~.Authors Note.~

Jesus. H. Christ. - A whole month to get one chapter out? That's absolutely pathetic on my part, I'm sorry guys. But phew, at least it's finally done and we've got the ball now rolling so hopefully it'll pick up speed where updates are concerned. I'll admit that I found it difficult to get back into writing like this since it's been nearly two years since I've worked on a story, and one of the most important things about being a writer is to never stop writing as it usually leads to the dulling of your skill. Regardless, I hope you all still like this chapter and my writing prowess nevertheless of where it currently stands, and know that I'm open for constructive criticism; I want to improve as much as I can and get back to the writer I used to be.

Enough of my rambling now- off to the chapter!

~.Review Replies.~

Lowrietial: It was my pleasure! Daichi was one of my first favorites, and I just knew right from the start I wanted him in this story. I have so many plans for him~

arans: I'm glad I was able to squeeze her in! I'll be honest the competition for a female position was brutal since I was sent so many good ones (nearly gave myself a stroke finally deciding on the final cast) but Emily stood out in all the right ways and I'm super excited to write for her!

hambor12: Honestly I loved Allen, and I really wanted a character like him in this story since his mentality is so fascinating, I just want to explore it more and I thought up a bunch of ideas for him; especially once we get deeper into the plot.

PhantomAceX: Nicky was adorable, and I know he'll be a great addition to whichever Syoc you decide to send him to next! Oh, a gravedigger? I would've liked to have seen that, that's a very interesting idea for a talent that I've yet to come across.

dougcupcake: Thank you! I'll try not to give myself an early death!

Kuranoir: It's okay, you're allowed to be excited! It makes me excited! 3 We've definitely got some talents that are hard to come by but that just makes it all the more thrilling to get to know them and explore their ultimate titles. Even though he is dead you'll still get to have snippets of Aron's character via flashbacks, so hopefully, that'll be enough in the end. As for the character with the missing talent, you'll just have to wait and see~ Optimistically let's pray I can get my head back in the game and actually get a chapter out on time for a bi-weekly release. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Mugipyon: We truly did get a very nationally diverse cast, and I love it! I'm very happy with that I was given. I'm looking forward to writing for Komori, thank you again for giving me the option to gender-swap him, it really helped!

PSISomething: I sincerely did get a treasure trove of amazing characters to choose from, and despite how hard it was to come up with the roster I have no regrets about my final choice. Yasmin was definitely a shining star amongst the entries and I'm only too happy to have her be a part of this story. Thank you for submitting her! Haha, yeah, I shouldn't get any commending for how long it took to get this first chapter out but hopefully, I can get the next one out much sooner. Thank you for being so understanding though! I have a lot of the plot already planned out for this story but there are still quite a few gaps that need filling but I'm sure I can mend them when I get to those points. Sadly, no. The side characters aren't submissions that didn't make the cut. They were created by me since I need them to be as flexible as possible since they do play a vital role in the story despite being deceased. I was tempted to use leftover submissions but it just would've made everything too complicated and I didn't know if it would come off as rude to the creators to have their characters already killed off. Thanks for the awesome review! I hope you like this first chapter!

Sparkquill: Haha, no. I live in a pretty normal timezone I just suffer from really bad insomnia- plus my work shifts leave my internal clock completely fucked up. It also doesn't help (in a healthy sense) that I get my best story/plot ideas at night and have the overpowering urge to write when I should be frolicking in dreamland. Do other DR Syoc writers usually add the usernames? I've never done that when I use to write these kinds of stories but I guess everyone's different. You're very welcome! I was indeed nervous about adding Kana, especially considering the setting this story takes place in but I really loved her character and I guess I saw it as a kind of challenge. I can only hope I do her justice in the days to come!

Abitat Eco: No need for thanks, the pleasures all mine really! Kalisto was such an original character design and I knew I had to have him be a part of this, no buts about it. I'm glad you're so excited and I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you for being so understanding regarding updates; and trust me, graveyard shifts suck! (but do pay good money) Yeah, the tarotoilgist was so close to making it and it would've been so much fun to write for 'em but I only had so many positions and twenty is more than enough for me! Thank you so much for the review! Xxx right back at ya!

TheRoseShadow21: It truly is. Those talents seem to be the most popular curiosity-wise and it's gonna be fun getting to explore them more~

TrulyConfused: (Your username is honestly 95% of my life) Yeah, hopefully, once I get my ass in gear I can actually deliver chapters on time for you guys. I'm glad you like the idea! I always did that for my past Syoc's on my main account and found it helped a lot! Oh, trust me there are going to be some major rivalries and fights between these characters but not from the ones you'd expect~ Thank you so much for the kind words and support! Trust me I'll need all the luck I can get!

pencil-lead-guy: No, thank you so much! I absolutely adore Salvatore and I'm so excited to write for him! I hope you enjoy what I come up with!

