The virgin white walls glow softly with balanced illumination vibrantly projected, encasing the great open room with smooth corners, as there was an ethereal sense in the room, an endless white blanket stretching out for all space. In the center of the room seems to be a circular platform atop the white floor, seemingly a sizable disk, with a subtly distinct chrome body, large enough for several people to stand on.

Etched into the far wall is a bright opening into the outside world, the entrance to the surreal space. While the opening initially resonates a balanced glow, it is suddenly drenched in a dark shadow, blackening momentarily as though something from beyond was entering.

The black shadow projects itself into the room in the silhouette of a human figure, which immediately colorizes due to the adequate lighting to reveal the silhouette to be of a man of average height, dawning a sullied leather jacket with the hood down, revealing his four distinct white locks of hair on an otherwise bald head.

The figure steps into the room, continuing deeper in hauled strides, as though towing his own body forth while attempting to overcome the ill of exhaust. Yet at the same time, his steps are not particularly slow, as he moves with a haste as though he is either willing to approach somewhere, or escape someone.

Behind the man, another figure approaches through the entrance, his initial silhouette noticeably taller and leaner. The figure enters the room, revealed to be another man in a brown overcoat with a wholly bald head which reveals several apparent wrinkles and scarring.

The man too walks with a more enthusiastic glide, for while his figure seems toiled his soul seems pure, waltzing into the room with delight as he strides towards the former figure with the loyal admiration of a dog following his owner, yet this dog had leashed the owner to himself.

The Tempest approaches the center of the room, and steps onto the chrome platform before coming to a stop at the center. He doesn’t move his head, for he only raises his hand forward, as though trying to reach for something although there is nothing apparently present before him.

While he does, the Alchemist behind him follows onto the chrome platform before lowering his head and examining the circular disk, humming loudly in curiosity before raising his head and surveying the room in its entirety.

In front of the Tempest’s hand, a blue translucent flat screen appears seemingly projected from nowhere, as though manifesting as an individual entity from the air. The screen hovers before his hand, appearing similar to the holographic signs of the Express Station earlier, with a low opacity that makes it seemingly semi existent, like a ghost.

The Tempest moves his hand carefully towards the bottom of the screen, which seems to be composed of a series of circles similar to the interface of an old twenty first century elevator, although there is a far wider range of buttons with a greater width to allow for ease of use without requiring absurd height or squatting. The exhausted man taps on one of the circular buttons, which triggers the screen to vanish.

Suddenly, the circular disk ascends off the floor, rising up with no more than a soft hum, giving no visible exhaust as it effortlessly carries the two men with such a seemingly thin body and no visible motorization.

With the disk off the ground and ascending higher up the room, it becomes perceptible that the disk was not on the white floor, but instead there seems to be a soft glossy white surface over a perfectly circular hole in the floor right under where the disk had been before. The glossy surface is somewhat transparent, as though another projection, and yet it was solid enough to carry the weight of what could be an unfortunate dweller.

The circular disk elevates beyond the room itself, traversing a vertical shaft that reaches to the heavens, transporting the two men to even greater heights beyond the altitude they had parked on prior.

Inside the shaft, the two men stand in silence, as the Tempest’s eyes face the white walls surrounding him, and the Alchemist behind him stares at his back eagerly, still dawning the curious expression as his head tilts contemplatively.

While the Tempest’s dull blue eyes seem disinterested and desensitized to his surroundings, the Alchemist’s shining yellow eyes display an immense intrigue and fascination with the circumstances which he had followed into.

Overwhelmed with anticipation, Ekitai inquires: “So, what are we doing here? This place is something. Very bright though, this world has too many lights, makes everything feel a bit fuzzy ya know?”

The Tempest does not answer the man’s question however, for he continues to stand in solitudinal silence, basking in the undesirable awkwardice of his situation.

Determined to strike conversation, Ekitai continues: “I think I know this place though…uh…it’s the ‘X-Prints’ corporation's headquarters, right? Those guys that do everything, research, retail, hell you know what I’ve heard that they even work with the government to produce weapons lethal to Exhumans! I mean who does the CEO think he is, some kinda capitalist schmuck? Or wait, was it a her? I can’t remember, too many big buildings here, too much to keep track of, I swear I can’t believe people live in such a busy place. So much sound, must be a terrible place to get hung over huh? So anyways, what are we doing here, boss?”

