Alex’s grim view of the future was not entirely wrong.
When she woke the next day, the rest of the barracks was still full of sleeping, moderately hung-over young women who barely even groaned as she dressed and headed to the wall. Over the past few days, she had grown to like running along the perimeter, even if she was fairly certain that it was going to be incredibly painful for the next few days.
To her mild surprise, there were two Surveyors waiting for her. Ed was there, as she’d expected, but Sam had also shown up for some reason. They waved at her as she climbed the stairs, and when she had joined them, they started to do some stretches.
She gave Sam a curious look. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Did you not have as much fun at the celebration?”
Sam smiled at her, his dark eyes flickering with the kind of mischief that she remembered all too well from her time on his team. “Oh, yes. You know me and fancy office parties. Always my favorite.”
“Yeah. You would probably like those almost as much as you like running.” Alex put exactly enough emphasis on the words to make Sam roll his eyes. The Adept had never really appreciated a workout that involved pounding his way along a track, and she doubted he had grown fond of the experience now.
“I just heard that a certain someone reset all their Skills to zero. Thought I might be able to keep up a bit better now.” He glanced at Ed, who smirked a little. “Of course, I also heard you are busy getting yourself into trouble again, so I thought I’d give you the benefit of my advice.”
Alex gave him a sharp look. Sam had a history of seeing through things pretty well; he’d been one of the first of the other Surveyors to figure out that the portal was acting oddly at Golden Swallow. Had he heard something now? “Is that so? Did I miss something important at the party?”
“Not really. Just a lot of Surveyors giving their Attributes a stress test.” Sam paused and then grinned. “Though I did hear a few mutters about Surveyors looking to put a certain Page in her place today, now that she’d vulnerable. It might be a hard day for you, Alex.”
Ed looked up from where he’d been using the outer ridge of the wall to stretch his hamstrings. “I’m sure Alex can handle them. She’s pretty good, after all. Almost manages to outlast me, sometimes.”
There was a bit of an edge of challenge in those words, and Sam shrugged. He had a small smile on his face. “Oh, I’m not surprised. Back when we were on the same team, I’m pretty sure she saved all of our lives just by pushing us so hard. Has she already gotten started on the teamwork ideas with you guys yet?”
The question seemed to make Ed relax for some reason. He nodded, a small smile on his lips. “Yeah. That’s what got us in trouble this time, actually.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Only the start of it, trust me. One second she just wants to make sure everyone finishes their Quests, and the next she’ll have you making a campsite in the middle of a parking lot roof.”
Ed gave him a disbelieving look. “You’re kidding. What could have possibly been doing—”
“Oookay, who’s up for a run?” Alex bounced a little on the balls of her feet. The last thing she wanted was for them to start sharing stories. The day was going to be painful enough.
Painful turned out to be a remarkably good description of the experience.
Without the massive bonuses from Marathoning, her easy domination of the others on the run became a far more even affair. Ed didn’t seem to have lost any of his endurance at all, which meant it was suddenly Alex that was having a hard time keeping up with the others. Unfortunately, it also meant that the boys had more than enough breath to start trading stories about the types of things that they’d seen her get up to. For knowing her such a short time, Ed seemed to have noticed her doing a lot of crazy things.
“Yeah, she’s always been a bit paranoid, but back at Golden Swallow that kind of paid off. She never said anything about being watched before, though, that seems new…”
“She actually dragged you guys through a Raid? I thought staying out an extra hour was intense, but that is incredible…”
By the end of the run, when people were finally starting to file out of the barracks to start their training, Alex was already sore and ready to go bury her head somewhere. When she came down off the wall, however, with Sam and Ed in tow, she was confronted with the ugly reality of the list. Clara waved it at her in good-natured mockery, and Alex took up her practice weapons with a grimace that might have been mistaken as a smile.
The rest of her day was spent regaining her levels and trying not to snap at Surveyors that took far too much pleasure in smacking her around the sparring ring. Fortunately for both her aching muscles and her temper, the levels for Battle Maneuvers and Combined Arms started to come back fairly quickly, to the point where by lunch she was already getting some of her own back.
