Isaac walked down the hallway of the Foundation and, as he did so, he felt the subtle gazes of those he passed by.
Most of them were researchers who were stationed in the west building they were currently in, but from time to time, he'd run into some agents who'd most certainly look in his direction.
Their stares were fleeting and silent, yet heavy.
'So it's begun.'
Isaac felt like he was some sort of exhibit in their eyes, with the way they looked at him. He didn't like it one bit, but he had to remain silent.
He merely continued walking with a calm gait, not letting the world around him get too much in his mind.
Just as he was about to leave the building, however, he was stopped by the guards.
"You are not authorized to leave."
"...wow. " Isaac scoffed sardonically, almost wanting to laugh. He then subtly changed his demeanor, having an idea. "Straight to lockdown? No warning, no explanation? You guys really go for efficiency here, huh?"
His eyes then shifted to the humming batons they were wielding. "And I'm guessing that little thing of yours is always activated like this? Or am I just special today? I can't tell if I'm being protected or threatened."
He raised his voice a bit, attracting the gazes of those in the lobby, and continued. "So, what is this now — house arrest without the house? Or did someone forget to read me my rights before shoving me into whatever this is supposed to be?"
Feeling the varying gazes at him — some confused, some wary, and some cautious — he smiled confidently, having garnered an audience for his test.
He then took a deliberate step closer, just enough to test the waters without breaching their space, and continued to provoke them, looking for some kind of reaction to assess the situation. "Did my basic human rights already get stripped away that fast? You guys sure are fast... Oh, poor me."
The guard didn't reply to his open provocation and remained stoic. He merely stood there, his white mask covering his face, and blocked Isaac from advancing further. Though he seemed to be unmoved, the grip on his baton had noticeably tightened.
It wasn't just him — the spectators present also made some moves, with some leaving while others preparing to contact relevant authorities to settle things if Isaac continues his indecency.
Seeing how the agent was holding off any attempt at replying to him, Isaac scoffed, taking a step back with his hands raised while maintaining eye contact and a confident gait. "How boring. You know, soldier, if that's how you usually act during your missions, then you're set for promotions."
With those ambiguous words, Isaac left the lobby with the eyes of many people looking at him.
Their gazes and reaction, however, gave him all he needed to know about the overall current situation.
When he finally walked far away, he frowned, immediately grasping what was about to occur. '...Divide and conquer.'
Isolation and limited choices, coupled with the coercion that would inevitably come, Isaac immediately connected the dots in his head.
'We most likely won't be allowed to venture off from this day forth, limiting us to this... Confinement.' He thought as he walked. 'Constantine would then begin to approach us one by one and coerce us into joining the Foundation...'
Isaac had seen many such tactics before, with many succeeding and many failing similarly — but ultimately, they served their purpose and managed to cut off or even starve groups or individuals.
'...this isn't good.'
Remembering all the arcanists inside the suitcase, another thought flashed through his mind. If Constantine would really go for this tactic, then the first person that would be dragged away would most certainly be...
"Regulus."
It was the most logical outcome. Regulus was already registered within the Foundation, and as such, would be dragged away using legal means — and since Mr. APPLe was always with her, he would inevitably follow or resist. After all, he was quite the erudite and keen person, and could easily read the situation.
That outcome would most likely come within the week, if not the next following days, leaving no room for them to breath just after Vertin's absence.
Returning to his room, Isaac sat down on his bed as seriously contemplated over this matter.
He held neither authority nor position to extend the duration of Regulus' forceful recruitment.
However, he does know one person who does and can help him.
"Madam Z... I need to get in contact with her." He murmured to himself, remembering their helper. "But with this lockdown..."
Although he said that, Isaac already had an idea in mind. Standing up, he walked towards his window and looked out to the Foundation outside.
A verdant forest that stretched considerably wide separated the west building they were currently in and the main building of the Foundation where Madam Z was at.
