Chapter 7: The Journey
3 hours later
Some time later, Amaku was awoken from his sleep as the train came to a halt, the pressure rousing him from his slumber. As groggily brought himself to sit up? He looked forward and saw that the overhead display read Fukuoka, Japan. He’d finally arrived at his destination. After putting the photograph in his hand in his back pocket, he grabbed his duffel bag from under his feet and the costume case from overhead and made his way out to the main entrance of the station. As he made his way through the station, he couldn’t help but feel weary as he was now in uncharted territory. Whilst ascending a flight of stairs, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy as he climbed, a deep rooted anxiety creeping up his spine. He stopped halfway up the steps as he began to process this new environment. Everything here was new to him and he was on his own, no one to guide him, no one to give him a nudge in the right direction. He knew that any wrong step he made could spell disaster for him, which only further fed his rising anxiety. However, along with the anxiety, there was a small feeling of fortitude that came with it. While it was true there was no one to guide him, that also meant that there was no one to hold him back. Any decision he made here was his own, and while there would clearly be consequences to some of these decisions, then at least he would be paying for actions that were his own. Everything he’d done had let up to this moment, and now was not the time to be over-hesitant. Amaku embraced this fact of reality, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to reaffirm himself. Upon opening his eyes, he continued up the stairs.
Once he’d finally made it outside, he was met with a surprise as he found a bald man in a suit with shades standing in front of a limo, holding a sign with the name Brokuma written on it. Amaku made his way over to the car and confronted him.
“Brokuma Amaku?” the man with the sign asked.
“Yes?” Amaku said.
The man then put the sign under his arm and opened the door to the back seat, gesturing for Amaku to enter.
“Please step in the car, and allow me to take your belongings,” the man said.
“Thank you,” Amaku said. “But please be careful with that case, there's something very valuable to me inside.”
“Of course, sir,” the man said, giving a simple of nod of acknowledgement.
Amaku hesitantly handed the man his things and entered the vehicle, taking a seat in the back. As he entered, barely able to squeeze in, Amaku was greeted with the sight of a blonde, relatively fit, middle aged woman of average height wearing a black business dress sitting across from him. On top of this, she also appeared to be an American, which perplexed Amaku. She was simply sitting up straight in her seat, staring at him blankly with her turquoise eyes.
“Good morning, Brokuma Amaku. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” the woman said plainly as she extended her hand. Amaku shook it firmly and formally.
“Good morning,” Amaku responded, releasing her hand. “The pleasure is mine, miss…?”
“Maria Texas,” the woman said. “But during your time with us, you may either refer to me as agent Tex or Ma’am, understood?”
“…Yes, Ma’am,” Amaku said, a bit taken back by her forwardness.
“That’ll do.”
Soon after the man stowed Amaku’s things in the trunk, he got into the driver's seat. Moments later, they were off.
“Ma’am, we should arrive at HQ within half an hour,” the driver said.
“Thank you, Jyunichi,” said Tex. As she and Amaku sat across from one another in the back, Amaku sat with his arms crossed, attempting to remain calm and casual. However, on the inside, he felt a light suffocating pressure that was slowly growing. His gaze briefly darted towards the switch for the window, but he did not want to be disrespectful in a vehicle that was not his own. He squeezed his arms together tighter in order to resist the temptation.
“Anxious?” Tex asked. Amaku turned to look at her with an expression of slight shock.
“Well…perhaps a bit,” Amaku said hesitantly, looking down at the floor.
“Good,” Tex replied firmly. Amaku once again looked up at her with a bit of a shocked expression. “That means you won’t underestimate the challenges to come. However, do not allow that fear consume you. Just as mindless bravery can influence you to take unnecessary actions,” she gestured with her right hand. “Fear can hold you back from taking the necessary actions,” she gestured with her left. “Find a balance, and do what must be done,” she brought both hands together. “Understood?”
