Chapter 3: 1. Good Morning, Halcyon!

Monotony is an aspect of life that people either craved and sought, or abhorred and evaded. For the majority, the repetitive motions in one’s life meant that they were either stable or stuck in life. Genesis Roa was the former kind of person, the one who chose to see the positivity and balance in what remained the same. He loved the unchanging routine that became his life.

He awoke with a small groan as his six AM alarm went off, the loud bugle horn ringtone from his phone blasted from its little speakers and filled his small room. Shoving off his navy blue duvet, he swung his legs over his full bed and stood up. He stumbled like a baby deer into the small kitchen of his and his mom’s apartment, following the smell of garlic fried rice and eggs. The TV was on when he walked past the minuscule living room that was practically attached to their kitchen, a news anchor going at rapid-fire speeds to inform the citizens of Halcyon about local events, crimes, and emergencies. He didn’t mind the small living space; if anything it felt cozy and convenient because he could watch his shows while eating.

“Good morning! Eat up, you have a long day ahead of you.” His mother’s melodic voice said gently. She was already ready for the day, her uniform of light cerulean scrubs looking spotless and her short hair was held back and away from her face by a thin plastic headband. She was about to go to work at the hospital close by, her day starting a couple of hours earlier than her son’s.

He pulled out the wooden chair and sat down at their square brown kitchen table, taking a big whiff of the food before digging in. The young man ate with his eyes closed and in a blissed-out daze. He absolutely loved and appreciated his mom’s cooking thoroughly, which was probably why he grew up bigger than the other kids. It was also probably why he stayed… big as an adult. He was about to shovel another spoonful of rice into his mouth but abruptly stopped his meal to focus on what he was hearing on the news.

“... Champion Alastair Campbell has recently signed to become an ambassador of the designer clothing brand Reverence. The brand states its excitement about working with him by giving a statement earlier…”

Genesis gasped and ran to the couch to watch the segment on the Champions, leaving a gust of wind in his wake. His mother chuckled at her son’s eagerness. The young man, since he was a child, had been a huge fanboy of the Champions. From buying merchandise of his favorite fighters and attending their conferences to buying tickets to exhibition events whenever he had enough saved up for it, Genesis Roa was a proud Champion groupie. He sat in front of the television until the segment was over, and trudged back to his neglected rice and eggs to finish up his meal.

“I’m not gonna be home until eight tonight so make sure you and Gabe eat well, okay? Your guys’ lunches are in the fridge, get them before you leave.” His mom kissed his cheek and patted his head. Despite already being twenty years old, his mom still made him feel like he was twelve and still in elementary school.

"Yeah, mom I got it. Have a good day at work! I love you!" He walked her out of the apartment, waving as he saw her off before washing the plates and utensils he just finished using. Genesis went through the rest of his morning routine leisurely, fetched the lunches his mom told him about, and headed out next door to his best friend's apartment.

"Gabe! I'm comin' in!" He said loudly before plunging in the duplicate key and unlocking the door.

"Dude, I'm all good. Did you get our food though?" His best friend was already at the entryway, fully dressed, packed, and tying his shoelaces.

“Who do you think I am? Of course!” Genesis said brightly, contorting his body and leaning forward to pat his backpack. The other man snorted at his weird action.

Gabriel Park was his one and only friend, and by default, his best friend. They had known each other since they were kids when the Park family moved in next door when both boys were around ten years old. Gabriel had always been more popular than Genesis because he was very good-looking, many described him to be pretty. He had particularly delicate features in the form of full lips, big eyes, a small oval-shaped face, and long eyelashes. However, most people that met him would describe him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing as he looked nothing like how he sounded. Gabe was also very athletic since he was forced into years of taekwondo and soccer until he hit seventeen. He was a really cool guy… but only if one could overlook the fact that he was perpetually grumpy, had a short temper, and was very… violently reactive. Like a chemical, Genesis tittered, amused at his own thoughts.

