OTHERS: Five elements

CHAPTER 1.3: NEW MISSION

21 March 2033, 7:45am

- "Hi, my name is Daniel. I think I'm your new colleague."

- "Hey Daniel, I'm Mark. Nice to meet you!"

- "Nice to meet you too!"

- "What brings you to Europe? Why didn't you want to continue working in Mexico?"

And so Daniel shared a bit about his life. He has a round face with light brown, almond-shaped eyes that convey friendliness. His dark, thick hair is styled in a casual, messy cut. His most noticeable feature is his broad, charming smile. He has a straight nose and small ears with attached earlobes. His strong jawline is framed by a short, thick beard and a well-groomed mustache. And because he is from Mexico, his tan is a bit darker. As I listened to his story, I noticed he is a friendly and sociable person. I believe I won't get bored working with him.

- "So I decided to come to Europe. I believe I will have more potential here. I hope that through my work, I can make changes in society."

Society? How do we define it today? We are divided into two classes: ordinary people and the Others. We ordinary people are considered normal, while they are viewed as oddities. They are labeled as the abominations of society, lacking the humanity that every person possesses. And it is said that humanity is what makes us humans. They are completely different from us, even though they may look like us. As my mind was occupied with thoughts about the Others and today's society, Daniel continued to talk about his goals. It's clear he is a good person. He is not corrupted. I hope he stays that way and that society won't change him.

- "What do you think, Mark? Do you believe I will succeed?"

- "I believe you will. You seem like a charismatic person. But let's hurry to work; we don't want you to be late on your first day. Although our boss is hardworking and values punctuality, he is still an asshole. He loves to be in charge too much and thinks he knows everything."

After a brief conversation, Daniel and I entered the base. At the entrance, we had to show our accreditation. Without it, no one is allowed to enter. The base looks like a fortress, surrounded by high walls with soldiers on watch at the top. Inside, there is a large courtyard where soldiers train. All the soldiers wear the same black uniform: black boots, wide black pants, and black T-shirts. The goal is that everyone looks the same, to avoid any differences. Each soldier has a belt to hold their gun, and they carry a sword on their backs. If an Other couldn't be shot with a gun, the sword was the next option-only if you managed to catch them. From the world we earned the nickname "Black Crows".

In the center of the courtyard is the base. It resembles a pyramid, specifically a ziggurat-stepped temples. Each base has multiple floors. As this is the main base, it has over 10 floors and reaches a height of more than 50 meters. The ground floor is simply a hallway where soldiers could rest. On the first floor, there is a gym along with showers. Men and women had separate shower facilities. Above that is a large mess hall where soldiers could eat. The upper floors contain rooms for recruits who came for a six-month training period. The aim is to separate them from the outside world and teach them to belong solely to the World Safety Organization. At the top are the offices of the base boss and other administrative staff. At the very top is the office of the general of the organization. General August is currently not in Austria; he is on a mission in Africa.

- "Wow, this is quite a large base. It's much bigger than ours in Mexico."

- "This is, after all, the main base, the first one established and the largest in the world."

- "Are there additional protection bases in other European countries?"

- "Of course, there are. We have bases in Iceland, the Scandinavian Peninsula, Spain, Ukraine... We even have a base in Croatia, which is where I'm from."

- "Where did you undergo your six-month training period?"

- "I was a soldier of the first generation; my training was here in Austria."

- "So you know General August then?"

- "I do. He was my mentor and teacher. He taught me everything over the past year."

- "No way! You must be an excellent soldier. What's it like to be his student?"

As I was telling Daniel about this, I heard a voice in the distance addressing me.

- "Soldier! It's been a long time."

As soon as I recognized his voice, I knew who it was.