Crimson Spider Lily: Oh. My .God - I did not at all expect to receive a review as long as yours from just a cast reveal update/chapter! I freakin love it, thank you so much! Also, there's no need for thanks, Mika was probably the first OC that won me over and immediately I began planning plot for her even before the month of February was up. Let's all pray I can bi-weekly updates going once I get into the swing of things. I was able to do it before I should be able to do it again. I'm gonna try not to give anything away concerning the Mastermind since I want to let the story do that but let's just say we got some serious plot-twist on the way~ There's gonna be a lot of flashbacks in this so I want you guys to let me know if it gets too confusing or tangled together. I'll try my best to keep it all clear. Yeah, I think I had roughly 50 submission's all together (some didn't appear on the submission list since they didn't follow certain rules and requirements) so it was truly a struggle to choose only 20 out of everything I was sent (definitely gave myself one hell of a headache). I love hearing all your thoughts on the cast and how you think they will be (I did indeed spell Ryan's talent wrong, it is supposed to say, soldier!) let's sit back and see if any of your predictions are right~ Thanks again for this amazing review! I hope you like the first chapter!

dashunterman: We will pray togther~

Pretty Palutena: I hope you enjoy it!

KillerAsh158: Glad to see you're excited~ I hope you enjoy!

~.Chapter 1 - Through A Nightmare Darkly.~

Blood.

Thick, metallic, sticky and red. Oh so very red.

It stained the surrounding walls, ceiling, and floors with an unnatural crimson glint caused by the sinister light source that couldn't be pinpointed in the cesspool of carnage and shadow that was the Vault. The copper scented liquid squelched violently beneath ruined shoes as the silhouette of a person sprinted down the blackened hall in a mad fray past countless vacant rooms left in a similar state of desolation and decay.

One sharp turn; then another. The slip of a misplaced foot; followed by a painful crash to the floor in a blood-splattered heap. The shout of twisted agony goes unheard as the lone figure's shoulder gives a loud pop signaling it's release from the socket. With a strangled noise the shaking shadow of a human hauls themselves to their feet with a hand clutching the now crooked limb. Breath shudders in broken gasps as lungs heave for clean air through the smog that floods the steel corridors like poison gas. Dizziness sets in as does a constant painful throb once the lone shadow starts moving again in uneven steps; stumbling towards the strange white light of a large open doorway laying at the end of the hall that suddenly appeared through the darkness. It's abnormal beams of luminance stretch out like welcoming hands ready to pull the tormented figure into the safety of the colorless void laid out before them. Hidden eyes widen in hopeful desperation accompanied by the sting of unshed tears whilst trembling, sanguine tainted fingers reach out for the wavering radiance as a wounded plea bubbles up in the figure's throat. Pupils constrict to needle points as the frosty light explodes in their vision, striking away the possessive darkness like a sword would a beast. A stark utopia bleached of all color becomes the lost soul's new sanctuary and for a blissful few moments, it is allowed the luxury of bathing in its gore-free brilliance before a sinister laugh echo's around them like a voice astray in an underground cavern.

As quickly as it had materialized the stark oasis disintegrates and falls apart piece by piece like an unraveling web. Darkness once again befalls the distraught figures terrified gaze as their eyes zero in on the almost unrecognizable heaps of mangled flesh that surrounds them in the now blood-ravaged atrium. A scream is ripped from the silhouettes throat as they collapse to their knees before a ground-risen pillar where a small creature awaits with a gently swishing tail puffed out like a cloud and heartless green eyes that pierce through the midnight shroud and into the figures prone being now crumbled before it.

A thin, ear-splitting chortle makes the animal's body tremble giddily as it gets to its paws and twirls around in a circle on all fours happily. Artificial streams of moonlight flow down through broken panes setting its fur alight in silvery blood red hues. It's rounded ears perk up with delight as it gives a tilt of its head; all the while watching as the larger figure before it continues to wail in despair, wracked in pitiful sobs. A twisted grin curls the pint-sized beast's features and with an amused sigh, it steps towards the edge of the pillar to peer down at the wallowing human knelt below.

"Kehehe~ Oh you poor thing~ Just look at the mess you've become! Did you really think it was all over just because the Chief is gone? Tsk, tsk! I warned you didn't I? I told you right to your face that it doesn't end until those you love lay broken and bleeding before you~" The creature gave a long sweep of its tail around the crimson-soaked room to empathize its words, grin widening.

"Tell me~ Did you hear their cries? Their fear? Their anguish? The splatter of their blood as it spilled upon the floor? The cracking of their bones as they were broken down to nothing?" Cold green eyes swell with cruel mirth as the human's grieved sobs grow louder.

"Some even called out for you~ In those final moments, they still held onto some twisted hopefulness that there was someone who could save them from their fate~ KAHAHA! What fools!"

The glass ceiling above them gave an ominous crackle as a frigid wind seized the room, manifesting from nowhere. Feigned stars that were once white now held an unnatural purple shade against the scarlet sky and the giant moon that towered above gleamed like a sinister jewel of various reds. Their light bore down in broken streams through the brittle barrier, illuminating the grotesque mounds of contorted flesh strewn about the room. They began to shift and warp as they rose on mangled feet or dragged themselves on broken limbs. The crying figures head shot up and swung left and right as they realized their deceased companions had reanimated and were now closing in on them with outstretched arms riddled with torn, rotted flesh. The figure screamed and jumped to their feet, jerking to and fro looking for a way out around the rapidly shrinking circle as their undead friends edged nearer. All the doors were sealed shut, crusting blood and entrails oozing out from between the small gaps and seeping from the destroyed light fixtures, flooding the room. The small creature on the pillar threw it's head back bellowing it's psychotic laughter; watching through unblinking eyes as the lifeless corpses reached their hysterical target and began tearing them to pieces without hesitation.

"It's cute really~ How you pests stayed so ignorant and optimistic to the end, and look where it got ya! Now your idiocy and useless hope is to be rewarded with the only thing you ever deserved! Death!"

