Utopia

Chapter 16: A Shadowed Figure

Narrator's POV

A figure, draped in a dark cloth, makes their way down a dark corridor covered in dirt. The stone walls appear to be crumbling, and the surrounding lights do very little to illuminate much of anything. At the end of the hall was an iron door, with a latch that opened on the other side to allow anyone a view of who was making their way to the door. The cloaked figure approaches, then knocks, and the latch opens.

"The snake slithers through," the figure speaks, revealing a soft and feminine voice. The latch closes and the door creaks open slightly, leaving enough room for the figure to enter. Once she does, the door closes behind her with a clang, and leaves her in a darkened room. A bright light erupts in the center of the room, revealing two Ursan men.

One of the men, bald with swamp green skin and glowing green eyes, towers over the shadowed figure with his strong build. He wears a greasy black t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans. The other man, who was standing at the doorway, is tall with a lean figure and midnight blue skin, white eyes, and flowing white hair. 

"What's the progress on what I asked you to build?" the cloaked figure asks. The green Ursan walks towards her until he's standing right in front of her.

"We're still running some tests, but the results are promising," he explains.

"Can you elaborate on what you mean by 'promising'?" the figure asks. Her voice is deadly calm.

"Well, the last Ursan we tested it on only ended up in the hospital with amnesia." The man's response warrants a frustrated groan from the figure. The man snaps his fingers, and the midnight blue Ursan goes to a corner of the room to grab some files sitting on a table there. He brings it back to the green Ursan, who then hands it over to the cloaked figure. She rudely snatches it from his hands and starts to sift through its contents.

"Will its features align with that of the newest model being released?" She continues in her line of questioning.

"Yes, ma'am. I've recruited someone from the company to ensure that it has all the features from the newest model, as well as the upgrades you want done to it," he assures her.

"Keep me updated on the one in the hospital, and keep fixing any bugs you may find. I want you to have the finished product in three weeks' time," she says, closing the file and handing it back to the green Ursan.

"Ma'am, what you're asking of us is pretty extensive; I'm not sure if we'll have it done by then," he says. She begins to laugh, a chuckle from deep within her chest and the two men look at her questioningly.

"I do not care about what you think," she says through gritted teeth, her voice filled with annoyance. "You will do as I have asked you to, or I will find someone who can, and get rid of you and your little friend. Are we clear?" 

"My apologies, of course. We will work hard to ensure that what we deliver you surpasses your expectations." The man apologizes. 

"Good," the figure goes to turn around, and blue quickly scrambles to open the door for her. "I'll be back in a few days, and I'm sure I don't have to remind you to keep all this to yourself, Moss?" 

"Of course not." 

"Until we meet again." The cloaked figure makes a swift exit, the iron door closing with a clang behind her. Her steps echo down the corridor, and the men are left scrambling to ensure that they perform to her expectations.