Chapter 16: The Division of Gear Oversight

  I entered the building, and the iron doors closed behind me with a soft clang.

  A corridor revealed itself before me, continuing to my right.

  The first thing that hit me was the sound – or rather, the absence of it. There was just a soft hum from somewhere distant – beyond the wall in front of me. But other than that, nothing.

  The air was warm from the mana lamps embedded into the empty, dark blue walls. They glowed faintly behind decorative grates.

  The flooring consisted of square tiles made of dark stone, each seam trimmed with fine brass, glowing under the lamplights.

  Overall, the place felt suffocating.

  Off to my right, at the end of the corridor, tucked beside a set of brass-framed stairs, and set before a small wooden door, was a modest reception desk – small, half-moon shaped, built from brown wood and reinforced with steel. It looked unimportant – like it was there because it had to be there, not because anyone actually needed it.

  Behind it sat a single middle-aged woman in a clean grey dress with long sleeves. The left one was missing, exposing her COG. Her dark hair was cut into a sharp bob, and a pair of bronze-trimmed spectacles perched on the edge of her small nose.

  The nameplate on the desk read: “Chief Clerk - Rebecca Gilmore.”

  There was no one around. No benches. No waiting lines. It was also the only direction I could take.

  So, I just took a deep breath and stepped forward.

  Chief Clerk Gilmore was focused on the small terminal embedded in her desk, typing quickly – too quickly to notice me, or so I thought.

  “Yes?” She said, without lifting her gaze. Her voice was lower than I’d expected.

  I cleared my throat, thinking that however I got the clearance to this place, she might be the one to shed some light on it – and maybe give me enough of an idea of where they kept the Dematerializers.

  If I played my cards right.

  “I have a meeting here.” I said, deciding to lean into the possibility that this was just a mix-up. Maybe some glitch in the COG’s scheduling system had confused me with some other poor sap and handed me his clearance. It would be way too convenient for me, but…it wouldn’t be the first time that happened to anyone. I had heard of such instances happening before.

  Anyway, if that was the case, I’d just play along.

  “A meeting?” Chief Clerk Gilmore finally looked up at me. “With whom?”

  “Can’t rightfully say.” I replied with a shrug. “My COG received an invitation to the Division of Gear Oversight. Never said with whom exactly. So, here I am.”

  She eyed me for a long moment, then nodded slowly.

  “Bring your COG closer for a scan.” She said, gesturing toward the terminal in front of her.

  I did as instructed, hoping my bluff wouldn’t collapse on the spot.

  A soft chime sounded, and I withdrew my arm.

  “Now…let’s see, Mr. Halegrim…” Gilmore said as her fingers began to fly across the terminal’s brass keys.

  My heart raced. I tried not to show it.

  “Oh, would you look at that?” She suddenly said, her eyes widened slightly. “It says here you do have a meeting scheduled for today. With…” – she scrolled for a second – “Chief Engineer Watson.”

  Wait, what? So the clearance was actually intended for me? Or was the glitch even worse than I had initially assumed?

  Also, Chief Engineer Watson? Didn’t ring a bell. Not that I expected it to.

  “That makes sense.” I said, nodding with confidence.

  “But it also says the meeting was scheduled for 10 a.m.” She said, eyes narrowing. “Now’s 13:27. You’re late.”

  Damn it.

  Still, I wasn’t about to walk away empty-handed.

  “Yes, I know…the damn airships were so busy today, I could barely catch one – “

  “Excuses.” She cut in coldly.

  I exhaled sharply through my nose, steadying my voice. “You’re right. And still…is there a chance you could check if Chief Engineer Watson is available now? If he summoned me for what I think he summoned me for, then it’s of the outmost importance. I’m sure once he hears I’m here, he’ll be glad to see me – even if I’m late.”

  She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she studied me in silence – long enough to make my skin crawl.

  Good. She’s considering it. Nobody wanted to be the one who dismissed a meeting of outmost importance.

  Now, if she agrees, she’d likely just send this Watson guy a message to his COG. Naturally, he would have no idea who I am. And then I’d be either forced to answer harder questions – or walk away before someone in armor put a hand on my shoulder.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Finally, Gilmore gave a small nod. Without a word, her fingers returned to the keys, tapping quickly.

  “I’ve sent him a message.” She said coolly, glancing back up at me. “Let’s see what he says.”

  Great. Now to make my escape.

  “While we wait for him to answer…is there a bathroom I could use?” I asked, using my awkwardness as a weapon. “I rushed over here as fast as I could. Wow, I don’t think I’ve actually peed since morning.”

  That did it.

  Gilmore blinked, recoiling just slightly. Her nose wrinkled as she eyed me harshly like I just violated her ears.

  “There’s a lavatory on the second floor.” She said, voice tight. “But until Chief Engineer Watson confirms your meeting, you’ll need to be accompanied.”

  Expected.

  “Of course.” I replied, nodding.

  She turned back to the terminal, her fingers moving quickly across the keys. Another quick message sent.

  A moment later, an Ironwatch Enforcer descended from the staircase - no Aetherguard suit this time, just standard uniform. Handgun holstered to his right hip. A folded sword hanging above his left.

  He stopped at the base of the stairs and nodded at Gilmore.

  “Escort him to the lavatory and then back. Please.” She said simply.

  The Enforcer turned his eyes to me, then back to Gilmore. Another nod.

  “Follow me.” He said, his voice bored.

  I followed.

  Good. Now I just need to figure out how to ditch him.

  ***

  The Enforcer had led me upstairs to the second floor. The layout was similar to the first – clean, quiet. But here, two corridors branched out: one straight ahead, the other to the left. Both were silent and empty.

  He turned left. “Follow me.”

