Kael put the tab in his hands down, shifting his gaze to look at the facility. During the flight duration, the two men kept busy discussing some of the information Dave's subordinates had gathered about the personnel of the facility, specifically the person in charge and his officials.
As the chopper slowed down to the helipad, Dave and Kael spotted a group of people waiting for them. Kael spotted a few of the personnel they had been studying, as well as a team of armed men wearing combat gear that Kael recognised as ARISA agents.
Naturally, some of the men were part of the facility's security forces. Whether they were there as a show of arms or in ceremony, it didn't matter. ARISA's authority could not be dismissed with a warrant or similar means.
"Welcome to the training facility, Mr. West."
Fernandez Barnes, head of the training facility, extended his hand to Dave once he and Kael stepped out of the chopper and approached the man.
Dressed in the facility's gear, which resembled a one-piece combat suit in shades of grey and green, Fernandez was a 45-year-old man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties.
With a professional smile that did not quite reach his hazel eyes, Fernandez was the picture of stressed and overwhelmed. Although he had no grey hair, the stress of the last few days had been taking its toll on him.
"Thank you, Mr. Barnes."
Dave took the hand offered and shook it firmly, briefly glancing at the men standing a few meters behind him. To the far side of Fernandez stood Dave's Warden, the man in charge of his suppression team.
"And who might this be?" Fernandez did the same, noticing how Kael stood back with both hands in his coat, looking around freely.
"Ah, this is my partner," Dave said, turning to Kael and gesturing for him to greet the director. "Kael Neren."
"A pleasure."
To the offered hand of the director, Kael just looked at the hand and then at the man's face, nodding. He had no intention of getting friendly when he didn't want to.
"Eh, sorry about that, Director Barnes. My partner is a little bit of an oddball." Dave rushed to clear the awkward act of his partner. "Please pay no mind to his actions."
"Right..." The director lowered his hand, turning his attention away. "Also, call me Fernandez. We may be working together for a while, so I'd prefer we maintain a more casual atmosphere. We have to get whoever is responsible for the deaths of those kids."
The director ended his words with a determined gaze, expressing his desire to do everything in his power to help.
"Of course, Fernandez." Dave agreed, having no issue with the arrangement. "Call me Dave as well."
"Mm, right this way then," Fernandez stepped to the side and gestured towards the entrance.
With a nod of gratitude, Dave and Kael were led inside the facility as the rest of the men followed behind. Dave's Warden swiftly moved to stand just behind him, where he swiftly passed another tab to him and Kael.
As Dave kept busy making small talk with the director, Kael quickly swiped the tab to access what was inside. 'This is information on the other workers who had had some form of interaction with the fallen heroes.'
Swiping through the profiles of the individuals on the list, Kael made notes on a few of them, specifically their instructors and those who were responsible for cleaning the children's rooms while they stayed at the facility.
Additionally, there were various pieces of footage of some of the interactions that occurred in the facility. Since Dave's subordinates had done most of the screening, the feeds Kael saw depicted some of the conflicts that had happened in the facility.
The tab also provided information on the facility's infrastructure plans, showing the locations and uses of the floors. It was everything Kael and Dave would need to carry out their checks.
'The facility has three main floors.' Kael carefully studied the layout, committing the floors to memory. 'The third floor is the living quarters and restricted access areas. The second is the strategy, mental training and special ability control.'
Some of the areas on the second floor briefly confused Kael. 'The kids had not awakened yet, so why would a floor like this exist?'
Raising his head, Kael looked at the director and asked straight up, "Director Barnes, why is there a power control and special ability room? It is to my understanding that the kids had not awakened."
"Ah, yes." Fernandez looked over and replied. For a moment, he glanced at Dave, who nodded for him to answer. "Most of the children were on the verge of awakening. However, their power boost would not manifest until after the current heroes lost theirs, which is in about five years."
"I see..." Having gotten his response, Kael looked back at his tab.
The group had already arrived on the third floor from the roof, where they briefly came to a stop at the Common Lounge. The lounge was a spacious area where the personnel came to relax, play games and socialise.
While the director gave a brief overview of what was on this floor, Kael continued his memorisation. The ground floor was the open and heavy-duty training area, where the gym, combat arena, medical facilities, and cafeteria were located.
"Thank you, Fernandez, my team and I will take it from here."
Dave brought the director's duties to a close. To avoid any bias and interruptions, ARISA had full authority to move at its discretion. This was the reason his subordinates were here: to get themselves acquainted with the place.
"Of course, Dave." The director nodded, already knowing the arrangements. "I'll be in my office. Call me when you need any assistance."
"Will do, Fernandez."
The young detective watched as the director and his men left the Common Lounge. The place had already been cleared of personnel. Furthermore, with the facility's original purpose no longer in effect, there was no reason to operate it at full capacity.
"Leo, I'll leave the rest to you," Dave turned to his Warden and instructed with a smile.
"Hehe, of course." The man named Leo responded with a knowing smirk. He then looked at Kael, whose attention was drawn when Dave spoke. "It's finally nice to meet you, Mr. Neren. Dave has told us so much about you."
As if Leo had not seen what happened earlier, he extended a hand towards Kael, waiting for him to take it. Luckily for him, Kael did not leave him hanging, prompting the Warden to nod approvingly.
"Welcome to the team."