Merging with traffic was easy with half the limousines gone and even more realizing they could actually stop on the curb and dismiss their vehicles until their passengers showed up. Hugh had no idea why they hadn't done it before, unless they'd been circling in search of static parking like they'd find in the real world.
Idiots.
The drive to the Transfiguration Facility took only five minutes, even with frequent stops at red lights, leaving him just enough time to remember he was heading toward an important meeting with an important man. They dismounted in the loading lane, now that he knew it wasn't an extended verge and served an actual purpose, dismissed their vehicles, then Hugh nervously smoothed down his clothes as they strode inside.
"You look great," Dex soothed softly. "And you'll do fine. Stop worrying."
Hugh hoped he was right.
Much like the Lanai, the clinic had undergone a massive transformation over the previous few days. He'd seen most of it as it happened, but today's upgrade was the largest so far, because it added people. They worked frantically, mounting framed mirrors on the walls, installing a digital menu board behind the reception desk, and enclosing the lobby with a wall of clear glassed etched with the words 'VB5I Transformation Spa'. In smaller font below, their motto read, 'The cutting edge of Nexus Glamour since 2166.'
Another half a dozen were hard at work on their knees, smoothing an applique on the lobby floor under the direction of a small, built man with a blond goatee and a hard hat tucked under his arm. The foreman caught sight of Hugh and Dex standing out in the Facility thoroughfare, trying to figure out how to get past the workers without getting in the way. He barely paid them any attention as he called out, "We'll be open for patients tomorrow."
"I'm here to meet the Director," Hugh replied. "Am I too early?"
The foreman immediately dropped what he was doing and strode down a paper runway on the floor to come out to meet them. After a quick handshake, he asked, "You're Frank's consultant? Hugh, right? I'm Eric Laos, Director Laos' son. I watched the lecture you gave on using the Thrive system menu. I can't tell you how much of a time saver it was. I—" He paused, distracted by the workmen installing the mirrors. "Hold it, James," he called out. "Make sure to plug it in before you secure it or we'll have to take the whole thing down again."
"There's no outlet here," one of the workmen replied. "I thought we were going to snake wires through the walls like we did in the lab."
"The lab wall was fabricated. This one isn't. It's a system wall, which means Frank can install an outlet with a few button presses. We talked about this, James. Work with the system, not against it. I know you want to do everything the old fashioned way, but you're going to have to adapt."
The workman grumbled under his breath, but helped the other two men with him to set down the mirror and sent one of them to find Frankie.
"Sorry about that," Eric said. "Some of my people are having a harder time adjusting than others. I thought jumping into a renovation would help all of us get our feet under us faster, but now I'm starting to think we should have taken it slower."
"How many people did you bring with you?" Hugh asked conversationally.
"Nineteen, but only two are qualified to oversee projects. The rest are either long-term laborers, specialized craftsmen, or young bucks who didn't want to be left behind. It's honestly more than I expected to follow me. I'm not sure how much you know about the situation in the real world, but companies are folding left and right. There's rumors two entire Colonies have been completely abandoned and the World Council put out a notice they're planning immediate demolition of the islands, so there's lots of work available for construction workers, contractors, and engineers."
"Can they do that?" he asked, surprised the World Council was acting fast for once. "Don't people own houses and buildings there?"
"Rumor is the World Council is buying them all out," he replied. "Anything owned by someone who logged in to Thrive was seized, which they can do since Colony property deeds include variations of life estate clauses. Those basically say property owners have to personally oversee the maintenance of the properties they own or they forfeit them back to the state. The responsibility can't be transferred, sold directly, or inherited. It was meant to ensure people who made money from the Colonies were those actually living there, but now it's being used to reclaim the land for demolition."
"That's... I don't know what to say to that."
"There isn't much to be said," Eric replied with a careless shrug. "I'm guessing we're going to see a whole lot more of it happening over the next few years. Pops has some high level connections and he's filled me in on some of the World Council's plans. By the time the big doors close on the safe-zones, they intend to knock most of the world back to the Dark Ages. There's going to be a ton of rebuilding to do when it comes time to wake up. Hopefully we'll do it better this time."
"I think my Navigator mentioned something about that. They're planning to remove manmade structures so nature won't have as many barriers. Honestly, it sounds idiotic to me, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. Something we did has to have been the cause."
"There's some scientists who say different. They claim the atmosphere has been shrinking for a long time and this is the natural evolution of the planet but, of course, others are saying it should have taken eons to progress to the point of collapse. I'm not sure which side is right. There's a ton of science being thrown around in the news right now, so it's hard to keep up with the latest theories and counter-theories."
