The Foundation

In the hollow of a place, unknowable, a myriad within an inhuman voice was heard. "𝑻𝗵𝒆 𝙚𝑠𝐬𝗲𝑛𝒄𝙚 𝐨𝘧 𝘵𝙝𝘪𝒔 𝑝𝘭𝗮𝙘𝘦 𝗶𝘴 𝙤𝘯𝘦 𝑜𝘧 𝒆𝒗𝑒𝑟-𝑐𝐡𝗮𝐧𝗴𝗶𝘯𝗴 𝙛𝘰𝗿𝐦, 𝗮 𝐦𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝐦𝒂𝙙𝗲 𝙩𝒉𝐞 𝘞𝘰𝙧𝑙𝗱. 𝑇𝗵𝒆 𝙗𝙤𝑦 𝐟𝒐𝑢𝒏𝒅 𝙝𝙞𝘮𝘀𝗲𝐥𝐟 𝘢 𝗽𝗹𝙖𝐜𝒆 𝘸𝗶𝐭𝙝𝐢𝒏 𝙞𝘵, 𝐭𝒉𝑜𝐮𝐠𝙝 𝑛𝗼𝑡 𝘪𝙣 𝙩𝒉𝙞𝒔 𝙢𝒐𝘮𝐞𝙣𝙩, 𝑡ℎ𝗶𝘀 𝐝𝑎𝒚. 𝙏𝘩𝘦 𝑤𝘳𝒊𝐭𝙚𝐫-𝘵𝑜-𝘣𝒆 𝐟𝑜𝐮𝙣𝘥 ℎ𝗶𝑚𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛, 𝙡𝑎𝑐𝒆𝗱 𝑤𝗶𝑡ℎ 𝐩𝘰𝒘𝘦𝘳 𝑎𝒕 𝘁𝙝𝐞 𝘤𝐨𝘀𝘁 𝘰𝘧 𝗵𝗶𝘴 𝑛𝐨𝗿𝗺𝘢𝗹𝒄𝑦, 𝑗𝙤𝒚𝒇𝒖𝑙 𝗳𝒐𝑟𝐞𝐯𝗲𝐫𝙢𝙤𝐫𝘦 𝒘𝒉𝑒𝑛 𝐭𝐡𝑒 𝘤𝑎𝗿𝗱𝙨 𝑎𝗿𝘦 𝘴𝗲𝑛𝘵 𝑜𝘂𝘁. 𝑻ℎ𝘦 𝘵𝑖𝐦𝒆 𝐨𝘧 𝑡𝐡𝒆 𝒃𝐨𝐲'𝑠 𝙛𝗮𝑡𝗲 𝘄𝒂𝐬-" A shaking occurred, awakening the man from his trance. The light of day was upon his eyes, he stirred before an obstruction came to view, a person.

"Wake up ██████, how can you sleep with your eyes open today of all days?! You finally got your job and everything yet here you are, get going!" The person, a woman, seemed angry. The man finally noticed his own wife, the two sitting with breakfast finished. "Oh god, not again! how long has it been?!" He rushed to fix his work attire properly, a uniform no different from the suits of the city men with one exception, an insignia of twin planets colliding with an eye in its overlay surrounded by symbols of which the man and women only knew from it and media, on its breast pocket. He left with the only words he heard being "two-" something he assumed as two hours. He entered the train that led out the city to a single complex, men and women within the same train holding the same insignia in various different areas on their person. It took an hour of darkness as the cart delve into a tunnel.

Within that time, the man reminisced to himself, "That voice again.... How many times will it keep doing that?" The trembling he had as he thought led to a wry smile. It was far too many to count, each one relaying a message that mimicked his future, at least in his past. He heard no emotion in it, yet it portrayed something he interpreted as enthusiasm. He looked at his phone, the date being June of 2017, he scrolled through the news. The coming birth of a new prince within England's line of succession, an almost five-year wait for a conference on the opening of the mysterious continent's borders coming to fruition, various families such as the Crowley's coming into the limelight to comment of the new developments of said conference and integration of newly discovered anomalies, et cetera. The man felt internally giddy though only for a moment, he couldn't read in depth on any of those stories yet. The job he applied for and gained was mere minutes away.

