Sin and Punishment

"I'm telling you, the eight-O-eight's feel out of place and there's too much reverb."

"Chill, just let me cook. You keep working on the lyrics. Aye, look, someone's pulling up."

"Welcome!" One of the guys said, directed at Sieg and Erika. "Welcome!" The other said with a slight delay, seemingly trying to have spoken at the same time as the first man. Looking a little embarrassed, the second guy raised his arm toward his head in an awkward gesture.

Sieg and Erika, leaving the car at the front of the store, approached the two.

"Hi, I'm Erika," she said first. She normally led the conversations between the two siblings. She nudged Sieg with her elbow, expecting him to have followed up right after her with his introduction. "I'm Siegfried," he said, sucking his teeth, bothered that his sister didn't even give him a chance to respond on his own, "but I go by Sieg."

"Nice to meet you two, Erika and Sieg. What can I help you with? Looking for anything in particular? A vinyl? Tapes? Any hardware?" The more stocky-built man offered.

"Actually, I think we're looking for a techno piece pre-war." She pulled out a note where the instructions they had received were hastily written down. "Something about monster and sprite."

“The drinks?” Sieg wondered.

The two store employees snapped a look at each other with a delighted smile and then turned back to the siblings. The lankier employee interjected, "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites?"

"Yes, actually," Erika said, surprised. She looked over at Sieg with a confused look, wondering if these employees actually had ties to the organization given how eccentric they looked.

They were both darker-skinned and sported dreadlocks that reached down past their ears. They were wearing the store's merchandise as uniforms with the Sin logo across the chest and were in fitted jeans and some very stylish sneakers. Each wore a watch and some jewelry to complete the fit. It was the polar opposite dress code of the button-down white shirt, tie, jacket, long skirt, pants, and boots the recruiter had told the siblings to get for the job.

"What you're looking for is on the second floor. Head inside toward the back right corner and take the steps up. There's a touchpad on the wall that'll open the door if you've really got the means to do it." The bigger employee said. "Also, I'm Saint, and this skinny boy is King. We're the owners of the shop, and we're also a producer-artist duo. Stop by anytime if you need something. We can help with more than just music."

Sieg, a little surprised at the scenario unfolding, spoke out first. "Thanks, we'll keep that in mind."

With the conversation ending, they walked into the store and admired the sight. Music from various generations, pre- and post-war era. Equipment from surround sound speakers to car radios and subwoofers. Opposite the corner where the owner said the stairs were was the checkout counter. The store was empty as it wasn't opening time for them, so there was no one at the register. On the wall beside the counter, a glowing neon sign that read Studio and a door right under it. 

"The guys were speaking on something they were working on. It was probably in there." Sieg thought.

The sibling pair followed the instructions and went to the corner, followed by heading up the steps. Sure enough, they met the panel next to a door mentioned earlier. It had a handprint, so there was only one thing to do.

"I got this," Erika said with her signature smirk. She placed her right hand on the scanner.

"Am I doing it right? Nothing's happeniiiiii—" Erika got interrupted as the panel switched on. Her right eye began to glow, and she started to convulse slightly.

"Hey, Erika, knock it off. That isn't funny," Sieg said starting to panic.

He reached out to her, grabbing her hand, and suddenly he felt it too. The panel seemed to be drawing something from them. His left eye lit up out of his control.

A second later, after both their hands made contact with the panel, it beeped a hollow confirmation sound and the door slid open.

The siblings quickly withdrew their hands. Both breathing heavily and slightly shaking. They raised a hand up to shield their eyes from the bright lights flooding into the passageway they were standing in. Their complexion looked a little flushed.

"Well, well, well." A voice came from inside the newly unlocked room. "You two seem to be quite the anomaly. We were observing the whole thing from in here. Firstly, welcome! Glad you could finally make it. Come in."

...

They stepped in past the entrance into a room straight out of a military film. Around the room were console stations with screens flashing all types of information. People in suits and lab coats paced back and forth between stations. Others were in front of whiteboards, chalkboards, or bulletin boards, seemingly collaborating on something. At the middle was a waist-high table with a holographic display of something they recognized all too well—that skyline they'd spent their whole lives seeing from the outskirts of town and only recently started being a part of.

“I can see why the windows from the outside weren’t see-through.”

"Welcome to Twilight Myth, Erika, Sieg. Well, technically we're only a branch of it. I am the Warden, Carlo Diamante. We've met each other before. We have much to discuss, especially about your powers. Something is wrong with you two. It's nothing immediately a threat to your life, but if you do not exercise caution, you could find yourselves in a horrible predicament . But first, you two look like you need a pick-me-up. We have organic coffee or tea, or would you perhaps like the Buster ki—"

Sieg cut in, "Hold on! Slow down! What do you mean we're in danger? What was that crap at the door panel? And—"

"Oh, I'd like the organic tea! Do you have any snacks?" Erika said, speaking over Sieg's concerns and leaving him with words jumbled, rolling out of his mouth. "You guys have organic products? Are you sure it's alright for us to have some for free?"

"Of course, you're Twilight Myth Agents now. You have full access to all of our resources, which I'll get to explaining over this lovely cup of coffee, as well as addressing Mister Sieg's concerns in full detail. Sieg, what would you like to drink?"

"Water," he said with eyebrows furrowed. He was starting to feel aggravated that every step of the way his opinions, questions, and concerns had been dismissed since even before waking up. "Coffee irritates me, and tea sucks without sugar. I shouldn't be drinking anything sweet anyways."

‘Phwooh,’ Carlo whistled. "Water for the gentleman. Now, have a seat."

The pair sat down at a round table set in a corner opposite the entrance of the room. It looked like a little kitchen area where the employees kept their food and refreshments. Carlo prepared his coffee in one machine and the tea for Erika in another. A random employee showed up with a tall glass of water and placed it beside Sieg at the table before disappearing into the mess of workers.

Erika was looking around frantically with a smile on her face, taking in the sight. Like a child mesmerized at the sights of a theme park. Sieg couldn't help but crack a smile watching his sister look so optimistic.

"Now then," Carlo approached with his coffee and the tea for Erika, then sat down with the duo. "I'm glad you two are here and that we caught you in time."

"What does that mean?" Sieg said concerned, while Erika took a sip of her tea.

"You two didn't tell me, but with what we just observed, I’ve confirmed you were born twins."

Sieg paused.

"You two did tell me that you can sense the supernatural, and that's why I invited you here. That tells us you have an aptitude for (A)Ether control—the bare minimum to join Twilight Myth."