He reached the door and paused outside. It was always bio-locked – tugging on it had never worked in the past. Now, though, the lights that had previously always glowed red were all green. Alex grasped the handle and pulled.
The door swung open easily and he found himself in another corridor, with another door at the end, also protected – although by a mechanical lock this time, a failsafe, Alex supposed, in case any unauthorised person made their way through the first one. This door also opened easily the second he pulled its handle… and he blinked as he found himself in a brightly lit room, an office with empty chairs and workstations, various half-drunk beverages on the desks hinting that its occupants had only just left.
There was only one person here. His short white hair was gelled to his head and neatly parted down the right-handside. He was wearing a pair of wide-legged white trousers and an elegant maroon-and-white-checked shirt, with a matching maroon cravat tied with perfect élan around his neck. He stood when Alex entered the room, watching him keenly.
“Ah, my dear Alex,” he said urbanely. “It’s only been a few days, but I’ve missed you.”
Alex stood in the doorway, unmoving. “Good to finally meet you at last – A,” he said softly.
The man smiled. “There’s no need for any formality between us, Alex. Please call me Gideon. Now, let me show you to my control room, so we can be more comfortable. As you can see, I’ve cleared the office of my staff, so we can be alone, and I’ve taken the liberty of calling for a nice afternoon tea, so that we can relax and have a good chat. I’m sure you have many questions.”
He led Alex through the empty office to a spacious room off to one side. Alex stepped inside… then stopped, looking around in shock.
The walls were covered with screens, each of them showing various rooms in Belvedere: the gym, the rec room, the dining room… and the dorm, where he’d just been sitting. He’d been right; the mirrors did contain hidden cameras, judging by the angle of the footage.
There were other strange curios around the room, too. All his drawings were here, the ones he’d given to the staff, and those he’d given to his fellow indies. They were all pinned to a huge noticeboard, except one… the one of Gideon dressed in top hat and tails as he did his yoga practice had been blown up to three times the original size and hung, framed, above a large sofa.
Gideon followed his gaze and smiled. “We all love your pictures,” he said. “But I especially adore this one. How beautifully you draw.”
“Did you take their pictures away from them?” Alex asked sadly, gazing at the sweet little drawing of D.
“Oh, heavens, no. They were all given copies that are indistinguishable from the originals. I couldn’t let them have the originals, but everybody wanted a copy as a little memento of one of our most charming students.”
“Me?” Alex snorted. “Charming?”
“Absolutely. You’ve been quite a favourite and undoubtedly the most unique student I’ve ever had the pleasure to teach. Most are dull, stupid, or boorish, but not you.” Gideon sat down on the sofa and gestured Alex to the armchair opposite.
Between them was a large coffee table with a pot of tea on it, a plate of sandwiches and some scones. Plates, cups, and saucers, made of bone china and covered in a fussy pink floral pattern, completed the oddly incongruous scene.
Alex sat down warily, searching Gideon’s face for some trace of the man he’d known for the past few months. The hair and clothes were different, but the quiet confidence, the elegance, and the old-fashioned manner of speaking were all the same.
“Was it all a lie?” he asked miserably.
“Absolutely not,” Gideon said firmly. He poured them both a cup of tea. “Do help yourself to food. The scones are warm – that’s the only way to eat them, in my opinion. You must be quite hungry after all those hours of waiting to see if I’d respond. I was considering the options and possible outcomes and discussing them with my team. This was a little unexpected at this stage, but we know how bright you are, so there was always a chance you’d figure it out. We had plans for all eventualities.”
“What was there to discuss?” Alex took an egg sandwich.
“Well, I was apprehensive about you meeting me as A. You felt fondly towards Two, and we’d built up such a lovely rapport. I knew that would be ruined if you knew the truth. However, C felt there was little point in prolonging the subterfuge, and that we could move forward more honestly and directly this way.”
“C’s a psychiatrist,” Alex guessed, sitting back in his chair.
“A psychoanalyst,” Gideon corrected. “He is a medical doctor, too, but his real talents lie elsewhere. He’s been my eyes and ears on this side of the wall. We had regular discussions about you during Two’s daily medical treatments, and at various other times in the day when you and I were apart. Alex, please believe me, the intention has never been to hurt you but to understand you.”
“Well, newsflash – I’m hurting,” Alex admitted with a pained smile.
“Of course you are. You’ve been deceived and betrayed by people you liked and trusted. Anyone would be hurt.”
“You could have just talked to me,” Alex muttered. “Why such an elaborate charade?”
“I very much doubt you would have told me about the manner of poor Solange’s death, or the way Tyler acquired your contract, if you’d believed I was working for him,” Gideon replied flatly. “Hmm?” He picked up his spoon and stirred his tea, one leg crossed elegantly over the other.
Alex gave a grudging nod. “To go to such lengths, though.” He waved his hand at the monitors. “Just for one indie.”
“It’s what we do here. If a houder has the money, we provide the service. To be honest, most of what we do is what you saw. We teach indies various useful skills. Most houders require highly trained household servants, so that makes up the majority of what we teach. However, I saw a gap in the market for a more bespoke service some years ago, so we became experts in tailoring a course specifically for one indie.”
“Tyler talked of breaking me. I thought Belvedere was going to be a torture chamber.”
Gideon gave a little laugh. “Not at all. It’s true that some servants do come here with an elevated sense of themselves and require a certain element of re-education, but that’s neverachieved by physical violence.” He pursed his lips. “I find that quite distasteful.”
