Chapter 3: The Only Trusted Treasure

Elina’s POV

He didn’t look too happy about what I said, but I calmed myself. All I needed to do was make my case, and hopefully, he’d listen.

"Sir, with all due respect, I don't know if this type of work is in my alley," I said, keeping my tone firm but polite.

Mr. Isaac exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "It’s not that complicated, trust me. A few days, and you’ll practically be an expert."

"It’s not about the difficulty, sir..." I started.

"Oh? Then what is it about?" He stepped closer, his voice smooth and challenging.

I swallowed and straightened my posture. "Mr. Isaac, I applied to this company to be an accountant. This new ‘job’ doesn’t exactly fit that role. I also need the experience, I can’t just add ‘ancient artifact connoisseur’ to my resume."

He chuckled at that. He stopped right in front of me, and his cedar and wood oak scent filled my senses.

"First of all, no need to call me Mr. I’m old, but I’m not that old," he said, smirking. "Second. Look, Elena, I get where you’re coming from. I could have brought in a professional to do this, but I didn’t. I chose you."

"Why?" I asked, cutting in before I could stop myself.

His eyes flickered with amusement. "Because I trust you."

The sincerity in his voice stunned me. Before I could respond, his hands were on my waist, firm but not forceful, turning me so my back was to him. My breath was caught.

"Look," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "Look at all this treasure."

I let my eyes drift over the collection of artifacts and gleaming gold, dusty old relics, and ancient carvings whispering secrets of another time—all exceptionally priceless.

Then I remembered the six-figure salary stated clearly on the employment contract I had just signed... He was offering me so much, so I should fulfill his requests as long as they weren't too outrageous.

"That does sound nice," I admitted. "But… you don’t even know me."

He chuckled, then spun me around so I could face him again. I suck in a sharp breath.

"Oh, but I think I do," he says, his lips tilting into a knowing smirk. "I think you’re a brilliant, intelligent young woman, you’re also very curious and inquisitive. I don’t doubt for a second that you’re fascinated by this place and the technology and can’t wait to learn as much as you can. Which is why I know you’ll accept my offer and work here."

I paused. His analysis was spot on, and it felt weird to be read like an open book, but he’s right. I was curious about this cave and all this treasure, most especially about him. And I thought he saw that, too.

He held my gaze for a moment, his eyes playful and inviting.

I sighed, exasperated. "Fine," I say. "I’ll do it."

“Ha! Awesome.” He grinned and stepped back. “Oh, and that reminds me…”

His fingers moved swiftly over his wristwatch, pressing a series of buttons on the screen. A soft beep followed, and the watch glowed faintly. I frowned, watching him lower his wrist. Then, a new sound rumbled through the cavern, a low hum growing louder by the second. My stomach tightened with unease.

I whirled around, scanning the dimly lit space. The sound reminded me of rolling tires. My heart pounded as a pair of bright lights penetrated the shadows. The metallic gleam of an approaching object caught my eye. At first, I thought it was a car, but as it moved closer, I realized I was wrong.

It was more vertical than horizontal, standing about my height, its sleek silver frame reflecting the golden glow of the treasure around us. Its ‘eyes’ were two circular headlights, and a rectangular screen sat embedded in its chest, flickering to life. Mechanical joints hissed softly as it skidded to a halt in front of us, sending a few loose coins scattering across the ground.

“GOOD MORNING, ISAAC. HOW MAY I BE OF SERVICE?”

I took a step back, my mouth practically on the floor. The robot’s voice was deep, yet oddly polite, with a slight metallic ring to it.

Isaac beamed. “Elena, meet your new assistant.”

I snapped my head towards him. “My what now?”

“Assistant.” He gestured to the robot. “You know, to help you with all this scanning and organizing stuff.”

I squinted at the machine. “And… what exactly is it?”

“This,” Isaac said, patting the robot’s metallic arm, “is the Binary Autonomous Bot for Enhanced Logic. But that’s a mouthful, so we just call him Babel.”

“Babel,” I repeated, tilting my head as I studied the machine. Its surface was smooth but segmented, with small joints where its arms connected. Tiny vents on its back released wisps of steam, and a row of blinking blue lights ran along its sides.

“This job just keeps getting stranger by the minute,” I muttered under my breath.

Isaac laughed. “You’ll get used to it.” Then, suddenly, he clapped his hands. “Okay, so I’ve really gotta go.”

“If you have any questions, just ask Babel!” He called over his shoulder before disappearing through the metal door.

And just like that, I was alone. Well, alone in a cave filled with mountains of gold, ancient artifacts, and a talking robot.

I exhaled slowly and turned back to Babel. The robot remained perfectly still, its bright eyes fixed on me.

I headed to the 3D scanner, just like Isaac showed me, and got to work. One item at a time, I picked up an item, scanned it, noted its features, and placed it into another heap. At first, handling ancient artifacts and wondering about their origins was exciting. But after a few hours, the excitement faded into exhaustion. My arms ached, and my hips protested every time I bent down, but I had made some progress.

It looked like I didn't need the robot's help, after all.

Babel suddenly moved on its wheels and stopped just behind me, making me jump.

"Fuck! Don’t do that!" I said, clutching my chest. "Nearly gave me a heart attack."

“MISS Elena, MAY I OFFER A SUGGESTION ON YOUR WORK PATTERN?”

“Umm…okay, sure,” I replied, still trying to calm my racing heart.

There were a few beeps, and Babel’s screen flashed before it finally spoke. “MY CALCULATIONS INDICATE THAT IT WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT TO CATEGORIZE THE ITEMS YOU HAVE IN A PILE BY ‘REGION,’ ‘ERA,’ AND ‘VALUE.’ THIS METHOD WOULD CUT YOUR CURRENT WORK RATE BY 3 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES.”

I turned to look at the pile I’d been stacking and immediately realized that Babel was right. Doing it my way would mean I would have to sort them all out later, costing me even more time.

I let out a frustrated sigh. “And you took this long to tell me, why?”

A faint, muffled chuckle sounded from Babel’s speakers. It sounded like Isaac’s laugh.

I narrowed my eyes and stepped up to Babel, tapping on the screen on its chest. “Isaac, is that you? Have you been watching me this whole time?”

No response.

“You better not be messing with me, Isaac,” I grumbled. “Babel, did Isaac send you here just to mess with me?”

“NO, MA’AM,” the robot replied, ever so neutral.

I groaned. “You know what? I can’t deal with this right now.” I shook my head and turned back to my work, still irritated.

After a few more hours of scanning and sorting, I decided I needed a well-deserved break. I backed away from the 3D scanner and glared suspiciously at Babel as I walked past it.

Babel didn’t move.

Satisfied, I left the cave and entered the storage room. From there, I took the elevator back up to the main office floor.

After asking a few people for directions because, of course, I had no idea where anything was, I managed to get lost—twice.

Eventually, I found the break room. It was a pretty standard corporate setup, coffee machine, vending machines, a few round tables, and a half-stocked fridge.

I headed over to the coffee maker at the far end and started pouring myself a cup when I heard voices approaching. I listened closely and realized that they were talking about me.