The Runners: Chapter 19
Chapter 19
“Your rooms are ready on the 5th floor. Please take the elevator to your left, that way.” After handing out four room keys, the clerk at the check-in desk courteously pointed in the direction of the elevator with a big friendly smile.
“Have a wonderful stay!” The clerk said cheerfully as Jacob and his friends thanked him and turned to make their way to the elevator. The lobby was beautifully decorated with colors of shady glade, Caribbean Sea, royal lilac, burnt orange, and ivy, which were harmoniously arranged in full display.
The check-in desk was designed in a horseshoe shape, except that it was slightly more circular. The height of the desk stood as tall as a preteen. The wall facing the guests was in rich aurora red and Caribbean Sea colored marble covered the top of the desk. The marble appeared to be a single piece stone, extending the entire length of the desk.
There were 15 check-in stations all manned with attractive local men and women. There were long lines at every station, but the lines were moving relatively fast. The orientation of the counter allowed large number of people to line up and get processed without bumping into the guests in adjacent lines. It seemed to afford more spacing between the counters. Every aspect of guest intake process appeared to have been well organized.
To the right of the check-in desk was a pair of large dolphin shaped water fountains that stood in the middle of the huge circular ponds. Jane looked up and saw a three story tall chandelier hanging from the ceiling directly above each fountain. Shaped like an opened umbrella standing upside down, the chandelier displayed multiple colors at different intervals, causing the water below to absorb and reflect various colors of light. The fountain was spewing water up high in perfect stream. As the stream of water rose, it collided at the bottom center surface of the chandelier. The water then traversed the entire surface of the chandelier before falling back down to the pond from its circular edge. Looking at the falling water, it formed an evenly dispersing waterfall, shaped in an opened umbrella. The color of the chandelier seemed to change depending on the intensity at which the water was making contact with its surface, giving it a magical feel.
The four friends walked past the pond and found the elevators section. The elevator shaft was built with transparent glass in cylindrical shape. As they rode up to their floor, they were able to see the ponds, check-in desk, lounging area, palm trees, and two rows of large ivory colored columns. Rising from the floor to the ceiling, the columns appeared to form a virtual path way from the entrance to the center of the check-in desk. Looking further out through the windows of the hotel lobby, they saw beautiful Emerald Ocean, white cotton clouds, white sand beaches, swimming pool, and tall green palm trees. They have not seen a view like this in their entire lives. It only existed inside the VTT.
They got off the elevator on the 5th floor and discovered that rooms were located only on one side of the building. It was a thoughtful arrangement by the hotel, they thought, as every room would have an ocean view. The other side of the hallway was a tall wall of glass, bringing in the beautiful lush green landscapes of the mountains of Cancun. As they walked to their rooms, they couldn’t believe how beautiful the resort was. They have never seen such mesmerizing combination of colors, architectures, and breathtaking views of nature in real life.
“Oh! My! Would you look at this place?” Cathy exclaimed unable to close her mouth from the wonder and beauty of it all.
“505, this is my room.” Jason said as he stopped to open the door.
“OK, how about by the pool lounge, in 30 minutes?” Jacob suggested.
“Sure!”
“Perfect!”
“Cool with me!”
“See you all down there!”
Immediately agreeing, they all went to their respective rooms to freshen up and change into proper holiday attire.
When Jane entered her room, she was immediately drawn to the wall of windows on the opposite end of the room. Ample amount of sun light was allowed to enter through it, filling the room with brightness of the natural light. She was taken by the openness of the room as she walked towards the window, dropping her duffel bag onto the bed as she passed it. There was a walled balcony beyond the glass door. After locating a handle on the sliding door Jane grabbed a bottle of water from the room fridge. Then walking over to the sliding door, she pulled the handle to open it and stepped out on to the balcony. She walked to the balcony wall that stood just short of her chest, safely guarding anyone from accidentally falling down. . Casually, she leaned over it, resting her elbows on the top of the ledge. She stood on her one foot with the other crossed over it. Soon, she felt the gentle Caribbean breeze softly massaging her cheeks and caressing her hair with comforting sensation, which eased her tension.
