"We have to check in daily. We're supposed to stay in our facilities in the secured areas only. No exploring or anything without permission or escorts."
"Well, that sounds boring."
"Were you escorted down here?"
"Yes, I was." Guards had walked her down so she'd know the way, and one said he would remain outside if she needed anything, but he assured her that the area was secured and there should not be any issues.
"Khalzin is a prince of some sort. Like there are these family houses, and he's one of the leaders’ sons, so they treat him like royalty. But not in a good way. There are always guards around watching, and we're never really alone. At least now they're outside his apartment."
"Ugh. That sounds awful. I think I'd rather be quarantined. At least I don't have strangers around."
"I am not used to it yet, but I guess I will get accustomed to it eventually." Something that she'd been thinking about--how different of a life this was compared to what she'd lived for so long.
"You'll find your groove, I imagine," Adryel said.
She picked up her drink. "I hope so." Outside, the smoke was billowing into the air in puffs. "Look at all that smoke," she said.
"I know. It keeps burning. It's like they can't seem to put out the fire. Or they do, and another one starts." Adryel crossed her arms. "I don't envy them trying to figure this out."
"I feel so bad. One of Khalzin's best friends went down with the passengers over the edge. He caught me before when the platform started to tilt."
"I remember seeing that. He fell off? That's terrible. Will they go down and recover everyone?"
"I assume so, but I’m not sure." Janae looked at her friend. "I'm so glad you weren't on that platform when it tilted."
"I'm sorry that you were," Adryel said. "I'm glad you weren't hurt worse."
"Just sore, but nothing that I couldn't deal with."
Again, they sat in silence for a few minutes. Both watched outside, the way the robotics would move around working on the platform and the probes that would go down into the jungle below.
Hopefully, they were looking for survivors.
Adryel broke the silence. "So, tell me something, has Khalzin told you anything about his friend?"
"Which one?"
"The one that was with him when you found me."
Janae shook her head. "I don't remember who it was."
"Huh," she said. "Look out the window again, at the smoke."
The smoke came up in bursts and waves. It would break up and then be solid and break up again.
"What is making it do that?"
"Wind maybe?" Adryel said. "That's the best I can figure. We're high up. There could be one of those drones down there working, too."
Janae nodded. "If it were important, someone would have noticed it."
"Probably."
* * *
"How is your friend?"Khalzin asked when Janae got back to their residence.
The guards took up position around the apartment, only two inside today.
