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Bandalur hunched behind his desk and glowered at the scrawny Human sitting in front of him. The Boy didn't even have hair on his chin, and Bandalur couldn't help the sneer that crossed his face as he fidgeted under the Daemon's glare. The Daemon lifted a massive paw, and the Human trembled visibly as Bandalur used a claw to pick at something caught between two of many fangs. "Now it's my understandin' that yer here lookin' for a job. 'S that right?" The Human gulped noisily, but managed a shaky nod, eyes locked on the Daemon's massive fangs. Bandalur let out a small scoffing noise and settled his paw back onto the desk, his ears flicked in annoyance as the Human continued to fidget and the Daemon let out another scoff. "You seem pretty wound up there. 'm beginnin' to wonder where you even got the stones to be comin' in here if this is how yer gonna act." The Human shook his head, suddenly piping up and speaking for the first time since arriving. "Uh... S-sorry Sir. It's just that you're a lot more...." The Human used a hand to gesture at Bandalur's furry bulk. Bandalur deadpanned at the man, not amused in the slightest. "The damn Ad said that this establishment was run by a Daemon, didn't it? Or can't you read?" The large Daemon placed both paws on his desk and leaned forward suddenly, a fang filled muzzle uncomfortably close to the Man's face. "And if you can't even keep your cool in front of the man you want to hire you, maybe you might be better off workin' somewhere else, yeah?" The Human sunk down in his chair, avoiding Bandalur's gaze. The Daemon let out a huff and sat back in his chair, pointing a claw at the office door. "Get the hell out of my office. You can come back when your balls finally drop." The Human male practically flopped onto the floor before managing to scurry out of the office.
Bandalur let out a deep rumbling sigh, raising a paw to rub at his scarred muzzle. "Where the hell are they gettin' these kids? I run a damn Bar, not a daycare....." Bandalur sighed and pried himself out of his chair and lumbered towards the door and squeezed himself out of it. The search for new Employees had not been going as well as he'd hoped. Wait Staff was easy enough, though Bartenders required a certain charm to work the front, something most of his recent applicants had been lacking. Bandalur grumbled again and rubbed tiredly at his face, he wasn't even going to bother thinking about hiring a Bouncer. Not a single applicant had fit the bill, all of them either too weak or too cowardly for Bandalur's tastes.
The Daemon popped their head out front to quickly survey the Bar. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and he was about to head back when someone speaking caught his ear. Bandalur eyed the girl at the Bar along with the Daemon beside her, and was puzzled. The Girl looked like the type to be seeking a Waitress position and Bandalur would have assumed as such had it not been for the Daemon sitting next to her. Bandalur frowned, not sure what to make of her. She looked dangerous, clearly a fit for the much need Bouncer position. But he didn't like the smirk on her face, and Bandalur wondered if the Human Girl might be her handler. Sighing loudly, Bandalur lumbered to the Bar and waved away the Bartender talking to the Girl. The Daemon stared down their nose at her, bushy brows drawn together as he gave both her and the Daemon with her a once over. "'m Bandalur and I hear yer lookin' for me. We're just gonna go ahead and skip the formalities if that's alright with you two." The Daemon lifted a claw, before continuing on. "I'm assumin' you two are here for the Bouncer position, yeah? Alright. I just need you to answer a question for ol' Bandalur." The Daemon continued to stare at the Girl and the Daemon, both arms folded across his chest. "In one sentence I want you to explain to me why I should hire you. Then, based on that, we'll see how I feel about the whole thing." Bandalur closed both eyes, a large paw flapping in the air. “Don’t go feelin’ like you need to answer right away. Take your time, ‘m not goin’ anywhere.”
Massive clouds of dust and dirt were kicked up as the Helicopter touched down, and Richard was forced to press a handkerchief to his nose in order to avoid breathing it in. Nikhil’s laughter came from behind him as he exited the Chopper, the sound taking on a metallic tone within the helmet that the Lead Researcher always wore. Richard scowled, swiping futilely at the dust in his eyes before standing up straight.