Screams of terror turned into agony, red rolls over white, begs go unheard, and the cruel wind howls overhead so violently it finally ruptures the fragile barrier, and in an almighty crash, the glass ceiling comes tumbling down in a wave of glittering shards flashing like a thousand knives.

Through the thunder of noise, a voice breaches through the fine cracks of unconsciousness, roughly tugging the massacred figure from the depths of rem sleep and back into the waking world.

"Calvin! Calvin wake up!"

With a startled shout and the flailing of limbs, the graffiti artist was sent tumbling from the warm confines of his bed and landed with a heavy 'thump!' onto the cold floor of his suite, half tangled in his bedsheets. A sharp pain shot through his abdomen as his body bent at an odd angle with his back flat on the ground and his legs propped up on the bed's side causing him to groan in discomfort.

"Oh shit. You okay buddy?"

Calvin blinked open a hidden eye to peer up at the concerned face of a girl looking down at him from atop his crooked mattress. Her face looked kinda shadowed by the way she was leaning over but he could still clearly see her heart-shaped face embellished with thin eyebrows and hooded seafoam green eyes that almost seemed to glow in the half-light. Her mocha colored skin was stretched taut over her slender but athletic build with muscled arms flecked with tiny scars that displayed their strength well. A thin, black dreadlock had escaped from the main throng that she had tied up in a ponytail, now draped over her shoulder with the way she was poised. A grin curled the corners of her mouth, and the artist just knew she was suppressing a laugh.

Calvin groaned again as he struggled to pull himself into a proper sitting position while extracting his legs from the now knotted blanket.

"I'm just peachy Yasmin, just peachy." His voice sounded husky with sleep and an outstretched hand appeared before him as he rubbed at the back of his head sorely. Without hesitation, Calvin took it and was pulled to his feet in one swift movement.

"I came to wake you up but it looked as though you were having a nightmare or someth'in. You sure you're okay?" The dark-skinned girl asked, hands on her hips and mild concern reflected in her eyes.

Now that Calvin was up and on his feet he could see his companion properly. She was already fully dressed in her usual attire consisting of a jade snapback that she had her ponytail going out through the gap in the other side, a cord necklace with multicoloured beads around her neck, an emerald long sleeved hoodie that was left unzipped over a yellow tank top that reads 'I work out because I like to eat' across it in bold black letters, brown fingerless leather gloves, periwinkle coloured capoeira pants tied up with a white leather belt and brown slip-on sandals.

All in all her outfit was pretty badass to Calvin. Very fitting for the ultimate street performer.

- New Character Discovered! -

Yasmin Diaz

Ultimate Street Performer

16

Brazilian

Calvin's mouth gaped open in a huge yawn while he raised his arms up over his head in a luxurious stretch before answering his friend.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just a weird dream is all." His tone was dismissive even though the horrible images were still vivid in his mind but he made quick work of shoving them away to some deep part of his brain so as not to linger on it.

Yasmin gave him a disbelieving look.

"Just a weird dream? It looked like you were fighting against a pack of wolves and by the way you were thrashing it seemed as though you were losing." Even with the teasing smile on her face, the look of concern didn't leave her usually happy eyes.

"Naw, it's all good," Calvin reassured with a lopsided grin. "I'll bet you my entire collection of pop tabs that there isn't one person in this Vault that hasn't had some fucked up dream since arriving here."

Yasmin gave a huff of a laugh devoid of any actual amusement.

"Yeah, no kidding right?" She muttered, fiddling with a bead on her necklace before suddenly dropping it. "Oh right, almost forgot! Daichi wants to have a meeting at 5 pm with everyone in the dining room. He asked me to come and tell you if you were up."

Calvin's hand stopped mid hair ruffle at that, turning towards his bedside table to peer at the alarm clock sat on it. He gave a jolt of surprise when he saw it was already 1:12 pm.

"Jesus man, why'd you guys let me sleep so long?" Ever since first awakening in the Vault almost three months ago, Calvin found he could never sleep for more than a small handful of hours before growing restless and rolling out of bed to seek out some company. Now all of a sudden he had put down a solid thirteen hours of sleep? How had he managed to pull that off?

"Well with everything that happened yesterday we thought it was best to just let you rest as much as possible and to just let you wake up whenever. Adelaide did check on you early this morning before joining us at breakfast but she said you were sleeping like a baby." Yasmin's grin grew wider at that last part before she gestured to Calvin's abdomen. "And from the looks of it, you're still pretty tender huh?"

The graffiti artist followed her gaze to his black and blue splotched stomach that was left on full display with his lack of clothing. The heavy bruising that he had acquired yesterday looked twice as vivid now and had begun turning an ugly yellow around the edges as his body worked on healing the damage. Tender was an understatement. Now with the painkillers gone from his system, he could feel the throbbing pain in all it's sick glory. It made him feel mildly nauseous but he was determined not to let it show. There was enough to worry about around here anyway.

"Yeah but it's nothing I can't handle. I'll just pop and few pills and everything should be just dandy." Calvin flashed another comforting smile causing most of the concern to melt away from Yasmin's eyes, replaced with solace.

"Well if your sure brother. Now go freshen up and put some clothes on unless you want Kalisto to freak out again over your pink boxers and we'll go get you some drugs and coffee."

Calvin laughed and gave a thumbs up before grabbing up a mound of haphazard clothes that had been left at the foot of his bed before heading on over to his suites bathroom. He stepped into the tiled room, using his hip to shut the door behind him.

