" STAR FALLER!! LOOK!! "
Mimi shouts with excitement as she stands next to one of the windows to the main room.
" It looks so pretty!! What are those? "
You get up from your seat and approach her in order to look at what she wants you to see. As you stare out the window, you can see a neon metropolis in the distance with glowing blue and purple skyscrapers so unbelievably tall that they easily pierce the clouds in the night sky. As the cruiser gets closer, the sheer size of the towering buildings gets put more and more into perspective as the colossal towers get taller and taller. You're taken aback by the grandiosity of this illuminated technological capital and you can only muster the name of it as you try to process the reality of what you're looking at.
" Voldoor… "
Gareth overhears Mimi's question and answers her with pride as he too comes to gaze out the window with you.
" Those are buildings, Mimi. The tallest ones are called skypiercers and everything that's tall and below the clouds are called skyscrapers. "
" Those are buildings!? You mean that people live inside those things!? "
Mimi exclaims in a flabbergasted tone. Gareth smiles as he replies.
" Not all of them are for residential use. Most of them are used for business, but there is one skypiercer that only the most elite Voldoorians live in. "
Gareth then points to a building in the center of the city that is so tall that it dwarfs all of the other skypiercers around it.
" See that building right there? "
Mimi puts her face closer to the glass as she responds.
" Yeah! The really big one in the middle? "
Gareth nods as he continues speaking to her.
" That one is the High Temple Tower. It's used as a center for business between The High Temple and every organization in the city. The Czar lives at the very top, and Tom and Abbadon are going all the way up there to meet with him. "
" WOAH!! "
Mimi shouts as she turns and looks up at you.
" Can I go with you? Please! Please please please! "
You shake your head as you respond.
" No, Mimi. This city may look pretty on the outside, but don't let it fool you. The people that live here have turned their backs on a moral way of living, and they're very ugly on the inside. This place isn't safe like Moriarch or Ishville. "
Mimi puts her head down disappointedly as she accepts your judgment.
" Okay… "
Roary, still sitting on the couch in the main room, interjects with his opinion based on what you said.
" Abbadon's right, Mimi. Every murderer, every thief, every criminal that evaded their punishment has ran away from Moriarch to hide in Voldoor. Since there's no law here, you can basically get away with whatever you want as long as you belong to a corporation or a gang. The people here are nothing more than savages and animals who only care about fulfilling their own desires. That's why you're going to stay in the penthouse where it's safe while me, Tom, and Abbadon go into the city. "
" Uhm… about that. "
Tom speaks up from across the room as he's inspecting The Holy Omniverse Transcript alone at a table. His hands are glowing green and you can tell that he's being very careful at whatever he's doing.
" You're gonna be staying in the penthouse too. Donny and I will go on our investigation together while you stay back and take care of Mimi. "
" What!? "
Roary exclaims in disbelief, obviously upset.
" You're gonna have me on babysitting duty?! What a lame job for Moriarch's strongest Champion! "
Tom then peers at Roary and Roary immediately collects himself before sighing and responding appropriately.
" But I still honor your decision, Tom. You're the boss. I'll make sure to keep her safe and happy while you and Abbadon are away. "
" Thank you, Roary. "
Tom says before continuing to inspect the book on the table. Gareth then unexpectedly speaks up to propose an alternative solution.
" If I may propose something, Tom. I don't wish to question your authority or plan, but I'd like to inform you that I'm more than happy to watch over the child if you wish to bring Roary with you. I have several more clones in the city, and under my watch, she'll be the safest girl in all of Voldoor."
Tom immediately answers Gareth as the glowing green light from his hands reflects off of his face.
" I've already thought of that possibility, and I'd still like Roary to stay with her. No offense, but since you've proven to be untrustworthy, I'll have to entrust the job to someone who hasn't withheld information from me. "
" None taken… "
Gareth says as he reluctantly accepts Tom's wishes.
As the cruiser gets closer to the city, it slows down and you can see it pass through some sort of force field. The force field scans every object and person inside the cruiser as you pass through, and once the cruiser emerges on the other side, the cruiser makes a few beeps and sounds before adjusting its course automatically in the direction of a skypiercer in the distance. As the cruiser passes the neon blue and purple buildings on the way to your destination, the advancedness of their architecture and the intricacy inspires awe as you gaze at them with an open mouth. Then suddenly, the cruiser begins to descend and Gareth turns around to make an announcement.