The train stopped, its destination just behind its steel sliding door. The man stepped out in a hurry; he wasn't late despite his beliefs, yet he worried regardless. He couldn't let this opportunity pass; this job wasn't one to accept random individuals and likely wouldn't accept him twice. Every step was rushed and rigid as he attempted not to tarnish his uniform while getting to work on time; a series of skyscrapers within a fortified base not dissimilar to a military grade complex. He provided an ID to the facially obscured men at the front. The standard fare he was informed of coming, pat-down, internal inspection, more. He was allowed through with little word until he was just far enough that most couldn't hear, ".... Path.... Icke was... he should be fine." The man scoffed as he couldn't make out everything, he had to go anyhow. The insignia he had grew more prominent the farther he went, almost a brand he thought. "More like a Focus." The blunt voice of someone unfamiliar broke any future thought, a large pair of circular glasses being the first thing the man noticed. A woman roughly 162cm in height according to the man's estimates with a narrow face and burgundy flowing hair that narrowly reached down to her thighs; She seemed to have been in some sort of research position within the company he thought upon seeing the nameless badge and plain suit and pants with a lab coat slumping ever so slightly. "I am, and you are one of the paid interns I imagine." The man wondered what on Earth she was doing to read his mind. She didn't comment this time though, sighing before gesturing him to follow her; something he felt was necessary given their positions. The walls transitioned from the plaster and steel to something more: gold-like metal that glowed crimson and clear pipes containing either metallic liquid, a clear one that glowed, and what almost seemed to be honey though not viscous; Everything had etchings that seemed to draw in the mind's focus, its energy at times even. There was obvious one's like Arabic, Latin, and Greek but some were more cryptic and unusual; there wasn't much time to pay attention to them though as the woman continued walking at a hastened pace. "Why are there runes in a-" The man was cut off before the full question could be made. The women's tone seeming robotic as though the same question was asked trillions of times, "We are The Eschaton Foundation, an organization that deals with the growing esoteric phenomena that started forming since December 12 of 2012; I recommend if you want to continue being here, you accept first, learn later. You just keep your pre-acceptance lectures in mind; as for how you are now, and you'll be fine for the time being." The man didn't know how to respond after that, a bit put off by how things were going between him and this woman. Sure, she was his superior but still; he held back a sigh, trying to remember the very lessons she mentioned.... "Never let you or others say your real name, don't assume anyone is what they appear to be, and prepare to adapt to anything. Do not expect to return to your family." He didn't remember the true words though but at least it was enough, and the woman didn't comment either meaning it was at least adequate. The ominous evasion of the complete truth didn't sway his resolve to lay witness to what this Eschaton Foundation had in store for him. They continued on, the environment seeming less like a place you work and more like artistic interpretations of a futuristic spaceship's interior. They didn't enter a new world though, no matter how much the man felt it was; they were in one of the many byproducts of the "new age" as theorists believed. The place was man-made sure, some glimpses still showed even, the place housing people with cups of joe due to the time of day, shredders and more. The place seemed less like merely a job though, more like a way of living; the occasional classroom-like department, cafeterias and even places of leisure beyond a mere breakroom. They may have been out of necessity however, the potential of what the lady said prior probably would overwhelm quickly, mundanity to secure morality. He could feel it himself, a rarity. The vagueness of everything at the moment tied with the slight hostility of the people he's met made it slightly suffocating; he wanted to endure despite it, the potential of the future making it tolerable. The two reached their destination before he even realized it, the woman having to bump him just to have him notice, to get out of his own spiraling headspace. The place being a briefing room that was adjacent to them, whoever was there certainly had a personality given what sat outside the door, a multitude of unreasonable trinkets: plant/cloth-like dolls devoid of any facial features, a lyre, a few crystals of differing colors and book of what was clearly I Ching or the Classics of Changes, or rather a copy made in 2014; all of these were guarded by a man in a mask. The man did