"Yeah, but at least it's more interesting to talk about than the weather." Hugh froze, then laughed at his own comment. "Actually, I think we're talking about the weather anyway. Wouldn't the state of the atmosphere count?"
Eric laughed and clapped a hand on Hugh's arm as if they were buddies. "That's one way to look at it. Guess I'll have to stay up to date so I can make polite conversation when my aunt logs in. But I won't make you suffer through any more of it. You're here to see pops. If you want to go on in, I think he's back in the warehouse. A big guy like you should be fine as long as you stay on the paper runners."
"Before I go, I have a question for you," Hugh said. "How much would it cost for you to build me a stable?"
Eric raised his eyebrow at him, his expression full of bewilderment. "I didn't take you for a rancher," he replied cautiously.
"I'm not. I—" He broke off, realizing it was something the man would have to see to believe. He glanced at Dex and asked, "We're indoors. Will I get in trouble for not having a leash?"
"Unfortunately, yes, but only if someone summons a drone and it catches you with her in a public space. I think you'll be okay as long as you don't take her outside."
Hugh looked back at Eric and asked, "If you're not scared of horses, I'll introduce you to my mount."
"In here?" Eric exclaimed, his eyes bulging at the idea.
"It'll be fine. I won't bring her here as a full-sized mount. The pet version should give you a good idea of what I'm wanting the stable for." Hugh didn't wait for him to agree. He pulled out his book and summoned Shara.
The Nightmare appeared by his feet, standing only two feet tall and looking as adorable as a young colt. Hugh instantly knelt down next to her, running his hand down her back between her wings, soothing her even as he prepared to grab her if she tried bolting.
"Holy shit," Eric blurted, his voice spiraling upward in disbelief. "Is that a Pegasus?"
"This is my Nightmare, Shara. She's been my mount for a very long time now, so it's really important she has a really nice stable to live in. I thought about keeping her in this form and letting her into the house, but I don't want to be kicked in the nuts with a hoof if she tried to climb in bed with me like a dog would. That would suck."
"It's a pegasus!" Eric cried out, drawing the attention of his workers. "How in the world—"
"Pfft. I'm a gamer, Eric. Think about that for a second." Hugh waited a moment to let him actually think while his crew dropped what they were doing and started to gather around. "You think this is the craziest mount in my GameNet Vault? I have creatures that would make people shit themselves if I rode them through Nexus—which is why I won't. But other people will, once they figure out how to get them, so you should be prepared. You're going to be seeing a lot of weird crap in the coming days. And, for the record, Shara isn't a Pegasus. She's a Nightmare. There's a difference."
"There is?" Eric said, seeming to calm down. He cautiously knelt in front of him and Shara, holding out his fist for her to sniff as if she were a strange puppy. Hugh barely refrained from rolling his eyes, especially when Shara gently butting her nose under Eric's fist, asking to be petted.
Reminding himself he wasn't speaking with a fellow gamer, Hugh gently explained, "A Nightmare is coded differently. Pegasus mounts are coded to look pretty and fly. That's it. Shara is different. She not only flies, but she has a few other abilities which make her an ideal partner for an explorer. Riding her, I'll be able to get into places only thieves and teleporters can, assuming I can discover how the triggers for her abilities work in Thrive."
"So she's a full-sized horse when you summon her as a mount?" he asked. Hugh could tell he wasn't asking because he forgot what Hugh said. He was confirming details, his mind already working on the project Hugh wanted to hire him for.
"Yup. I don't know how horses are measured, but we're both around the same height. I think her wings are about six feet long when they're folded like now, and they span about twenty when she has them fully extended. I didn't take a tape measure to her, so that's just an estimate."
"Are you wanting a full barn or just a sleep stall for her?"
"A stall would be enough. I bought a house on a beach, so the weather stays nice and she has run of the yard. She mostly needs somewhere shady to cool off and I need somewhere I can keep her gear."
"What about a hayloft?"
"Don't need one. I'll get one of those giant hay bails as backup, but I'm setting up an auto-garden to feed her using a gardening bot and a field production buff."
"I'm not going to bother asking the details on that. Do you have a stall design in mind?"
"As long as Shara is comfortable and it's not going to fall apart around salt water, I don't care."
"Give me a day or two to do some research and I'll see what I can put together. Is there some way I can reach you?"
"We can add each other to our contact lists and you can send me a message using a mail goblin. It's not as good as texting, but I haven't taken the time to track down a working cell phone yet."