Chapter 6

Ven had been looking forward to riding a train for the first time in his life. But the thrill of being on a train wore off after the first hour. Bored out of his mind Ven had begun to secretly look at his fellow passengers on the train, trying to get a feel of what an everyday man or woman was like nowadays. Much to his surprise, while the clothes had changed, the problems people were facing were almost the same as the ones as the people from the simulation. People still gossiped about their neighbors, complained about the people in charge and nobody was ever satisfied with the weather.

He personally thought the weather was wonderful today, it was raining, and he loved rainy days. On days like this he didn’t have to work, not because his masters were kindhearted, no, it was quite the opposite. Making slaves work on a rainy day led to many of them falling ill and so they worked slower the following week. It was merely pragmatic to let them stay indoors on such days and make them work extra shifts the following days to make up for the day they got off.

Ven sighed, none of those memories were real. Did he like the rain or was it just a side effect of living Ravendra’s life? He had no way of knowing the answer to that question. Natalie had told him to not waste his time on such useless thoughts, but he couldn’t help it. When he was sitting idle, his mind always wandered back to the question. Who was he really?

Feeling his mood getting worse, he decided to look up at the train map, Genesis couldn’t get here sooner. As if sensing his impatience his neighbor pipped in.

“Been taking this train since I was a boy, it never gets less boring. Want to read the paper?”

“Anything interesting in it?” asked Ven.

“There’s a nice piece about how we are very close to a peace agreement with Bangara. About time if you ask me, we waste a lot of resources on that border. Resources we don’t need to waste, we could conquer them any day of the week, we have the UTF!”

“We would win without a doubt, but we would have casualties as well. The King is avoiding unnecessary loss of life. He’s seen enough wars in his life to know that,” chimed in a blonde woman sitting across them.

“Feels like ages since we showed the world what we could do, we wouldn’t have taken nonsense like this in back in the day,” said Ven’s neighbor.

“We all need to adapt according to the times,” said Ven with a smile.

“I suppose you’re right about that. So, what is taking you to our beautiful capital city. By the way you keep looking out the window and the map, I can tell you’ve never been there before. It isn’t a city you can miss,” laughed his neighbor.

“It will be my first time there. Starting my new job as a Police Inspector in the Central Office,” said Ven.

“Police Inspector? Why would a young man like you waste your time there, UTF is where the money is, not to mention their retirement plans, they really take care of their own,” said Ven’s neighbor.

“Ineligible, I am giftless,” said Ven quietly.

“Oh, I am so sorry for being nosy. Law Enforcement is a fine institution as well, they make sure people like us are safe,” said Ven’s neighbor as he tried to lighten the sudden awkward atmosphere he had created. “If you look out the window now, we can start seeing the outskirts of Genesis. We’re still a way off from the central train station, by the way that’s where you’ll want to get off, it’s the closest station to the Police’s Central Office. But you’ll get a feel for how grand the Capital is if you start looking out now.”

Ven smiled politely as he turned in his seat to get a better view out of the window. He was quite sure the man was exaggerating as a last-ditch effort to change the topic. But the man was right, the landscape was changing as they moved forward. Gone were the fields of trees, instead all he could see were large skyscrapers, he had never seen buildings so high in his life and here he was riding a train between dozens of them! He instinctively tried to crane his neck to get a glimpse of the top, but they were moving too fast and the rain made it hard to get a clear view of the top.

“I’ve never seen buildings this tall,” exclaimed Ven.

“Of course, you haven’t! You won’t find so many skyscrapers anywhere else in the world. And this isn’t even the best part, wait till you see the canals and parks as we come closer to the center! I have to say I envy you; I miss having that feeling of awe, just goes to show that anything can become mundane and every day,” laughed his neighbor. “I’ll be getting off at the next stop, you enjoy your stay here and the all the best with your new job.”

Ven shook his neighbors’ hand, the man was likeable he decided, maybe he should have bothered asking his name, but now it was too late.

Ven stayed glued to the window for the remainder of the journey, trying to absorb as much as he could. The world had become a marvelous and grand place, and people looked happy, and busy, he didn’t see anyone doing nothing, it looked like everyone was moving with a goal in mind. Could Ravendra being King really be so bad? There was peace and just look at the things he had accomplished! Ven decided he would withhold judgment for now, he hadn’t really interacted with enough people yet.

