Blinking myself back to realspace, the first sensation was the belts rubbing against my arms and legs. Attempting to lift my head reminded me about the unusual helmet weighing heavily on my skull.

"I preferred floating," I mumbled, struggling against the straps.

Elder Fike stepped beside me, pushing back his robe's orange sleeves to unclasp my bonds. "You did well, Jakob."

One by one, the straps retracted. I bounced my legs like an eager kid while Fike unfastened the neuronic scanning helmet and set it aside. As soon as he finished, I leapt out of the reclining chair.

"That was different," I said, stretching my arms over my head.

"The Way is challenging." Fike nodded. "The Trials test us against our own greatest failures."

I shot him a puzzled look. "That's the thing, Fike. I wasn't tested like that. I didn't face any nightmares or…"

He held up his hand. "Hold up! You shouldn't talk to me about your Trials. MiniMax will tell me what I need to know."

I scoffed. "But they were my Trials. I can't talk about them if I want?"

Fike shrugged his broad shoulders, his face smooshed into one of those 'I don't know what to tell you' looks.

"Alright," I said, walking a lap around the chair. "Can I ask you about something unrelated?"

He cocked his head, eyes narrow. As a former pro fighter, Fike's dome might have taken a beating on the regular, but he was no idiot.

"I swear," I said, holding up my hands. "Just want to fill in some Order history gaps."

"Like?"

I did a few quick squats, using the time to assemble my question.

"Like, what's the deal with the Order and an old corporation called ClarkeTec?"

Fike's eyes widened. For a second, it looked like he was about to walk right out the door. Then he took a breath and leaned against the chair.

"Have you heard of the Weeklong War?" he asked.

Nope. I'd never heard of it.

"Yeah, of course," I said. "My grandfather mentioned it when I was a kid."

"What did he tell you about it?"

With only a split second to sharpen my BS story, I went for the obvious details. "The Order and the Consortium didn't agree on some things. Ren Xie was really on the Order's case, trying to misuse your tech."

Fike stared into my eyes, clearly trying to see through any deception. Good thing I wasn't totally lying. Just stretching some details.

"'Didn't agree' is an understatement," he said, satisfied with my unwavering eye contact. "The Order and the Founders once shared a common goal. Arguably, the most important endeavor in human history. For decades, the contributors worked in perfect harmony."

I scratched the stubble below my ear. "Until one day they didn't, I'm guessing."

"TaoCom decided to ignore the GC Charter. The first and only breach since it was signed."

I leaned in, curiosity jacked up to eleven. How had I actually not heard of this? The GC Charter held the entire world in equilibrium. It kept the Global Corporations civil by protecting their Unique Material Contributions. No one but TaoCom could make neurocoms. Only BioDyne could manufacture the broadspec flu cure. Every GC had their piece of the puzzle, and the Charter allowed them to defend it by any means necessary.

"Looks like you understand how serious that would have been," Fike continued.

I nodded. "Hell yeah, I do. If any GC breaches the charter, every other corporation is supposed to step in and put them back in line. It's like a military alliance."

"That's what's supposed to happen," Fike said. "When Ren Xie tried to seize control of our MiniMax system in 2131, only Overwatch and GreySec came to the Order's side."

I laughed. "A private military force and the largest information security corporation in the world. Good allies to have."

"No doubt," Fike said, cracking a smile. "That's why it only lasted a week. Without their help, it probably would have been called a massacre, not a war. It was almost the end of our whole society. "

I shook my head. Just like Ren Xie the Dragon to blow the whole thing for everyone in a power grab. Shocking that he didn't burn down the entire mega just to get his prize.

"The Order killed hundreds of TaoCom associates before pushing them back to their Skypillar," he continued. "Mostly went down as raids on TaoCom offices and warehouses, but there were some firefights on the streets. TaoCom spent ten years recovering, and the Order forged lasting alliances with GreySec and Overwatch."

"I guess the Consortium didn't want to name it a holiday to mark the occasion."

Fike barked a laugh. "Not quite. They downplayed the whole thing. Told the public it was security exercises. Now, most peeps who weren't born before 2130 don't even know about the Weeklong War."

"And what happened to ClarkeTec?" I asked.

"They were a small corporation caught in a shitstorm," Fike replied. "Every ClarkeTec associate was killed, and their existence was deleted from the records."

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

My heart skipped a beat before sinking into my guts. Thanks to the Trials, I was starting to think of ClarkeTec as the old family business. I wasn't ready to hear about it coming to such a sorry end.

I cleared my throat. "Killed? How were they killed?"

"Hits on their labs, mostly," Fike replied. "I think a few of the survivors were brought up on corporate treason charges for collaborating with TaoCom to steal our tech. And since so much of their research involved misuse of Order property, their files and hardware were seized and destroyed."

"Fuck," I sighed, dropping my gaze to the diamond-plate floor panel.

"Yeah, it's not the highlight of Order history." Fike said. "So, let's move you on to something a lot more inspiring."

Looking back to his face, it was a small comfort that he was smiling again.

"It's time for your Covenant, Jakob. You're nearly one of us."

***

Fike walked beside me as we navigated past the armed Paladins and back to the lift.

After a silent ride to ground level, we were out of the bunkerscape and back into the synthwood decor of the Refuge. The transept was a chorus of murmurs and footsteps as orange-robed monks filed out of side rooms to gather in the nave.

By the time we'd reached the huge security door behind the lectern, the nave's pews were packed with waiting spectators.

"I wasn't expecting an audience," I whispered to Fike as he lead me onto the raised dais.

Fike smiled. "Initiates are always celebrated when they make their Covenant."

"Just…no speeches, okay?" I said, standing beside the lectern. "I don't do speeches."