For a supposed Vault their individual living quarters were quite extravagant. The restroom itself looked like something a millionaire had had custom made. The ground looked like it was made from tiny squares of perfectly cut gold, outlined in bronze, and the walls were a warm shade of sandstone patterned with hazel diamonds. A stupidly giant bathtub with several jets that looked more like a hot tub sunk into the floor lay at the far right of the large room, along with a shower that looked like it could fit five people at once.

Kinky.

A gleaming porcelain throne sat next to a sink embellished with dark marble lay at the opposite end of the large room not far from a huge cedar cabinet with dozens of different sized drawers and an alignment of hooks for clothing and towels. A big set of casement windows was fixated into the wall between the two main areas of the bathroom displaying a grassy countryside dotted with the occasional tree or shrub with beams of warm sunlight dappling the vast rolling hills. But, Calvin knew better than to believe what his hidden eyes saw. It was just a cruel illusion. A hologram to make it look as though this was all just a pleasant get away to some heavenly paradise and not an underground prison god-knows-where.

Ignoring the fools facade Calvin made his way over to the glittering sink and turned to face the large mirror hung above it surrounded by golden lights. He saw what he always saw of course. His face. Well, at least half of it anyway. His thick, short cut hair that he constantly left carelessly unstyled was now ten times messier due to a bad case of bedhead. It's usual rosewood colour with a silvery sheen was enhanced to an almost glowing hue from the encircling lights around him, and his messy/wayward bangs that completely covered his eyes were curling up at the ends weirdly. With only the lower half of his face being visible one could only see his nicely defined grecian nose and thin lips that always seemed to be sporting a grin making his twin black snakebite piercings stand out. He had a rather thin build with a healthy dose of muscle that was most visible in his arms than anywhere else. He stood at 5'10 and his skin was rather fair all around, save for his right arm that was completely inked in a monochrome tattoo sleeve from wrist to shoulder in a tribal design. His long fingers were dappled with various colours of paint from the constant practice of his craft and his earlobes were stretched with small lime green spacers.

- Protagonist Unveiled! -

Calvin Lazarus

Ultimate Graffiti Artist

18

Nationality Unknown

Calvin took a moment to run a hand down his aching abdomen, flinching at the stinging the touch left despite how gentle the motion was. The memories of how he received the brutal bruising was still all to clear in his mind. During another failed search of the Vault for a possible way out Calvin had been down in the subbasement where he thought it was a good idea to check under one of the large machines when he spotted a strange glow. He had only intended to slip under there for a moment to quickly look but that short moment was all karma needed to break loose one of the heavy metal plates of the mechanism and send it crashing down right on top of him in the gut. He was only trapped for a minute or two before a nearby companion rushed over and managed to pull him free but the damage had been done. It had hurt so bad Calvin was sure he had broken some ribs, caused internal bleeding or busted a lung. Luckily though upon inspection, no such harm had been done, just some very bad bruising that he was gonna have to put up with for quite some time. The graffiti artist didn't mind though really. He was just glad to still be alive and relatively well.

His attention was than caught by the silver shine of the smooth metal bracelet that was secured tightly around his right wrist. Holding it up to his face he scowled at the strange accessory. Everyone in the Vault had woken up with one when they had first arrived, and still, after nearly three months they still had no idea what their purpose was. Some speculated that they were some kind of tracking device the departed 'Chief' had binded to them so he could always keep tabs on his prisoners, but they had no proof or evidence to back up that theory. The thick steel bands had absolutely nothing remarkable about them. Just plain silver with zero markings, zero indentations, and zero latches or breaks in it; disabling them from being removed.

With a sigh, Calvin let his arm drop back to his side before bending down to pick up his discarded clothing and begin dressing himself. His style was simple with a cool flare. His signature jet-black pull over hoodie with '0 Fucks Given' written across it in colourful graffiti style letters with the sleeves always rolled up to his elbows displaying the lower half of his tattoo, dark grey skinny jeans covered in unintentional rips, his green and blue Nike dunk high shoes, and lastly a red and black snapback hat with his initials printed across it in his famous graffiti design.

Once fully dressed Calvin reached into the collar of his hoodie to pull out the golden chain that always hung around his neck with a small plaque scribed with the initials 'L.L' and 'E.D' so that it sat on the outside of his clothing, gleaming warmly.

After quickly taking a brief few moments to brush his teeth and take a swig of mouthwash Calvin finally stepped back out into his suits main room where Yasmin sat on his disheveled bed flicking through channels on the massive flat screen TV perched upon the wall on the opposite side of the massive room. It had beige walls tinted lilac purple, a high ceiling sporting a large circular window where Calvin could see the projection of the night sky as he tried falling asleep every night, though he could change it to become the view of anything he liked via a remote meant for it. Many lights hung from the ceiling all around the room casting a warm golden glow in coiling patterns from their fancy twisted metal cages. The furniture itself was of very high quality just like everything else. The king sized bed sat at the east side of the room below a wall made entirely out of mirrors with a gold intricate design that resembled twisting vines and leaves, the chocolate brown bed covers themselves adorning a similar style along with it's dozens of heavenly soft pillows. Dark oak wood furnishings were neatly placed around the room such as a desk with a computer next to the main door, a small dining table with four chairs in front of a small bar with a mini fridge and a shelf lined with multicoloured bottles filled with fairy lights casting a rainbow glow near the northern wall, a low sitting ottoman at the foot of his bed lined with plump white cushions, and a huge bookshelf chalked full of books on every genre you could ever think of along the western wall in the corner next to a soft lapis blue armchair with a reading lamp. The ground was actually made out of clear glass over a layer of pebbles in various shades of browns and purples with faint lights beneath them that made the whole floor glow in soothing tones. It had all been very shocking when he had first discovered his room, and for a guy that had grown up in the streets, it had left him stunned for weeks.

