two stood transformed in their biological armor, the joints still venting wisps of steam.
The soldiers charged forward, but Clyde moved at blinding speed, executing a side kick straight into one soldier’s abdomen that sent him flying into a bookshelf, smashing it to pieces; the soldier lay motionless. Meanwhile, Casca materialized before another soldier and landed a straight punch to his face, sending him spinning through the air until he slammed into the wall and remained embedded there, unmoving. The remaining three soldiers opened fire on them with fire and ice bullets, but the two stood unfazed, as if feeling nothing from the impacts.
The two strode into the center of the room through the hail of gunfire, their eyes fixed on Amara and Ryker. But just as they prepared to leap forward, Amara pulled out a recording device and pressed play,
"Na... na... na,"
Clyde and Casca froze instantly upon hearing the strains of the song, an excruciating pain suddenly tearing through their heads,
"B... Big Brother... it hurts... it hurts!" Casca screamed inside her head.
"Yeah... hang on... Casca... aaaaaah... it hurts, this... song... is different than usual... aaaah," Clyde screamed inside his head.
"Thud."
The two fell to their knees, clutching their heads with both hands, before "thump," they collapsed face-down on the floor; slowly, their biological armor dissipated, reverting them to the human forms of Clyde and Casca, who lay grimacing in pain as they clutched their heads. Finally, Clyde’s consciousness began to slip away and his eyes heavy, catching a glimpse of Casca lying motionless beside him.
"Dammit... dammit... why... did it turn out like this... I should have... listened to... Celes," he said in his head.
Clyde’s arms went limp as they both lay flat on the floor; but right before Clyde completely lost consciousness and closed his eyes,
"Good. Escort them to the basement and keep this entire matter classified from central command. Erase Mary’s memories regarding this event in the lab," Amara ordered.
"Understood, ma’am," Andy replied.
"That means we have two more energy sources for the GEAR unit we’re developing," Ryker remarked.
"Yes... fortunately we already captured one of them... if I’m not mistaken, designated C-0213," Amara said.
"Hey... don’t just stand there... take them down using the secret elevator, and don’t let anyone see you," Ryker barked.
"Yes, Commander!" the three soldiers yelled.
Clyde’s consciousness vanished entirely, but before his eyes closed, "C-0213... Corie," he murmured in his mind.