Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 21: Chapter 21 — New Assignment

Chapter 21 — New Assignment

Victor and Jacob walked through the halls of the Tower like they had every morning for the past month. It was still early, and the corridors were quieter than they would be later in the day. The steady hum of the Tower surrounded them as workers moved toward their assignments, some still yawning, others already carrying tools and equipment.

Neither Victor nor Jacob said much.

There wasn’t much to say this early in the morning.

Their routine had become almost automatic. Wake up, get ready, walk to the platform, descend to Basement Level Three, check in with the guard, and begin another twelve-hour shift.

Victor had grown accustomed to it.

Perhaps too accustomed.

A month ago, every hallway and every unfamiliar face had demanded his attention. Now he could walk through the Tower half-awake and still know exactly where he was going.

They reached the platform and stepped inside with several other workers. The doors closed, and the platform began its descent. The familiar sensation of moving downward passed through Victor’s body as the levels disappeared one after another.

When the doors opened again, they stepped onto Basement Level Three.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

The corridors here were wider and more industrial, with stone walls reinforced by thick metal supports. Workers moved between different sections carrying equipment, while guards stood near the various entrances and platforms, keeping an eye on the steady flow of slaves.

Victor and Jacob followed their usual route.

Their first stop was always the same.

The guard with the small nose.

Over the past month, the man had become familiar with them. Victor and Jacob were two of the more reliable workers assigned to the level, and their consistency had made the guard’s job noticeably easier.

As they approached, the guard noticed them almost immediately.

For a brief moment, his expression changed.

It was barely noticeable.

A slight tightening around his eyes.

A faint wince.

Then it disappeared.

Victor noticed it anyway.

He didn’t know what it meant, but he filed it away in the back of his mind.

"Good morning, sir," Victor said.

Jacob nodded beside him.

"Good morning."

The guard looked at both of them.

"Victor. Jacob. Good to see you two."

His usual casual tone was there, but there was something slightly different underneath it.

The guard hesitated before continuing.

"There’s been a change of plans."

Victor’s eyebrows lifted.

"A change?"

The guard nodded.

"You two have been given new assignments. You’ll need to report to the Quartermaster’s Office as soon as possible. They’ll give you your new permits and tell you where you’re being stationed."

Jacob frowned slightly.

"Did something happen?"

"Not that I know of."

The guard shook his head.

"Orders from higher up. That’s all I was told. The Quartermaster will have the details."

He looked at them for another moment before sighing.

"I can’t say I’m happy to see you two go. You’ve been doing a good job down here. You’ve made meeting the quotas a lot easier."

Victor gave a polite nod.

"Understood."

Jacob did the same.

The guard stepped aside, allowing them to pass.

Victor and Jacob turned toward the platform.

Whatever had happened, the Quartermaster’s Office would tell them where they were going.

The platform carried them back toward the upper levels, and after several minutes, they arrived on Level One.

From there, they made their way toward the Quartermaster’s Office.

The closer they got, the louder the familiar sounds became.

Voices.

Footsteps.

Paper shuffling.

Orders being called across the room.

When they stepped through the entrance, Victor was immediately reminded of his first day in the Tower.

The Quartermaster’s Office looked almost exactly the same.

Rows of desks filled the large room, with workers standing in lines while attendants processed permits and assignments. Several counters were surrounded by people waiting for their names to be called, while others hurried from one desk to another carrying stacks of paperwork.

It almost reminded Victor of a government office on Earth.

Except there were no computers on every desk.

Instead, strange glowing screens and thin metal tablets displayed information in front of the workers.

Victor’s eyes moved across the room.

He recognized several areas from his first visit.

Then he spotted the desk.

The same one.

The same man sat behind it.

The clerk looked almost exactly as Victor remembered. His neatly arranged clothes, professional posture, and polished appearance made him look more like a manager at some wealthy company than someone responsible for assigning slaves throughout a massive tower.

Jacob stepped forward.

"Excuse me, sir."

The man looked up.

"Yes?"

"We were told our assignments were changed and that we needed to report here."

The clerk held out his hand.

"Your permits."

Jacob handed them over.

The clerk examined the first one before moving to the second. His eyes traveled across the documents, then toward the glowing screen on his desk.

"Let’s see..."

His fingers moved across the controls.

"Victor Ashcroft."

He looked at the screen.

Then at the permit.

"Jacob Steinhelm."

Another glance.

Victor watched the man’s face carefully.

At first, nothing seemed unusual.

Then the clerk’s expression changed.

His eyebrows drew together.

He leaned closer to the screen.

Victor’s attention sharpened.

The man checked something else before looking back at their permits.

"Oh."

Jacob frowned.

The clerk looked at the screen again.

"Yes... I see it."

He hesitated.

Victor immediately noticed.

The man wasn’t confused about who they were.

He was surprised by where they had been assigned.

"You two have been reassigned."

Jacob nodded.

"Where?"

The clerk looked down at the screen.

Then he said it.

"Basement Level Five."

Jacob froze.

Victor turned toward him.

The change was immediate.

The color seemed to drain from Jacob’s face. His shoulders stiffened, and his eyes remained fixed on the clerk for a moment longer than they should have.

Victor didn’t need anyone to explain it.

Jacob knew something about Basement Level Five.

And whatever he knew, he didn’t like it.

Victor’s mind immediately began working through the possibilities.

Why would they suddenly move us?

They had spent the last month on Basement Level Three without any problems. Their quotas were consistently met. They hadn’t caused trouble. They hadn’t requested a transfer.

There was no obvious reason for the change.

And now they were being sent somewhere that clearly frightened Jacob.

The timing bothered him.

But Victor kept his thoughts to himself.

The clerk slid two new permits across the desk.

"These are your updated assignments."

Jacob reached for his.

Victor took the other.

Neither of them argued.

They couldn’t.

At the end of the day, they were still slaves, and an assignment from the Tower wasn’t a request.

Victor looked down at the new permit in his hand.

Basement Level Five.

He glanced at Jacob again.

The older man’s expression had mostly returned to normal, but the tension remained visible in his eyes.

The two turned away from the desk and began walking toward the exit.

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