“Well, for one thing, it should be a rewarding job for settlers, helping others just as they were helped. Also, you are Fairlanders just like us, and it’s important to have a mix of settlers and founders in leadership positions, for the sake of equality and balance. Especially when it comes to the outreach department. One of the obvious advantages you have there is a natural empathy to new settlers—you can make them feel at ease in a way we can’t. If they feel they’re dealing with people who were in their exact same position not long ago, it makes it simpler for them to trust us and integrate more smoothly into our society.
“You see, when we go out on missions, trust is especiallyimportant, as we often don’t have a lot of time to hang around and answer questions, especially where nomads are involved.”
I nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense. So, are you saying I could become your mentee and get a steady, higher-level job? What kind of money would I earn, and how quickly?”
“Well, there are several stages to this. I first need to decide if I want you as my mentee.” She gave a good-natured laugh. “I’d be investing time and energy, so I’m rather picky about who I take on. And then, in order for me to help promote you to a steady, higher paying job, you’d need to complete a formal induction process before you can officially begin work. All that said, I do understand you need these coins as soon as possible. So, assuming you pass my pre-screening, let’s say I’ll help you make up the balance quickly.”
“Oh, um, okay… How quickly?”
She sighed. “I understand the rush. So how about this: You come up to Founders’ Fortress now to meet me, and we’ll see if we can’t get this process rolling. My schedule is flexible over the next couple of weeks, and I have a good feeling about you, Tani. You’re already standing out as a driven, hardworking individual, so I think there’s a fair chance this might work out for the both of us.”
“Oh,” I said, taken aback. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Type ‘Founders Fortress, Gate 14’ into your tablet, follow the directions, and then when you arrive at the gate, ask one of the concierges to take you to Level 7, Chamber 30. I’ll meet you down there.”
“Ah, sure,” I said, immediately jumping to my feet. I hadn’t expected the ball to get rolling so quickly, to be honest, as I knew she was a busy woman—I hadn’t even been sure I’d be able to get hold of her this morning—but I sure as hell wasn’tcomplaining. “Thanks Anna. I’ll make my way there as fast as I can.”
“Sure thing, see you soon. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some cheese waffles to finish.” She chuckled then cut the call.
I disconnected, too, then shoved the phone into my pocket and hurried to get ready to leave. Grabbing my tablet and backpack, I input the address and dashed out of the house. A shuttle wasn’t waiting, so I ran over the bridge, then raced the rest of the way to Mowlbury Dock, where, according to the tablet, I could get a connection that would take me directly to the fortress.
NINETEEN
The shuttle depositedme onto a spacious platform paved with white stone. It was far more glamorous than any station I’d visited so far. A marble fountain spouting crystalline water stood tall in the center, bordered by a circular bench that was carved out of the same pale marble and engraved with swirling motifs of sharks. Straight ahead, a broad staircase beckoned. As I approached, delicate script caught my eye—etched into the stark white walls on either side, the letters almost shimmering in the light:Veni Vidi Vici. The words repeated over and over, spanning the entire length of the walls that bordered the platform.
I made a mental note to finally ask what that meant when I next got the chance.
I climbed the stairs and, as I reached the top of them, came face-to-face with the gargantuan fortress. I craned my neck in a vain attempt to see the top of the breathtakingly sheer, white wall face or one of the looming turrets. I experienced vertigo just trying, so I let my eyes descend to the high, arched metalgate directly in front of me, above which glowed a green number: 14.
This place had intrigued me ever since I’d arrived, and now I was finally visiting it, much sooner than expected.
A mix of anticipation and apprehension filled me as I crossed the wide strip of pavement that ran the circumference of the fortress, and stopped outside of the gate. I was momentarily confused by the lack of handles, until I spotted a small control board fixed into the wall on the left. I approached it, eyeing its two components: a round green button and a ring scanner.
I pressed the button, then held my breath and waited.
A speaker crackled to life a moment later. “Name and purpose, please,” a smooth female voice asked.
“Tanisha Lockwood, here to see Ms. Annabelle Springs. I have a meeting with her at Level 7, Chamber 30.”
There was a split-second pause, before the voice replied, “Please scan your ring.”
I scanned the ring, and a soft hissing sound came from the edges of the gate. It glided open, revealing a large, oval reception area with sleek, pristine white floors and light gray walls. A handful of large abstract paintings of muted coloring hung at even intervals, which looked similar to the style of Martha, though I couldn’t make out the initials from this distance to be sure.
A desk stood directly opposite me, in the center of the room, behind which sat three women in white uniforms.
I slowly moved toward them, my eyes still drinking in my surroundings. When I approached within three feet of the desk, one of the women looked up at me—a petite female with a shock of white-blonde hair fashioned into a pixie cut. She wore a silver ring.
“Follow me, please, Ms. Lockwood,” she said, before I could open my mouth.
She strode off across the room, her low heels clacking against the glossy floor. I quickly followed, catching up to her as she led me through a set of double doors on the left side of the desk.
We entered a gently curving hallway, with the same pale gray and white color scheme, though the walls were bare of paintings and instead lined with arched white doors.
We walked for less than a minute, following the curve of the corridor, and then stopped in front of a door that was different from the rest—dark brown and rectangular. An elevator, I quickly realized. My escort pressed a button on a discreet control panel.
The door slid open and we stepped into the metal cubicle, where my eyes fell on another control board. It held row upon row of small buttons, a number affixed to each of them, all the way from 1 to 200. When the woman pressed number seven, I realized they must be all the levels of the fortress.
200 levels.I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, given its massive exterior. But still, that sounded like alot.
