The Induction

"Wake up."

Something was different. I'd normally start my day with the cozy embrace of warm blankets and the reluctance to rid myself of them. Now, various pressures on my arms and posterior hinted at a sitting position. This was confirmed when I raised my eyelids. A brown carpet and cream-colored walls surrounded me when I retired the previous day. Now it was an army of white tiles.

"Welcome to processing." An unknown voice filled the room. "You'll be asked a series of questions. All answers must be provided promptly and clearly. All questions will be ignored until the end of processing. Is that understood?"

What the hell is this?! I tried to find the source of the voice, whether human or speaker, but the white tiles refused to reveal anything, including a door.

"Is that understood?"

"Yes." I turned my gaze forward, figuring that would be the most obvious place for a camera.

"State your designation."

“V-“ I cleared my throat with a cough. "Va-"

"You aren't permitted to use that name during your stay in this facility. Failure to adhere will result in termination of employment. You will respond to call-sign 'V'. Is that understood?"

My heart gave several nervous beats. "Yes."

"State your designation."

"V."

"State your previous occupation."

"Sys-"

"You aren't permitted to discuss any information or events that occurred before joining this facility. Failure to adhere will result in termination of employment. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"State your previous occupation."

"Classified."

"Discuss any familial connections."

"Classified."

"Discuss any current or previous relationships and/or partnerships."

"Classified."

"Discuss any personal health anomalies."

I paused. "I'm not sure whether I'm allowed."

"Physical injuries or health anomalies may be discussed between researchers as long as you don't share information about your prior life. This facility has a single doctor on standby, designated X. She has a full medical dossier of each researcher. As such, the restriction of sharing information on your past life doesn't apply to her. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Good." A vibration betrayed the surprise of a floor tile sliding away where a concrete chute waited. "Undress. Discard all clothes, jewelry, and other accessories in the chute."

What did I let myself in for? The chair squeaked when I stood up, which prompted an investigation. The chair's metallic frame seemed standard but the leather cushions on the seat and backrest were not. The bolts locking it to the floor bothered me. Best not to keep the voice in the sky waiting. I started tugging at my collar, but stopped when the shirt was about to go over my head. "Wait! I'm not wearing any underwear."

"Discard all clothes, jewelry, and other accessories in the chute."

"No!"

"Failure to adhere will result in termination. Is that understood?"

Shit! My eyes shifted to the ominous chute. Any hope that it would magically disappear seemed to be misplaced.

"Is that understood?"

"Yes." The pit in my stomach grew with every passing second, but I knew my future would be one where I relented. With my eyes firmly shut, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, wrapping it in a ball that I pressed against my girls. That left my boxers as the sole piece of clothing attached to my person. A few awkward hops soon robbed me of that privilege. The looks I fired at the chute conveyed many unflattering words, even more so when my boxers rested on the rim for an extra second before disappearing into the abyss.

Bunch of perv's, the lot of you.

The chute closed with a soft hiss. "Stand on the indicated section," said the voice as four tiles in front of the chair started shining bright red.

It's one thing after the next. I despaired as I hobbled over. The tiles turned green when I stepped onto them.

"Scan complete." The tiles returned to their original color about five seconds later. Several mechanical noises drew my attention to a wall segment that spontaneously grew a cupboard. "Dress yourself."

The cupboard's door opened as I approached. Inside, I found a single monochrome jumpsuit. I pulled it out before I could get a sense of its design. I couldn't care less about that right now. Thankfully, the jumpsuit fit perfectly, though that had some disturbing implications.

The zip racing up my back allowed me to lower my hands without worry. A mirror at the back of the cupboard offered the first proper glimpse of myself since waking up. The black jumpsuit, embroidered with a white collar and cuffs, now adorned my figure. The shorter sleeve exposing everything below my left elbow was odd, but the embroidery suggested it was by design. The reason would likely reveal itself soon enough.

"Much better," I said as I investigated the cupboard for anything else. Two black shoes waited for me at the bottom. Each featured rounded tips and a white line around the heel. Interesting look. I guided the shoes out with a foot, flipping the one that toppled over before squeezing both feet in, the right one after the left. A soft whirring noise didn't escape my notice. Neither did the subtle changes as the shoe squeezed itself around my foot. It wasn't too loose or too tight, just... perfect. Some shoe. I half expected to hear a mechanical tap when I took a step, but a step proved me wrong.

"Direct your attention to the compartment on the right." A blinking light turned my attention to the indicated compartment, where two items waited to make my acquaintance. One familiar, and one less so. "Name tags are to be worn at all times. Failure to adhere will result in a moderate pay deduction. Is that understood?"

"Yes," I said as I picked up the tag. The words 'Researcher V' featured prominently at the top, and the picture seemed recent. The hairstyle in the photo matched my current look, and I could see the edges of the jumpsuit around my neck.

