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New Volume 3 Chapter(s) Weekly. Volumes 1 and 2 now complete!

Callum Briz fidgeted nervously in the back of the car, sandwiched between two burly figures in suits. He had been blindfolded, and his hands were cuffed behind his back. Anyone who had stumbled upon this situation, their first guess would be that he had been kidnapped, or perhaps was on his way to meet a mafia boss for something he’d done wrong. Alas, it was nothing quite as interesting. This was something Callum had signed up for voluntarily, but it didn’t make him any less anxious.

He was a graduate student majoring in political science, and over the course of the next few months, he would be interning at Central Peace Headquarters. Normally, summer break didn’t start until a few weeks later for students, but he had been able to finish all of his courses and exams a few weeks early. He had even managed to get his thesis completed on time, even though they were willing to give him an extension until after the internship was completed. Depending on how this internship went, it may give him all the credits he would need, and would be a fruitful beginning to his political career.

That morning he had arrived at the Prosper train station. Waiting for him were three CP agents holding a sign with his name, who were all rather intimidating in appearance. However, they were friendly enough. They helped him with his luggage, and talked him through a run-down of what was going to happen. They even let him take a small reprieve to use the restroom and get something to eat if he wanted, since they informed him the trip would take about an hour and he’d be rather busy once they arrived.

Callum took them up on their offer, having realized he hadn’t eaten due to anticipation. He hurriedly wolfed down a small pastry, since he didn’t want to keep them waiting even if they didn’t appear to be in a rush. When he returned, they pulled out a tablet and made him sign a waiver, then sat him in the back of the prepared car. His restraints were then attached to him and the restless drive began.

The reason he was forced to take such measures was due to the inherent secrecy of the Central Peace. After all, the location of their headquarters was the best kept secret in the world. When news of its existence went public, a lot of people went snooping around for the location. A lot of people then either went missing or became wary of even speaking on the subject shortly after. It has since become a place of legend, some doubting its existence entirely, most others opting to be blissfully ignorant.

According to his escorts, this kind of treatment that he was experiencing was rather rare. Interns weren’t common at the CP. Most people who worked there were contracted for long term employment. They could either be trusted with its location, or were one of those who lived there permanently. Representatives were the only ones allowed to come and go freely, along with their personal staff. As an intern only working there for a few months, he was considered a high risk of being a leak. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be his first and only trip there.

In this situation, Callum imagined most people would at least try to get some bearing on their location by memorizing the turns the car was making. However, for whatever reason, he could never feel it. If the car ever made a single turn since they’d departed, it didn’t stick out. Perhaps there was some form of gyroscoping stability in the seating.

The ride was long, but it definitely wasn’t boring. The escorts kept conversing throughout the trip, talking about random things they liked, even trying to include him now and again. Callum would rather have used that time to rest and prepare himself, but his nervousness never would have let him do that in the first place. Finally, the car stopped, and his blindfold was removed.

Callum was confused for a moment, thinking they’d gotten the wrong place. They were definitely underground, but it was not at all like he was expecting. It looked like they were at an unloading zone in front of a regular office building, or perhaps a hotel. There were sliding glass doors that led into what appeared to be a waiting room or a lobby. Above the doors was a sign that read ‘Newcomer Entrance’.

One of his escorts uncuffed him and walked him to the doors. Callum was assured his luggage would be taken care of, but he still felt a little uneasy about the situation, unable to completely convince himself that he hadn’t been scammed. The escort put a pendant around his own neck, and then the doors opened. Callum was ushered over to the receptionists desk, where he couldn’t help but notice that the receptionist was wearing a similar pendant.

A few days ago, Callum received an email with his reporting instructions. Included with it was a digital handbook containing a lot of information about the CP’s rules and regulations. It had been a pain to get to open, requiring several confirmation codes, personal response questions, and even a retinal scan. He wondered why the security was so tight on it, since the information inside was rather limited and much less useful than he’d hoped. It was doubtful someone wishing to infiltrate would garner enough helpful information from it, except perhaps the included information about the pendants.

Everyone at the CP wore one, and it was mandatory to keep it on at all times except in private quarters. It was similar to an employee ID at any other job, but far fancier. At the center was a flag to denote where the wearer was from. Around it were various symbols that denoted the person’s station, rank, and any other necessary information. Inside the pendants themselves were microchips which hosted a variety of features, but the most important one being their access restrictions.

There were no keys in the CP headquarters, except for perhaps personal safes and lockboxes. Not a single door used one anywhere in the facility, only pendants were used. If a person who didn’t have the proper clearance tried to open a door, it would be automatically locked. If they continued to try and force it open, security would be called. Those without clearance could be temporarily granted access by those with it, but such a thing would be logged in a database in case of violations.

While the CP Headquarters itself was one big secret, there were very few secrets inside of it that the top brass wouldn’t know about. Everyone was constantly monitored; where they were, what they were doing, even their purchases. Only private quarters were left private, though someone with conspiracist tendencies would likely doubt even that.

Like before with the escorts, Callum was handed a tablet. This time it had a multitude of waivers. He had already filled out all of his information ahead of time, but these had to be signed in person. There were 906 waivers in total spanning 4,852 pages. Callum’s eyes practically melted out of his skull at the thought of reading it all.

Fortunately for him, and likely everyone else who had ever come here, there was a non-committal, preemptive, sign-all option where he would agree for now and the forms would be sent to him for review. If he had a dispute with one of them he could argue it later. However, if he didn’t personally read it later but confirmed he had, he was still liable to all of the conditions under an ignorance clause.

Callum couldn’t decide if this was either much too lax, or far too conniving since there was no way any sane person would read all of them. After returning the tablet, Callum received his pendant from the receptionist. On it was only a flag and a single icon marking him as an intern. He truly was on the lowest rung here, and everyone would know it with just a glance.

However, there was something off, though it took him a second to realize due to his fawning over all his wildest dreams coming true. The flag on his pendant was entirely wrong, not depicting his home country, but rather the country of Regend. Before Callum could question the error, a door opened and a woman stepped into the room.

She was an older woman. If Callum had to guess, she was in her 50s. It didn’t take him long to figure out her identity, the pendants already proving their usefulness. She was the Representative of Regend, and he was immediately panicking, trying to figure out the reason someone so important would have come to meet him. No doubt it had to do with the error on the pendant, and he started wondering how profusely he could apologize over something he had no control over.

Representatives were as high-ranking as someone could get in the CP. There was one from every country, and their level of power was on par with that of the country's ruler. Below them were the Vice-Representatives. On average, each country had three, but under special conditions they could ask for more. None had more than five. Callum had been expecting to be interning for someone about five stations below them, and would find it a rather joyous day if he ever got to meet a Representative in person, so this was sending his mind into overdrive. The worst part was that he was entirely blanking on her name.

“Callum Briz, Right?” the woman greeted him and shook his hand. “I’m Marigauld Viscelli. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but for now, please follow me.” He was thankful that she had introduced herself. It was highly probable that she knew he’d be confused due to the sudden change in nationality. He didn’t need to be asked twice either, and began following obediently back through the door.

When they got into an isolated hallway, Viscelli immediately cornered him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled at him. Her smile felt eerie somehow. It was definitely cheerful and welcoming at first glance, but it shook Callum to his core.