consider the possibility that multiple people were inside, each more intriguing than the last but thinking such over wasn't truly an option. Upon the door opening, the two encountered a truly eccentric looking troupe. The majority wore their outfits in manners that didn't hold uniformity between them; a tie missing on the suit of a well-tanned man who wore earrings similar to stylized, diamond shaped dreamcatchers and had dark brown hair. A pale woman with sharp eyes and greyish silver hair, a slight hint of black at the top of her head, a teal ascot substituting the tie. A second woman with slightly unkempt but beautiful golden locks, glasses with slightly tinted lenses hanging from her neck and crooked tie. A man with mostly normal attire out the obvious beads around his neck and slight hints of tattooed skin. The last one being another man, scars showing ever so slightly atop his almost onyx dark skin, the one who seemed in charge of whatever the occasion was judging by the posture he had and where he stood. He was the only one to dress properly out of the group the two stood in-front of; he sighed, less at ██████ but rather the woman beside him. "Wic, you're late; you were supposed to coordinate with us before the rookie arrived... Who, I am guessing, is him?" He spoke in a raspy voice as he gestured her in which the woman called Wic pulled out what seemed like five cards to place beside the other trinkets, seeming displeased. "Come in you two then; Everyone, this is one of the new interns. You all are here, employed for different reasons; your crafts showing promise that might help in the future. I'm sure you all are aware of the reason as well, but for the sake of things I will reiterate. The potential to grasp supernatural and archetypal concepts and your personal willingness to aid us has brought you here; Starting today, your original names will be forever hidden. Some of you have been here for a few days due to your homes being far from here, some of you are local; that no longer matters, you are rarely returning home if ever as much as some of us wish that were a lie." He made a slightly pained expression as he said the last part. "You all here, me and Wic here included, will be part of a task force dubbed: Rabble Gamma. Those of the Rabble squads are made to deal with any arising esoteric phenomena that proves too difficult for both the authorities of the public and the local Eschaton Foundation operatives to handle. We may intermingle with the others, but I recommend not getting attached to them." Wic moved to his side as he finished speaking, adjusting her outfit a bit before speaking herself. "Yes, The Rabble Squads are a recent addition; specifically chosen to out of interns and experienced employees due to their specific esoteric specialties holding a fundamental power that doesn't diminish regardless of region on Earth. The reason why that is the case are currently being investigated, for now however, it is best we take advantage of it anyway we can." Everything was new, not unheard of, but still seemed so surreal to ██████. He joined out of interest but was accepted out of hundreds who seemed to display abilities he couldn't understand easily, it was only recently that abilities such as the ones allegedly used by psychics and mystics began actually manifesting, even some of those same people were shocked; the use of it from those individuals greatly diminishing as a result while others attempted to innovate it. It was akin to a new tool you'd occasionally see but not one you could buy like a spatula, one's that varied massively in how they manifested. The man didn't show more than a resume and get tested for somethings while others had to display their expertise if they had one; yet here he was with people he assumed held them judging by now more apparent magical tools. He listened in: the one with the dreamcatcher-like earrings held the false name Medi, the woman with the silver hair was Mae, the lady with the gold hair was Amber, the man with the bead, Sybil; The last one, the leader was dubbed Ajal. "Now, let us introduce our newest and likely final addition for a while. Much like all of yours, his false name has already been decided: Wright. Glad to have you on the team. I'm sure you hold many questions but let's save it for later, the time to get things sorted is now. Everyone, introduce yourselves." The air following was suffocating, dead as a corpse before Ajal finally sighed and gestured them to get their items, the first to go being Amber in a rush followed closely by Medi before the rest followed. Wic looked to Ajal, unamused before going as well. "Way to keep the peace; it's a dumb rule anyway." Everyone promptly returned, some at ease now while others seemed unbothered. Wic returned last, moving to Wright's side. "Questions on what's happening, ask me and I'll explain but try not to ask too much." Wright already had a few but the glare that followed that thought made him decide otherwise.

