Book I Chapter 4: Projekt Red

Dobermann stood across the field. "Get into position, Messiah. It's time we brought today's session to an end." She smirked. "I hope getting beat silly taught you a thing or two."

"One of these days… I swear: I will win." Finding a spot on the side of the arena, Aurelian drew himself to his full height. Though he didn't have much experience in combat, he was confident in his training.

"Rules are the same: no powers and first to strike wins. You may start when ready."

"Don't blame me if you need surgery after this!"

She scoffed.

Aurelian wasn't so foolish as to rush his opponent. He knew Dobermann's whip could reach farther than his staff. He had learned that the hard way, but by how much? He needed to know.

He charged.

"That was dubious at best. Usually, you try to hide at the very least."

"We'll see about that. This time, I've got a plan." Aurelian kept a close eye on his opponent, searching for any signs of movement. Over the past two weeks, he had learned a few things about the whip. First, its attacks were predictable. If he wanted to avoid a strike to the chest, all he needed to do was watch carefully. Second, it was most effective at range. The whip wasn't a true melee weapon. It needed a certain amount of space to function properly. He just needed to get within that space and it would be all over.

Within seconds, Dobermann was preparing to strike. Aurelian slid to a halt and leaped back the moment she flicked her arm.

Four meters. About 12 feet. Longer than he had thought.

"Hoh… You're improving. That's the first time you've completely dodged my attack."

Aurelian smirked. "I've got more coming, don't you worry." He leaped towards his instructor.

"Doing the same thing? I taught you better than that!" With another flick, Dobermann sent the tip of her whip sailing toward him. Instead of pulling back, Aurelian fell to the ground and slid beneath the reach of her weapon. He smirked, expecting to see a look of shock on her face. His heart fell when was met with a frigid indifference. Dobermann violently pulled her weapon down, changing the direction of its momentum.

"Too naive!"

"Oh shi—" He instinctively raised his staff to block the incoming attack. The whip struck his weapon, wrapping itself around it.

"Hup!" Dobermann pulled, plucking the staff from his hands. Aurelian watched helplessly as his prized possession sailed through the air and into her grasp. "Any last words?"

"This is going to hurt isn't it?"

"Yes." She slashed her whip against his body, striking along its vertical axis and leaving minor burns in its wake.

Laughter echoed throughout the hall. "What was that!? 'Don't blame me if you need surgery.' You thought you would win?!"

"I'm glad you're having fun, Hibiscus."

The medical intern was dressed in her usual shirt and tie, though it seemed she had decided to forgo her jacket. She pulled herself to a seated position—hands between outstretched legs. She smiled sweetly. "Who me? Nooo."

"I'm starting to see why your sister hates you."

"Lava loves me!"

Dobermann sighed, returning his staff. "This sparring session is over. That was your fourth loss today, Messiah. Get up so we can discuss your performance." She glared as he wobbled to his feet. "You have shown slight improvements. Your reflexes are a bit faster."

"Is that it?" Two weeks of daily beatings just for that?

"Yes, that's it. It's only been 14 days, so don't get your hopes up. Progress will be slow. As for your 'plan'...you had the right idea, I'll give you that, but the execution was terrible. Not only did you fail to consider a counterstrike, but you lost your weapon to your opponent. That's a death sentence on the battlefield. You are too dependent on your powers and without a proper weapon, you are unable to fight effectively. I suggest you pick up a secondary weapon."

"Any recommendations?"

"Well, the sword for one, but I believe you should try different types of weapons. Ask around, I'm sure someone would be willing to help."

"Alright. I'll look into it." Aurelian was a bit displeased with Dobermann's evaluation. He thought things were going perfectly fine. He only lost because she forbade him from using his powers. "Thanks, Dobermann."

"Instructor Dobermann." Hibiscus corrected.

"Dobermann."

She kicked him in the shin. "Don't be so rude!"

