"The Legion is my family, my family is the Legion."
"The outside world is a harsh wasteland filled with beasts in human form, the outsider’s eat their enemy’s showing no mercy and attack anything on site like beasts."
"We are born by the will of the Legion, we thrive by the will of the Legion, to deny the Legion is to deny life itself, safety comes from only one source and that is the Legion"
"Do not question the will of the Legion! The Legion is family, family is the Legion!""If I believe a member of my unit may harbour sympathies towards the outsiders or anyone outside the Legion then I will report them."
My feet tapped the ground a few times as I repeated the pledge.
If the enforcers noticed me not paying due reverence then i could be sanctioned.. or worse FIRED!
This pledge gets boring after a while. We get the same thing every morning before work starts. I don’t see the point in it honestly, it’s not like anyone would be stupid enough to leave the city or betray the Legion. But better to keep quiet than to complain i guess.
After the pledge was over, i bowed my head along with everyone else’s. Even the enforcers bow for the mission statement.
TING!
TING!
Finally the work horn rang out so we could start our shifts. My workboard lights up in various colours showing that each sector is properly functioning. My job is to check and supervise for anomalies and give the appropriate inputs and report to the authorities if needed. Not the best job but not the worst either, gives me a home in the 2nd district and a good meal everyday just by doing nothing but sitting there and looking at stuff. It was quite rare for me to have any work to do.
After awhile an enforcer came into the office and stood in the doorway and starts eyeing everyone.
I made an effort to wipe the smile from my face, staring at my board as hard as possible trying to act like i was completely focused on my work. The enforcer didn’t move at first but after a terrifyingly long moment he turned in place and walk away.
My shoulders slumped a little and I sighed out in relief.
The enforcers act on the will of the legion, they enforces the laws and make sure everything is kept in line. Great job i would say as all you had to do was walk around and glare at people. Most of the time, they didnt need to do anything as no one would be stupid enough to try anything. If i wasnt so scrawny, have such a small mana pool and already have this job i would have totally applied to become an enforcer.
====8 hours later====
Fianlly work is over!I cheered as I began winding down, clearing up things on my desk and lining up my stapler as directed in the job-charter.What does a stapler even do anyway? I have one, I’m proud of it because it’s mine but like the pencil and the paperclip holder I honestly have no clue what they are meant to do.
I wonder if..
NO! Bad thoughts!
"Do not question the will of the legion! The legion is family, family is the legion!"
That’s better. Curiosity and questioning things always lead to trouble.
I learnt not to question things or do anything weird from my father. He always told me not to ask any unnecessary question and to just follow the rules. Its better to not say anything and be alive than to be a smart alex and be dead.
Suddenly my board flicked to black. It felt like my blood froze in my chest. My mind raced as it tried to figure out what was going on.
Why’s it all black?! The office hasn’t shut down yet! Why’s my board black! Did i fucked up?
Slowly a pattern formed in the lights of my board. Words drew themselves out with painfully slow determination. I mouthed them as they formed my stomach dropping with each new syllable.
"Sub division manager, grade four, Tate. Report to your nearest enforcer for movement and solicitation, reporting is mandatory. By the will of the legion."
Oh no.. what have I done?! Did i do something bad?
Heavy footfalls progressed up the hall between the cubicles towards my desk.
The enforcer is coming!
What did I do wrong?What do I do?!
By the time the enforcer reached me I was hyperventilating.
“You will come with me, by the will of the legion” the enforcer said.
I couldn’t see his face obviously but he didn’t move at all after speaking.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“You will come with me, by the will of the legion” the enforcer repeated.
Act normal,act normal. I have not done anything wrong. It must be for another reason.
With a gasp I bowed my head to him and quickly scrambled over to his side.“B..by the will of the legion..”
He didn’t respond but his hand came up to take my upper arm in a surprisingly gentle grip and he walked us off towards the elevators.
As we progressed down the corridor between cubicles I could feel everyone else’s eyes on me, judging me.
They wouldn’t stare for too long for fear of being noticed by an enforcer or missing an incoming command on their consoles but their eyes still burned into the back of my head as we moved on.
My shoulders slumped a little in defeat.
I’m so fucked..
======
The elevator finally thumped to a stop.
I’ve never been this high before!
Anything above the thirty-ninth floor of this building is for the upper management.
Why am I being brought here? Those who broke the laws are sent to basement level fourteen for processing, even those that get fired are sent to basement level fifteen!
I shot a nervous look at the enforcer. He didn’t glance back at me.
I quickly turned away to face the elevator doors as they opened up. The enforcer is correct; I am here by the will of the legion. It’s not my place to question the will. If i have done anything wrong, i will accept my punishment.
Despite my determination to not make things worse my mouth dropped open a little when the bright lights and clean white floors of upper management came into view.