Wells, however, didn’t seem to see it that way. He shook his head at her as she paused for water and food, clucking his tongue in mock-sadness. She ignored him and tried to focus on her work. There would be another Survey in three days, after all, and she wanted to be ready for it.
Alex lay face down on her bunk and groaned as another muscle twinged. It felt like she had bruises on top of her bruises at the moment, and she began to ask herself if she was going to be able to wake up on time the next day.
“And how is our conquering heroine today?”
She tried to answer, but the bunk muffled her words. Alex managed to force herself up a little, only to hiss in pain as another bone-deep ache wore its way through her back. “I’m fine, Clara. Are you taking a break or something?”
“You could say that.” The Acolyte smiled at her and passed over a water bottle. Alex snagged it and took a drink, trying not to spill any of it on the sheets. If she got them wet, after all, she’d have to lie back face down in the damp. Leaving the bed was not a viable option.
Clara sat down on the bed next to her and sighed. “So it seems like the revenge list might have gone a bit too far.”
Alex made a small noise of outrage. “You think?” She had to have fought upwards of twenty duels in a single day, all against Surveyors with higher Skills and a bone to pick with her in particular. Not all of them had pulled their punches as much as Joanna and the others had, either.
“Yeah. Tomorrow we’ve kind of suspended it to give you the chance to rest.” Clara glanced over at her. “I guess we all underestimated how much resetting Marathoning would set you back. Are your legs okay?”
Alex slowly put her forehead back down on the bunk. “I have two large sticks made of pain attached to my hips.”
“Ouch.” She could have been mad at Clara, but she could hear the real sympathy in her friend’s voice. It was hard to be angry with someone who was already feeling guilty. “You think you’re going to be able to train again tomorrow?”
“One way or the other.” Alex sighed into the bunk. “It might take me a bit longer to get back to maximum for the Skills, though. Marathoning was apparently helping more than I expected.”
Clara nodded. “At least your fighting Skills are getting up there much faster this time. I swear it’s like every time you reset, you build yourself even more into this monster that nobody else can catch. It’s a little inspirational, a little infuriating, and very intimidating.”
Alex snorted. “Ed doesn’t seem to think so. He jumped in whenever he had the chance to whale on me.”
“Don’t think we didn’t notice.” Clara chuckled to herself. “He seems like a good guy. A little obsessive and all, but we’ve been able to get used to someone like that.”
The Acolyte gave Alex a significant look, and Alex rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s worked for me so far. Might as well keep it going.” She slowly took another careful drink of water. “Thanks for the water, Clara. I’ll be all right soon enough. Are you going to come running tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I will.” Clara patted her on the shoulder, and then stood up. “For now, though, I have to get back to work. Can’t let my own Skills get too far behind you, after all.”
Alex gave her a half-hearted wave, and the Acolyte left the barracks. Once she was gone, Alex collapsed back on the bunk with a much more sincere groan. Progress was nice, but why did it always have to hurt so much?
She was still hurting a little the next morning, but Alex dragged herself up to the wall anyway. Clara was there, along with Sam, Ed, and even Alessa. The pack of them probably looked a little silly to the passersby, jogging along the wall for each painful lap, but by the end of the second morning Marathoning was already back up to the point where her soreness was starting to fade.
The duels that day were far more satisfying. Even tired, sore, and bruised, the difference in her Skill quality was already telling against the other Surveyors, and the line of challengers abruptly got a lot less enthusiastic. Wells’ expression remained heavily disapproving throughout the day, but Alex just shrugged off his continued scowls and kept at her training.
Running still hurt on the third day, but she was already pushing the pace for the others, which left her feeling satisfied. Marathoning was only at level ten by the end, but it was still enough to let her relish the unmitigated satisfaction of leaving Ed in her dust on the last lap.
