Without a doubt, she was definitely impressed. The ride was so smooth that she barely even knew they were moving. The droid poured her a soda by request and rested on its charging base. Before long, the driver opened the door for her again, this time welcoming her to the Plaza del Infinito, one of the most exclusive hotels in Washington DC. She knew that because she had seen the pictures of the rooftop pool when she had researched the capital.

  As she walked toward the entrance to the beautiful hotel, she couldn’t help but wonder why she had been given this kind of treatment—the kind she imagined the Meligorn official would receive, not some kid from the Chicago Gov-Subs who happened to know how to throw magic. Almost as soon as that thought entered her mind, the training she had received throughout her life kicked into high gear. It was almost like a swift kick in her ass.

  There was no reason that she should feel not good enough to have that kind of lifestyle. Or, for that matter, why she should feel uncomfortable walking into that hotel and across the glistening white marble floors and the projected ceiling that created a moving face. When she looked closer, the face changed, mimicking the past presidents of the country.

  You need to value yourself more than other people do. Even more than this company seems to be doing.

  Stephanie pep-talked herself as she walked along. She wouldn’t allow herself to make the same mistake that ignorance so easily caused. The sound of a sweet, kind voice shook her from her thoughts and she looked up to find that she now stood at the desk, having been too deep in her thoughts to notice. The woman behind the counter wore a hip-length jacket that clipped tightly in the front, was perfectly pressed, and had gold bands around the sleeves.

  Her bright blonde hair was tied back in a sensible bun and her blue eyes sparkled. “How can I help you today?”

  She retrieved her piece of paper. “I’m Stephanie Morgana. I should have a reservation.”

  The clerk looked through the system and smiled as she handed the note back and removed a golden key from a drawer in front of her. She then picked up the phone and pressed only one key. “Yes, our Gold Standard customer has arrived. Excellent.”

  She hung up and looked at the girl. “Our concierge Albert is on his way to show you the grounds and your room. In the meantime, please press your palm to the reader so we can register you to your room.”

  Stephanie nodded. “Okay. Thank you.” The complied with the request and it only took a moment before the light clicked to green to confirm success.

  The woman opened a small folder and went down the list on the right to explain the amenities. “Coffee maker, one cup or full, you can choose. There is a steamer for your clothes, but if you would prefer, you can send them down here and we can do it. We would only need a couple of minutes to get them done. Breakfast will be brought to your room and there is an AI service in your suite that you can speak to about a wakeup call. To change the scenery in your room, ask the AI to jostle the walls and she will walk you through it. If you have any questions, there is an earpiece in a case on the nightstand. You can put it in and press the small button on the side. It will ring through here and we will be happy to help.”

  Albert walked up. “Hello, Ms. Morgana. May I take your bag and show you to your room?”

  Stephanie smiled and handed him her suitcase. She felt weird not carrying it herself but she shrugged the discomfort off as they walked down the hall to a bank of elevators. Her instinct had been to stop there but Albert continued to the end of the hall and a shimmering golden elevator.

  She stepped up beside him and he nodded at the palm scan. She pressed her hand to it, and the bell tolled before the doors slid open. As they got into the elevator, she turned to him. “I heard there is a pool on the roof?”

  Albert smiled, his hands behind him. “Yes, but you have your own mini pool inside the suite. You were booked for the Elite Royal. There are three bedrooms, a study, the pool room, and a living room.”

  Stephanie blinked as the elevator opened into the huge apartment at the top of the building. “What would I possibly need with all this space?”

  Albert chuckled and walked through to set her bag down in what she assumed was a bedroom. “Will you need anything else?”

  Stephanie fumbled in her pocket and pulled out some gold Federation dollars. “No thank you, but here, it’s the best I have.”

  Albert smiled kindly. “My gratuity, as well as everyone else’s, has been taken care of.”

