As the door opened, a thin film of dust lifted off the dark red carpet, revealing that nobody had been in the office for a while.

The unassuming room didn’t look strange or weird. In her head, Sophia had imagined many things, but all of them melted away in the face of the mundanity of this office.

“This is so disappointing,” she said, walking inside. Gen followed behind her, clearly pissed off.

“Get out,” he muttered. “We can’t be inside.”

“You have been punching monsters in the face with one of the medals. I think getting in the office is a smaller offense,” she retorted with a smirk as she approached the desk.

“Ya don’t understand. The medal picked me. It was outside. I didn’t enter the fuckin’ office,” Gen insisted, even if Sophia didn’t want to listen.

“I heard the story, and I call bullshit,” she said. But as she looked around, noticing the amount of dust piled on top of everything, she began to lose a bit of confidence.

“Look, I know ya don’t believe me, but what little the old man told me about the medals, he made very fuckin’ clear. They are alive, because they keep the Gainen inside,” Gen explained.

“I understand they are some sort of containment unit. What I don’t buy is the fact that it picked you and the fact that they are sentient, apart from killing anything that moves nearby,” she retorted, picking up a file folder and opening it, her eyes shifting as she read.

“Stop pickin’ up stuff.” Gen pulled the folder from her hands, closed it, and placed it back on the desk.

“Let’s leave, now!” he reiterated, getting angry. But Sophia wasn’t paying attention, as she was processing what she had just read.

“Read the folder,” she whispered, so low it was almost inaudible.

“What?” Gen asked, annoyed. “Speak louder,” he snapped.

Sophia picked up the folder and slammed it against his chest.

“READ THE DAMN FOLDER!” she exclaimed, her demeanor shockingly harsh.

Gen was flustered, as she never got this angry. Sarcastic and cutting, yes, but never angry like this.

With nothing else to do, he opened the folder and began reading. It took a moment, as he wasn’t as fast or as good a reader as Sophia, who was already pacing and mumbling to herself.

Gen continued reading, his eyes moving faster and faster as his confusion and annoyance only grew.

Sophia was talking to herself, saying how fucked they were and how dangerous all of this was. As time passed, she grew more and more agitated, turning to Gen and shouting.

“WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG!?”

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHIN’ HERE!” he replied, utter confusion in his eyes.