The moment I turned 40, I found myself at the doorway between my current world and another one. With a pounding in my heart and a deep breath, I took a step into a new and exciting life. I wasn’t sure why I was chosen, but I knew that this was the beginning of something that would change my world and this other world forever.
“Gray!” I read.
It was a message from one of my friends, Kiara Gladly. I knew her from work once, and we’ve been friends since then.
“Did you also get an invitation?” she said.
“What invitation?” I replied.
“Didn’t you get something in the mail?”
“I haven’t checked yet, I just woke up.”
It was an early morning for me, especially for a weekend. Normally I wouldn’t wake up sooner than 10 AM, but this time, I was already up at 8:30. I decided to check my mail to see if I got what she was talking about.
There it was. At first glance, it looked like a regular envelope from my local government. The return address, the placement of the logo, the colors, all of it looked like something my country would send out. There was just something odd about this letter.
I opened the letter. Inside was a formal letter, notifying me that I was expected at a specific location. The location was somewhere familiar to me, the local community center.
“Yeah, I got something that looks like an invitation,” I typed.
“It seems to be holographic or something,” Kiara replied. “So when is your appointment?”
“Later today.”
“Mine too, I’m actually going now, but I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”
I looked at the time I had to go. 10 AM. That’s when I would normally be up. I quickly had breakfast, then took a shower, then left my home to head to the community center.
Once I arrived, I could see a short line. Everybody had to show their letter at the check-in, and they’d get a card in return, of varying colors. Some were black, others were white, I could see a few blue and yellow ones as well, varying in lightness. When I finally got to the check-in and handed over my letter, there was a brief discussion going on, but after a while, I got my card. It was a red one, though it seemed to sparkle a bit. Not in a glittery way, though.
“Use this card on any terminal that’s available,” the woman told me.
I was directed to the big hall, where quite a few terminals were present. Even though it was a busy day, there were still a few terminals left. I picked one, and stuck the card into the card slot.
Immediately my personal info appeared on screen, followed by a confirmation button. I double checked everything on the screen, and then pressed the button. I was then greeted with a questionnaire. Some of the questions were just personal questions about my life, which I tried to answer as truthfully as possible, but there were also questions like simple puzzles to ethical questions. When I was done, the terminal informed me that my application had been completed, and basically that I could go home and wait for the results. I didn’t know what to think of it, but I just decided to do just that.
A few minutes after I got home, I got another message from Kiara.
“That was so weird!” Kiara said. “Did you also have to answer a few weird questions?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Hey, what color card did you get?”
“Me? I got a silverish blue one, I guess, what about you?”
“A red one.”
A few weeks later, I received a letter.
“To Gray Darklight,
“We are happy to inform you that you have been selected to be part of a global program. Your family will be notified of your participation. Please gather everything you would like to bring along, and place it on the provided mat.”
I first decided to ask Kiara about it.
“That’s cool!” Kiara said. “Maybe we’ll see each other!”
“Maybe we will,” I replied.
“This is so exciting! Finally something new!”
“I just wonder what I’ll have to do about my current job.”
“Don’t sweat it.”
The mat had a large circle with weird markings on it. To be honest, I didn’t really think much of it, other than I should do as stated. Honestly, I sometimes still wonder why I didn’t question this, though I sure am glad I didn’t.
I’ve placed a lot of my stuff on the mat, clean sets of clothes, bedsheets, some appliances, including my laptop and several external hard drives. Later, I’d add a cooling box with some food. I wasn’t sure if I really needed everything, I just did.
Later, I would get a brochure explaining the details to me, telling me that this would essentially be a job, but by that time, I already talked to my employer about this, and after a few months, they held my farewell party.
On the day of my departure, on my birthday, I noticed everything I placed on the mat was gone. Soon after, some people were present at my door, asking me to pack my final belongings and either put it in a handbag or place it on the mat. After doing that, I left my home.
I was brought to the airport, where I met up with Kiara.
“Hey!” she said. “Isn’t this exciting?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
Deep down, though, I was anxious. I wasn’t sure what this job was, or why I was selected. All I knew was that a home would be provided to me, and that I would get a salary. I looked around me, and quite a few more people were there. They too were there on an invitation, though most of them already knew what they were going to do.
We finally boarded the plane, and Kiara and I sat next to each other. On the way to the destination, we both talked a lot, playing on our handhelds, until finally we arrived at a remote airfield. It wasn’t exactly the kind of airfield you’d see at a top secret location. In fact, we could see that an airport was being built here.