“I believe we should re-introduce ourselves now,” she said heavily. “I’m sure I seemed every bit the professional in there, but that much is expected of me in public. I like to get close and personal with my team, and you and I will be working very closely over the coming months. So, the standard formalities won’t do. From now on, I will address you as Callum, and you’ll address me only as Gauld. Is that understood?”

“Uhh, yes Mrs. Viscelli, gah-!” Callum had started to stutter an affirmation but then his shoulder was crushed. “Mam, could you please, gahh!-” her grip tightened. “Gauld it hurts. Could you please let go?!” A sudden memory came flooding back to him. On a political discussion board, someone had mentioned that the Representative of Regend was rather eccentric. Callum had never given that notion a second thought, but now he was starting to see why.

“I’m glad we’ve reached an understanding,” Gauld smiled again as she let go of his shoulder. “Now then, let’s walk and talk. I’m sure you’re wondering about how you’ve ended up under my tutelage. Let’s do a quick test of your knowledge. You already have a degree and are a graduate student, so this should be a piece of cake. Could you please tell me the electoral system for Central Peace Representatives and Vice-Representatives?”

“Um, sure, Mrs- err, Gauld,” Callum stuttered yet again. “When the Central Peace was first formed, a Representative was chosen by each country’s government. Along with this, a Vice-Representative was elected by the country’s citizens. Then, for the next two years, a new Vice-Representative was elected bringing each country to a total of three. Vice-reps serve terms that gradually increase in length. First is three years, then six years, and finally, ten years. It hasn’t happened yet, but after the ten year mark if they are still in office, then they are allowed to stay as long as they like unless there is a reason to remove them.”

“At the end of each term an election is held, and a candidate can run against a current vice-rep, though they generally run unopposed. Citizens can also vote for ‘no-option’ which wouldn’t choose any candidate, and would forcibly remove the current one from office. I believe this has only happened twice so far. Representatives have an unlimited term from the beginning, and are only removed from office through either retirement or violations. When they leave, one of the Vice-Reps takes their place. If it’s through retirement, then the Rep chooses their replacement. If it’s through violations, then the citizens vote.”

When Callum finished talking, Gauld made a rather loud and unseemly snoring noise. “Oh, are you done? Geez Callum, my youngest could have explained that in about two sentences and would have been way cuter while doing it. Alright, next explain the balance of power between Reps and Vice-Reps, and try to keep it shorter this time.”

“Um, I’ll try,” Callum started again. “The balance of power refers to the CPs voting system. When it comes to official votes, each country gets two. The first vote goes to the Representative, and the remaining vote is divided up among each Vice-Rep. So the more vice-reps you have, the less weight their individual vote has. Through this system, a country could essentially negate its own vote if the Reps and Vice-Reps vote opposingly.”

“Exactly right,” Gauld confirmed. “And that’s the situation I’ve found myself in. My Vice-Reps have been a huge pain in my side as of late. We almost always vote on opposite sides which makes it like we aren’t even involved. Two of them aren’t too infuriating, and can be reasoned with on occasion, but the third has it out for me.”

“How to put this delicately…” Gauld pondered for a moment. “He’s a mawhging zjikbag, and I want him to die horribly. That’s as nicely as I can put it. Somehow, I ended up on his bad side, and now he’s using his entire political career to spite me. No matter what I vote, he will always vote the other way. Even if the entirety of the CP senate voted unanimously on something, he would be the single opposing vote solely to not vote with me. Ah, our elevator is here. We’ll continue this in a minute since you’re about to be incapacitated for a bit...”

Indeed, the elevator in front of them did ding open, and the two of them stepped inside. Callum was surprised when the elevator started going down. He had assumed they were already as far underground as they could be. His eyes widened when the wall opposite the door became clear, and light flooded through. Through the glass wall, he could see a world he didn’t know existed.

In front of him was a vast open space, the likes of which should be entirely impossible underground. It was a large expansive circle, and Callum could just barely make out the other side. Along the walls of the circle were endless windows, and at least a hundred elevators running up the sides just like the one he was currently inside of. There had to be over 200 stories, and Callum looked at the elevator numbers to confirm it. They were currently on floor 219 and descending.

At the bottom of the circle was a park, much larger than any he’d ever seen. It alone could be the size of an average sized city. There were ponds, flowers, trees, playgrounds, and thousands enjoying everything it had to offer. The sky was fake, but it felt just like being outside, with clouds floating by and a bright sun beaming. The trees in the park were rustling, meaning there was at least some form of artificial wind.

Surrounding the park on all sides were places to go for a day out on the town. He could spot a movie theater, shops, restaurants, and endless people flowing in and out of them. This wasn’t an underground bunker like he had guessed. This was a city, living and breathing. In the sky, Prosper City News was displayed, but most people seemed to be ignoring it. “Can I ask what the population is here?” Callum asked

“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve looked, but it’s well over a million,” Gauld answered.

“A million…” Callum repeated. “You know what, I can believe it, but with so many people... How has this possibly stayed a secret?”

“That’s actually a lot simpler than you’d think,” Gauld smirked. “Very few people ever leave, that’s what it boils down to. It’s not as ominous as you were probably imagining. Almost all of the original contractors who built it a decade ago are still here, living with their families of course. They perform maintenance, along with any expansions that we need. As for the rest of the staff, it’s slightly less savory, but honestly I’m rather pleased with it.”

“The majority of them are criminals. Not the dangerous ones of course, those who were either in the wrong place at the wrong time or debtors. They get the option of rotting in prison, or being given a job and a nice place to live. After they’ve paid off their debts to society, they’re free to leave. Most never do though, and yes there is actually a process for people to leave. I will admit, it’s rather tedious. One look at the stack of paperwork makes people re-evaluate their choice.”

“Sorry, this is all just a bit to process,” Callum was in a daze. “It’s just hard for me to accept what I see in front of me as actually being reality.”

“And what you’re seeing isn’t all of it either!” Gauld seemed oddly proud of this. “This is only the residential area. It’s nothing but private quarters and offices, oh and a school for people’s children. There’s also a college. I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to take a few courses to further your degree while you’re here as long as it doesn’t interfere with your other duties.”

“Beneath the park down there, it goes even farther. Below that surface extends another world just as large as this one. That’s where most of the secret and important stuff is kept. I’d say it extends just as far as this half, if not more.”

“Umm, is it alright to be telling me that?” Callum was wary.

“Probably not,” Gauld shrugged. “But oh well. You’ll need to know all that in the future anyways, and in regards to that, let’s resume our conversation. We’ll be in this elevator for quite a while still. Contrary to a normal office structure where the big dogs get the nice view, the VIP offices and residences are all near the bottom. This is so we can get to all of our allegedly important destinations quicker. Normally, we'd use the express elevator dedicated specifically for our use only, but I thought it would be nice to take you the scenic way for your first time.”

“So… why you’re my intern… The short answer is that I hijacked you. Originally, you were supposed to intern for some lobbyist, or copywriter, or... I don’t know… but you get the jist, basically a bottom-feeder from your country. But I stole you away! You’re welcome! I did it for my own political future, because I need someone I can manipulate… Did I just say manipulate? I clearly meant mold or mentor. You’re hearing things!”

