Saeva Alterra Hawkins

  2510.05.12

  Sol 3UN1A Adjunct to Universe 0

  Reflexis City

  Cavern Medical Ceiling, Room 3398B

  She opened her eyes to a white room. The ambient glow of the city above, and below, lit just enough of her bed for her to know that she wasn't home. A beige cover laid over her.

  “Seta?” She said.

  “Oh you are awake.” Seta replied throughout the room.

  With the words, the rooms lights slowly increased in intensity. Her bed shifted from a flat to a slightly raised position. She deeply inhaled and exhaled. She was safe.

  In front of her bed, the wall screen lit awake. The system instantly configured to her personal customizations and the basic Cavern Medical logo was replaced with a black Sandy Beach. The holographic landscape emanating throughout the room. A login request prompted her attention. She reflexively gestured at the screen and the display booted up her interface. On the clock was the time.

  “What happened?!” She gasped. Several days had passed. It had been nearly a week. She was in a hospital wing that overlooked the cavern below. Out the window there was a sunset sky of endless clouds extending beneath her room.

  The display in front of her switched to a news feed, a bright blue news automata speaking on the screen.

  “In other news. This afternoon a large category 9.8734 earthquake shook the city. Sensors place the epicenter somewhere within the northeastern quadrant of the cavern base. In related news, there seems to have been some sort of attack on an Allusion Logistics transport yard. This ended with an altercation between two unknown levels within that same region. It is unknown who these assailants are or if one of them had any connection with todays event.”

  Earthquake? Had she failed her exams? Quickly she went to the account page for her petition for citizen ship to the Earth-Moon Coalition. It read ‘application status denied’. Was it related to this event?

  Her attention was quickly diverted to a loud swish of the main door. A large man with deep brown skin walked into the room. His name tag read Dr. Martine.

  "Glad you are awake." Dr. Martine said. He looked at his clipboard. "...Saeva Hawkins." His eyes seemed to scan the page a slight disappointed look over came his face.

  "From what this says." He continued. "You were incapacitated during your final exam of the AAL practical. This was caused by an unknown energy event that caused several testing Chambers to explode. Your were the only one who suffered injuries."

  He took a moment to look up and met her eyes. He wasn't much older than her. Maybe half a decade separated the two of them. His face held some kind of look that seemed like bad news was on it way.

  "You were denied citizenship to the Sol Conference, and in extension, the Earth-Moon Coalition. That is why you were brought here; to the upper level of the city. We are the only place in the region to accept non-citizens without visa. I’m sorry to say but your options are slim.

  “You can attempt to lobby for rights to a profession trade and become an apprentice to someone in the city. They would be able to sponsor your visa. You can also elect leave and venture deeper into the basic income region or work at one of the industrial complexes. Your guardians were notified, however there isn’t much they can do. You have two hours to state your declaration or you will be arrested and deported."

  His eyes went cold as he said the last few words. There were those within Reflexis that expressly disliked those who are level negative. They were deemed lesser, worthless. Without adaptation they died in most places.

  Hope however, her friend who was the only other negative one she had met in her life, came from a different background. Hope's father owned a very prominent foundry operator, who was gifted with an ability to make blades and other metal materials sharper. Shielded her from a lot. Her mother was what many refer to as a siren and had abilities to make people follow to her suggestion. It only worked on those who weren't expecting it.

  They were notorious in certain echelons of the city. Hope was a child who was hidden away from the world after her level was revealed. They were one of the lucky families where a child's level was revealed on a day where Hope was home. With that lucky moment, she was registered as a lesser level II, with a minor gift that would be explained away by her unnatural beauty.

  She wondered. How did Hope do on her exam? Was she able to make it? There were now too many questions that Saeva did not have answers for. Things she would just have to find out in time. The doctor, having left moments before, never returned to her room.

  The first hour went by as Saeva sat in retrospective thought. Her life was going to change. And she needed to know how. There was a craving for order that was somehow radiating deep down. An innate feeling that she needed to know how to put the pieces of her life back together.

  Eventually, the two hours passed. This was followed by another half hour. At this point, Dr. Martine still had not returned, her guardian hadn’t made a visit. The silence of the room was her only company. Seta remaining quiet to let her brood. At the three hour mark, a visitor arrived. A woman wearing a red evening dress came into the room. Her high heels clacked as she made her way across the room. A chair materialized at the base of Saeva’s bed.

