Chapter 53: Episode 53: Attention to all

Roxy had seen the Spire from a distance her entire life.

In Sector 4, it was just a silhouette against the sky, a dark needle piercing the white clouds, representing everything she couldn’t have. Safety. Heat. Real food.

Standing in front of it now, she felt like an ant about to be stepped on by a god.

The gates weren’t just gates; they were monolithic slabs of black matte metal that looked heavy enough to crush a tank.

She stood there, clutching the strap of her battered canvas bag. She had tried to look presentable. She had washed her hair three times with the harsh, chemical soap they issued in the slums, pulling it back into a severe, tight bun to hide the split ends.

She wore her “good” glasses, the ones where the crack in the left lens was taped over with clear adhesive, and a clean, albeit faded, white shirt she had bartered two battery packs for.

“Okay, Rox,” she whispered to herself, adjusting her glasses. “Don’t trip. Don’t steal anything. Don’t look at the lasers.”

She expected a guard. A human with a gun, maybe, or a speaker demanding her ID and clearance code.

Instead, the air in front of her shimmered.

A drone descended from the wall. It wasn’t one of the rusty, screeching patrol drones that hunted people in the slums. This one was sleek, white, and moved with the silence of a ghost. It hovered at eye level, a single blue lens focusing on her face.

Roxy held her breath, instinctively reaching for the small knife hidden in her boot. Old habits died hard.

A soft green laser swept over her body, from her bun to her worn-out boots.

[IDENTITY CONFIRMED: ROXY. SECTOR 4.]

[ACCESS: GRANTED.]

[WELCOME, GUEST.]

The drone didn’t ask for a pass. It didn’t demand a bribe. It simply chirped a pleasant sound, and the massive black gates groaned open.

Roxy jumped, her heart hammering against her ribs. As the metal slabs parted, revealing a driveway paved with smooth, flawless stone.

“Follow,” the drone chimed, turning and floating down the path.

Roxy swallowed hard and stepped across the threshold. As soon as her boot hit the stone, the gates slammed shut behind her with a finality that made her flinch.

The mansion itself was absurd. It stretched endlessly into the sky. Fountains sprayed water, clean, clear water, into the air, catching the sunlight. In Sector 4, water was brown and rationed. Here, they threw it at the sky for decoration.

She followed the drone through the main doors, which slid open automatically.

The lobby was bigger than her entire apartment block. The floor was polished marble, reflecting the high ceiling like a mirror. The air smelled of vanilla, crisp, cool, and expensive.

“Please wait here,” the drone instructed, its voice devoid of any inflection. “The Asset will be with you shortly.”

It gestured to a seating area with plush velvet sofas that looked too soft to sit on.

Roxy approached the sofa cautiously, poking it with a finger to make sure it wasn’t a hologram. It was real. She sat down gingerly on the edge, keeping her bag on her lap, afraid to dirty the fabric.

A sound came from the hallway to her left.

Roxy froze.

A dog trotted into the room.

But it wasn’t a dog. It was a quadrupedal machine, plated in black chrome. Its legs ended in rubberized grips, and its “head” was a sensor array with two glowing blue eyes. On its flank, stenciled in white military font, was the tag: K-09.

It didn’t bark. It just stopped five feet away from her and sat on its haunches. The internal servos whirred as it tilted its head, the blue sensors fixing on her face.

“Nice… doggy?” Roxy squeaked, gripping her bag tighter. “Good… murder bot?”

K-09 didn’t move. It just watched her. It was creepy, efficient, and clearly assessing whether she was a threat to the furniture.

Just as Roxy was considering making a run for it, another drone floated into the room. This one carried a silver tray.

It hovered in front of her. On the tray sat a plate of pastries—golden, flaky, and dusted with powdered sugar. There was also a crystal glass of orange juice.

“Refreshments,” the drone chirped.