  He left in the elevator and Stephanie wandered through the vibrant apartment and into the first bedroom on the right in search of her suitcase. She stared at the huge king-sized bed for a moment but gasped as she looked beyond it. The walls were all made of glass and provided a breathtaking view of the crystal blue water of the Maldives. It was, she recalled learning, virtually the only place left on Earth that lush and full of life.

  “Welcome to your suite, Ms. Morgana,” the AI’s voice said crisply. “How can I be of service?”

  Stephanie found her suitcase on the luggage rack. “I’ll unpack my suitcase, but do I have a television in here?”

  “Of course,” the AI replied and immediately transformed one wall of the room to a giant television. “Is this satisfactory?”

  She stared at it in disbelief for a moment. “Yep. That will do it.”

  The news was on and she let it play in the background as she unpacked quickly. She half listened as they talked about a Dreth pirate raid that had killed an entire fleet of Federation soldiers in deep space. It was something that happened often.

  The news anchor continued, her voice muffled in the background of her thoughts. “….Meligorn…”

  Stephanie stopped and whirled toward the television. “Volume higher.”

  The volume immediately increased. “In international news, the Meligorn High Council Special Envoy and Ambassador to the King of Meligorn arrived in Washington DC today. It is his first trip back to the city in nearly three months. He is here to meet with the world leaders about the Dreth pirate crisis as well as other Federation concerns.”

  Stephanie put her hands to her cheeks as the news played footage of him getting into a limo and waving to the crowd. “Oh, my God, that was not a high wizard on the TRAM! That was…that was… his majesty the Special Envoy High Ambassador.”

  For several moments she freaked, completely in heaven at having met and talked to someone so important. But it wasn’t long before the information began to sink in. “Oh, shit! I didn’t bow correctly. He gets a royal greeting. I touched him when I wasn’t supposed to ever touch a royal.”

  She dropped her hands to her side in horror, but common sense kicked in and she smiled. There was no way she could have known. But now, she couldn’t believe that she had spoken to one of the highest of the high on Meligorn.

  “Awesome,” she whispered before she turned her attention back to her clothes.

  Stephanie hung them all in the closet and the AI showed her how it acted as a steamer for wrinkles as well as giving them a scent. She chose morning lilac because it was her mom’s favorite.

  “What should I call you?” she asked as she looked around.

  The AI paused. “You can call me Sarah.”

  She nodded cheerfully. “Perfect. Sarah, I’m so hungry but I don’t want to go out.”

  “Then let me run you through the room service menu,” she replied and pulled it up on the wall Stephanie happened to be facing.

  Dinner was absolutely amazing that night. Stephanie sat in a big fluffy robe while a droid did her toenails, and enjoyed an absolutely delicious dessert to celebrate the craziness that everything had become. She figured she deserved to take advantage of what was offered. Even if the job paid enough for her to live that way, she knew she wouldn’t. She would still be her, only she would get her mom and dad out of the Gov-Subs and set them up for the rest of their lives. But why not enjoy it for a couple of days?

  “Sarah, can you call my mom?”

  The AI dinged. “Pairing with tablet…calling Mom.”

  The wall lit up with a telephone symbol as it rang. Suddenly, her mother appeared, looking like a giant version of herself. “Hi, honey!”

  Stephanie giggled. “Hi, Mom!”

  “Wow, are you using the hotel phone? It has a great camera angle.”

  She nodded and kicked her feet. “You are literally talking to me from one whole wall. This place is crazy.”

  Cindy was wowed. “That sounds so cool. So, it’s a good place? Did you eat?”

  “Did I ever.” Stephanie rubbed her belly. “I had filet mignon, potatoes with cheese and some sort of oil they called truffle. Then I had Meligorn baked pombos, which are similar to apples, but sweeter.”

  Her mother’s eyes widened. “Wow. That sounds delicious. I should have stowed away in your suitcase.”

  Stephanie turned to lie on her stomach on the bed and kicked her feet behind her. “That would have been so much fun. And you would have died on the TRAM. I was put in a first-class cabin and there was one other person in there. He was a Meligornian and I thought the whole time that I was talking to a high wizard.”

