I make my way out of Nicholas’s office and back to the dorms. I guess it’s technically a hotel that got commandeered and retrofitted into a military base due to its proximity to the edge of town. But now it’s a military base, retrofitted with all the bells and whistles the United States Army could hobble together in two weeks with limited communication and a complete breakdown of the global social order. Surprisingly, it can do quite a bit when it puts its mind to things. Too bad it didn’t ever use that prodigious efficacy to build affordable housing or anything else more useful than bombs and tanks and the salaries of defense contractor executives.

  I knock on the door as a courtesy, and once I get a verbal acknowledgement from Chloe, I make my way inside and find my way back to my bed. I sit down as Chloe finishes freshening up in the adjacent bathroom.

  For the first time in some time, she’s really put some effort into her appearance. Her chestnut brown hair is blow-dried, then imparted with a bit of extra curl to augment the natural waviness. She’s got on a cute teal blouse with extra frills and a pair of capri-length jeans that fit just right. And maybe, just maybe, my heart skips a beat and makes me question if I did the wrong thing by turning her down last night.

  No, I did the right thing, even though it wasn’t the easy thing. There’s too much at stake in terms of everything I need to do. Regardless of what I might selfishly want for myself, it’s the right thing for Chloe. She deserves someone who can give her everything, heart, mind, and soul. Who can make her feel like the only thing in all of the cosmos, treat her the way a woman in love ought to be treated. And right now, at least, that person isn’t me. Maybe at some future point, but not today. Not now, with everything on my plate.

  “You collapsed like a brick last night,” she says. “I don’t even know if you lasted twenty seconds before you were out to dreamland.”

  “Maybe I just wanted to go back home. My original home.”

  Chloe chuckles. “You want to be rid of me that badly, Sera? After everything we’ve been through? C’mon, don’t hurt a girl with words like that.”

  “Get rid of you? Nope, never, no matter what!” I say. “But, maybe if I had another vision of back home, I might have some better idea of what to do with this one. As it is, I feel like I’m just floundering around, not sure what I’m supposed to do.”

  “Alright, what’s on your mind, Sera?” She moves onto my bed, sitting down right beside me. “And don’t try to tell me that it’s ‘nothing’. Because I have enough situational awareness and knowledge of how you think to know that something is on your mind. And as a [Healer], it’s my job to heal your mind and spirit as well as your battered body. So spill!”

  “Well, it turns out that Nicholas is actually a major and one of the bigwigs in charge of this whole complex. It didn’t sound like he was quite the commandant or whatever they call the actual commanding officer of the base, but he probably wasn’t far off either.”

  “I guess that makes sense. He was super comfortable giving orders and coming up with plans, even if he usually deferred to whatever Alexey thought was best.”

  “Yeah, Alexey’s a former Master Sergeant. Enough experience to take charge and definitely the person we want running the ins and outs of an actual battle.”

  “Again, makes sense. So, what’s this big scoop that you just need to tell me about?”

  “Nicholas made me an offer, and I’m not sure it’s one I can refuse.”

  “You mean like…”

  I nod. “He wants me to spend the next six months working for him on base to advance my knowledge of glyphs and Ethertech. He’s offered to let me use whatever resources he can procure, but at the end of that period, he wants a full report on everything I’ve uncovered.”

  “No weapons?”

  “He said he wasn’t going to push me to handle the actual weapon development. And the thing is, I can see where he’s coming from. We’ve seen what’s down in the dungeons. We know better than anyone what’s in the Tower, not to mention in whatever vast expanse is out there away from the major cities. And someone is going to have to find a way to handle the fallout if and when everything goes sideways and humanity gets attacked by all of it.”

  “But–”

  “Anything I build, any technology I develop, any treatises I write, it’s all going to be used by the military, and I can’t imagine that tech doesn’t find its ways into the hands of the pigs.”

  “You know there’s good that can come from it too.” Chloe gives me a look to cut me off. “GPS. Radar. Internet and Wi-Fi. All the technology that eventually became our computers and phones and most every other electronic device we have. It was all military tech at one time, eventually repurposed for civilian use. And you, Sera, have the potential to bring about a fourth industrial revolution.”

  Goddesses help me, Chloe knows just the right buttons to inflate my ego way bigger than it has any right to be.

  “I don’t think I really have a choice in the matter,” I mutter.

  “You said that before. Is he threatening you?”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “No. But I’m sure that even if I say no, he’ll be keeping spies on me. Lindsey, for one. I don’t doubt for a second that if we do run off, she’ll be recording and reporting everything we do.”

  “You think that’s why she was there in the dungeon?”

  “Could be. I do think she genuinely cares about us. I also think Nicholas sent her to the dungeon to protect his assets from meeting an untimely fate down there.”

  “It sounds like you really don’t want to do this, and are just looking for a way out.”

  “That’s not it at all. It’s just the opposite. It’s an opportunity, especially given that we’ll be able to keep going on expeditions and gaining levels and Skills throughout the time. At least, that’s what he’s promised us. And it’s something I want to do. It’s what my class wants me to do.” I pause for a moment. “It’s what I think I was brought here to do. To discover the inner workings of Ethertech and the System more generally.

