12 am, F.A.T.E headquarters]

Oliver barely made it to the F.A.T.E headquarters in time. He was out of breath, tired and hungry from the light breakfast he had.

"I really gotta stop overestimating myself!" Oliver said, trying to catch his breath.

As he looked up at the building, he saw an intimidating structure that couldn't even be considered a building anymore. An eight sided compound with five floors stacked on top of eachother, reaching a height of over three hundred feet. He had seen pictures of it before, but seeing it in person really made him feel like an ant. The architecture was very sterile too, even a speck of dust would stand out amongst clean white. Looking around, he couldn't find anything that wasn't connected to F.A.T.E in some way. The entire off coast island was filled with nothing but F.A.T.E facilities and buildings that were connected by various walkways and bridges. It almost felt like an amusement park in a way…. But unlike an amusement park Oliver felt as if he didn't belong here. 

Even still, he continued inside, not wanting to waste any more time. The inside of the building was even more intimidating, but this time it wasn't because of the architecture, but because of the people. Men and women in suits and coats holding briefcases with who knows what inside came and went like cars on a highway. Their expressions were either comparable to a dead fish, or joyful to the point of mania. At that moment, Oliver wondered what had made them like this? He knew this kind of job wasn't easy, but what world did he find himself in. Still, he was determined, this was his dream after all. He wouldn't end up like these people.

         Walking up to the receptionist desk in the middle of the lobby, he was greeted with a kindly looking woman. She wore an inviting smile on her face as she looked up at Oliver.

“Hi, welcome to F.A.T.E main headquarters. I'm Shanon, how may I be of assistance” the receptionist retorted.

Oliver handed her his application form - the woman checking if there were any missing details.

“Oh, turned seventeen just yesterday? That's exciting. Did you do the pre-registration?” she asked.

Oliver nodded, explaining to her that he and his twin sister applied the year before.

“We heard that there was a really long wait time and since we wanted to do the test at the earliest time possible. We decided it was best to register early.” Oliver explained.

The woman nodded, typing away at her computer before handing his application over to him.

“That's smart of you. Some people have to wait a whole year or two to participate in the evaluation test - all because they weren't prepared. That's the mark of the future investigator” the woman said with a smile.

Despite the fact it was mostly his sister's idea, Olivia couldn't help but smile at her praise.

 An investigator was one of the two fields a F.A.T.E operator (staff) could enter. The F.A.T.E investigators dealt with the appearance of Festers - monstrous creatures that terrorize humanity - subjugating them for either Annihilation, Entrapment, or Testing. Oliver has always dreamed of being a cool investigator especially since they got to wield attachment units!

“I can't wait to get my attachment unit in the future! I bet it's gonna be a cool sword that'll go shing, fwing, bshh!” Oliver thought to himself, getting all excited.

Seeing the excitement on Oliver's face, the receptionist smiled.

“The training hall will be at the training ward. You won't be able to miss it… also good luck.” The woman said.

Oliver was surprised she was being so supportive, though it only helped burn a fire in his heart.

“You got it!”

          After what seemed like forever, Oliver finally found himself at the training grounds.

"Geez this place is like a labyrinth... How do people find anything here? At least I made it in time... With ten minutes to spare at that" Oliver said with a sigh.

He put his hand on the door handle, pushing it down. As the door opened, he saw a room filled with young people just like him. All of them had the same look of determination in their eyes. Once he stepped foot inside, everyone turned to him. As if examining new prey, they glare at Oliver. The pressure and aura they exerted intimidated Oliver, but he wasn't going to let them stop him. He walked further in and tried looking for a seat wherever he could, which was harder than expected. Anytime he'd try to sit down, someone would either purposely block his way, or shun him away entirely. It wasn't until he found a cozy spot in the back, that he could somewhat relax. Although, the constant glares he was receiving hardly made it a relaxing time. Their glares only stopped after a new victim graced their presence.

"Finally these lions stopped looking at me!" Oliver thought to himself, feeling relieved

But as he finally felt relaxed, someone took a seat next to him. Oliver turned to them, only to be met with a smug grin.

In front of him stood a young woman with long platinum blonde hair that curled at the ends - with a streak of dark blue running though it - and wore a smirk as if it were another part of her body. Unlike Oliver, her outfit was clean and tidy. A blue and grey button up blouse that frilled up at the sleeves, a baby blue skirt that reached her knees, and black leggings that covered her legs. The most jarring thing about her outfit though, were the sports shoes she wore. However, it was clear that her entire outfit was preplanned the day before for maximum efficiency. She was set to win.

"You're late" Oliver's twin sister Olivia said, a satisfied look on her face.

"Ah yes this girl. The lil shit that I've been stuck with since the womb..." Oliver thought to himself.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You look stupid" Olivia said, chuckling to herself.