He narrowed his eyes and noticed that, inside the forest, some agents were quietly stationed and were patrolling the parameters.
'...isn't that a bit of an overkill?' Isaac lampooned upon seeing the amount of security measures that were implemented.
However, that also meant that Constantine had also already taken into consideration that there was a chance that some sort of violent resistance might occur.
Well, she wasn't entirely wrong for assuming that.
In the game's story, after everyone in the suitcase was all dragged away by the Foundation, leaving Druvis by herself, she decided to protest and used her arcanum to control the surrounding forest to isolate the building they were currently in from the Foundation's control.
"Ms. Druvis was supposed to be the first one to use that kind of area-of-effect arcanum within the Foundation..." He mumbled to himself while maintaining his gaze outside. "But... To contact Madam Z, I'll have to steal that role..."
If he couldn't leave the surrounding area by foot, then he could only do so via the air. Literally.
He soon took out his monocle, placed it in his right eye, and nudged it in place.
Suddenly, the air around him suddenly cooled down. A moment later, a thin mist emerged that quickly churned and became a thick misty fog.
Following that, a similarly thick, grayish-white fog started pouring out of the ventilation system in his room and started drifting towards him.
He reached out his hand — feeling the fog drift between his fingers, and, a moment later, the fog that he had been patiently and secretly spreading within the building reconnected with him. Although some went out of his control and became rogue, the majority was still present.
"It's time..." Feeling his fog connected to his body, he paused before sending out a command. "Go forth — spread secretly and pave the way for me."
With that single command, the grayish-white fog suddenly boiled and churned, shifting all over.
All of a sudden — all of the culminating fog within the western building rapidly moved. They escaped through all sorts of crevices just to reach the outside. Once there, they began to rapidly expand in every direction — outside the building, into the forest, and finally, into the main building.
On this very day, the Foundation would suddenly be greeted by a perpetual thin fog that is present everywhere.
Yet none shall know for the time being that this fog was, in fact, an arcanum implemented by a treacherous schemer.
All they knew was that this fog was present, and it appeared nothing out of the ordinary.
---
In Madam Z's room, the scholarly woman was currently reviewing a set of documents on her desk when she suddenly noticed something.
"...?" She looked outside her window and noticed that the visibility outside had mildly reduced, casting a slightly gloomy shade over her office as what seemed like a fog blotted out the sun.
She wasn't surprised by the presence of the fog — it was currently February and such phenomenons weren't uncommon in the Foundation around this season. What caught her attention, however, was that it seemed like the fog itself seemed to want to enter her room.
'That's odd...' She nudged her glasses, observing the churning fog outside. She then turned her head back to look at her documents when she was caught off guard by something.
"...?!" A low but audible gasp escaped her lips as she encountered something baffling, her eyes looking at the couch in her office. "You..."
"How did you get in here?"
Sitting there on the couch, the visage of a young man with a light complexion and dark hair with gray strands was present. He sat there leisurely — his legs crossed, arms crossed, and a soft smile playing on his lips. And on his right eye laid an ordinary monocle.
Raising his hand, he nudged that monocle, and spoke to her with an amicable tone and smile. "Good day, Madam Z. I say, I didn't know that I would meet the person I saw at the library the other day so soon. Life sure is surprising, innit?"
He then sighed. "As for how I got in, please, forgive me for not knocking first. That, indeed, lacked basic courtesy."
"That's not what I meant." Madam Z narrowed her eyes as she frowned slightly. "The door was locked. How were you able to get in?"
"Those are just some details." He chuckled lightly, downplaying it. A moment later, however, his demeanor changed, his smile still present. "Now... For my purpose of visit. I'll be frank, Madam Z."
He paused for a brief moment, the tension in the air building up, before speaking.
"I'd like to be used by you."
A moment of silence permeated, with the two looking at each other in silence, before Madam Z broke it, her tone uncertain.
"...what?"
She felt like she heard that wrong.