Sparring was a bit more complicated, however. The number of partners willing to go up against her—even in twos or threes—abruptly dropped off. She was left to harass the other Surveyors from Golden Swallow, or to square off against Ed. Even they couldn’t keep fighting her forever, though; there were only so many times that they could face off against someone they knew they couldn’t beat until the other Surveyors started to look a little more pleasant to spar with.
It was a particularly frustrating problem, especially as she glanced across the practice yard and saw a glint of satisfaction in Wells’ eyes. In the end, Alex wound up heading for the wall a second time. One way or the other, she was going to get her Skills up, and if it had to be during the next Survey, so be it.
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Once again, Wells called for them to line up and receive their assignments. Alex fell into formation with the others, trying to ignore the coil of dread working its way through her guts. Her Skills technically weren’t as high as they had been the last time, but the actual effect of them was just about the same thanks to her Titles. Surely that wouldn’t keep her off of the Survey, right? Especially since the other Surveyors weren’t even close to her combat ability.
“Once again, we have the opportunity to cross through the portal and dedicate ourselves to the defense of our world.” Wells was in fine form that morning, his blustering voice easily filling the yard. “As always, only the most dedicated of our Surveyors can be trusted with this task, and as a result, those who are not chosen will be invited to prove themselves by caring for the maintenance of our compound while the others do what needs to be done.”
“The teams for the portal are as follows…”
As Wells continued, Alex listened for her name. She listened in vain. Alessa, Tim, and Brian were all called this time—the relief was palpable on their faces—and Sam and Ed were chosen too. Joanna, Clara, and Audrey weren’t, though, and they didn’t look any happier about it than she did. Wells seemed to almost be gloating as he dismissed them, and the Surveyors broke away to their assignments in a cloud of muttering and whispers.
Alex spent another moment staring at Wells, trying hard to restrain her anger. Clearly, Wells wasn’t being objective with his assessments, but it wasn’t like that was a crime. She couldn’t exactly march up to him and start yelling; she had a feeling that would lead to her missing the next Survey as well. What could she do?
Her mind was still whirling as she turned and headed for the administrative building, telling the others that she’d find out their assignments while she was there. If she had to think through the issue, then at least she would get the chores out of the way while she did it.
It took her some time to find the administrative building in the compound. It was a bland block of concrete, one where groups of E rank Surveyors who were assigned there were going in and out on their various jobs.
Alex stepped into the building and found her way to the nearest counter. An older member of the support staff was waiting there for her, a patient look on his face. “Hello. I’m here for my cleaning assignment.”
It was impossible for her to keep her anger out of her voice, and the man blinked. He smiled. “Your first time, Surveyor?”
She nodded, and he sighed. “I remember how hard that was. It doesn’t feel entirely right, does it?”
“No. It doesn’t.” Alex gave the man a second look. He was a few years older than her, but he was probably still at E rank. Support staff didn’t exactly get the chance to go through the portals, after all. He grinned at her and fished a clipboard out from beneath the counter.
“Well, I suggest that you just keep your head down, Ms… Alexandretta Morrison?”
“Call me Alex.”
“Sure thing, Alex.” The man ran his finger down the list on the board. “You’re going to be with a few other Surveyors cleaning the east wing. Name of Audrey, Clara, Joanna…”
Alex nodded with a sigh. “Yeah, I know them.” She turned to go… and then paused. The way the man was looking at her seemed somehow regretful. As if he was watching someone he knew was doomed. “Any suggestions for me? I appreciate the work you all do, but I didn’t exactly join for this kind of thing.”
The man hesitated. He looked in both directions, as if making sure they were alone. It seemed… overly paranoid, especially as he leaned in close. “You want my advice, Alex? Like I said, keep your head down. Don’t make Wells mad, stay on his good side, and don’t make waves. There’s worse fates than a day of chores, and worse than washing out.”
She stared at him a moment. “What do you—”
The doors behind her opened, and she looked back to see a member of the security staff coming in. When she looked back, the support staff member had already straightened up. There was a hint of fear in his eyes as he looked from Alex to the other staff member and back, something that sent a chill up Alex’s spine. She smiled carefully. “Thank you for the information, Mr…”
“Calvin. Calvin Harris.” The man smiled. “You’re welcome, Alex.”
