A True Rhombic Comes in Time

8

"Leah, you're late! You know how busy we get on Saturdays. Put on your apron and get the orders for table number three," Uncle Bob, a thin man with matching thinning hair, admonished me the moment I entered his restaurant.

Uncle Bob's Chinese restaurant was located on a fairly busy street near downtown White Rock. This was where Sofia used to work full time before being hospitalized, and it was now where I worked most evenings. My humble home, a tiny loft, was right upstairs, and I lived alone now since Sofia left.

I had always thought it ridiculous that my uncle ran a Chinese restaurant when neither he or his wife Judy were Chinese. Some days, I found it very funny.

But today, I was in no mood to even fake a smile.

I liked to think of myself as a decent waitress, because most days, I could muster up a courteous smile and pretend to enjoy my job. This was the best way to get good tips.

But today, I knew my shift was going to be a bigger struggle than usual.

With a curt nod, I grabbed my apron and some menus. As I walked toward the table Uncle Bob mentioned, I heard the breaking news being reported on TV.

The anchor announced in a serious tone.

-Two new Pockets have appeared in London, and they were found to contain creatures equivalent to those inhabiting the high 60s floors. These are one of the most dangerous Pockets that have appeared in the history of mankind. The last Pocket that...

Pockets with 60th floor monsters?

I, and everyone else in the restaurant, turned toward the TV screen. This wasn't the first time a Pocket containing high floor monsters appeared on earth. But this was certainly a rare occurrence.

Most Pockets that popped up so far had contained at most monsters from the 20-something floors. This was why a Pocket hadn't exploded in such a long time. Of course, the King monsters that ruled these Pockets tended to be much more powerful than the main inhabitants. But this still wasn't a problem because after all, there were plenty of Rhombics who had reached 40 plus floors in the Door.

But two Pockets with 60th floor creatures? That had to mean that the King monsters inside had to be at least the level of the 70th floor.

The news anchor continued to report.

-The state of emergency has been declared in the entire city of London. Earlier, the British RAC sent out a reassuring message. It stated that the brother pair Oliver and George Burton will be dispatched to terminate these Pockets as soon as...

"Have you noticed how more and more Pockets have been appearing lately?"

I heard one of the customers, a middle-aged woman wearing gray sweats, whisper.

Her companion sitting across mumbled back, "Really? I haven't really paid attention. I mean... They always manage to terminate them right? And worse comes to worst, Harmony can dispatch one of their teams. Isn't that what they did the last time we had a close one?"

Harmony was the biggest private Rhombic agency in the world. Corporations like Harmony were similar to the talent agencies for singers and actors.

Harmony's main and most lucrative business was forming various teams of highly skilled Rhombics. The gems and the Gifts collected from high floors and big Pockets allowed agencies like this to make fortunes.

Oftentimes, popular Rhombics in each agency also got endorsements and advertising deals from various businesses.

I would have loved to be scouted by such companies. When I first found out I received the Invitation, I imagined myself getting a job in Harmony. At a first glance, one might wonder why anyone would join these agencies. After all, these companies took away a cut of everything their employed Rhombics earned from their hunts.