September 21, 4021 21:57 [Matriarch 04- Hyena Living Quarters]

The procession continued well into the night. By the time the Hyenas had reached their headquarters, most of them were eager to get a good night’s rest before the long days ahead of them. The newly inducted Hyenas started to make their way back to the Housing Units once they had dropped down from the palanquin, helping Kaluza into his wheelchair.

“Where are you three headed off to?” Tengri called after them.

They looked confused as he beckoned them towards the headquarters. Indra eyed Jin warily, hovering his foot over the threshold. The senior Hyena jerked his head to the side, encouraging Indra to step in. They followed Tengri into a vestibule. The doors sealed shut, allowing pressurized air to blow into the antechamber for a moment. A small array of light passed over their bodies, identifying them and processing security information accordingly. A pleasant note from a speaker above signaled the end of the sanitation cycle as the doors leading into the living quarters opened.

A fissure of air escaped as the doors slid to the side, revealing a sizable lobby. A front desk attendant stood at attention as they arrived. Indra noticed they were wearing a soldier’s uniform. An infantryman; she must be part of one of the regiments. They walked past the soldier into a hydraulic elevator; it was a smooth ride up. Indra stared out of the elevator window, watching as the city below became smaller. The streets were still alive, and the lights seemed to get brighter against the backdrop of night.

They entered a cozy living room on the ninety-eighth floor. The view from above utterly dwarfed anything Indra had seen before, except perhaps the Precipice Hotel in Zìyóugǎng. The room was filled with bookshelves, plush chairs, beanbags, two sofas, and a coffee table. An ancient sound system from the late 3900s sat snugly on a shelf near one of the armchairs, records of all types of eras and genres lined neatly on the shelf above.

“Tengri’s collection,” Grisha pointed out to Indra.

The latest Holoscreen had been mounted into the wall, a live feed of the nightly news already playing. The living room opened into the dining area and the kitchen. Jin gave them a tour of the area, unusually animated about the utilities and the types of cookware they had on hand. He spent a good few minutes explaining the functions of the stovetop and the amenities it came with before Grisha cut him off with an exasperated sigh.

He scoffed indignantly as she led them to their rooms. The stairs led up two more floors, though Grisha stopped at the first, waiting patiently as they carried Kaluza up the stairs.

“Since you guys are newbies you’ll be on this floor. We’ll be on the floor above,” she explained. “Get settled in. We’ll call you for dinner when it’s ready.”

The senior Hyenas left them to their devices as they explored the ninety-ninth floor. There were several more bedrooms other than theirs, all marked with distinct symbols. Indra observed the symbol on his own door. A black lotus, like the ones on the tongues of his shoes, was emblazoned across it. He grinned, recognizing the handiwork.

His eyes lit up as he stepped into his room. It was spacious and clean. A window set to the east would allow for ample sunlight in the morning. A soft-looking bed sat in the corner, facing south. Across from it was a desk with a monitor installed into the wall just above. There were shelves for Indra to place personal items and a closet already filled with tailored clothes.

The crown jewel for Indra, however, was seeing the doorway leading into the private bathroom. No longer would he have to share with another person or time his trips so that the queue didn’t stretch for a mile. Thank God.

“Do not thank the heavens for an accomplishment I enabled,” Usha replied.

Oh, fine. Thank you, Usha, for enabling me to stay in a place that has a private bathroom.

“You are very welcome.”

Indra chuckled to himself.

He met Kaluza and Prasanna in the common room. The area had its own pseudo-living space similar to the floor below, only smaller. It seemed like the residential portion of the headquarters had been built with more Hyenas in mind.

Indra assumed that the Hyenas in question had been deployed elsewhere to aid in the war effort, though he wondered what the place looked like when it was full. If the rest were half as insane as the three seniors present, Indra would have his work cut out for him, navigating their eccentric behaviors. Granted, one did have to be just a tad bit insane to survive in this line of work.

“This place isn’t too shabby,” Kaluza noted with a whistle.

Prasanna nodded in agreement. “My own shower…this really is a place of wonder.”

