What's insidious about these policemen is not their secretive nature. That much is played on the face. No. What rankles me is their affront to the holy. Corporate leadership clearly thinks them in pursuit of the divine when, in truth, it is the opposite. They say the 'devil's in the details.' Now, I just have to find the devil with the detail. Then, my crusade might truly begin... --69.9 Seconds Post-Integration.
Having received their work orders for tomorrow's League training, he and Hera split off for the night.
Clark expected a relaxed evening. He would sort through his Opportunity loot crates -- finally! -- and do some financial planning. The last few months had taught him to control how he spent money. Now, he accounted for the land grant payment every week. No matter the check, something toward the payment. If he could do this with some chill herbal tea, all the better.
Unfortunately, he received a notification instead: [Qoon Priority Message: Clock-in for Mandatory Shift].
A shift, now? He couldn't believe it. It was nearly evening, and he already had done hours of League affairs. He groaned and asked SIMP if this was something he truly had to do, despite the message saying it was mandatory. He held out a little hope he could reject or post-pone it.
SIMP was less than helpful. "Apparently, Qoon can do that. I will make a note of it."
He groaned but put on his work garb all the same. Clark had SIMP direct him to the closest time clock. Once he was clocked in and earning that money, he didn't have to ask SIMP where he should go as Adam rounded a corner and approached. Was Adam waiting for him? How could that be?
"Clark! Follow me, please." Adam turned on his heel nearly as soon as he made himself known. Clark followed the man, hoping compliance would make his impromptu shift go by faster.
Adam took him through a series of windy passages. Then some elevators which went in several directions he hadn't thought possible. When they had left their latest elevator, they entered into another series of passages. This latest set of corridors unnerved Clark. Instead of the drab white paint which coated the walls in the regular parts of the store, here, only a thin black paint coated translucent walls. Through the walls, Clark could see rooms, hallways, and the people moving through them like ants in their tunnels. Where was he and what was this place were the only questions in his mind.
He continued to follow Adam like a lost puppy. One thing he was certain of, he didn't want to lose his way in a place like this! It was a mind-trip being able to glance at the architecture of a place through the architecture itself. Let alone if he couldn't tell his arse from his elbow!
Once they had come into a large square illuminated only by a few tall torches, Adam spoke. "This is Qoon headquarters. We're in the main square and informational directory. If you need directions or policy guides, this is your place to find it. To your left and right are punch clocks, use them as necessary. And -- wait! -- I am sorry, Clark. I got ahead of myself! How are you?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, he muttered out a "Good? Tired. Been doing League training all day..."
"That's wonderful to hear, Clark!" Adam seemed genuinely excited. "The Anti-Monster Defense League is one of the best additions to the store in years, decades, even! Truly, we should've established this sort of militia a long time ago. I will try to be mindful of your League responsibilities so that you can serve Sire Augustford with all your spirit."
"Thank you. I will appreciate that," Clark said, hoping Adam meant what they said about working with him on his Qoon work.
"Moving ahead, though, yes, this is to say I have finally finished processing your paperwork -- you are OFFICIALLY a Qooner!" Adam made a gentle, almost mocking clapping noise with his palms. "Once we're done with your mini orientation, you will receive the System notifications and the pertinent pay bump. Until I go on further, any questions?"
Of course, he had a heap of questions. None of those questions would do anything for him if he asked. 'Oh, hi, Adam, could you tell me what Qoon's evil scheme is so I can rebuff it in a timely manner? Thanks!' Obviously, not even in his wildest dreams would Adam be receptive to such a query, so he kept his mouth shut. "Nope! All straightforward to me, sir. Please, continue."
"Quick learner, Clark! Very good. Moving on: follow me." Adam then brought him into a side door leading down into a winding stairwell. Before the first set of steps was an iron-mesh gate. Before Adam led him down and saw its depths, Clark took a quick peek: the bottom was out of sight, obscured by shadows. Clark expected Adam to perhaps lead him down and down and down the stairwell, all the way to the one-hundredth sub-floor, even. His leg muscles were blessed, though, and after Adam opened the gate, they walked down only the first flight of steps. Beyond the first flight, Clark saw more chain-link gates blocking passage further down the stairwell.
"Here is our room. Please, enter." Adam held open for him a door blended into the wall so well, Clark hadn't even recognized it as a door. He entered and found himself in a modestly sized classroom filled with desks, seats, and a chalkboard. "Take a seat anywhere."
Clark took his seat directly in the middle of the class space. "Ready."
Adam closed the door behind him. He dug around in the room's sole wooden desk and found a box of chalk. "Terribly primitive, but what can you do? Lesson one," Adam loudly said as he walked to the chalkboard. "Security is paramount." Facing him, Adam held a piece of chalk to the board. "Clark. Be happy. For you are about to begin training in a heavily sought after department. One which will define your life with Augustford." Adam wrote on the board a single word: 'Duty.'
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
"What does this word mean, Clark?" Adam held his gaze and expected an answer.
"It means you fulfill your obligations even if you, personally, hold disagreements. You pay your debts, you enact your end of the bargain," he replied without missing a beat.
"Correct. Duty is at the center of Qoon. A duty to protect the store, spread its influence, and advocate for the store in all quarters of our time while employed by the store. Regularly waged workers can get by without praising Sire Augustford's deeds, but not us. We, the store, our fonder, all are one-in-the-same. Understand?"
Clark shook his head and smiled. "I do, sir."