Kiara and I were escorted out of the plane, after which we split paths.
“Mr. Darklight,” a woman said as she approached me. “I’m Leona Rhys, I’ll be your guide for today.”
Leona looked quite a bit younger than me, around the age of 20, maybe 25. Like me, she wore glasses, which, in combination with her face, made her look strict, but if you looked a bit better, you could see a certain kindness in her expression. She wasn’t as serious as she initially looked at the very least.
We both stepped into a shuttle bus, and were driven to something that looked like some fancy underground bunker, though once we got closer, it looked more like a really fancy hotel built inside of a mountain.
The interior really surprised me. It was truly fancy, as if I stepped into a giant mall or entertainment center. There was a convenience store, a gift shop, a casino, I could even see some restaurants in the distance. Forget about looking like a hotel, this was one.
After a bit of walking, we stepped into an office.
“You might be wondering what you’re here for,” Leona says. “Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t know either. But, before you say anything, I’m supposed to hand you this.”
I was handed a folder containing my personal data. There were publicly known things, like my name, birth date and nationality, but also some private things, for example, the fact that I never ever had a girlfriend, or that I was a virgin. Most of these things were either handed down from my government, were cross-referenced from various social media platforms or acquired through other means.
But the most important part was what came after that. Right before the pages containing the rules of this place, there was a sheet containing what could easily be described as a mission.
“Everyone who’s been invited has got a specific mission,” Leona said. “When I arrived here, I too was handed a mission, but it’s up to you if you want to accept it or not.”
“Isn’t there an NDA that I need to sign first?” I said.
“No need for that, at least not now. For now though, just read the mission.”
I looked at this sheet, and began reading.
Card color: Red
Variant: Sparkling
Mission:
Your mission is simple, but will make a big impact on the world. It is therefore one of our important goals, and one of the top priority missions we have.
To put it short, we expect you to wed key figures, as a way to form diplomatic connections. You may decide at your own discretion, though your personal supervisor will be there to vet each candidate.
You aren’t given a time limit for your mission, though we do expect you to show some progress.
To give you a start, we have already assigned you your first fiancée. Your supervisor will tell you more.
“That’s what this letter has told me,” I said.
“I see,” Leona said. “Are there any questions?”
“Well, just one. Not that I’d do this, but what if I rejected this mission?”
“Nothing much, I guess. You’d still be offered a different job that would still fit you, since you did have to give up your current one, but it’d probably not be as exciting as the current one. But anyway, before we finalize this, let me give you a tour of the facility.”
“This is a state of the art living facility. On the first three floors, you can find various facilities, from shops to recreation. We also have our offices here. You as a participant of your program are free to use most of our services free of charge, though you will have to pay for anything in the shops. Because you will now be living here, you’ll get a monthly wage, which allows you to spend it on necessities, like food or supplies which you will need to fulfill your mission. Naturally, these supplies can also be bought on location whenever you’ll go out, but we’ll get to that when we get there.
“Every floor above has rooms for guests. To fund this whole endeavor, we’ve built a hotel inside this mountain, which will open in the next few weeks. We also have living spaces for those who want to reside here permanently, both inside as well as outside this facility. You as a participant however get a special room, built at the lower floors, but I’ll leave that for last.
“When you’re fully registered, you will be able to enter this spa, and many other facilities, like the swimming pool, the night club, the relaxation area, the barber shop and hairdresser, free of charge. Don’t worry, there’ll be a way to identify you. Remember that certain services, like beverages or certain recreational activities do require the exchange of currency.
“So, with this elevator, you can go to any level you want, or you could use the stairs. In your case, using the stairs won’t be a big deal, but for most guests, unless there’s an emergency, the elevator is pretty much a requirement.”
“Wow, you seem to know a lot about this place,” I said.
“Well, I did have time to explore this facility before your arrival,” Leona responded.
We went to the first basement floor, which looked like a regular hotel lobby, except most doors were closed and locked.
“Right this way,” Leona said, as we entered a room.
She sat me down on a chair, and asked me to lay my right hand flat on the table. Then she grabbed a device, and placed it over my hand.
“This device will place a mark on your hand, allowing you to access all facilities, as well as give you access to your own room,” Leona said. “Accepting this mark also means that you will automatically sign our contract.”