"The second object is called a Sleeve," said the voice as I slid the name tag into its pocket. Satisfied, I turned my attention to the last object. It resembled a conical glass tube, with one side smaller than the left. "Your Sleeve serves as a portable digital assistant and is to be placed over your secondary arm. Wearing your Sleeve is highly encouraged but only mandatory during working hours. Failure to adhere will result in a moderate payment deduction. Damaged Sleeves can be repaired, but may incur a pay deduction if evidence of neglect is found. Please slide your secondary arm through the Sleeve to finalize processing."

The device felt cool to the touch, more so when I pushed my arm through it. I spared a thought for how I'll attach it to my arm, but the same whir as before negated those worries. Both edges tightened until the Sleeve stayed in place. The extra weight felt odd. I wondered whether the Sleeve would impair my movement, so I flexed my wrist. The Sleeve provided no hindrance, and I heard the whirring whenever my wrist did anything dramatic.

"Welcome, V." A series of blue lights flickered throughout the Sleeve to form a blue ring in the middle. "I'm Hades, the administrator of this facility."

"Uh, hi."

"As the administrator, my primary task is ensuring this facility performs at maximum efficiency. I will also administer and log all experiments while providing personalized assistance to all researchers."

"All researchers?" I raised an eyebrow. "You can't be human then."

"Indeed. I'm a holistic artificial intelligence."

"That makes sense. I assume you're connected to all electronic devices in this facility?"

"Most, but not all. Management? The profile for researcher V has been created and synced to the mainframe. User rights granted. Biometric feeds are running optimally. All tests executed successfully. Sleeve is running at optimal condition."

"Thank you, Hades. Management out." The speakers died with a click.

"Researcher V, I congratulate you on successfully passing processing. You are the seventeenth of twenty-one candidates to have done so." I exhaled, thanking whoever was looking out for me that that part was over. "For the final part of your induction, I will answer most, if not all, questions you may have. Please keep in mind the restrictions Management has placed on information exchange. As this is your first day, I will indicate whenever you've exchanged information that may infringe on Management's rules. Please note this courtesy applies to exchanges between us. Exchanging confidential information with the other researchers will lead to the indicated penalties."

"Thanks for the warning." I scratched the back of my head. "I'm tempted to ask where we are, but I suspect that is one of the questions you're not allowed to answer."

"You are correct. I cannot provide details regarding this facility's whereabouts."

"And I assume the same goes for my employer?"

"That is correct. I'm unable to reveal anything about them except that they answer to the designation 'Management'."

"I see." I bit the inside of my lip as I ran through my list of questions. "You said I'm the seventeenth. Are there sixteen others in here?"

"Incorrect. Only seven other researchers are currently employed at this facility. The rest have either completed their contracts or had their contracts terminated. Would you like me to send you an abridged dossier on each of your colleagues?"

Seems like Management wasn't kidding about the termination threats. I nodded. "Please. It'll help me to get to know them. Can you tell me what I'll be working on?"

"You will receive your first assignment tomorrow. Subsequent assignments will arrive the day after a prior assignment has been turned in and verified. We'll take your proficiency in software development into account. Do note you'll be required to work in areas outside of your expertise on some projects."

"Understood. Am I allowed to talk to the other researchers about what I'm doing?"

"Yes. The exchange of information between researchers is highly encouraged and can serve as a viable source of knowledge. It's their prerogative whether they decide to assist you, as Management won't force them to do so. History has shown that all researchers seem willing to help should the same favor be granted to them in the future."

"Swell." I blew out a small breath. "Still, not exactly comforting to know the god of the underworld is our assistant. Any reason for the ominous name? Is this place really hell?"

"Hades is an acronym for Holistic Archival Distribution and Execution System. Any relation to ancient Greek mythology is purely coincidental."

"I see." I nodded to myself. If pressed, I'd admit my fear was turning into curiosity. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of projects were lying in store, though this would be far from easy if Hades told the truth. "I don't think I have any more questions. For now, at least."

"Excellent. The current time is eleven thirty-six. As is customary, you'll have the rest of the day to familiarize yourself with the facility layout and introduce yourself to your co-workers. They have been notified of your successful induction and will arrive in the mess hall shortly. I propose that you exchange introductions there. Your first shift starts tomorrow at eight o'clock. Breakfast will start at seven and last for forty-five minutes. Please specify the time for your morning alarm."

"Six should be fine."

"Very well, your morning alarm has been set to six o'clock. You may use the Sleeve to contact me at any time. Please leave the room via the indicated exit." A series of hissing noises filled the air as ten tiles on the closest wall split apart to form a passage. "I look forward to working with you, V. May your duration at this facility be both pleasant and profitable."