Though he’d never admit it out loud, Richard had always found Nikhil’s helmet unnerving. Not being able to read someone’s face while speaking to them made it harder to judge their moods and motives. Something that Richard relied on in his work. But that wasn’t even the half of it. Even now, Richard could feel the thing scanning him, inspecting him and filing away whatever it found for future reference. He felt exposed under Nikhil’s metallic gaze and it wasn’t a feeling that Richard enjoyed in the slightest.
“Take that ridiculous thing off, and then we’ll see how much you’re laughing Nikhil.” The masked man cocked his head as he stepped forward to stand next to Richard, a gloved hand clapping the Chief of Security’s shoulder. “Come Richard, a cloud of dust is all that’s required to take you down? I suppose I’d best inform Matsuko that she’ll be taking over for you then." Richard growled and slapped the other man’s hand away, drawing another laugh from him. “A bit testy today aren’t we? Come along then, at least when you see the Facility and all the work that awaits you, you’ll have a reason to be angry.” The Researcher strode away, leaving Richard to sulk in the settling dust alone.
He managed to catch up to Nikhil easily enough, and the Chief of Security fell into stride beside him. A squat concrete building came into view and Richard frowned to himself. “I thought this was supposed to be an entire Facility Nikhil. I’m not seeing much out here.” The masked man led Richard through a chain link fence surrounding the building, nodding at several armed guards stationed by the door. “No there is indeed not much to see up here…..” Richard didn't have much time to puzzle over the Reasearcher's choice of words as Nikhil flashed an I.D. badge to the guards and they were quickly ushered through. Nikhil held the door open for Richard and allowed him to head inside first where a short hallway greeted the two of them, and at the end a pair of polished Elevator doors sat. Richard lifted a brow, casting a puzzled glance at Nikhil. “An underground Facility? This is a first for us.” Richard kept stride with Nikhil as they walked towards the elevator and waited as the Researcher swiped his I.D. card at a panel just to the left of the Elevator doors. “Well, Lorette wanted something a little more secure for our work with Sato-Yamasaki. And that’s not accounting for the space required for this project.” Nikhil, glanced over at Richard and stared at him from beneath his visor. “I should also take the time to inform you that you’ll need to be preparing to screen the people they’re sending over.” Richard let out a low groan, pressing his back against the far wall of the Elevator. “Of course I do.”
Nikhil continued to ramble on, not paying any mind to the other man’s poor mood. “This facility is located One Kilometer underground and stretches over Five Kilometers wide. At present we have close to One Thousand Employees that will be stationed here, but you can expect more to join on in the future.” Richard hummed, a gloved hand rubbing at the stubble on his face. "Five Kilometers? That's a hell of a lot of space you're asking me to cover." Nikhil nodded at the other man. "Indeed it is. But I don't think it should be a problem for you and Afnet. At least I HOPE it won't be." Nikhil stared pointedly at Richard's coat, and the Chief of Security gripped the edge with a frown. "Afnet is damn good at what they do. Don't you worry about that."
The elevator ground to a halt and the doors opened silently. Nikhil stepped through and Richard followed close behind, craning his neck back to stare up. The Facility stretched many stories above his head, and he could see people running to and fro through windows lining the halls on each level. Nikhil had kept walking, forcing Richard to run after him in order to catch up. “The Facility takes the shape of a hollow inverted cone with each level wrapping around the entire circumference. As you’ve noticed by now, they all face inward towards the center. There is a reason for this, for at the very bottom here….” Nikhill stepped across the walkway to look over the edge of a safety railing. Richard followed him and looked down as well. About a good hundred yards below them Richard could see orange vested workers scurrying across the top of a massive glass surface covering the entire bottom of the facility. The Chief of Security lofted a brow, glancing up at Nikhil. “A Containment Unit, Mr.Solberg. One of many, I assure you. But by far the largest we have.”
