The Deathless Trilogy

2.5. Dinner with the Leaders

                  

By the time we leave the room Jane is already waiting outside our door, the drones still buzzing at her sides.

"Jane, how long have you been standing out here?" I ask.

She shrugs in response. My guess is she's been out here the whole time.

"Why didn't you come in?"

"I can't unless I am asked."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know." I glance at the drones on either side of her. "Well, the room was a mess," I say, a little louder than I normally would. "Daniel is going to need someone in there to clean the carpet, dust all the surfaces, clean the bathroom, and make the bed." I smile and nudge Daniel with my elbow. "Right?"

"Yeah, I am just a disgusting mess," Daniel says, leaning closer to the drones. He's playing along, so it must be true about the drones recording our conversations. "We are going to need a Caregiver in the room all night, and I really wouldn't feel comfortable unless Jane would be taking care of the room personally."

A light in the center of the drone flashes green, and an automated voice follows: "Submit vocal confirmation of re-assignment."

He leans closer. "Daniel Crowley."

The light flashes green again. "Access granted. Caregiver 3-2, Jane Rosen, to be assigned to room 6, care of Daniel Crowley and Comforter Celia Rivera." My heart tenses at her name. "Correction submitted."

Daniel clears his throat, and continues in a near-comically macho voice. "Jane, you must get started right away. I expect it to be spotless by the time we come back."

Jane's deep brown eyes well with tears. "Yes sir." She smiles as she passes us into the room.

"Oh, and Jane," Daniel calls after her. She turns around, her eyebrows raised. "I have some of my favorite foods stashed in the mini-fridge. I expect them to all still be there when we get back." He winks.

She smiles and nods, finally closing the door. Daniel turns back to me and holds out his hand. "Shall we?" he asks, still in his macho voice. For a moment, it feels like we're playing one of our games back home. I grab his hand, and some of my heart strings relax as he squeezes his fingers around mine.

We descend the staircase, the drones following close behind. I whisper, "What's with the whole job situation here? Why so the women all have to be either a Caregiver, a Comforter, or a Carrier?"

He turns back to check the drone, who still buzzes a few feet from us. "That was Cooper's idea. I'll explain later."

We walk down the main hallway past the salon and the white and navy room, where dozens of men in suits and women in gowns are gathered, waiting in conversation-less clusters. Daniel nods to the silent guests as we pass. I can't imagine why they are all so quiet and still, unless that's how Cooper likes his people to be too. Everyone controlled.

A grandfather clock stands at the mouth of a room just ahead of us, and I check the time as we cross the threshold: 5:45 pm. Past the clock is an expansive, golden ballroom framed in marble pillars to match the floor. Floor to ceiling windows line the wall in front of us, making the room seem endless. To the far right, a wide marble staircase leads to a second floor balcony, where a set of wide double-doors finally cut off the openness of the room.

I turn back to the people still waiting beyond the grandfather clock. "Are we early or late?" I whisper. "I can't tell."

He squeezes my hand and nods his chin off to the left. "Through here. They're probably just finishing up dinner."