Chapter Twelve: meeting the administrator

Marcus and Luna, now hand in hand began to navigate their way through the plane's cabin and out into the brisk English air.

Marcus quickly took a quick sniff of the air expecting it to smell different from the air from home, but he was quickly met with disappointment.

Luna, who watched Marcus go from sniffing the air to an expression of frustration, sighed as she tightened her grip on Marcus's hand.

"You really are a lost cause." She said in a neutral tone.

Marcus nodded as he looked up towards the gray English sky. "That may be the case, but at least I have you." 

Marcus then turned to look back at Dr. Fletcher, who was now making her way down the plane steps.

When she finally joined the duo, they began their walk towards the sleek, black convertible waiting for them a little distance away from the landing strip.

The top was down, revealing its black leather interior with a similar design to Elissa's car, except there were only two seats.

Marcus glanced at the car with a curious gaze. He couldn't drive, Luna definitely couldn't drive, so that meant….

Marcus looked back to see Dr. Fletcher spinning a set of keys in her left hand in a circular motion. "You're driving?" Marcus asked in disbelief, the thought of a woman as elegant as Dr. Fletcher driving a convertible seemed strange to say the least.

Dr. Fletcher nodded as she continued to walk towards the car with a steady yet authoritative stride, "Yes." She confirmed in a soft tone, "There are things I wish to discuss with you alone."

"What about Luna?" Marcus asked as he raised their shared hands.

"I'm sure she's fine with sitting on your lap, no?" 

Marcus looked down at Luna, who was staring at Dr. Fletcher with a hollow expression, slowly, a small grin grew on Luna's face. "Very well Doctor, if that's the game you wish to play then I'll oblige, for now."

Dr. Fletcher gave a quick nod, "good." 

Marcus felt confused by their short interaction, but something told him it was best not to pry for now.

Inside the convertible, the seats were soft and plush. Marcus felt himself sinking into the seat, the leather slowly wrapping and warping around him.

But he couldn't settle in just yet, as he had to help Luna enter the car as well.

He quickly leaned out of the car and placed a hand underneath both of Luna's arms. He gripped her sides and gently lifted her into the car.

To his surprise, Luna was rather light despite being made of Liquid Metal, maybe around ten to fifteen pounds in total.

He brought her into the car and sat her on his lap.

Luna settled in rather easily, much to Marcus's concern. "You ok with this?"  he asked as he tapped her shoulder.

Luna sighed, "Although it's a rather strange situation, I have yet to feel anything other than disdain and annoyance, both of which, can be ignored for the sake of convenience."

Before Marcus could respond his attention was drawn by Dr. Fletcher entering the car.

Dr. Fletcher slipped into the diver's seat with grace and confidence.

With controlled movements that almost seemed rehearsed, she placed the key into the ignition and turned it, allowing the car to rumble to life with the sounds of a steady yet powerful engine.

She then checked her rearview mirror.

Satisfied with her surroundings, she put the car and drove and gently pressed her foot down on the accelerator.

The car took off with a roar from the engine, the scenery transitioning from a large open field to a dirt road that was within a forest, leading to what looked to be a large swath of private property.

"Ok you two," Dr. Fletcher said in that same calm yet authoritative tone, "I've ensured that the organization knows of Luna's existence, however, they are under the impression that she is tamed and similar to Alexander, as you both know that is not the case."

She then gave a quick glance to Marcus, who was watching her with an attentive gaze. Shen then smiled as she continued, "But as long as you continue taking those pills I have for you, then nothing Ether-related should happen, but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"It's not?" Marcus asked curiously, he was under the impression that this was exactly what they should be talking about.

"No, it's the second bracket of exams. You see three different groups of tests constitute one exam, the first exam is compatibility testing for Ether implants, during this phase, you are tested to your limits physically, mentally, and emotionally, alongside those tests will be multiple screenings."

Marcus nodded, "I see, so the first exams are essentially just a compatibility test."

