Sallas 2: The Gilded Cage

Chapter Description: Ryan is in his office and learns exactly what his job is about. Mr. Sawyer calls in to let him know what he expects.

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Ryan opened the door and walked inside. His first impressions were good. The office was quite roomy and very tastefully appointed. His desk was facing the door and behind him through giant windows was the skyline. He walked across and placed his briefcase on his chair as he looked outside. It was almost enough to give him vertigo but despite that he allowed himself a small smile.

It felt like he had made it. Ryan looked at the office and felt a sense of victory. The sacrifices he and Anna had made felt a lot more worth it now that he was in a suit and in charge of people. It was the place he had always wanted to be… So why was there a feeling of anxiety in the pit of his stomach still?

As a child watching his father, Michael Manning, do business Ryan had always wanted to emulate him by having a big important job as well. To start with that meant following in his father’s footsteps. Ryan really looked up to his dad in all but one respect: how he treated women. It was not at all unusual for men to be misogynistic in Sallas, it was expected and encouraged, but Michael seemed to take it as a challenge. The image of what he turned Ryan’s mother into both physically and mentally haunted Ryan. Leaving college had led to Ryan giving up on ever having any kind of powerful job, he knew what he was doing when he chose to stick by Anna, so to find himself with an office like this was both unexpected and exhilarating… And yet…

It felt like the proportions were all wrong as if in a bad nightmare. Physically the room was fine, but it just felt off. His joy at getting a powerful job was tempered by what it had cost to get there. He thought of Anna at home and felt guilt flooding through him. She had as much choice in everything as Ryan and yet whilst she was at home stuck in diapers and clearly not happy Ryan had the reward. No wonder Anna had been talking to those… “questionable elements”, as Mr. Sawyer would call them. Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Thinking about what could happen if she was caught made his stomach turn.

Ryan shook all these deep thoughts from his mind and sat down at his computer. He had been hired to do a job and that was what he planned to do. He turned on the computer and was faced with a log in screen. He hadn’t been told of any password he would need so he started looking through drawers to see if a note had been left for him, he found one in the top right drawer. Ryan pulled it out and nearly fell backwards off his chair.

“We can help.” The note said and then underneath it, in a deep blood red ink, was a picture of a rose.

Ryan was shaking. He had no idea how a member of the resistance could’ve possibly got a note in this desk, but he couldn’t pretend it was from anyone else. He stared at it as his mind ran through a thousand different computations. There was a knock at the door and in a panic, Ryan ripped the note up several times and dropped the shredded pieces in the trash can.

“Erm, come in.” Ryan called out.

The door opened and a young man walked in. He had fiery red hair and a swagger to his step that most young men adopted. He came up to the other side of the desk and Ryan stood up to hold out his hand.

“Collins.” The visitor said, “Wayne Collins.”

“Hello.” Ryan replied, “I’m Ryan Manning.”

“I know.” Wayne replied as he sat down in the chair opposite, “I saw the sign on the door.”

“Oh, of course.” Ryan let out a nervous laugh and sat down in his seat.

“Just thought I’d introduce myself and welcome you to the Department of De-Education.” Wayne said with a smirk.

“De-Education?” Ryan repeated, “I thought…”

“Yeah, you know, I applied for the job you’ve got. I’ve been in this department for three years and yet they passed me over for you.” Wayne shook his head, “I get it. You played the game and got in with the right people. I have to commend you for that.”

Ryan listened in silence. What Wayne was saying would sound almost bitter if he wasn’t delivering it with a smile. He seemed to genuinely think Ryan had orchestrated the whole situation that led to him sitting behind the desk when the truth was that Ryan had never had a choice. When he didn’t say anything, Wayne continued.

“Anyway, old Taylor told me to give you the explanation of what we do here.” Wayne said, “It’s the cushiest job there is. We get reports of men wanting to send their women for re-education, we just have to make sure the boxes are all ticked, and the all the forms are in order then we stamp approved and move on to the next one. Then they get sent up to the boss, which is you, to look over and give final approval. Once you say everything is in order it goes up the chain and the nearest Finishing School gets a new student. Honestly, sometimes the work is done by midday and then we’re just waiting for home time.”

Wayne laughed. Ryan smiled but inside he was feeling even worse than before. Obviously, the Department for Re-Education was going to include the dreaded Finishing Schools, but he hadn’t imagined his job would be solely to give the final say on sending those poor women to such a horrible fate. He shuddered as the woman being dragged out of the office on his way in became an even more desperate and sinister scene.

“What did these girls do to be sent off?” Ryan asked.

“Who cares?” Wayne shrugged. “There is an “official” list of things that get the girls sent off but honestly, we just stamp it through no matter what it says. Hell, the other week I had one that just said the husband was bored of his wife!”

“And you… sent her away?” Ryan asked.

“Yep.” Wayne stretched in his seat, “Listed her as having a bad attitude.”

Wayne laughed again but Ryan was feeling increasingly unwell. He now saw that this was a sick joke being played on him. The government knew exactly how he felt about women’s rights; they had got him on Anna onside by promising him a job and now they had left him as the executioner.

“Let me give you a word of advice before I go…” Wayne leaned in with elbows on the desk, “I’ve read your file. I have a friend over in Records that sent me a copy, and I’ve seen the black marks on it. Don’t go growing a heart and trying to hold up the process or rock the boat, OK? We’re expected to just pass everything. If our clearance drops to ninety-nine percent, we get the men in suits asking questions.”