“Umm, it’s not that I don’t mind that my internship got changed, but a bit of advanced warning would have been nice,” Callum interjected. “How long ago did you change my plans?”

“Yesterday, now hush and never interrupt me again,” Gauld glared at him and put a shushing finger to her lips. “As I mentioned earlier, I’m in a bit of a political stalemate, but that will change rather soon. Savvish, that scum-eater I mentioned earlier, is about to reach the end of his second term and will face re-election next year. But that’s not going to happen, because just recently I caught wind of a little, highly incriminating scandal he’s involved in.” Gauld chuckled menacingly to herself for a moment, which creeped Callum out quite a bit.

“It hasn’t been made public yet, and I plan to keep it that way until just before the next election. Currently, he is set to run unopposed and I want to keep it that way. That will leave no time for any upstarts to form a proper campaign. This is where you come in, Callum, my soon-to-be bright shining star. At the end of your internship, I am going to hire you as a permanent aide. Now, I’m going to impart a well-kept secret to you: a loophole in the election system.”

“It is believed by basically everyone that in order for someone to become a Vice-Representative of a country, that person must be a citizen of it. However, that is not the case! All that is required is for them to hold a political position in that country. So yes, you, Callum, will run unopposed as the next Vice-Representative of Regend. Of course, there’s a chance of a no-option, but I’ll take care of that. I am going to make sure you have the best campaign Regend has ever seen.”

Callum desperately tried to chime in, his mind filled with a flurry of questions, but Gauld pinched his lips shut. “Yes yes, you want to know, ‘oh, why me?’ and all that. I bet you’re thinking ‘I’m just some nobody political upstart with big dreams and not-yet compromised morals. Why would she possibly pick me for this?’”

“It’s exactly because you’re nobody that I want you Callum. You’ve done well in school, but you have yet to make a single wave. Oh, I’ve looked into you quite a bit. You’re the kind of person that people just walk all over because you don’t know how to stand among them. Instead, you just flop on the ground and become a doormat. So, my shiny new doormat, I’m going to turn you into my ideal puppet…! I didn’t just say puppet. Obviously I said pupil, or maybe prodigy. Just pick a ‘P’ word that lets you sleep at night.”

“I’m sure I’m coming off as rather aggressive right now, but it doesn’t need to be that way.” Gauld let go of his lips and went back to wearing her professional smile. “I genuinely do want to work with you, Callum. I read your thesis, you know. It was a bit drab, but the ideas in it were genuinely insightful. Our political values line up surprisingly well, and I believe that the two of us working together will lead to a bright future for Regend and the entire world. What do you say?” Gauld held out her hand, prompting him to shake it.

Callum raised his own hand in response, but hesitated. “What happens if I refuse, or if I don’t live up to your expectations?” he asked sheepishly.

Without breaking eye-contact, Gauld reached into her jacket. She pulled out a picture of his home, or rather his parent’s home since he hadn’t fully made it on his own yet. Then, she pulled out a lighter, flicked it on, and lit the corner of the picture on fire. Within a second, the picture was gone, just a few black specks floating in the air. “Just so you know, I don’t smoke,” Gauld emphasized. “So I had to go out and purchase a lighter, then carry it all day solely for this moment. Do I need to elaborate further?”

“No! No… happy to work with you Gauld!” Callum anxiously grabbed her hand with both of his and shook it with vigor. He imagined it was likely quite unpleasant for her, due to the amount of sweat now seeping from his palms. “But, since I’m now your accomplice… err confidant, is it okay if I ask a few questions?”

“Good initiative, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Gauld seemed cheerful. “You’re allowed to ask me anything as long as it isn’t about wanting us to have a secret love affair. Sorry kiddo, but I’m a happily married woman. Even if you are cute and my husband doesn’t look at me like he used to, it would still be wrong of us. Don’t stare at me like that, Callum!” After feigning a bit of drama, Gauld laughed to herself once more.

“Wouldn’t it be best to go ahead and leak the scandal now?” Callum inquired. “If he’s being as much of a brick wall as you implied, the next months will mean you’ll essentially accomplish nothing whenever you can’t convince the other two. If you got him out now, you could make progress as well as get credit for getting rid of him. That would grant you a lot of political sway in the election for his replacement.”

“So, it wasn’t just your thesis. You really are rather insightful, Callum,” Gauld smirked. “Believe me, I’ve considered that option, but it just adds a few more variables I’m not comfortable with. In a few days, I’m going to make a potentially career-ending move. Well, it would be for someone who isn’t me. I’m going to confront Savvish and tell him exactly all the dirt I have on him. When it comes to schemes, this is normally the last thing you want to do, since it would give him a chance to retaliate. Even I have a few skeletons I’d rather not come to light, though none of them are as bad as his.”

“I’m going to make a deal with Savvish. He’ll know I’d have no choice but to come forth with the information, or I’d be liable to be charged with ebetting. So, him trying to bribe me otherwise would be pointless. What I can promise him is to tamper with the evidence, and make his scandal seem more like a blemish. I’ll make him believe he can continue his career, as long as he starts working with me. So, for the next few months he’ll become a loyal lapdog who votes any way I tell him. Beats him being kicked to the curb and potentially going to jail. He’d be stupid not to take it.”

“You really are rather conniving, aren’t you Gauld?” Callum couldn’t help but utter. Whoever had made the post that day about her eccentricities couldn’t be farther from the mark. She was insane, but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to dislike her.

“That’s the sweetest thing anyone has said to me all day,” Gauld chirped. The elevator then dinged, and they’d finally reached their destination: Floor 3. They stepped off the elevator, and Callum was immediately bewildered yet again. The hallway was rather large, much wider than should be needed.

A road was in the middle of it, like one would find anywhere. It was paved black and there were lines painted on it. The road on the side closest to him suddenly glowed red, making Callum want to investigate closer, but Gauld put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. A second later a man went zooming by, standing on what looked like a larger version of the robotic vacuums that had been recently gaining popularity. When the man was gone, the road went back to its normal color.

“Better watch your step, Callum, or you’ll end up as roadkill,” Gauld warned him.

“Just what was that?” Callum asked after he caught his breath.

“It’s a personal mover,” Gauld explained. “This place is so huge that getting around on foot would take forever. So, those little buggers get us around fast. Honestly, I didn’t like them when they were first installed, but they’re just so Cosdamned convenient. To get one, just stand near the road and squeeze your pendant.” Gauld demonstrated, and a large white puck popped out of the ground, just off to the side of the road. “These things only go one way, so make sure you’re standing on the correct side of the road depending on the direction you want to go.”

Gauld stood on her puck, and prompted Callum to do the same. “Once you’re on it, squeeze to go, and squeeze again to stop. If you’re feeling adventurous you can just jump off too. It’ll be able to tell that you’re not there anymore. If someone is coming, it’ll wait to start moving until they pass.” She squeezed her pendant and took off. Callum did the same and his puck began following hers.

They were both moving at blazing speed, but somehow it didn’t quite feel like it. The ride was a lot more stable than Callum thought it would be. In under a minute, they had traversed to the other side of the Floor 3 ring. Gauld stopped her puck in front of her office, and Callum’s slowed down automatically to not crash, so he hopped off of it. The two pucks then scooted off to the side, and sunk back down into the floor.