Amaku sat back in his seat perplexed. Upon first glance, her eyes appeared as though they stared at Amaku with cold, uncaring disdain. And yet her words reflected an odd mix of calculation and compassion towards Amaku’s situation. Regardless, Amaku nodded in acknowledgement towards Tex as a sign of acknowledgement and gratitude.
“You may open the window if you wish, by the way,” said Tex.
Amaku’s eyes darted back and forth between her and the window.
“Oh! Uhm, thank you, Ma’am,” said Amaku in a mix of relief and surprise. He then proceeded to roll down the window and he embraced the cool breeze. As it blew in his face, he could feel his anxiety die down significantly and the tension in his muscles loosened as well. For the rest of the trip, Amaku’s head remained right next to the window with his arm hanging on the edge.
After about half an hour of travel, they’d arrived at their destination. Once the car pulled over, Jyunichi exited the driver’s seat and opened the door for Amaku and Tex. Once Amaku stepped out of the car, he put his hand in front of his eyes as he was slightly blinded by the sunlight.
“Welcome, Brokuma Amaku, to the headquarters of the Hero Public Safety Commission,” said Tex.
As Amaku’s vision returned, he was greeted with a relatively large building with some sort of tower at the top and a diamond at the upper half of the front side. At the entrance of the building was a label which read HPSC. Amaku took in the sight of the building, analyzing each detail.
“Now then, right this way, please,” said Tex, gesturing for Amaku to follow her. He complied and they made their way in with Jyunichi following closely behind them with Amaku’s belongings in tow. Upon entering, he was greeted with the sight of a massive lobby. As they made their way through, Amaku took in his surroundings. The interior design consisted of walls and floors of stained white marble with white pillars along the walls. Scattered throughout the lobby were various people, some dressed in suits while others were pro heroes adorning their costumes. Though they were greatly outnumbered by the people in suits.
Amaku couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and amazement toward the establishment.
“Impressed?” remarked Tex as they walked forward.
“To say the least,” Amaku said with a sense of awe. “Although, I have to admit, for a hero agency, I’m surprised to not be seeing that many pro heroes here.”
“This is not a hero agency, Mr. Brokuma,” Tex said. Amaku turned towards her with an expression of confusion. “The HPSC is responsible for managing the interactions between heroes and society as a whole while also taking responsibility for the investigations of high priority criminal threats. We are also the ones responsible for organizing the provisional hero licensing exam for students aspiring to be heroes. And while we don’t necessarily recruit heroes as normal agencies do, we do have a select few operating under our direct employ. Think of us as the agency of agencies, if you would.”
As they approached the front desk, Jyunichi went in a separate direction with Amaku’s belongings while Tex took out her ID and presented it to the man sitting behind the desk.
“Texas: T-0401, here to escort a Wolves candidate,” Tex said. The man looked up at Tex, then behind her towards Amaku with a cold uncaring stare. He then typed in the provided information into his computer. A short time after, the information came back.
“You may proceed,” the man said, reaching under the desk and pulling out what appeared to be a pair of clothes. “Head to the sub level training area, he’s expecting you.”
“He? ” Amaku thought to himself
Tex nodded to the man, took the clothes in her hands, and once again gestured for Amaku to follow her. After making their way through the building, they arrived at what appeared to be some sort of changing room. As they stood by the entrance to the room, Tex turned to face Amaku.
“Take these, head inside and change,” she said, holding the clothes out to Amaku. “Leave the clothes you're currently wearing folded on the bench and leave any personal items in your pockets on top of them. Your belongings will be collected and held onto until you need to reclaim them.”
“Understood,” Amaku nodded, taking the clothes in hand and entering the changing room.
Upon entering the changing room, he placed the clothes Tex gave to him on a bench and proceeded to empty his pockets before changing. He reached into his back pocket with the intent to pull out his wallet, but when he did, he felt there was something else in there with it. When pulled his hand out of his back pocket, he pulled out the photo he had on him from before. Upon inspecting it, he took some time to remember each individual detail, from the placement of everyone in the photo to the details of the background. Before parting ways with it, he gave the photo a solemn farewell kiss, and he placed it along with his other personal belongings on top of his clothes.
