Chapter 133: New rooms

“There is one more place we need to go,” Ember said.

She led them back to the wing where her and Aiden’s room belonged. She had noticed it when she stepped out.

The wing that had once contained their room had expanded. It was no longer a long hall with one room. There were now multiple rooms with theirs being central.

The new rooms were obviously for the seven of them. Or eight, since Cassia was always with Ivan. She, however, did not have a directorate sigil.

All the room had their own amenities. They were similar to Ember and Aiden’s room. They had their own kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Another thing they all had was their own workspace.

Adrienne and Alex had their own workspaces. There was a passage between their doors. They pushed the doors open to see their offices. Adrienne’s office had multiple screens that showed logistical data such as real-time inventory and resource allocation. Alex’s office was filled with half-finished gadgets and blueprints.

Ivan and Cassia had their own room. They had taken to sharing a room for so long that it wasn’t a question of whether they would live in the same place. So, although Cassia was not a part of the directorate, she could stay.

It was a room of contrast. On one side, it was minimalist and elegant. Yet, on the other side, there was a small meditation garden. There were small plants and simulated sunlight.

Sarah and Marcus did not share a room. Though they spent a great deal of time together. They weren’t living together like Cassia and Ivan.

In Sarah’s room, there was a mini med bay. Since her work has to do with medicine, there was an office she could use to do research if she chose to do so.

Marcus’s room was rather plain compared to the others. It had all the necessities and not many personal effects. They did, however, notice that he also had an office. His office carried a myriad of tools.

It was also while they went through the rooms that they noticed their belongings had already been moved to their new rooms. Ember couldn’t help but silently ask the CE. She got an affirmative answer.

“Well, now that we’ve seen everything the base has to offer, what do we do now?” Ember asked. “There aren’t that many people in the base now. We still need to recruit.”

“We’re going to have to start sending people out to find food. Although we have certain fruits and vegetables, we still need others if we want things to be sustainable. Not to mention polymers and plastics.”

Adrienne thought about some of the things they would need in a few years if the population increases.

“Turn it into tasks,” Aiden said. “Have them go outside and search. We don’t need to be the only ones searching. Since they want to enjoy a comfortable life, they need to work for it.”

Everyone nodded, agreeing with Aiden. And so, the search for materials was left to the new recruits.

Another round of recruitment ensues. It will take some time for them to get to 500 people, but in the meantime, they have noticed something.

For the past few days, the place has been getting hotter. At first, they thought it was just weather changes. But as the days go by, they notice the heat becomes sweltering.

People have gone from wearing t-shirts to tank tops to no tops. Both men and women alike in the base are walking around practically naked.

“The water reserves are depleting. This isn’t normal heat.” Adrienne could feel her throat becoming parched as she spoke. She reached for a bottle of water. It felt hot, but she drank it down just the same.

“If this continues, we’re going to be in trouble,” Sarah said, fanning herself only to get hot air in return.

“Well,” Ember said, sprawled on a chair, “I’ve checked, and we do have a way.”

Hearing that Ember had a way to beat the heat, they couldn’t help but perk up.

“But I think only crazy people would do it in this heat.”

The method Ember was referring to was the task the CE gave her. Apparently, the base isn’t getting enough CL. She laughed when she heard it. A base that is powered by sex has no power.

Now, the CE has tasked her with getting as much CL as possible. And that means they need to fuck in the awful heat.

“What do we need to do?” Sarah couldn’t help asking. Ember had stopped talking and seemed unwilling to say whatever the solution was.

She scanned the group. “We need everyone to start fucking.”

“You’re kidding me,” Adrienne answered, exasperated. She ran her hands over her face.

“Nope. Apparently, everyone is working towards the betterment of the base, but no one’s powering it. This free will thing is a bummer.”

Aiden knew she was referring to Valentina’s base. According to the CE, it has been doing well, and right now, the amount of energy it is collecting is far more than their own base.

In addition, Valentina has been plotting. She is now obsessed with finding them and having their heads on a platter.

So they need to make more CL as soon as possible. If people weren’t having sex on their own, they might need to mandate it.

“So, the best way to stop ourselves from being sucked dry by the sun is to suck someone else dry?” Ivan was sprawled on a couch with Cassia nowhere in sight.

This was one of the rare times they were apart.

Ember couldn’t help laughing that the heat had caused Ivan’s sex life to suffer.

“Basically. Unless you think you can make 200,000 to improve the base defense.” Ember raised an eyebrow at Ivan.

“How much can I make per day?” Ivan sat up, curious. Ember had told them about CL, but never the actual value of them having sex. Now that they were talking about it, he was curious.

“You make enough,” Ember replied offhandedly. Then she thought for a moment. “If you can get people to have more sex, I’ll tell you.”

Ivan sat up. He took it as a personal challenge. “Done, he replied, walking out of the room.

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