Trailing her fingers along the wall as they returned to the room, Arena asked the woman. “What are they going to do to me here? Do I have to join?”
“It’s not that bad, I promise. Quite fun, actually. And this, it’s better than regular ops. That’s all I can really say.” The woman obviously wanted to say more, but ushered her back into the room. The blond man leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed. The file lay closed on the table.
Arena sat down fast, causing the chair to wobble. Elbows on the table, she asked, “So what do you want with me?”
“Well, right now, we’d like to give you some tests. IQ, EKG, that sort of thing. The doctor looked you over while you were asleep, but mostly to see that you didn’t have a concussion or other injuries. Before we can even talk further, we have to make sure you are fit for the job. There’s nothing that I don’t think you couldn’t handle easily.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You always have a choice, though none of the options might seem desirable. I think they want to see what you can do.” Slipping the file from the table, he tapped it on his other hand, eyes steady and manner mild. “Though, the circumstances in which you were brought here do seem unusual. I don’t know if that can be helped anymore. From what I’ve seen of the vid, you’re amazing on those hoverboards.”
Arena didn’t know what they were going to do to her or how long they would keep her here. There was no way she could go up against a bunch of people with guns. Not finishing school wasn’t an option either.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Standing up, she said, “Let’s go then.” He stood, the door opened, and the woman waved her past.
They led her through a series of doors, each activated by a touch screen, and ended the uninspiring tour in a doctor’s office filled with various pieces of equipment. Nate gave her a funny bow and walked out of the room. A tall, dark female doctor examined her, asking questions about her daily routine. She ran on a treadmill while hooked up to various sensors, under the eye of the doctor and the buck-toothed woman. After a series of other mild physical tests, the buck-toothed woman led her to a conference room with a pile of booklets.
“These are just general intelligence and logical analysis exams. You’ve probably had something similar in school already.” She left and closed the door. Arena noticed the camera set in one corner.
One section was all logic problems, just like the graduate school test. Another test included a list of questions asking ethical questions on what she would do if faced with someone stealing or had to save someone from drowning in a pond marked “No Trespassing”. Arena answered them as truthfully as she could, thinking if she failed it would be a bonus, but that it might be obvious if she failed it on purpose. She didn’t think she was smart enough to interest them for long anyway.
She put down the pencil and sat back. The door opened, and the buck-toothed woman came in. “We have a room ready for you. I’m sorry, it’s not very homey, but it should be alright to sleep for a night.”
Arena followed the woman to a small cell with a cot, table, chair, sink, and a toilet that had a curtain to wrap around it. Exhausted, Arena sank on the cot and wrapped the blanket around her.