"So... The world above us, for all practical purposes, denied to us," Claire's father sighed as he stated the depressing thought about the state of the world.

Claire was silent, listening to her father's words. Though it was something she'd accepted, the idea still slightly opened up the emotional wounds inside of her.

Turning his head around as though marveling at his surroundings, "It's still surprising that they were able to keep this place under wraps. Your sister, Abby, even talked about the military being blindsided when entering this place."

"Even the personnel that were in the same building as us felt as though this place was impossible," Her mother shook her head in disbelief. "To think that Star and Moon had been hiding their true intention when getting the military to give them the contract."

Interrupting her parents' train of thought, Claire asked, "Where is everyone? Are Abby, Brooke, and Candice living nearby?" Even though she knew that her older siblings were safe, it would be nice to know where they were.

Claire's mom nodded at the question, "Yeah. They're in the same section as all of us." She scrunched up her face as though trying to remember something, "I believe we're currently in Section 5?" Waving a hand to brush away the thought, "But it just means that they are close by. They should be living on the same floor as all of us."

Looking at and agreeing with her mom, her father said, "It's nice to know that we're so close to one another." He turned his focus back on Claire, an eyebrow raised, "I'm surprised that you're using the computer to contact us instead of just coming over? Are you too old to visit your parents now that you have your own place?" He laughed.

Claire blinked and then realized that her parents didn't know that she wasn't in the Residential Area of the Underground City.

"What's wrong?" Claire's mom asked, sensing a change in her daughter.

"I'm actually not inside of the Residential Area," Claire said.

Both of her parents' eyes opened wide in alarm at her confession.

Claire's mom moved closer to the screen, "Where are you right now? You're safe, right?!"

Quickly raising her hands to stop the tirade of questions, Claire said, "I'm safe, mom." Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, "Right now, I'm inside of the Adventurer's Guild."

"Why are you there?" Her father asked, his voice sounding concerned. "You're not doing that adventuring thing, right?"

Claire looked away, feeling guilty about something she didn't feel as though there was a need to feel guilty. Gathering her resolve, Clarie looked back to her parents. "I've decided to become an adventurer and enter into the simulation in order to get stronger."

Frowning, her father said, "Claire, that's too dangerous for you. I've only heard a few things from the person that guided us to the room we're staying in, but from what I heard, it's something that should only be meant for adults."

"Your father's right, Claire. You don't know what going through the training can do to your body. I understand that not doing anything may be stressful, but it's at least better than putting your mind and body at risk." Her mother used the voice often utilized when she thought Claire was making a poor decision.

Though Claire understood that her parents were worried about her safety, a part of her fought against the idea that she wasn't able to perform at the level needed.

"I've already entered into the simulation and hunted the monsters inside of it. It's what allowed me to rent out a room inside of the Guild." Claire retorted though she left out information regarding how both she and Hannah had special privileges or how the dryad they met earlier gave them some kind of substance that boost their abilities related to the mysterious energy. "They would only get more worried if I told them that." She thought to herself, as she watched both of her parents looking worried.

Brushing his hair back with a hand, her father found the entire situation to be stressful. Saying, "You said you're in the Guild, right? I'll be coming over there, now."

----------------------

End of Part 1

"Dad!" Claire yelled, hearing that her father was planning on going to the Guild.

Her mother had a surprised expression, hearing the words of her husband stating his plans. Getting up, she rushed after him.

Claire sighed, listening to her mother, trying to convince her father how it was hasty to rush over to the Guild. "He's going to have to become an adventurer to even be allowed inside the Guild," Claire shook her head.

Looking at an empty room, Claire heard the sound of footsteps.

Stepping back into the frame of the video, her mother sighed, "It looks like your father is going to where you are, though I was able to convince him to take Abby with him. Hopefully, she'll be able to keep him calm."

"Dad's not going to even be able to get in," Claire said exasperatedly. "They have the Guild blocked off for those not members."

Hearing Claire's words, her mother raised an eyebrow and sighed with relief. "That's good to know. I don't think your father would just sign up and become an adventurer, regardless of how hot-headed he's being."

Shaking her head, Claire asked, "So how were things at the lab?"

As though grateful for the change in topic, Claire's mom said, "Compared to your father, the higher-ups make him look rational." She grimaced at the memory. "I think they may have caused the situation with the Modified Humans to become worse."

"How so?" Claire was alarmed.

"With how quickly the Modified Humans wiped out our defenses, those in charge panicked and began testing to see whether radiation would be a more effective weapon." Her mother was silent before continuing, "Claire, they were thinking of nuking those things. They honestly thought destroying the planet for everyone was a strategy worth thinking about."

Though she was expecting things to be bad, Claire just then realize how bad things actually were. It didn't take an expert in the field to understand how damaging to the world it would be to use nuclear weapons. What made it worse was the idea of whether nuclear weapons would even be effective against Modified Humans. "Would it even work?" Claire hesitatingly asked, part of her not wanting to know the answer.

Taking a deep breath and shrugging, her mother said, "I, honestly, don't know. We wanted to test whether radiation would work against the few samples we had of the creatures. Still, we had fears of the Modified Humans adapting to it. Though I don't think they'd be able to withstand the initial blast from the weapon... The question was whether the radiation would at as a way to get rid of large numbers of them."

"I get a feeling that if guns are ineffective, the radiation would be too," Claire thought about the number of missiles that'd have to be launched to destroy even a fraction of them. "It would turn the world into a giant radiation wasteland..." Claire felt her heart ache at the thought.

Claire's mom nodded in agreement. "It's why your father tried so hard to advocate against it, but eventually he had to cave in. Hopefully, our tests weren't the reason for the increased activity of those things and what led to the Fort being lost."

After hearing the sadness in her mother's voice, Claire was quiet. It was a strange feeling to see a parent showing such despair about the reality they all faced. Usually, parents were meant to be the ones to tell their kids that everything was going to be okay.

"What does Abby say?" Claire posed the question, not enjoying the silence.

"Your sister didn't have much choice but to follow the order given to her. I guess the military was running separate tests, though she still won't explain what they were. Even if she doesn't agree with what they're doing, it's a matter of her duty as a soldier." Her mother explained. "The problem comes with losing the Fort and no longer having access to the world above. There has been talk about the soldiers going over to become adventurers though there are some issues with that choice."

"Issues?" Claire tilted her head, confused.

"It's a matter of having the nation's soldiers working under the authority of a multi-national corporation. Even if they take orders from the various heads of the military, they'd still be working in the framework of Star and Moon." Her mother sighed at the issue, equally confused about what would be happening in the future.