The metallic black tiles glistened of newly glossed designs. The room was incredibly quiet with a drawn out sense of steadfast coldness. The walls were overly white with silver and black accents shining within them. A panel of controls and camera views lined the front of the circular oversight. Gadgets and glowing blue lights lined the walls: guns, swords, gloves, vials, and all assortments of the latest technology. The room screamed technological advancements and the perfect place for a dedicated scientist. A window viewing a large city was at the forefront of the space. A woman wearing all black stood directly in front of the view observing her work. Her dark blonde hair was pinned tightly in a pony-tail. The sharpness of her facial features mirrored the rigidness of her personality. She read as cold as the room, and her overbearing confidence fed onto her stance.

She watched over the city, which was finishing construction. It looked beautiful. The architecture was of white columns and enriched details. Flowers lined the glossed streets and everything gleamed with newly coated finishes. In the center of the city stood a beautiful garden. Pink flowers were blooming over dark green grasses, and benches lined the pathways. In the center, a marbled fountain spouted the bluest of waters. Everything was almost ready to start. The only thing missing seemed to be the people.

So far, everyone lived in camps or the headquarters building. The city had been left untouched by citizens and only occasionally disrupted by updated renovations and the leaders taking walks.

A man in a white dress shirt and stiff black pants entered from the side of the room. A gun was holstered on his belt and a line of sweat beaded on his forehead. He had just come from training. He had dusty brown hair and a slim build. His green eyes flashed against his tanned skin. His footsteps echoed across the room; they alarmed the woman of his presence. She pursed her lips and readied herself to listen to his words.

He began to speak before making it to the middle of the room, his desired destination, "We've finally wrapped the war to end in Florence. That was the last major rebellion, most others are subsiding and phase two should begin to play out."

As he began to speak, the woman turned and walked straight behind her to a large table. She pressed a button, and holograms of the world flashed before their eyes. Pixelated statistics told the tales of crushed rebellions and body counts in the billions. Her icy blue eyes watched the rebellion of digital people in Florence begin to fall down. The mini holograms screamed before becoming individual crushed pixels of disintegration, and a flag of achievement rose in their place. It resembled the downfall of many similar fights against the birth of the new world. The woman checked the population statistics. There were less than one billion people on the earth and over half had surrendered to their control already.

She finally spoke after watching the digital show, "Do you think we've eliminated enough? I do not want to move too early and risk a massive failure."

The man stood on the other side of the table, "Vivian, we have crushed every rebellion that has gone against us. Most of the others have sided with us. We can handle a few loose ends. I think it is time. I do not want to spend another year crushing mere insects when we are lions."

They eyed each other from opposite sides of the hologram map, testing each other's tactics. Vivian checked the map again and watched the glowing dots, indicating civilizations around them.

Vivian pursed her lips as if a sour flavor entered her mouth, "Understood. I will start the next phase."

"Very good." The man fixed his shirt and stance.

He walked up to the scenic view and placed his hands in his pockets, admiring the city.

Vivian turned around and walked to be beside him, "It's beautiful isn't it, Adin?" She glanced over to look him up and down quickly.

"Very much so, all it needs is its people. The rightful ones."

Vivian nodded, "We will hopefully start the testing very soon. I will be at the head of it myself. To be fair, I would like to hold personal meetings for the ones whom we deem the elites. I want to meet them, to be close to them."

Adin did not move his gaze from the view, "Do you think that is a wise decision?  To meet them personally that is. I see many things going wrong with it."

"Believe it or not Adin, I do have a love for people," She answered him.

"They could hurt you Vivian. They could find out who you are or learn your weaknesses. What if you recognize one of them?" Adin was trying to wean her off of the idea. He had a bad feeling of Vivian being close to the Tested.

"Nothing safe is worth the drive, Adin." Vivian smiled and looked back over the view before them.

"I'll accept that, as I am not going to be able to stop you," Adin let out a faint chuckle.

There was an air of warm silence for a moment. The only comfort this room would ever see came from the relationship between these two.

"Is Blagden back?" Vivian brought her eyes up to meet him. She let her stare drape over him, a trait she mastered very well to capture the attention of to whom she was speaking. Without removing her gaze she locked the holograms in place to end the pixelated fighting in the background. She knew the mention of his name would anger Adin.

The man ran his tongue over his teeth and spoke his words through a snarl, "He just got back."

Vivian moved her head a little higher and did not let go of his gaze. The comfort was gone and the coldness crept back in right to where they stood.

The man finally moved his eyes away from her and turned to leave the room, "I wish you would get rid of that disgraced bastard." There was no longer love in his voice when he spoke.