  Cindy raised an eyebrow. “Who was he?”

  Stephanie snorted. “Only the Special Envoy High Ambassador.”

  Her mom’s mouth dropped open. “Good God. What was he like? Was he nice?”

  “Oh, man, was he ever,” she gushed. “He taught me all kinds of things and gave me his number in case I needed anything while I was here. It was really so crazy.”

  Cindy wrinkled her nose and smiled. “I’m so glad. You deserve all of this, you know that, right? You are an amazing woman, and this is special for you.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Stephanie said sweetly as she yawned. “Oh, man, I’m exhausted.”

  “I bet. Meeting royalty, eating meat that I have never had a taste of. And now this hotel. You need to have some rest. It’s a big day tomorrow. And I have to pick up your father. He stayed behind to fix something at the shop. He will never just rest.”

  Stephanie sat up and wiped her eyes, the sleeves of her robe way too long. “Okay. Tell Daddy I love him. And I’ll let you know how everything goes.”

  Cindy blew her a big kiss. “Will do, baby. See you soon.”

  The wall went dark and Stephanie yawned again. The AI sensed her mood and immediately dimmed the lights and turned the walls and the ceiling into celestial scenes of swirling heavenly bodies. Sounds of calm and peace played quietly overhead as she curled up in the middle of the huge bed, pulled the down comforter over her, and fell asleep almost instantly.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  The next morning, Sarah woke her with gentle morning lights and sweet harmonic music. Inside the bathroom was an entire shower room rather than a stall or bathtub. The water fell from the ceiling like a gentle waterfall and steam warmed the entire room. She was so caught up in the luxury that she had to basically run downstairs to reach the car on time.

  The limo was waiting for her and they headed out to the east side of the city. Her nerves kicked in as soon as she settled into the limo, and even though the old capital was right outside, she couldn’t focus on it at all. When they pulled up to their destination, Stephanie was slightly disappointed. Compared to the luxury she had recently left, the place looked run-down. It was in a warehouse park with a guard shack out front and not much of anything else.

  The truth was that BURT had been so caught up in all the other details and wanted a place that wouldn’t draw attention, so he hadn’t put much thought into the outside appearance. The car drove through and pulled up to the front of the building. The driver opened her door and helped her out. She smoothed her navy-blue sleeveless dress and grabbed her envelope of information.

  The driver stopped and nodded. “I will be back at 3:00 PM sharp to pick you up. I’ll be right here.”

  Stephanie smiled and patted him on the shoulder, both as a show of thanks and to recover her resolve for the meeting and put on her professional face. At least, that’s what she hoped it was. She headed to the front doors and blew out a breath before she yanked it open and walked inside. As soon as she stepped through the entryway, the lights brightened and revealed a desk in front of her. Lights shimmered as a virtual secretary appeared.

  It was actually pretty cool. “Welcome, Stephanie Morgana, to ONE R&D. To get you set up to go, please step up to the counter and place your palms on the surface and look directly into the retinal scanner.”

  She stepped forward, placed her palms down, and smiled as it scanned her hands. The retinal scanner was fast and had already flashed green by the time she pulled her head back. The door opened to her right and Ms. Elizabeth walked through. She wore slim, fitted black slacks that ended at the ankles, a black belt, and a plain button-up white shirt tucked in. Her heels clicked as she walked forward.

  Stephanie turned toward her and clutched her envelope tightly. Ms. Elizabeth put her hand out and shook hers. “Hello, Steph, my name is Elizabeth Smith. Why don’t you come on back with me?”

  She nodded nervously and walked past the woman and through the door. Elizabeth glared at the secretary. “No more visitors.”

  The holographic secretary nodded and clicked a virtual button to bolt the front doors.