Ven sat alone on an old creaky office chair in an empty waiting room. He looked nervously at his watch again, he had been waiting for over half an hour and still hadn’t been called inside. He looked around the empty reception area again, trying to appear calm. They couldn’t have seen through his false credentials, could they? It didn’t seem likely; the receptionist had been very kind and welcoming when he had told her who he was. Maybe it was a busy day at the Central Office, it would explain why there were so many people walking the hallways.

“Excuse me, sir. The Captain will see you now,” said the receptionist as she opened the door and popped her head inside. “Go straight, he’s in the last office on the left-hand side of the hallway. Bit of advice for you, make sure to knock before you enter, Captain hates it when people don’t follow basic courtesies.”

Ven nodded as he started to walk towards the Captain’s office, he shot a glance left and right to get a brief overview of his surroundings, checking where the exits were, in case he had to make a run for it. It was one of the first things they had taught him, always know where the exits are. He paused in front of the Captain’s office, looking at the name written on the door, Captain Jensen. Ven knocked twice, paused, and entered.

“Afternoon, sir,” said Ven as he stood waiting to be acknowledged.

Captain Jensen was a young man, far younger than what Ven had expected, he seemed to be in his late thirties. He had dark blonde hair and sharp blue eyes behind thick rimmed glasses. He was moderately built, an office man, not someone who got out in the field often was Ven’s guess.

“Afternoon, please have a seat, Ven? Your parents must be big fans of His Majesty,” said Captain Jensen.

“I wouldn’t know, sir, I’ve never met them. Was left at an orphanage as a toddler,” said Ven with a shrug.

“Ah yes, your file did mention that, sorry to bring it up,” said Captain Jensen.

“Not a problem, sir, it happened so long ago that I’ve come to terms with it,” said Ven with a shrug.

“So, you got a decent enough result on our written exam that you’ve earned yourself a place on our force. But why law enforcement, clearly, you’re smart and young enough to try something else. There are many avenues open to you, even though you’re giftless,” said Captain Jensen as he leaned forward. “Let’s be direct, being a cop isn’t the most glamorous job, most people only pick it after they have failed everywhere else. I don’t need someone who is going to hate working here and antagonizes all his colleagues. I have plenty of those types to deal with as it is.”

“It wasn’t on a whim if that is what you’re worried about. Since we are being direct, let’s look at it realistically, I am an orphan, I have zero connections outside the orphanage. Sure, I might get accepted into a college or university based on merit alone, but once I graduate from there, I am on my own. And we both know no one is looking to hire someone who brings nothing besides his degree to the table. This is the only realistic option for me, it’s a respectable job that puts food on the table. So no, you don’t have to worry about me hating my job, as this is frankly the best I can do in my life,” said Ven.

“Sheesh kid, you’re a depressing one. When you put things like that, I haven’t got the heart to kick you out of here without feeling like the worst person in the world. Fine, I’ll give you a chance, but if I feel like you aren’t a good fit, you’ll have to move to another department, deal?” asked Captain Jensen.

“That sounds reasonable,” said Ven.

“Well then, here is your personal AI Assistant. Don’t lose it, it acts your ID as well, configure it on your own. Ask one of the guys to help you out if you can’t figure it out. I’ll introduce you to Peter, he’s a veteran, been working here for close to thirty years! The man is an institution at this place, he’ll be retiring soon, but you won’t find a better person to learn the basics from,” said Captain Jensen as he got up from his chair.

“Wow, this thing is heavier than my phone,” said Ven as he juggled his phone and the assistant.

“Yeah, well if you want something better, get a promotion. The higher you get up the ladder, the newer the model,” said Captain Jensen as he led the way out of his office.

It was a relatively short walk as Peter’s office was just opposite of the Captain’s office. True to what the receptionist had said earlier, the Captain paused and knocked on the door before entering.

“Peter? Got a minute?” asked Captain Jensen.

Peter was in his late fifties and had a frail stature, he was bald but had a white goatee. Unlike the Captain, he wore the traditional Law Enforcement uniform, a white shirt with navy blue pants. On his chest was a badge with the name Peter Johnson in bold letters.

He stood up and shook the Captain’s hand firmly before sizing Ven up.

