--Johan Red-hair, Podcaster, 2028
***
“We got a call about a disturbance?” Bobbie asked. Despite the Portera Guard uniform, I didn’t recognize her at first with her hair down and wearing a pair of glasses.
“Sorry to wake you up.”
“It’s okay. I was still in the office finishing up paperwork. We were notified about a Samurai living here just as I got off shift, but no one knew who or where they lived. I was still trying to figure out who when the call came in?” She ended on a question, fishing for information.
“That’s me. I was chosen yesterday, and I didn’t think anyone would bother me, or maybe I didn’t think at all. Anyway, a ton of corporate salespeople barged in here trying to set up deals. They pushed their way into my place, and I asked Ginny to call you while I tried to talk them out. Eventually they got the message and left a few minutes ago.”
“Alright. Word is that the owners want to make sure you don’t move out, so we’ve been ordered to make sure we don’t offend you. I’ll pass word to tighten up our entrance screening. We’ll also probably do something to keep a better eye on this corridor.”
“Thanks. I might also put up some security of my own, too. Something for monitoring at least so that I have some warning at least.”
“I put drones in the hallway already, down a ways.” Tara had moved up to the kitchen door, peeking out, but still half hidden.
“Maybe put up some warning signs, so they know who they are messing with.”
Bobbie winced. “Can you give us a couple days to let the people in this area know first? I’m pretty sure that Mrs. Johnstone would like to know that, but only if she’s warned ahead of time.”
“I’ll see what I can do. This is all very tentative right now.”
“Alright. I need to go report all this.”
“Have a nice day, and I hope you can get some sleep sometime.”
She waved over her shoulder as she left. I paused in the doorway, thinking about what it would take to add some security to my place. My apartment opened on a secondary hallway, deep in the interior of the M-Com and away from the outside walls and atriums with sky access.
Both the higher traffic and lack of windows helped keep the price down, but it also added to the security problems. I couldn’t block the hallway, and whatever changes I made would have to allow people to pass by, preferably without disturbing them.
“Better get in here before the coffee cools too much,” Ginny called me to breakfast. “It’s just donuts, but they’re from that new shop on the fifth floor west. They should be good.”
Ginny stole a chair from the dinette and squeezed it in beside Kaitlyn at the computer desk. Tara and I settled on the couch, and we all spent a few minutes enjoying sugar-enhanced carbohydrates. I opened the conversation with a question that was bothering me. “Don’t you all have class? School should have started by now, right?”
Kaitlyn looked at me funny. “My first class is not for a few hours yet.”
“Same with me. It’s actually a light day for me. But I missed several classes, so I’ll have to spend some time online to catch what I missed. Good thing they are all recorded and on the website,” Ginny added.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Tara shook her head. “I need to go talk to my advisor. She wants to know why I missed so much and what I’ll do to prevent it.”
Ginny looked as confused as I felt, though for a different reason. “They monitor you that closely?”
“As an emancipated minor, the school has me on close supervision. Partly because of government regulations to make sure I’m not falling through the cracks. But my advisor overdoes it. She thinks that without adult supervision I’ll become a lazy slacker.”
“So, you don’t have a set school time?” I asked them while fighting off a spike of jealousy. My last schooling experience had been a high school sponsored by the military. We had to be in the building and at our desks at a set time and stayed there until the day was done. My sister and I, in the same grade, tested out early in part due to the boredom enforced by the rigid schedule.
They didn’t quite laugh at me, but from the smiles, it was a close call.
“College works differently,” Tara explained. “You don’t get as much time with the teacher, and classes are spread out over the week.”
“If your advisor gives you trouble, Ginny and I can be witnesses for you,” Kaitlyn offered.
Tara nodded through a yawn. She had deep, dark bags under her eyes. “Did you have trouble sleeping?” I asked.
“Ginny’s roommates,” Tara said as if that was enough reason. I noticed her looking at my front door again. “I kept jerking awake.”
“They are assigned by the college,” Ginny said. “They’re not bad people, but I don’t think they understand what we went through. And they can be pretty loud.”
“I can’t go home.” Tara hugged herself close and sunk into my side. “They broke in and tasered me before I could react.”
“If you want, you can stay here for a few days.” I wrapped an arm around her in a side hug. “I don’t have a spare bed, but the couch is comfortable, and you won’t have me snoring all night long either. I was already planning on making this place more secure. At the least we can set up an inside locking bar.”
--There are several locks available both in the general catalog and your Combat Engineering Essentials catalog.
Tara peered up at me, hopefully. “You’ll need to strengthen the walls and door. And your lock has a ton of back doors and viruses.”
“I already had planned to clean up the lock, and we can look at upgrading the security. I’m not sure what else would be needed. It’s not something I’ve looked into.”
“Don’t do anything permanent,” Ginny said. “Portera management already knows you’re a Samurai; they will want to use you for marketing somehow. You can leverage that for a bigger place.”
Kaitlyn snorted. “Having a Sam living here would be more than worth the cost of a free penthouse. Assuming there is one open. The perceived increase in security alone would be worth the expense.”
“No Penthouses. But there is a deluxe suite they haven’t been able to fill for a while. It’s on the eighth floor and looks out on the southwest atrium. One side is against the back wall of the section’s Shelter. The entrance is at the end of a long hallway with only this apartment.”
I craned my head to look down at Tara, who sat, tucked into my shoulder as she continued, “I checked their site when I couldn’t sleep. The suite is big, but that will let you expand if you need it. It’s better to think ahead.”
“If you send an email of introduction, I can feel them out about the apartment change for you.” Ginny seemed eager to prove her ability to help. “And I can find a security firm that can provide advice about what to do. I’m assuming you will be using Samurai tech for securing the place?”
“As long as it doesn’t get too expensive.” I sent off a quick email to the building management, letting them know that Ginny would be acting as my agent with them.
Something about what Tara had said teased at the back of my mind until I realized what it made me think of.
“Corie, is there any way you can join us? Or do I need to buy you something to project with?”
--In a pinch I could use one of your gaming consoles, but if you want to treat a girl right, a dedicated holo-projector would show how much you love me. And it’s only ten points.
"Purchased: Audio/Visual Holo Projector
Cost: 10 Remaining points: 7,242”
A flattened shield appeared on the table, and a small figure of a young woman appeared above it. While only half a meter tall, the image still gave the impression of her being child-short. She wore a thin, silken veil, silk pantaloons, and a short vest. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a high ponytail.
“You called, Master?” she asked in her youthful soprano.