It was the first time that Kaiba Quivers and Alexa Fuse, the top interns in HNH, worked in the same vicinity as each other. In their three month stay, their battles inside the lab merely stemmed from the back and forth acquisition of merits. Until today. In unpredictable fashion, Kaiba forced himself onto the donor section. Alexa in the blood bank section. They didn't know that the school advisers hatched a plan. A plan that could possibly redefine the word ‘toxic’ in their lives forever. And possibly, the only way to overcome it was to work together.

Duty: Blood Bank Section

The wheels kept turning in the blood bank. The work did not stop. It carried it’s way into the afternoon. It was uncommon to say the least, but not even a lunch break could be given. Work needed to be done.

Alexa Fuse raised a test tube towards the incandescence. Her vision slightly blurred. She had been working since 8am! A woman has limits, but that won’t stop her. The section never stopped. Why should I? Apparently Kaiba’s teaching to Marco helped. And he was performing better than earlier. She winced.

“Why is there so much work today!” Section chief Stan shouted into the ceiling.

It was befitting, for the section chief to voice his frustrations out. They all felt it. And he was the only one allowed to say it. This day could possibly go down as the most toxic day in HNH history! Stan processed almost fifty specimens all on his own. And Alexa almost crept up to that number as well.

The clock continued to tick. It was only 1pm. There was still three hours of work. But they were almost finished. The company’s specimens were all nearing completion. Luckily what was left was only for blood typing. It was still the perfect storm. A whole company wide routine blood exam combined with a healthy amount of patients in need of transfusion that day. It wasn’t surprising as HNH boasted a patient capacity of ten thousand. But still the unprecedented nature of this day was unfathomable even to the people working in the lab.

***

Kaiba Quivers felt the pressure. In the donor section, the employees from that same company wanted to donate blood. A peculiar scenario. One that never ever happened. But it was like they had a blood drive with this volume of donors! He swept his hands across his forehead, wiping pools of sweat accumulated through hard work. He held the straw-sized needle for what seemed like a millionth time. Inserted into the vein. Pinned with tapes. Cradled the blood bag to ensure proper distribution. How many had I extracted today? He lost count. But there were definitely more than fifty donors the whole morning. The donor extraction was a little bit different from the normal venipuncture procedure. It required more preparation and more concentration. It took longer. The blood bag won’t be filled in an instant. He always had to check blood flow to the bag. He couldn’t let off the gas. If the flow stopped even for a second, he had to readjust quickly or risk the blood clotting, rendering the whole process moot. His eyes always felt like they strained. It’s photosensitivity heightened. His body gradually got heavier and sluggish. But he had to pull through! Only a few donors were left and he would be done.

“I see that the donor section is hard at work!” His veiny engorged biceps filled his sleeves to the brim.

“Chief McRonald! What brings you to visit the donor section?” Section chief Viola asked as she paid her respects.

“At ease, Viola.” Chief McRonald eyed the room. “I hope you guys have more room in the tank.”

Kaiba looked at the muscular man. This was only the second time he met chief McRonald. And he always wondered one thing every time: how much protein does one need to consume to get that jacked?

“Hm? I see that look Mr. Quivers.” Chief McRonald walked past him and whispered, “It’s steroids. Years and years of steroids.”

Kaiba twisted his neck to meet Chief McRonald’s eyes. The forbidden technique? Kaiba’s eyes were consumed in a fish eyed view. His world distorted by this facade. Those muscles aren’t real.

“Anyway, I came here to announce something.” Chief McRonald walked past them all. He headed to the intersection between the blood bank and the donor section. A demarcation that was never spoken of but was clearly the boundary that separated the two areas.

“Listen up! Blood bank! donor!” The room filled with the voice only the head chief of HNH labs could produce. “The military academy of Ha’suru has new recruits coming in today. They will all be tested for their routine blood check up. They will also donate blood. And that blood needs to be crossmatched STAT. They have patients here that are in dire need of transfusion as well. Get it done by 3pm.”

Chief McRonald did not wait for any question nor any violent reactions. He flexed, contracted his entire body. The lab coat he wore was simply a servant to show off his muscular body. He flexed. Hard.

“If you have any further questions, ask your section chief. I have forwarded the necessary details to them. That is all.”

Viola sighed. She could hear Stan’s sigh. There was more work to be done. And to top it all off they needed to achieve it by duty’s end! The new recruits of Ha’suru military approached the hundreds as well. Chief McRonald was basically telling them that they needed to accomplish a whole day’s work in merely two hours! She looked at the stunned interns in this room. This has gone too far. However, this was the price to pay to work as staff at this prestigious institution. They did not achieve this excellence through ordinary means.

Kaiba trembled. Work was always the one thing he wanted the most. But this is too much for a day’s duty! He couldn’t believe what he was thinking but for a moment he wanted to go back to the mundane life of being a serology intern. His hair wiggled, brushing off his sweat. It was a futile attempt at shaking that off his mind. There must be a way to accomplish this task within two hours. Can I do it? His thoughts wrapped around an idea. I hate this.