Seeing his return Yasmin grinned at her now fully dressed companion as she stood up and shut the television off before tossing the remote away back into the treacherous ocean of sheets that was the graffiti artists bed.

"Ready now brother?" She asked with a skip in her step as she moved backward towards the main doors of his room, looking back to her usual upbeat self.

Calvin traded her a matching grin, flashing her a rock n' roll sign as he followed her out of the room and out into the hallway.

"Lead the way sister."

With the rooms within the Vault being so luxurious the corridors and halls were no exception. It looked as though you were walking through Buckingham Palace itself with the lush red carpets and white-gold walls ornate with ageless carvings and everything. The passageways leading from one wing to another were so long you got dizzy just looking down them, and if it were not for the colour scheme changing as you entered a new sector of the Vault you wouldn't know you had left the old one behind.

On the way to the heart of the underground fortress, Calvin and Yasmin briefly stopped by one of the many infirmaries to grab a bottle of painkillers for the artist's tender torso. Yasmin had laughed, claiming she had never seen someone pop a pill so fast in her life as Calvin hurriedly ingested several with a glass of water provided from the rooms sink, stuffing the bottle and the rest of it's contents into the pocket of his hoodie.

Painkillers Obtained!

The Item Has Been Added To Your Inventory!

They continued on their way while caught in a comfortable conversation about the Brazilian girl's talent to which she began showing off dance moves as they walked. Calvin stopped to try and mimic her as he felt the drugs in his system finally start to take effect, numbing most of the throbbing.

"Pfft! Bahaha! No no, you're doing it all wrong! You look like a flailing fish!" Yasmin clutched her sides laughing hysterically as she watched the pink haired boy before her flop onto his side after failing to copy her headstand kick move. Calvin huffed out a strained laugh from his twisted position on the floor before pushing himself up so he was sitting.

"Yeah well, you try busting a move after nearly getting crushed to death by a six-hundred-pound machine and see how easy it is eh?" Calvin laughed and gave her the finger as he got to his feet, dusting off his jeans.

Yasmin returned the gesture with a grin before turning her head to the side to look at a nearby open doorway where light sounds were coming from.

"Looks like she's still going at it." She murmured, moving towards the room and peering through the entryway.

Calvin cocked his head before getting to his feet and following suit. Gazing into the room he recognized it as one of the gyms. The floor was coated entirely in dark blue safety mats. Various workout machines in gleaming silver were strewn about along with several large TVs dotting the walls on all sides. A huge stereo lay at the far end of the room next to a bar where one could quickly mix up a protein or energy drink to help improve their performance. Calvin immediately spotted what was causing the soft noises they were hearing, or rather 'who'.

A tall girl with lightly tanned skin and a well-muscled form was currently doing pull-ups on one of the machines. She wore a tight black cropped tank top with a faded green strap across her well-endowed chest that left her midsection completely bare for all to see along with the light outlines of abs she had.

Lucky.

Along with that, she had green camouflage army pants with many pockets, a loose rucksack belt holding them up and a pair of brown combat boots on her feet sporting silver studs that resembled bullets. Black fingerless fighting gloves with a layer of steel over the knuckles resided on her hands, and a thin chain with several dog tags hung around her neck that jingled lightly with every move she made. Her hair was cut short in a messy/tousled faux hawk that's slightly longer than the average style. It started off navy blue at the roots but gradually shifted into sea glass before ending with a dark shade of teal at the ends. Like Calvin, her skin knew well the graze of an ink infused needle. Across her upper chest and along her collarbone was a detailed tattoo of a biblical creature known as a leviathan in vivid shades of blues and greens that spiraled in on itself like a coiling snake with a shimmering diamond dermal piercing in the center of it as if the monster was guarding it. Her ears were also pierced with several rings along with an industrial piercing in the right one.

Her back was currently turned to them as she exercised and out of the corner of his hidden eye Calvin could see a mischievous smirk spreading across Yasmin's face. He gave her a questioning look but only received a cocky wink before the street performer began creeping forward on light feet towards the unsuspecting girl; Calvin's confusion melting into amusement as he realized what she was planning. The dark-skinned ultimate prowled forward until she was only two feet away from the taller girl who had still failed to notice the oncoming 'danger'.

'Maybe she'll actually be able to do it this time.' Calvin thought positively.

Oh, how wrong he was.

The next few seconds went by in a flash. One moment Yasmin was poised stealthy behind her target, the next she surged forward with outstretched arms and it all when downhill from there. The suspended girl gave one giant heave so that her body lifted up out of Yasmin's reach and as the Brazilian blundered forward with a gasp of surprise the taller girl dropped down onto the street performer and grappled her into a headlock. Yasmin tried to pull free whilst kicking her legs around but it was no use as she just flailed around uselessly in the vice-like grip.

"Heh, nice try Diaz but it takes more than that to sneak up on a soldier." The older girl chuckled as she watched Yasmin struggle helplessly in her grasp.

"Yeah yeah I know. You n' your dumb sixth sense right Ryan? It was worth a shot though, now let me up." The street performer grumbled with a pout as she pushed at the soldiers muscled arms.