"Why are you even here?" Aurelian hissed, rubbing his new injury. "Don't you have work or something?"

"Dr. Kal'tsit's orders! You still haven't taken your medical exam."

"That's right…I keep forgetting. Does it have to be now?"

The medical intern stomped her feet. "Yes! We'll be docking with Lungmen within the week. We need to check your BOCD levels before entering the city."

"My what?"

"Blood Originium-Crystal Density?"

"Blood Original…"

Hibiscus sighed. "Blood Originium-Crystal Density, or BOCD, is a measure of how much Originium is circulating in a patient's body. It's kind of like an Oripathy test."

Aurelian frowned. He didn't like where this was going. "Is there a reason why Lungmen requires this?"

"Well… Lungmen isn't known for its charity towards the infected."

He sighed. I knew it. Another city rife with suffering. "Can I just… not go to Lungmen? Can't I stay on the landship?"

"Yeah, of course! But it seems like Dr. Kal'tsit has something for you in mind."

He groaned. That was never a good sign. Through their brief interactions, Aurelian had come to learn that Dr. Kal'tsit's requests were synonymous with the word 'troublesome'. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Raising her staff with a smile, Hibiscus marched around him. "Follow me!" Aurelian smiled. Her energy was like a breath of fresh air. He could always count on her to brighten his day.

"Bye-bye, Instructor Dobermann!" She said, marching out the door.

Aurelian threw a wave over his shoulder. "See ya', teach!"

"Enjoy the rest of your day."

The two friends stepped out of the training room and into the adjacent hall. "So Hibiscus?"

"Mhm!"

"Any chance you could get these burns healed?"

She shook her head with a smile. "Nice try! You know Instructor Dobermann forbade us from healing you."

He sighed, dragging his staff behind him. He had yet to be assigned an official role on the Island. Medical operators, like Hibiscus, were often found in the Medical Ward where they cared for infected patients and prepared Oripathy treatment drugs for sale. The majority of the remaining operators worked odd jobs such as production, mining, logistics, and Human Resources. As the resident newbie, he wasn't fully qualified for any of the jobs available, so most of his time was spent training, eating, and sleeping. Whatever free time he had was spent visiting Jessica at the Medical Ward. The poor feline had been unconscious since the night he had rescued her. He was starting to worry, but unfortunately, all information regarding the incident and her condition was made confidential by the order of Kal'tsit. Something had gone wrong.

"—siah? Messiah?"

"Huh?"

Hibiscus was looking up at him with concern. "Are you okay Messiah? You suddenly went quiet."

"Sorry. I was just lost in thought."

"Were you thinking about Jessica again?"

"Yeah."

The Sarkaz smiled. "Don't be afraid. Rhodes Island has the best doctors in the world!"

Her comforting words were appreciated, but they rang hollow. It was easy to be number one if they were the only ones trying. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Hibiscus."

Hibiscus beamed. She led them through a maze of hallways before passing through a large gate with an overhead sign that read "MEDICAL WARD" in dark bold lettering. Aurelian would have lost his way if it weren't for the bright red strip running down the center of the hall. It served as a visual path that led straight to the operating rooms deep within the confines of Rhodes Island. At least I know where I am…

The friendly intern smiled and waved at passing personnel as she navigated through the bright halls of the Medical Ward. It seemed like she knew every one of them by name. Some he recognized from his daily visits to Jessica. He could only offer a meek bow in greeting. They walked by several named offices—important members of staff he presumed.

Dr. Silence

RN Gavial

Dr. Shining

Dr. Folinic

RN Sussuro

They stopped before a door belonging to one Dr. Warfarin. "We're here! This is Dr. Warfarin's office. She's the leading Hematologist here at Rhodes Island as well as a fellow Sarkaz—a vampire!" She stood on her toes and whispered in his ear. "She can be a bit strange at times, but other than that she's a good person."