***

Stan leaned back into his chair. He stared blankly into the test tubes. I could use a drink right about now. But he could only let out a sigh. He couldn’t just let the interns in his section handle this. This is supposed to be a test meant for them, not me. And yet there he was, working just as hard as the interns. Perhaps Alexa Fuse could handle this, but he couldn’t risk it.

The test tubes shook in her hand. Alexa stared into the serum’s unmistakable yellow tinge. Trembling, she could not help but think: Can I do this in merely two hours? If she had more time she would gladly take on this challenge, but a time crunch like this made it literally impossible to do this all by herself! It was obvious that the only people capable of such a workload were herself and the section chief. She stood up from her seat. Her throat, dry. Stomach grumbled. She had not eaten anything since this morning. How she yearned for some coffee right about now. Her mind meandered as she walked towards the water dispenser. There was still time to think. Maybe she would use this time to rest before the onslaught of new specimens would come. Her thirst needed to be quenched first.

“Hm?” Alexa’s hands graze another’s as she extended her arm towards the dispenser.

“Hm?” Kaiba felt a soft touch on his hand.

The water dispenser was innocent. It was right smack dab on the line that separated the donor section from the blood bank. It symbolized peace, prosperity between section and subsection. But today, it looked like it would be the backdrop for war.

Alexa looked at Kaiba. Kaiba looked at Alexa. It was as if a thought struck their minds at the same time. A confluence of events that could only be most similar to the stars and planets alignment.

Kaiba stepped back. Alexa stepped back. This moment, the backdrop of the section did not matter. It might as well not exist. They were two individuals caught in a void in time. Spotlights, from up above, roamed the area. Security that roamed making sure that only the top two interns were seen. Red curtains followed and unfolded for the opening act. An ominous applause welcomed them into the stage.

The spotlight glared into Kaiba’s being. “It looks like you aren’t busy in the blood bank section.”

The light shifted to bathe in Alexa’s reply. “Donor section doesn’t look all that busy to me.”

The illumination shut off to give way for the buildup. The tension. The drama. The stroke of a violin ascending and descending with the whims of the top interns in HNH.

“Cross-matching that many specimens should be no problem for you.” Kaiba shrugged. “Why don’t you offer your services to the donor section?”

“Are you saying that you need help? I don’t mind offering my help. That is if you really need it. And if you say please.” Alexa smiled.

Kaiba wagged his finger. “Please. No. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I don’t need any help. I’m saying for the betterment of HNH, you should help other sections in need.”

“Betterment of HNH?” Alexa scoffed. “The betterment of HNH is to finish your job first and foremost.”

“Then I guess I’ll finish my job then. Good day ma’am.” Kaiba showed his back.

The darkness cloaked any and all of their reactions. The centrifuge’s vibrating hum joined forces with the hushed murmurs of the air conditioning. It formed an orchestra that mumbled sweet ahhhs. For praise. For glory. They matched the rough troughs and peaks of the masterful violins. Each of their words drowned in what could be only called a pensive hymn for angels.

“Wait,” Alexa said.

Kaiba smirked. “What is it?”

“Are you sure you are capable of finishing all that work by yourself?” Alexa jeered.

“Can I take that as an invitation for your help?”

“No. Of course not.” Alexa smiled. “I was just thinking. That’s pathetic.”

“Is it now?” Kaiba winced.

“This is an unprecedented time in HNH lab. The most toxic it’s ever been in ages. For this hospital’s standards that’s saying something.” Alexa’s words mocked Kaiba. “Don’t you think you should be honest with yourself and admit you need help?”

The light finally illuminated. Alexa's face glowed. The shadows it created bred contempt and fear. It only intensified the furrow in her brows. The resolve in her lips. The violins became faster. More violent. The crescendo was near.

Kaiba turned back around to meet her glowing face. “This is all merely a projection of your own insecurities. First with Lucky Sanchez. Then Marco. Now this. You can’t handle it when another person is right. Just like you can’t handle the situation in blood bank right now.”

“First of all. You are not right. I am. Second of all, None of what you said makes sense. And third, this is a chance at making unprecedented history in HNH. I know you can’t handle that pressure. Thus you can’t possibly finish the tasks given today. I simply thought it is best to make you realize that.” Alexa glued her hands to her hips. The spotlight solely on her.

“I think you need to be honest with yourself.” Kaiba words snatched the spotlight from her. “You’re the one that can’t handle the workload in blood bank right now. You refuse to acknowledge it and you’re taking it out on me. It is precisely that we’re making history that you feel scared to become a stain on it.”

The prodigious tones of a make-shift choir sang in a delightful suspense. The orchestra gathered their instruments to meet the voices of the choir. To the same tune, they would clash, creating the perfect resonance of sound. Perhaps this was the music in their hearts. And their combination would result in a beautiful melody.

“Or what if we both deluded ourselves into thinking that we can handle this but in reality, we actually need each other's help?” A new spotlight shined upon Alexa’s face.