She stayed in that position for a moment, submerging herself in the warmth and the tranquility of the resort. Then, she stood up, fully extending her arms to the air, and took a deep breath with her eyes closed. Upon looking down below, she found the swimming pool and saw the resort guests busily moving about there. Some were trying to locate an area of the pool deck with enough beach chaises to accommodate all of their family members, some already taking dips into the pool enjoying the cool water while some were savoring the taste of pina-coladas, and other exotic Caribbean drinks. Some chatting away, laughing and high fiving each other while many others were simply enjoying their walks on the white sand beach and getting a feel for the ocean water, probably, for the first time in their lives.
Farther out, she saw the horizon, where the blue skies and the blue ocean waters met. And from there, she saw white cotton clouds slowly floating towards the hotel, riding on the backs of the warm breeze. It was hard to believe that the entire establishment was an illusion, being manufactured by a man-made machine in a mysterious, yet wonderfully tantalizing and hypnotic way.
The sun was up high now, around 1:30 PM. She guessed the time based on the location of where the sun hung in the sky. It did not burn her, rather it was warm and she felt tranquilized by it. She put on her sun glasses and briefly looked directly into the sun then took in the view of the ocean. She took a small sip of water and wiped her mouth. It was all so incredible that these are all simply illusions created by bio-digital technology in a vacuum. She couldn’t tell how big the holographic room was, but it seemed to be endless in size and grandeur. She stood there for a while simply taking in on the elements of nature until she realized that she had emptied the water bottle.
This was her 7th trip with VTT after signing on to this work. The first six took place in Los Angeles. They were simple two day trips to Columbia, Mexico, and Brazil. All previous trips have been alone. Through those practice runs, she had learned to deliver certain cargos without drawing the attention of those who monitored the biophysical conditions of the guests and their possessions. She learned to control her breathing, heart rate, and emotions to effectively blend her movements with other guests.
She had mastered the techniques and succeeded bringing back pieces of palm leaves in the past trips as part of her training. However, this trip was different since this would be a real mission. They wouldn’t disclose what she will be carrying. But, as far as Jane was concerned, she liked it that way as she felt less guilt in not knowing what it was that she was helping to smuggle out.
She did not like her situation. She would tell herself that it was only a ‘job’ that she was doing in order to pay back her debt. It would soon be over, she thought, when sufficient favors were performed in return. She did not believe that it would be for life and longed for the day that she would be freed from the hold of the invisible powers.
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‘Knock’, ‘Knock’. Jane heard a couple of knocks at the door. She felt as if she had been awakened from a deep sleep as slowly she walked back into the room. When she looked in the direction of the door, she discovered an envelope that had been slipped in through under the door. She picked it up and set it on the lamp stand, next to the bed, then took a seat on the edge of the bed. She stared at the envelope, contemplating anxiously whether to open it or not, right now. She knew that it would contain instructions as she had learned from her past practice runs.
Reluctantly, she reached out and grabbed the envelope, but she found herself shaking her hands as she slowly unsealed it. She opened a folded note that she has removed from the envelope. ‘First contact tomorrow’ was all that was scribbled on the note. Slowly, she crumbled the letter in one hand until it disappeared into her fist as she squeezed it harder.
A moment later, she stood up from the bed and tossed the note into the garbage before starting to unpack her luggage. She spread her clothes out on top of the bed then proceeded to grab her swim wear and other beach clothing. With a blank look on her face, she looked at herself in the mirror, holding the clothes as if she had temporarily forgotten what she was supposed to do with them. Shaking her head, she slowly changed into her beach attire. Placing a flower patterned beach bag onto her right shoulder, quietly, Jane exited her room to meet up with her friends by the pool.