ACT 3

Glimmer hit snooze twice before being shaken awake by her apartment complex, sudden grinding awake as the shutters and panels started to slide down into place. She shot out of bed and manually struck the light switch before the meager light from the window could be blocked. “Computer!!?” She shouted, her heart racing.

Her previous system might have joined her panic to mimic her shout. Instead, the computer chimed in with a small bell and began its report.

“Good morning, Glimmer. It is currently 07:05 on 2085 December 7th.”

Glimmer watches the armor shield drill into place. The sound is loud and invading. It makes her head throb as her face crunches with discomfort. “What’s happening!?”

The computer continued. “Weather Alert. A Frostbite Storm has just occurred. A severe and unprecedented ice storm has enveloped the city. This storm is characterized by its sudden onset and the formation of an icy mist that descends-”

“AM I SAFE?!” Glimmer yells over the computer.

There’s a pause. There’s a long pause. It makes Glimmer rush for the TV to turn on a news channel, but the computer returns to life as she does. “Due to **** conditions outside, your apartment complex has initiated a full lockdown protocol. All external doors and windows are sealed to maintain internal temperatures and prevent ice infiltration. To ensure comfort, the heating system is set to 72’F, with energy usage optimized for the storm's duration.”

Glimmer idly wonders what she will do now that she’s locked inside her apartment. She could either go to the gym or pretend she had a normal life outside of work. The computer continued its speech until her ears tuned to “health monitoring.”

“Your vital signs from last night’s sleep indicate you were in stage 3 sleep for 45% of your rest period, suggesting adequate recovery. However, the stress has slightly elevated, likely due to the weather alert,” she blinked, thinking that was good considering yesterday's events. “Pink Heat has issued a notice to all staff outside of the club. Unique clients will be sent to your homes to fill time slots. Her eyes flicked to her bed with notable concern. What if it was Alexander? Mr. Blank? Janet? Grayson… She wondered about the other clients, too… She had a lot of people that were considered unique… For them to come into her home during lockdown seemed unlikely, but she never doubted what money could do in this world.

“Temperatures are currently 10 but are expected to drop into the negatives within hours. Travel is strongly discouraged, and private fliers are subjected to remain grounded. Walkways will be encased with ice, making them treacherous. The duration of this ice storm is expected to last 24-48 hours. Progression of the storm will be provided hourly.”

“No,” Glimmer says. “Provide updates as needed.”

There’s a chime announcing without words that the defaults have been changed.

“Any new messages?”

The computer chimes. “There are unread messages.”

“Who are they from?” Glimmer sits on her bed, leaning against her legs as she listens.”

“Paul… Local Emergency Management… Complex Community Support… Pink Heat Management… Would you like to hear them?”

“Yes,” Glimmer fidgets at the mention of Pink Heat, hoping she’s avoided bringing people into her home. “B-begin with Paul!”

“Paul says, Checking in. Noticed you didn’t make it to work at your typical time. Are you alright?”

Glimmer thought there was going to be more, but the computer continued with the emergency message and the one from the complex support, all bullshit she didn’t care about. As Pink Heat’s message is read, she holds her breath.

“Dear Glimmer, I hope this email finds you well. I want to start by acknowledging your dedication and significant contribution to Pink Heat over the past two years. Your professionalism, ability to tailor experiences for our elite clientele, and role in client retention have been exemplary. You’ve been rewarded 21 vacation days!” The computer stops, and Glimmer exhales, thinking it’s over, but the computer continues.

“Your performance review with client satisfaction has never been higher! That said, Mr. Blank has canceled further visits due to financial concerns; however, his slot has been replaced by another high-net-worth individual. Speak with your manager for further details.”

There’s another long pause, and Glimmer comfortably falls back to her bed, taking in the information. She hated Mr. Blank, but she had a sinking feeling that she had met his replacement last night. Sevens. “God damn it,” she whispers. She considers the sex and frowns… At least he wasn’t mean… Then the computer starts again.

“As for your emotional well-being, we’ve noticed signs of emotional strain, possibly due to the demanding nature of your current workload. We encourage you to consider utilizing your new days off and our employee assistance program for counseling. Your well-being is crucial to your performance! Your next steps should be planning your next vacation or scheduling a meeting with our health staff! No clients will be visiting your home during your complex’s lockdown!”

Glimmer might’ve tried to use her mobile device to contact Paul in question about David, but she knew management was watching her every move on there. It’s why she’s restrained from social media. She wanted to shop online, start a little blog, or some form of following, but knew the complications of doing so… She made no friends in the complex and had no one to check on her.

