βI see,β Kit replied, his smile not reaching his eyes, then waves them towards his guest chairs in front of his desk. βPlease come in and have a seat, officers.β
Gator eyed them warily as they took their seats. Kit shot the dweller a warning glance, then turned his attention to his visitors.
Why were they visiting him? Was this another mutant hunt? Did this have anything to do with his father? Was he trying to get him involved in something?βSo,β Kit drawled, stroking his hairless chin, βYou said you have questions? Would you like me to seal the room?β
By now, they probably knew where the privacy button was. Hope nobodyβs monitoring them remotely, I donβt need for the Security Office to come crashing in because of the signal jammer.The slightly older man seemed to smile when Kit spoke, β
Thank you,β his voice was more charming and stern than his trainee officers and anyone could tell that trainee officer Lupton was
very new to the job. There was a natural oblivious naivety to him.
As both of the officers entered and Lutpon took a seat, Klay put up his hand in a motion to say
stop before he spoke, β
There is no need for you to do that. These are simple survey questions, Mister Galloway. Iβll be letting trainee officer Lupton ask these questions,β he gestured for the young man to go ahead.
Survey questions, Kit nodded.
As if theyβd send Security officers for that instead of using anonymous pollsters or state news reporters in the street. Whatβs really going on here?Lupton looked a little surprised even though they had spoke about this protocol before β he needed to have on-the-job training and he nodded, β
Mister Galloway, Kit?β he seemed unsure what he should call the man while his bright blue eyes scanned the older face. A face that looked like it should be in business or the like, β
From the recent situations that have plagued Dominion, on a scale of zero to ten, zero being the least happy or positive while ten being the most happy and positive. Where would you put yourself?β he glanced up at Klay as if he was asking for permission of somesort.
βI donβt understand,β Kit replies, his brow furling as he glances between the two of them.
Was this a trick question? βShould I be happy about something that plagues the Dominion? No, if itβs harming the Dominion, you can record me as being unhappy about it. A three, or even a four.β
Lupton seemed to not know how to process the whole response and looked up at Klay for guidance. Klay sighed with a slightly forced and barely even there smile. β
We can move onto the next question. On a scale of 0 to ten, ten being the most likely, how likely do you think people outside of Dominion have influence on individuals inside of Dominion?β Klay was already internally grumbling about how his higher ups sent Lupton, a trainee with him, since he
wanted and felt like he should be doing this job by himself.
βPeople
outside of Dominion?β Kit demanded, staring back at Klay oddly. βDo you mean dwellers like Gator? Burrowers from the chuts? Creatures what crawled up from the Abyssmal Trench? How much influence do you think theyβd have on us? Zero, is what.β
Were they trying to start up an ethnic cleansing? Or did he mean others besides everyone living here? Itβs possible that others might have survived, creating cities like theirs, deep underground - but how would Security Officers know anything about that?Klay went to speak but found himself pursing his lips β
Who is Gator? And why does Kit know them? β the older and darker man took out a notebook and wrote down the name.
Associate of Kitβs - Gator, dweller. Before closing the notebook and putting it back into his pocket. Something he wanted to make sure he remembered.
β
You cannot really believe everything outside of Dominion has zero influence, can you?β Clearly, the older man was probing and trying to find somethingβ¦ anything to continue the discussion. They had no real foundation on being in Kitβs private room - be that work or home. The law was the law and Klay knew if the man was to ask them to leave. They would have to.
Then he cleared his throat, β
Iβm sorry, I am being quite unprofessional. You donβt have to answer that question. Next question,β his blue orbs looked up to Kit before looking at the paper, he glanced at Lupton who seemed nervous and unsure where to begin. Lupton nodded his head, β
Yes, next questionβ¦ On a scale of zero to ten, ten being the most helpful, do you think the Crystalline council is helpful?β
Kit frowned, raising his hand to his chin and stroking his hairless cheek with his forefinger.
βIβm not sure I know how to answer that,β he admitted honestly. βWe need order and stability, and they provide that, certainly. But part of my training - as I am sure it is yours, too - is to observe. Some of our farming tunnels are no longer producing, and Iβve heard stories of cracks appearing in some of the foundations. Could it just be from the earthquakes, certainly. But I donβt remember them being as frequent as they were when I was a boy, and repairs donβt seem to happen. Surely the council is aware of these things, yetβ¦β
Both of the safety officers listened to Kit while he spoke about the farming tunnels, how cracks have been appearing, and how odd it has been that βearthquakesβ have been showing up more and more. Something in Klayβs eyes revealed that he knew more though he stood there in silence. Lupton looked surprised by what Kit was saying and startled when Klay put his hand on the younger officerβs shoulder, β
Write it down. We have to analyze all the opinions of each and every citizen, Lupton,β he encouraged the man to be more vigilant with information.
Lupton nodded, β
Oh, yeah, sorry,β he wrote what Kit had to say down.
βThere are things in the dark,β Gator interrupts, behind the officers. βThey seem drawn to the cities. What they are, I do not know. When I was a child, we killed one, and it fed our people for days.β
Klay looked almost startled as if he didnβt realize there was another person in the room with them and he looked over his shoulder, β
There are things outside of the cities walls that are extremely dangerous,β he spoke flatly towards the individual. β
Thatβs the reason we have a city and walls around it. Our rules, mission, and government are here to keep everyone as safe as possible.β
βI have a bit of its fur,β the dweller shrugged, smiling.The hunters agreed, her strike was what killed it, which was why they gave her such a big piece. βIt makes a nice cloak.β
Kitβs frown grew a little deeper, remembering Gatorβs song sheβd sing to soothe them.
When I wake up alone in the dark without a light, thereβs a hundred million monsters out to get me in the nightβ¦β
Also,β Klay began to speak though his brows furrowed. He looked back at Kit and he could honestly tell there was something different with Gator β β
You should be careful having a dweller around, Kit,β This did not sound like a threat but a genuine concern and warning.
βShe saved my life,β Kit said, quietly.
Lupton was going to speak but Klay put his hands on the younger manβs shoulders, β
I think we over spent our time here. I do apologize that we bothered you, Mr. Galloway, but we do appreciate your inputs on how you are feeling about the safety and security of Dominion.β Klay was pulling out because this was getting nowhere. This caused Lupton to stand up as well.
βI hope I have been helpful,β Kit offered, glancing at the clockwork timepiece on the wall.
Itβs not even been five minutes? Whatβs going on?.
Kit placed his right hand palm down over his heart, then bowed deeply. βI thank the Crystalline Council and your kind attention to duty.β
He straightened up. While he doubted they would knock down the door at Galloway Manor, should the Security Officers show up with warrants for Kitβs arrest, many there would be glad to escort them to his door, just to see the last of him.
Assuming you make it home to Galloway Manor.Lupton seemed overly confused, as he gestured to the papers he was holding, and Klay waved him off. β
You were a ton of help, thank you,β the older officer smiled. β
Your feedback will be a part of a statistic that helps us understand the overall satisfaction and worries of the Dominion population. The Crystalline Council thanks you for your participation.β
Both officers took their leave, Lupton confused though polite, telling Galloway to have a nice evening before following Klay out of the building.
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