Chapter 3: (1) - Hunter Island
After a three-hour flight, Alexandre's plane finally arrived at Hunter Island's small airfield.
Since Hunter Island was a restricted, high-security zone, there were no publically available photographs of the famous location's layout. After such a long flight, all the students looked eagerly out the plane's windows to catch their first glimpses of their new home below.
"Hunter Island" was a bit of a false name. It was actually an archipelago composed of several small islands which sat close together in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Two of these islands were far larger than the others: the first, where the airstrip was visible like a stripe of gray paint on the ground far below them, and which also looked as though it contained a barracks and several other military-style buildings; and the second island, which looked as though it contained the Hunter Academy itself, as well as a small town.
Alexandre had researched the lifestyles on US military bases in preparation for his arrival. Though he'd never seen pictures of Hunter Island before, he was sure he understood how the social and economic situation worked: the military members would likely live on the first island, which would have even higher security than the second island.
They'd get standard military supplies delivered by plane or boat. When they were granted leave, the soldiers would likely spend all their paychecks in the little town on the second island, where prices for alcohol and other forms of entertainment would be sky-high to take advantage of the fact that the soldiers had nowhere else to go.
In addition, no matter how high the security on Hunter Island was, there would surely be some enterprising people who managed to smuggle drugs and other illicit substances into the town, which some of the soldiers would surely spend several times more to obtain than they would on the mainland.
Meanwhile, the students and civilians would live on the second island. The students would likely be in a similar situation to the actual military members—they would have their basic needs taken care of, and they might receive a small allowance, but prices would be absurdly high in the nearby town.
Truly, to have the opportunity to open a shop on a military base like this was a fantastic opportunity! Especially in the modern day, when the average person in the richest countries on Earth was destitute. The civilians who opened these shops would be subjected to strict background checks and sworn to secrecy before, but Alexandre had the feeling that there were also some heavy bribes involved.
As their plane dropped in altitude, Alexandre wondered if he was the only student on the plane to be thinking about practical, analytical matters. What was going through the minds of all the other students? Were they merely thinking about all the power, wealth, and glory they believed they would win as a full Hunter?
Soon, worried murmuring filled the plane's interior as several anti-aircraft installations swiveled to point at their craft. This immediately caught Alexandre's attention.
The government truly had a pathological fear of both Virus Z... and the Hunters themselves, whose superhuman abilities made them a nearly uncontrollable element of international security. It was obvious that the military presence on this island was in part to respond to any Hunter-based threats that might arise from the Hunter Academy itself, rather than simply to protect the government's secrets.
Though, no matter how much risk the government might think the Hunters posed... there was no denying their effectiveness against the infected. If it were not for the Hunters who had come into service since the first generation of them in 2027, the Americas would surely have been transformed into a Black Zone, just like every other continent had been by now.
In a few moments, the anti-aircraft guns swiveled away again, likely in response to the pilot giving the proper identification codes.
All the students started breathing more easily, though one arrogant-sounding boy began speaking loudly and angrily to the surrounding people. "That's not safe! Definitely against protocol!" he whined. "I'm going to demand a meeting with the head officer at this place as soon as we're settled in! My father's very important, you know. Someone's going to get fired for pointing a gun at innocent civilians!"
Alexandre ignored him. This was no place for whiny brats, and they wouldn't last long. He knew he wouldn't have to deal with this idiot for much longer.
Finally, the plane landed, several routine security and safety checks were completed, and the prospective students were finally allowed to disembark. The fresh, salty sting of ocean wind struck Alexandre in the face as he stepped outside, and he took a deep, grateful breath. It was quite a welcome change from the stale, recycled plane air.
The runway was kept in absolutely perfect condition, unlike the dilapidated streets of New York. The government was very good at keeping its own infrastructure in working order, it seemed. Interestingly, there were very few military staff members on the ground to organize the students' arrival, which took Alexandre by surprise. He'd expected a screaming drill sergeant to order everyone into submission from the moment they disembarked.
Instead, there were only a dozen or so armed guards who stood at attention nearby, but who didn't seem to be paying any attention to the newcomers themselves.
A couple of officers calmly instructed students to head toward a certain building a short distance away, which they said was the primary intake station. There were so many students on the plane that, even once they had organized themselves into a more or less coherent line, many of them were forced to wait outside the intake station on the landing strip.
After about a quarter of an hour, several more administrative personnel emerged from the intake building and took charge, forming the remaining students into a much more orderly line. Alexandre keenly noticed the looks which passed between the original and new administrators—looks of "Good work," rather than "Why aren't you doing your job?"
'So,' Alexandre thought to himself, 'it seems the staff was originally here to observe us. I wonder if they're watching to see who will be a future troublemaker, or if they're watching to see who already has discipline and self-control?" Then another thought came to him as he saw that same whining boy from the plane, now complaining to a staff member who was simply ignoring him. "Perhaps they're trying to rile us up and test our patience!"
Indeed, several other students tried to talk to these new staff members, and it seemed as though the administrators were making mental notes about who took the time to complain.
Alexandre simply stared at the back of the head of the student directly in front of him and took a step forward whenever the line moved.
He knew how to play this sort of game.
He would play it well.
Black Plague Comming !
Make Zombie great again !
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone