The Commander's Tower

Chapter 1

"Under no circumstances will you take your mic off. Not to eat, not to sleep, not when you want to have a private conversation, not even when you use the restroom. You can only take it off when you're in the shower, and only for as long as you're in there. The second you dry off it goes back on. These things aren't meant to get soaked. And if you plan on going swimming, you will be provided with a waterproof mic. The batteries in those do not last as long and the sound quality isn't as good, or we'd have you wear one all the time. You are in charge of keeping the batteries charged when you are not using it. Got all that?" The producer asks the brunette who is sitting in front of the camera. She nods compliantly, her expression unreadable. She read the contract. For the most part anyway. And she had seen the show before, so she knew what she signed up for. At least, she knew what to expect as well as one can know such a thing before experiencing it oneself.

"Great. Because taking it off will result in penalties, maybe even being kicked off the show," the male producer adds.

"I am aware. All of that was in the contract," the brunette responds, already sick and tired of this entire experience and the rigidity she had subjected herself to once again after signing herself up for The Commander's Tower. She wasn't quite regretting it just yet; however, she was less excited now than before this whole ordeal had started and she'd received the phone call that she had been selected to join the contestants on the new season of the show. Realization had finally set in now that she would not be getting a single shred of privacy over the next however long she was able to stay in The Tower. Everything she did and said would be subject to the judgement of the entire world and she wouldn't even have access to her phone and the internet to defend her words and actions. Not that she generally spent all that much time online before signing up for the show. It just wasn't her thing.

In fact, when she was asked to hand over the logins to her socials, the marketing team hardly had to clean up her accounts because there was nothing on there to clean up. A handful of pictures on her private Instagram account and an empty Twitter feed was all she had after all.

"Great. Now, go ahead and introduce yourself. Make sure to look into the camera. We can do retakes if we need to but for this part we like to stick to as few takes as possible because it will come off as more authentic and natural. You can start whenever you're ready," the producer informs the brunette, who simply nods her head in response this time around. Then she hesitates for a moment, looking from the red light that is blinking right above the lens of the camera to the producer and back.

"What exactly do you want me to tell them?" she asks, wanting to get it right the first time around because the camera this close to her face was sending shivers down her spine. She would prefer to be out of this cramped room as soon as possible.

"Whatever you want the people to know about you. Tell everyone your name, age, where you are from and what you do for a living, what brought you here, that kind of stuff," the man with the earpiece and the clipboard says from behind the camera. Lexa gives another curt nod in response and crosses her right leg over her left, then rests her hands in her lap with her fingers clasped together. She straightens her spine even further, takes a deep breath and smooths out her features, waiting for her cue. Once the producer with the clipboard gives her the go-ahead, she starts talking in a smooth, calm, and stoic voice.

"Name is Alexandria Evergreen. I am twenty-seven years old and I'm from TonDC where I work as a bartender in a cocktail bar. I decided to join the show... Well, for the money to be honest. I'd love to start a non-profit to help veterans who struggle with being unhoused, addiction, and mental health. I know they exist already, but there simply isn't enough support or resources available to them. I'd like to do something about that."

There, she had followed the instructions to a t. Lexa was quite pleased with her response. Clear and concise.

"Cut! Can we try that again but with a little more energy?" The producer says more so to the person handling the camera than to Lexa. Lexa nods her head anyway and keeps her face stoic as ever even though she already feels annoyance bubbling in her stomach. Wasn't this a reality show? Wasn't the whole point that it should be raw and natural and... Real? Doing a retake made no sense even though it was possible with this introduction. Besides, her energy levels had been perfectly adequate. And if they wanted her to be true to herself, she shouldn't have to fake her enthusiasm in front of the camera. A bubbly, outgoing, overly excited vibe was just not her.