I soon found myself in front of a building in a section of The Commons I had not visited before. The exterior was surprisingly ornate, and yet had the same grimy sheen I had come to know so well. The structure might have been a central European opera house or a grand train station repurposed after some long forgotten revolution.

The six tall stone columns and wide staircase of the portico punctuated the faux-classical facade, while aspirational statues groped for the empty heavens above a pointed pediment. I approached a series of three large doors and pushed hard until one slowly swung open.

The lobby was expansive but faintly lit, as if the architecture was meant to harness natural light (of which there was none). I immediately noticed faint red streaks of light scanning my Volunteer ID code upon entry. Some type of automatic tracking beam from corners of the high vaulted ceiling. A smart-dressed woman behind a counter called out a prim greeting.

“Welcome to the Repository, First Time Customer. Please approach the service counter and we will be more than happy to assist you.”

I glanced to the left and right as I stepped forward. I saw a handful of others in the lobby. Some were likely bots assigned to this place, while I believed at least a couple were fellow Volunteers. Were they making deposits or withdrawals? To one side of the lobby was a wall of metal bars and a security checkpoint, blocking off access to the inner sanctums.

I noticed there was a thick plexiglass barrier with only a narrow triangular opening between myself and the woman. She wore a pencil skirt, a buttoned-up blouse, a professional cardigan or jacket, a tied silk scarf, and glasses. Her facial expression was friendly to the point of hostility.

Hello. Thank you for the kind welcome. As you observed, I have never been here before. But I’ve heard a lot about this place.

“We pride ourselves on maintaining the best data storage services and financial products in The Collective, including here in our Commons branch! How may we assist you?”

Be cool. Be cool. I knew my Persuasion score was very low. Would that have any effect in dealing with bots either way? The best course of action would be to tell as much truth as I could, without revealing any of the nasty bits.

Yes, the truth. The truth is I consistently run into challenges with storage. I’m always maxing out or nearly maxing out. It got so bad I ended up getting a chip installed. Can’t say it was a pleasant experience.

I tapped the back of my neck for emphasis.

But I know that is only a temporary fix, and just for Crypt. I heard the Repository offers a variety of services but haven’t had the chance to come out and see for myself.

“We are so happy you are considering using us for your data banking needs. The most popular service we offer are storage accounts for Universal Cryptocurrency Credits. May I ask what your current net worth is?”

Uh, 1,190 Crypt.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust but quickly regained her stiffly smiling composure.

“We offer unlimited storage for Universal Cryptocurrency Credits, with a per-cycle fee based on where your total balance falls within a variable financial bracket. However, I must inform you that a certain minimum account balance is required in order to opt-out of additional fees. At your current net worth, it is possible that the fees you incur may quickly surpass your total balance. In that case, we invite you to explore additional Cryptocurrency storage options with another financial institution.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Oh, are there other places that offer account services? I didn’t realize.

“No. But in the event that any other financial institutions are established, we invite you to explore whatever options they may offer you at that time.”

I see. Well, I am an active bounty, er… Volunteer. I expect more Crypt to be coming my way soon. Anyway, I am just trying to learn all I can about your services. I am not necessarily planning to open an account just yet. Besides Crypt storage, what else do you offer?

“Another popular service with Volunteers is our data storage boxes. To prevent over-encumbrance or a crowded living space, you can choose to store your excess belongings in raw data form in our safe deposit data storage boxes. For this service, a per-cycle fee is assessed based on the total metabytes of storage utilized. Both the Cryptocurrency account and data storage accounts begin at 100 ‘Crypt’ per cycle. And we are pleased to offer the data storage boxes with no minimum storage requirements!”

Yippee.

“For Volunteers on the go, we also offer instant transfer subscriptions. Find your pockets overflowing in the field? Can’t make time to come into the Repository? Instantly zap your excess currency or data straight to your accounts! All for a very reasonable additional per-cycle fee. We guarantee the lowest rates in The Collective!”

Naturally. I have heard of the transfer service and I admit it does sound very convenient.

“Additionally, we offer Universal Cryptocurrency Credit Loans to qualified borrowers with the lowest interest rates in The Collective. Would you be interested in speaking to a Loan Officer?”

No, no. Not right now. But thank you for the information.

“Our pleasure! How else may we assist you today?”

You mentioned the storage boxes. Something about raw data. Is there a way I can see how that works? I don’t know if you offer tours, but I am curious. I would want to know that my data is truly safe and secure.

A flicker of irritation, or something else, crossed her otherwise antiseptic expression.

“Of course. Account holders are allowed access to their storage box upon request at any time, but we can show you to the vault and provide a demonstration. Proceed to the security station and I will meet you there.”

She pointed to the checkpoint near the wall of metal bars and turned a hanging window sign around, indicating that her particular space at the counter was temporarily closed for business. Then she disappeared behind a solid barrier.

I approached the security station, which looked like a pair of sliding prison doors with a contraption resembling a millimeter wave scanner or metal detector between them. I was beginning to feel nervous. Can’t let it show. The woman appeared on the other side of the bars and tapped a button, opening the first, outer door. I stepped into the middle space.

“For non-account holders, no weapons of any kind are allowed beyond the lobby. Please store all weapons on your person in the assigned holding cube.”

Shiva. Antisoc didn’t mention this!

A metal grate to my left opened and, on a conveyor belt, a large transparent cube rolled into view and opened. The teller stood watching me impatiently.

Reluctantly, I materialized my snubnosed revolver then my push dagger, removing them from my Equipment menu and placing them inside the cube, which sealed itself. I watched my only weapons rolling out of reach, the metal grate rattling to a close.

Peering through the bars, I saw that the cube rolled into some sort of fenced-off waiting room. There were a few other cubes in use back there. One seemed to contain a bloodstained chainsaw and several hand grenades.

“You will receive your property after the conclusion of the tour. Now please step through the scanner.”