Her mind fell onto David again. She’d talk to him. Complain to him. I wish him to travel safely… She considered filling a meeting with a health expert from Pink Heat, but the odds were they’d just get her started with **** as they did with the other girls who couldn’t cope.

The girls had a steady stream of Kix Pills and injected the Infux because it came in by the dozens… By who? Management, of course. It made everyone more reliant on their fucked up system of dependence. This apartment, the gym membership, and other beauty subscriptions were under their name. She remained unmoving on her bed for several hours until she drifted off to sleep again.

Her new sleep was alerted by her computer before the clock struck noon. She’d been asleep for 4 hours when the computer’s voice woke her again after letting out a series of slight but effective chirping noises she wasn’t familiar with. It was the door alarm; she’d never been around for visitors and had anyone over. She stood on her palms, her lower half still on the sheets. “What is it? What is that?”

“Attention, Mistress Veil! There is an unidentified female visitor at your door. She’s dressed in business attire and is not recognized in my system logs. Please wake and address the visitor.”

Glimmer waved her hand, looking for the remote on her side table to turn on the TV. “Put the feed into my TV.”

The TV turned on, and instantly, Glimmer saw a young woman in a pencil skirt, stockings, and gray blazer. “She’s from the complex’s office,” Glimmer groaned, getting up to unlock the door.

“That is not the apartment’s office staff!”

Glimmer stretched and unlocked the door, unaware of the computer’s warning. “Good morning,” she smiled and stared at the tall woman on the other side, probably 6’0,” in her high heels.

That wasn’t the off-putting part, however. It was her eyes. They were sharp, and it looked like whoever this was just killed Glimmer in her head.

“Good morning, Mrs Veil,” the woman said, extending her hand. You’ll let me inside your room before, so you don’t make this difficult.”

Glimmer scoffed in disbelief. “Look, lady… Whatever you’re selling, I don’t want it. I promise you I have a cleaning--”

The woman pushes her way inside and slams the door shut. Glimmer grabs the woman. She hardly notices her grabbing at her clothes. “Hey! What are you--”

Glimmer’s mouth is covered, and the woman addresses the microphones. “Override protocol, 6-B-6-D PAUSE.”

Glimmer was refused a moment to process what was happening. The new woman produced a pistol from her blazer and **** her to sit on the couch. “Stay,” she was warned, the hammer on the old-school firearm clicking back.

The woman reached into her coat pocket, threw down a black box that glowed blue, and buzzed loudly.

“Who are you?” Glimmer said, not moving an inch.

The woman’s eyes narrowed and twitched as her grown pixie-cut brown hair raised slightly as gravity forgot about her. The glowing box dulled to one color of black, and the whole room became dimmer.

“Two Trick,” the woman says. “All my friends and enemies call me Two Trick.”

“Fuck,” Glimmer said. “Is this about Sevens? He was just a client. I didn’t know who he was, alright? We fucked, that was all.”

The woman, Two Trick, stared at Glimmer and then laughed. “You catch on quick, but… no, this isn’t really about him. This is… Listen…” she swallowed. Glimmer stared at the gun as the contractor waved it ahead and stored it away. “You’re not in trouble, but I had to take precautions when marching into your little den.”

Glimmer stared, feeling a hint of embarrassment flushing her cheeks. “What’s this about this?”

“About David,” Two Trick says. Glimmer thought this girl would shed more light on the situation.

“Wh-what about David?”

“Your friend failed to find any more information about your boy-lover,” Two Trick says. “Paul can’t find shit about him.”

Glimmer fumbles, glancing at her closed door, wondering if someone will walk in. “How do you know that?”

“Call it insider knowledge,” Two Trick says, adjusting the subject to stay on point. “Sevens offered you a chance to get a hold of this guy in exchange for his gain.”

“I’m not se--”

The girl points a finger at her. “Don’t tell me what he wants. Just tell me your response. Has it changed or not?”

“... Do you have proof that Paul knew nothing about David?”

“I didn’t break into your apartment to sell Girl Scout cookies. And I sure as Hell didn’t risk my neck breaking into an escort room that works at Pink Heat,” Two Trick says, making a flutter of pride come from Glimmer’s stomach.

“Are we hard to get a hold of?” Glimmer tried to smile.

“No,” Two Trick says with a sigh. “Makes it harder to get into your little clubhouse when you’re caught,” she runs a finger under her chin, pulling the synthetic skin covering her real face. “But, just to make sure no one knows it was me bugging you, I took an extra step of caution.”

“Oh," Glimmer says. “So… Paul… didn’t do a good job?”

The girl looked at her with a form of pity. “I’m afraid not, but that’s why I’m here to tell you that there was a second option.”