Medi was the first to step up, now that everyone received their tools. He walked to what could serve as center of the room, the true center holding a decently sized table with chairs. The dolls began floating rather than be held by him, "Well, well, now that all that has been done; I, Medi of our blooming squad, am here to share my power with you all. Who knows of Shamanism? Rhetorical question, please don't actually answer. Better question, and also rhetorical, who knows of protective charms? My reason for asking is a simple one, so that I may better perform a demonstration of my talent! How about you my sweet Mae? or perhaps you Sybil sir? No, no, I believe a foreigner to the craft is needed. ~" Everyone almost collectively let out a sigh with the exception of Wic who seemed to have chuckled a tad at the display, perhaps she enjoyed this kind of behavior, Wright wondered. The display was eye-catching no doubt, but the few there appreciated not seeing a magician preforming a show at a time like this. Medi giggled shyly as the realization came to him, "Let's um... get to how my tool operates. While it is not all I can do, these special corn husk dolls are more than what we normally make. The spontaneous and grand miracles based upon a tale my people used to justify their usual power... they are protective charms but also charms in the usual sense... I place one of your faces to one of them, they entrance you, make you inert until the face fades on its own. I can make it heal you in the meantime or protect you even but only if I invoke it separately first. When I do, they'll eventually stop working, almost as though the magic within faded away for a time; then return a day or so later." He took one that floated around before gesturing Wright, he didn't hesitate to go to the eccentric fellow's side either, too interested in what power was held; how it felt. They didn't have to be so close but for the sake of the demonstration, they were, one hand in the others. "Now, my friend, keep in mind this is different from magic; This can technically be considered divination, however that isn't completely correct. Imagine this doll holds the spirit, one who thinks, feels, so on; I help by communicating my and/or your desire or what have you to the spirit. This takes time depending on what I am attempting to do but for this, it is a simple trick...." He went quiet, breathing changing as he stared up and mouthed something, eyes slowly starting to glow after a while. The doll mimicked Medi, both seeming to behave as though in a trance before an odd sensation welled up within Wright; he felt as though he was attached to something deep within. The doll didn't have a face still, and yet it emanated with an energy that felt familiar yet different from the voice he's heard earlier that day, smaller. "It is done." Wright didn't even notice that Medi was out of his trance. "So... demonstration now?" "Demonstration now." Wright slightly cursed himself as he thought it was going to hurt like hell, seeing Medi ball his fist and wind it up; He closed his eyes, ready for pain... and yet nothing came, he opened his eyes to witness something he couldn't quite explain. The energy that was coming from the doll was shielding him, a light semi akin to a kaleidoscope, acting as a shield until Medi withdrew his hand and in that same moment, the odd connection severed, and the doll fell to the ground. The rest watched, seeming a bit unsure of what happened, as though they couldn't see what was happening yet understanding what the effect was. "And there you have it, now I'm sure it must have seemed like I just stopped myself from punching you but know I held-" Medi was interrupted by Wright who had a look of elation, wanting to know what he witnessed. "That unusual light was cool, a weird cascade that acted like a shield. Where does it come from?!" Everyone was a tad surprised, especially Medi who seemed astonished and a bit dejected at being unable to express himself, but he was happy to explain regardless. He straightened up before going behind Wright's back and holding him by the shoulders, "That, my dear friend, was a glimpse into the incorporeal, the world between us and the world that house all the spirits of life. We few can access it; some call the bridge we can walk the "Axis Mundi", but it holds many names. It is complex and to my knowledge, you can either be like myself who is connected to it and thus able to walk into the other plane of existence mentally or accidentally stumble through. You could be either, but I'd love to hear if you are a shaman or something else when we can relax." The two exchanged nods before Ajal cleared his throat, leading to the two separating as they returned to their respective places in the room. Medi seemed more than a little more energetic, and though he wanted to share more between them, he'd sigh in contentment at the prospect of a friend within his group.

