Roctis: An Encounter

No one is near, and I don't know whether I should be nervous or relieved. The emptiness of the corridor makes me feel exposed, and I have a growing suspicion that I am somewhere that I shouldn't be. My footsteps echo eerily from the walls and are only magnified by the surrounding silence. I try to step lightly, but the action makes me feel more like an invader. It is dangerous here to be caught sneaking around, and I have heard many stories in whispered tones during my assignments. If you try to fool the Union, you can get killed. Or worse.

I force myself to think about something else like whether I have traveled along this corridor before or whether they all look the same. Who had the brilliant idea to paint all the corridors in the same color? And which idiot forgot to add the floor plan to my assignment? In my panic, I quicken my steps until I'm almost rushing across the floor. This corridor ends and splits to the left and right? I make my decision and run head-long into a solid obstacle.

I stumble back, nearly losing my balance, and my hand flies to my forehead. My fingers touch it delicately, and I am sure it will leave a bruise. When I return from delivering these documents, I will have to make up an excuse about what happened. Something less embarrassing than running into a wall. I peek through my fingers at the wall and find myself staring into the face of a tall, dark haired man. Saying nothing, he steps around me and walks down the passageway that I had just left.

For a moment I stay still, my hand still on the throbbing area of my forehead. How could a human being have such a hard body that I mistook him for a wall? The man had to be one of those enhanced humans. I stop my thoughts and unconsciously drop my hand. If he is an enhanced human, he has to know where the scientists are. Without wasting any more time, I turn around and hurry after him.

The corridor is empty, and I scan it for any traces that he may have left behind. The same white walls that line every hallway stare back at me. I can't be certain if I have taken the right path. Everything looks so similar. I walk slowly, listening for the sound of his voice, but only silence replies to my footfalls. As hard as I try, I am unable to keep them quiet.

A door at the end of the hall is open, and I slip through it. Green screens hang from the walls as if waiting to flash to life. A chair sits in the center of them, and it looks more like a conference room than a lab. The man is not here. I really am sneaking around now. My hands tighten around the documents. I should leave. I turn around at once. He is there, standing in the doorway. The same man as before.

I feel my heart beat at a more rapid speed as I stare at him for a few shocked moments. He doesn't call for the security; he doesn't even look angry. I begin to relax again. He hasn't mistaken me as a spy but sees me as the poor lost messenger I am. Only, he has said nothing to confirm this, and his silence makes me nervous.

"Um, sorry. I didn't want to intrude or anything, but I lost my way. I had to deliver these documents and got lost. But I already said that." I end in an insecure laugh. I try to smile, but I know it is weak.

His eyes slip down to the documents I am holding, and for a second, I think that he might take them from me. Instead, he steps farther into the room, and I instinctively step back.

"This is my personal room."

I shift through my papers and pull out my destination. It's scribbled on the back of an envelope, and I'm suddenly a little embarrassed. I must seem like a mess. I stand up straight and try to look presentable, but it's far too late to make a good impression now. He's already seen me for what I am. Not only am I the clumsy kid that walked into him in the hallway, not only did I break into his office, not only am I lost, no, I am unprofessional enough to write my destination on an envelope.

My cheeks are burning, and I can't meet his eyes. Instead, I stare at the paper as I speak. "Where is room 816-C?"

"You were sent to the 8th level?" This peeks his interest, and he takes the paper from me.

I'm reluctant to let him take the envelope, but I can do nothing to stop an enhanced human. The man looks at the paper, then at me and at the paper again. I can't read his face. Does he think I lied?

"Follow me." Without waiting for a reply, he heads off, certain that I will obediently follow.

To my surprise, he leads me to the elevator. I slip in behind him and stand against the far side. The silence is foreboding, but I don't have to nerve to start up small talk. I am not sure that he would answer even if I did. The doors open, and we step out into another hallway that is identical to the ones from before.

I look around, frantic to see where I am. To my surprise, I notice a small "3" glowing over the elevator doors, indicating which floor I am currently on.

As if reading my mind, the man speaks up. "You need room 318-C."

He hands me my envelope, and I stare at the sketchy writing. I shouldn't admit that I wrote it myself.

Just outside the elevator is the security office. The guards look nervous and formal. They rigidly rise from their seats as we approach, and one anxiously clears his throat. "Good morning, Fourth Elder. How may we help you?"

I blink a few times. He doesn't mean me, right? He couldn't. I turn sideways to the man next to me. For a second, I am frozen in place, and then I hear some idiot stumbling over his words in a state of panic. After a moment, I realize I am listening to myself. "I'm sorry! I didn't know! I'm really sorry."

"Take care of this." He answers the guards as he motions to me. I feel sick. I think I'm going to throw up. Or faint. I would rather faint. He takes the envelope from me and hands it to the men. "See that this doesn't happen again."

"Yes, sir." The one of the guards says immediately and tries to scrutinize my hand writing.

The elder returns to the elevator, and that is the last that I see of him. I don't think anyone will ever believe me. On second thought, I don't think that I could ever tell them.