The first night: Cabinet of curiosities
His welcome had been, in one word, confusing.
After having been mistaken for an Akuma and after having been attacked by a swordsman, who turned out to be an exorcist named Kanda, Allen Walker found himself being dragged through the Order by Lenalee, sister of the headquarter's leader. At this time Allen had already met Komui, chief of the European branch, under the intimidating circumstances of one of his laboratories where he, Komui, had lend first, second and third aid in treating Allen's damaged Anti-Akuma weapon - that was to say, his left arm.
Even now, while Lenalee was showing him around, he wasn't quite sure if Komui's treatment hadn't done even more harm to him - or at least to his psyche.
Whilst the two of them wandered along dim-lighted corridors his eyes followed the walls of coarse stone up to the high, endlessly dark ceiling trying to comprehend this as his new home.
So this was where he would continue his path.
And he would, he swore silently to himself, under any circumstances - keep walking.
It was a promise he had made to Mana a long time ago.
Still switching between memories of the past and glimpses of the future Allen didn't notice that his guide had come to a halt and so he bumped into her.
"Sorry", he said rubbing his forehead. "I wasn't paying attention."
"I already got that impression." Lenalee shot him a glance which revealed her amusement. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that we're enter the corridors of the science division."
- "Er, well... do I have to be quite or something?"
"No, of course not. I was just saying." Lenalee giggled while her delicate fingers waved a tube containing a cotton-wool tip in front of his eyes. "We drop that off and then I'll show you your room."
Allen only nodded, too confused and overwhelmed to form a witty response and followed her into another dim hallway. Not long after the last obscure turn laboratories appeared to their left and to their right, stone changed into glass and neon lights flooded wall after wall. The tense, claustrophobic atmosphere had vanished and had been replaced by that of a giant beehive: Sounds of shoes clacking on stone tiles and echoing from thick walls, voices that chattered excitedly or rattled on about any subject without needing to breathe and above it all the humming of countless gadgets and machinery.
"Weapon department", explained Lenalee as if she read the unasked question from Allen's lips. "They need ... um ... firmer material in here." She pointed at the security glass.
'I bet' Allen thought at the sight of what the small rooms contained. Yet he did not dare to ask what these weapons were, also because Lenalee was already tugging at his sleeve to make him come along.
"Don't worry", she said once again reading his face as easily as the morning paper. "The rest is a lot less scary." Her smile was intended to encourage him but it obviously failed it's purpose.
"Lenalee, can I ask you a question?", Allen finally managed while they dove deeper into the depths of the science division. "What are these departments for? I've never seen anything like this." 'Probably because Master Cross was too busy hating this place to actually tell me any details', he added silently. At least he could've told him what awaited him here.
He almost jumped when Lenalee took his hand and dragged him further along.
"Look Allen", she said, her voice soft and carefully searching for the right words. "Just as the Finders out in the field, the science division does everything to support the exorcists in every way they can. They are ordinary people who cannot fight themselves but who are skilled at any kinds of special fields and who want to share their knowledge for the sake of our goal. They manufacture our uniforms that protect us, the weapon department produces individualized carriers for the equipment type innocence as well as defense equipment for the Finders, other departments analyse samples from whatever may give us hints about the nature of Innocence and its use and they catalogue everything we bring back from our missions..."
Lenalee interrupted her explanation to point at the section laying in front of them. "Here we are. These are the analytics and research labs."
Impressed Allen followed Lenalee, here and there recognizing people he had already seen on other occasions.
"River also works in this section", added Lenalee while supremely leading him through a huge but crowded laboratory. "You might remember him."
"That overworked guy who argued with Komui earlier?", Allen asked just when his companion disappeared through a door leading into a separate room.
When he stepped in he suddenly froze. The room was quite small but stuffed with all kinds of complicated yet fragile looking gadgets. They had been installed on several tables, humming and blinking in different colors and frequencies, leaving small space to actually work. The atmosphere of a junk room was further enhanced by a messy desk squeezed into a corner with a rundown black sofa next to it.
"Innocence Analysis lab", came suddenly Lenalee's voice of wisdom. "They collect samples of Innocence and all that stuff."
"What for?", Allen asked, carefully picking his way through the labyrinth of equipment, trying not to bump into any of it. "What do they hope to find?"
"At the moment they don't know what for." Lenalee said truthfully and chuckled while she approached a table at the back of the room. "There wasn't any significant breakthrough yet. So they just keep going until they find... well, anything."
As Allen stood beside her, he discovered a mess of dark hair lying next to a buzzing piece of machinery.
"I hope", he couldn't stop himself from saying. "whoever it is, he or she is only sleeping."
Because whatever was hidden under this flood of hair appeared dead to him and the world.
Completely spaced out.
Gone.
"Of course she's only sleeping", retorted Lenalee. "That's why she has the sofa in here, but as you can see..."
She didn't finish, sounding a bit annoyed. "They are a bunch of coffee-addicted, over-night workers ... the whole lot."
She started to shake the person in front of her. "Nova, would you be so kind as to wake up? You got work to do..." and after she didn't receive a reaction: "For heaven's sake, Nova, WAKE UP ALREADY!"
Lenalee's angry shout finally seemed to pierce through the dream-clouded brain of the sleeping girl. Suddenly she sat upright, brown eyes rolling deliriously, desperately trying to focus.
Without a word, not even a gaze for her visitors she sleepily turned to the still buzzing gadget next to herself and examined the display. "Still running the test", Allen heard her dreary sleep-slurred voice. "Why'd you wake me up?"
"Nova, it wasn't - whatever you call that thing!", Lenalee cut her short. "It was US who woke you up!"
The girl's head whipped around; her half-closed eyes blinked, once, twice, then she spoke: "Oh. It's you. What do you want?"
"I've got a sample of Allen Walker's Innocence." For the second time within half an hour Lenalee waved the test tube in front of someone's face. "I thought you would want it. For your collection."
At her announcement the Nova-girl suddenly grew livelier snatching the tube from Lenalee's hand and eagerly reading the data written on its side.
"Allen Walker", she repeated. "I presume that's him." She jerked her chin in his direction.
'She did not even look at me' Allen thought sourly.
"Right. That's me", he said only to feel another wave of dislike wash over him when she already waved him off impatiently, sorting the sample into a cupboard which featured a bunch of others.
"Did you get me a DNA sample as well?", she asked in the general direction of Lenalee.
- "He hasn't had his physical yet. Komui took the Innocence sample when he was repairing Allen's weapon."
Nova rolled her eyes. "Just don't forget it."
Allen was about to open his mouth to give a sharp response but Lenalee grabbed his elbow and firmly guided him towards the door. "Leave it", she said. "She's just like that."
Allen heaved a deep sigh.