She turned and left through the door, her mind now whirling even more than before. What was going on?
Alex was still thinking as she made her way towards the east wing. She’d texted the others to meet her there, but for the moment she was stuck thinking over the warning she’d just received, and the situation she was in.
Calvin hadn’t been warning her of a simple disciplinary problem. It wouldn’t have explained the fear in his eyes, or the way he’d emphasized that there was something ‘worse’ than washing out. Something was going on here, under the surface, something bad enough that an E rank Surveyor—even one that has washed out of portal duty—was worried about getting caught talking about it.
All of which meant that at the very least Calvin was trying to warn her that her life was in danger here, and that she needed to stay on Wells’ good side to stay safe
Option one was to just buckle under and start toeing the line. She’d need to stop trying to improve how they did Surveys, and stop challenging the status quo. Showing up at the little celebrations would be non-optional, and she’d have to act like the good little soldier every time he looked her way.
It took her all of four seconds to decide that option one was not going to work. She’d almost rather spend her time washing dishes than to let that man think he’d won. Besides, even if she managed to stay safe, who could say if her friends and the other Surveyors would be fine?
Option two was… less pleasant. She could simply continue doing what she’d been doing, training her Skills and going on Surveys whenever she could. Leveling up would take forever, and she doubted Wells would ever make things easier for her, but eventually her contract would run out, and she’d be able to break free of the company. There would be plenty of other corps that would be willing to hire her, and she could always take her chances with them.
If she was honest with herself, Alex thought option two sounded like the most reasonable path forward. It wouldn’t require her to kowtow to Wells and she’d still have a pretty good reputation coming out of the company. She’d waited for years to do what she wanted to do. Wells could only stand in her way for so long.
The only problem was that if Wells tried to wash her out of the program entirely, he could delay things by years. It also wasn’t a guarantee that he wouldn’t resort to whatever ‘something worse’ Calvin had warned her about. It also wouldn’t protect her friends from him.
Of course, there was always option three.
Whatever Wells was up to, it had to be fragile. There was no reason for him to be trying to be this controlling as a supervisor for a group of Surveyors unless there was something risky and delicate going on. The entire cult around her mother’s legacy was suspicious too, and not just because it left her uncomfortable about all the hero worship. People who were too casual about the company ended up being isolated and punished, if they weren’t driven completely out of the Survey program. That kind of reaction wasn’t just an annoying middle manager defending his turf. It was a man protecting a secret—a very important secret.
Option three meant finding that secret, and then burning the entire thing down around Wells’ head.
Alex thought over that possibility for a moment. Then she smiled. It was time to do some looking, and Wells had just given her plenty of time to do it.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” Audrey chuckled to herself as she wiped off a window.
Joanna gave her the kind of look that should have lit the Squire on fire. The Adept was busy scrubbing the dust from a nearby counter. “Shut it, Audrey. Let’s just get this done.”
“I told you Wells was giving us a look for sparring with Alex.”
Alex grunted as she continued her work, mopping the floor of the hallway. “Oh, so it’s my fault now?”
Clara sighed. “Nobody is saying it is your fault. Wells is just going to target anyone around you who isn’t helping him beat you down. That’s all.”
There was a bit of logic to the words. Again, it was hard to be mad at the Acolyte when she was mopping away right next to her. “I’m sorry, then. I really didn’t think he’d be this bad.”
Joanna grumbled something under her breath. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. I did try to warn you.”
Alex shook her head. “Well, at least you won’t have to worry about tonight. I get the feeling that we’ll have plenty of time to go to the celebration.”
The others paused long enough to stare at her. Clara was the first one to respond. “You’re… planning on going?”
“Yeah. I am.” Alex tried not to have it sound like a declaration of war, but that was effectively what it was. She wasn’t going to be able to figure out what Wells was doing without observing him more and getting access to the portal again. Both tasks probably meant that small talk was on the menu for the night.