 

“What’re you laughing at? Let’s go!” Gabriel snapped him out of his own head with a light smack to the back of it. With that early morning start, they both headed off to their workplace: the Halcyon Origin Monitoring Facility.

Taking public transport had always been an experience. Not necessarily always a good experience, but an experience nonetheless. It was a surprisingly quiet and peaceful journey to work that day. The subway was empty enough that the two boys were able to sit together and talk smack about their coworkers.

“I hope Javier doesn’t do shit today,” Gabriel remarked with an annoyed scowl, chewing anxiously on his chapped lips. His eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw muscles clenched, pissed at the simple thought of Javier Blaise. For the past year and a half now, since both boys started working at the Monitoring Facility right out of high school, they had been the targets of bullying and harassment by one of their coworkers and his little gang. They mostly picked on Genesis because he never did anything about it, but Gabriel got himself included because of his fierce loyalty to his best friend. The one time he and his best friend tried to complain about the bullying, they were both threatened to be fired. Apparently, the bastard’s dad was friends with HR and the director of the facility so no matter what anyone would do, their efforts would be futile against them. The nepotism further spurred his hatred for the idiot that chose to make their lives a living hell every day.

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“Maybe he won’t. Someday he won’t. Maybe today’s the day that he won’t do anything.” Genesis said softly, smiling at the other boy. His strange and seemingly unwavering optimism made his friend grimace and sigh.

“What if we skip work for the day?” Gabriel asked, attacking his friend with the puppy eyes he had been developing for more than a decade.

“Absolutely not. I want to go to Alastair Campbell’s exhibition fight next month and help my mom pay for groceries.” Genesis responded, crossing his arms and his smile widening. He had developed a resistance to those same puppy eyes that used to be a weakness to him when they were children. His best friend pouted at the rejection of his brilliant idea.

The hour of travel time was then filled with animated conversation between the two. They spoke about anything and everything, from Champions (since they were both huge admirers of them) and comics, to recipes they wanted to try out and TV shows. Talking to Gabriel about those subjects made him feel a strange sense of nostalgia and satisfaction. Even if he was getting bullied he was still content with how things were. Wasn’t that enough?

— — —

Halcyon City’s Origin Monitoring Facility housed the only red Origin in the world. The crimson Origin’s uniqueness caused it to become treated as a thoroughly observed hazard, even becoming a morbid attraction among both domestic and international tourists.

The Monitoring Facility was huge, like the rest of them around the world. It sort of looked like a strangely fancy prison from the outside, with its tall metal fencing, several security clearances and scanning stations for entrance, and armed security roaming outside its gates. However, the actual office that Genesis and Gabriel worked at contrasted the drab and gloom that the fences and security gave off, with its artistic angular frame and glass exterior that made it look like it was taken straight out of an architecture magazine. The office building was located within two kilometers of the Origin, which was perfect because it meant that it was close enough to keep surveillance of the portal but far enough that any monsters that came out of the Origin wouldn’t be able to immediately attack the office and its workers.

Scanning their ID cards and handprints at the last clearance station to enter the Monitoring Office, they were immediately greeted by the sight of a (thankfully) clean workspace. The rows of white and silver workstations were pristine in their straight formations. Their bright hologram communicators and surveillance screens depicting the Origin from several angles lit up the entire floor in a pale white-blue haze. The night shift had left an hour ago, and Gabe and Genesis were the first of the day shift to arrive onsite, meaning that they were responsible for opening the office back up again, and other tasks such as looking at activity records from the night before and checking up with the Champions on duty.

He waved his hand over the light sensor on the wall to illuminate the entire floor with a sigh. Following Gabriel’s lead, he and his best friend walked all the way to the back of the floor to get to their desks. When they were finally at their spots, Genesis put his bag down and shrugged his windbreaker off, settling both at the hooks on the wall near his workstation. He worked at the corner in the very back of the room, not bothering to interact with anyone else except Gabe.

His day had officially begun.

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[Originally posted on Royal Road and Scribble Hub.]

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