Vivian watched him leave with vicious eyes. She turned back around to face the lookout and fixed her posture. The construction of a high tech society was on its way with distant stacks of smoke and fire coloring the background of the view. The finishings of one destroyed society was to become a foundation for another.

She scrunched her nose and turned around. She turned off the map and locked the button into place. She looked around the room to make sure everything was turned off and headed for the west doorway. She took a small container from a shelf and used her fingerprint to open it. Inside was an object no larger than a small pill. She carefully moved the pill between her fingers and placed it on her forehead. She pressed in and a mask veiled over her face. It shaped her face perfectly and aligned her features with dark lace and expensive fabric. Everything was hidden in delicate black but her icy blue eyes. Vivian grabbed a dagger from the table. The handle was encrusted with black jewels and an inscription was hidden among them. "Till Dawn We're Safe." She tucked the dagger to her side, making sure it was secure on her hip. Vivian pressed the button to open the doors and walked through the entrance. The doors closed behind her instantly.

Her heeled steps echoed down the white and gray corridor. She passed a few subordinates who straightened themselves in her presence. She kept walking down the corridor until she arrived at the door she was looking for. She placed her finger on a pad and granted herself access to the room.

A large office was on the other side of the door. Streaks of red highlighted against black made a devilish statement to the room. Weapons lined the walls and a toxic fish tank trickled in the back. A sickly twisted piranha swam viciously back and forth in the tank. Vivian had always hated the dreaded thing. A man dressed in a sleek black military uniform was moving papers around on a desk. Many pins of previous awards and recognition of higher ranks were shining on his coat. He had straight black hair and a light complexion. He looked up when she entered the room. The blue of his eyes matched that of Vivian's own cold gaze.

"Blagden, I was told you were back," Vivian spoke up.

Blagden smirked and watched her, "You should have seen it. The blood, the destruction, and every bit of chaos we could muster. I will never not love the screams before they are torn apart."

Vivian moved her head and leaned her hands onto his desk.

He looked up and closed more distance between them, "Viv, you do not have to wear that bloody thing around me anymore."

Vivian's eyes danced with mischief, and she removed the mask from her face. By simply pressing on her forehead, the complicated device proceeded to form back into a small pill. She placed the pill carefully into her pocket. She revealed a twisted smile, "Have any stories this time?"

"Maybe my best one yet," Blagden moved out from his desk and went to be in front of Vivian. 

Vivian turned around to face him, still leaning on the desk, "Do tell."

With a stroked ego he began his tale, "It was gorgeous, Viv, really something special. The whole town was removed from under its blanket of peace and turned into one giant dancing flame. Every building was given its own minute of reckoning. I soaked in the horror this time. I wanted it to last as long as possible. I could hear the screams and pleading all around me. The soldiers really had a ball this time. I killed a few, but I took my time just watching. It was not 'till the end I dug my knife into it. My favorite part was the last couple. A true romance, they really did love each other. You could see it in their eyes. I took them to their basement and I let them believe I was saving them. He really trusted me. I promised I was taking his wife to shelter. I took his frail wife and spun her in my hands. She was weak and weeping right into my arms. For a mere moment I was her hero. The scream he let out when I slit her throat. What a fool. Imagine allowing another human-being to make you weak. "

"I think the only thing you love is murder," Vivian spoke out.

"I think you may be right Viv." Blagden gave a husky laugh and admired the weapons on his wall.

"Have you ever loved anyone Blagden?" Vivian asked. She drew out her dagger and let it dance between her hands. She watched the jewels shine and ran her finger delicately across the engraving.

"Is not everyone supposed to love thy mother?" Blagden grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"But did you?" Vivian scoffed.

Blagden did not say anything but only laughed. Vivian took this as a no and pushed her dagger back into its place on her side.

"We're starting phase two soon. Adin says it's time. We'll still need you to crush any rebellions that will be rising." Vivian watched for his reaction as she spoke.

"Sooner than I expected, but of course I do love a bloody show," He grinned with deadly excitement.

Vivian stopped leaning against the desk and rose to straighten herself. Her jet-black suit was tight against her skin, "You know that Adin does not like you. I have to fight him to keep you in power."

Blagden looked down at the ground and back at her, "Why do you listen to him? He's a fool. You could operate this by yourself." Blagden moved closer to her and pushed her against him, "Or better, we could do it together." He whispered into her ear. He was playing a dangerous game.

Vivian moved away from Blagden and removed the pill from her pocket. She put the mask back on and opened the door from his office, "It was a nice chat Blagden, I hope to see you soon." With that she left his office and moved back down the sleek corridor.