Richard looked back down at the Containment Unit. It wasn’t very different from the same boxes used to contain particularly unruly Daemons, but it was far larger than necessary. The Chief of Security could see a pressurized gate at one end, and knew that it led elsewhere, most likely another lab. “This is…..Nikhil. Why is it so damn big?” The man’s eyes roamed over the workers, all of them welding various metal supports to the edge of the Unit. “Reinforced pretty heavily too. And I’m sure that you’ve got all kinds contingencies inside so that whatever gets thrown in there stays put too…..This isn’t regular for us…” Richard pushed away from the railing to face the Researcher fully, his face drawn in a tight frown.. “Nikhil, you know that I have to ask. What in the Hell are you doing down here?”
Nikhil simply stared at Richard, his expression unreadable beneath his ever present Visor.
“We are preparing for the future Mr.Solberg, and for whatever it might bring.”
Bandalur let out a deep rumbling sigh, raising a paw to rub at his scarred muzzle. "Where the hell are they gettin' these kids? I run a damn Bar, not a daycare....." Bandalur sighed and pried himself out of his chair and lumbered towards the door and squeezed himself out of it. The search for new Employees had not been going as well as he'd hoped. Wait Staff was easy enough, though Bartenders required a certain charm to work the front, something most of his recent applicants had been lacking. Bandalur grumbled again and rubbed tiredly at his face, he wasn't even going to bother thinking about hiring a Bouncer. Not a single applicant had fit the bill, all of them either too weak or too cowardly for Bandalur's tastes.
The Daemon popped their head out front to quickly survey the Bar. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and he was about to head back when someone speaking caught his ear. Bandalur eyed the girl at the Bar along with the Daemon beside her, and was puzzled. The Girl looked like the type to be seeking a Waitress position and Bandalur would have assumed as such had it not been for the Daemon sitting next to her. Bandalur frowned, not sure what to make of her. She looked dangerous, clearly a fit for the much need Bouncer position. But he didn't like the smirk on her face, and Bandalur wondered if the Human Girl might be her handler. Sighing loudly, Bandalur lumbered to the Bar and waved away the Bartender talking to the Girl. The Daemon stared down their nose at her, bushy brows drawn together as he gave both her and the Daemon with her a once over. "'m Bandalur and I hear yer lookin' for me. We're just gonna go ahead and skip the formalities if that's alright with you two." The Daemon lifted a claw, before continuing on. "I'm assumin' you two are here for the Bouncer position, yeah? Alright. I just need you to answer a question for ol' Bandalur." The Daemon continued to stare at the Girl and the Daemon, both arms folded across his chest. "In one sentence I want you to explain to me why I should hire you. Then, based on that, we'll see how I feel about the whole thing." Bandalur closed both eyes, a large paw flapping in the air. “Don’t go feelin’ like you need to answer right away. Take your time, ‘m not goin’ anywhere.”
Massive clouds of dust and dirt were kicked up as the Helicopter touched down, and Richard was forced to press a handkerchief to his nose in order to avoid breathing it in. Nikhil’s laughter came from behind him as he exited the Chopper, the sound taking on a metallic tone within the helmet that the Lead Researcher always wore. Richard scowled, swiping futilely at the dust in his eyes before standing up straight.
Though he’d never admit it out loud, Richard had always found Nikhil’s helmet unnerving. Not being able to read someone’s face while speaking to them made it harder to judge their moods and motives. Something that Richard relied on in his work. But that wasn’t even the half of it. Even now, Richard could feel the thing scanning him, inspecting him and filing away whatever it found for future reference. He felt exposed under Nikhil’s metallic gaze and it wasn’t a feeling that Richard enjoyed in the slightest.
“Take that ridiculous thing off, and then we’ll see how much you’re laughing Nikhil.” The masked man cocked his head as he stepped forward to stand next to Richard, a gloved hand clapping the Chief of Security’s shoulder. “Come Richard, a cloud of dust is all that’s required to take you down? I suppose I’d best inform Matsuko that she’ll be taking over for you then." Richard growled and slapped the other man’s hand away, drawing another laugh from him. “A bit testy today aren’t we? Come along then, at least when you see the Facility and all the work that awaits you, you’ll have a reason to be angry.” The Researcher strode away, leaving Richard to sulk in the settling dust alone.