Her friends exchanged a quick look. Audrey spoke up first. “You sure that’s a good idea, Al? It might help you get on Wells’ good side, but it might also give him the chance to find more reasons to suspend you, anyway.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, she’s probably right, you know.” Joanna grimaced. “You aren’t exactly known for your diplomatic skills.”
“I won’t need any.” Alex gave her a grin. “I just need to keep my eyes and ears open. I’m sure something will come along.”
Her phone beeped, and she paused long enough to check it. Clara cleared her throat. “Who’s that?”
Alex waved her off. “Oh, nobody. I’ll be right back, okay?” She left them staring after her, mystified, and went to go find an empty room. If she was going to start digging into Wells’ dirty laundry, she was going to need some help.
“Something going on at Red Blade Securities? No, I haven’t heard much.” Zach’s voice sounded honestly baffled, maybe even disturbed. Alex could picture him scrunching up his face as he thought the question over.
She sighed. “I know that it’s asking a lot, but I think I could use some help here.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. At least, not as long as you aren’t getting up to anything too dangerous.” Zach paused, and his voice grew a little suspicious. “You aren’t doing anything risky, are you?”
Alex rolled her eyes. “No more risky than jumping through portals to fight monsters, no.”
Zach chuckled. “Good.” He paused for a moment. “I can look into it for a little while, but honestly, I haven’t heard a whole lot about the company. Aside from the hero worship thing, but even that was mostly kept quiet. Apparently, most of the executives have a tendency to keep things close to the chest. Not a lot of big stories come out of there.”
She frowned. It sounded far too much like a coverup for her paranoid mind. “There’s nothing about it? I heard it had a reputation for dealing with higher level portals.”
“Higher level? No, not really. More like they tend to get portals that are stable, but good candidates for resource farming.” She could hear his fingers tapping on keys in the background. “Red Blade Securities actually operates a lot like a magic supplier for a bunch of pretty critical industries. Stuff like defense contractors, high energy research, that kind of thing. When they need crystals, slabs, and other stuff, Red Blade’s the one who brings it out of the portals for them.”
Interesting, but it wasn’t exactly the kind of information Alex was looking for. “What about their Surveyors? Is there anything weird on record about how they train them?”
“Aside from a higher turnover than normal, no.” He kept typing away. “In fact, they actually have a pretty good record for getting their Surveyors back alive. A ton of Surveyors tend to train with them, and then go on to leave the company for greener pastures elsewhere, but they also have plenty of extra recruits to make up for the turnover. I guess they get priority on new Talismans because of some of their political connections.”
Alex paused and leaned back against the wall. “So they’re connected. I’m betting they don’t often get visits from the Regulation Agency, do they?”
Zach typed a bit more. “Not that I can see. Regulation agents aren’t exactly famous for getting involved in things until everything has already gone down the tubes. At least, not lately.”
She nodded. The last serious Regulation team had been her mother’s, before a pack of high-level griefers had put a stop to them. Her mom had been the only one to survive; any other Regulation agents had taken their cue from that incident and gotten a lot more passive. If there was something going on here, she couldn’t depend on some government flunky coming in and solving it for her—or even really backing her up. After all, the griefers who had gone after her mother had been… sponsored by some pretty influential people. A company like Red Blade sounded like it would be capable of doing something similar if it needed to.
“All right. See what you can find out. Are you anywhere near the city?”
He didn’t answer right away. “I’m actually pretty close, yeah. My boss asked me to check on something nearby.”
Alex hesitated, wondering if she was asking too much. “Would you mind coming to meet me tonight? I think the company’s going to have a party of some kind outside the compound, so I should be able to slip away. It would be good to talk face to face.”
“That’s true.” He paused another moment and then spoke as if he’d made a decision. “I can be there. Just text me where and when to meet, and I’ll bring whatever I can.”
She let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Thanks, Zach. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t worry about it. At least you can’t get me fired this time.” He chuckled again, and Alex rolled her eyes again. “See you tonight.”
“See you.” She hung up the call and checked the time. There would be a few more hours before the celebration happened. Hopefully nothing else would go horribly wrong before then.