"So, you been busy with Blackburn lately?" Daisy ribbed her, teasing in a way that seemed almost too keen. "You know, Wyatt says we can sign up for the field trip, he's coming too. You'd like that wouldn't you?" she winked, her pretty face with her freckles and mischievous, deep pink smile giving her an impish appearance. Anna ignored her, not honouring her speculations with words, although she knew this would spur more ideas. The field trip to the corporations was an important chance for the Plebes to prove themselves, to introduce themselves and she was unsure how it fitted into her 'agreement' with Blackburn about going to places. "Come on Anna, I'm only teasing!" Daisy nudged her with her elbow. Anna rolled her eyes. "I'm going on the trip, of course I am. You are too right?" She spent the next half an hour using her energy trying to keep Daisy off the subject of Blackburn and making small talk. It drained her.
It had been six months since she had arrived back at the Spire, and Heather had been dead just over two years. The Plebes tumbled into the chamber to the vactrain, the train that travelled through a vacuum meaning they could travel the globe incredibly quickly. Anna's chest contracted as she remembered being here, aged 20, two years before. She'd recalled wanting to see the space where the train went, hoping someday to vlog about it. But had heard voices, one of Blackburn, a man she had paid little attention to beforehand, and the other, Heather, the stuck-up princess who was physically very beautiful but emotionally, devious, selfish and manipulative. She had hidden and listened as Heather had threatened the Lieutenant, blackmailing him with information on something Tom Raines could do. He'd warned her, told her to come with him to the census machine so he could erase those memories of uncovering what Raines could do. But she had naturally not believed his warning, he had, after all, not given her any real reason to apart from some threatening words. He had depressurised the area and she had been sucked into the vacuum, the horrified knowledge flooding her terrified face. And now they were back there.
They were crammed in like sardines, pressed together, and reached their destination very quickly. But they were not going straight to the first corporation's headquarters. The vactrain could not go everywhere and stopped a while off, near the city. Corporates of course would take a taxi but there were far too many Plebes for that so they made do with a hired bus. The thing trundled along towards them, its huge, guttered wheels clinging to the surface of the road. The crowd of Plebes surged and Anna found herself near the back of the queue. There were smirks on many of the faces of the Plebes surrounding her and many winked at her or nudged her before heading on. "Have a good trip" Daisy almost sneered, pushing past her. There were a few spare seats but as Anna moved towards them the Plebes quickly moved to fill them or plonked their dirty shoes on the seat so she could not sit down. Calls of "have a good trip" echoed down the corridor of the bus as Anna was turned away and forced to take one of two seats at the front. Something banged off her firewall with the name Programme:OperationBlackburnAndAnnaAloneSexyTime. It seemed to be simply a message which triggered sniggers and cackles from the immature mass. They had clearly planned for her to have to sit next to him on the journey to the corporation headquarters. It was pathetic. She flushed but shot them glares. Her suspicions were confirmed when Blackburn boarded the bus and glanced round, looking for alternative seats. He gave an almost imperceptible shrug of his shoulders, revealing he didn't mind, and sat next to her, penning her in by the window. Anna began feeling claustrophobic, clasping the velvet seat of the coach to steady herself. Wolf whistles echoed down the centre corridor of the vehicle. Blackburn turned abruptly and with a single stern stare silenced them. But the hushed whisperings did not stop. The coach started as the driver pulled out and Anna leaned towards the window, trying desperately to stop herself accidently touching Blackburn although this was near impossible. Their knees, their elbows, she could not stop the contact. She flushed at memories of that heated night flooded her mind.
To make matters worse the seats were at the very front, behind the driver, but there was a sizeable gap between them and the rest of the Plebes, and the wheels upon which they were situated masked any noise. Whatever he said to her could not be overheard. He rolled his eyes at her discreet struggles to move further away. "You know what you are going to say when you reach the corporations?" he muttered. She glanced sideways, realising they counted as officials and therefore were subject to their 'agreement.'
"I don't know what you want me to say. Seeing as how you apparently own me". She winced at her words, she had not meant to say them but they made it so real. She noticed the corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly. "Well I mean this is my future we're talking about, and you seem to want a bloody stake in it seeing as you keep butting in and trying to take control" she growled.
"Trying would suggest I hadn't succeeded" he retorted, infuriating as ever. "This is a good opportunity. You can either enter as a spy, but you would be too difficult to control" he almost seemed to be talking to himself. She leant closer to listen and cringed at the immediate giggles from the back as the action was noticed. He leaned forward, conspiratorially. "No. You will do badly. Offend them. I'm sure it will be easy enough, you are unusually good at it." She scowled. "I do not want you to attract their attention. At least not in a positive way. Do not allow them to consider sponsoring you, be plain, boring and rude. They won't pick you, you'll stay at the Spire. Not that it matters." He frowned and her brow also furrowed. What did he mean?
"So what am I supposed to do? Stay at the Spire forever?" she asked incredulously. He laughed softly.
"No. You simply won't be sponsored as a combatant. No great loss on their part. There are other things a Plebe can do with that processor in you. I will instruct you on which option to take nearer the time, once you have alienated the corporations. It will have to be something where I can still keep an eye on you."
"I know! She said in a mock-jaunty tone. "I could be your housekeeper, then we could even live together, and you wouldn't even have to leave the house to check on me" she said as sarcasm dipped venomously from her words. He chuckled. "No. I will think of something. Just mess up today. Won't be difficult." He winked at her but it was far from jovial, more threatening. Her mind raced. If she could get away to the corporations, she might be safe. She wasn't stupid. They may have shared the night together a week ago but things had not changed that much. She was still in danger, as always, her default state it seemed. If a corporation sponsored her as a combatant Blackburn wouldn't dare touch her, she'd be too valuable, the spotlight would be on her and he couldn't risk it. He was trying to intimidate her to purposefully fail so she would be under his thrall forever but that wouldn't happen. Her resolve was set. She would find a sponsor today.
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