Does this place ever stop having surprises? Callum wondered to himself. As he stood there lost in thought, the door a few offices down opened, and a man stepped out into the hall.

“Oi, Callum, that’s Savvish!” Gauld whispered to him. “This is my first official order as your boss. You’re to join me in pointing and laughing at him.” Before getting confirmation from Callum, Gauld acted. She pointed at Savvish, and began laughing heartily. Callum was confused, and wasn’t sure what to do, but eventually gave in after a few seconds of being glared at.

The two of them laughed in Savvish’s direction, until he finally turned around to inspect the commotion. When he saw it was Gauld, his face flushed red with anger. He then spun around, and stomped off towards his next destination. This made Gauld laugh even louder, until she winded herself. Content with her mocking, she opened her office, and ushered Callum inside.

The office was smaller than Callum expected for someone of Gauld’s standing, but it was still quite large for one built in a place with limited space. It was fancily furnished, and one wall was covered in screens, all tuned into different news sources. Otherwise, there was nothing really notable about it. Gauld walked over to the window, and gestured for Callum to join her.

Callum stared out the window, but wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for. “This is my favorite view,” Gauld said, almost tranquilly as she stared down at a nearby playground with dreamy eyes. “I’m sure that makes me sound like a pedophile, but I can’t deny the truth. Before I worked here, I was on the top floor of a skyscraper. Sure it was pretty, but this just soothes my soul.”

“When we first moved here, my husband would bring my children there to play. I’d just watch them for hours, even though they never knew I was. As you can imagine, I didn’t get a lot of work done back then. All of them are too old now to still play there of course, but I still love watching it. It gives me perspective of just what I’m doing this for. Also, all the little children are so cute I just wanna pinch their cheeks and give them candy!”

Gauld then gave Callum the tour of her office: where everything was kept, the organization system of files, even the location of her hidden safe. He had no idea why on Rathe she showed him that. Then, her watch beeped, and she looked at it with wide eyes. “Ah zjik, we got distracted. I meant to just show you where the office was, but now we’re running late. A session is about to start, we need to hurry up.”

“Umm, is it really alright for me to join you?” Callum asked excitedly, but he was still wary.

“Of course it is,” Gauld declared. “We’re allowed to bring whomever we want, within reason. A few eyebrows might be raised as to why an intern fresh off the bus is there, but as my pawn you need to be kept up to date on all the issues.” Callum internally sighed since she was no longer even remotely trying to cover up that he was being used. He then followed her out of the office, and they got back onto pucks.

In less than a minute, they were standing in front of a red elevator door with the word ‘Restricted’ projected in front of it in big letters. “This is the express elevator I mentioned earlier. There’s around a dozen of them throughout each ring,” Gauld explained. “I’ve given you authorization to use it, but you’ll only be able to take it to specific floors when you’re not with me.” The two of them hopped onto the elevator and headed down to the session.

The session hall was on floor -1, which could only be accessed by express elevators. There were floors below it that normal ones could access, but this one was wholly restricted. When they stepped off the elevator, they were in a staging area, which was basically just a blank open space with a few chairs, restrooms, and a mix of personal and official security guards. In front of them were large doors, with a timer counting down above it. Once the timer hit zero, the doors would be locked, and no one would be allowed in, even Representatives.

This caused Gauld to panic, since only a few seconds were left on the timer. She ripped open the door, and practically shoved Callum inside. The door closed behind them, and then there was a loud clunk: the sound of them locking. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice their late arrival, or they simply didn’t care. As Callum followed Gauld over to her desk, a disembodied voice began speaking. “The meeting for Quadruneber 19th, 2077 is now in session. 377 of 449 are in attendance. Details of all those absent will be present in the logs.”

Callum sat down next to Gauld when they got to her desk, and then he took a look around the room. Most meeting halls were in a semi-circle formation, but this one was a full circle. There was a podium in the middle, and the Representative of Horage took the stand. His face was soon projected on the walls around the room for those who couldn’t see his frontside. It seemed he was in charge of leading the meetings. He started off by going over formalities. Callum was definitely interested, since it was his first time, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering.

The childish side of him couldn’t help but gush at every Representative he saw. Even some of his long-term political idols were in attendance, and he felt like he was going to faint. Maybe he could get Gauld to introduce him to a few of them later, as recompense for being her toy. Another thing he quickly noticed was that there were too many desks. Each country had enough space for the desk of their representative, along with 5 potential vice-reps, but there were still more than should be allocated for. Then, Callum noticed some of the flags. Not all of them belonged to member nations of the CP.

I see, so they’re leaving space open in case those countries join in the future. It really was quite impressive how much of the world was part of it, with a dozen more countries joining since the start of the year. A lot of them had joined out of fear of the new Fiend threat. Callum started to wonder if this was perhaps part of the Drazahs' plan. He had a lot of thoughts on them, but this was an angle he hadn’t yet considered.

The session went on for roughly an hour and a half, into the early afternoon. It was a tiring experience, partly from all the new information, but largely due to being stared at by Savvish the entire time. Gauld hadn’t been kidding when she said he had it out for her. As for the information in the meeting, he had been able to keep up with a lot of it, but there was just as much specific information he was lost on from not having prior context.

Gauld stretched when they got out of the session hall and yawned, “Let’s go get some lunch, Callum. I’ll take you to a nice place only us allegedly important people have access to.” Callum was barely listening to her words as they waited for an elevator that was heading down. He was still beaming over what he had just witnessed, which was surely the highlight of his life up to this point.

However, there had been something off about that meeting. It was much more civil than he expected. Every single person remained calm, and everything was discussed thoroughly without much emotional attachment. A lot of topics had been covered: wellbeing of countries, plans for the future, a couple pressing matters, and a few new bills that some Reps were trying to push forward. There had even been a vote on the standardization and accountability of insurance practices, which passed by a decent margin.

There was one topic that was noticeably missing: the Drazahs and Fiends. Not a single word had been uttered about them, which Callum found hard to believe. He understood that they weren’t the center of the world, and there were other matters that were just as important, but not even doing a check-up on them was baffling. He knew that the CP wasn’t ignoring them entirely, and had plans in the works for dealing with them. It was possible they were only discussed on certain days, or after major events to avoid taking up all of the session time.

Gauld led Callum to a small cafeteria on floor -12, that honestly seemed more like a café. It definitely was only for important people as she mentioned, almost exclusively filled with people who had just been in the session meeting. There were a few others that weren’t politicians as well: some high ranking soldiers and heads of business, going by their pendants. Once they’d gotten their food, they sat down to eat.

“Oh my, this is incredible,” Callum spouted after a single spoonful of soup.

“I know right?!” Gauld beamed “This is my favorite place in the entire HQ. I don’t even bring my family here, or they’d always pester me for food from it. Tell you what, though, I’ll give you access so you can come whenever you want, even without me, and it’ll put it all on my tab. But... if you ever purchase a dessert without bringing me some too…” Gauld picked up her knife and pointed it at him. “I will stab you!”