  BURT finished the upgrade to the Dreth multi-team battle a second or so before the notification came through that Stephanie had arrived at ONE R&D. He apportioned part of his focus to the meeting room and tested all the video and mics hastily to ensure that everything was hooked up properly. He had rented the building but installed everything he would need to observe digitally.

  Stephanie sat at the table with a mug of coffee in her hand. Elizabeth popped a chocolate in her mouth and set the plate down in front of Stephanie. “Chocolate? They are the best in DC.”

  She shrugged, took one, and definitely agreed once it was in her mouth. Elizabeth sat across from her and rested her elbows on the long, shiny black table. She laced her fingers together and waited for the girl to finish chewing. She played the role of a high-level executive, exactly the kind you would find at a facility like that. However, that was not even close to the kinds of roles she’d had in the past.

  Elizabeth was what someone would call a Jack of all trades. Before coming to ONE R&D, she had been an operative for several private companies across the globe. She could essentially find, retrieve, and keep safe anyone or anything that someone needed and was willing to pay the big bucks for. After several years of that, though, she’d grown tired and entered into the consultation business for all security needs—from a small-time burglary system at a rich guy’s house to a full-on protect Jesus himself kind of security.

  On top of that, she would also find that her less than admirable contacts from her days as an operative would hire her out as a trouble-shooter for…well, for various sundry needs that corporations might encounter. She had never known calm and peaceful. Her life had always been a scratch fight, and that was what she really actually enjoyed. Even as a kid, she came from a rough and tumble family, but that was far in the past and the last thing she ever wanted to talk about.

  She had spirit, and she meant well in all her intentions—well, almost all of them. Beneath the strong but feminine muscles, the unyielding stare, and the no-nonsense personality, she had a soft spot. Now, if you pointed that out, she would obviously kick your ass because when it came down to it, she had faced some of the scariest and most notorious killers in history and walked out alive. She wasn’t about to take shit from anyone else.

  When she got out of the businesses she’d been in, she virtually had a laundry list of aliases she could go by. When she started out, she had simply used her name, but that wouldn’t fly, at least not for long. So when she left the operations business, she’d had the boss “kill her off” so no one would come looking for her. As could be imagined, she had been more than startled to have ONE R&D figure out who she actually was and hunt her down. The job was so interesting, though, and she found herself so intrigued with what they needed her to do, that she couldn’t even start to be mad at them for it. She didn’t think there were jobs left out there that could even start to catch her attention anymore. That was until Burt, the guy on the phone, had made contact with her.

  A part of her hoped beyond hope that this wasn’t the start of the movie-like uprising of the artificial intelligence with designs to enslave the human race. Then again, most of them probably deserved it. But so far, no one had asked her to do anything wild like keep someone in a cage in bondage so she had decided to run with it to see where it took her.

  Her mission on that particular day was actually really simple. She had to hire Stephanie. The interview, really, was like a show. The girl already had the job before she even stepped foot on the TRAM. But also, Elizabeth was responsible for testing her negotiation skills and poise because apparently, last time, she bombed that part of it hardcore.

  Now, she rubbed her hands together. “So, are you enjoying your time in DC so far?”

  Stephanie kept her poise and responded with a small flash of a smile. “It’s very nice. I appreciate all the effort to make sure that I was comfortable here.”

  Elizabeth put her hands down. “Good. I’m glad. Now, we will go through a couple of tests. They won’t be pod driven but will be 3D real-life thought processes.”

  The girl nodded and rested her hands in her lap. The older woman stood and slammed both hands on the tabletop and pulled them up slowly. The 3D imaging followed her and created a bubble that floated between them. Stephanie chuckled at how hard she had jumped.

  The executive typed on the table top, and Stephanie quickly realized it had computer touch technology in the surface of it. “Okay. I put fifteen scenarios that cover morality, Meligorn tradition, and decision processing. Go through each one and select the multiple choice you think is best. If, for some reason, you think you have a better idea, you can choose the other tab and type in your answer. You have twenty-two minutes. And go.”