Adam returned his smile. "Good. This makes things very easy. Clark! As a new Qooner, you will have one responsibility each and every time you clock in for a mandatory shift. You will come to one of these classrooms and receive your assignment. Sometimes, the assignment might be as simple as listening to a skills lecture. Other times, it will be more demanding, such as a field exercise. In turn, field exercises are split into simple and complex assignments. That is not something you have to worry about right now, however. Basically, once you finish the assignment of one room, you descend the stairwell into the next room and so on. Do this every day and reach the bottom, then, well, that will be it."
'It'? Adam did not elaborate on what 'it' was supposed to mean. Did it mean, 'reach the bottom and he would be considered fully trained?' Or did it mean 'reach the bottom and that is all of what he would be expected to do for Qoon?'
"I understand. Easy enough, too. What is my lecture today?"
"Nothing terribly important. Or is it the most important lecture of your life? Today we will be going over the basics of our organization. The code of conduct. General benefits and so on. There's a lot to cover, so try and keep up."
Three and a half hours elapsed. By the end, the chalkboard was filled with words and lists, pictures, and diagrams. All of which Clark committed both to memory and his notes. He looked at his notebook, provided to him by Adam. It was filled with the same density as the board.
Benefits: Higher Ratios of paid time off; regular shifts for the dedicated; and horizontal advancement... among many other scribblings.
Code of Conduct: obey orders, be efficient, and so on. Kowtow to the store's will. Clark didn't need a lecture to know that.
But it was the 'Responsibilities' section of his notes which bugged him. He wrote: Prove store's vindication in all matters of arbitration. When unapplicable, make it applicable.
'Make it applicable.'
When he first wrote it, his heart sank. He knew he was signing up for asset protection. He didn't think he was signing up for the secret police.
"I think that is an excellent place for us to stop," Adam said, yawning loudly as he looked at the clock on the wall hanging above the door. He took out a device and pressed a few buttons on it. "There. I have given you the access key to the following floor and classroom. But that is not something you have to worry about until your next shift. Do remember to give your preference to when the mandatory shift happens. The sooner you get it in, the sooner your schedule will have solidity."
"I will do that now," Clark replied as he navigated to the appropriate System page via his System HUD. He selected a time in the evenings when he thought it wouldn't destroy his morale. He needed the days free for his core shifts and self-directed readings on the dwarves. Then, early evenings were taken up with Betterment classes or team forward trainings or assignments that related toward finding the dungeon core. And dinner, at a point. "There, done."
"Very good. Until next time, Clark. Have a good evening. I must hop. Much still to do on my end."
Adam turned and left the classroom. Clark heard the man's footsteps as he walked up the stairwell's steps. Then the door's creak as he opened and pulled himself through. He was alone. What should he do in a classroom all by himself? Something silly? Rearrange the chairs? Scuffle through the desk and see if there is anything hidden away in its depths? Clark stretched, that was his big move.
"I was starting to think he would never stop talking..." Clark muttered to himself as he stretched. He got closer to the chalkboard and reviewed the material to ensure he hadn't missed anything in his notes. "A few details. Nothing big."
He turned his sight back to the rows of seats. "SIMP? You there? Did you see all that?"
"I'm here. And I saw very little, unfortunately. I heard your replies and most of what was said to you, but little else. Not good..."
"Why is it not good? I can fill you in on details you might miss..."
"And I thank you for that, lad. But I say it is not 'good' that I cannot fully see you because that will limit my ability to help you. Especially if you should be in a Qoon controlled space. If they have found a way to frustrate my ability to interact with you, that doesn't bode well for the future. Imagine if Augustford should find a way to frustrate all my senses everywhere in the store!"
"Oh, Shet! I see your point... but also not much we can do about it right now. Is there something I should keep on the lookout for? Something that might help counter this?" Clark was nervous. SIMP provided him with support ever since he had arrived at Augustford Central. Could he even imagine what it would be like working without SIMP? Criminal! That's what it would be like!
"Nothing is coming to me. I suspect you won't be able to help this directly. Not without I first finding a weakness. What you can do for me is to continue to build your Aura and by doing so, attenuate yourself to the nature of Qoon headquarters. Pay close attention every time you are here."
"I can do that much."
With class over and his review of the chalkboard / conversation with SIMP ended, it was time to leave for home. He left the chalkboard with the material still up. Better that way if another new Qooner needed to know what they were in for at the start of their lesson.
Finding his way out of the secret headquarters was easier than he thought. The clerk behind the service counter in the main lobby was pleased to help, a smile on their face the whole time. He crossed the boundary between Qoon headquarters and the regular store and received a notification.
[Congratulations! The Secret Department QOON has been added to your Specialty Department List:]
[One of Three Slots Remaining]
[Congratulations! Rate of Compensation has increased: +10 Standard Credits per Hour]
His heart blinked -- ten credits?! He looked in disbelief at his rate of pay. Seventeen credits per hour! A few humble months ago, he was barely making two credits per hour. the League Raise had been great, but this? The Qoon raise changed the game. With this kind of money, his life would be changed permanently.
Back in his dorm, happier than a bee, he spread out onto his bed. His stomach rumbled but he didn't care. It was nearly eleven at night. He didn't want to do anything other than bask in the glow of his raise.
Of course, that was when Hera sent, Theo and he a group text.
Does Your Workplace Have 'Secret Shoppers' / Asset Protection?
