Chapter 5: Ch 4

"Okay, so you'll arrange an appointment with the CIO for me?" I asked on the phone while walking down the street. I was on my way to sell the gems I collected when I got a call from my Contact.

Exhaustion and my usual frustration meant I didn't want to talk to anyone, but I was actually glad for this call.

-Yup, her name is Virpal Bansal, and she should be able to answer any questions you have regarding your Power value. But like I said before, it would be easier if you just tell me what your concern is.

"Yeah, I know, but…," I trailed off. I tried to keep my tone apologetic but firm, because I wanted her to back off without offending her.

My RAC Contact, Sarah, was being nosy. Information on an individual's Display, including the Rhombic's Level, Power values, and Skill, were considered very personal.

A Contact was a liaison between a Rhombic and RAC. Most of the time, a Contact was experienced enough to provide basic help and information to her assigned Rhombics.

But my problem wasn't normal by any means. I needed to find out the answer to my very personal and very unusual status. And it appeared that the Chief Information Officer, CIO, of the alliance might be the one for the job.

Sarah continued from the other end of the phone. 

-Maybe it's something I can answer you right away. The Power value is a fairly easy thing to interpret. Don't you remember the three-week course you took? I can give you a quick reminder. See, if your Offense number is higher, it means you're a Lead, and if your…

I moved my phone away from my ear with a frown. Did Sarah have a hearing problem? Or did she think I was an idiot? Because why else would she give me the most basic lesson out of the blue?

Contrary to what Sarah might believe, I knew very well how the Power value was interpreted.

Everyone, except me of course, maintained a total value of 100 at all times. The Offense was the capacity to attack, while the Defense referred to, you guessed it, the ability to defend. The Defense value also included  the healing capability.

All Rhombics had the ability to both fight and defend themselves. But for most, one value was significantly higher than the other because they were much better at one thing over the other.

Those with high Offense numbers were called the Lead; they were considered the powerful and aggressive alphas. The other half was called the Support, and with their higher Defense level, they specialized in protection and healing.

The proportion of these two values fluctuate over lifetime, but the most meaningful changes occurred when going through the first 10 floors. By the time you passed the 10th floor test, you would generally know if you are a Lead or a Support.

I continued to trudge along, but I didn't pay much attention to my Contact's blabbing.

At a first glance, Sarah had a typical demeanor of  a youth pastor or a camp counselor. She sounded very earnest and eager to help, but there was a hint of condescension that wasn't too hard to spot. I wasn't sure if she was like this with everyone or just with me. Sarah apparently used to be a successful Lead in her teen years, so perhaps being snobby was just part of it.

Sarah was still prattling, unaware that she was basically talking to herself, when I finally reached the gem exchange store. I counted my lucky stars when I saw that there wasn't any line up. I wasn't in the mood to wait at the back of a long line.

Walking straight up to the teller, I handed him my bag of gems. I tried not to look too self conscious as the teller looked over the meager result of my day's work. The teller, a guy in his early 30s, maintained a professional look as he calculated the price.

Seeing that I was still on the phone, the guy whispered, "And can I transfer the money to your Rhombic account?"

I nodded with an apologetic smile and gave him my debit card.

My day's earnings were disappointing as usual. It had been pretty much the same everyday for the past few months, but it still made me want to sigh to see how much I WASN'T making.

I was out of the exchange store and heading toward the bus stop when I heard Sarah finally finishing her lecture.

-... would make you a Support. And I know everyone thinks it's cooler to be the Lead, but Support is a very important role too! At least that's what I always say! So if that's what you're worried about… That your Defense number is much higher…

"Nope, that's definitely not it. It's something else," I replied quickly.

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Gosh, at this point, I didn't care one bit if I was going to be a Lead or not. I wouldn't have cared even if my proportion was 0:100, making me a Support with zero attack power.

All I wanted was to have the full Power value just like everyone else.

-Alright, well… but if you could give me even just a hint of what you want to ask the CIO, I really think I might be able to help. And if I can't, I can give the CIO a heads up about what your problem is. Don't you think this will make the meeting go more smoothly? That way, you won't be wasting too much of the CIO's time.

If I had both of my hands free, I would have totally applauded her. Wow, it was quite a skill Sarah had to guilt someone while still sounding so sweet. I admired her for THINKING she was doing her job, but I had a sneaking suspicion that she knew she was crossing the line. I have explained to her more than once now that this was a private matter.

Sadly for Sarah, her passive aggressive bullshit wasn't going to work on a devil worshiper like me.

In a sickeningly sweet voice, I admit I was mimicking her a little, I replied, "Oh, but Sarah dear, both you and I know that this is about very personal and private information! And you should know that I am NOT quite a dodo head as everyone might believe."

Gosh, even I hated how I sounded right now. It was like I was possessed by one of those mean girls from that movie. But I was done trying to convince Sarah in a nice way. My problem was serious, and I needed help RIGHT NOW from the RIGHT person.

I continued firmly, "So I'm afraid I would rather talk to the CIO directly."

-Oh, no need to apologize, Leah.

Umm, I DIDN'T apologize, but okay. I didn't point this out, and instead, I let her continue.

- I'm your Contact, and I'm here to help. So I'll give you a call when I arrange an appointment for you.

I hung up and sighed. That call was unnecessarily long and tedious.

I had poured over the internet regarding my low Power value, but I couldn't find anything. It appeared that there had never been a case where a Rhombic's total Power wasn't 100.

Sarah was a nice enough girl, and she was my Contact, but I couldn't trust anyone with my problem. As a matter of fact, I had been agonizing over whether just telling Sarah that I needed help with my Power value was a safe thing to do.

My worst fear nagged at me. If a wrong person finds out about how weak I am… 

The RAC's priority was to keep all Rhombics as safe as possible. This sounded all good and reassuring, but I suspected that this could work against me. If RAC found out that I was incapable of passing even the first floor test, they could easily prevent me from ever entering the Door.

It wasn't that I didn't consider the possibility of losing my chance at being a Rhombic. In fact, it was a struggle not to give up all hope. Sofia would say that I was too pessimistic, but I like to think of myself as a realist.

No matter how much I thought about it, the odds were against me. I had been working hard for the past four months, yet I was still only Level 1. On top of that, my Power value has not budged at all.

But just maybe, this CIO will know what's wrong with me.

The CIO of the RAC was responsible for the growth of the local Rhombics. She was supposed to be well versed in the research of Rhombics' abilities and potentials. If anyone was going to have an explanation for my odd situation, it was going to be her.

Bzzz.

I was deep in my own thoughts when my cell phone vibrated. I saw that it was a text from Sarah.

Well, that was quick.

It looked like my Contact managed to make me an appointment with the CIO.

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