"It's only stupid because I'm looking at you..." Oliver said in response.

"Ha ha, so funny... Geez, how am I related to you?" Olivia said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah sometimes I wonder if you're just a parasite that grew legs" Oliver said, sticking his tongue out.

"You jerk!" Olivia said, smiling slightly.

"Nye nye" Oliver said, covering his ears and turning away. 

The two began laughing, before Olivia playfully punched Oliver in the shoulder.

"Dummy... you know I was really worried you died or something... I mean I wouldn't be surprised, but I was still worried..." Olivia said.

"Me? Die? Today's the most important day in my life! I wouldn't let myself die" Oliver said, chuckling to himself.

Olivia said with a smug look and a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah right, 'most important' day. If it was that important you wouldn't be late" Olivia said.

"Oh shut up!" Oliver said, rolling his eyes to annoy her.

Suddenly, the person sitting beside them stands up and begins yelling.

"Could you two shut up for one second!" He said, sounding pissed.

The two turned to the young man, looking at him with confusion. He had short blonde hair that framed his navy blue and green eyes. Diamond shapes circled his hair, the dark green contrasting with the light blonde of his hair. He was wearing a very proper and clean suit, similar to the ones that the men Oliver saw from before were wearing. The most eye-catching part of his outfit was his leather gloves that had a crest resembling a blood drop surrounded by a circle. Oliver could swear he'd seen it before… but he couldn't remember where.

Apparently their playful banter made the man extremely upset - his pout reminding them of a spoiled toddler. But their following reactions are completely different from each other.

"O- oh I'm sorry..." Oliver said, sounding rather embarrassed.

"Huh? The fuck? You think you're my dad or something?" Olivia said, sounding rather scary.

The man sighed before walking away rather angrily. As he walked away, Oliver saw him flip a casino chip before stuffing it in his pocket.

“Isn't he…” but before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Olivia huffing.

Olivia crossed her arms and laid back into her seat.

"Geez what was with that guy, damn bastard..." Olivia said, pouting.

Sighing and sitting down next to her, Olivia asked her why she had to act the way she did.

"Sis, why do you always have to be rude to others… It's always been like this…" Oliver said to her, sounding disappointed.

Olivia turned to him for a second before turning her head away from him. 

"He was rude first!" Olivia said, sounding like a child.

Despite being the older twin, Olivia seemed to be the least mature of the two, at least in the courtesy department. But in every other aspect, she was an improvement to Oliver. She always got good grades in school, everyone liked her and she always knew what to do in a bad situation. So in some regards, Oliver hated his sister. But he'd never admit to it. I mean, what kind of person would he be if he did? If she knew he envied her, he'd lose one of the few people who actually believed in him. So for the time being he’ll just keep his feelings to himself. Even if it hurts.

Oliver sighed, looking away from Olivia. He looked at the crowded room and felt a bit nauseous. Not due to sickness or anxiety, but due to the sheer number of people.

"All these people are just like me... They desperately want to be a part of F.A.T.E. But why exactly do they do it?" Oliver said as he looked at the sea of people.

Oliver Rand had always had the strange ability to tell a person's desire. When he was in preschool, he always knew what others around him wanted. Whether it was a crayon, some of his food, or maybe just to talk, he knew what they wanted, as if they had a sign above their heads.

"That guy with the yellow shirt, he definitely wants to join because he thinks it'll get him a girlfriend. That girl with braids, she wants to join to support her family. That brown haired guy, he wants to join cause he wants to beat up monsters...." Oliver inferred.

Oliver did not feel as if their desires were wrong, but he felt a little bad. Because he himself did not know why he wanted to join F.A.T.E. Sure he was a fan of F.A.T.E, he always watched any fight that came on TV as a kid, even collected memorabilia in the form of replica Operator "attachment units", but in all honesty, he hated fighting, or any hard labour in general. The thought of fighting larger than life monsters who could destroy entire cities.... was terrifying to him. Yet something inside him made him want to be just like the F.A.T.E Operators that protected his country.

"Why? Why do I want to become an investigator…" Oliver asked himself as he faced the ground.

Olivia noticed her brother's mumbling, causing her concern. She stood up then flicked his forehead.

"Hey lift your head up, I don't wanna be seen with a loser" Olivia said, putting her hands on her hips.

Oliver laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"S- sorry..." Oliver said, forcing a smile.

Hearing him say sorry caused Olivia to get upset for some reason. She didn't understand why, but she was mad at him.

"Tsk... Your apologies are too easy to come by... Besides, it's not like you did anything bad..." Olivia said, storming off.

Oliver was left dumbfounded as he wondered...

"Did I do something wrong?"