- New Character Discovered! -

Ryan Zamolodchikova

Ultimate Soldier

20

Russian/German

With one last chuckle Ryan finally released her would-be assailant before getting to her feet, extending a hand to help the other up. Yasmin's disheartened pout broke, a smile curling the corners of her lips as she accepted the hand and was pulled to her feet. With a laugh, Calvin trotted on over to the two girls and gave Yasmin a good-natured shove with his shoulder.

"Eleven attempts now and you still haven't managed to overthrow the Lieutenant huh sister? You'd think after nearly three months you would've at least caught her off guard by now." Calvin laughed at the half glare Yasmin sent him before turning to Ryan.

Now that the older girl was facing them Calvin could see the gentle yet sharp features of her oblong-shaped face. She was quite beautiful for a soldier; more so than Calvin thought one would be, especially her almond-shaped eyes. They were her most striking feature and never failed to catch anyone's attention. She had a strange case of sectoral heterochromia that only affected her left eye. It was a dovetail of soft lilac purple and brilliant sapphire that existed together in perfect harmony despite the difference in shades. Then her right eye just completely threw you for a loop. You would expect it to be either purple or blue like in her other eye, but nope. It was a stunning surge of ruby red, and if you looked carefully enough you could see that it was flecked with shards of gold. Ryan had to be the first person with three different colored eyes Calvin had ever met but he found it all fascinating so he never questioned it. Also upon closer inspection, one could see the thin scar that cut through the soldiers left eyebrow and just faintly the scarred over bullet holes along her left bicep that made the graffiti artist flinch at the thought of how she got them.

Calvin found himself staring at them again, not noticing Ryan's uncomfortable foot shuffling or cough, and it wasn't until she gave him a light touch of the shoulder that he was pulled from his thoughts.

"Huh?" Calvin looked toward her questioningly, frowning at the look on her face.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, eyes downcast as she gestured to his abdomen. Calvin followed her hand motion to his clothed torso before turning back to her with an easy-going smile.

"It feels just fine! I took some painkillers and they're truly doing me miracles." Calvin reassured as he twisted his midsection around on his hips like he was stretching to prove his point, inwardly flinching at the sharp pain that came from the excessive motions. His grin faltered when he recognized the expression of guilt on Ryan's face that only deepened the longer she looked at him.

"It shouldn't have happened." She muttered bitterly, gritting her teeth slightly. "If I had only stayed by you like I should have you wouldn't have gotten hurt at all." Calvin frowned before stepping forward and placing a soft hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"Hey. It wasn't anybody's fault, and you can't prevent every bad thing that happens around here ya know?. We both agreed to split up during the search so it wasn't like you ditched me out of nowhere." Ryan opened her mouth to what he assumed to be to argue but Calvin cut her off.

"And besides, you came running when I called for help and if it hadn't been for you I would've been squashed to death by that thing like a bug under a shoe." Calvin grinned goofily, sticking his tongue out as he shook a shoe-clad foot to emphasize his words. Ryan chuckled, amusement dancing lightly in her eyes even though she didn't look completely convinced.

'At least I got a smile out of her.' Calvin took some comfort from that.

Yasmin glanced between the two with a raised eyebrow before snorting and waving a hand between them to get their attention.

"Alright, you two enough with the depressing conversation! We're on a coffee hunting mission that must be fulfilled before sleeping beauty here starts to crash again." Calvin shoved her hand away with a laugh.

"Fine fine, we're going you annoying pest." He turned to look at Ryan. "Do you wanna come? It looks as though you could use a break." The soldier appeared thoughtful for a moment before shrugging.

"You two go on ahead, I'll catch up. I'm gonna take a quick shower first then I'll meet you there in a little bit." Calvin and Yasmin both nodded before giving a matching thumbs up.

"Will do!" Yasmin called before leaving the room with the artist in tow.

The rest of the walk to the kitchen that the dining room just so happened to be attached to only took another short five minutes plus an extra four when Calvin and Yasmin had a brief wrestling match where the street performer came out on top easily with the graffiti artist being in his current weakened state. They came tumbling into the grand room laughing while Calvin tried snatching back his stolen hat from Yasmin's extended hand. The dining room was as huge as you'd expect it to be once taken into consideration how sumptuous the suits alone were. The ceiling towered over fifty feet above them along with four huge golden chandeliers that lit up the entire room effortlessly. The carpets and tapestries were rich a hickory color, the four ungodly long dining tables that could fit up to at least two-hundred people were made of glazed pine, and a magnificent fireplace surrounded by gleaming light brown marble overlooked it all at the far side of the massive hall. Off to the right was a pair of double doors that would lead to the kitchen and on the left was an alcove where a small lounge was nestled containing two long burnt orange couches, an armchair, another bar for mixing drinks, a large window projecting the view of a bustling city, and wicker woven hanging lights that were casting a warm glow. The door was slightly ajar and for a brief moment when Calvin made another lung for his hat, the artist spotted a figure laying stretched out across one of the couches.

"Don't tell me Emily slept in there again?" Calvin asked as he finally snagged his hat from the snickering Brazilian and placed it back on his head. Yasmin turned to look at the open doorway where light breathing could be heard now that they were quiet.

"Yeah, she must be still hearing those strange noises." She shrugged looking mildly concerned. In a few quick strides, the performer was in the entryway and had opened the door fully to check if she was correct before turning back to Calvin and nodding.