Aurelian wasn't quite sure what to make of that and he didn't know what a vampire was. Not wanting to make a fool of himself, he simply nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Hibiscus knocked on the door. "Dr. Warfarin! It's Hibiscus. I brought Messiah as directed!" They heard the shuffling of equipment before a young woman opened the door.

The first thing he noticed was the color of her skin. If Hibiscus was pale, then Dr. Warfarin was white—bleached white. Even he, whose skin rarely saw the light of day, had more color to his face than she did. It felt unnatural.

"Oh, good afternoon Hibiscus." Dr. Warfarin turned to him. "And you must be Messiah, yes? My name is Dr. Warfarin, I'm a senior medic and one of the founding members of the Rhodes Island Medical Ward, though nowadays I mainly assist with research and health maintenance. It's nice to meet you." She offered a hand.

Aurelian smiled. She seemed like a nice, albeit a bit young, lady. To have helped with the founding of Rhodes Island, she must have started her career at a very young age. He was amongst one of the few geniuses in Terra. He gently tapped her palm with his own.

"Huh. Amiya was right, that was new. Well, enough of the chitchat, why don't you two come in." They nodded and followed her into her office. As expected of a professional researcher, the office was spacious and filled to the brim with strange machines. Hibiscus pointed them out as they passed: spectroscopes, microscopes, augurs, centrifuges, incubators. It was all Ægir to him. Dr. Warfarin stopped before a reclined chair. A couple of glass vials stood in a rack on a countertop off to the side. She gestured towards the chair.

"Have a seat, Messiah. I'll be right with you." He nodded and laid himself on the chair. His gaze wandered around the room, fascinated by objects he had never seen before.

Hibiscus looked amused. "You act as if you've never been to a doctor's office before."

Aurelian shook his head. "I haven't." He had heard of doctors, surgeons, and the things they did, but he had never experienced it for himself.

She was taken aback. "Really?" A sly smile slithered onto her face. It disappeared as quickly as it came, replaced with the usual cheerful expression.

He chalked it up to his imagination.

"Don't be scared! Dr. Warfarin will only be performing a quick check-up." Aurelian smiled. It comforted him to know he had such a kind and caring friend. He continued his visual exploration, missing the devious expression on Hibiscus's face.

Shortly after, Dr. Warfarin returned carrying a tray of tubes and plugs. She immediately set about setting up her equipment.

"So, Messiah. When was the last time you saw a doctor?" Warfarin asked.

"Well, I saw Dr. Kal'tsit across the hall the other day. Does that count?"

The doctor laughed, squeezing a tube into one of the plugs. "You're a funny one, aren't you? I meant when was your last checkup?"

He blushed. "Oh, uh I've never had one before?"

"Truly?"

"Yeah."

She smiled. "We'll I'm honored to be your first! I hope you'll find it to be a pleasurable experience."

Hibiscus blushed at the innuendo.

"Thank you, doctor."

Nodding, Warfarin sat on a nearby chair. "May I ask you to roll up your sleeve? Normally, I'd say sleeves, but it looks like one of them's already prepared."

"Yeah, had to tear it off." Aurelian shifted his sleeve up his arm and held it in place by his armpit. "Is here good, doctor?"

"Perfect." Warfarin began wiping down the inner part of his forearm.

"What's the cleaning for?"

"Oh, it's to ensure your skin is free of Originium so we don't accidentally induce a false positive when the needle enters your body."

"I'm sorry, did you say needle?"

"Yes, how else would I extract the blood? With my mouth?" Dr. Warfarin asked, laughing at her joke.

Hibiscus sidled up next to him, the devious smile returning to her face. "Don't be scared!" She cooed, patting him on the head. "Hibiscus onee-san will hold your hand. You'll be safe here with me!"

"You…"

Hibiscus batted her eyelashes innocently, grabbing his hand. "Me?"

"Hibiscus, I must ask you to give him some space, I can't safely draw blood with you so close."

The intern leaned closer, her purple hair tickling his bare arm. "I'll be back…" She whispered.