“Is this the new guy?” asked Peter.

“This is Ven, and yes, he’s the new guy. I’ve assigned him under you, show him how things are done around here,” said Captain Jensen.

“You know you’re getting old when the only jobs you get are paperwork or taking care of the new guy, never forget that kid,” said Peter with a laugh.

“Well then, I’ll leave you two to it, I’ve got enough to do as it is,” said Captain Jensen as he left the room.

“First things first, we need to get you a uniform. Walking around in civilian clothes isn’t something an Officer does,” said Peter as he grabbed his jacket. “Come on, we can talk more over a cup of coffee, my treat.”

“You’re the only one I have seen so far who has the uniform on, sir,” said Ven as he walked besides Peter.

“Just call me Peter, we’re colleagues after all. Do not copy everything you see others doing. --Our uniform is a sign of the office we have taken, a man who doesn’t respect their uniform doesn’t respect this office in my opinion,” said Peter loud enough for everyone around him to hear. “Things weren’t always like this, I remember when I was a kid, you wouldn’t see a single officer out of uniform when they were at work. But people do not take this job because they want to serve the public anymore, they take it because they could not get accepted anywhere else. That is why they do not wear their uniforms, they are embarrassed, they are afraid people will look at them as failures. Bunch of mindless drones, these idiots.”

“And you don’t think I took this job as I couldn’t get accepted anywhere else?” asked Ven.

“When you get to my age, you can judge a man quite quickly, and you Ven don’t have the look of a drone. So, do not disappoint me and start acting like one. What’s your waist size?” asked Peter.

“Umm…I don’t know,” said Ven.

“What kind of man doesn’t know his size, never mind. You see that room over there; go there and tell them you need a uniform. They’ll figure out your size, when you’ve changed into it, meet me at the main entrance, I’ll get your stun gun issued by then,” said Peter in a matter-of-fact way.

“Stun gun?” asked Ven.

“Don’t tell me you expected a real gun? Kid, you’ve been watching too many movies. In the real world, in case of any major emergency, our job is to hold the fort until the UTF arrives and saves the day. We support the UTF, we don’t run in guns blazing,” said Peter with a wink.

Ven picked up the pace, as he made his way to the main entrance. He was grateful his black overcoat was covering most of his uniform, it made him stand out, the thing he wasn’t supposed to do. He was supposed to blend in, be likeable but forgettable at the same time. He understood why Peter thought it was important, but right now it was very counterproductive. He would put up with it for now and change to casual clothes once he was given a permanent position. In the distance, he saw Peter and waved at him to get his attention.

“Looking sharp. Say, do you know your way around the city?” asked Peter.

“Can’t say I do, it’s my first time here,” said Peter.

“Well then come on, I’ll give you a tour of the most important things you need to know. Starting with where we get our coffee, place is called Lorines, you’ll love it,” said Peter with a big smile.

Walking into Lorines, Ven could see why Peter liked it, the place was old fashioned, no fancy tech, real waiters and waitresses walking around taking orders. Ven couldn’t help but think of the taverns and inns he and the boys had lodged in back in the day. The boys would have laughed if they saw what he was up to now, Ven probably wouldn’t hear the end of it.

“Over here, I got us a spot,” said Peter as he sat at on a stool at the counter.

“Who’s this you’ve got with you today,” said a redheaded waitress in a bright yellow uniform.

“This here is Ven, the newest addition to our work force. And this here is Sarah, best waitress Lorines has ever had the pleasure of hiring, I should know, I’ve been coming here for thirty years!” laughed Peter.

“So, where are you from Ven, you don’t look like a local,” asked Sarah.

“I am from Sparrow Ville, first time here in Genesis,” replied Ven politely.

“Is that so, well welcome to Genesis! Greatest city in the world! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” said Sarah with a smile. “Now what can I get you?”

“Coffee and keep them coming!” said Peter.

“Peter, you didn’t bring me here, just for coffee, did you?” asked Ven.

“Astute, wanted to get to know you better since you’ll be working under me for the foreseeable future,” said Peter.

“Captain Jensen said it was only until you taught me the basics,” said Ven.

