In life people always said to look forward, that was a message Apollo believed in. Apollo believed in this so much to the point where the crimes, sins and regrets he did before coming to this world were in the name of the future.
"I wonder if I'm even allowed to have another chance. I'm not a believer of fate but the universe is a funny thing." Apollo muttered to himself as he saw the number on the various doors get higher, eventually he reached his destination. Exactly like the HR office bolded letters saying 'Logistics Office' was on top of the door. As soon as he reached for the door a girl about an inch shorter than him opened first.
"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The girl said as she ran her hand through her orange hair.
"No problem, actually I'm new here starting today and I was told to find someone named Angelina. Any idea where I can find them?" Apollo asked.
"Oh, that would be me." Angelina gestured to herself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I need to drop something at the moment, you can sit in the office until I come back; don't worry it won't take long." She said as she dashed down the hall.
Apollo decided to listen to what she said and walked inside the office. The office itself wasn't too unfamiliar to him; first it was large. He thought that there were gonna be tons of files but instead there was a large amount of machines and tools inside, along with tons of boxes. It was reading all the various labels, it took a moment before this action dawned on him.
'Wait, wait, wait. I'm reading the words; they mean something. I'm not a failure of a creature!'
From the outside Apollo seemed calm and collected but on the inside he was jumping for joy as if his mom brought him food. Apollo continued to look around the room seeing various other Rhodes Island members moving about, all of them having animal characteristics attached to them. However some were more apparent than others, while most of them had horns and tails; one of them had a head that resembled a lizard.
"I'm back, Apollo." Apollo turned around to once again see Angelina with some papers in hand.
"Welcome back, what's that you have in your hand." Apollo said as he continued to look around the room.
Angelina faced the paper towards Apollo showing a long list. "It's the items we need to move from here to various departments. They tend to give us interns this type of work." Angelina said as she sighed.
"You're also an intern? Then who is the head of the department?" Apollo asked while instead of looking at the whole room; focused on the large amount of boxes.
"The head of the department would be the leader of Rhodes Island, Amiya. You'll love her, she is very kind to us; infected or not." Angelina said with pure confidence in her words.
"Well I have no reason to believe in you, but I'll withhold my opinion. Besides that, what's the first order I have?" Apollo said as he looked at the paper Angelina held out.
Angelina pointed to the corner that had a large number of packages taped sealed. "All of these are going to the engineering department. Closure and the others seem to be doing something big, I wonder how cool it's gonna be?" Angelina said with a bright smile on her face.
Apollo could only smile as he looked at her. "So all move all these boxes to the engineering department, can you show me the way?" Apollo asked as he pulled a handful of spheres out of his chest. He tossed them on the floor and they transformed into the homunculi that he was gonna be known for in Rhodes Island in the future.
This startled Angelina and other operators that happened to look over. "Wha-what just happened?" She asked clearly confused, so much in fact that you could see ellipses above head.
"It's my art, it allows me to create and give order to these homunculi. Maybe this is why Orchid sent me to the Logistics department. It will make large orders like this a lot easier on you guys." Apollo said as he walked towards one of the boxes.
Once Angelina got over her excitement they started moving the boxes. She showed the way towards the engineering department which was near the top of the landship. Apollo was amazed by the department, seeing all these inventors and minds coming together to study, form and create. It reminded him of the three branches of the Mages Association.
The process didn't take too much time. With Apollo's magecraft the moving of the packages was increased at an alarming rate, what normally would have taken Angelina and others an hour or so to finish only took a mere thirty minutes. Currently Angelina and Apollo were bringing up the last two packages.
"I'm so glad you are the team now, Apollo. I couldn't imagine how long this would have taken, nor could I imagine how badly my back would be hurting. I would rather not have back problems before I'm in my thirties." Angelina said relief present in her tone.
The two continued to talk as they entered the engineering department but they were greeted with surprise to say the least. It was Closure trying to kidnap one of Apollo's homunculi so she could understand how it works. They soon met eyes and it sent a shiver down her spine. What Closure saw was a smiling Apollo, but it wasn't a normal simple smile. Rather it had a darker undertone to it. Seeing it, Closure knew only one thing.
She was fucked and there little to no chance of getting out.
Within Rhodes Island there are a few figureheads. Kal'tsit. who is the head of the medical department, has great knowledge in countless fields outside of the medical sphere. Another one is Amiya, the young cautus who is officially Rhodes Island's leader due to her embodying the ideals and goal of the pharmaceutical company. She heads to the engineering department to find Angelina for a mission, Amiya was told by others in the logistics team that she is moving packages to Closure and the others. In her hand were some papers of the assignment, along with an operator file.
Operator Name: Apollo Kotomine
Codename: TBD
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Undisclosed
Birthday: July 9th
Race: Unknown
Height: 192cm
Combat Experience: 1 year
Infection Status: Undisclosed
Nation: Undisclosed
Physical Strength: TBT
Mobility: TBT
Physiological Endurance: TBT
Tactical Planning: TBT
Combat Skill: TBT
Originium Adaptability: TBT
Notes: Has been sent to the Logistics department for his internship.
"It seems that we have to perform a physical test for Mr. Apollo, more capable people in the Logistics department is always a good thing." Amiya continued to walk towards the automatic doors of the engineering department, however as she got closer she started to hear loud noises. Amiya being Amiya got worried so she hurried her pace. What she saw was unexpected to say the least.
"You said that you were going to give me a handful!" Closure pleaded as she used a nearby table to create space.
"I said use, not kidnap, they are very different things!"
Amiya was very confused by what was happening, she was seeing her long time friend and ally Closure getting chased by a unfamiliar person. Normally she would have been worried and rushed in to stop the conflict, however the other engineers were laughing as if this was one big joke including Angelina; so her anxiety went down.