" Alright everyone, we're almost there. When we exit the cruiser, make sure you bring your belongings with you if you wish to keep them. I'll be handing off this vessel to the technician once we reach our room. "
Everyone then picks up their outfits and you grab your folded clothes on the couch as well before the cruiser lands on a landing pad and the doors open. You immediately see several young beautiful women and handsome men all wearing uniforms lined up in a luxurious red and golden lobby room outside the cruiser and a red haired woman who's at the front of the line bows down and speaks as everyone steps off onto the solid gold floor tiles.
" Welcome to Voldoor. My name is Amy, and I'm the head steward here at The Monument. As VIP Guests, please ask me for anything you could ever want and I will ensure you're satisfied. The stewards and I are here to serve you in any way that you desire. May we take your bags? "
" We don't have any bags. "
Tom says to her politely.
" You can take our old outfits though and have them cleaned in the laundry. "
" Of course, Master Guest. We'll bring them back to your room as soon as possible. "
Amy says as one of the stewards steps forward and holds her arms out for everyone to put their folded clothes onto. After everyone gives her their clothes, she immediately leaves and Amy steps in front of the group and addresses everyone.
" Your room is the Penthouse on the 437th Level. Please follow me. "
She says before leading you down a hallway into a very spacious elevator. Once you're all inside the elevator, you notice that on the screen to pick which floor you'd like to go to, the elevator only goes up to Level 300. Amy then pulls a device out from under her sleeve and scans it on the screen, which reveals a hole in the wall above the screen. She then scans her eye by looking into it. Once the elevator reads her eye pattern, the screen abruptly changes to show Levels 301 to 450. Amy then presses Level 437 with her thumb, and the screen scans her thumb as well before the elevator begins to ascend smoothly to its destination.
While you're quietly riding the elevator up, you can hear Roary whisper in Tom's ear behind you.
" Do you mind if I ask her some questions? "
Tom then turns his head and nods subtly before Roary speaks up in the elevator.
" So… uhm… Amy, was it? What exactly do you do here as the head steward? "
Amy turns around and smiles as she answers Roary.
" My job here as head steward is to ensure that each of the stewards here at The Monument is doing their very best at attending to our guests' desires. Was there something I could do for you, Master Guest? "
Roary answers her coldly, as if he's disgusted by her lack of morals.
" I don't want anything from the likes of you. I'm just asking questions in order to learn more about Voldoor and the people here. What do people normally ask you for when they stay here at The Monument? "
Amy responds quickly and politely in a soft voice.
" Of course, Master Guest. I understand. There is really no limit to what our VIP Guests can ask us for, so the requests vary depending on the person who's staying with us. Upon first introducing myself, many of our male guests ask me to- "
" That's enough. "
Tom says sternly as he interrupts.
" Amy, I want you to remain silent until I give you permission to speak otherwise. "
Amy then smiles softly and nods her head before turning back around. Tom then looks at Roary and motions his eyes down towards Mimi, obviously telling Roary to watch what he says around her. Roary puts his head down respectfully, possibly apologizing to Tom who may be talking to him telepathically.
Suddenly, the elevator doors open and you're greeted by a luxurious abode. It's similar to the cruiser, except the rooms are way larger and all of the walls and doors are made of glass. You can see every room in the penthouse from the living room through the glass including the bathrooms and showers, and the glass walls on the outside of the building give you a beautiful view of the city from above.
Everyone steps off of the elevator and Amy stares patiently at Tom, waiting for him to give her permission to speak. Tom catches this and asks her a question.
" What if we wanted a penthouse with a bit more privacy? "
" Penthouses are often used for parties thrown by our guests, so each one was built with transparent walls so our guests can see what everyone is doing in each of their rooms. If you wish for privacy, each room has a button that you can press to make the walls opaque. "
Tom nods his head as he responds to Amy.
" Good. Let's make sure the walls stay normal while we're here. "