“Did you think you would pick up the basics in a week or two? Police work is not that simple my friend. There are dozens of forms you need to get yourself familiar with, not to mention you’ve just moved here, you don’t know anything about the city,” said Peter. “The things you will learn over the span of the next few months are the foundation on which you will build your career. Get a lousy foundation or make the wrong enemies and you’ll never make Captain, kind of like me.”

“You ticked off the wrong people?” asked Ven.

“A story for another time, today is about you my young friend! Which reminds me, here is your stun gun. It’s an effective weapon but sadly you need to be quite close to your target to use it properly. Anything over two meters and you’ll most likely miss your shot,” said Peter.

“How many charges can it hold?” asked Ven.

“Five, then you need to change the clip at the bottom. Which unless you get some distance between you and the person you are shooting at, will not be possible. So, you’ve got five shots and if you did not manage to finish the job in that time, either you run or pick up the closest thing you can to use as a weapon,” said Peter.

“Both of those options are useless if they have guns or gifts,” said Ven.

“Which is why we never ever run in guns blazing, and it’s also where the AI Assistant comes into play. It automatically sends a call to the nearest UTF agent and our HQ if it feels you are in any kind of danger, it’s saved my life on a number of occasions. Have you set yours up yet?” asked Peter.

“Haven’t had the chance yet,” said Ven as he pulled out his Assistant.

“You haven’t even turned it on yet! Do that now, you’re on active duty for crying out loud!” yelled Peter.

“Yeah yeah, give me a second, where is the ‘on’ button on this thing anyway?” asked Ven out loud as he bumbled around until he found the power button.

“And I thought I was slow at using these things,” said Peter. “It’s going to be at the default factory settings, so let’s get it personalized for you. Remember to put in your earpiece, that’s something you never take off when you’re on active duty,” said Peter solemnly.

“I never got an earpiece, just this thing,” said Ven as he shook the Assistant in front of Peter’s face.

“An Officer not being issued standard equipment, something like that would never have happened twenty years ago! Here, lucky for you, I always keep a spare in case of an emergency,” said Peter as he reached into his jacked and pulled out a black earpiece.

“I hope it isn’t used,” said Ven as he eyed it suspiciously.

“Of course, it isn’t! Its brand new! Now stop being a wisecrack and go into the settings menu,” said Peter impatiently.

Ven obediently put the earpiece in his ear and went into the settings option. A multitude of options greeted him, not knowing what to do he reflexively looked up at Peter for instructions.

“Don’t worry about all those options you see, most of them are useless for daily use. The two most important things for you to do right now are set which voice you want the Assistant to use and register this device as yours,” said Peter as he pressed on the touchscreen to open a list with two options on it.

“All the guys like to use option two, it’s a lady’s voice. Option one is a guy, I hear he’s quite popular with the ladies,” said Peter.

Ven nodded as he selected the second option, it was immediately followed by a female voice speaking in his earpiece.

“Hello, my name is Simone, starting today I’ll be your private AI Assistant, I am looking forward to working with you. Please be patient while I record some of your private information. Your name and designation please?” asked Simone.

“Inspector Ven,” said Ven.

“Recorded. Would you like to record an activation phrase at this time?” asked Simone.

“No, look I am at Lorines with Inspector Peter right now, can we go through the remaining things later?” asked Ven.

“As you wish, I will send you a reminder in five hours. Enjoy your day, Inspector Ven,” said Simone.

“Since Law Enforcement are the only ones who are legally allowed to use AI Assistants, everyone who starts working in Law Enforcement takes some time to get used to them, after all there is no prior exposure to them. It gets easier to communicate with her with time, it’s a basic AI but it adapts to suit your personality,” said Peter.

“Because they don’t want people developing AI that is too smart, right?” asked Ven.

“That’s the official statement, but I think it’s because they want us giftless officers to have something that gifted people don’t, something to make us feel special. If you look on the darker side of the net, you can always find programmers that have developed illegal AI. Nothing that would change the world, but they make a breakthrough every couple of years. Mind you, we get system updates to Simone regularly, don’t want a hacker breaking into our network after all,” said Peter.

“Is everyone in Law Enforcement giftless?” asked Ven.

“Most, there is the odd person that has a gift but still joined our ranks, but that’s usually due to unique circumstances. Anyone and everyone who has a gift applies to join the UTF, that’s just the world we live in,” said Peter.

