Fight With Fire

37

It feels like I've walked into a different world.

I had always known the same empty hallways and boring square buildings. Nothing more than practical. 'Boring' and 'Practical' are not words I would use to describe head quarters.

Before me towers a beautiful masterpiece of metal and glass. Metal columns frame each floor which can be seen through large pieces of glass. Although the building looks to be 6 stories high, there are only 3 levels, each with very high ceilings. The building twists and turns for what seems like miles in both directions. There are rooms, upon rooms, upon hallways, upon hallways. A never-ending maze of steel, glass, and tightly sealed doors.

The lack of enforcers, or people in general, almost seems inviting. But I know that is only because they have a better security system that can't be breached by human nature.

All mistakes in history were blamed on human nature. It was decided that all the deaths in the world wars could have been avoided if they approached their problems logically. As well the dictators of World War II would never have come to power if humans weren't so gullible. So started the next revolution. One that would replace all our world problems and make sure that no one could do such horrid things.

They took away human nature.

Artificial intelligence monitors us daily and started a new world. They brought the world together under one power. Then, they did the most surprising thing they'd ever done. They gave all their power to the council. Now artificial intelligence provides security for the schools, head quarters, and they help assist the enforcers.

"Welcome home." Carly throws the door open wide and turns to me with a smile. "Well I guess not technically yet but may as well be."

Carly turns and walks into the building blissfully unaware of all the cameras that watch us. Since the plane ride she has been as ignorant as I expected her to be. All smiles and hair flips with not an ounce of worry.

"Well this is sure... something." I try to keep a neutral expression but I know that my eyes are full of wonder. Beautiful marble columns and complex tile patterns. Luxuries that are so unnecessary that I have never seen before.

"It's not about what you can see. It's about what you can't." Carly winks at me and walks through another door before I can ask her to elaborate. She holds her thumb to a small screen which scans her fingerprint before the door opens before her. "Don't worry about that, your fingerprint is in the system but you don't have access to all the doors."

Following her through the door, I come face to face with the other council members. There are 6 chairs around a large circular wooden table in the middle of the room. 5 of which, look much more permanent, and the last was clearly added for me.

"This is the meeting room. It's where we meet." Carly explains taking a seat beside the one left for me which I also take a seat at.

"I'm Brian Coles." An old man with gray hair interjects. He clears his throat and holds a disapproving frown. "I run the stats. The population patterns and numbers as they change. Especially for the amount of people with each Aerdell. I won't explain how and if you don't mind, I will be on my way."

Brian gets up and limps out putting all his weight on a curved wooden cane. I distantly hear mumbling about 'those youth of today'.

"Don't worry about him. He's just sour because he's being forced to retire this year." A girl with wavy dirty blond hair and brown eyes is smiling back at me. She said these words in a joking matter but there was something serious about them. Something about the glint in her eye and curve of her mouth makes me uncomfortable. She leans forward and continues. "I'm Quinn. Quinn Frodds. My job is to know everything that no one else knows. I know our history, I know how the world works and why it is the way it is, and I know how the robots and the machines work."

Quinn lets her lip twist from a smile to a smirk as she leans forward on her elbows waiting for me to respond. I mimic her leaning forward and raise my eyebrows.

"I can't tell if you're trying to impress me or scare me." She quirks one eyebrow at this statement.

"I don't need to do either. I know that you would never even understand what I do."

"Well for history I mostly know about the World Wars but I also love to learn about the artificial intelligence revolution and the beginning of the Aerdell. I understand the periodic table and how everything is the way it is. I also learned to program a robot and cut their circuits. Is that close to what you're talking about?" Quinn's smile drops from her face as Carly's lights up.

"I told you, didn't I?" Carly asks the question to both Quinn and the other man sitting beside her.

"You most certainly did." The man replies for Quinn who is too busy glaring at me. His short blond hair is combed off to the side and his brown eyes are slightly farther apart. Instead of glaring at me like his companion, he just looks impressed. "Warren Salivian at your service. I've got the easy job, I run the schools but with the robots, they mostly run themselves."

Quinn turns her glare on Warren and smacks him on the side of the head. "What?!" He yells in frustration. "C'mon, you're impressed too. It's not like I'm making out with her or anything!"

Quinn shakes her head and strands up dramatically pushing her chair away from the table. The scraping sound from the chair echos through the room as she drags Warren out of the room behind her.

"That went better than expected." Carly says enthusiastically.

"Really? That went better?" I shake my head in disbelief and look over to her infuriating smiling face.

"Of course. They're ruthless. Now come. Lets go see where you'll be for most of this week."