𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧

Chapter 23: Violet

"And this is the testing level of the centre, where the Scientists and many of the Analysts work."

I looked around in awe, my eyes taking in the wonders around me. The Institute of Virology (IV) centre we were in was the most tech-advanced and modern building I'd ever been in. The lab glass windows sparkled and behind them was a display of very expensive-looking equipment. Oh, how incredible it would be to touch them one day.

As if he could read my thoughts, the Guard added, "We're in Section 3."

Ah, made sense. Section 3 of the Upper Quarter was known for being the centre of all things Government. It was certainly the richest Section in the whole Country, which explained how grand everything was. I had no idea why it was called 'Section 3', but maybe the people who named the cities in the Country were just lazy or ran out of ideas. The West Quarter had 10 Sections and the Upper Quarter had 10 Sections. Equal... but not equal.

We'd been from Section 6 of the West Quarter. My home, my birthplace, and now one of bad memories.

"Come on," the Guard nudged me.

After the Leader came to my room this morning, he'd given me a Guard to show me around. This Guard was apparently mine. I'd asked for his name, but he'd refused to give it to me. "Just call me Guard," he'd said. Since my horrible experience with the Guard with the phoenix tattoo, I'd been more than a little reluctant towards this Guard. However, he was proving himself to be pretty okay.

A few Scientists waved at us as we walked through the corridor. The labs surrounded us and through the glass windows, you could see the staff working hard. It also seemed that everyone had been notified of my arrival; the staff knew me by name and by most, I was treated like nothing short of royalty. I could still see some staff that hesitated to treat a teenage girl like royalty (must be the conservative type, I see) but they were in the minority.

I couldn't say that my brother was treated the same - as far as I knew, no one had let him out of his room or told him anything. I hadn't even gotten to see him. The Leader made me promise not to interfere with matters relating to my brother. It would distract me. Breaking this promise would likely result in me being thrown into prison for my crime. The Leader himself had asked his team to cover for us - being here was quite safe for now.

We stopped in front of a large screen on the wall, projecting a 3D holographic image of the building. "This," the Guard said, "is one of the many maps in this IV centre. You can have a look at what's in the centre."

A flick of my wrist spun the projection around. The IV centre was impossibly high, with many, many levels. They must have mastered the magnetic building trick long ago to be able to build such a tall building. I saw the testing level, surgery level, virus sample level, the restricted level-

"You are not allowed to go to the restricted level, however. Only staff with very high-security clearance may go there. It is also time that I present you with your clearance card and Messenger." He passed me my card. My name Violet Maxwell was printed in huge letters at the top. Maxwell. No one had called me Maxwell since my self-defence teacher from School. After you dropped out of School, there was no need for a surname. I wondered how they found out about it. 

Below was a picture of my face and the text Security Clearance: Level 3.

"What does a Security Clearance of Level 3 mean?"

"It's pretty high. You're allowed to go to most of the levels as long as you're accompanied by me."

I swallowed a sigh. "Does that mean that I can't go anywhere by myself?"

"No, you can still go to your level, the science levels and the research centre without me. Anyway, I'm not going to intrude on whatever you want to do - I'm just shadowing you for your safety. Like your personal bodyguard. It's the Leader's orders, ask him if you want to know why."

"What happens if you're not with me?"

"When you want to enter a level, you have to scan your security card. If a Guard's card is not scanned within 3 minutes, then you'll be rejected and a direct message will be sent to the Leader. You do not want to see him angry, I tell you."

"Wow," I replied simply. I certainly was very important, if the Leader himself wanted to get involved. But why? Why was I so important? There had to be something else that I didn't know about.

"What is the highest security level?"

"If you're interested in security, the list of security levels will be on your Messenger, along with a detailed map of the centre." He handed me a brand new Messenger, which I accepted with thanks. "You can have a look at it later. Please don't break it; we don't want to have to give you a new one. A few of the staff members were annoyed that we've spent over 3 thousand dollars for you, including your new level. The Messenger alone is a thousand."

My hand shook as I held a Messenger worth more than anything I'd ever had. Was it strange that I'd never seen a Messenger that wasn't cracked and old? My eyes widened as I took in the shining screen, which lit up. A 3D holo display projected from the surface, showing the outline of a generic female, supposedly me. "Hello, Violet! Welcome to the Institute of Virology centre, Section 3!"

"T-Thank you," I stuttered. It was probably one of the newer models, with voice assistance and holos.

"You should also activate your ocular display. Did the Leader tell you about it?"

When I shook my head, he continued. "There'll be a file on the Messenger explaining how to do it."

I'd guess that my expression was one of awe and wonder because he smiled awkwardly. Perhaps he was amused at how poor I seemed. Well, Guards were usually born into rich families, so he wouldn't know what it was like. The silence stretched on.

"Let me show you to your new room," he said, changing the subject to save himself from more embarrassment.
I followed him to the end of the corridor. We both scanned our cards on the scanner and the lift opened. All the breath whooshed out of my lungs I saw the lift buttons. There were so many! My eyes followed them around the lift until I found the last one. 312.

"There are 312 levels in this building?!" I shrieked. The Guard took a step back, shocked at my volume. "Sorry," I brought my voice to a whisper. "But how is that possible?"

You might think that I was scared of heights, but I wasn't.

It was just that I could barely control myself when it came to science. How things worked, and why things happened. Since the very beginning of School, it had been my favourite subject by far. It fascinated me.

"Magnetics," he smirked. "The city of Section 3 is built on metal."

I kept my mouth closed, for his sake and mine. If I opened it, it would probably spill out my nerdy side.

He pressed the lift button number 173. "You've recovered from your injuries since your arrival here. The Nurses have cleared you to move to your own level; level 173. Only you, me and the Leader's cards can unlock your level. All the residence levels are from 100-199. Easy to remember."

Even though we'd been on level 43 and had to travel quite a long way up, I barely felt anything as the lift brought us to my level. The Guard gestured for me to scan my new card. "You try."

I waved my card over the scanner on the wall and nothing happened.

"The other side."

I turned the card around and realised that there was a barcode on the other side. "Oops." I tried again and it flashed a bright green. The doors opened with a ping. "Welcome to Level 173, Violet," a robotic voice said.

My jaw dropped open.