Dr. Fletcher nodded. "Precisely, this is where we turn away up to seventy-five percent of this year's cadets, however since you already have something much more powerful than an implant functioning inside you, there's no reason for you to even take the first exam, other than to keep up appearances."

Marcus could understand the gist of what Dr. Fletcher was saying, essentially he already has a sort of implant, so there's no need for him to be tested for one.

Dr. Fletcher continued, "The second bracket, is what worries me, once you've been green-lit for a chosen implant, you'll go through surgery to get it implanted." Dr. Fletcher sighed softly, "But that's a problem for you, as you–"

"I already have Luna's core inside me functioning as an implant, right?" Marcus said as he cut Dr. Fletcher off.

She nodded, "Yes."

"But can't you just pull some more strings?" Marcus asked curiously, "I mean you seem capable of doing anything, at least that's the impression I was under."

Dr. Fletcher sighed, "No, at least not here, this isn't my station. If the test had taken place in America then I could've just had you skip it entirely, but here my rank means nothing, as this isn't my division."

Marcus felt a chill run down his spine. The idea that Dr. Fletcher's seemingly unending influence had its limits seemed almost impossible, but in this case, it was very real.

Luna, who was quiet up until now, spoke up. "But I assume you have a plan in place, otherwise you wouldn't have even let Marcus come to this place right?"

Dr. Fletcher nodded, "I do have something in mind, but I'll need you two to trust me for now, all I ask is that you do your best during the first exam, and don't fail."

Marcus quickly gave a reassuring nod, "Of course Dr. Fletcher, but what about the second and third exams."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Dr. Fletcher said with a sigh.

A moment later they broke through the forest and were greeted with a massive estate surrounded by high walls, with a large sliver gate guarded by two men dressed in black army fatigues and armor.

Approaching the gate, Dr. Fletcher was stopped by one of these guards who appeared in the car with a cautionary stride his hand hovering over his holstered pistol.

"Do you have your identification?" The guard asked in a muffled voice, his mouth covered by a black mask that completely hid the lower half of his face.

Dr. Fletcher gave a quick nod as she held out her wrist outside the car window.

The guard then pulled a small black device from his pocket, it was small and cube-like, with a red dot on its skyward-facing side.

The guard placed the small device on Dr. Fletcher's wrist, and after a short pause, the light turned blue.

The guard then gave a quick nod as he turned towards his comrade, "She's good!" He shouted as he made a circular motion with his hand.

The other guard nodded and disappeared behind a booth that was beside the gate, a moment later the gate made a quiet squeaking sound before quickly sliding into the left wall, revealing a large sprawling complex that was similar to a mini city or college campus.

"Continue on your way ma'am." The guard said as he stepped away from the vehicle, allowing Dr. Fletcher to retract her arm back into the car.

With a slightly annoyed sigh, Dr. Fletcher gently pressed down on the accelerator, allowing the car to slowly crawl forward.

Inside the complex Marcus began to look around with a mix of awe and excitement, quickly forgetting his earlier fears.

There were dozens of people walking around chatting, eating, and some even sparring in mock battles.

Most of them were dressed in white uniforms that looked similar to Kenji's BFR suit, but they seemed to be more refined and less 'ugly' so to speak.

"Welcome to training center alpha," Dr. Fletcher said as she parked her car alongside several others in a small parking lot a little ways away from the central building.

Marcus was at a loss for words. He expected the examination grounds to be a spectacle, but this was on a completely different level.

As Marcus sat there gobsmacked, Luna swiftly elbowed him in the stomach. It wasn't painful, but the jolt was enough to get Marcus to readjust his attention towards her.

"What?!" He asked with a tone of confusion, "I didn't even do anything."

"That's the point," Luna said coldly.

Dr. Fletcher watched the interaction with a small smile, "Sorry Marcus, but Luna does have a point, we need to get you situated." 

With those words, she turned to exit the car.

Marcy did the same, once the door was open he then gently lifted Luna out of his lap and placed her feet down on the ground outside. Once Luna was situated, he followed her out of the car.