After that slight altercation, Callum silently ate the rest of his meal. He enjoyed it thoroughly, but there was a bit of a distraction that detracted from the flavor. He was unable to take his eyes off a certain girl standing by the counter. A Fiend? No, they wouldn’t just let a Fiend roam around here freely, would they? She was an obviously timid young girl hiding off to the side of the counter, cautiously glancing around. She was almost assuredly waiting for food, and was worried about people staring at her as she did.

That was the thing, though, no one seemed to be paying any attention to her. Callum couldn’t understand how that was possible, since she stood out the most out of anyone here with her mauve colored hair. He was starting to think maybe he was the only one who could see her. That, or everyone was just so used to her, that they didn’t give her a second glance. Part of his questions were answered at least when he finally got a glance at her pendant.

There was no flag in the center of her pendant, only the CP logo. Only two groups didn’t have flags, the CP special forces, and the science division which she was a part of. This was because to join either group, you had to fully renounce your citizenship to your country. It was seen as an act of commitment, that they were serving humanity as a whole rather than their own ideals or heritage. Now, Callum was mostly wondering what role she played in the science division. Perhaps she was some scientific genius that just seemed timid on the outside.

“I’ve got your order ready for you little miss. I see they’ve got you running their errands again,” the man at the counter said to her as he handed her several bags of food.

“Uh… umm, yes…” It was hard to hear, but Callum just barely made out the girl’s words. She made his nervousness earlier today look trivial by comparison when she spoke.

“Making a cute girl like you run around for them. Those scientists sure are cruel, aren't they? By the way, I snuck in a little treat for you, be good now!” The man gave her a big grin and waved her off.

The girl’s ears perked up when she heard, except it wasn’t quite her ears, it was her hair. Two lumps on the top of her head lifted up that looked like animal ears. Her butt also started wagging a little in excitement. Is she a dog? Callum wondered. I kind of want to pet her. The girl walked out of the cafeteria with a big smile on her face, which Callum couldn’t help but feel that it was something people didn’t get to see often.

With the distraction gone, Callum resumed his meal, but the strangeness wasn’t over yet. Just as he was finishing eating, he heard a slam and spun his head to see the commotion. A Representative was pressed up against a wall, lifted up by the scruff of his shirt. Holding him up was a woman with a terrifying expression on her face, looking at him as if he was dirt.

She was dressed in a women's military uniform, but had no badges, and there was no pendant. Instead a jewel was embedded into her skin, just below her neck. She had sleek long hair that went down to her butt. It was black on the back, and white on the underside. Another Fiend? Callum was confused. Wait, no, their hair doesn’t work like that… I think…

On one side of her hip was a slender longsword, sheathed in its hilt. On the other were two guns: a pistol and a stun gun. Callum was now even more confused. Weapons weren’t allowed anywhere in the CP premises, and normal guards could only carry stun guns. There was an actual arsenal somewhere in case of emergency and for military training, but the weapons could only be taken out for such occasions.

Callum looked around at the other guards to see if they were going to take any action towards her, but all of them were diverting their eyes and acting as if the scene wasn’t happening. The woman then pulled out her stun gun, and pressed it to the Representative's face. “Glass bottles go in the recycling!” she barked at him. “Do you think you’re so important that you’re above helping our planet?!”

“No… No Warden!” the Rep cried.

The woman dropped the Rep, and clicked her tongue at him. She then turned to the rest of the cafeteria, and now Callum could finally get a clear look at her face. She was beautiful, stunningly so, and he blushed a little just looking at her. Though there was something about her that didn’t feel quite right, she seemed almost androgynous in a sense, but that didn’t make Callum any less attracted to her. “I’m sorry for the commotion, please enjoy the rest of your day,” she bowed and apologized, then took her leave.

Callum then heard a chuckle from across the table, which he’d come to learn never meant anything good. Gauld had a big grin when he looked at her, and then she asked, “You were lucky to see something so rare on your first day. So that’s your type, huh? Boy, you were staring at her something fierce. Your face was a kind of flustered that even my comments couldn't make happen. That just makes this all the more delicious. I wouldn’t get your hopes up Callum, you have no chance with her. Though I suppose ‘her’ isn’t the right pronoun. That was the Warden, in charge of overseeing the Headquarters, and ‘they’ are entirely genderless.

“They have no political power whatsoever, but here, they’re the one person above the rest of us. What they say goes, and none of us have the power to overrule them. They were put in place to keep the rest of us in line, and to keep the headquarters a neutral territory. We couldn’t put anyone with even the slightest allegiance to any country in charge, since it would give them too much power. Their office is actually at the top of the artificial sky, looking down on the rest of us.”

“This place really never ceases to amaze me.” Callum was still processing it a bit. “What did you mean by them being genderless? Did they have a special surgery or something?”

“Not at all… well… I guess, I mean, kind of?” Gauld was poorly explaining. “The Warden is an entirely artificial human, the first of its kind, and the last as far as I’m aware of. Tell me, do you know of Pimitrad?”

“You mean the country that got wiped off the map in the single worst calamity in human history? How could I not know about that?!” Callum protested.

“Yes, that’s what most of the world knows it for, but it’s not what I’m talking about,” Gauld clarified. “Before Logyst was created, Pimitrad led the world in scientific developments. They were the forefront undisputed leader, specializing in biological advancements. The Warden was the second greatest weapon that Pimitrad ever created, and after the bombs went off, they walked out of the country, fully naked without even a scratch on them. Every other refugee from Pimitrad was adopted by another country, leaving the Warden as the sole remaining citizen of a now dead land.”

“Though, that might actually not be true. As I said, they’re the second greatest weapon created. The CP was able to extract some of the scientific records that weren’t destroyed, which mention another they called their greatest success. It was believed this person was killed by the bombing, but there are rumors that they’re still alive. Pure conjecture until we have proof in my opinion.”

"Anyways, don't let any of this stop you. They normally swap between male and female clothes so they may not always be your type, but if you've got some real feelings growing for them then I wish you the best of luck. Man up and ask them out. I can't wait to see how horribly you fall on your face. It'll be great."

Gauld then looked at her watch and suggested as she stood up from her seat, “We should get going. I’m assuming you’ll want to catch The Blank Meeting live.”

“Uhh, what’s that?” Callum asked as he stood up as well.

“I’ll explain when we’re back in the office,” Gauld answered as she went and put away her tray. When cleaning his, Callum made extra sure to properly sort everything into the appropriate receptacle.

Back in her office, Gauld instructed him to sit down in a chair, then rummaged through her desk for a moment. She pulled out a tablet, and walked over to him. “I actually meant to give this to you earlier. One minute, I need to register it to you. She tapped on the screen a few times, and then scanned his pendant with the camera. After she was done, she handed it to him. “That’s yours from now on, try not to lose it, and keep away from skeevy sites on that one. Don’t need the hassle of explaining to tech how you got viruses. Keep that to the personal computer in your quarters or your phone.”

‘Welcome, Callum Briz’ the screen greeted him when he looked at it. A desktop filled with icons then appeared, and he couldn’t wait to start exploring through it. “Oh right, I need to give you permission. Man I wish these things could read your thoughts sometimes,” Gauld grumbled, then sat down at her desk and began using her computer. After about 30 clicks a grimace stretched across her face. “Yes, I know I’m giving permission to an intern! How many times do I have to acknowledge this?!”