They went down to the kitchen to see how dinner was coming along. Grisha and Tengri sat at the dining table sipping beers. They had shed their uniforms for more comfortable night clothes.

The trio peeked their heads into the kitchen. To their shock, they found Jin standing in front of the stove humming a carefree tune while he wore an apron over his clothes. A wonderful aroma of garlic and rosemary wafted through the air as he basted some chicken breasts. He caught them staring, his eyes twitching as if he were having a stroke.

“Not a word, or I’ll be serving you up for dinner instead.”

They nodded understandingly and left Jin to his cooking, joining Grisha and Tengri at the table. Grisha tossed Indra a can of beer as he sat down.

“We heard you like alcohol,” she laughed.

“Just don’t go overboard. Although, we would be happy to beat you into submission if you get too wild,” Tengri added, a devilish grin creeping up his face.

Prasanna and Kaluza grabbed a can for themselves, cracking them open with a satisfying fizz. Indra stared at the can in his hand for a good minute, finally setting it down, unopened. Grisha raised an eyebrow.

“I-I think I’ll pass,” he stated nervously.

“Pshh! I thought you would be more fun,” Grisha complained. “You sound just like Jin.”

Indra frowned. He was nothing like Jin. Tengri simply shrugged, scrolling through the channels before landing on one that seemed interesting. Holy Sword Eight started to play as Jin arrived with the food. The plates were warm and the aromatics permeated through the air, even stronger than before. Indra’s stomach grumbled—he was famished. By the looks of it, everyone else was too; Tengri, in particular, couldn’t help drooling over the plate set before him.

They dug into their dinners as a smattering of small talk and jokes were thrown around the room. Indra even cracked a smile, though he caught himself quickly. The situation felt surreal and slightly off-putting. They ate together like a family, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting, but he could not simply forget that he was sitting at a table enjoying the food of a man, who just days ago relished in his torture, forcing him to endure cruel and grueling training for weeks on end.

Indra boiled inside with hatred for him, yet here in this shared space, it was uncanny watching the Hyena put on a genuine face as he watched them eat and drink. He felt sick, excusing himself from the table. He had only eaten half of his plate before he left a room of confused faces.

As Indra made his way up the stairs, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, finding himself face-to-face with Jin.

“We need to talk.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Indra asked coldly.

“I don’t care for you all that much. Your existence is an affront to everything I believe in.”

“I think that’s been established quite clearly,” Indra scoffed.

Jin nodded. “Still, you’re a Hyena now. Same as Rudra or Gauss. I don’t have to like you to consider you family.”

Family? I already have a family!

“I won’t deny it—I enjoyed watching you struggle. But everything I made you do—everything you suffered through, had a purpose. You wouldn’t be standing here right now if it weren’t for me.”

“So, what? You want me to pat you on the back and thank you for what you did?” Indra scowled.

Jin shook his head. “No, I want you to realize the purpose behind each tribulation I put you through.”

He suddenly touched Indra’s arm causing him to recoil in shock. Indra checked the exposed skin where Jin had made contact…not a scratch.

“You built up a resistance to it. Understand that you had just a few weeks to catch up to years of progress that the other candidates had made. That in and of itself is a feat. And look,” —he raised his good hand, the one he touched Indra with— “I’ve built up a resistance of my own.”

Indra was deeply disturbed. Was he supposed to feel grateful? Indignant? Or just indifferent to it all? Even if Jin’s justification was somehow plausible, it didn’t erase his prior actions. The ends didn’t justify the means. He could have easily pushed him harder without causing so much harm. Jin put a hand on his shoulder.

“Believe what you want to believe. I’ve said my piece on the matter. Just know, my allegiance is to Kǔ Shén and the Hyenas. If you jeopardize this group in any way, I’ll make sure you disappear without so much as a whisper.”

Indra didn’t cower under the threat, meeting Jin’s gaze. His warnings weren’t just empty platitudes—he meant every word. But so did Indra. He glared at Jin with a cold fury.

“I won’t beg for mercy when death comes knocking. I’ll accept it with open arms and drag you into the abyss with me. Kick and scream as you might, your pleas will only fall on deaf ears—no one will save you.”