I tap my feet a bit while waiting patiently. I was brought to a waiting room at one of the labs after Auntie Harper found me and Silva. I wonder if Silva is going to be upset with me for not hurrying. She didn't want to get caught by Harper.
I just stare around at the room I'm in. It's a white room. Bright, enameled paneling lined the ground. Easy to clean and looked nice. The ceiling has similar paneling to the ground, but some of the panels were a bit different. An electrical charge being linked to it caused the panels to glow and produce light. This type of lighting was common in the whole of the HQ.
There's a few chairs in here, but I'm the only one sitting and waiting. There are two doors. One of them links to the hallway I was guided through to enter this room. The other door led to one of the testing areas.
In the corner of the room is a screen. It's a standard liquid crystal display, but it's an older model so the body of it was a bit bulkier. Newer models are slim and sleek, easy to mount, and don't break very often. This one seemed in good condition. The picture quality is clear and the sound coming from the speakers is easy to understand. No distortion at all.
[Thanks to the efforts of our local Vault Breakers, another important discovery has been made. Following in the footsteps of the great 60th Chief, the 61st Chief, Harper Dirge, has found recording devices from a recent foray into a Class 3 Vault. She and her personal guard had spent two weeks inside and returned with no casualties. The tech brought back seems to be able to be studied to give us new light on the purpose of the Vaults. "It'll be a few months before the tech will be implemented," says R&D Commander Varun Dirge. "We have also collected various records from the same Vault that we hope to be able to full study." Now we just hope that more enlightening information comes in future updates. Thank you for your time. I've been Lillian Moss from Igneol Broadcasting Channel 4 News. Stay strong, Domain!]
The outro played before product advertisements began to follow. But what was that about Auntie Harper? She just got back from a two week deployment?
[Ymir] "Geez, Auntie really is the best out there, huh?"
[Silva] "Well she did learn everything she could from nana."
I turn around to see Silva closing the door behind her as she enters the waiting room. I didn't even hear her come in.
[Ymir] "She didn't scold you too much, did she?"
[Silva] "Oh I definitely got an earful. Every time I'm scolded, I'm just thankful she's my Auntie and not my mom. I'd probably be all worked up all the time like she is if I had to put up with that at home."
[Ymir] "Yeah, I can see that. I don't see her very much lately so her scoldings are rare. Seems like she let you stay, though. She on board with you enlisting?"
[Silva] "She kind of just relented. Dad came in to save me from the "Fireball" and talked her down a bit. In the end, she said that if I can prove through the testing that I can join, then it's fine. After that, I just came right over here. Testing should be starting soon."
[Ymir] "Nervous?"
[Silva] "Yeah, I am. I'm not very strong. But I don't want to fight, anyway. I want to join dad in the R&D corps. If I can prove that I'd useful there, then I can enlist."
I'm really proud of Silva. She's just a bit older than me, but is often picked on and excluded for being smaller and weaker than others. She has long, beautiful hair that seemed to make other girls jealous, too. They'd often throw paints at her to ruin the color. One day, she dyed it all blue and yelled back at the girls. She told them there wasn't anything to be jealous and mean about anymore. She was laughed off, but all of us in the family saw it as the first time she fought back. That blue hair became her signature style and she frequently touches up the color with dye. Ever since she found that courage, she studied and worked hard to learn what it took to join the Vault Breakers. Being her father's daughter, it was natural that she'd pick up whatever her dad taught.
[Ymir] "You're gonna make it, you know? Not a single person in the family thinks you're not capable."
[Silva] "Yeah? Well I guess I gotta live up to that then, huh?"
[Ymir] "Yup! Live up to our expectations! You owe us!
[Silva] "Oh, I owe you for believing in me, now?"
I missed our back and forths. Silva is shy, but she lit up when we'd talk and play as kids. Neither of us have siblings, but she's just like my big sister.
The door to the lab area creaks open and a tall, tired man came into the room, closing the door behind him. He has a clipboard with various documents. He flips through a few pages and then looks up at us.
[???] "Ymir Sorenson and Silva Dirge. Legacy applicants, yeah?"
He looks at us with a cocked eyebrow. I don't have any idea what kind of opinion he has of us. Our families are famous in this place, but it's not like everyone in our bloodlines was some monster of a soldier. Both Silva and I lack any of the intimidation or coolness that Auntie Harper or Gajjet had. I'm not really anything like my father or grandfather, either.
[Clive] "Well let's see if you're up to snuff. We're going to move to another room in the labs. I'll walk you through the legal paperwork and what to expect from our testing. Oh, and I'm Dr. Clive Earnest. Nice to meet the two of you."
Dr. Clive nods his head like a tiny, informal bow as he greeted us. Then he just opens the door to the lab area and gesturs for Silva and I to go inside. So we do.
The hallway we enter isn't as bright and inviting as the waiting room. It's a narrow path over dark steel panels and steel framework for walls. The lighting is a series of old lightbulbs. That type of lighting is only commonly used in poorer homes since they're cheap to produce.
Through the hall is a doorway that lacked any door. It's just a passage through to a large section of the lab. We pass through with Dr. Clive following behind. Stepping into the lab is exhilarating.
The room before me is massive. High ceilings and long walled areas to allow plenty of room for all sorts of machines. As I walk into the room, my eyes are drawn to a work station at the back left side of the room. Different guns are being disassembled, tuned, and reassembled by a few diligent workers. I recognize something on the work station.
A Mk.6 Caliburn. I heard stories about how Gajjet used one of those when she was trailblazing through Vaults. It's a heavy gun, fires heavy rounds, and has an imposing black steel finish.
[Silva] "Hurry the hell up, Ymir! You always stare at things and get left behind."
Silva grabs my hand and starts pulling me along. She's right. I do have a bad habit like that. Hopefully that doesn't hurt my scores in the test.
[Ymir] "Yeah, yeah! Geez! I'm coming!"
We hurry along to a room in another corner of the lab. It seems like there are a few private offices over here. Some are reserved for officers, others reserved for the testing. We go to an unmarked room, but not after passing some of the others. We see the plaque for Uncle Varun's office, but his curtains are pulled so it wasn't possible to see into the office. Knowing him, he's hiding a catastrophic mess inside there and would be embarrassed to show it.
[Clive] "Both of you, please take a seat in this office here."
Dr. Clive unlocks a room with a keycard and opens the door. There are two chairs with felt seats in front of a desk. Behind the desk is a nice faux-leather desk chair.
I follow Silva into the room. We each take a seat. I'm on the right, she takes the left. Dr. Clive sits down in the single desk chair and begins to open up drawers in the desk. After a few moments, I se two stacks of documents assembled and presented to my cousin and I.
[Clive] "Start by reading the liability contracts. Once you understand them, I'll collect your signatures. Then we'll fill out the personal information documents."
I start the slog of reading through the contract. A lot of your standard clauses exist. We sign as proof that we're consenting to the tests. They possess a risk of physical harm at times, but the safety precautions are actually very detailed. In the event of physical harm, I won't take action against the Vault Break HQ. I will also be awarded compensation for medical expenses and given personal treatment by the Medic corps if I so wish.
I continue to read. As I reach the end, I nod to myself and resolve to sign the consent form. I look at Silva. A cold sweat is forming on her brow. The anxiety is clearly getting to her right now. I know Silva isn't too strong and she was already worried about the testing. Even if she is just here to study tech and join her dad's team, she still has to go through the formalities.
[Ymir] "Hey, I know you can do this. Even if it's hard, I'm gonna be here too. We're gonna pass together. Okay?"
[Silva] "... Yeah. If you're going to be here and you believe in me like that, then I can do this too. Yeah..."
We both are resolved now. I trust her to have my back, too, but I'm going to mention it. I don't want her to feel any extra pressure. I know she's resolved, though.
[Clive] "Then if you're both ready, please sign here."
I am presented the consent form. I sign it. Ymir Sorenson.
Silva signs hers after watching me. Silva Dirge.
[Silva] "Thank you. Now, let's go over the personal information. We'll begin with simple stuff. After that, I'll interview you both."
We receive the next set of documents and fill out the blank areas.
[YMIR SORENSON] [AGE: 19] [BLOOD TYPE: B-]
[HEIGHT: 68 INCHES] [WEIGHT: 136 LBS]
[EDUCATION: SECONDARY SCHOOL, GENERAL EDUCATION]
[WORK HISTORY: WAREHOUSE ASSISTANT, DELIVERY DRIVER]
[CHARACTER REFERENCE: ?]
[Ymir] "Excuse me, but how should I fill out this part?"
I point at the section for "character references" and ask this question. Dr. Clive looks at it and nods.
[Clive] "Ah, well you're both legacies. We have a bit of preferential treatment to the family of our officers. The Dirge family and Sorenson family are long-standing and both have served the Vault Breakers. Just put the names of any family currently serving as Vault Breakers and we'll just be doing a short interview with them at a later time. As long as they don't refuse you to join, we'll take that as enough."
So we're going to get special treatment because of Auntie and Uncle? I guess I can't complain about that, but I don't love it. I wanted to really earn this.
[Ymir] "Well I'll put down Varun and Harper then. Silva, same for you?"
[Silva] "Yeah, they're the only ones in our family currently serving."
[Ymir] "Then let's do that."
[CHARACTER REFERENCE: HARPER DIRGE, VARUN DIRGE]
I fill out the rest of the info to the best of my ability. It's just simple things like my address and some contact info for immediate family. I give them Harper's contact info since my mom can't speak. She wouldn't be able to talk on a comm system.
Silva gives Varun's info. He's probably the best for that. He does his research here and is a Commander to boot.
[Clive] "Very well. Then let's talk about why you're enlisting. I'll be jotting down notes for reference. Let's start with Miss Silva. Please tell me your reasons."