Eventually, a new icon popped up on Callum’s tablet: Blank Meeting. Callum tapped on it, but then he was forced to individually sign over 50 waivers and non-disclosure agreements. When he was finally allowed access, there were three meetings listed, all with timers counting down next to them. The closest upcoming one only had 8 minutes and 78 seconds left on its timer before it began.

“Alright, let me explain.” Gauld came out from behind her desk and sat on the front edge of it. “I’m not going to mince words. After the Drazahs hijacked the Prosper New Year’s Celebration, chaos ensued here internally as you can imagine. Sessions went from generally civil meetings to shouting matches, and things even got physical on occasion. Everyone had wildly different and strong opinions about what should be done, and it was near impossible to get a unanimous vote on anything.”

“Almost nothing was getting done, and worse, people’s emotions were starting to draw dividing lines. Some people started holding the rest accountable for their opinions, and non-political ties were made. Groups were formed, and some flatly refused to work with others. Around this time is when Savvish started hating me, I guess I said something that pissed him off. Anyways, it became clear that a level of anonymity was needed. That’s where Blank Meetings came into play. They are entirely anonymous meetings held remotely through a private server to discuss the more sensitive topics.”

“Anyone can schedule a Blank Meeting, as long as it has a specific topic attached. The number of seats available are limited, and it’s first-come-first-served, so those who are in attendance are those most passionate about the subject. Everyone else with access can tune in live, or read the transcript later. Normally, this is specifically reserved for Reps and Vice-Reps, but I gave you special permission to view it. You won’t be able to participate in any, however.”

“When the meeting starts, everyone is assigned a randomized avatar. Sometimes it’s animals, sometimes it’s colors, sometimes it’s even famous children’s cartoon characters. The host can set what they want, but most just let the randomizer pick. The people involved can be anywhere in the building. They usually tune in from their offices, but they could be in their private quarters or even in the bathroom taking a dump if they wanted.”

“The meeting itself is a voice-call, but all the voices have a filter placed over them that even distorts their cadence and speech mannerisms. It really is impossible to tell who is who. The meeting is also transcribed in real-time for those who don’t want to or can’t listen. I always go with that option since I can’t stand the sound of those distorted voices. Seriously, if you want to listen-in then put in headphones or I will kick you out of the room.”

“So, what’s this meeting about anyways?” Callum asked her, quite intrigued.

“What else?” Gauld said. “The Fiends for Hire of course. There’s a Blank Meeting discussing them every few days or so, depending on what’s going on with them. Apparently, a few new reports have come in about them, but I haven’t had time to read them yet. Had to deal with you and whatnot. So, they’ll be discussing those in the meeting.”

Callum hastily tapped on the meeting that was about to happen, and sure enough ‘Fiends for Hire Report Discussion’ was listed as the topic. The meeting limit was ten people, and the estimated meeting time was 30 minutes. “Is it alright if I ask your opinion on them, Gauld?”

“Hmm, that’s kind of a tough one, since it’s changed so much recently,” Gauld remarked. “Originally, I was in the camp of not caring much about them. There were more of us than you’d think. Sure, they were a surprise, but with the actions they had taken thus far, it wasn’t exactly a huge issue for us as far as I was concerned. Most people were overly panicked about who they were, rather than what they were doing.”

“However, a few weeks ago they saved my country in a time of crisis. Someone had stolen some military tech and let it loose on a rampage. They managed to stop it when no one else could, and were very humble when we were unable to reward them properly. Of course, this has definitely drawn my favor, but I can’t say I’m firmly in their camp yet. I’m definitely more interested in them now, though. I find myself thoroughly reading every report on them, as well as every Blank Meeting, unlike before when I’d just skim them out of obligation. I can tell by the look in your eyes that they’re definitely a big topic for you.”

“Yes, well I actually wanted to do my thesis on them, but it was rejected for being too controversial,” Callum sighed. “That still hasn’t stopped my curiosity about them and--”

Gauld held her hand up and said strongly, “I’m going to stop you right there. I can see this is going to lead to a long time of me being talked at. Tell you what, send me your rejected thesis and I’ll give it a look through. I’m sure you wrote it anyways even though it got canned. We don’t have time for it now since the meeting’s about to start.”

Callum had almost forgotten about the meeting, having lost himself in Fiend discussion once again. He watched the counter tick down, practically on the edge of his seat.

Gauld picked up her own tablet when it started, and grumbled, “Oh how boring, it’s just animals this time.”

◆◆◆

『System: Blank Meeting 168 has begun. Date: Quadruneber 19th, 2077. Start Time: [585] Topic: Fiends for Hire Report Discussion』

 

『System: Host: Monkey』

 

『System: Ibex has joined the room.』

 

『System: Lemur has joined the room.』

 

『System: Skunk has joined the room.』

 

『System: Capybara has joined the room.』

 

『System: Dung Beetle has joined the room.』

 

『System: Yak has joined the room.』

 

『System: Finch has joined the room.』

 

『System: Reindeer has joined the room.』

 

『System: Trout has joined the room.』

 

『System: Room limit has been reached and is now locked. Current Viewers: 140.』

 

『Skunk: I feel like I always get stuck with the smelliest animal. This system is rigged.』

 

『Dung Beetle: At least you’re not dung beetle.』

 

『System: Reminder: Warden is observing.』

 

『Dung Beetle: Sorry!』

 

『Skunk: Sorry...』

 

『Monkey: Thank you everyone for joining. This is the same host as last time. I’ll do a brief review to catch everyone up. Today we are going to

discuss the current movements of the four Fiends for Hire as they continue their expedition, as well as the raid we conducted on their base a

week ago. New reports on both fronts came in just this morning. Unfortunately, I was only able to read the report on the raid before this, but it is

my understanding that another is up to date on the other and has come prepared. For now, let us start with the raid report.』

 

『Monkey: As you all know, we conducted an impromptu raid on Quadruneber 12th on the Fiends for Hire compound when their forcefield was temporarily disabled. There was an initial report four days ago that made it seem like the raid had been a complete failure. However, many of the agents were still in critical condition, but they have all at least regained consciousness and were able to get full testimonies from each of them. Furthermore, the one agent we believed to have died in action is now confirmed to be alive and has reached out to us.』

 

『Reindeer: What do you mean? She was confirmed dead on the scene by the other agents wasn’t she?』

 

『Monkey: She claims that she was revived by Ahvra Zalksin, the Fiend known as The Witch, and is currently in her custody.』

 

『Capybara: It’s good that she’s alright, but if she is still in custody how did she manage to get a message out? Is she that adept or did the Fiends slip up?』

 

『Monkey: According to the agent, The Witch simply allowed her to make the call without any convincing.』

 

『Finch: Are we sure it’s even our agent sending the message? Perhaps this Witch’s power is the ability to mimic the voices of others? What do we even know about her?』

 

『Ibex: I can answer that! This is Onyx from the last meeting by the way. As I mentioned then, I planned to create a team to investigate The Witch, and I’ve done just that. Apparently, she has a habit of imprisoning victims in the past and performing experiments on them. We managed-』

