“You know, I was kinda overwhelmed at first, but it aint really all that bad here. You get eight hours of sleep, twelve to work, and then another four to do whatever you want. At least before curfew starts. I make enough to buy myself a nice drink every now and then. What more could you want?”

  - A passing conversation between two newly instated Freedmen.

  ———

  The Engineer

  After the interview, the Engineer’s proceedings go by quickly. Extra documents are stamped and handed over to prove its new occupation as a designer of Caelum. With this, it has entered into the ranks of the upper elite.

  However, there is a catch.

  The interviewer grabs its identification papers and marks it with a black checkmark. “Everything is in order. Before you can be considered as one of us, though, you’ll have to spend a month working as an apprentice.”

  “I expected no less,” it said. “But what does that imply about my current position? Am I Freedmen or a Proletariat?”

  The man drums his fingers on the desk, thinking. “Neither, for now. You can think of it as being in a temporary transition phase. Don’t worry, I’ve seen your skills, Mister Calason, and I have no doubt you’ll get through this with flying colors. Just try not to upset your supervisors—some can be quite prickly, especially with the rush as of late.”

  “Oh? And why may that be?”

  The man’s lips curve into a mischievous grin. “You’ll find out in due time.”

  With that cryptic message out of the way, the Engineer is led outside back into the great hall.

  “Good?” Aegis asks, staring up with bright eyes.

  “Very good.”

  The next part of their admission goes by swiftly. They return to the immigration both, thankfully skipping the line, and greet the same receptionist from earlier.

  “Ooh, is that a smile I see?” she says playfully, sifting through its new papers without even taking a glance. “I knew you would pass. You meet all sorts of people while working here, sometimes it’s enough to drive you batty, heh, but after a while you start to see this… presence. A sign of power. You and your child are both destined for greatness, Mister Calason. I hope you cherish your new life here in Nox Caelum.”

  The Engineer replies with a friendly nod and takes back its documents. Again. “Thank you, miss. I will take your words to heart.”

  “Good! Let’s see here—oop! How exciting, your living arrangements have already been sent. Your interviewer must have liked you quite a lot.”

  “My arrangements?” it says.

  “Indeedy-do. We don’t allow people to buy homes here in Caelum. Real estate can get pretty messy when there’s no one to control it, so after the Grand General was instated, he declared that everyone be given a fair space according to their value. You’re just in luck, though! After the Polus raids, the construction workers have updated and repaved a lot of the older homes in the Freedmen layer. You, specifically, are going to one of the nicer spots: rooms saved for transitioning Proletariats such as yourself.”

  “Well now, that does sound pleasant.”

  “Right?” She giggles and pulls out a large folder with all sorts of pamphlets and instructional manuals struggling to break free from their leather binds. “Here’s some of the basics you should learn if you want to fit in around these parts. I recommend you study it—just because you’ve got technical skills doesn’t mean you should ignore your social ones! Your supervisor will jot down just about everything you do, so try to avoid doing anything that might seem suspicious. Like walking around the alleys at night past curfew. The things I’ve heard… yeesh, enough to make a grown woman shiver.”

  The Engineer tilts its head in curiosity. “Now why would anyone do such a thing as that?”

  The woman peaks around them for a moment, and then leans in, whispering. “Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but there’s a couple of hidden lounges all around the district if you know where to look. It’s pretty hush-hush, and while the nation doesn’t ban it per se, they do tend to be hotspots for some of the more illicit happenings, if you catch my drift. I also heard the rebels flock around those types of places, so you better stay away if you know what’s good for you.”

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  “Duly noted. I’m in no position to be running around during the evening hours anyway, so long that I have my child.”

  The lady turns toward Aegis and bids him an, oddly, sad wave. “Well, you might be more free than you think. It’s a shame, but kids are sent off to boarding school as soon as they’re healthy enough to start wobblin’ around. Your baby boy must’ve just had his first birthday, right?”

  “Oh, you can tell?”

  “Of course! I have a little girl of my own, you know. She’s just the most precious thing—I nearly cried when they came to take her away. But it’s not as if you won’t be able to see them. You’re given a couple hours after work to visit the academy, and as long as you abide by the rules, you can play with them before they have to take a nap.”

  To the Engineer, it sounds like the treatment one would give to a pet rather than a human child, but the woman continues to go on as if being restricted from seeing their own flesh and blood is somehow perfectly common.