With some push by Medi, Amber came up, silent for a moment as she counted the gemstones. They glittered in their variable palette. She spoke in extraordinary softness, before shaking her head, a slight confidence cracking the shell she seemed to have. "I- I am Amber. I specialize in minerals; these are my main tools for my... powers, I guess. These gems, I hold are... "luminous" though that is less in the way that they glow and more something else... it still applies, however... These ones in particular can even generate light on top of their usual powers. I don't hold something... concrete like Medi's though, the... abilities I use stem from multiple places.... I can't really... show them well...I am kind of around as an appraiser and support so I can't really do much without someone to aid most times..." She progressively got quieter as she spoke, lifting her gemstones as they began to glow with varying intensities, at least showing the potential she had even if it was minute. Everyone outside herself gave applause for varying reasons, be it in response to the light, pity or something else. It at least lightened the spirits of Amber, the slightest smile showing through as she returned to Medi's side.

Then Sybil and Mae took a step to go before pausing and gesturing one another to go ahead, Sybil ultimately going in response Mae's insistence. Sybil sighed, before opening the book he carried. He spoke in one of the many Tibetan languages, reciting sutra, though not for some spell; he calmed his nerves before the pages of the book begun to move of their own accord. The very hexagrams within, projecting from it, forming rows of lines that meant little to one who knew nothing or did not believe in the divine or the importance of cosmic understanding. These lines eventually formed a circle around Sybil and from that, a piece of him that was ethereal seemed to form something of a map one couldn't quite distinguish until he motioned his hands to one of the parts of his body in a cup formation in which it focused on what looked like a small-scale model of the Foundation building they were in. It was immediately obvious what Sybil's position was in their group, a key one that they likely will rely on often. He bowed from there, a soft smile showing before he finally spoke, a deep but pleasant masculine voice coming from his lips. "Pardon my lack of explanation, I will be our navigator and the cultural expert of Rabble Gamma. I'll make sure we refrain from coming off as rude and explain the local legends I am familiar with as well as providing divinations and other long-distance support. I look forward to becoming like family with you all." The words struck chords everywhere: each was positive outside Wright and Wic, one unsure of how to take it and the other seeming curious but a tad unwilling. They remained silent however, with only their expressions giving them away, something Sybil and Medi took note of but didn't comment on.

Everyone eventually returned to their norm after some time; the display and words from Sybil lost their effect, they had to at least remain semi-professional while still in their briefing. Wic coughed, before gesturing Sybil to return to his place next to Mae and stepping in for him; it drew mixed reactions, she was one of the more experienced in the squad after all. Wic barely showed a hint of annoyance before pulling out the five cards she had set down before, everyone assuming they were tarot or something similar. Wright and Ajal, however, knew to keep their thoughts silent by now, something that led to Wic looking at one of the others instead as a demonstration. "Medi, please don't assume I'm a child; I am older than you by a fair margin." Everyone looked at her target for the demonstration with looks of disappointment while Medi himself was in astonishment as he made no comment about it. "Don't look so surprised, magic isn't the only thing that came with the 2012 enlightenment." He was getting embarrassed same as Wright was on the way here with her. Wright simply gave a small glance of sympathy, something that gave the shaman a slight hint of relief. "Wic, give them rookies a break." Ajal tapped the desk a bit roughly in which Wic sighed and turned her cards around, it made most very confused to say the least. "Oh, so Zener Cards can have powers too?" "Precisely, were you a scientist Mister Wright? Were you interested in telepathic abilities perhaps?" Wic raised the pitch of her voice a bit which made everyone there a bit confused, it was even the case for Ajal; it was rare for her to call anyone by any sort of title unless she had an interest and hint of respect for as far as he knew. Wright was a bit off-guard but made sure to hold back any thoughts. "Um... I know a bit as I like to research a bit... Didn't think it would come in handy in knowing concepts and stuff here, shame I couldn't really publish anything though." Wic nodded with a slight glint in her eye before realizing she was detracting from the reason she came up for, she turned away and cleared her throat, a hint of embarrassment showing. "Objects and places can hold unique effects that stem from association, rumors if you would. It is a rare occurrence but not impossible for them to spontaneously appear. Zener Card, being cards used to scientifically test if one has extrasensory abilities, can occasionally form with the unusual ability of gifting one holding them telepathic abilities. This is, however, not the same as true psychic abilities; it is an ongoing endeavor to understand. Due to its prior purpose however, the ones I hold also hamper telepathic communication; this requires one to make them known via visual display." Everyone in the room could be in awe at the intricacies of this, but simultaneously overwhelmed; the understanding varied from individual to individual, most of them there purely knew of the ones tied to their homes' respective beliefs be it ancient or otherwise. "As we go through missions and respond to emergencies you all will gain a greater understanding of the phenomenon's unique properties on the world and, once the land formation that came with it is finally open to us, we may learn more than our current understanding. I look forward to us potentially learning more about the Enlightenment with whoever remains alive by then." Wright rose an eyebrow; he had thought he only imagined the word before, but this time made him wonder. He never heard anyone really call what caused a nigh universal heart attack an Enlightenment with the exception of the weirdos that started showing up a year and a half after that day. Wright looked around to see most if not everyone was confused by the reoccurrence of that phrase, but ones such as Medi seemed to agree with the term.