 

『Yak: Damned, dirty Fiend! Why wasn’t she dealt with before now if that was the case?!』

 

『Ibex: As I was saying before I was interrupted, we managed to get in touch with several of her past hostages. The main experiment she would perform on them was dissections, but in some cases, they would be killed. Then, The Witch would use her curse, and any injuries the subjects sustained would be reversed, and the dead would be brought back to life. Going off of this, it is in our best interests going forward to assume that she does in fact have some power over life itself. Though many of those we contacted insisted that we use the word ‘time’ instead.』

 

『Dung Beetle: Regardless of which it is, the power to bring back the dead is a game changer. It seems we’ll need to re-evaluate some of our long term goals… Err sorry, ignore my rambling, this isn’t what the meeting is focused on. I’ll most likely make a Blank Meeting in the future to discuss this.』

 

『Capybara: If everything regarding The Witch is to be believed, then isn’t our agent in peril? We now know she is going to be subjected to tortorous experimentation. Are we going to do anything to try and save her?』

 

『Monkey: About that… It seems that the agent made a request of her own volition for us to do nothing. Apparently, she feels a debt must be paid for being brought back to life, which, given the circumstances, is understandable. She volunteered to undergo the experimentation and will be released soon. According to her, The Witch will let her free before the other Fiends return at the end of the month. Her request was approved under the hopes she’ll be able to gather more intel.』

 

『Reindeer: Well, what do you know, another useful piece of information just casually slipped in. Now we know the Fiend’s timetable. It’s almost as if they want us to know.』

 

『Yak: Don’t trust them, or the agent! She’s most likely compromised now, or brainwashed!』

 

『Lemur: It’s starting to be pretty obvious who Yak is.』

 

『Skunk: If you don’t mind, let’s keep the discussion moving. Like with Ibex, I’ve also had a team investigating since the last meeting. They were investigating the culprit behind all of our agent’s injuries, Mallea Dulip, more commonly known as the Terrifying Temp or the Jumbled Jackal, for those who don’t know. During the last meeting, it was speculated that she was in fact the lost Pimitrad experiment. Through our investigation, we can now confirm within a reasonable margin of error that this is in fact true.』

 

『Skunk: The abilities she displayed line up with those in the extracted files. For additional confirmation, I was able to meet with The Warden this morning. She was able to confirm her identity. Would you mind explaining, Warden?』

 

『Warden: I do not normally allow myself to speak in these meetings but I will make an exception only this once. She is indeed the experiment that took priority above myself. Originally, we were in the same facility, but the rest of us were moved since it was believed we were hindering her progress. She has aged quite a bit since then, but I would not mistake her face. However, she would have no memory of myself or any of the other experiments, since it was wiped several times.』

 

『Dung Beetle: How troublesome, the best chance we’d have as a fighting force against Fiends, and she’s working with them.』

 

『Finch: Indeed, and there is no way we’d be able to sway her loyalty. She practically raised the Drazahs herself.』

 

『Monkey: That about covers all the new information we have currently we have on the raid. As it stands, no information about their plans nor was any of their technology extracted, but we’ll keep you up to date as the agents continue to recover. Let’s move on to the next topic. I believe Trout is the one who will be leading this portion.』

 

『Trout: Indeed, we will now be discussing the Fiends for Hire’s movements as they progress around the world. It has been officially made public that they have been infiltrating banks, but before now, not many details were known. However, all the information about each individual break-in has been compiled, and there is a definite pattern to their actions.』

 

『Trout: To try and keep it brief, basically they break in, place an object, drop cards for both ‘Breaking and Entering’ and ‘Grand Larceny’ and leave. There can be other random occurrences with each break-in, but those actions are the only ones consistent throughout.』

 

『Reindeer: Now why would they drop a Grand Larceny card when they don’t take anything? Are they planning to come back and steal something later, or have they stolen something we can’t see? Perhaps whatever they’re placing creates an illusion that money stolen is still there.』

 

『Finch: It’s also possible there’s no reason for its existence. I wouldn’t put it past them to leave it there just to mess with us and have us waste our time on this very conversation.』

 

『Yak: Yes, those dastardly Fiends and their filthy tricks!』

 

『Ibex: I actually find that highly unlikely. The Drazah’s actions have seemed chaotic in the past, yes, but they have always seemed to have an underlying intent. I doubt they ever do anything for no reason at all. I genuinely do believe every step they take is meticulously thought out beforehand. They are planning something, something we can not see because of our limited scope.』

 

『Skunk: I agree to an extent. They are definitely brilliant schemers. The pandemonium of the Prosper incident was expertly planned. I can’t think of a single other scenario where they would have caused nearly as much impact. However, they confirmed it themselves just a week later that the heist on the Cotagerie museum was entirely impromptu.』

 

『Skunk: While it’s certainly hard to think of them this way, we have to remember that we’re dealing with are basically still just children. They may have had abnormal lives, but their mentalities are not yet strong enough to think of every step going forward. I believe there must be a certain level of spontaneity and randomness to their actions, though it's no less effective. Regardless of what I’ve just said, I do agree that the cards are most likely not a decoy.』

 

『Dung Beetle: If you don’t mind, I’d like to backtrack to the device that they place, and I’d love any and all information on it. I already have a few speculations. What we can know for sure is that it is no larger than the size of the palm of a hand. It must have a method of disappearing, so either a level of cloaking technology or it dissolves or dissipates.』

 

『Trout: Well, I do have a few details on the matter of the device. Any attempts to physically find it with the naked eye were fruitless as expected. We did full scans of bank vaults that had been previously visited, and it was confirmed that there was something there. It just barely caused a blip, but there was a blip nonetheless. Again, as expected, tracking the signature it left behind proved fruitless. One bank even did a clean sweep. They took everything out of the vault, did a full scrub down, but the blip remained.』

 

『Monkey: What is the device for, though? Are they perhaps just trying to study the economical habits of deposits and withdrawals?』

 

『Reindeer: But what use would that information provide? Given their technological capabilities through The Engineer, it would be a lot easier for them to just hack into banking records if that was all they were after.』

 

『Finch: I find it more likely that they’d simply be incendiary devices that will burn all of the world’s currency and send us into economic collapse.』

 

『Ibex: Of the ideas, that seems the closest to being accurate to me, but I still can’t help but feel we’re missing something.』

 

『Capybara: I just want to confirm again. They’ve really not taken any money?』

 

『Trout: For the most part, no. The Treasury Head ordered every affected bank to do a full count and submit a report. There are some minor cases where it’s confirmed the Fiends did actually take money, but it was such a small, almost negligible amount; most likely funds for their trip. Any cases where a large amount was missing was discovered to be caused by other factors, mostly employee theft.』

 

『Monkey: If their plan is to steal all that money, what do they intend to do with it? Surely they’d know that stealing most of the world’s cash would render it essentially ineffectual. We would be forced to establish a new currency and make sure everyone’s losses were recuperated. All that money they stole would become worthless.』

 

『Trout: What if that is their goal? To force us to make a new unified currency? We do have plans for that very thing in the future, but it is so far on the back-burner it may not happen in any of our lifetimes. What if, by their twisted logic, they believe they are helping us and the world by taking the initiative and expediting the process?』