  "I haven’t made my decision yet! Just give me more time!" Saeva blurted.

  The hours of silence made her voice quaver. The woman continued and sat down, unfazed by the girls commotion. Her hair was stunning. Rolling curls of brown lustrous hair. In another life, perhaps even this life, she was a model plastered across arcades and malls throughout the system. She seemed to be a little older than Saeva and yet held familiar agelessness. Her eyes a deep blue, held wisdom beyond that of her appearance. She took off a wide red hat that she place on a table next to her..

  "Oh, don’t worry about that." The woman said. Her voice was melodic, but serious. "You wont need to answer the doctors questions or make a declaration. I took care of that on my way in. I am Agent L-11345."

  "Agent?" Saeva asked. Her voice confused, almost flustered. The woman's face softened slightly, sensing panic brewing once more.

  "Don't worry…" The agent continued. "As I said, I am not here to deport you. I am a member of the Agency for the Advancement of Leveling. It is often referred to simply as its short name, The AAL. You know… the ones who organize the practical, I mean its in the name. Your case floated into my lap moments ago in fact."

  "Case?" Saeva asked. Her voice calming slightly. She was confused but no longer worried. "Case for what?"

  "Yes, Case. Let’s just say at this moment, I am in charge of Reflexis, in all matters of AAL. Lets just say your performance in the AAL practical drew a keen eye to some of us in this department. We haven't seen a level negative one do so well on our exams, ever." She replied. "In all actuality I don't think we have had anyone do so well overall. At least without levels. You have high scores in almost every aspect of the exam, aside from the final level ability assessment. Its subtle but it makes you a prime candidate to become an agent."

  "High scores?" Those were the only words Saeva could think to reply. "H.. How?

  "Ah, well you see, during your exam you were injured. Normal procedure is to hold a retest upon your recovery. Your school, not knowing of your overall performance, gave you a zero for your final level ability assessment. In doing so, they reported you as a fail. I am sure it is bias against those that have no ability." The agent said. Her eyes met Saeva’s with a solemn look. She continued.

  “Out of your graduating class of 13,400, you are the only student to not pass your practical. There were a few retests, but all somehow slipped through the margins enough to come off unscathed."

  Those words struck Saeva. She was the only one to not pass? Those were strange odds. Perhaps she wasn't wrong to be worried. Was this her schools final kickback to her being a level negative.

  "I have an event to attend. I can ask only two things of you. Firstly, I ask you mention this conversation to no one. Secondly, I ask that you come to the AAL headquarters for this city in three hours. If you do not wish to become an agent, Saeva. You will be deported. Level negatives often do not get the chance to become an apprentice.”

  The woman stood up and placed the wide hat back on her head. It slightly tilted to one side. “I wish you a good afternoon, Saeva."

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  With that the agent was gone. Saeva once again was greeted with the deathly silence that was the medical room. What was she going to do? Deportation? There was no where for her to go. Her home was this cavern. All she knew was this city. This was her life and she barely understood it.

  “What was her problem?” Seta chimed in for the first time. “That lady was elegant as fuck.”

  Quickly she got out of bed and found a set of clothes in the medical room wardrobe. She began to dress. She had a few hours to get across the city.

  A few more hours later, she walked through the bleak city streets. Artificial trees gave birth to the morning animal noises. Store fronts opened up, children began to file out of their homes and off to school. It was just another day. It had taken her an hour alone to shuttle down from the ceiling district.

  What awaited her now was a 15 minute walk to the AAL main headquarters building. It was located on the edge of the city. A wide brown building in the shape of an L. It was surrounded by large gardens and Tufts of Ivy that coated it's exterior. You would not think that beneath it's walls was home to some of the deadliest.

  The entrance to the building was a small glass door. On it a logo read, ‘The Agency for the Advancement of Levels: Sector 10.54328, Reflexis Cavern Headquarters.’ The door slid open pinging off Saeva’s implant.

  The lobby of the building was just as bleak as the entrance she had come through. This was a level of discreet that they possibly took too seriously. Her steps echoed off of a white polished marble floor. It wasn't even synthetic, it was the real thing. They had wealth for such rare materials in modern day earth.

