Siren's Elegy Volume 1: Orphans of Ashen Earth

Chapter 18: Bloodhounds

July 25, 4021 22:00 [Levante-Yuèliàng Border: Matriarch 03 B Side]

Dim yellow light peeked through the cracks of the worn-down cargo truck as it passed through the tunnel. Flickers of light danced across the eyelids of a sleeping soldier, his wispy white hair gently spilling over his face. His eyes fluttered, awakened by the soft light. He groaned, shielding his eyes from the light with one hand as he gathered his bearings. The man stretched his limbs, yawning widely, flashing a set of serrated teeth as pale as ivory. The soldier rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his gaze panning to both sides of his seat. Two other soldiers rested their heads on his shoulders, chests rising and falling slowly and rhythmically. He smiled wistfully at the two.

The soldier sat for a few moments, contemplating the events of the past few days, listening to the low thrum of the truck's engine and the occasional sputter as the vehicle passed over loose gravel and potholes on the road. It was quiet; the rest of the soldiers in the truck remained asleep in their seats, dressed in plain clothes. They had been traveling from checkpoint to checkpoint for almost a week. Psychological evaluations, physical analysis, and general health assessments were performed throughout the duration of their travels. The soldier sighed, exhausted, basking in the tranquility of the moment after such a hectic few days.

The man peered out of the window as the vehicle exited the tunnel, entering into an arid expanse of desert that stretched for miles, passing rolling plateaus and towering massifs in the distance. A waning gibbous gently illuminated the night sky. As they continued to drive down the road, the top of a structure peeked over the horizon, gradually getting larger until they arrived at the doorsteps of a monolithic wall separating the desert and the facility just beyond it. The trucks stopped, the low thrum of the engines coming to an abrupt end as they were terminated. Officers stepped outside of the vehicles, opening the back doors of the trucks to collect the new recruits. The pale soldier gently shook the two sleeping on his shoulders, rousing them from their slumber.

"Wha–? Are we here already?" the one with jet-black hair asked, vigorously rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Yep, we're here; Matriarch 03," the pale soldier answered. "Aisha, you awake yet? We have to get out of the truck, c'mon," he stated, gently patting the curly-haired soldier's head.

The girl nodded, yawning deeply before mumbling a soft, "I'm up," although her eyes remained half closed.

The trio filed out of the vehicle alongside the other soldiers, bringing their belongings with them. The soft sand gave way to their shoes as they made their way to security, a freezing wind blowing through the air. The two men shivered, rubbing their arms to keep warm. Aisha placed a hand on her shirt, slowly reforming the cloth into a thick jacket. The other two looked at her hopefully. She rolled her eyes placing one hand on each of their chests, mirroring the technique she just used to form jackets of their own.

The three reached security, nice and warm, smiling at the bewildered guard as he searched their belongings and scanned their retinas. The guard gave each of them a purple wristband, the cool steel fitting snugly upon their wrists. The pale soldier winced as he felt a small prick from the wristband.

"Don't worry about the needle. The Nerve Cord is taking a blood sample to analyze your base vitals. It'll provide you with information about your physiology and psychological state of mind. It also acts like a HoloPad so you can receive emails and notifications from the Director and your instructors. You'll be getting your room designations momentarily," the guard explained.

The man nodded, checking his Nerve Cord. A notification popped up: IDENTITY CONFIRMED. BASE-LEVEL VITALS APPEAR TO BE IN THE MEDIAN RANGE. KEY CARD ACTIVATION SUCCESSFUL FOR [Akula Krov], SUBJECT NUMBER [027], TRAIT [Blood Sense], ROOM NUMBER [503]. Akula looked at the others, showing the display on his Nerve Cord.