The stage was set. The darkness from their being lifted, The two main characters of this play drenched in this new found overindulgence of light. Spectators could not help but take notice! The backdrop ravaged in the suspense of the music. It was a fight to the death. A climax of an action scene that would forever be etched deep into the annals of history. Their fate was in their hands!

“That’s a good joke.” Kaiba grinned.

“I thought so too.” Alexa nodded.

“So this is all a joke to you?” The spotlight cast a heavy glare into Kaiba’s eyes.

“No you are.” Alexa smirked. Kaiba’s spotlight shut off. The last laugh personified into those three simple words.

“I see.” Kaiba turned around. This time it would be for real. “There is no hope for you Alexa Fuse.”

“That’s funny. I was just about to say the same to you.” Alexa’s spotlight shut off with those words.

The show ended. The lights closed. The curtains veiled into the darkness once again. Only the visage of their figures remained. Kaiba’s distorted image left the stage. Alexa would follow soon after. Their encounter with each other proved to be pointless. It only served to show that they couldn’t possibly work together.

Alexa looked at the cross matching that needed to be done. She was no better than when she started. There was one goal and only one goal with her little retort with Kaiba. Her face flushed. Why did I suggest that! Her breathing was fast and shallow. It’s good I played it off as a joke. She would focus only on the task at hand. They barely had two hours left. She couldn’t think of asking help from anybody anymore. She just had to trust in her skills. No matter how compromised they were because of her fatigue.

WHY? Kaiba questioned himself. He looked at his own trembling hands. An agreement with Alexa’s final sentiment would have been easy. Simple. And he would have gotten the help he needed! But, something about that conversation and the direction it was heading. It annoyed me. After all their exchanges, it felt to him that he needed to prove something. That her help would be pointless. He stared at the growing line of donors outside. He worked so hard to whittle that number down! But there he was, looking at more and more donors that needed to be extracted. Cracking his knuckles, there was nothing else he could do but do his job. His body grew weary but his mind would make him push through.

***

“I’ll read the action plan again Mantou, listen carefully,” Minerva reprimanded. “The plan for today was to see how the top intern from each school would react when faced with a great deal of stress. First was the morning’s company employee routine examination. The second was the Ha’suru military. Combining all that, we can gauge how they would do in extreme situations.”

“I see.” Mantou nodded.

The clock read 5pm. Mantou and Minerva sat in the staff break room of HNH labs for a solid two hours, mulling over, and analyzing the observations they gathered today.

“I get it now,” Mantou kept nodding.

“If you do, then tell me your report on Kaiba.” Minerva sighed.

“Alright. Kaiba Quivers did not seem content in the serology section. He was happy when he was pulled out of the serology section. He seemed to always be in a foul mood when talking to Alexa Fuse. He looked to be feeling some frustration along the way. But in the end he did his work properly.” Mantou recounted the events written in his clipboard.

“What is this? A diary?” Minerva shrugged.

“What else is there to say? That’s all I observed,” Manto replied.

“Tell me about Kaiba’s performance. How he reacted to the increasing workload and the end results of it. You left out the important parts, Mantou.” Minerva jeered.

“Ah!” Mantou rubbed his temples. “Well, for the morning, Kaiba performed excellently. Majority of the one hundred donors were extracted by Kaiba. If he weren’t there I doubt they’d get the job done. As for the afternoon, it was more problematic.”

“How so?” Minerva’s interest piqued.

“It looked to me that Kaiba was going to ask some help from Alexa Fuse. It was just right before the military came in to do their testing. But in the end they only ended up fighting with each other,” Mantou recalled.

“Interesting.” Minerva nodded.

“Though at the end of the day, Kaiba Quivers was given a merit by the section chief Viola, despite not being able to finish the tasks.” Mantou put down his clipboard.

“That’s to be expected. Kaiba specializes in extraction and Viola is a very kind staff, especially if she doesn’t have to do any work. Which is what ended up happening.” Minerva browsed her clipboard. “As for Alexa Fuse. The morning was the same as Kaiba’s. In the afternoon, she also struggled. There was a point where I thought she would request help. She talked to Kaiba Quivers, but as you said it ended up only looking like a fight.”

She flipped the pages. “She didn’t finish the work. She received no merit as the staff member, Stan was extremely toxic as well. This is no slight to Alexa. It’s just the individual circumstances that paved the way for the merit for Kaiba. And none for Alexa.”

“It feels like we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish with this exercise,” Mantou blurted out.

“Hm? That’s a first Mantou.” Minerva was surprised.

“Why?”

“I agree with you.” Minerva set aside her clipboard. “I wanted to see whether the two most promising interns in HNH could work together. It’s obvious that they’d be robbing themselves of potential if they remained isolated.”

She stood up. “Today’s exercise showed that their potential is high. But we could only imagine how this day ended up if they decided to work together.”

“Well it could be because of the fact that Kaiba is from MSD and Alexa is from EMSA.” Mantou pointed out.

“You’re not wrong. Even I fail to recognize Kaiba’s true worth. But his skill cannot be ignored. As much as I don’t like the idea. He is at the top with Alexa in the HNH leaderboards,” Minerva replied.

Mantou threw his hands into the air. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.”