"You can think what you want, Mr. Kuro," the Head Doctor replied mildly, moving his eyes yet again, this time to one of computer monitors. He briefly frowned, moving his hand to click something with his mouse. He absentmindedly muttered something that sounded like "bookworm" under his breath, then glanced back to his audience. His eyes had momentarily gone cold. "And to you, Ms. Tsubaki, I would like to point out that a tool needs to know only its use, not its purpose."

But then his face seemed to soften again. He sighed, bringing his palm to his face and pressing the heel of his hand over one of his eyes. "But I do suppose some limited information is required before a soldier proceeds with a mission."

He paused deliberately on that term, then nodded and finally stood up from his seat.

"You see," he began, "this facility is very important, more than you know or can probably comprehend. I don't expect you to believe me when I say it, but much of our society relies on what goes on here, as barbaric as it may seem on the ground floor. As little as my assurance might mean to you, you have my word that the theatrics are all a crucial part of the process. Otherwise, I would not use them.

"But on to your question." He pressed his hands against the top of the table and leaned on them, thinking for a moment before looking back up at the patients. His voice went low; serious, but not quite dangerous. "We've had our first period of peace for some time now, but that's currently being threatened by a certain... group. This group has currently been dealt a large blow with the–" he paused, "–death of their previous leader, Alec Doyle, known more commonly as 'Jack.' However, there's a new kid keen on taking his place, and that, along with some other... unforeseen circumstances that caused us to lose his trail, has allowed me to conclude that perhaps a new plan of attack would be most prudent.

"And that's where you come in."