A seam appeared along the wall—silent, precise.
Metal folded inward. A door outlined itself from nothing, sliding open with a low mechanical hum.
Anisa stepped through first.
Yuri hesitated only a second before following.
The room beyond was vast—far larger than it had any right to be. Tall shelves stretched toward the ceiling, each packed with transparent containers, sealed pods, and cylindrical chambers filled with softly glowing fluids. Inside them, shapes floated—some humanoid, some disturbingly not—blurred by frost and condensation, their details deliberately obscured.
The light was harsh. Clinical. Almost surgical.
It bounced off chrome surfaces and glass panels, refracting into sharp whites and pale blues that stabbed at Yuri's eyes. Thick cables snaked along the floor and ceiling like veins, pulsing faintly. Monitors lined the walls, screens alive with scrolling vitals, fluctuating waveforms, symbols he didn't recognize. Mechanical arms rested in docking stations, each tipped with tools that looked less like instruments and more like weapons pretending to be medical.
The air smelled sterile—chemical, cold—with an undercurrent of ozone.
Yuri turned slowly, taking it all in.
How is this inside the walls…?
Nothing about the space made sense. It felt buried deep underground, yet impossibly clean—too controlled to feel real.
Anisa didn't look back. She walked straight to a central desk, boots echoing sharply against the floor.
Behind it sat Clover.
Or rather—slumped was more accurate.
Clover's long hair was tied into a single thick braid draped over her shoulder, messy but intentional in a way that suggested she'd given up halfway through fixing it. She was a little soft around the edges—not sculpted or intimidating like the others Yuri had seen—but there was an undeniable warmth to her, even in sleep. Her cheek was pressed against the tabletop, one arm stretched out, fingers loosely gripping a half-eaten slice of dry pizza.
In her other hand—a syringe.
A bagel dangled from her mouth at an angle that defied gravity.
Anisa stopped in front of the desk.
She sighed. Slowly. Deeply.
Then cleared her throat.
Nothing.
Her brow twitched.
Anisa raised her hand—and slammed her palm against the table.
BAM!
Clover shot upright with a gasp.
"Huh—! Uh—wha—?!"
The bagel slipped from her mouth. She stared at it for a second, blinked—then casually popped it back in and chewed, rubbing her eyes as her brain visibly rebooted.
Her gaze lifted.
Instant panic.
"A—ANI— Miss Anisa—Selva—ma'am—! Uh—h-how can I help you?!" she blurted, snapping to attention so fast her chair screeched backward.
"Clover Hale," Anisa said flatly, patience already threadbare. "The first session of training has concluded. I need a thorough checkup—injuries, abnormalities, anomalies." She gestured toward Yuri without looking. "Start with him."
Clover leaned sideways, peeking around Anisa.
Her eyes landed on Yuri.
They lit up.
"Oh—WOW." She was on her feet instantly, rushing past Anisa and straight toward him. "Hello—hi! Wow—wow. It's great to finally meet you in person!"
Before Yuri could respond, she was already circling him—crouching slightly, standing back up, craning her neck, squinting at his posture.
"Uhm—" Yuri shifted uncomfortably, instinctively pulling his left arm closer to his chest. "N-nice to meet you too. My name is… uh…"
"Don't worry!" Clover cut in cheerfully. "I know exactly who you are." She grinned. "I'm Clover Hale. Head of Medical—well, technically Chief Medical Officer, but that sounds stuffy. Just Clover is fine."
She paused, tilting her head as she studied him more closely.
"Ooooh yeah…" she murmured. "That arm's definitely not happy. Fascinating muscle tension though. Do you feel that buzzing sensation behind your eyes? Don't answer—rhetorical."
Anisa turned away.
"I'll leave him in your hands, Hale," she said. "Report anything unusual. Immediately."
Without waiting for acknowledgment, she walked back toward the wall.
As she stepped through the doorway, a thought flickered across her mind—sharp and unwelcome.
Why… was she acting like that?
The door slid shut behind her with a soft hiss.
The room felt quieter.
Clover finally stopped pacing and met Yuri's eyes. Her excitement softened into something gentler—curious, attentive.
"Alright," she said, setting the pizza aside and rolling up her sleeves."Let's see what they've been doing to you."