  In tune with its minimalistic luxury, the size of the lobby was small. It felt more like a doctor's office reception area than the main headquarters of one of the largest entities in the system. The walls were made of synth-wood. A material you would find in every home in the city. The material originally made for the synthetic trees that lined the streets outside.

  The material was stained a faded off-white grey that accented the marble floors accompanied by standard ceiling tile. To her right was a small waiting area with little couch chairs and magazines. At the end of the room, was a door. It was a steel door. Something solid, it was a thick with a protecting presence. Across from the door was a small unisex bathroom that looked in order.

  “Young Ma'am.” A voice called to her. She seemed to only just notice the small window that sat at eye level on the wall to her left. An old woman with grey hair sat behind a desk. “You have been synced, please have a seat and she will be here to collect you shortly.”

  Saeva had no moment to ask or state her business before the window went dark. The glass slowly went from a translucent material to the same off-white synth-wood that coated the rest of the walls.

  “That was rude.” Seta sighed in her mind.

  Saeva proceeded to a couch and sat. After an unknown length of time, the silence of the room was interrupted by a loud clanking and whirring from the metal door. She looked up to see the agent walk out. The woman was wearing the same dress from earlier but looked as if she was several years younger.

  “Ah, Saeva,” The woman chimed with glee. “I see you made your choice. I wont hold you long. Pardon the repeated outfit. The fact that one could attend a dinner party and then it's suddenly morning again.”

  “Yeah. I guess.” Saeva replied.

  “That’s what you reply with?” Seta chimed in her head. “This lady is too much. What do you mean pardon a repeated outfit as if your future were suddenly at stake or anything.”

  “Well then.” The agent said.

  She gave Saeva a glance that seemed to be aimed towards Seta’s comment. After a noticeable pause she left through the metal door she had come through. She gestured Saeva to follow.

  The hallway that awaited them seemed from another time. The walls and ceiling an old grey concrete. The floor was a sythwood material that was shockingly similar to the walls of the waiting room. Lights were nowhere to be seen. The light coming from alcoves along the seam where the walls met the floor or ceiling. The way ahead seemed to curve not only to the right but also downward; spiraled in a subtle way.

  The agent did not say a word. The silence was fended off by the steady sound of her clacking stiletto heels. The walk felt like forever. They came to an opening. Here the hallway widened out to a large chamber. In the center, a large chandelier hung. Glass spires and holographic lights twinkled within it's frame. The right wall was no longer concrete but a wall of thick transparent glass. Beyond its sheen was a large training room that stretched for miles. Wooden floors covered this neighboring place. The walls and ceiling there remained concrete.

  To their left was a large concrete wall with a normal sized set of double doors. These were a brushed steel that corresponded with the utilitarian aesthetic. Above the door was not a logo but three large letters: A A L. They went through

  Inside the same concrete aesthetic remained. It was smaller in scale than the outside. It was yet another hallway. On the left was an office suite that simply said: Administration. That was the door they proceeded into.

  “What is so secret,” Saeva wondered aloud. “That we need to go through four doors to get to it.”

  “It's not a matter of what, rather who.” The woman replied. Not realizing the words were meant for Seta. The woman glanced back at her for just a moment then continued.

  “Don't worry,” a males voice said from the distance. “If you have as much potential as the numbers show, then you will know in due time.”

  Ahead, a man leaned out of a rather spacious office. He wore a suit that was crisp and we'll fitted. He looked significantly older than the duo who approached him. His face was alight with a smile.

  “Lillian!” the man said. “I see you finally found a recruit that suits your taste.” He shook the woman's hand.

  “Well, she's quite special.” The woman replied. She leaned into his ear and whispered. “She aced the test, while being reported as a level negative.” As if she just remembered Saeva was behind her. The woman gave an introduction.

  “This is Saeva.” Lillian said. “Save, Dr. Panelle. He is the director for this AAL branch.”

  “Ah Saeva, it is quite pleasant to make your acquaintance.” The man's voice was calm and pleasant. “I bet you never imagined joining our organization. Glad for you to join us, even if it’s not ideal circumstances.”

  “My original goal was to join the Arteon project. Although this one isn't far off from that.”

