“You ready for your first glimpse of the real world?” Mason asked.
Pierce nodded, feeling her excitement turn into a bundle of nerves inside her. She was going outside. She was going out of the Complex. She was going to experience the outside world. Anything that happened in the real world happened for real. This was no Stimulation Room experience. There are no second chances out there.
The elevator dinged and disposed them onto the fifth and topmost floor of the Complex. Mason led Pierce to a door in the back corner of the Stimulation Room (the Stimulation Room was the fifth floor, after all) and pressed his thumb against the scanner.
“State your name,” an automated voice instructed.
“Mason.”
“Please speak for thirty seconds.”
“This is Mason. I’m taking Pierce out of the Complex so she can attend the 55th Annual Gala. Hopefully everything will go smoothly—”
“Voice recognition check status: cleared. Please proceed to the ID scan.”
Mason did so then typed in a passcode on the holographic keypad. There was a series of whirrs and clicks as the hidden locks on the door unlocked themselves. Next, Mason heaved open the metal door.
“Dr. Spencer refuses to install an automatic door for this entrance,” he grunted.
The door slowly swung open. Pierce peered out past the threshold. It was dark. Very dark. She could hardly make out any shapes or forms.
“That’s the outside world?” she asked.
“Not quite. Come on, there’s a bit of a walk to reach the hydro-car. This is just an underground tunnel connecting the Complex to the surface.”
Mason switched his electro-slate to flashlight mode, illuminating the space before him. The craggy, rocky walls felt damp to touch, moss growing in their crevasses. The steady drip drip drip of water trickling from the ceiling echoed in the space. The ground was treacherous, full of rocks jutting up and loose sediments.
Mason reached for Pierce’s hand and led her confidently through the passageway. His hands felt warm and dry. He guided her around puddles, warned her to duck when she approached stalactites and helped her over gaps, despite the fact they both knew Pierce was more than capable of fending for herself.
“You excited?” Mason asked.
“Hell, yeah.”
“Nervous?”
“No. Why should I be? I know everything will go smoothly.” Her voice was confident.
Dr. Spencer had gone over every scenario Pierce could ever possibly come across during her assignment. She knew what to do if a security guard questioned her. She knew five different ways she could enter the gala grounds. She knew how to slip past the President’s personal guards and get close to him.
Pierce’s sharp eyes picked out some blurry silhouettes up ahead.
“I see the light.”
Mason shot her a look of astonishment. “Your eyes can see that far?”
She shrugged, as if it was no big deal.
