Reol lay on the ground, the girl's boot pressing into his chest. Her uniform bore the Honeybadger crest on the upper sleeve. Black hair tied in a ponytail flowed down her back, and her rose-colored eyes seemed to pierce him, shifting like living energy.
"You've got two options," the man said. "Come with us, or we hand you over to the authorities. I'd choose carefully if I were you."
Reol thought bitterly, Of all the days I bump into these guys…I swear my luck couldn't get worse. But if I go to prison, Joe and Shelly are screwed.
Sirens blared as helicopters closed in. Reol glanced around and let out a sigh. "Fine… take me to your humble abode."
The girl pressed her heel harder into his chest. 'You sure about this, Commander?'
Reol, groaned at the pain.
The commander nodded to her, then turned his attention to Reol. "I knew you'd make a wise choice."
[Threat Still at 100%]
Reol closed his eyes and drew in a sharp breath.
*****
Three days later....
Reol sat in a cell, walls grimy and the light flickering above him. His hands and feet were tied as he thought,
'This isn't how I thought things would go. Yeah… I got done dirty.'
Reol was in the main headquarters of the Honeybadger Fortextile branch, relatively small compared to the others. The commander walked in, carrying a plate of food.
"You haven't eaten in three days," he said. "Growing boys like you should take every chance they get."
Reol's body sagged, muscles stiff and sore, bruises still forming on his arms from the restraints. "How can I eat, knowing I left my two siblings all alone… and, worst of all, I never even got paid for that job?" he said in a low voice.
"So this is why you hunt Voletiles illegally… quite admirable. But what stopped you from becoming a Fortextile?" he asked, curiosity clear in his voice.
"I've already spoken with the police authorities. I struck a deal to have all your crimes pardoned, but in return… you'll join my branch."
Reol sighed.
"As I said earlier, I have no interest in joining a legal company. My siblings' school fees are too steep for a 9-to-5 salary, and this job would probably require me to be away from home constantly. That's not something I can afford."
The commander stepped closer. "Your name is Reol, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Reol answered.
"Don't worry about your siblings' tuition. I will deal with that personally."
Reol lifted his head, eyes widening at the statement.
"You're joking, right? And… what's in it for you? Why go this far?"
The commander pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a slow drag. Reol met his gaze, unwavering.
"I told you… I want you in my company. You've got the rare ability to turn objects into weapons that can kill a Voletile. I'd be a fool to let you go that easily."
"Is the pay good?"
The commander smiled faintly. "It's decent enough."
Reol took a breath, closing his eyes before opening them again. "Fine, Commander. As long as my siblings are taken care of, I don't see why not. And I guess you did get me out of that bind, so…" He smirked. "Where do I sign?"
The commander smoked then threw the cigarette bud as he grinned.
"I'm Commander Zackery Hacker. Welcome to the Honeybadger branch. We're looking forward to the value you'll bring… I'll have the secretary get your documents sorted immediately."
Commander Zackery walked away. Just like that, Reol became an unofficial Fortextile under the Honeybadger branch.
*****
Later, the girl from earlier came to the cell and opened it. Her long black hair flowed down her back, strands framing her face. Her silver eyes gleamed, sharp and playful. She wore a casual oversized shirt that showed her cleavage, paired with shorts that revealed her thighs, and flip-flops on her feet. She was blessed in all the right places and she wasn't shy about it.
"So then, I heard you joined the team." She said with a smile on her face.
"Well, the commander is a shrewd man."
She chuckled. "Tell me something I don't know… anyway, I'm Tyla Rogers."
Reol gave her a confused look.
"What happened to you? Earlier, you were all serious."
She chuckled again. "Sorry if I came off as a dick. It's just that when I'm on missions, I have to look serious, especially toward strangers."
Tyla then walked in and unlocked his cuffs.
"I see…" Reol muttered.
"Well, come on. Let me show you around. You should consider yourself lucky to be escorted by a lovely maiden such as myself."
Reol remembered the heel she'd dug into his chest. 'Yeah… maiden.'
"Well, I'm Reol. Reol Alexandra."
"It's nice to formally meet you, Reol," she said, offering a smile.
They left the cells as Tyla showed Reol around the headquarters. They walked to the bedrooms.
"These are our sleeping quarters. The rooms are a bit small, and the walls are as thin as paper, so if you're gonna gossip..." she whispered, "then yours is the worst place to do it."
"Yeaah… sure."
Next, she led him to the cafeteria.
"This is where we eat… and the man lounging on his chair is the cook, Darrick."
She waved and yelled, "Hey Darrick, meet our newest member!"
Darrick lifted his head, glared at Reol, and muttered under his breath, "Great… another weirdo." Then he went back to lounging.
