[center][i]When to this sense of fear and evil the inevitable fascination of wonder and curiosity is superadded, there is born a composite body of keen emotion and imaginative provocation whose vitality must of necessity endure as long as the human race itself. Children will always be afraid of the dark, and men with minds sensitive to hereditary impulse will always tremble at the thought of the hidden and fathomless worlds of strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars, or press hideously upon our own globe in unholy dimensions which only the dead and the moonstruck can glimpse. [/i]
[b]~ H.P Lovecraft[/b] [/center]

[center]Act 1: Baby Steps[/center]
[i][b]Zone 2
Coalition Research Center 2-1 aka Babel
[/b][/i]

Many denizens of Zone 2 can rightfully claim that they have seen Babel before but not many can claim that they had ever entered the building. Built atop the remnants of the old Ministry of Defense building destroyed during the Long War. It was rather stereotypical in appearance to the government buildings created in the aftermath of the War, it towered above the rest of the city, five towers crafted of deep black stone that seemed to absorb all light that hit it, and connected by large glass walkways the glass tinted so that the public could not view inside. And yet there was something undoubtedly strange about the building. Specifically it had no outward fortifications to separate itself from the rest of the city, their were no guard post or high walled fences, no security of any kind could be determinable anywhere about the campus; yet no souls dared to move across the invisible  boundary that lay between the sidewalk and the finely cut grass that surrounded that single pathway that lead up to the entrance of the primary tower, each stone engraved with the names of those that died in defense of the Zone. People on their commute stayed as close to the curb as possible as they hurried by, some even stepping in the streets than dare stepping on the grass. No squirrels dared to run across the grass to try and grab at an acorn fallen from a tree and not even the birds dared to fly above the building just like the rare planes from central that dared the hordes of demons to bring in personal and supplies to their island fortress who were always routed far and away from the building's airspace. It was as if none dared corrupt the sanctity of the place with their presence. 

Though early in the morning before the sun peaked above the skies their was discernible moment happening around the campus. It was a routine that had happened four times before and would likely happen again afterwards. Large APCs arrived on the scene, first one arrived and then a second, and a third and forth before more than dozen came. They were parked so that they formed a small wall and that any curious onlookers breaking curfew or peering out from their windows wouldn't be able to see within. What they would of seen was a scene of organized chaos. Men and women in clean cut uniforms marking them as Coalition military began ushering children out of the vehicles, most seemed disorientated and some still had tears in their eyes. They were the profits of a successful mission that took place all across the Zone. More or less abducted from their dwellings and shoved into the APCs without much of a word they were all ushered back to Tokyo 2 for the next stage in the operation. It was more dangerous in night and they risk more attacks then but it had to be done, it was better this way. Then row by row, group by group they were ushered into the main tower. As they did the APCs vanished into the night and a maintenance team got to work wiping away any remnants of them ever being there.

Almost immediately upon stepping inside the children were assaulted by an array of medical staff with strange instruments. Physical checkups began: eye sight was tested, reaction time was checked, blood samples were taken and some in the process were taken away by the scientist never to be seen again in the latter stages. After this they were all strapped of any personal belongings including clothing all of which were placed in plastic bags and filed away, they were showered and then given all uniform jumpsuits all slate gray in color and each inscribed with a ten digit number sequence upon the breast pocket, all of which started with the number five. After this the children were brought to a large open room filled with beds, each bed with a number corresponding to the one on their uniform. After the children found their beds, the adults stopped for awhile and drifted away leaving only a few guards around the edge of the room stern and impassive refusing to answer any question that were thrown their way. Some freaked out, some broke down, and others tired to talking to one another to try and get a better sense of what was going on to little success. But from what they could gather all of them had tested successfully as being 'limiters' whatever that meant. In the end they all did the only thing they could do wait.

Eventually some hours later the whole process began again as the children were rearranged into rows by number and marched through the cold and silent hall ways of the complex. They eventually arrived within a large room that appeared to be a lecture hall of some sort and one by one they were seated. Two large television screens dominated the far walls and they currently showed a camera image focused on a lone podium at the bottom which was currently unoccupied. Their was clearly going to be a presentation of some sort but at the current moment their was no activity below. So once again the children were more or less left to themselves beside the armed guards that stood at the end of each row and at the exits preventing the children from leaving. And slowly the conversations began again.