Day 43: Courtyard, Third Shift
Once again, Endrance's nurse interfered with his plans. He had been planning to look around the Game Room, but the moment he began to move towards the Sun Room, she had taken him by the arm. "Your family has asked that we make sure you get as much fresh air and sunshine has possible, and you won't get that by staying inside playing video games all
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That knowing little smile was still on Teresa's face when her handler directed her to what she called the courtyard. It was refreshing to be outside, the wind playing with her hair, and she casually walked around the area. As she was being held captive here, she may as well get a decent look around; it would be useful later.
After making a circuit of the large space, she stopped near the shed and turned back to take in the building itself. Several stories high, it was much bigger than the barracks, but it still stirred memories of those times and the training they endured. She still needed to decide what it was she wanted to do once she left this place. Teresa was a free woman, even if she was deceased; her decisions were her own and no leash held her in check.
And yet, she still wished to kill the very creatures like she'd been created to do. No, not quite. Sometimes, youma were the lesser evil and one youma can keep despicable humans at bay. Combat was what Teresa had been created for, so it was hard for her to fathom doing anything else.
Perhaps, she would travel. She did always enjoy learning the lay of the land. And she could still kill youma as she saw fit during her travels. She liked that idea.
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She had originally wanted to go to the recreational field afterward, intending to look for her Arts and Crafts teammates and perhaps try another race. But her nurse had stopped her, asking with a tone Soma understood immediately whether or not she'd like to try getting fresh air somewhere else today, because Jude was on the field and she didn't want another incident. Soma had backed down grudgingly. It was pointless to engage in a fight with E-0057 in public if it only meant she'd get sedated like he had last time.
Stepping out into the courtyard, the supersoldier spotted a tall woman contemplating the building a short distance away. Curious, she approached, turning to face the building herself. "What are you looking at?"
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"The building's profile," she answered. "It indicates areas exist we do not have access to."
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She nodded in response; the woman was direct and to the point, and Soma was used to that. "Messages on the bulletin board suggest that some patients believe the staircases to the third floor to be behind locked doors on the second."
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"I see no reason why that would be speculation. Clearly there must be access to that level." She paused. "I am amazed third floor construction holds."
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"Have you been here long?" she asked after a moment, out of instinct. The woman sounded experienced, but whether that was because she had been here long or was merely used to adapting to situations in her own world was difficult to tell. Belatedly, she added, "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you."
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She brushed her hair back from her face, briefly revealing what could have been a tapered ear before it disappeared into the depths of her wavy blonde hair. Speaking of hair, the girl's hair brought to mind Irene's pale locks. Hmph. Why was she dwelling on that particular hybrid?
"I was on the second floor this morning."
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This morning. That meant the chapel, then. It hadn't occurred to her that the chapel might have afforded an opportunity to see the second floor during the day. "Did you see anything of note up there?"
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Looking back at the building, where she believed the chapel to be located, Teresa replied, "Just another room dedicated to the human foolish belief in gods - nothing of note." She paused. "And another of the Organization." Perhaps this one would recognize the name...
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It was the woman's response to her question that gave her pause. She tilted her head slightly in interest and slight curiosity, though she tried not to let the latter show. "I take it you weren't human in your own world," she said. "What were you? And what is the Organization?"
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"I am still what I was before being here," she commented. "The Organization is the group I was once associated with. They create beings such as myself in order to have powerful warriors to exterminate youma." Her eyes flickered down to the girl again. "Demonic creatures that feed on human flesh."
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Feeling, perhaps, that her question needed explanation, she added, "I've never heard of youma, but there were those in my world who created soldiers as well. I'm a product of one of those programs, even if I'm still fully human." A pause. "Golden eyes signify what you might call created warriors in my world, and I thought..."
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She met the girl's eyes for a moment, taking in their golden color. "To me, golden eyes signify something else, but yours lack the vertical pupil. Yet, I find it interesting that unusual eye color represents beings that were created out of desperation."
A pause. "I am Teresa."
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Teresa was...almost disappointingly normal a name, Soma thought, for a half-human who killed demons. But on the other hand, she wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. "Soma Peries."
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Teresa let out a soft snort. "Even one is enough to be feared, Soma. How many of you are left? There are only forty-seven active hybrids at any given time, ranked according to strength."
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She thought for a moment, pondering the best way to answer the question, and settled for a simple, "One."
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