About two minutes later, Amaku came out of the changing room wearing a gray hoodie with a number 14 on the back, a gray undershirt underneath, gray sweatpants, and a pair of white sneakers. Once he reconvened with Tex, she gestured for him to follow her and they continued through the facility. As Amaku continued to take in his surroundings, he saw multiple people in suits behind desks as well as one or two pro heroes amongst them. They were discussing various subjects, filling out paperwork, or working at their computers. It all gave off a sophisticated and professional vibe.
“I understand this is all very new to you, Mr. Brokuma, but you cannot get distracted,” Tex said, disrupting Amaku’s sightseeing. “You have more important things to worry about right now. Focus on the task at hand.”
“If I might inquire about that,” said Amaku. “You still haven’t told me why I’m wearing these? And who’s this person that’s waiting for us?”
“You’ll see,” she said in a flat tone.
The two eventually made their way to an elevator. While Tex approached the button to summon it, Amaku abruptly stopped a few steps behind her. He stood hesitantly as he stared apprehensively at the closed elevator doors, frozen in place as if his whole body had turned to stone.
“Uhm…is there…any chance that there’s a stairwell we could take?” Amaku asked, attempting to restrain his nervousness.
“Unfortunately, no,” Tex replied. “The elevators are the only way to the sublevel area and there will be no stops between this floor and our stop. It will be a straight shot to our level.”
“I see…” said Amaku, looking down at the ground with an expression of worry on his face. After seeing this, Tex walked up to Amaku, placing a hand on his shoulder. Amaku looked up at her.
“Mr. Br-… Amaku, did you really come all this way just to be stopped by an elevator? Is this really all it takes to stop you from claiming your future?” She asked sternly. Amaku’s expression shifted to one of slight surprise. “The descent isn’t that long, and I’ll be right there beside you. I’ll help you through it, understand?”
Amaku had been trying to get a read on this woman since the station, and yet she continued to elude him. On one hand, her tone and mannerisms came off as cold, calculating, detached, and highly professional, almost to the degree of a machine. And yet her words and actions emanated an aura of attention and thought that, in some odd way, gave off the vibe as if she really cared. While this contradiction served to confuse Amaku, it was also oddly comforting for him in a way. After taking a few seconds to process all of this, Amaku looked Tex in the eye and nodded in acknowledgement to her words. Tex nodded as well and they both entered the elevator. The space itself was rather cramped thanks to his figure and his head was right against the ceiling. Once inside, Tex took out an ID card and held it up to a scanner on the panel. Once the ID was scanned, a second panel appeared out of the wall with a button labeled SL. She pressed the button and the elevator began its descent. After descending for about forty-five seconds, Amaku began to feel a tightness in his chest and there was a ringing that slowly grew louder in his ears, soon followed by a blurring of his vision and a feeling of dizziness that made him stumble and fall to one knee. He quickly grabbed the side wall to try and balance himself. The Xanax had more than likely worn off and he didn’t have his ear buds with him. All Amaku could do was try to control his breathing and endure this for the remainder of the descent. However, as this was all happening, he suddenly felt something on his left shoulder. He lifted his head up to see that it was Tex’s hand on his shoulder and she kneeled on his level to look him in the eye. Through his blurred vision, he could see that she was making some sort of flowing gesture with her hands.
“Focus, breathe,” she said. The ringing in Amaku’s ears heavily distorted her words, but not enough to fully deafen him to them. As such, he continued to focus on his breathing as time went on, the ringing began to subside and his vision became slightly less blurry. He looked up to see Tex kneeling beside him.
“Stop trying to fight it,” she said soothingly, her voice coming in as slightly disoriented behind the ringing in his ears. “You can do this, Amaku. Relax your body and just let it flow…focus on the sound of my voice and breathe.”
