World Builder #ONC2024

5| breaking and entering

"Guys!" Jackie whisper shouted, pointing to a door to her right. "This is it!"

The plain white door was no different than the rest in the hallway: a plain silver handle, plain white paint, and a plain window that was so small and foggy that we couldn't see beyond it.

Alex's smile only grew broader. "Let's go!"

He tried the door, but of course it was locked. World Builders weren't idiots; valuable information was stored in labs. Of course it wouldn't be left unlocked overnight. Who knows what could happen to years of work if someone who didn't know what they were doing were to break into the lab and tamper with the plans.

It could set revolutionary plans back several years.

If Fortis was in there, it could set me back. And that was the last thing someone wanted to do. Mess with me, I mean. 

I pointed wordlessly to the air vent conveniently located right above our heads.

"I can almost guarantee that leads inside. All that equipment needs to be cooled off at all times. Someone just needs to climb in and unlock the door from the inside," I explained when everyone looked confused.

Clara smiled, looking up at the vent. "I've got this one. My sister and I used to crawl around in those things all the time. It'll be like a little trip down memory lane. But I will need a boost."

Alex and I obliged her, both of us linking our fingers to create footholds for Clara to step on. She boosted herself up and had the screws holding the vented panel in place loose in no time.

"See you on the other side!" she exclaimed, launching herself into the duct. I quickly rose to my feet and rescrewed the vent back in. 

Every second that passed without Clara appearing felt like a year. I had no doubt that the hallway wouldn't remain empty for long. Someone was bound to get an idea in the middle of the night and want to go to the lab to write it down or incorporate it into their planet designs. I practically invented all nighters; I knew what that was like.

I just hoped the World Builders kept a pen and paper by their beds.

Time continued to pass, anxiety rolling through my body like the tidal waves we studied in our Earth unit during training. My fingers twitched, nervous energy desperate to leave the confines of my body.

What I needed to do was go back to my room and forget this ever happened, forget that Lucas wasn't with us, forget the potential danger and heartbreak that could come of an outing like that.

The handle of the lab door turned quietly.

"Hey guys. Come on in," Clara said, poking her head out with a smile. 

I let out a relieved breath and walked into the lab behind Alex and Emmet. Everything was fine. We hadn't been caught (yet) and the lab made my jaw hit the floor, so perhaps it was worth the danger.

That way I wouldn't make a complete fool out of myself on my first day. 

High, vaulted ceilings soared into a dome, clear glass showcasing several planets and thousands of stars. The starlight provided the lighting in the room, a dull silver glow that pulsed with energy. The way the atmosphere made me feel gave me the feeling that I would be very happy to work in a place like that.

But the lab space was something else entirely.

Clean white desks, rolling black chairs, several models of people, plants, and animals were strewn across the floor, some figurines and some life sized. In the middle of the room, set on an elevated platform, sat a large, circular black table with one chair facing the white desks spread throughout the room.

I walked up to the table, my breath catching in my throat when I saw the gorgeous hologram model that hadn't been turned off from earlier.

Swirling clouds covered the outer atmosphere, the rocky terrain giving the planet a 3D effect, though it was simply a projection.

And the forests that were clearly described in the text box situated on the left of the graphic were so meticulous I wanted to begin work on Fortis as soon as possible. In my frenzy to become the greatest World Builder of all time, I had forgotten that the other people I would be working with had been World Building far longer than I had. They had graduated from their respective programs at least seven years ago.

There was no way I would be making ripples in such a big pond.

And I wanted to splash.

I left the platform, realizing that the others had gone completely silent.

When I turned towards the door, I understood why immediately.

"Hello, graduates," Kalahan said, leaning casually on the doorframe leading out into the hallway. "I certainly didn't expect to see you here tonight. I assumed you'd be celebrating your freedom."

She stepped closer, approaching the small group we had unwittingly formed in the middle of the room.

"So? Are you happy with what you see?" Kalahan asked, looking at each one of us in the eyes.

"Yes ma'am," I replied, my reflexes too quick to stop.

"Good. Because if it had been anyone else who had caught you, you'd all be fired. But I suppose this can be our secret. Good night, ladies and gentlemen." 

Kalahan turned on her heel and marched right out the door, dropping something on her way out. I rushed to the doorframe, quick to pick up the small key that Kalahan had seemingly dropped.

A wide smile spread across my face, and I held up the key labeled LAB for everyone to see.

I guess Kalahan was still on our side.