Fike laughed, raising his arms to the congregation.

"Sisters and brothers," he called out, deep voice echoing down the length of the nave. "A wanderer comes from the Trials."

Fifty orange-robed monks called back in unison. "The Trials reveal who he was."

Fike continued, "He has given himself over to MiniMax through Discovery."

"The Discovery reveals who he is." The voices rang through the Refuge like a chant.

"And he takes willingly the Covenant with MiniMax, and as such, will become one with the Order."

"The Covenant reveals who he must become."

Fike ushered me to the front of the dais.

"I bring Jakob Qadir, seeker of the Way," he bellowed.

"The Way is open for those who seek."

With that final chant, Fike turned to the huge security door, his eyes flashing blue. The door's MiFi-controlled latches clanked, and the door rose slowly into the ceiling.

Beads of sweat formed above my eyebrows. A hundred eyes burned into my back as the door revealed a small chamber lined with network hardware. A glowing column with a roughly human-shaped indentation loomed over the center of the room.

Swallowing hard, I shook off the feeling that the bright orange pillar looked like something you might cook a human in, rather than a tool for bringing them into your organization. My heartbeat drummed in my ears, a marching cadence for the taste of copper advancing into my mouth.

"MiniMax!" Fike called out. "Guardian and guide to we who wander the Grand Construct! Jakob Qadir seeks the Way, and has given himself freely to the Covenant!"

An eternal minute passed before the hardware gave any sign that it cared. A few rapid flashes from the glowing column seemed to be Fike's signal to usher me to it.

Leaning in, he continued in his normal, less booming voice. "This is the MiniMax altar. Stand inside and accept the prompts that appear in your NUI."

I backed into the human-shaped indentation. "Prompts for what?"

"Software install in your neurocom."

I chuckled. "The Covenant is an app?"

Fike grinned wide, showing all of his teeth. "You'll see."

He pushed me all the way against the back of the indentation, and kept his meaty hand pressed against my chest while his eyes lit up once more.

The orange glow around us grew a few lumens brighter, and it sounded like the audience of monks beyond the dais started chanting. A low grumble, like a morbid horn section, the sound washed over me, echoed, and grew in volume.

I closed my eyes, focusing only on the sound and the notifications popping up the darkness.

DO YOU WISH TO ENTER INTO A BINDING COVENANT WITH MINIMAX, THAT YOU MAY BE GUIDED WITHIN THE GRAND CONSTRUCT? Y/N

Sure.

DO YOU ACCEPT THE ORDER'S DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESSING TERMS AND CONDITIONS? Y/N

Why not.

DO YOU AFFIRM THAT YOU WILL PROTECT SACRED MINIMAX HARDWARE AND THE AKASHIC DATABASE AT ANY COST? Y/N

Bit late to back out, especially with Fike still holding me inside the glowing pillar. So, yeah.

The final notification closed out, replaced with a rapidly-filling progress bar. I focused on the chanting monks, waiting for MiniMax to upload His software. The undulating drone was kind of soothing, and far easier to stomach than my screaming doubts.

When the progress bar filled, my neurocom chimed in my ear, and I opened my eyes.

Fike wasn't still holding me in the pillar like I'd thought. He was six feet away, staring at the glowing orange column with his face twisted into a look of pure confusion. Fike's gaze shifted to me, and his expression only got worse.

I stepped out of the indentation and approached him.

"Hey, Fike," I said, leaning in whisper. "You're freaking me out."

He squeezed his eyes shut, then blinked a few times. Now he was the one with beads of sweat above his eyes.

"Stand by, Jakob," he said, turning on his heel and raising his arms.

I listed sideways to peer around his broad shoulders. Beyond the dais, a nave full of monks shifted in their pews, silently waiting for something.

"Sisters and brothers!" said Fike, returning to his booming volume. "The Covenant is complete! Welcome Jakob Qadir to the Order!"

The audience stood in unison and gave their reply: "Jakob Qadir, wanderer no more!"

Fike clapped his hands together and bowed to the nave. He held the pose while the monks filed out, all whispers and shuffling feet. I couldn't help but notice that quite a few of them looked just as confused as the Elder. Judging from his state, I wasn't sure if the extended bow was part of the ritual, or a sign that Fike was about to puke his guts out.

Once the crowd disbursed, he spun back and grabbed me by the shoulders. I nearly jumped out of my boots from the sudden movement, and the twitchy look in his eye didn't do much to drop my elevated heart rate.

"What happened in your Trials?" he asked in an urgent half-whisper.

I stammered and tried to shrug, but his grip was strong enough to pass for high-end wetgear. "I…uh…I thought I couldn't talk about it?"

Fike looked left, then right. Taking a deep breath, he released his grip and let his arms fall to his sides. "Right. You're right. Let's go to my office."

He strode off the dais with a fervent 'come along' arm wave directed my way. I fell in behind him, jumping again when the huge security door groaned to life upon my exit, once again sealing off the MiniMax altar.

Fike had to clear a path through a few lingering monks, bumping them with a huge shoulder and issuing half-hearted apologies as he moved.

"Welcome, Jakob!" one of the robed monks called out as we passed.

Fike stopped suddenly. Glancing over his shoulder, he shot me a scowl. "Don't talk to anyone."

I threw the nameless monk a friendly wave and kept walking, but the situation was already reminding me too much of my recent ejection from the Edison offices.

At least then I'd done something wrong to earn it. This time, I was getting marched off because of something an A.I. quasi-deity did to me in a weird pillar.

I shook my head, stifling a chuckle. I'd been in some odd situations before, but this one took the checker.

Fike gave me one more appraising look when he stopped at his office door.

"Sit down," he said, pointing at the tiny desk arrangement. "It's safe to talk in here."