SIGMA-PRIME LAUGHED as heartily as the township mayor during a harvest festival. "Office hours will not be necessary," Sigma said. "In the future? Perhaps. But for the time being I feel your efforts are better placed elsewhere. If I might make a suggestion on how you will use your time? Consider conducting Interviews for a few of the new Initiates? You must conduct many more Interviews before your obligations to the Blank Denomination is met. And I know the new recruits would feel honored to be given an Interview by the Order grandmaster, in training or not," Sigma-Prime told him.

  "Is there a second option?" he asked, not feeling up for the Interviews.

  "You rest. You still look tired," she stated.

  "I will rest. Please don't let anyone disturb me."

  "Understood, sire."

  He returned to his chambers. He collapsed upon the mattress and found sleep easy.

  When he woke from his dreamless sleep, hardly more than a nap, he asked for the time from one of the Wardens through his earpiece. Specifically, he asked for how much longer it was for the chamber to finish gathering energy.

  The answer he received did not excite him. "Due to circumstances beyond our control, the chamber is currently taking longer than usual to fill with energy," Simulacrum said.

  "Why would this be?" he asked.

  "Answer: Unknown. Possibility: the use of the Spirit Core Processor is placing a demand upon the center not previously experienced. Because of this demand and the limited processing power available, the Backroads chamber is experiencing unfortunately lengthy charging periods. If you so desire, we can stop the breakdown of the resources and focus all of our efforts in charging the chamber, but this could mean a loss of resources."

  Grunting, he waved the answer off. "No. That is not necessary. I will putter about until it is ready... how long do you think, by the way?"

  "I'm afraid I cannot give you a proper answer. If pressed, I would estimate another three hours," Simulacrum said to his great surprise.

  "What am I going to do for three whole hours?" he said to himself. But the answer came to him like a shooting star: "Conduct Interviews..."

  He had Sigma-Prime arrange the Interviews while he rested and amused himself with his wily hands, making shows of the artificial light generated by the center. He should go outside, he imagined, but he did not want to. He didn't want people to surround him and ask him questions and rattle his head with suppositions. 'Might as well stay in my room if there is nothing to do,' he lamented.

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  "Zan: your first interviewee is ready for you. Please head to Side-Room B in the basement," the Screen Master announced.

  "On my way!" he said and shot off, itching to get these interviews done with.

  He had little trouble finding the side room Simulacrum mentioned. The center was only so large, after all. Yet it was a room he had never been in before and so he had no sense of direction to it. Had the Screen Master not been with him -- in and via his headset and earpiece, if not spirit -- he would have gotten lost more than once. Considering the brief journey, getting lost more than once in his own base would have been pathetic.

  "Hello," he said, entering the room and seeing someone he did not expect. An older villager from his hometown. 'Smoothie,' he thought her name was, assuming he was not confusing her with another village leader.

  The woman nodded and said, "Fine day, is it not? I never thought I would be one to request an Interview, but here I am! My. How the tables have turned. I remember when you were still in diapers."

  Blushing hard, he took his seat before the elderly woman. "If you can remember my doodie-filled diapers, then you also remember how bad I am with names. Smoothie, was it?"

  "Yes. More of a nickname than my actual name but I am fine with you calling me Smoothie. Most people have all my life and," the woman said, going on and on about irrelevant details from the romanticized past.

  "Oh... all good, then," he said, hoping she would settle down. She did, but not before one final mention: "Of course, these Dissenter troublemakers are nothing like my grandfather, you know. Still, refusing themselves like that? It's in bad form--"

  "What do you mean? Dissenters?" he asked.

  "Oh? You don't know? Let me explain," Smoothie told, filling him with the group of village rejects who failed the trials but also refused to leave or contribute to the group.

  He sighed. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know. I guess even Wardens forget things sometimes," he said under his breath.

  In his earpiece, "Correct. Although I am a synthetic Life Form my memory fails me like anyone's from time to time. Apologies, Zan," Simulacrum quickly told him. He said it was fine but that he should be told of all base issues once they happen. He should talk to Sigma-Prime about it soon. 'When? Who knows. There is too much to do right now,' he lamented once more. Knowing he didn't have the luxury of thinking through that issue when he had Interviews to conduct, he turned his attention back to Smoothie.

  "Smoothie," he said. "Let's begin the Interview. Shall we?"

  She became serious and nodded. Her face left behind the irrelevancy of moments ago where it seemed the only thing on her mind was gossip. Now, was the sterner, 'adult' face he thought he remembered as a child.

  "Before I begin: it is customary for me to ask, 'do you have anything you wish to tell me?' It can be anything. Big, small. As long as you feel it is needed to be spoken," he said, preparing himself for the onslaught.

  "No? I don't know what I would have to share," Smoothie said with a laugh.

  "Typically," he started before he could stop himself, "people use this time to emote about their lives."

  "Really? Oh... weird. I'm not that kind of lady. I keep things close to the chest. Let's get on with the actual interview."

  "Will do!" he said, elation moving through his form -- for the first time since he started conducting these Interviews, an interviewee wanted to use the Interview for what it is supposed to be, a quick survey? Wonderful. Totally awesome! He thought as he shifted up in his seat, his interest now active.

  Continuing, he asked the woman, "The first question is, 'What role do the gods play in your life?'"