“And you think that having this helps us against gifted people?” asked Ven sarcastically.

“Kid, if a gifted has a power that can be used to kill people, even a gun is useless, I have seen that firsthand in my life. If you’re ever in a situation where a gifted wants to kill you, beg for your life or run, those are your only two options,” said Peter solemnly as he gulped the last of his coffee down. “Luckily for us, we have nothing to do with them on a day to day basis, that’s the UTF’s headache. We take care of small-time crooks and make sure things smoothly. Come on, I’ll drive you to your quarters, get some rest today, I’ll be expecting to see you sharp at eight tomorrow morning. I don’t appreciate tardiness; I am too old to waste my life away waiting for people that are late.”

The Police Quarters were a series of apartment buildings cordoned off from the public by a low wall forming a square shape and a nosy security guard with a dog. There was a smaller separate building in the center of the quadrant that housed the Cafeteria and Gym. Senior Officers mostly lived in their own private apartments throughout the city, this place was mostly occupied by Junior Officers or bachelors that thought that getting free food from the Cafeteria was easier than making their own meals every day.

Ven dropped his bag near the entrance of his new apartment as he made his way around to inspect his new apartment. It was bigger than what he was used to, he had spent most of his life in a single room shared by fellow slaves or in a tent during his campaign against Rayleigh.

“Oh yeah, none of that ever happened,” laughed Ven emptily.

To take his mind off the dark mood that was starting to build up he reached into the inner pocket of his overcoat and pulled out the azure USB. After attaching the USB to the Assistant, he turned it around and activated its screen. A bar saying SYCHRONIZING greeted him, sighing he put the Assistant down and decided to get some exercise while waiting. It was a regime he had started ever since he stopped going to rehabilitation. While this body of his was younger than what he was used to, it felt much weaker than what he used to be. He decided a jog around the apartment buildings would be a good way to warm up and get a layout of his new home.

With this goal in mind he started going through his bag, looking for a change of clothes. He jumped up in fright as his earpiece suddenly activated with a man’s voice.

“Hello Inspector Ven, I am your upgraded AI Assistant.”

“Vikram?” asked Ven.

“Yup, it’s me. By the way, do you want me to personalize the configurations on this thing to better suit your tastes?” asked Vikram.

“Apparently all the male officers use the girl’s voice on the AI Assistant. Can you do anything to not sound like a man?” asked Ven.

“Ah lemme just tweak a couple of things, and there I should sound like Simone now,” said Vikram.

“Was there anything you needed?” asked Ven.

“I am assigned as your support, which I just wanna say, so honored to get picked for the job! So, tell me is there anything you need?” asked Vikram.

Ven stood and scratched his head for a moment as he thought of what he needed.

“Can you find me any information on Inspector Peter Johnson?” asked Ven.

“I currently can’t access his private file, but I can look for information about him in the public domain. Anything else?” asked Vikram enthusiastically.

“Can you tell me the most noteworthy things happening in Genesis?” asked Ven.

“I can run a search through the local news. Is there anything in particular you would like me to concentrate on?” asked Vikram.

“I didn’t actually think you would be able to tell me that,” answered Ven with his eyebrows raised.

“It’s a task even an AI Assistant would be able to do, and not to brag but many people call me a genius,” said Vikram.

“Is that so? It’s nice to know that my support is so competent,” said Ven.

“See, now you think I am a proud and arrogant jerk. I didn’t mean to sound proud, I merely stated the facts,” said Vikram.

“No no, I didn’t think you were an arrogant jerk. I tell you what, use those genius abilities of yours to find me information about Ravendra and his personal bodyguard. Information we don’t have in the rebel database,” said Ven.

“That’s a very general and broad inquiry,” said Vikram.

“You can’t do it?” jested Ven.

“I didn’t say that. I’ll need some time to go through such a large amount of data, is that ok?” asked Vikram.

“Take your time, the most important thing is finding something we can use,” said Ven.

After last week's short chapter, you guys get a huge chapter this week! I considered posting two chapters last week, but because this chapter was so long. I decided against it.

Ven is finally getting into the groove and has come out of the bubble he was in while at the rebel base. I hope you guys like the buddy cop vibes I tried to make in this chapter :)

As aways, stay safe out there.

Anderoth