Chapter 3: Trevor

The rest of the day is uneventful. After a walkthrough of the employees’ quarters and a thorough explanation of the ship’s cleaning protocol, I look at my itinerary and see we have one final meeting scheduled before dinner. It seems to be crew-wide—not just new employees—and it’s divided into multiple sessions to happen over a period of two days.

Ready for orientation to be over, I make my way to the conference room where we started the day. Most of the workers present are other new hires, but there are a few faces I don’t recognize.

A woman and a man in dark suits stand soberly at the front of the room. They watch every person who comes in and whisper every now and then to each other. Booker, serious as always, stands behind them.

Once everyone files in and is seated, the woman steps forward. Her black hair is pulled into a tight bun, and her brown eyes scan the room. She has a round face that’s emphasized by her wide nose.

“My name is Angela Cress,” she begins, her voice clipped and professional. “My colleague, David Chen, and I,” she says, motioning to the man behind her, “are investigators for the Department of Labor. As some of you may know, we’ve been assigned to the New Unity to ensure proper working conditions are being met and to report any violations we may see.” She pauses to scan the room again, as if trying to identify who may have anything to tell her.

“We take our jobs very seriously,” she continues, “and your employer has guaranteed management’s cooperation as we conduct our audit and investigation.” Somehow, I doubt Smith Capital would be forthcoming with any labor violations that surely exist onboard.

“Over the next few days,” David finally says, stepping forward to stand next to his partner, “we may pull some of you aside for interviews. However, if any of you have anything to say, please come speak with us in the small conference room. You can be completely candid in the conversations. Everything will be anonymized, and nothing will get back to your employer.”

The two continue speaking, but I’ve stopped paying attention. They haven’t come right out and said it, but someone must have reported something about the working conditions aboard the New Unity. They wouldn’t just come up here for a regular audit, no matter what they said. It can’t be cheap to send two agents into space; there has to be something that prompted the investigation. And if there’s something serious enough to get the federal government involved, that means Sanjeet may be in more danger than I originally thought.

Suddenly, I’m realizing just how overwhelming this entire mission may be. The New Unity is an enormous ship, and I don't know anyone onboard. If I want to find Sanjeet, I’m going to need help. I’m going to have to team up with someone who wants the same thing as me.

Slowly, I look around the room until my eyes land on Trevor.

Looks like it’s time to make a new friend.

* * *

Trevor may be too talkative for my liking, but it serves him well. We’ve been on the New Unity for one week, and he’s already made friends with both staff and guests. When I approached him after the meeting with the federal agents, I knew I didn’t want to tell him why I was here; I may need Trevor to find Sanjeet, but he doesn’t have to know that. I still don’t trust him to keep my secret, and unlike him, I don’t want everyone knowing I’m here looking for a missing loved one.

But Trevor has barely even asked about me. All he thinks is that I feel bad for him and want to help find Elizabeth, which is true to a degree. He’s so eager to find her that he doesn’t bat an eye whenever I ask what he’s discovered. The more he knows, the more I know. And the more I know, the closer I can come to finding Sanjeet.

Although Trevor has made no attempt to conceal why he’s here, it doesn’t seem to dissuade the guests. The more experienced employees seem to avoid him, but many of the guests find him endearing, as if his attempt to find Elizabeth is some sort of immersive game aboard the ship.

“You know,” Trevor tells me one evening as we’re cleaning the dining room after the dinner rush, “you always make fun of me for getting the guests involved in my search for Elizabeth, but it’s finally paid off.”

I glance around to make sure Booker or other guards aren’t around. They haven’t come out and said it, but I know they don’t like Trevor talking about Elizabeth so openly. Luckily, it’s only me, Trevor, and a smattering of guests in the dining room tonight.

“And why’s that?” I ask, clearing dishes from a table. I’m eager to know what he’s stumbled across, but I don’t want to seem too interested.

“You remember Kayla, yeah?” he asks. I nod in response, worried my disdain for her will leak out if I say anything. Kayla is one of the most annoying women I’ve ever met. Rich, young, and beautiful, she has the personality of a cardboard box. I know why most people feel drawn to her—she’s gorgeous, and her family likely has more money than most people will see their entire lives—but she reminds me of the cruel girls I went to school with.

She’s the kind of person who’s bored with life because she gets whatever she wants, so she uses other people for excitement until she’s done with them. Part of me worries she’s just stringing Trevor along, pretending like she cares about finding Elizabeth just so she can watch him be crushed when he doesn’t. But something in Trevor’s voice makes it sound like Kayla has helped him.

“Well,” he continues, “apparently she knows someone pretty high up in security here,” he says, reaching into his back pocket, “and she got me this.” He pulls out a thick, plastic card embossed with a shiny NU.

I know that—it’s a security badge. Somehow, Trevor’s got his hands on a security badge, which means he can get to the sublevel.

He must see the realization on my face because he breaks into a smile and begins to nod.

“We’re going to the sublevel tonight,” he says, his voice an excited whisper. My heart drops, though, at what he’s said.

“What time?” I ask. “And who’s we?”

His smile falters when he sees my lack of excitement.

“Me, Kayla, and some of her other friends,” he says, “and we’re going right after I’m done here, once my shift is over.”

“Can you go later?” I ask. “I want to come, but my shift isn’t over for another two hours.” Trevor shakes his head.

“I can’t,” he says, “Kayla and her friends want to come, but they have plans later. We only have a one-hour window to go together. Plus, she said she needs to return the card as soon as possible.”

“Please,” I say, more desperation seeping into my voice than I intended, “can you just wait two hours? I want to come.” Trevor looks surprised. He knows I’ve taken an interest in finding Elizabeth, but I’ve never suggested I’d be willing to risk my job for it. And I’m not. Not for Elizabeth, at least. But if I can get to the sublevel, then maybe I can find Sanjeet.

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice softer now, “I can’t.” He glances down at his watch. “I’m already running late. I’m supposed to meet with Kayla and the others right now.” My heart breaks, but I understand. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t wait. I’d want to find Sanjeet as soon as possible, and I definitely wouldn’t want to risk pissing off the only lead I’ve had so far.

Trevor glances around the now empty dining room, as if asking me if I can clean the rest myself. I’d leave right now and go with him, but I’m scheduled to clean the office with a team of six other employees, including one security guard watching over us to make sure no one steals anything. I can’t risk it. Trevor tells me where he and the others are planning to meet, and I tell him I’ll come as soon as my shift is over.

Then he’s gone, and it’s just me, all alone as I clean up the remnants of other people’s meals.