"Ms. Closure I'm sorry to interrupt what's happening but do you or Angelina know where I could find someone named Apollo?"
"He's the one chasing Closure right now." Angelina said as she walked towards Amiya.
As Amiya was debriefing Angelina on her assignment and the people she was traveling with, Closure was still begging the others to help her deal with a very determined Apollo who wasn't mad, but wanted to stir some trouble.
"Apollo, I'm sorry I didn't ask for permission. I'll do it next time just don't kill me!." Closure said as she continued to plead.
"I see you have chosen death Closure. It has been a short time, a very short time since I've met you; but it's been a good journey so far." Apollo said as he faked tears for his soon to be dead friend.
Amiya, deciding to not see anything bad happen, walked towards Apollo with her normal friendly attitude. "You must be Mr. Apollo, our newest operator. It's a pleasure to meet you. Would it be too much for to forgive Closure for what she's done?"
Apollo turned towards the girl doing a quick scan of her. Her attire wasn't something that jarred him due to his experiences but that changed when he saw her expression. It was relaxed, joyful and pleasant. Looking at her was causing a deep throb in his heart, but not in terms of love, or affection. He took his hand off the table and took a more relaxed stance. "It's nice to meet you too...?"
Amiya catching on with what he was asking. "Amiya, the name is Amiya."
"Well, Amiya, what can I do for you?" Apollo asked.
Amiya told him about the need for a physical evaluation. Apollo, understanding this decided to drop the issue with Closure telling her that she can use the homunculi, even ordering them to listen to both her and Angelina while he's gone. With that Apollo and Amiya left the department and headed towards the testing grounds where Ms. Doberman is normally stationed. They both had small talk, mainly regarding why Apollo decided to join Rhodes Island.
Once they reached the training facility Apollo was greeted with another large room. Various obstacles were scattered around with a clear opening in the center. It was as if they mixed a military training area with a dojo.
"Oh it's you."
Apollo and Amiya turned towards the voice to see another woman. Her compared to Amiya already had Apollo on his toes. He got a familiar feeling when looking at her demeanor, way of standing; all of it.
"Good afternoon Ms. Dobermann, I was hoping you could do a physical test for our newest intern?" Amiya asked not at all affected by Dobermann's presence.
The woman who resembled a dog in Apollo's eyes scanned him from head to toe, and toe to head. Dobermann's hand went to her hip grabbing her infamous whip which has caused slight trauma to many of the younger operators.
"I see. What's your name, newbie?" She asked as she continued to stare at him with determined eyes.
"Apollo Kotomine, but I would appreciate it if you called me Apollo." He replied with a bright smile and his famous thumbs up.
"Get ready and meet me in the center of the room." Dobermann as she walked away from the duo.
"I'm always ready, Dobermann." Apollo said as he followed her to the center of the room.
"Instructor Dobermann." She replied with a stern expression.
Amiya said some words to Dobermann before she left the room. Leaving the Perro named Dobermann, and the human named Apollo. A moment later a cracking sound was heard causing an echo to bounce around the area. It was Dobermann's whip.
"I say this to all of our operators, but I do not care for where you came from or how you lived. Rich, poor, privileged, handicapped, infected or not; you are all equal when it comes to my training." Dobermann said without a hint of hesitation
The way she spoke reminded Apollo of various people he has meant in his life. All of them having combat experience, normally they were mages from the Clock Tower or executors from the Church.
"Now we will begin."
For physical evaluation of course all of them required intense effort from the person, well for most people. Beings like Apollo who has fought, ran and did things many would consider impossible. Simple taskings that Ms. Dobermann asked were easy, if he really wanted he could have easily done them.
"Ms. Dobermann, what is the average amount of time or how long do people normally last doing this?" Apollo asked questions like this at any chance he got making sure he is always average. Along with the various physical tests Apollo was ordered to do, there were also a few mental exams. Dobermann explained it was for 'Tactical Planning'.
"Stop!" Dobermann shouted announcing the end of another test.
"I know you are exhausted but you only have one more to go. One on one combat." Dobermann continued.
This however was something Apollo always considered happening but didn't wish for it. Apollo doesn't want to fight that much in this new world. He wants to be more peaceful here than being seen as a calamity back home. As Dobermann approached the center of the room for combat, the door opened. They both turned to see a girl in a red coat. Her defining features were of course the animal ears on her head resembling a wolf along with her gray hair yet her young appearance
"Oh if it isn't Projekt Red. What can I do for you?" Dobermann asked without letting go of her whip.
"I'm leaving soon, so I came to warm up." Red answered.
Even though Dobermann and Projekt Red are of different races Perro and Lupo respectively, Dobermann was still wary of Projekt Red's presence. It was a well known thing for all the Lupo and a lot of the Perro to be worried around Projekt Red, likely due to their animalist instincts warning them.
"I see, then maybe training with our newest recruit will help both of you." Dobermann suggested.
Throughout Projekt Red's life she endured a lot of hardship just like many other operators head in Rhodes Island, this allowed her to push her abilities, instinct to its limit constantly. These abilities are what allowed Amiya, and Kal'tsit to put Projekt Red as the leader of the 'S.W.E.E.P' unit. While Projekt Red turned her gaze to Apollo a signal was sent through her brain.
"That's acceptable." Projekt Red said as she and Dobermann switched places.
As both Projekt Red and Apollo got into the center of the room, and entered their stance. Both Projekt Red and Dobermann were confused by the stance Apollo had taken, it was a form neither had seen before. As they were about to begin, Projekt Red had one last thought.
"He's dangerous. Very dangerous."