SILVER EYES (GXG)

Chapter 3: Sunset

The Narval House, a sprawling residence near the border, housed all those who, like me, had been assigned to the role of a Narval Officer. I had heard about this title before, though I never understood the origin of the name. As far as I knew, Narvals, more accurately, Narwhals, were marine animals with long tusks that used to live in the Antarctic. So, nothing to do with us, right? 

Maybe it was the fighting lance that each Officer carried, which might have reminded them of a Narwhal's tusk, or perhaps it was the helmet; some Officials wore ones with a pointed protrusion on the front. It could be either of those, but I really had no idea. To me, the name seemed a bit of a joke, given how scarce clean water and healthy marine life had become these days. Narwhals were practically mythical at this point.

Anyway, back to the present: two Reg soldiers as imposing as surveillance towers and Heather, my apparent new lead or boss, or whatever she was supposed to be for me, escorted me to the Narval House.

We passed through an entrance bustling with officers going up and down that seemed to be the heart of the house, connecting everything else. Stairs led up to the rooms, stairs down to a basement, a hallway to the dining area, and a glass door at the back opened into the training yard.

As Heather showed me around, I noticed that even though the place was crowded, no one paid me any attention, as if I were a ghost. And you know what? It was amusing because every officer seemed to go out of their way to acknowledge Heather, who was standing right next to me. They all greeted her, bowing their heads and standing as rigid as statues, while I remained invisible. She was the furthest thing from a ghost in there, although she did instill a certain level of fear in her colleagues, all said.

When we got to the third floor Heather stopped before a door in a long hallway full of many more doors.

"This will be your room." She said while knocking. A moment later, a black woman with shaved hair emerged. She had a cluster of fluorescent earrings hanging from her left ear and a shiny implant covering the back of her neck. The connectors emitted a shifting green-blue neon light that flickered at every moment. It was an extravagant look, but I must say cool as hell.

"Oh, hi. I just finished the introduction to the new Narvals." Then she noticed me. "The last new girl?" She asked, glancing at me.

"Yes." Heather confirmed. "Grace, this is Kate, the combat lead. She will teach you all you need to know about defense and attack Reg techniques."

"Hi." I said dryly.

"Oh, wow, I can tell how excited you are to be here." Kate let out a laugh. "Don't worry, in a couple of days, you'll be so busy that you won't have time to think about whether you're excited or not."

Kate grinned and gave me an annoying little jab in the arm. I didn't react, just tried to show the greatest indifference I could manage. Suddenly, a beeping sound came from Heather's Reg Bracelet, and she looked at it.

"Damn it," Heather muttered. "The power tower's getting interference. I've got to take care of this." She turned to Kate. "Can you handle things here?"

Okey, so now I was a thing.

"Sure Lead," Kate replied with a grin. "Have fun with the power tower. Let's hope it's not a bunch of death rats clogging up the bouncer like the last time."

"Ugh, don't make me remember that." Heather said with a grimaced expression, turning away. But before she could take two steps, I called out, "Hold on!"

Heather turned around, surprised. Kate frowned, confused.

"Can we talk for a minute? Privately." I said, lowering my voice.