“Can I first read the contract before I do this?” I said nervously.
“You may. It’s the last few pages of the document.”
I quickly read the contract, which contained basic stuff, things I wouldn’t really object with. There were things about me being responsible for my own acts, but these rules were all pretty much generalized, I didn’t even know for sure what I was signing myself up for.
“Wait,” I said. “There’s nothing in here that says anything about not disclosing any details about this.”
“That is correct,” Leona responded. “You are, if you want, free to discuss anything that’s happening here.”
“Isn’t this a government funded facility though?”
“That is correct, though there’s no real use of hiding what this is, as we’ll be opening this facility up to the public in a few weeks anyway.”
There was something in her eyes that I couldn’t really place. There was something that she knew that made her eyes twinkle a bit, a certain kind of excitement, something she was eager to tell me but for some reason couldn’t. Truth be told, I was curious as well. Either way, she didn’t seem like a bad person, and this place didn’t really seem like a bad place at all. But most of all, whatever it was, I felt like I had to be part of it.
“Where do I sign?” I asked.
“Just touch ‘OK’ on the touchpad while your hand is under the device.”
For a few seconds, I hesitated. This wasn’t just some small thing, this was a big deal. A big part of me was scared and confused, like, my whole mission just didn’t make any sense. Why would they want me to marry? Me, a nobody, just a random guy who’s already in his forties. But, a big part of me was also curious. Curious enough for me to press “OK” before I had the chance to think.
I looked at my right hand, and I could see light appearing on it, making the shape of a circle. It was similar to the circle on the mat I received days before, except the markings were different.
Then I began to feel something, first in my hand, then moving over to my arm, coursing through my whole body. It wasn’t painful, no, in fact, it was quite pleasant. My body began to feel a bit lighter, and I could feel some of my fatigue fade away.
“Can I see your hand?” Leona said.
The moment she held my hand, I could see that same circle appear. I wasn’t too sure, but I could see, no, maybe it’s more accurate to say that I could feel another one appear on her own hand.
She looked at me, and smiled, as if she had seen something great.
“Well, with that, let me show you to your room.”
We walked out of the room, into a big hallway, which stretched out pretty far, and was pretty wide. There was carpet everywhere, mostly to dampen any sound, like footsteps or wheels.
After a few minutes, we arrived at a door. It seemed like an ordinary door, though I wasn’t exactly sure what material it was made of.
“This is our humble abode,” Leona said.
“Wait, our?” I asked.
“Yeah, as your supervisor, we’ll be around each other a lot. Don’t worry, there are enough beds for the two of us.”
Her tone seemed a bit different, more loose, less formal, maybe even more soft and friendly.
I looked at the door, and there was a certain pad, one where you’d swipe your card on. Except, I didn’t have a card, though I did have the feeling that I didn’t need one. I touched the pad with my hand, and as I did, I felt something going through my head, coursing through my body, into my hand. It wasn’t even that everything went automatically, it felt like I knew how to use it, as if my brains told me that I needed to send energy to the pad.
I could briefly see a magic circle forming, and with that, the door unlocked.
“Impressive,” Leona said.
I wanted to open the door, but Leona stopped me.
“Okay, so, listen,” she said. “The thing is, well, honestly, this is exciting for me as well. Beyond this door is something amazing. I mean, I haven’t seen it myself, but I was told that…”
“You make it sound like I’m stepping into another world,” I replied, only half joking.
The excitement in Leona’s face made me think it wasn’t actually a joke.
“Wait a minute,” I said, as I swung open the door.
The room seemed fairly normal, maybe a bit unusual. Unlike a normal hotel room, the walls, the floor, even the ceiling, had a wood aesthetic. No, this wasn’t just a room, there was more to this. It was as if this was a whole different part of the facility.
I lifted one foot, then hesitated. It’s too late to back out now, I thought, so I took a step forward, and entered the room. I could immediately feel that the air was different. I began exploring the rest of my room, and Leona closely followed me, until I finally noticed where I was.
The door I just stepped through was seemingly connected to a wooden house somewhere far away from where we originally were. In fact, this didn’t even seem like the same world.
I looked at Leona, and there was a big smile on her face.
“Welcome to another world I guess,” Leona said, as we both stepped outside.
“This is amazing,” I said.
Leona looked at me with a certain excitement.
“Now, let me formally introduce myself,” she said. “My name is Leona Rhys, and from today on, I’ll be your fiancée.”