CHOICE (On Hold)

Chapter 4

Abbatiam de Sanctum.

The Academy.

Established at the dawn of the New World, it initially comprised of an abbey, before further expansion was deemed necessary. It was primarily created as the main headquarters for Internal Security, before the assassin program was created.

The abbey, a squared-off perpendicular structure styled in classical gothic architecture, made up the main entrance into the sanctuary, cutting an imposing statue from the other brick buildings in the surrounding vicinity. It had been part of the Old World, but had undergone sizeable renovations over the years in order to maintain its structure. The inside of the abbey had been stripped of most classical designs, creating more open spaces within the sanctuary. Since the expansion, the abbey served as the main security station of the Sanctum, before gaining any additional access.

Towards the back of the abbey, was an enclosed footpath which joined the abbey to the four-storey post-modern building. The building housed the personnel offices such as military personnel, handlers, and other officials who aid in the running and maintenance of the Sanctum. Underneath the structure, four levels beneath the surface, housed The Academy, commonly dubbed 'the hole'. It was where the recruits lived for the entirety of their training. Broken, built and honed into the becoming the perfect killing machines.

I steeled myself against the barrage of memories. This was neither the time nor place to take a trip through memory lane. Pulling my hood tighter over my head I made my way through the abbey. The security procedures here were, if lack for a better word, thorough. They never missed a thing. One of the reasons no one in their right mind had ever attempted an assault on the Sanctum.

"Kindly remove the hood," the hulking man before me said.

I sighed.

I had hoped to get through the security without having to remove the hood. It was one of the reasons I steered clear of this place, and everyone in it. Dropping the hood back, I felt the ponytail I had twisted atop my head fall down my back. The gasps had been instantaneous. The whispers close behind.

This was why I wore the hood.

Recognition.

"Snow." I heard them mutter.

I despised the attention.

It completely betrayed everything an assassin was, and stood for. And only in this place did the anonymity of my identity completely shutter the code of an assassin... Secrecy. It did not help either when you were some sort of legend among the academy, or the fact that you had to have the oddest white hair and ice-blue eye-color combination around the place.

The upside of it all, was the fact that security was much quicker and less stringent than usual, allowing me to replace my hood to its original position, and exit the building.

My mood had turned to shit. And I only hoped that the meeting didn't drag out longer than necessary.

Stepping into the cold polished steel elevator, I pressed the third floor button.

No movement.

This wasn't unusual for anyone who sought to gain access into the two top-most floors. Only the key figure heads were situated in those floors. And their security was a paramount factor.

Owing to this, the sleek transformation of the elevator control panel into a keyboard was nothing new. I keyed in my ID number before the female automated voice blared through the in-built speakers.

"Welcome agent. Kindly place your right hand onto the screen."

Following her swift instructions, I placed my hand onto the screen swiftly locking in my biometrics. The green light from the screen was confirmation enough that my credentials had checked out. The consequences of a failed biometric was no secret- with them neatly written out in the rules and regulations manual of the Sanctum.