He shivered with fear. She was plotting something. Pulling back, Hibiscus offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Dr. Warfarin. He's all yours!"

"Alright, on the count of three, I'm going to insert the needle. Are you ready?"

Hibiscus whipped out her phone.

He nodded. Unconsciously gripping Hibiscus's hand, he prepared for his inevitable demise.

"One…"

Pinch

His screams echoed throughout the Medical Ward.

"She lied to me!" Aurelian slammed his fists against the table, knocking over a tower of used cups. The other occupants of the cafeteria looked on with morbid fascination as he slurped up his twelfth milkshake through his helmet. "I was betrayed and deceived from the very beginning! She said 'on the count of three', but she only counted to one!"

Hibiscus licked her ice cream and smiled. There was something cute about watching him act like a child. She reached out to pat the top of his helmet. "There, there, Hibiscus onee-san will make it all better!" He threw her a withering glare.

"You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you?"

"Now, do you see why I'd rather be alone?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Lava."

"Don't know why you're apologizing… It was for your own good."

He shrugged. He returned his attention to the medical intern. She was happily licking away with a smile on her face. "I thought you didn't eat ice cream, Hibiscus?"

"What?! Not eat ice cream? I'd die! Like with all things, it must be kept in moderation. Something you seem to be struggling with…" She mumbled, eyeing his stack of cups. "I'll have to monitor your meals…"

A chime over the ship-wide intercom interrupted their conversation. "Will operator Messiah please report to the control room? Thank you."

"I hate it when she does that."

"That sounds like Dr. Kal'tsit. You better hurry up!"

Sucking up the remaining shake, Aurelian collected his twelve cups. Walking over to the nearest trash bin, he grumbled. "Can't be good news."

"Oh, you'll be fine! I'm sure it's nothing bad."

"We'll see. I'll see you two later."

"Bye-bye!"

"Whatever."

Aurelian sighed as he waited for the elevator. He felt like he was sighing more these days. Probably the stress from trying to fit in. The usual ding announced its arrival. A white-haired Kuranta was already in the elevator, fiddling with some kind of mobile device. She looked up and dropped her device, mouth agape. He chuckled.

"Every time I see you, you're dropping something. Are you alright?"

She scrambled to pick up her device. "Y-yes. I'm fine. Thank you very much." She plastered herself against the far wall, making sure to keep an eye on him.

He frowned. "Do I scare you?"

"Wh-what? N-no." She cleared her throat. "No, of course not." The doors opened but neither of them got off. Writing it off as someone's prank, he thought nothing of it.

Aurelian shrugged as the elevator reached the top floor. "Well this is my stop, I'll be seeing you."

She nodded as the door closed behind him. The Kuranta collapsed with a sigh of relief. She needed to hurry. She had missed her floor.

Aurelian found Amiya and Dr. Kal'tsit leaning over a glowing table. "What the heck is this?"

Amiya jumped. "Oh, Messiah! You're here! This is a holographic map. We're currently using it to track Rhodes Island as we approach our destination." Sure enough, upon further inspection, he could see a tiny image of the landship inching its way toward the city of Lungmen.

"Interesting…"

Dr. Kal'tsit pulled away from the table. "Thank you for coming. As you know, each operator has an assigned position in one of our various departments. However, you have yet to receive one as we were unable to find a position that fit your area of expertise."

He smirked. "So what, am I getting fired?"

"Not yet."

Not yet?! That was meant to be a joke!

She continued. "We'll talk about your position in a moment, but first there's something we must discuss. We have received reports detailing a sharp increase in violence against the infected across the continent. In addition, there are rumors of growing violent resistance movements in various states such as Ursus, Victoria, Yan, and most recently—Minos."

Amiya stepped forward. "Dr. Kal'tsit and I are very concerned about these developments and we'd like to keep an eye on this chain of events. However, Rhodes Island currently lacks the infrastructure to maintain a proper intelligence network and none of our operators are able, or willing, to leave their post to participate."