  Just as the clerk is about to tell another story, a loud bell rings right next to her side. Her demeanor quickly turns rigid and she speaks again with a more hurried tone. “Sorry about that, I tend to ramble when I’m excited. But let’s go through this quick—I’m on a timer and we don’t want to keep people waiting.”

  She shoves the folder into its hands and then points toward one of the many paths leading out into the city. “Head on right through that passage there and look out for Room 87D. You’re probably tired of hearing this, but… you’ll have to go through another procedure. I know - boo! But this one’s not as bad as the others. You’ll just need to listen to a quick lecture and then be on your merry way. Consider it an orientation of sorts. Lot of good info in there that’s hard to explain in writing. After that, you’ll meet your supervisor responsible for watching over you during your trial month, and then—done! You can finally head on to your room and get some well-needed rest. Take care, Mister Calason! You’re gonna love it here.”

  The Engineer isn’t particularly sure about that, but it responds with a smile and a cordial handshake nonetheless. “I wish you the best wherever you may be.”

  With that, it softly grabs Aegis’s hand and then proceeds down the passage as directed. Almost immediately it can feel a shift in atmosphere. The air is more clean, the hallway less dirty, and the people around it also seemed to be of capable sort.

  Eventually, it reaches a smaller atrium where much less people walk around, and soldiers guard the entrance with a stony guise.

  “Papers, please,” one of the men says. The Engineer complies and they scrutinize it with careful consideration before allowing it through. Their inspection is much more thorough than the previous check.

  It searches for the aforementioned room: 87D. There are more doors than one can count, but fortunately they’re all organized in neatly arranged sections. Some contain only doors that begin with seven while others separate the distinction even further with a letters—A, B, C, and, of course, D. It takes very little time before the Engineer locates, yet again, another chamber.

  This time, it’s not alone. There are a few other seemingly new arrivals waiting in chairs in front of a large board. It takes a seat along with Aegis and patiently waits as more and more people eventually begin to fill in.

  After a very lengthy hour—of which Aegis has expressed his boredom quite clearly—the doors close, and a sharply-dressed man, with oily hair and deep shadows below the eyes, steps up on a podium and addresses them all with a bland tone. He seems to be quite uncomfortable in his current attire, and the Engineer can detect a faint, lingering trail of smoke stuck to his skin.

  “Welcome to Nox Caelum Onboarding Foundations for the Ideal Integration of Foreign-Born Arrivals,” he says with the strained drawl of a man who has been forced into this role one too many times. “I’m the Chief Engineer for the Vulcan Workshop up in the Proletariat. The name’s Cid Barker—remember it, ‘cause you’re all gonna be working for me this next month.”

  Cid sighs and slowly drags himself over to the board, where he begins to write a list of what to expect in their future operations. “You all should know the common alphabet, so that’ll make this easier.” He taps on the board. “Honestly, it’s not that complicated. You folks are smart—that’s why you’re here and that’s what I expect. I’m too damn busy to treat you like thumb suckin’ kids.”

  The man glances over to Aegis and awkwardly rubs his head. “Well, okay. Maybe I’ll treat one of you like that. Point is: We don’t need to be here all day. Let’s get through this nice and quick, yeah? I gotta go see my daughter.”

  After that, Cid rapidly goes through all the expectations they’re required to meet, as well as minor topics such as the procedure for requesting a sick day or where to file a workplace complaint. Despite his speed, the man is a good speaker, and no one among the audience needs to request for him to slow down or elaborate on a point.

  A mere ten minutes later, Cid finishes with a big huff of breath. “Nice, did it in record time. Any of you lot have any questions? No? Then get out of here and enjoy yourselves. Directions to your assigned homes should already be on your papers, so follow the exit. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. There’ll be a sheet inside your rooms with a code to get into my workshop, but you don’t have to worry about that for a couple of days. Nice thing about Caelum is that you get a week to adjust yourselves to the city before you have to work. Rest up, drink up, and we’ll meet again in the upper layer.”

  Cid throws on his coat and then practically sprints out of the room in a hurry. The others begin to trickle out as well.

  “Should we get going, child?” the Engineer says, picking up a drowsy Aegis struggling to keep his eyes open.”

  “Mm…” he replies. “Tired.”

  It softly laughs and nestles him against its chest. “Then we better hurry. I do hope the beds are somewhat comfortable.”

  Thus, with a determined step, the Engineer delves forward into the great machine that is Caelum.