"Following Mr. Corbyn Kokuren's rise to the position of president of the Elite Association, E.A. will no longer be receiving any missions until further notice," said the news reporter.
"I now quote Mr. Kokuren's words during a press conference with the heads of other anti-crime organizations, 'The Elite Association is currently transitioning to the next level. Many assume that this organization is nearing its climax and now has little room for growth. But that is where you're all wrong. We shall not be taking any missions from the Anti-Crime Embassy for now, that is, until the butterfly breaks out of its cocoon.' What is to be expected of the country's top organization?"
Several ATM-like machines were installed throughout the building. I had tried applying for a mission, but as reported in the news, it rejected my application.
The mission application was canceled immediately after we received the cards. This is going to hurt some agents who desperately need the money.
Several agents were also trying to apply for missions.
"Man, first we are forced to get cards within a deadline, and now this! They decide to prevent us from applying for missions just after I recover from a broken leg. Do they want me to be kicked out of my house or something?" an agent asked his friend.
"Quit yapping. You're forgetting E.A. covered your medical bills and fed your family while you were away. Besides, even if you decide to leave E.A., where else will you find such luxurious payments? The only other organisation is The Alliance, and you know how difficult it is to get in," his friend replied.
'He's got a point. Ever since a few months ago, they've been cutting our payments and keeping them in savings accounts they forced us to create. They use that money to cover our house expenses. But they cover the medical expenses themselves.'
I couldn't help but feel that all this drama about the cards and the squads was planned a long time ago.
I remembered the email I had been sent.
[You are to meet on the second floor, in the room labelled Squad Zayin. Do not be late.]
'Despite being early, I'm the last one here. I guess everyone here heard about the penalty on those who didn't pick their cards and got here early.'
The others were seated on the couches, on their mobile phones. The room was a large office with couches and all. A while after I took my seat, a lady walked into the room.
"Good, I see everyone has arrived. I'm Melissa, your squad overseer. As you know, all one hundred agents in the Elite Association have been placed into squads, each consisting of five agents. The squads have also been split into two groups of ten squads each. These two groups shall handle different responsibilities and shall work separately, but for each other's benefit. Your squad has been placed in the first group. This shall be an on-field squad."
Everyone remained silent. I guess no one felt the need to ask for minor details.
"Now, please take out your assigned smart cards. These cards are very crucial to you as agents. You will use these cards to apply for missions and cash out payments. That you already know. But, you will also use these cards to gain access to the facilities in this branch as well as other branches.
"The cards have many features, some of which are currently under development. You can always check the unlocked features of your card by logging in to E.A.'s official app, Echo. Some features are unlocked remotely, while some require special permission and can only be unlocked at Arsenal Island of the Echo Nexus."
'I guess there's a lot more to these smart cards than I thought. Arsenal Island is among the three islands making up the Echo Nexus, E.A.'s headquarters.'
"You can log in right now to see the unlocked features on your cards."
I was genuinely impressed.
'Just how much money did they spend on these things?'
"As you might have noticed, most features are locked. They will be unlocked with time based on your credibility. There is a fingerprint slot on the cards to ensure only the owner of the card can use it. To open a door, you place your finger on the fingerprint slot, then tap it on the door. The same procedure applies to other activities. In case the card fails to function, report it to me as soon as possible. Of course, losing the smart card means you have to buy a new one. You can already guess how expensive those are."
'If one loses the card, the risk of access to E.A. by outsiders is low since they can just deactivate the card remotely. Though I'm not so sure about their defence against hacks.'
"Mission-critical features are unlocked based on roles and clearance, not just time served. So when you resume missions, most features will be unlocked. Any questions?" she asked. All five of us in the room were in awe of this spectacular item we now owned.
The girl seated opposite me, whose name I later learnt was Alicia, asked. "Why is the mission application feature disabled?"
"At the moment, no agent is allowed to apply for missions, since all agents are required to take squad training on Herald Island of the Echo Nexus."
"What! Really."
Just getting a chance to visit the Echo Nexus Islands was close to impossible. Yet we were supposed to train on Herald Island, an island dedicated to training agents who show the best performance. The Echo Nexus is a haven of perfection, or at least that's what those who don't know its true purpose call it.
"Yes, your training will begin any time next week. It will be a two-month training period, so be prepared. More details will be emailed to you later."
… … …
Later that night_
Jason was standing before a man seated on a couch by the fireside.
"I did as you instructed me. Now keep your end of the bargain." His voice was cold and hateful.
"Of course. It shall be done as you requested. But your work isn't done yet."
The man said with a smile on his face, handing Jason a smart card.