#1 has summoned me to his office. He's been silent lately — which is never a good sign. It's always unnerving — silence from him means something's happened. As I pass through the hallway, I can't help but pray everything is okay. I walk the corridor slowly, each step a quiet prayer that I'm wrong.
The door appears in front of me. I take a deep breath and say to myself, Here we go. I knock on the door.
"24 answering the summons of 1," I say loudly at the door.
The door swings open.
"Enter," he says.
I walk in and look at his desk behind it. The familiar smell of chemicals from his alchemy station fills the room. Seems like he was working on the mutagen again. There will be a need for it soon.
He turns to the filing cabinet, barely acknowledging I exist. He quickly grabs a file and hands it to me, saying, "Read," as he walks around the desk and sits in his office chair.
I do so. There isn't much to read, but the description of her is clear as day.
"We found her."
He leans forward and looks with his cold stare.
"Your mission is to retrieve her and bring her here. You know your duty and what this means."
"Get the job done. We need to get back to full strength. It's been 17 years."
I salute him, turn, and walk out of his office. As I walk away, I see Number 3 leaning on her doorframe.
"Good luck," she says.
I chuckle as I pass her. Luck? Goddess, I will need it. Let's hope…. the hunt goes well and the future is shaped for the better of all.