 

『Finch: Yeah, no way.』

 

『Ibex: Don’t be silly.』

 

『Reindeer: Agreed, there’s no logical benefit in it for them.』

 

『Yak: As if a Fiend would ever do something so courteous.』

 

『Dung Beetle: Alright, I believe we should table this discussion for now. We can theorize all we want, but I doubt we’ll get answers unless we get them straight from the source. So I want to put forward a new topic. In a few days time, the Fiends will enter Horage to rob our banks. Are we going to do anything to try and stop them?』

 

『Reindeer: That is an interesting proposition. With our new information, we do have at least some form of an upperhand. Setting an ambush would be easy, but whether it would be effective is another issue.』

 

『Monkey: I’ll be frank in that I highly advise against it. There are several plans in motion to deal with them, some that all of you might not be aware of. If we were to take action now when we weren’t entirely prepared, it could severely hamper the months of other planning and efforts.』

 

『Skunk: I agree as an overseer of one of those said plans. An ambush in Horage would be almost expected of us, but it would most likely end up as a waste of resources. I believe we should stick with ones more likely to succeed.』

 

『Dung Beetle: Very well, I just thought I’d float the idea. I take pride in knowing all of our dirty little plans, so I know for a fact that none of them will be ready before the Fiends complete their world tour. By not acting now, we will be subjecting ourselves to whatever they have in store for us. I hope everyone is ready for the fallout.』

 

『Yak: No, that is entirely unacceptable! We can not let them get away with whatever they are planning, whatever it takes! You are fools for believing that we will be alright if we give them even a speck of control over us! I don’t care what our losses are, we need to take them out and we need to do it immediately! Send every soldier we have after them. No matter the country they’re from, this needs to be our top priority!』

 

『Yak: If we can’t catch them, then we’ll hurt them. Raise their compound to the ground, burn their friends and sympathizers at the stake. Take their families hostage, make them know the fear that they instill in all of us! Then, they will come begging to us on their hands and knees for forgiveness. When their guards are down, swing the axe and watch their heads roll!』

 

『Capybara: Well that was... something...』

 

『Warden: Yak, if you continue with these disruptive outbursts that are not conducive to the topics at hand, disciplinary action will be taken against you. This is your only warning.』

 

『Yak: Mark my words you damnable morons! You will rue the day when you find out I was right, if you even have your lives left!』

 

『System: Yak has left the room.』

 

『Lemur: Did… did Yak just seriously say ‘rue the day’?! Ahahahahaha, that’s a riot. Yeah, I definitely know who they are.』

 

『Ibex: And what about you, Lemur? You’ve been quiet this entire meeting, do you have nothing to contribute to this discussion. If not, why are you here?』

 

『Lemur: Sorry, sorry, I was just taking in all the information, but I don’t mind giving my opinion. The honest answer is that I’m excited. In fact, I haven’t been this excited in years. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve accomplished many great things since the foundations of our organization rose up from the ashes of the Drazah war, but it all became a bit mundane. There was nothing unexpected. Everyone voted how you thought they would, every bill passed and failed entirely as I predicted, almost as if by design. The future was entirely certain, following a script we had all written together.』

 

『Lemur: Then, the Drazah’s appeared, taking our plans and deep-frying them in lava. And it was wonderful. For once in a decade, I didn’t know what the day held. Don’t get me wrong, the Fiends are definitely in issue. Whether they are good or bad for the world remains completely yet unseen, but I’ll tell you what, I can’t wait to find out. I’m practically titillated to see what future the Fiends will bring us, and I’m glad we are unable to stop them this time. Let us see what we are up against, what level of change they can bring. That is my honest opinion.』

 

『Capybara: Those are bold words Lemur. I can’t agree with everything you said but it’s almost inspiring to hear you say them.』

 

『Dung Beetle: Oh, I couldn’t agree with you more, Capybara. Lemur, I would very much like to meet you later in private to discuss things further.』

 

『Reindeer: I would like to be included in that meeting if I can.』

 

『Monkey: Well, that seems like a good place to wrap up. The next meeting on the Fiends for Hire will be in three days to continue our pace unless an incident occurs. Thank you all for this rather… lively… meeting.』

 

◆◆◆

 

The Blank Meeting ended there, and Callum turned off his tablet’s screen. His mind was racing, going over every detail they had discussed. A lot of his astonishment was coming from how several of them had behaved. It seemed the anonymity allowed them to be less restrained, acting closer to how they would in private. Callum knew for a fact the things which Yak and Lemur had said would almost never occur in a public meeting. It was a little scary to see their true feelings, but having been with Gauld all day it had likely jaded him to an extent.

The rest of the day was rather mundane in comparison to all that had happened so far. Gauld called on the rest of the staff that worked for her, and had them introduce themselves. They seemed like a lovely bunch of people, but there was a level of difference in their relationship to Gauld than he had expected. Overall, they acted much closer to how he would expect people of their stations to behave around a superior. Not all of them called her Gauld either, and she didn’t even seem bothered by it. By his estimates, none of them were at the level of closeness she was forcing upon him.

She really is taking grooming me her personal apprentice quite seriously. That means if I fail… I’m dead… Callum did his best to shake off his fears, but they would gnaw at the back of his mind for a while.

“Well, I guess that’ll wrap things up for the day,” Gauld said with a yawn as the fake sun started to set. “You did pretty well keeping up for your first day Callum. I half expected you to be passed out on the floor by now. You’ll find your room assignments on your tablet. I’ll get things cleaned up here, so you can go ahead on your way. I’m sure you’re excited to see where you’ll be living.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t get you anything closer, but you still being an intern is rather limiting. Rest assured, I did get you the best possible place an intern can possibly have. Now then, as for tomorrow… I’ll be in at [350] sharp, that means you’ll need to be up by [300]. I know that seems like a long time to get ready and down here, but you’ll have some errands to run. From now on, each morning I expect to be greeted by a hot cup of coffee and a pastry I’ve never had before. I know that sounds unreasonable, but I can guarantee there’s a bunch I haven’t tried yet. See you tomorrow, my shining doormat.”

Callum left her office, already worried about the next day, and used the elevator ride to look into all the pastries he could buy. His room was on floor 137, quite a commute from Gauld’s office, but it was reasonable in the scope of travel time for normal commuters. If he was ever running late, he could just use the express elevator. For now, he’d avoid it as much as possible, not wanting to take it away from someone who needed it more.

When he got into his room, Callum immediately collapsed on his bed. It was pretty comfortable, but he imagined it would take some getting used to. After he moved into a dorm room for the first time, he barely slept the first week due to the unfamiliarity. The room itself was rather nice, yet modest. It was roughly the same as an average hotel suite: nothing too ritzy, but all the amenities were included. Undoubtedly, the room that was originally meant for him would be like a janitor’s closet in comparison.

Callum rested his eyes for a few minutes, but then they lurched open. He was right, there was no way he’d be able to relax and sit still, at least for now. After a brief stretch, he rolled over and grabbed at his tablet. Even though it was barely approaching night, the light from it still strained his eyes. “Let’s get this started then, shall we?” Displayed at the top of his tablet was ‘Waiver 1 of 906’.

 

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