Ryan didn’t know what to make of Wayne. His last comments seemed very earnest and if he was honestly after Ryan’s job the warning didn’t make sense. Perhaps he was just trying to protect his own cushy position and didn’t want the scrutiny. He stood up and held out his hand again prompting Ryan to follow suit.

“If you need any help, I’m just down the hall.” Wayne said.

“Oh, erm, actually…” Ryan gestured towards the computer, “It’s asking for a password and…”

“Try “password” all lower case. Yeah, security is real tight here…” Wayne said sarcastically. He gave Ryan a small nod and then left the room.

Ryan sat back down and, indeed, was now able to log in. He immediately saw he had plenty of systems and things he would have to use, and he doubted that he could expect much help. Asking for help in Sallas was a sign of weakness, after all.

By lunchtime Ryan was getting the hang of everything, and the reality of his job was setting in. He had his head down and his forehead against the edge of his desk. Once he had found the forms, he was supposed to give final approval to he opened the first one and then quickly closed it again.

“Bastards…” Ryan muttered under his breath.

The digital forms were soul crushing. They would have the name of the poor woman who was being sent away next to a picture. Normally they looked terrified, and Ryan could hardly blame them. There would be basic information like height, weight, and level of continence. Then there would be a section to detail any “enhancements” the women had received, whether surgical or otherwise.

At the bottom of the form was the box to put the reason the man was sending their woman away. It made Ryan’s blood boil. The number of women who had committed actual crimes or anything warranting punishment was very low, not that there was any crime that warranted the torture of Finishing School. Ryan had seen what even a relatively short stay could do when he looked at Jane.

“Refused to clean the house.”

“Was talking to another girl.”

“Talked back.”

The smallest infractions were leading to these poor women having their humanity stripped away. Ryan could see the electronic signatures of the people he was in charge of, he was supposed to affix his own name and then click “complete”, but he knew what that meant. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Ryan picked up the phone feeling anger coursing through his veins. He was having to restrain himself from flipping the whole desk over as he dialled a number. It rang twice before being picked up.

“Hello?” Mr. Sawyer’s voice pushed Ryan over the edge.

“Is this your idea of a god damn joke?” Ryan demanded, “You motherfu-…”

“I see you’re having a good first day.” Mr. Sawyer replied. Even over the phone the smarminess in his voice came through, “But you seem upset, is something the matter?”

“You know exactly what the matter is!” Ryan hissed, “You have me doing this barbaric crap!”

“I promised you a job within the government and I have delivered.” Mr. Sawyer’s calm voice only infuriated Ryan further, “I’m sorry if it is not to your liking…”

“You know how I feel about all this.” Ryan growled, “You put me here on purpose. Is this just something you find funny or do you get off on pushing people to their limit.”

“Mr. Manning, you really should calm down.” Mr. Sawyer said.

“To hell with you and the deal!” Ryan shouted, “Cancel everything! I’m not doing this!”

“Mr. Manning, I would kindly ask you to remember who you are talking to.” Mr. Sawyer’s voice had grown somehow calmer and yet the effect cowed Ryan slightly, “A deal is a deal. You have been upholding your end, and I am upholding mine. You will continue to do the work assigned to you like a good little boy.”

“And if I refuse?” Ryan asked. The fury was still there but now it was half-hidden by fear.

“Then you will be breaking the terms of our agreement, and I will be forced to take matters further.” Mr. Sawyer replied simply and without hesitation.

Ryan’s lips curled with anger. The threat was clear. Breaking the terms of the agreement would result in the same penalty as if they had never agreed in the first place. Anna would be taken away and Ryan would be lucky if he didn’t disappear in a similar manner.

“I’d kill you before I let you take Anna.” Ryan said in a deep low growl.

“Whilst I find your attachment to Anna somewhat curious and, dare I say, sweet, I have to remind you of the physical realities of our situation.” Mr. Sawyer batted the threat away as if it were an annoying fly, “That being you are currently miles away in a tower surrounded by people who report to me and can tell me exactly where you are at a moment’s notice whilst I… Well, I’m a lot closer. I can have Anna taken away and make her forget who you even are before you even get home.”

Ryan remained silent. His hand was squeezing the phone so tightly he was surprised it wasn’t shattering. Of course, Mr. Sawyer was right. He held all of the cards and Ryan had no choice but to go along with the game.

“Do we have an understanding?” Mr. Sawyer asked after a few seconds.

“Yes.” Ryan finally spat out.

“That’s good. I would hate what has started out as such a fruitful relationship to sour so quickly.” Mr. Sawyer chuckled, “You two have been big hits after all. So, are you going to stay and do your work?”

“Yes.” Ryan said again. The anger was now replaced by despair.

“Wonderful.” Mr. Sawyer said happily, “I hope we’re able to put all this unpleasantness behind us because we are going to be seeing a lot of each other, I’m quite sure of it. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Ryan was slumped in his seat. The fury had turned to a frustration with a situation he could do nothing to change. He brought up the first file he had seen that morning again. A woman he had never met and would most likely never meet. She smiled in the photo, but her eyes betrayed a fear she wasn’t allowed to show. Her crime had been to scratch her husband’s car when cleaning it, her punishment was to be a complete re-education. It was the same thing his mother had gone through. It being the first file he saw was almost certainly not a coincidence.

“Mr. Manning?” Mr. Sawyer said after the silence had stretched on for several seconds.

“Fuck you.” Ryan finally said before slamming the phone down.

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