The room had only a square window that was no larger than a chessboard. The window dulled the light that filtered in, turning what Olivier knew to be a bright blue sky to appear as a dreary blue-grey. He craned his neck, but given the height that they were at, it was impossible to see the street. It was a suffocating feeling– no matter the angle Olivier turned his head, he could only see the lower floors of the skyscrapers that surrounded them. Whoever designed this window wanted you to feel like a prisoner wearing a neck brace, Olivier thought.
The incident in the mall in Tanglin couldn’t have come at a worse time. The backup team sent to secure and sweep the site found no sign of the creature that Noa and Gabriel had described, nor did they find any evidence that it had left the building. This was the day before a diplomat from Germany was set to meet with government officials, including representatives from the DMI. His morning consisted of visiting different government ministers to be yelled at for his team’s inability to capture or exterminate the creature. After his third such meeting, he received a call from Emmanuel Koh notifying him that there had been a discovery of possible significance in the search for the Tanglin creature.
Germany was a major advocate for the creation of the DMI since the beginning, and so this meeting was especially important for the agency to show that it had been producing results. When Olivier had testified to the Security Council behind closed doors for the creation of a separate agency, it was the same man, Representative Katz, who had been most supportive.
To the public, the DMI was simply another branch of the UN Digital Security Team, focused on tracing the cause of the November Disaster. Of course, this was partially true, but the existence of the Atzulith Realm was a tightly kept secret from the public. It was true that some people had caught wind of the peculiarities of the organization, but this was largely relegated to small pockets of conspiratorial-minded people scattered across the Internet. It was vital for this meeting to be kept secret, and so it was held in this secure prison of a building that Olivier was gazing from.
The double doors that lined the thin hallway behind him swung open, and Olivier turned to see the remaining members of the meeting filing out, briefcases and stacks of papers in hand. The German representative turned, gave a small wave with his free hand to him, and turned to walk towards the elevators. An empty-handed Koh strode to Olivier's side and stood, hands folded in front of his person, waiting for the hallway to clear out.
Although Olivier headed the DMI, Koh’s task force handled material that was unknown even to him. As such, he had been asked to leave the meeting after an hour, so that Koh could introduce the findings and report on the creature of Tanglin. This didn’t bother him in the slightest. Koh was a reliable officer, and Olivier respected his dedication to the DMI. Large areas of Koh’s professional life were struck from his file, and the creation of the DMI hinged on Koh’s inclusion as the leader of the November Disaster Task Force. Even the nation that had pushed for his assignment had been kept from any records.
His file had shown that he had worked with UNDS, INTERPOL, and ASEAN at various points in his career. When contacting the former superiors he did have access to, he heard nothing but good things, save for some comments on how impersonal he could be. However, Koh had picked Olivier up from the airport, and the two of them had met for dinner that night, so Olivier had never found “impersonal” to be the proper word to describe him. While Koh was certainly reserved, he had been open about small parts of his personal life, allowing Olivier to learn that Koh was born and raised in Singapore and that he enjoyed playing the piano. Koh had asked Olivier questions about his life and previous assignments, and he believed that he was questioning him with a genuine curiosity.
Being precluded from information about the November Disaster was necessary. The ebb and flow of divine energy could be extremely fickle. The more people that knew the specifics of the November Disaster, especially those with authority, the DMI would risk empowering whatever it was that caused it. In the same way that a place could be flooded with divine energy if a large religious gathering was held, knowledge of an esoteric concept could divert excess energy towards it. It was more important for Olivier to focus on the broad strokes, allowing his subordinate to lead the small and dedicated task force. Outside of the task force, small details would be given to those such as representatives that oversaw the DMI, but Olivier decided that he would have no need to listen in. Koh’s dedication spoke for itself.
”Sir, I’d like to speak with you for a moment regarding the Tanglin Incident.” Besides from a small group waiting for the elevator at the far end of the hallway, the room had emptied out. Olivier gave a small nod and turned to gaze out of the window again. Koh remained still, as if he was a bodyguard that was watching over Olivier’s back.
”In the report written by both Hollywell and Rossi, they state that there was a total lack of divine energy in the area at the time the incident took place. As you well know, readings in the area have remained extremely low.” Koh adjusted his glasses and continued. “However, the karamat that alerted the two to the abnormality showed a spike in divine energy.”
“Yes, I found that to be odd.” A woman in the building across the street set a large stack of papers on a desk, and Olivier watched as she put them into a paper shredder, one sheet at a time.
”Its likely that the creature made itself manifest by pulling together all of the energy into the area in one place. This differs from when celestial entities are summoned. Summoning typically involves an addition of energy. More of the Atzulith World slips through.” Koh turned to face Olivier, noticing that he was transfixed on something in the distance.
”So you’re saying that this creature doesn’t come from the Atzulith Realm?” The woman’s movements were robotic. The pile of papers next to her did not seem to dwindle in size, but at no point did she ever take more than one paper at a time. She must get paid by the hour.
“I would like any further investigation into this incident to fall solely to my team, with exclusive access to any reports made thus far.”
Olivier turned from the window. Koh hadn’t answered his question. So you think this relates to the November Disaster.
”Okay Koh, its yours now.” Olivier ran a hand over his pant leg, smoothing out a wrinkle.
”Apololgies, sir. I believe that this creature was likely—“ Koh realized that his avoidance of the question was noticed by his superior, but as he began to explain, Olivier stuck his hand in the air.
”It’s fine, Koh. You can handle it.” Olivier said, stifling a yawn. Koh blinked worldlessly in response. “That was the last meeting of the day- I’ve talked about work more than enough.” Koh remained silent, but seemed to have relaxed the slightest amount.
“‘You know, I’ve really only eaten at the hawker center beneath my house recently. I want a change of pace— do you know someplace good close by? Something hearty.” Olivier spoke with a new sense of enthusiasm. Koh nodded, and began towards the elevator, Olivier in tow.
…
When they stepped onto the street below, Olivier looked up. The sky was a rich blue.