Ajal looked around before clashing his hands with the desk he stood besides, drawing attention. "Thanks for taking my words, Wic.... Now, let's move on please; we may not be leaving this base this week, but we have a lot to take care of. I'm not carrying one of those cards or anything but I'm sure you all got questions about Wic; put simply, she drank one of those elixirs you often hear about in shows. She may look like a teen or pre-adult but make no mistake, she's an adult. She'll eventually return to her old self again but until then, she'll be a sorta "man on the inside" and trump card." Wic walked off to Wright as Ajal finished up, something that led him to silently prompt Mae to move forward which she promptly did. She fixed her suit up unnecessarily, a slight combing of her half shoulder-length, half undercut hair. "Ahem... Mae, musician and singer. I'm more of a recommendation here than anything, I don't even understand my own ability much less my lyre... singing in certain ways with certain feelings suddenly made things occur. My instruments, or at least some of them, began giving off an odd sensation and those who are near experience all sorts of things. It reminds me of what I've heard about sirens but more... I'm not sure if it's good to do it in an enclosed space like this so, I won't... may we enjoy countless joys in our career." She bowed before fixing her shirt's collar and moving back to where she comfortably stood. Wright would have looked to Wic for answers however with the vagueness of Mae's words, he couldn't even be certain she knew completely herself. He silently sighed with slight dejection only. "Hang on, hang on, hang on- no hints? We are all from different walks of life, with a bit of talking maybe we could get a bit of an idea on what it's deal." Medi said in a tone of insistence. Ajal, Wic and Wright looked to Medi with looks that pierced him as though all collectively attempting to transmit the same message. The one to speak up however was Amber, "Medi- I think that uh... maybe its like mine, not based in one thing you know?... no need to rush to get answers, we need to adjust to this place and all... I think we all get why you're a bit pushy... but we're all still kind of new to this stuff... so..." Medi stared at her, slowly piecing things and scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Ah, y-you're right. I'm sorry everybody... forgot I'm not the only one here, and uh- sorry Mae, I must have put you on the spot there. Let's leave it at that for now, shall we?" A slight chuckle escaped his lips, all the while Mae bowed to thank Amber before letting out a soft sigh and moving a bit of hair back.

"Well... with that interruption dealt with Amber, let's move on. Wright, come up; I'll do the majority of the talking on this one." Ajal spoke in a slightly better tone than before when Wic was making her own interruptions. He walked up to center of the room, arms crossing as Wright hesitated but followed suite. "So-" Ajal accidentally interrupted with "As you all know, this man is why we're here. Unfortunately, what exactly he brings to the table isn't clear to even me or Wic. We will say what we do know though, out of all the candidates, the higher-ups insisted on him well before he was asked to come-in for the interview. Now, if Medi's display was anything to go by, he's definitely got something with him that they somehow saw; his name probably could help but nobody, not even myself are privy to the names of anyone here." Wright and all but Ajal and Wic were puzzled at the importance of their names, with some such as Wright knowing of potential reasons but still unaware. Be it Etymology, the potential of the new abilities found within humanity and the world, or something else; the group could only speculate as time demanded attention to be placed elsewhere. Wright pondered silently as the possibilities swirled within his mind until he was shocked back into reality by the clash of boot and ceramic. "Wright! Listen, would ya? Had Wic not gestured you, you would have missed everything." Wright gulped as he went back to his usual ways despite the rules he was told to follow while on and, sometimes, even off the clock. Focus damnit, explanations and speculation later. He nodded to signal he when he was fully ready from which Ajal sighed and muttered "now I see why it's called a Rabble squad, whatever, at least I can loosen up from the usual here." He cleared his throat before speaking in a more pronounced tone, "Again, unlike most of you, I do not have anything esoteric to my name. I have been in this place for two years as per the request to the government for physical training and tactical planning. Now, due to our position as a Rabble squad, we are not mandated to know every detail of this side of the northern hemisphere. We will however be here to prepare for when we are brought to the field, wherever that may be. Any questions about what we will be doing? If not, lets get moving, we have a lot to get done in a week, frankly too much."

Rabble Gamma left without a question asked, even though questions were rampant within their minds. They were few yet expected to do what they could only see as the impossible, within the walls of the Eschaton and the modern world, it was all but impossible.