I've got a bad feeling about this…

"And that's where you come in, Operator Messiah. As the most recent addition to Rhodes Island and because of your secluded upbringing, your existence is still unknown to Terra at large. Meaning your association to Rhodes Island, as of now, cannot be traced." He wanted to hide. Leave it to Dr. Kal'tsit to find something troublesome to do.

"You are also a Sage of Higashi: a title well respected by all of Terra. One we could use to our advantage."

"Now hold on, I'm only a monk. I'm no Sage."

Amiya winked. "We read between the lines."

Oh boy.

"Thus, we have decided to appoint you as an assistant to operator Firewatch who will act as the new head of the Investigative Department. The formal name is up to them to decide." Kal'tsit explained. "We are taking a great risk by appointing you as a member of intelligence. There can be no mistakes."

"Who's Firewatch?"

A young woman clad in green stepped out from the shadows, startling him. "That would be me."

"Were you there the whole time?" She merely nodded.

Are those antlers? He had to resist the urge to grab ahold of them.

"We realize that neither of you has formal experience with investigations and intelligence gathering," Amiya said, "so we have decided to look for a second party to assist in its development—Lungmen!"

"Amiya and I have been negotiating with Wei Yenwu of Lungmen for the past few weeks and although the negotiations were tough, we have managed to strike a deal. You and Firewatch will be participating in an exchange program with the LGD for about two months. There you will observe and assist the Special Inspections Unit with its ongoing investigations. In return, we will host members of the LGD during our investigations and share intelligence about the resistance movement."

"Uh… okay?"

"If you are worried about security, then rest assured, Dr. Kal'tsit will send an escort. She will be more than enough to keep everyone safe. Do you have any questions?"

He nodded. "Just one. Does Lungmen have a library?"

Kal'tsit hummed in thought. "I believe they do. They have several. Why?"

"Just something I want to research."

"Very well. Oh, and do take care to not irritate or antagonize the LGD. Am I clear, Operator Messiah?"

He saluted. No sense in sticking around. "Crystal!"

"Start packing. You have until tomorrow. Report to hangar 1A at 07:00 sharp." With a nod, he left for his room.

Kal'tsit waited until she was sure he wouldn't return. With a snap, a red blur jumped to her side, kneeling behind her.

"Do you understand?"

"Red… accepts mission."

"Good. Introduce yourself and make sure he doesn't cause a diplomatic incident. Messiah is prone to irritating people he doesn't like, so keep an eye on him. He is to never be left alone. Make sure either you or Office Ch'en is with him at all times. Terra knows what he'll do if left to his own devices." Kal'tsit paused and glanced over her shoulder. "Use lethal force if necessary."

"Red understands."

Aurelian sifted through what little belongings he had. Thankfully, Rhodes Island had an onboard department store so he was able to purchase essentials with his sign-up bonus. Saga had insisted he purchases some spare clothing besides his usual cloak. Not that he would ever need it.

Let's see, a toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear, jeans, shirts, and socks. That's it right? Might as well bring the Rhodes Island cloak, just in case. Oh and the sleeping mask. He paused. There was a knock on his door. Walking over, he slid the door open and stepped out into an empty hall. Huh, there's no one here. He re-entered his room, closing the door behind him.

"…"

"…"

Aurelian screamed. Sitting on his bed, was a Lupo girl in a red jacket busy eating his food. "Holy shit! How'd you get in here?!"

"Door."

"But I was just there!"

The girl merely gazed up at him. "Red walked."

Aurelian scratched his left cheek. He couldn't quite grasp what she was trying to say. He froze.

His cheek.

A sinking realization slowly dawned on him—he was unmasked. Furious, Aurelian dove for his helmet on his bed, knocking over his luggage. The Lupo pulled it away before he could grab it. He landed next to her.

"Hey! Hand it over, bitch! You don't know what that means to me!"