Reol raised an eyebrow. Tyla tapped him on the back and grinned. "Don't mind him, he's just a shy one."
Reol reached for his chest where the body suit should have been and muttered, "Wait… where's my body suit?"
Cassidy's face was slumped on the monitors, drool dripping and her round glasses hanging, her hair a complete mess and her lab coat was worn out.
"Hey Cass, Reol is here the owner of the body suit."
Tyla tapped her finger to her lips. "Wait, you mean that hunk of junk? We threw it away."
Reol's eyes widened immediately. "What?!"
Tyla laughed. "Relax, I'm joking. It's in the lab. Cassidy's been looking it over for the past two days. We should actually go check it now."
Exhausted by Tyla's constant teasing, Reol slumped his shoulders. They headed to the lab. Tyla pushed at the door, struggling to get it open; equipment blocked the way. They pushed together, finally making enough space to slip through.
"Hey Cass! Reol's here, the owner of the body suit!" Tyla announced.
Cassidy's head snapped up, eyes wide with instant recognition.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! So you're the bastard who owns this wonderful body suit!" She grabbed his hands.
Reol, a little freaked out by her intensity, instinctively leaned back.
"Uh… I don't know about wonderful, but yeah…"
"Not only do you have this unique body suit, but you're an Enhancer too?! I must… I must studyyyy!" Her expression teetered somewhere between awe and obsession.
Tyla grabbed Reol by the arm. "Okay, Cass, that's enough now."
They left the room and made their way to the training grounds.
"Hehe, sorry about Cass, she can be a little...."
Reol smiled faintly. "Extreme, yeah, but at least her love for her craft is genuine."
Tyla blinked at him. "Wow… Reol, I never expected you to say something so corny." She laughed.
Reol, a little embarrassed, shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. "Anyway, where are we going now?"
"The training grounds!" Tyla exclaimed. "The commander wants to observe how you use your Carrier ability."
They walked for a while, and Reol braced himself for a high-tech training facility. Instead, they arrived at… a soccer court.
"Are we lost?" he blinked.
Tyla's smile widened, full of pride. "Nope. This is it, the training grounds."
Reol couldn't help thinking,'Are these guys poor? Does the government not support them? Now that I think about it, their standards aren't much different from the underground Carrier agency I used to work for.'
Commander Zackery, a cigarette perched loosely between his lips, walked in, flanked by another Fortextile — a women with sharp golden eyes, tanned skin, crimson hair, a lollipop dangling from her mouth.
"Reol, meet Felicia Randle, our secretary," Commander Zackery said. "She's been eager to see you in action, so I hope having an audience won't make you nervous."
"Reol then said casually "Nah, it's all cool."
Commander Zackery smirked.
"The thing I admire most in my Fortextiles is absolute confidence and you've got it. Now then, there are different tools and weapons here, even ones that wouldn't hurt human beings. The goal is to see the limits of your power."
Reol then walked over to the stack of tools and weapons, everyone watching him closely, anticipating. He then raised a wrench, his grip tightened as blue lines crawled on his arm like veins into the tool as it shifted color to blue, the edges sharpened as it grew longer.
Tyla leaned closer, her eyes widening.
"Now then, bring in the captured Voletile," Commander Zackery ordered.
Two men rolled a steel box, its barrier softly humming with Manifesto energy. When it opened, a Voletile screamed and thrashed violently.
"Now then…"
Reol swallowed. 'Why am I nervous all of a sudden?'
He gripped the tip between his fingers, pulled his arm back, and threw it.
Shockwaves erupted from the launch, moving so fast they blurred. The wrench pierced the Voletile's chest, shattering its core and punching straight through the wall behind it. The creature screamed before dissolving into smoke.
"Holy shit… he really can turn ordinary tools into Manifestos," Tyla whispered.
"I'm intrigued," Felicia smirked.
Commander Zackery thought, 'Maybe this could be possible, with the boy's help.'
Then sirens rang from the building.
"A mission…" Commander Zackery said. Then he bellowed, "Everyone assemble in the building at once!"
"Sir!" everyone replied in unison.
When they got inside, a screen lit up, announcing:
[Seven E-rank Voletiles | Location: Newlands Port | Threat level: Medium | Special suggestion: Three first class Sergeant Fortextiles]
Commander Zackery then bellowed "Tyla, Lyle and of course you, Reol will be going on this mission, Sergeant Tyla will take charge."
Reol's eyes widened. "Wait-what?!"
Tyla saluted. "Sir!"
'Am I being ignored?' Reol thought.
As they went to gear up, his very first mission came sooner than he expected, not even a full day after accepting the job.