"Yeah, it's her. She looks exhausted though, let's just let her sleep till it's time for the meeting. We've still got roughly three hours." Calvin gave a small noise of agreement before heading over to the opposite doors leading into the kitchen, Yasmin quickly following.

They slid open automatically when the pair got close, allowing them to be greeted by the gleaming silver of the sterile rooms appliances within as well as the mouth-watering scent of food. Various machines meant for cooking lined the walls on all sides and along the counter island that sat in the middle. Ovens, grills, deep fryers, fridges, dishwashers, coffee makers, food processors, sinks, hanging racks with hundreds of pans; you name it, it's there. It looked to be a place owned by a millionaire world-class chef, not by a bunch of abandoned teens and young adults.

Twenty pearly white plates were laid out across the center kitchen island with small portions of what appeared to be some kind of dried plant already placed upon them. In front of the main stove stood a girl who was currently stirring a pot of boiling water that she was adding powered ingredients to. She was 5'6, her long, honey-blonde hair that fell down to her mid-back was styled into a french braid, and her slightly tanned skin glowed healthily in the pale lights of the kitchen.

"What's cookin good lookin?" Calvin called with a grin as he took a seat on an empty countertop, leaning his back against some cupboards. The distracted girl gave a small gasp and spun around fast on her heel to look at the two new arrivals with wide, upturned green eyes.

She was clad in a baby pink button-up blouse with ruffles along the collar and sleeves, a knee-length layered skirt where each of three layers is a different shade of blue, moving from sky blue at the top, to cerulean blue at the middle, and lapis blue along the bottom. A black belt with a stylish G & M buckle held the skirt up, going nicely with the pair of black calf-high boots she wore over white stockings. Her face was heart-shaped with a sharp chin, slightly pinched cheeks, a lean body with a slight build and a modest bust.

Yasmin laughed at the shocked look on the blondes face as she took her own seat at the counter island.

"Calm down Gabrielle it's just us, don't go giving yourself a stroke now!."

- New Character Discovered! -

Gabrielle Moreua

Ultimate Seamstress

17

French

"You guys nearly scared me to death, and that would be your own faults!" Gabrielle chided with a hand placed over her no doubt racing heart. She turned back to the steaming pot she had been stirring to throw in the bundle dried pasta she was holding; Calvin held back a laugh upon seeing they were all broken from where she had been gripping them. After a few moments of mixing and getting her breathing under control, the seamstress finally turned back to them with a weak smile and a wispy laugh.

"Seriously guys, I think my heart jumped into my throat. Don't do that to me." Calvin just snickered, grin widening.

"Sorry tutz, we just came to get some java. We didn't mean to catch ya off guard like that."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't hear us come in. You're usually so attentive, something on your mind? Or someone?" It was Yasmin's turn to grin widely, waggling her eyebrows as she watched the blondes face turn red.

"N-no! I'm just trying to focus on making dinner without burning it so of course, I'm a little spaced out!" Gabrielle turned back to her bubbling pot and began adding more ingredients, this time with a little more force and a few fumbles. The street performer and graffiti artist shared a knowing smirk before Yasmin got up and trotted on over to the huge coffee maker to turn it on and begin boiling the water for Calvin's promised caffeine.

"Okay girl, whatever you say." Gabrielle glared at her from the corner of her eye before suddenly turning back around to look at Calvin with concern.

"Oh! How are you feeling Calvin? I'm surprised you're up walking around with how beat up you looked yesterday." The pink haired teen just smiled lightly and waved a dismissive hand.

"Don't look so troubled, I feel fine! The drugs we've got work wonders~ I think I'll even do some cartwheels once everyone's gathered just to show off!" Gabrielle giggled at Calvin's goofy gestures as he spoke, her earlier irritation now gone. Yasmin looked up from the three cups of coffee she was currently pouring equal amounts of creamer into.

"His gut still looks like a massacred blueberry patch but at least he ain't moaning and crying like he was yesterday." Calvin flipped her off as the Brazilian girl laughed.

"Fuck you."

Gabrielle was looking at the three cups of coffee Yasmin had prepared with a frown as the dark-skinned girl brought them closer to her and Calvin, the latter taking his cup almost immediately.

"Oh, er...that's awfully kind of you Yasmin but I don't really like coffee." The seamstress fretted with a look of discomfort. Yasmin shot her an amused look.

"Oh don't worry I remembered. It's for Ryan." Gabrielle's green eyes widened but before she could reply the kitchen doors slid open and said soldier walked in whilst drying her dampened hair from her shower with a fluffy white towel.

Speak of the devil.

Gabrielle floundered with what she was doing before spinning around fully to face the Lieutenant.

"HEY RYAN!" She all but shouted, immediately slapping a hand over her own mouth with a look of shock mixed with embarrassment as her cheeks turned a deep red. The multicolored eyed soldier gave a start at being suddenly yelled at before her gaze landed on the young, flustered seamstress. Her face softened.

"Hello, Gabrielle. Hows the cooking coming along?" Ryan's voice rumbled lightly with a chuckle as she moved to stand next to Yasmin who handed her the third cup of coffee to which she took a small sip from. The blonde stuttered and fumbled over her words until she could perform an at least coherent response.