He managed to catch up to Nikhil easily enough, and the Chief of Security fell into stride beside him. A squat concrete building came into view and Richard frowned to himself. “I thought this was supposed to be an entire Facility Nikhil. I’m not seeing much out here.” The masked man led Richard through a chain link fence surrounding the building, nodding at several armed guards stationed by the door. “No there is indeed not much to see up here…..” Richard didn't have much time to puzzle over the Reasearcher's choice of words as Nikhil flashed an I.D. badge to the guards and they were quickly ushered through. Nikhil held the door open for Richard and allowed him to head inside first where a short hallway greeted the two of them, and at the end a pair of polished Elevator doors sat. Richard lifted a brow, casting a puzzled glance at Nikhil. “An underground Facility? This is a first for us.” Richard kept stride with Nikhil as they walked towards the elevator and waited as the Researcher swiped his I.D. card at a panel just to the left of the Elevator doors. “Well, Lorette wanted something a little more secure for our work with Sato-Yamasaki. And that’s not accounting for the space required for this project.” Nikhil, glanced over at Richard and stared at him from beneath his visor. “I should also take the time to inform you that you’ll need to be preparing to screen the people they’re sending over.” Richard let out a low groan, pressing his back against the far wall of the Elevator. “Of course I do.”
Nikhil continued to ramble on, not paying any mind to the other man’s poor mood. “This facility is located One Kilometer underground and stretches over Five Kilometers wide. At present we have close to One Thousand Employees that will be stationed here, but you can expect more to join on in the future.” Richard hummed, a gloved hand rubbing at the stubble on his face. "Five Kilometers? That's a hell of a lot of space you're asking me to cover." Nikhil nodded at the other man. "Indeed it is. But I don't think it should be a problem for you and Afnet. At least I HOPE it won't be." Nikhil stared pointedly at Richard's coat, and the Chief of Security gripped the edge with a frown. "Afnet is damn good at what they do. Don't you worry about that."
The elevator ground to a halt and the doors opened silently. Nikhil stepped through and Richard followed close behind, craning his neck back to stare up. The Facility stretched many stories above his head, and he could see people running to and fro through windows lining the halls on each level. Nikhil had kept walking, forcing Richard to run after him in order to catch up. “The Facility takes the shape of a hollow inverted cone with each level wrapping around the entire circumference. As you’ve noticed by now, they all face inward towards the center. There is a reason for this, for at the very bottom here….” Nikhill stepped across the walkway to look over the edge of a safety railing. Richard followed him and looked down as well. About a good hundred yards below them Richard could see orange vested workers scurrying across the top of a massive glass surface covering the entire bottom of the facility. The Chief of Security lofted a brow, glancing up at Nikhil. “A Containment Unit, Mr.Solberg. One of many, I assure you. But by far the largest we have.”
Richard looked back down at the Containment Unit. It wasn’t very different from the same boxes used to contain particularly unruly Daemons, but it was far larger than necessary. The Chief of Security could see a pressurized gate at one end, and knew that it led elsewhere, most likely another lab. “This is…..Nikhil. Why is it so damn big?” The man’s eyes roamed over the workers, all of them welding various metal supports to the edge of the Unit. “Reinforced pretty heavily too. And I’m sure that you’ve got all kinds contingencies inside so that whatever gets thrown in there stays put too…..This isn’t regular for us…” Richard pushed away from the railing to face the Researcher fully, his face drawn in a tight frown.. “Nikhil, you know that I have to ask. What in the Hell are you doing down here?”
Nikhil simply stared at Richard, his expression unreadable beneath his ever present Visor.
“We are preparing for the future Mr.Solberg, and for whatever it might bring.”