The Tempest grits his teeth with a tsk in irritation to Ekitai’s one-sided conversation before demanding with an affronted tone, “Don’t call me ‘boss,’’' as though something about that very title bothered him.

Ekitai’s head tilts in perplexion, his eyebrow raised, however he only lingers on contemplation for a moment before straightening himself and responding in a relaxed and falsely comprehensive voice, “Oh yeah, sorry, you’re right, a bit too structural isn’t it? How about…’partner?’ Yeah, much better, we make for great partners anyways! I got the charm, and you got the…uh…brooding. We make a great pair!”

The Tempest lowers his head and lets out a tired sigh, “When we reach the floor, please let me do the speaking, we don’t…I don’t want to get kicked out of here for the wrong assumptions. Got it?”

Ekitai grins widely from the command given to him, finally some proper communication coming from his fellow. He nods his head before standing tall and stiffly, responding in a sarcastically formal and rigid voice, “Understood, roger!”

The Tempest sighs once again before murmuring to himself, “Is he too old or too young?”

Ultimately, the disk noticeably slows its ascent, smoothly yet effectively, before coming to an eventual halt.

While initially it seems as though the disk is lodged in a closed white tube, an opening forms in the circular wall beside the disk like a curved door, evaporating into a cloud similarly to the pod’s door, even with a similar albeit softer whoosh.

The Tempest is the first to step into the bright opening. His hands dug into his pockets with his head lowered. As he leaves, Ekitai follows behind excitedly, his eyesight scattering all around him as he immerses himself within the unique surroundings.

Through the opening, the two enter a much larger golden room, built similarly to an observatory in the dome ceiling. Along the walls were transparent windows revealing the world outside, bringing the soft blue sky’s vibrancy into the room. The colossal space seems to also have multiple levels visible from the bottom, a series of large balconies to allow sight of each of them to even the dome ceiling.

The walls had a majestic golden color with slightly darker lines creating fragmented patterns with illuminated golden diamonds etched into the wall, as the room didn’t seem to have the same traditional balanced illumination as others.

Due to the imperfect lighting, there were dark regions of the room, most noticeably the balconies above, giving both a vast yet claustrophobic sense for the space. The royalty of the design also felt otherworldly, heavenly in fact, as though the two were in the presence of a power far beyond their puny presences.

The Tempest enters the room, and he tilts his head up towards one of the balconies directly in front of him, raised significantly above him yet still low enough for him to get a view of the platform to be able to notice what seems to be white tables in the distance, majorly obscured from his positioning yet vaguely recognizable.

His blue eyes contract to a focused and apprehensive glare, his eyebrows curling as he stalks that particular platform indefinitely as though suspecting a significant scene to spawn in sight.

Suddenly, footsteps begin echoing throughout the room, originating from the platform, as though an unknown figure was approaching. The footsteps grow louder.. The Tempest’s glare intensifies while Ekitai casually stands behind him perplexed by the commotion.

The footsteps clarify as a silhouette appears from the far side of the balcony, approaching the edge. The black silhouette, hidden from the obscurity bestowed from the imperfection of the light, seems to have their arms behind their back in an authoritarian manner. Their steps are pronounced and elegant as if the steps themselves are commanding the pair's attention.

As the silhouette draws to the edge of the balcony, the space behind it suddenly illuminates, as though there were lights specifically not being used until this very instant. The figure, now empowered by the light reaching it, is revealed to be a female in a formal suit with a black blazer and leggings. Her shoes are black albeit for the patch of white on top, and her leggings have pronounced vertical linings.

Her black blazer seems to have a set of lights on her left side, slanted in a slender parallelogram with four components, all with a faint green glow. On the collar of her blazer, the left open flap beside her breast has a soft green light, as does the right flap at the bottom of the neck. On the ends of her sleeves are three green buttons, however they do not illuminate, and are a more turquoise shade rather than the lime green glow of her other lights.

Under her open blazer is a white shirt, seemingly a tank top with faint lining, and she wears a white belt around her waist. She seems to be about five feet and eight inches, being rather tall with a mature figure that resonates an aura of superiority.