"I-it...y-yeah it's coming along! Coming along good! I er...just gotta- AH!" Gabrielle quickly turned back to the stove where the pot she had been stirring began to boil over, water hissing as it hit the burner. Hastily she turned down the heat and quickly mixed the concoction to make sure it was still okay. Once satisfied that it was safe she slowly turned back to her three companions only to find them all looking at her in various levels of amusement. The seamstress's face looked like a cherry.

"D-don't you guys have anything better to do?" She asked, voice low with mortification as she turned away again to hid her red face. The threesome just chuckled at the humorous display, sipping their caffeinated beverages lightheartedly until the gleaming silver doors of the kitchen slid open again.

Stood in the entryway was a young, 5'9 man with jagged, short trimmed black hair that framed his oval-shaped face adorning a pointed-sharp nose, thin, pale pink lips, neatly cut eyebrows and swirly orange eyes that resembled whirlpools of caramel. His skin was pale and absolutely flawless like it had never known the scorch of the summer sun, and his slender body was lightly muscled in all the right places. He wore a black polo shirt with the top button undone exhibiting his prominent collarbone, light grey skinny jeans, brown timberlands and a gold watch on his left wrist. It was a very monotone, simple look, but it suited the handsome looking boy quite well.

'Here comes our esteemed leader now.' Calvin thought vaguely with a small smile.

"Good afternoon my liege! To what do we owe this pleasure?" Calvin had leaped down from his seat upon the counter and gave a mock bow, keeping his face up to grin at the noirette who stood unfazed at the little spectacle.

"Hm. Good to see you're already back to your old self Mr. Lazarus. Many thought you would be in some comatose state for at least a day or two more before going back to acting like a hellion again." The older teens voice was neutral if not a tad tight.

"Aw, come on Daichi. Are we still on a last name basis? And here I thought me and you had grown so close! Don't tell me these last few months have been meaningless to you?" Calvin put on a wounded facade as he bit his lip like a hurt school girl would and moved closer to the taller boy with outstretched arms.

- New Character Discovered! -

Daichi Saitou

Ultimate Dictator

19

Japanese

The older boy merely swerved away from Calvin's physical attempt at being melodramatic, moving to stand at the head of the counter island to face his fellow four Ultimate's with a calm, regal expression.

"As much as I appreciate your strive to be uplifting and keeping the atmosphere exuberant with playful antics there are more important things to do right now. I need you three to help with rounding up the others and informing them of our five o'clock meeting in the dining hall." Daichi gestured towards Calvin, Yasmin and Ryan as he spoke, to which Ryan raised a scarred eyebrow.

"Why not just use the intercom in the security office? It'd be a lot faster to call them rather than hunt everyone down in this damned maze."

Daichi nodded looking solemn.

"Naturally I would but with things going the way they have been Shouko and Nico found it necessary to dismantle that particular piece of equipment for a specific part they needed for their mechanism. Needless to say, we must make do without it for now and work on foot to assemble everyone together. That is why I implore you three to help with that as such a task would take up far too much time if I were to do it on my own." Said trio looked between themselves briefly before nodding to the noriette.

"Yeah that's no problem man, we'd be glad to help." Calvin heartened with a grin, folding his arms behind his head, his other two companions nodding in agreement.

Ever since they had come to terms with the fact that they were trapped together in the Vault and would have to put up with one another for quite some time Daichi had taken over the leadership role of the group. Holding the actual title of the ultimate dictator it only seemed fitting- plus he gave off the sturdy impression of a strong, independent man that most couldn't help but want to follow. He was also pretty smart, as he had quickly proven within the first few days of knowing him, and even though several of the others fought against him continuously when it came to maintaining the peace, dynamic and function of how things ran between the group he constantly kept a level head and a sense of calm that left Calvin greatly impressed. He was more than happy to let the Japanese boy lead and even found some comfort in it.

The sudden sound of Gabrielle's voice tore Calvin from his thoughts.

"Did you want me to help too?" She asked, looking expectantly at Daichi who in turn shook his head.

"No, that is quite alright Gabrielle. The four of us should be enough to find the others in a decent amount of time. You just take it easy and focus on dinner, for now, I'll send someone for you when everyone's gathered so we can eat before he have our discussion." The dictator turned back to the remaining three as Gabrielle nodded in understanding, returning to her stew of sorts.

"Ryan, Calvin, would you kindly search the east and south wings while Yasmin and myself check the north and west? We'll most likely have to inspect the second and third levels as well if that is where the others now stand. I'll give you one of the two-way radio's so we can contact one another once we've located everyone, and once that is complete we will congregate back in the dining room and move forward with our meeting."

Two-way Radio Obtained!

The Item Has Been Added To Your Inventory!

Once Daichi had handed Calvin the small handheld transceiver the group of four left the kitchen with quick goodbyes to Gabrielle who waved them off (cheeks tinting pink when she made eye contact with Ryan) and headed down their assigned wings. Calvin and Ryan bid another farewell to the street performer and dictator as they separated down the main hall that split the four sectors from one another, each furnished in their respective color.

North was blue, east was green, south was yellow and west was red. The heart of the Vault was an array of all colors but mostly in warm shades and stonework, the upper levels were broken in the same way. The underground bunker like construction was built like a palace but felt like a lie once you spent enough time in it, and as Ryan and Calvin ventured deeper into the eastern wing side by side the graffiti artist felt his bruised gut tighten with apprehension as he let his thoughts go astray.

I still feel like we're not alone.

It's as if He is still here...

AN - I know I left a lot of things vague and more questions than answers but hopefully, it's not too obscure. Let me know what needs improvement! Thanks!

Prince out!