Roxy’s stomach gave a traitorous growl. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning, saving her appetite for the “rich people food” Nikki had promised.

She looked at K-09. “Is this a trap? Is it poisoned?”

The robot dog blinked its mechanical eyelids.

“Screw it,” Roxy muttered.

She reached out and took a pastry. It was warm. She took a bite.

Her eyes rolled back in her head. It was filled with sweet cream and tart berries. It melted on her tongue, richer than anything she had ever tasted. It tasted like wealth. It tasted like corruption. It was absolutely delicious.

She was halfway through her second bite, wiping sugar off her lip, when a soft ding echoed through the vast hall.

The elevator doors at the far end of the lobby slid open.

“ROXY!”

A blur of red hair and expensive fabric launched itself across the marble floor.

Roxy barely had time to swallow her pastry before she was tackled. Nikki hit her wrapping her arms around Roxy’s neck and squeezing the breath out of her.

“You came! You actually came!” Nikki squealed, burying her face in Roxy’s shoulder.

“Oof!” Roxy laughed, hugging her back tightly. “Careful, girl! You’re gonna crush the pastry!”

She pulled back, holding Nikki at arm’s length.

Nikki looked… different.

Her skin was glowing, scrubbed clean of the Sector 4 grime. Her red hair was shiny and soft. She was wearing a simple but clearly expensive shirt and shorts that fit her curves perfectly. She didn’t look like the scared girl who used to hoard rainwater; she looked like she belonged here.

“Look at you,” Roxy whistled, adjusting her glasses. “You look expensive. Did the robot buff you?”

Nikki laughed, her eyes sparkling. “Shut up. I missed you so much, Rox.”

“I missed you too,” Roxy softened, squeezing Nikki’s hand. “This place is insane, Nik. That dog over there has been staring at my soul for ten minutes.”

Nikki glanced at K-09. “Oh, that’s just the puppy. He’s harmless unless you attack Adonis. Come on, we have to go up. We don’t have much time.”

“Time for what?” Roxy asked as Nikki dragged her toward the elevators.

“The Gala,” Nikki grinned. “You are not going in that shirt, babe. We have work to do.”

They stepped into the elevator, K-09 trotting in after them like a silent shadow. Nikki pressed a button marked Level 40: Guest Suite.

As the elevator shot upward, Roxy felt her stomach drop—not from the speed, but from the realization of how high up they were. They were leaving the earth behind.

The doors opened onto a floor that looked less like a home and more like a high-end department store.

“Welcome to the prep room,” Nikki announced, throwing her arms wide.

Roxy’s jaw dropped.

The room was massive, lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. In the center, a team of humans stood waiting in a line, looking nervous but professional.

There was a woman with wild purple hair holding a measuring tape (the designer). A man with a belt full of brushes (the makeup artist). A woman in a white coat holding a tablet (the spa technician). And behind them, racks upon racks of beautiful clothes that surely cost more than the entire GDP of the slums.

A drone floated in.

This one was different. It was taller, painted in a formal tuxedo pattern, black and white, and it hovered with an air of stiff authority. It was the Butler Drone.

The room went silent. The human staff froze, their hands hovering in mid-air. Even the designer looked terrified.

The drone glided to the center of the room, its single eye scanning the humans, then resting on Roxy and Nikki.

“Attention,” the drone’s voice was smooth, cultured, and terrifyingly cold.

It turned its gaze to the makeup artist, who was reaching out to adjust Nikki’s hair.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the drone announced, its voice projecting clearly through the suite. “General A-01 has been monitoring the proceedings via the security feed.”

Nikki stared at her friend.

“He strictly commands that the visitors hired must abide by his rules,” the drone continued, its lens narrowing. “No non-contextual touching of the humans put in your care. You are to adorn them, not handle them.”

The drone paused, a red light flickering ominously in its core.

“If this rule is bypassed… you shall be deleted.”

A/N: 6 Chapters would be released tomorrow!!

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