"Red… not afraid." Aurelian froze. He felt his anger wither away. In its place, a prickling sense of cautious hope tickled its way past his defenses. "Don't hide from Red."

"My face…" He hesitated. "It doesn't disgust you?"

Projekt Red stared down at him. "Disgust?"

"You're kidding me? Half of my face is missing." But the serious look on her face told him all he needed to know. He sat up.

"What is… disgust?"

"It's an ugly feeling…" He sighed. "When you feel disgusted, a simple thought is enough to make you flinch. When you see something disgusting, you'd do anything to avoid interacting with it. Even in pictures, just the thought of touching a picture of something or someone will make you angry."

"Disgust truly is the ugliest of all feelings. Only when you're disgusted, are you able to feel fear, hate, revulsion, and desperation all at the same time. Here, let me show you something." Holding up his jaw with one hand, Aurelian reached into his mouth and switched off his artificial muscle. The device disengaged with a snap-hiss. Red watched with guarded curiosity as he slowly removed the bulky object from his mouth. Slowly lowering his hand, Aurelian's jaw swung open.

She blinked. "Messiah hungry?" He shook his head. Using his free hand, he repeatedly raised and lowered his jaw. Red's head slightly tilted to one side. "Chewing?"

"Aaah" He sounded out, pointing towards his open mouth. Her eyes widened imperceptibly.

"Can't move…" He nodded. She pointed towards him and then herself. "Red… and Messiah are same."

We're the same?

Sensing his confusion, she continued. "People… scared. Red is broken. Messiah is broken. Red can't feel, so Red can't smile. Messiah has no face, so Messiah can't smile. So same. Messiah also hears grandma?"

His eyebrows furrowed together. Grandma?

"Grandma calls to Red. Red can hear grandma." Aurelian shook his head. Whoever this 'grandma' was, he couldn't hear their voice. "Red understands…Messiah is not a wolf."

Aurelian returned the device to his mouth. Testing its fit, he opened and closed his jaw a few times. He knew she hadn't truly accepted him. She only accepted him because she was physically incapable of rejecting him. It was both comforting and heartbreaking: someone other than his family could see beyond his disfigurement, but could only do so because she didn't understand emotions.

Reaching up, he placed a hand between her ears. She flinched but otherwise offered no resistance. "Well. Aren't you a good girl?"

"Red…is good?"

"Yes... Red is good. Would you like to be friends?"

The wolf looked down at the helmet in her hands. "Red…doesn't have friends. Everything, Red does alone. Wolves don't need friends…so Red doesn't need friends."

He shook his head. Something about Projekt Red felt wrong: like someone had removed the parts of her that let her feel. "That's not true. Everyone needs friends. Even wolves hunt in packs. Without a pack, wolves can't hunt properly.

"Messiah thinks Red needs pack to hunt?"

"Well, that was an example, but yeah." He chuckled. "I think you need a pack."

"Hunting is important. Messiah join Red's pack?"

"If you'll have me."

She nodded slowly. "Messiah is part of Red's pack. Red will…protect Messiah." A warm feeling bubbled up from her chest, floating to the surface like little packets of energy. Confused by the foreign sensation, She crushed them beneath her steel heart. Red survived so far without them, so she didn't need them. "Red is Alpha. Red will… stay here." She patted his bed. Red then pointed towards his new sofa. "Messiah sleeps there."

"You're staying here?"

"Kal'tsit's orders."

He shrugged. Who was he to question the doctor's orders? "Alright." He looked around his room. His neatly folded clothing was now strewn across the floor. Pulling out his phone, Aurelian checked the time: 20:00. Knowing his sleeping pattern, he knew he'd get more sleep if he slept now and woke up early.

"Red, I'm going to sleep early. Wake me up at 5:00 so I can finish packing."

The Lupo thought for a moment before nodding. "Red will allow this."

Since when did I need your permission? Well, as long as she agrees…