I watch her lips quiver a bit. I don't think she was expecting to go first. If Dr. Clive is testing her nerves, then perhaps the test had already begun.
[Silva] "My father, Varun Dirge, is an inspiration to me, sir. As far back as I can remember, I was with my father in his workshop at home trying to watch and learn from him. I may not be fit for battle, but I want to follow my father. So my goal is to become part of my father's team in the R&D corps."
[Clive] "That's very admirable. But just so you know, Commander Varun doesn't have a regular team. He only ever takes on two assistants here and instead delegates tasks to other teams in his corps. He also works most closely with Chief Harper. You intend to rise up in the field to the level of assisting our top brass, then?"
[Silva] "Yes, sir. I've known about that from the beginning. I won't join my father right away. I will join the corps and prove that I'm an asset to everyone."
[Clive] "Thank you very much, Miss Silva. Now, Mr. Ymir, please tell me your reasoning for joining."
It's time for me. I don't feel too many nerves in this test so far. So I look Dr. Clive in the eyes and tell him my reasons.
[Ymir] "First and foremost, I want to provide for my mother and give her a comfortable and happy life. But also I grew up hearing stories about my nana. Gajjet Dirge, the Hellion of Igneol Domain. She's a legend that won't be forgotten. I want to reach her heights."
[Clive] "So you want to be like the Hellion? She was trained by Yorrick Bartman himself. Not a single Vault Breaker on the continent can hold a candle to those two."
[Ymir] "Yes, sir. I want to follow her path. But I don't want to just follow. I want to surpass Gajjet Dirge."
[Clive] "..."
A moment of silence took over. I don't know what Dr. Clive is thinking. Only that whatever it is, he began to grow a serious demeanor. He'd been lax and friendly til now.
[Clive] "So do you know what the Hellion's greatest feat was?"
[Ymir] "The knowledge she retrieved and used to advance our understanding of the Vaults, right?"
[Clive] "She escaped a Class 5 Vault."
[Ymir] "What do you mean? Something like that has never been found."
[Clive] "Yorrick Bartman died in that Vault. He saved Gajjet Dirge and a young woman."
[Ymir] "A young woman...? You mean... mom?"
[Clive] "That's right. She never told you that she was pulled out of a place like that?"
[Ymir] "Not exactly. She said it was Class 3. Wait, what do you mean a Class 5? Doesn't that mean my mom was surviving somewhere like that?"
[Clive] "I think you need to somehow get her to tell you. I've read all the files that the last R&D Commander left on the topic. But we don't know what your mother went through. Only she can really fill you in."
[Ymir] "..."
Mom was found in a Class 5 Vault? Isn't that some place that's so terrifyingly dangerous that the creatures have never been recorded? Aren't they supposedly strong enough to break out on their own? Why haven't I heard that a place like that exists?
[Clive] "I can tell you this. It's not a secret in the R&D corps. We just have a policy that we don't talk to the media. We leave all that to the Commander. So don't go talking about this with the people who don't need to know."
[Ymir] "Yeah, I can do that."
Silva was silent for a few seconds, but then responded the same. She hadn't made any other comments so far. I wonder what she thinks about this stuff.
[Clive] "So Gajjet Dirge, Yorrick Bartman, and a C-Ranker Scout called Carlyle were tasked with breaking into a Class 3 Vault. An initial entry brought back a report of very little aberration activity, but the ones that were encountered were tough. They were of a type we hadn't yet identified. The crew wasn't supposed to take too long with the job since Gajjet was one of our up-and-coming elites. She hadn't met a Vault she wasn't able to learn about and conquer. From her own report, it took about three days to reach the heart of the place. That's when they discovered your mother. After rescuing her, they seemed to have triggered a defense system. The three of them took six more days to fight through the swarms of unknown enemies. They made it to the blast doors and I think we all know the rest."
[Ymir] "So what was going on in that Vault?"
[Clive] "We later tried doing some more investigations, but we discovered that something about the Vault changed. Now, even at the safest levels of the Vault, those aberrations are swarming. Multiple parties were dispatched, but there were too many casualties so we pulled out from the investigation. It wasn't until some started escaping that we had to act with urgency. An elite Runner team dispatched the escapees and a Breaker team was sent to seal the Vault. Since that day we keep it under surveillance. We refuse to allow media anywhere near it. Because of the level of power those things have and how tenacious they are with trying to escape, we had to classify it as the first Class 5 Vault in history."
[Ymir] "So Gajjet made it all the way through that place and still escaped? That's where they found mom?"
[Clive] "Yeah. But your mom couldn't tell us about it. She didn't have the clearest memory. Even after she learned to communicate through writing, she told us only about the same as what Gajjet reported. And only the last couple days or so of the escape."
[Ymir] "I don't know what she'll tell me, but I'll try to talk about it when I see her."
[Clive] "Maybe you'll learn something nobody else could."
[Ymir] "Yeah..."
Mom. What have you been through?