"That's ridiculous," Zach said, shoo-ing the allegation from the security guard aside. "We just got back from our shifts. Level 15, both of us. Hell if we know where our enforcers go."
Cole wasn't a good liar, but Zach could convince anyone of anything at any time. He sounded so cool and casual, as if they hadn't just triggered the rumored end-of-the-world and left their enforcer to rot in the machine room.
"We'll come back with them next time." He sidestepped the guard and Cole followed his lead. They were a few paces in before Cole looked over his shoulder and watched as the guard said something into his walkie-talkie before going back to his post near the entrance.
All the cots and tables were full of shovelers and their enforcers; it made for a somber space. The shovelers couldn't be themselves, and the enforcers didn't want to be there. Cole wondered if it was triggered from whatever attack happened earlier, but shook it out of his mind since he knew he'd never find out. As Zach and Cole approached their cots which were next to each other, Zach leaned over and lowered his voice.
"We have to move fast." He grabbed his satchel and started throwing socks and clothes inside.
"Why?" Cole sat on the edge of his cot. "You just told him we're senior here, we won't have to go back for a while."
"I know," Zach said without looking up. "But we have to find my friend, somehow get him away from his enforcer, then figure out the whole rescuing Root thing. Everything seems to be clamping down and I’m not sure how long it’ll last."
Cole wanted to rest and take a break, but Zach was right. He hopped off his bed and looked for his satchel. He didn't have a chance to move his own stuff, so whoever set it up did it all wrong when the barracks were moved. He finally found his pack under a toolbox, for some reason. Cole only had one extra, plain white t-shirt, so he threw it in along with some undergarments before throwing it over his shoulder. Zach was waiting for him in the aisle between cots.
"This friend of yours," Cole said, walking around his bed. "What's his name?"
"Oliver."
"And his parents worked security?"
"Long time ago, yeah. He's a mid-level, so probably shoveling right now if I had to guess."
"How'd he get to be a shoveler?"
"Assignment room, like everyone else." Zach smiled.
"Well sure, but his parents were security? That's a pretty steep drop off." Security had access to all sorts of places in town that were off limit to shovelers. To be born into it, and then assigned somewhere lower, almost never happened.
"Don't know," Zach said. "Never asked."
Assignments were usually a sensitive topic, and Cole imagined, even more if you were demoted right out of the gate. That had to sting, never mind the fact he probably never saw his parents after that.
"Last I heard he got moved down here, south side of the barracks, but haven't talked to him yet."
Cole and Zach maneuvered their way through cots full of shovelers playing cards, tables with enforcers eating packaged meals, a few men sleeping, and people running back and forth to their machines, for what Cole knew now was for no real purpose. He hung his head. It was a shame to see everyone wasting their lives for what amounted to nothing. He gazed up and stared past the ceiling, to a different life, a life he knew nothing about, but would hope to find.
"Hey Fred," Zach suddenly stopped, so Cole did the same. A shoveler Cole didn't know exchanged a handshake with Zach. "Have you seen Ollie lately?"
"Yeah mate, he just left."
Cole watched on as the men exchanged words, and a few times Fred pointed in a direction. Not long after Zach left and joined Cole again.
"He's at his part, just left, so we may have some time. Not sure what we're gonna do about the enforcer though."
"Actually," Cole said, their speed picking up as they headed for the door, "I've been thinking and might have a plan that can get us at least 5 minutes alone with him. Well... it can get you 5 minutes with him."
"Only one way to find out, right?" Zach smiled. "Let's go.”