Once they were both out of the car, Luna swiftly slid her cold hand right back into Marcus's grasp, causing him to look down at her with a frown. "You know, for you to hate me so much you sure are clingy today."

Luna rolled her silver eyes, "silence yourself." She said in a neutral tone.

"Come on you two." Dr. Fletcher said as she gestured towards Marcus and Luna to follow her towards the large central building.

Entering the large central building, Marcus was greeted with pristine white halls and bright white lights.

"Where are we headed?" Marcus asked as the group continued down the halls.

"The complex administrator." Dr. Fletcher replied.

"And they are…..?" 

"He is the one who runs this complex and oversees the exams, so be sure to leave a good impression."

Marcus sighed as he nodded, "I get that, but I'm wondering why we have to meet him now?"

"Because it's good etiquette, now stop asking so many questions." Dr. Fletcher spoke with a slightly buoyant tone, however, Marcus couldn't tell if it was because of himself, or because of the administrator.

Reaching the administration office, Dr. Fletcher paused at the office door. She sighed softly as she turned to look at Marcus with a serious expression.

"I'll do the talking, you just nod your head in agreement, got it?" She said as she pointed a warning finger towards Marcus.

He gave a quick nod, "Yeah sure." He affirmed.

Dr. Fletcher then turned back towards the door and pressed a button on the side panel, causing the door to hiss open, revealing an old man sitting behind a desk with a frustrated expression.

"Damn hooligan." He grumbled as he tapped a finger on his desk in annoyance, "stealing my goddamn money, all in my ass."

He then let out a soft groan as he looked up from his computer, his gaze falling on Dr. Fletcher. His eyes slowly shifted lower, until eventually he was staring at her chest.

A small grin crept onto his face, revealing perfect teeth that shone bright. "Well I'll be damned, I haven't seen that rack in few years, that you Ms Anna?" He asked with a light British accent.

Dr. Fletcher crossed her arms. "Obviously." She said in an annoyed tone. 

The old man chuckled as he shifted his gaze towards Marcus and Luna. "I assume that's your little boyfriend huh?" He asked with the point of his finger.

Marcus felt his skin crawl as he listened to the old man speak. This old goon wasn't nothing but a no-good pervert.

"He–"

Marcus attempted to speak out against the old man but was swiftly cut off by Dr. Fletcher.

"His name is Marcus Fall, and he's a candidate for this year's exams. I brought him here so you'd see him personally." 

The old man nodded slowly as he intertwined his hands, "I see, must be pretty special if he made you leave that shithole called Florida."

Marcus narrowed his eyes in frustration, sure Florida was shit all things considered, but it was his shit, and he'd be damned if anyone was going to disrespect it besides other Floridians.

"Better this the sad excuse of an island," Marcus muttered in annoyance.

The old man glanced at Marcus with a raised eyebrow, "oh, what was that young man?" He asked in a challenging tone, "Couldn't quite hear you over your bitchin'."

"Huh?!?" Marcus exclaimed in disbelief, "What the fuck did you just say to me?!"

The old man chuckled, "You heard me, the question is what are you going to do about it?"

Marcus couldn't believe his eyes or ears.

Was this old man really trying to challenge him? He looked to already be one foot into the grave, a slight breeze could probably make him keel over.

"That's enough Marcus!" Dr. Fletcher shouted sternly, "What did I tell you at the door?"

Marcus pointed at the old man, "Are you kidding me, this old geezer is talking about me and my home like I'm not even here!"

The old man grinned as he looked at Marcus, his expression was smug and his body language suggested he couldn't care less about Marcus.

Dr. Fletcher took a deep breath, "Marcus, I'll handle it."

Marcus sighed heavily as he placed his free hand on his shoulder.

"fine," he said in slight annoyance as he glanced at the old man, "but can you please be a little more respectful, sir?"

A devious grin grew on the old man's face, "I'll play nice when I start seeing a man and not a whining pussy."