  I did.

  As we walked, my eyes darted around for anything useful – mostly the signs outside each door. Every room had a small brass plaque listing a number, a title, and a name, indicating who occupied the office inside. No name sounded familiar.

  After about a minute, we stopped at a door midway through the hall. The plaque read: “Lavatory”.

  The Enforcer gestured to it. “Go ahead, but be quick. I don’t want to come in after you.”

  I nodded and stepped inside.

  The lavatory was plain, practical. Grey tile floors. Plain unadorned white walls. The lighting overhead was this almost-annoying white.

  There were only two stalls – one marked with a brass sign for Women, the other for Men. Both doors were made of matte steel. There were no windows. Just a narrow basin with a brass faucet and a wall-mounted mirror.

  It was the cleanest bathroom I’d ever seen – that’s for sure.

  But I wasn’t here to appreciate the cleanliness.

  I entered the men’s stall and locked the door behind me. The toilet was a tall, upright porcelain basin reinforced with brass trim, and matching piping along the wall. The flush valve was a manual level that seemed to be made of brass as well.

  I lowered the lid and sat on top, hands rubbing my temples, trying to think.

  There was no way out of here except through the door I came in.

  Fuck.

  Should I just attack the Enforcer outside? Maybe I could take the handgun from the Inventory and catch him off guard. Then, I could force him to take me to where they kept the Dematerializers. After that, it didn’t matter what happened to me. He could kill me, detain me – whatever. As long as I had the Dematerializer stored in my Inventory, it would carry over.

  But if someone stepped outside and saw us, It'll all be over.

  It wasn’t a good plan. Far too sloppy.

  But it was the best I had.

  The lack of Déjà Vu this entire time told me I hadn’t been here in my previous loops. So, at least I could assume this hadn’t failed before. Not that it guaranteed success, but still…

  The door to the lavatory suddenly creaked open.

  I froze.

  Footsteps. Light ones.

  Then the soft clack of a stall door opening – the women’s stall.

  I silently sighed in relief.

  Not the Enforcer.

  I waited quietly, telling myself I’d wait until she left. Too risky to make a move with someone else present.

  Luckily, it didn’t take long.

  A flush. The stall opened. Water rushed the basin.

  Then – just as I expected the main door to open for her to leave – something slid under my door.

  A folded piece of paper. And an orange mana crystal – Kinetra.

  I stiffened.

  Before I could speak or move, footsteps hurried away, and the door outside opened and shut.

  I bent down and picked up the crystal. It was indeed a Kinetra.

  Then, I stared at the paper on the tile floor. Slowly, I bent down and picked it up as well.

  On the front, in tight, neutral handwriting: I see you.

  My heart raced. What the fuck?

  I unfolded it. Inside: Floor 3. Room 37.

  Without another second of thought, I burst out of the stall and then the lavatory.

  The Enforcer outside jumped, hand twitching toward his handgun. He narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing?”

  I scanned the hallway – nothing. No woman in sight. Whoever she was, she must’ve stepped into one of the offices.

  I turned back to the Enforcer, my heart still pounding. “Who exited the lavatory just now??”

  He ignored the question. “Calm down. Now!”

  I opened my mouth, wanting to press him, but then immediately closed it.

  Causing a scene would get me detained. Too soon for that. I’d just waste this loop. I needed to get a Dematerializer first.

  I raised my hands in mock surrender. “Sorry. I just…just thought someone knocked on my door.”

  Outwardly, I relaxed.

  Inwardly, my heart pounded so hard I could barely hear.

  Who the hell was watching me? And what were they trying to show me?

  “Start moving.” The Enforcer ordered, slightly more relaxed now. He jerked his head toward the staircase.

  I nodded silently, my thoughts a mess. I began walking, and he followed closely behind.

  Could it have been him? Could he have slipped the paper – and the Kinetra – into my stall? But then why the performance? Pretending to be a woman, entering the other stall? That made no sense – unless…unless he was trying to mess with my perception. Did he know I was a looper? No. That couldn't be it.

  ...Right?

  How could he know something like that? Were there things Chronos hadn’t told me about?

  Well, either way, joke’s on you, dear Enforcer. I won’t remember any of this next time, Idiot!

  Still, even if this was some sort of trap, my gut was telling me I should use this opportunity.

  Using a gun for intimidation would be risky. And using it was out of the question. The sound would draw everyone and their mother here. And that's even before you consider the fact I had never shot anyone in my life.

  No...the second option would be cleaner. And quieter. I just needed to knock him out.

  I closed my fingers tightly around the Kinetra before I activated Slow.

  The world lurched.

  The Enforcer’s stride slowed. The humming around went almost fully silent.

  I didn’t waste a second. I rammed the Kinetra into the Channel Core of my COG.

  With a hiss, the needles pierced my arm and injected the raw mana. It was my first time using this crystal, and I suddenly felt sharper, stronger, faster.

  Too fast.

  I spun on my heel and drove my right fist into the Enforcer’s jaw before he could even react, breaking it on impact.

  His body flew sideways, slamming into the wall. His head whipped back and cracked against the wall. A smear of blood remained on impact.

  He collapsed. His body unmoving.

  My heart sank.

  No, no, no...that was way too hard, man!

  I took a step toward him, instincts screaming to check if he was okay. But I stopped.

  No.

  It doesn’t matter what happens to him here. Next loop, he’ll be just fine. None of this will matter to him.

  I, on the other hand, needed to get to Floor 3, Room 37.

  Whoever left the note – whoever gave me the crystal – they likely arranged the clearance too.

  Whoever they were, whatever their goal was – it didn’t matter.

  I just needed one thing.

  A fucking Dematerializer.