She has fair white skin, seeming to be of European descent, and has vibrant amber hair cut short in a more masculine fashion, with one defined wide bang over her forehead but relatively well groomed without reaching far down her neck.

While she seems to be well into maturity, her body doesn’t seem sullied by senility, whether it be naturally or an indication of her impressive maintenance. She has striking lime green eyes, which stare down at the two men below, as her expression seems largely judgmental, casting an ominous glare.

Down below, Ekitai raises his head as he too notices the woman, and he tilts his head in puzzlement as he had never seen the woman before, unsure if she was familiar to his ‘partner,’ which was hard to tell due to their exchanging glares, which seemed far more hostile than anything.

Ekitai’s innocent yellow eyes track the Tempest’s cold glare up to the woman’s critical glare. Ekitai abides by the Tempest’s earlier command of silence, however he’s unsure if either of the two would break the chilling atmosphere. It was becoming exceedingly painful to not speak.

There was something deep within both of their glares, emotions rooted below the Earth, tension with greater strength than diamonds. They both stared at each other menacingly for what felt like eternity, casting harsh looks with not one of them speaking. A dark history? Secrets buried deep within the sand? Whatever the reason, it seemed as though the two were entangled in such potency that their acidic gaze melted the room.

Ultimately however, the woman breaks the silence and speaks, her voice deep and intimidating, mature and commanding, her own words spoken with the destructive might of an aerial bombing, “Who are you to stand in my presence, peasant-.”

However, before the woman could finish her intimidating speech, the Tempest interrupts with an abrupt and sternfully scolding voice, absent of mercy with only a blizzard’s cold in its place, “Dana shut up.”

The sudden verbal slap shocks Ekitai, for such insulting greetings were not anticipated for someone who seemed calm and calculated, yet there wasn’t an intense flow of emotion in those words, as though they were spoken to from above while he stood below her. Ekitai’s eyes widened in disbelief, taking a step back before facing the woman above, blinking repeatedly as he now couldn’t tell what direction the confrontation would go.

The woman above stares as her green eyes also widen in perplexion, and her cheeks redden. She moves her hands out into view, balled into fists at her side as she stares angrily back. She then immediately lunges forward and opens her mouth as though to shout, only to halt and reel herself back, rewinding herself as though attempting to formulate a response which proves difficult. She opens her mouth again, yet closes it, struggling to find the perfect comeback, retreating back to contemplation.

Ultimately her eyes contract to a glare, albeit not as intense, and she shouts with a whining voice more appropriate for an annoyed child rather than an aggravated commander, “Hey, that’s how you greet your old friend?! Well you know what, I’m technically the boss of this place so, yeah, you shut up…idiot.”

The Tempest keeps his cold glare as he stares back at the woman now identified as Dana, and he responds with the same monotonous voice, albeit now with a dry sarcasm, “You sure act like a CEO.”

Dana’s cheeks redden more, and she shakes her head like an upset child, her amber hair spinning. She then stops and stares back at the Tempest before arguing back, “Well, you uh, sure act like a grumpy old man. Hahah, old man!”

After pushing out her steam through the childish insults, she calms herself, her red cheeks lightening. Her lime green eyes then move off of the Tempest, and onto his companion, who stares back silently, unsure of how to react after having been told to not speak.

Dana’s eyes contract into a curious stare, and she speaks again, however her voice has reset back into a more stern and commanding tone, revitalizing its authority as she inquires, “Hey, you, who are you?”

Ekitai blinks twice, stepping back in hesitation as he isn’t sure how to react. He stares at Dana, and then turns to the Tempest, like a child seeking approval from a parent. His yellow eyes sparkle in innocence, waiting to be bestowed with his companion’s wisdom.

The Tempest turns his head to Ekitai after noticing the awkward silence, and he gazes unimpressively at Ekitai after realizing that he was waiting for approval, for he didn’t figure Ekitai would go so far to follow those light suggestions. He lightly nods his head, letting Ekitai speak if he couldn’t already.

A grin creeps up on Ekitai’s mouth, and he nods his head as he seems reinvigorated with spirit. He then turns back to Dana, and confidently declares, “My name’s Ekitai, and I am Rohan’s friend!”