  “It’s just that it seems a little too good to be true, and I want to talk things over with you, make sure everything is as it should be and I’m not making some mistake.”

  Chloe shrugs. “I’m more of a go with the flow girl. You’re the one who’s better at overanalyzing and really trying to break down every person and variable in a given situation.”

  “Yeah, but– I read online about how programmers sometimes talk about their problems with a rubber duck in their bathtub. The duck obviously doesn’t say anything.” I pause. “I guess it’s not all that obvious anymore, what with the System and all sorts of strange creatures. Autonomous, intelligent rubber ducks are a thing that absolutely can happen now. The point is, sometimes talking it through helps you understand the problem better.”

  Chloe laughs. “So, am I being as helpful as a rubber duck?”

  “Far more than that. As always, Chloe. I just want to make sure this is something you’re really and truly okay with.”

  Chloe lies back on the bed, pulling me down next to her. We lie like that for a few minutes. Our feet dangle aimlessly off the side, occasionally bumping into one another, but neither of us say a word until Chloe sighs and starts talking.

  “Yeah, I’m okay with it. I told you before, I’m in this with you all the way.”

  “But, are you in this for you?”

  Chloe pauses again. She turns on her side and looks at me after a few seconds of thought. “Yeah. It might not be all scientific of me, and I know how you feel about fate and spirituality, but I’d like to think that the reason we met and became friends wasn’t just by chance. I’d like to think there was a meaning and a purpose behind it all, and I want to keep going forward to learn more about what that purpose might be. And I’m a medic with a [White Mage] class. I want to use the powers I have now to tend to the sick and injured, and I think I can do a lot of good here. So yes, I do want to continue down this path here with you.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad that you want to stay here.”

  “So, what happens now?”

  “I dunno. I guess we go talk to Nicholas, let him know that we’re accepting his offer.”

  Chloe’s stomach rumbles. “Breakfast first.”

  “I already ate, but sure, I’ll accompany you.”

  We make our way back to the mess hall. Jackie and Anna are long gone, but Lindsey is there, wolfing spoonfuls of cereal and milk down her throat. I sit down across from her while Chloe runs off to get her breakfast before the kitchens close to start lunch prep. As soon as I do, Lindsey looks up and gives me the stink eye.

  “You need to eat,” she says.

  “Already did. A lot. Still full even an hour later.”

  She grins. “Just making sure.”

  “But you knew this whole time. I’m sure Miss Ranger, both in training and in class, is more than capable of keeping her sights on me without me ever even knowing she was there.”

  “You sell your abilities short. Although yes, I was aware that you had already eaten and heard about the plans.”

  “Was it your idea?” I ask. “To have me work for you all in a more formal capacity?”

  “Look, you didn’t hear this from me. All those waivers that we make you sign when you go into the dungeon. Three purposes. First is the straightforward legal disclaimer. Second is to keep a record of who is inside, just in case they need to claim someone is missing and/or dead. And third, is to use it as a recruiting tool. Anyone brave enough to go in and skilled enough to come out with treasure is someone who should be looked into as a potential asset.”

  “I’m sure my marching straight into Tower Gauntlet was just asking for trouble.” I curse myself. Of course it was easy to get inside. There was only a token barricade present, and it was all by Nicholas’s design. Once again, he wanted to see who would brave the challenges, and recruit them to his team.

  “We all pretty much knew by then that you two were perfect candidates for our squad. All that was left was to bring you in, then make some calls and call in some favors to City Hall and some local businesses, and we brought you on board.”

  I grimace. I do not like being used by others, especially not in such an underhanded way. At the same time, it speaks to just how deep the machinations went. And just how frightening the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the government really are.

  “So, that’s it, then. No matter how much I try to do my own thing, I’m just a rat stuck in a cage.”

  This gets Lindsey to laugh. “Aren’t we all just living the rat race in our own way? I think you can just call it ‘growing up and becoming an adult’ and no one will know the difference.”

  I furrow my brows. “I thought being an adult was supposed to come with freedom.”

  “Nope. It comes with even more responsibilities, and no one to sit on the guardrails until you get into such deep shit that you end up… Well, let’s try not to think about that too much.”

  Chloe sits down next to me with a far more measured portion of bacon and eggs. “So, this is going to be our lives for the next half a year? I suppose it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

  “Sounds like you two are okay with it then?” Lindsey asks.

  “I dunno if ‘okay’ is quite right,” I say. “But it’s the best option I have.” And the one I think will lead to the best possibilities for me and for the world going forward.

  “I see. Well, Ms. Mortensen, Ms. Jacobs.” Lindsey extends her hand. “I’d like to formally welcome you both aboard.”

  I hesitate before taking her hand. I just… I really hope I’m right about this. Because a lot of people are going to suffer a lot if I’m wrong.

  – End Volume 1

  Project Seraphina.