Amaku followed her instructions, closing his eyes and focusing on her voice as he honed his breath. Slowly over time, his sense and balance were once again recentered and the ringing had ceased entirely. He then opened his eyes, and looked to see a perfectly clear image of Tex’s face.
“You’re good?” She asked.
Amaku looked her in the eyes and nodded calmly without speaking.
“Good,” she said. Just as she spoke, the elevator dinged. “Then on your feet, this is our floor.” After taking one last deep breath, Amaku complied and brought himself to his feet.
Once they exited the elevator, Amaku followed Tex down a large white metal hallway. As Amaku looked around, he saw multiple rooms behind metal doors, and the hall itself was lined with security cameras. He shifted his gaze towards Tex, who was fully focussed on the door at the end of the hall. Upon reaching the door, Tex punched a code into the electronic touch screen panel. After two beeps sounded off, the screen then gave a prompt saying voice verification required. She then held down the blue button and spoke into the microphone.
“Texas: 0401,” she said.
“Welcome, agent Texas,” an automated voice responded. The door then opened, revealing one last long hallway leading to a blinding light at the end of it.
“Just head straight down there,” said Tex, gesturing down the hall.
Amaku slowly approached the entrance way, an eeriness emanating from its depths. He then concerningly looked back and forth between the tunnel and Tex.
“What’s…at the end of this hall?” he asked.
“Your initiation,” Tex said coldly.
Amaku looked down the hall once again, staring at the light at the end and wondering what she meant. Regardless of whether or not he knew what awaited him, he knew that there was only one way to find out. Amaku began walking down the hall.
“Good luck…Amaku,” said Tex.
After these last words were said, Amaku heard the metal doors close behind him, looking back. He then turned back towards the light, took a deep breath, and continued down the hall. As he continued, each step he took echoed off the metal walls. Then, as he finally arrived, the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ so to say, blinded him upon the entry. He held up his hand to block out the light at first and as his eyes adjusted to it. When his vision returned, the reason as to why they were so far underground became all the clearer as Amaku found himself in a large, empty white room. He looked all around him, taking in the vast open space. The room itself appeared to be a massive, hollow, rectangular concrete cube. The ceiling appeared to be about 28 meters off the ground and the wall side walls appeared to be about 37 meters apart from one another. There were lights lining the ceiling and there didn’t appear to be any other doors or windows’ peering into the room.
“You done sightseeing there, buddy?” A youthful, high pitched male voice said jokingly. Amaku was startled by this voice, frantically looking around for the source. He then directed his attention towards the center of the room and found some sort of red oval object on the floor. The outside of it appeared to be made of multiple objects that resembled…feathers? With a mix of confusion and caution, he slowly approached the object.
“I take it you’re Brokuma Amaku?” The voice emanated from the object, furthering Amaku’s confusion.
“Uhm…yes,” Amaku replied with a sense of hesitation and confusion.
“Well, it’s about time you got here.” the voice replied in a laid back yet cocky manner. “Seriously, there’s like no heating in here. I’ve been freezing my butt off for like twenty minutes waiting for you so I could set up this greeting.”
Just then, the red oval mass at the center of the room began to unravel and the feather-like surface spread out to reveal two large, red wings attached to a person. He appeared to be a teenager, no more than a couple years older than himself. He was of a relatively average height, with a slim narrow build, and ash blond hair. Amaku saw that his hair was messily swept back with a few tights sticking up and arching at the front. He possessed triangular, almost bird-like golden-brown eyes, notably thick eyebrows, and a round chin with a stubble. Amaku turned his attention to the individual’s outfit, which resembled that of an aviator. On the outside was a modified tan jacket with a high collar and slits over the shoulders to accommodate his wings, and underneath it was a black shirt with a wavy golden pattern. He also wore black gloves, tan baggy pants, and a round yellow-tinted visor.
“How’s it going?” The person asked casually. “You probably know me by my hero name…Hawks.”