The Tempest grits his teeth in embarrassment, as he immediately recognizes the fatal flaw of his choice of allowing Ekitai the freedom of expression, for it was such a pungent expression that drowned him in misery.

Dana’s eyebrow raises in perplexion to the declaration, as her green eyes seemed to house a barrage of questions. She takes a moment to contemplate before speaking, thinking critically to herself before then clarifying, “Rohan’s friend? Like, Rohan, that’s his only name, right?”

Ekitai’s head tilts in initial confusion, until arriving at the assumption that she was simply asking for confirmation, as his answer was rather concise and may have not been descriptive enough. He nods his head, and answers, “Yes, that’s his name alright, he’s my friend! He even let me tag along here! You know how we met? We were fighting all these weird bad guys with suits and guns at this bar together side by side, hell my man nearly went down for the count if it weren’t for my heroic save! Isn’t that right, Rohan?”

Dana’s eyes jump to Rohan before turning her head to face him, her eyes still seeming just as perplexed as before. She slightly nods her head to the side, as though silently inquisiting him.

Rohan gives a slight nod back, and then lets out a pained sigh before elaborating, “Well, that’s uhm…one way to put it. He’s just following me around…he uh…is very passionate at following me around. He’s a good…acquaintance.”

Dana hums to herself, and as she does, a section of the balcony floor she steps on suddenly begins descending slowly, wide enough to hold several people, as though a chunk of the floor was a pad similar to the elevator-esc one the two used to reach the golden room. The pad descends gently as Dana continues to hum in deep contemplation, returning her hands to behind her back.

The pad reaches the base floor, and she steps forward, approaching the two. She stops humming before questioning Rohan, “What did he mean by you ‘fighting bad guys in suits and guns at a bar?’ And this ‘nearly going down?’ Are you really still doing this? Let me guess, you didn’t come here to see your dear old friend?”

Ekitai tilts his head in confusion, and he asks curiously, “Wait, so you do know her-.”

Rohan interrupts Ekitai’s assessment with an answer to Dana’s question: “It’s a long story. Well, not really. I was at the Castin bar just minding my business, and a hitman group somehow found me and tried to take me out. It happens from time to time so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, and I was dealing with them fine on my own for most of them...but one of them had this unrecognizable blade, I’m not sure what it was but it pierced my defenses. Don’t worry though, I’m healed.”

Dana’s eyes burst wide open in shock, and she steps forward before panicking, padding Rohan’s body desperately as though attempting to find the wound while demanding, “Oh no, where did you get stabbed? I’m so sorry, those shields should be tough, there must’ve been an oversight that let them do that to you. Ah you poor thing, are you hurt, do you need a hug-.”

Rohan swiftly pushes Dana’s arms away with his right hand, abruptly terminating her padding to reject her immediate concerns. He explains calmly, “No Dana stop, I’m fine, as I said I’m healed, it’s okay. But you’re right, I came here for help, I was wondering if you could look into the suit and maybe find what’s wrong. It seems like new technology, they must be evolving faster than I am.”

Dana nods her head, and she accepts, “Okay, right away! Follow me, I just need to cancel some meetings real quick-,” suddenly, her right eye’s pupil becomes golden, and miniscule streaks of golden appear on her iris, as though she wasn’t human or had some hidden abilities.

Rohan’s eyes faintly widen, and he responds hastily and apprehensively, “Wait, if you’re busy, you don’t need to-.”

Dana shakes her head, and the golden streaks vanish, as her pupil returns to black. She assures, “Done, too late,” and turns around before walking back to the pad that she took to reach the base floor. She steps onto it, and while still facing away, she calls, “Come on, there’s enough space for you both.”

Ekitai’s yellow eyes light up in enthusiasm, and he races forward to the pad excitedly. Rohan lets out a soft sigh before apprehensively following onto the pad. Once the three get on the pad, it begins ascending similar to the pad the two took up to the room, albeit this pad is far smaller, only possibly being able to hold one or two more people.

However, that was adequate in carrying the host and her favorite guests, up in the golden observatory to seek the glaring problem within her special client’s equipment. It raises them up towards the next balcony level, lifting them up into the unknowns of what was being housed in such an interesting chamber.