A truly beautiful blonde woman sat casually behind a glass desk with some kind of glowing device in front of her. Everything from her fresh, smooth skin to her long luxuriously curled hair and her smooth perfectly formed clothing practically screamed ‘Elite’.
What i would give to be with such a women but i knew she was way out of my league. I diverted my eyes before she could see me staring at her. A woman of her caliber.. I’m not worthy to openly look upon her..
“Sub division manager, grade four, Tate. Reporting for mandatory solicitation, by the will of the legion” the enforceer said.
The enforcer let go of my arm and stepped back leaving me stranded in front of the Elite woman at the glass desk.
“Tate! I’ve heard nothing but good things, one of the best grade four Sub division managers in the legion,it's a pleasure to meet you!” the blond woman greeted.
The woman scooped my hand up in a tight double handed shake.
I felt myself shrink away from her a little and blush a little. Looks like i'm not in anykind of trouble afterall.
Wait a minute, no one compliments a Sub division manager.
“Come, take a seat. Can I offer you a scotch? Brandy? Cigar?What’s your poison?” the blond woman asked.
She pulled me, not so gently, over to a thick leather covered seat in-front of a long desk lined with similar chairs. She nudged my shoulder and smiled warmly.
I politely smiled at her, my mouth firmly shut so I don’t say something stupid.
Father didn’t raise a fool. Something’s going on.. something big.. something I’m in NO way prepared to handle! I'm not going to be an dumbass and starts doing stupid shit.Just go along with whatever she says and this will be over quick.
Her smile lost a little of its manic energy when I didn’t speak but after an awkward silence she seemed to shrug it off and moved over to some kind of cupboard full of colored bottles.
“You’re here Tate, because the Legion has a need of you” the blond woman said.
Great why would the Legion need someone like me. I am just a sub division manager.
I straightened my back and tried to remember everything Father taught me about being civil and proper.
“You wish to help the legion in any way you can, correct?” the blond woman asked.
I nodded my head frantically.
"The legion is my family, my family is the legion! I would do anything asked of me by the will of the legion!" i replied.
“Good, we have a job which requires someone with your.. biological advantages..” the blond woman said with a devious smile.
What biological advantages? I am just a scrawny 17 year old guy. I am 164cm tall with thin arms and legs and with my long black hair and with an androgynous face, people sometimes confuse me for a girl.
Not only that but a new job? Are they going to give me a new job! WHY! I like my job. Sure it ain't as glamorous or high paying as many other jobs but this job is the only job which allows me to be able to slack around.
"I.. I guess.. if it is the will of the legion?.. I can accept it for the wise action it must be.." i accepted hesitantly
“This job is imperative to the future success of the legion. Without it we cannot thrive, it is the will of the legion that you fulfill this new job to the best of your abilities Tate.”the blond woman said.
It’s the will of the legion and the legion has a specific task for me. How can I even consider refusing?
“I will fulfil all tasks to the best of my abilities Madam. The will of the legion protects.” i replied.
I think I said the right thing.
“The will of the legion protects.. you will achieve much with that attitude Tate.” the blond woman said.
She made herway over to me with a glass of some strange amber liquid and offered it out to me!
Cautiously I reached out to accept the gift. The glass feels so cool in my hands? That’s so Shinky! I wonder how they make the glass c-
No! Bad thoughts! Do not question the will of the legion!
I begun to drick the liquid. The moment the amber liquid hit my tongue I regretted taking it. I coughed and wheezed as it burned a path down my throat but couldn’t stop it from finally pooling somewhere within my stomach area. I felt the burn cooled slowly as its warmth spread out from my stomach to the tips of my fingers.
“Not a fan of scotch I take it? It’s an acquired taste to be sure, but one worthy of gaining” the blond woman said.
My cheeks flushed in a mix of embarrassment and genuine heat as the amber ‘scotch’ liquid’s warmth finally hit my face.
“Not to worry, you will have plenty of time for that sort of thing in the future I’m sure”the blond woman said.
"You will be taken for training by a specialist department and it is the will of the legion that you follow all orders they give to you. They have been chosen specifically to prepare you for your new job and their words should be taken as a direct indication of the legion’s will at all times"the blond woman said.
“Do you understand?” the blond woman said.
My mouth went dry. I had to gulp to clear it before responding.
“I understand Mam. By the will of the legion.”
She nodded and offered me a pleased smile.
The glass-but-not-see-through doors behind us opened allowing three enforcers to step in. They came up to me and took positions on either side of me leaving no options for me but to stay seated at the desk.
“I will see you again for your job induction seminar Tate. Do as you are told by your supervisors and do not question the will of the legion.. take him”the blond woman said.
Before I could respond to the tall one’s words the enforcer behind me moved and shoved something sharp into the side of my neck. I barely managed to rasp out a pained yell as my body went limp and the world blurred into darkness.