Shades of Grey - Part 3

Zedd simply shrugged and stepped forward following Orion. After following him through the doorway and down a very dark hall, it seemed they came to their destination once the other man stopped in front of another door that was still closed. He’d made note of how well his escort was dressed which likely meant he’d be meeting someone important. If he’d have known he probably would’ve dressed a bit sharper, but considering his past experiences and background, Zedd knew he could make it work either way. He was here to buy a computer core after all, and this did seem a bit like overkill.

The Orion lifted his hand to an unseen panel next to the door which opened immediately. They stepped out into a white, well lit hallway where men and women were rushing back and forth with empty trays and trays laden with food. They paid Zedd and his escort absolutely no mind, and his escort did likewise. He simply turned and walked toward the large double doors that seemed to be one of the two funneling points for the busy servers. They stepped out into a restaurant, but it was immediately apparent to Zedd it was part of a much larger building.

Wherever they were, it was shaped like a hollowed out cylinder which he could see by the fact there was railing on a low wall in front of them that wrapped around in a circle, the opposite side of which there were more tables in the restaurant. The opposite wall was covered in large windows offering a view of the city and naturally the rain that was falling outside. Quiet music was playing to add to the atmosphere and not overwhelm. Absolutely none of the patrons seemed to notice Zedd or his escort either. Floating in the area in the middle seemed to be some sort of massive crystal kinetic sculpture, and what was there seemed to be the middle of it indicating there were levels both above and below where they were currently standing. When Zedd focused on it, he could see rainbow flashes of lights pulsing through the crystal and when he studied it closer, he realized the source was actually the level above them. Flashing lights pulsed to an unheard beat, lighting up the sculpture and the area above in just the right way that the diners below could enjoy the lovely show, but they also couldn’t see what was going on in the level above them.

“Come along.” His escort prompted him again and began to walk.

It was absolutely beautiful to say the least. Being snapped out of the trance by the voice of the Orion, Zedd continued and made sure to take in all of his surroundings. Everyone here was dressed elegantly and part of him wasn’t sure if he was even on New Ferenginar anymore to tell the truth. He thought about pulling out his tracker to see where he could be relatively but would need access to see stars which at the moment wasn’t an option. So instead he simply kept going forward making sure to keep out of everyone's way and keep up with the green man of very few words.

They followed the wall and made their way to where the lifts were. There were three large doors and next to them a smaller one. The Orion approached the smaller one. Lifted his palm, and the door opened to a standard sized lift. He gestured for Zedd to enter first, followed him in, and spoke as soon as the doors closed.

“Level six. With guest.” Suddenly, a green line of light swept over them, obviously some sort of scan, and the lift moved upward. It was only a few seconds and it slowed again. The door opened, and this time the Orion was the first to step out into the pristine hallway. To the left was a wall decorated in fine wood paneling, to the right was a transparent wall that allowed Zedd to at least briefly glance downward at the structure. Wherever he was, there were six levels including the one he was on.

“Be respectful.” This was spoken as a warning more than anything and the Orion began to walk again. Zedd could see now dangling off the sides of the transparent walls were small balconies that would allow occupants of the attached rooms to enjoy the radiant top of the sculpture spinning lazily in the hollow center of the building, or allow them to look down on the peasants below.

It certainly gave the feeling of class and prestige. He wondered why the other man gave him the reminder considering he’d been nothing but so far, even with Voral. But it did give him an indication he was about to meet with someone considered fairly important. He simply gave a nod in acknowledgement before they continued on and knew that if he stirred up any sort of problems here, he likely wouldn’t make it out alive. So for the sake of at least his own survival, he wasn’t going to ruffle any feathers.

He continued taking in the sculptures and sights, something felt very different to him, he was working to put his finger on it, yet he was still somewhat entranced in the architecture and decorations.