  “Ah the Arteon Project. The quest to explore the universe. We are not ready for that you see.” His voice conspiratorial. “We established this organization 400 plus years ago. Long before the colonization of Venus and Jupiter. All for the very sake of understanding our predicament. I will tell you this. It is a precocious one.” The man spun around and leaned into his office.

  Through the blurred glass he reached into his desk and pulled out an object. He returned to the two people and showed it to them cautiously.

  “This,” he said. “is the reason we are here.”

  “That's just a standard data orb.” Lillian said. Her face smirking. “Those are everywhere.”

  “No. Not the damn orb.” Dr. Panelle replied. His head tilted as his temperament rose a little. He took a deep breath then continued. “It isn't the orb but the data. It is holographic footage from the interaction with the only vessel to leave the system. The same vessel that had been reported missing those few hundred of years ago. It was recovered by the founding member of AAL. It is the entire reason this organization exists. 7.5 billion people, one goal. Understanding the case of humanity’s current condition, and understanding how we can make ourselves better through it.”

  “That's one speech you got there.” Lillian replied. “But we already have her paperwork. She's set to start training.”

  “Ah you don't understand, Lillian.” The man replied. “We want her spirit and determination, not just another person to join our ranks. Especially if she was as aspirational to seek out the Arteon’s”

  “Now Saeva, do you want to accept our goals as your goals?”

  The director turned to Saeva looking her in the eyes. His gaze was focused, brows lowering to his eyes. Saeva could sense an energy growing within him. She could feel layers churning within the words he said. She could sense something within him. Something within herself.

  “Do I have a choice?” Saeva replied. She knew this was her only path. This was her only choice in life. It was either make it here and become stronger. Or be plunged into the tunnels forced to labor for any step ahead. She had to make do with what she had. Her goal was to get out of this Cavern. To see the surface of this Earth she called home and to explore the stars beyond. This was going to be best means.

  “Do you? Do you have a choice?” Dr. Panelle said after a few moments. Laughter rolling out of him. “Oh she definitely passes. I can sense motivation and focus inside of her. That's my ability btw. I'm an empath. I mean it's not the greatest in some circles but I find it's ideal for my circumstances. I mean I am hyper intelligent already, what more can a man want?

  He was fulfilled on some level. She could sense it. Saeva could feel his emotions, she felt the same drive within herself.

  “Well. We best be off.” Lillian chimed in. “We gotta get you to your bunk.” The director returned to his office and as the door closed Saeva felt a weight release from her shoulders. She sighed audibly.

  “Yeah he's a bit intense.” Lillian said. “Some people just have radiant energy and ability.” At this point they were a good many turns away from the directors office suite.

  “Yeah. Is it always like that?” Saeva replied. She placed her hands on her upper arms.

  “What do you mean?” Lillian’s gaze sharply settled onto Saeva.

  “You mean you didn't feel that pressure? The energy churning behind his words. It felt like there were layers of truth and other emotions within him. Like he was forcing something back.”

  “No. I haven't felt that.” Lillian replied. “The pressure thing yeah. The rest, not so much.”

  Lillian suddenly stopped outside a room.

  “Here's your bunk room. Your bed is the last on the left. You will share it with about nine other recruits. Your bathrooms are at the end.” She started explaining. “They should be at breakfast already in the mess hall. Usually no one is in here throughout the day so you should be able to get some rest.”

  Lillian opened the door to an empty room. In it we're 10 beds made of an extrusion printed metal of some kind. The decor was concrete all around with a strip of lighting material down the middle.

  “Lillian,” Saeva said as the woman turned around. Shock on her face that she knew the woman’s name now. “Thanks, without your intervention I don't know where I would be.”

  “How did...” she replied. Then realization lit her. “Oh right Dr. Panelle, there goes my mystery. Don't worry. You won't be thanking me come tomorrow.”

  With that Lillian walked away. Her high heels echoed down the otherwise silent hallway. Saeva sulked to her bed and lied down. It had been an overwhelming day. Or what felt like a day. To her it seemed only short while ago she was nervously taking her practical. Now she had signed up to work for the organization that made the exam. This was happening quick.

  With so much on her mind and the trek from the medical wing to the recruitment center taxing. She faded off to sleep. The last thing on her mind were the events to come.