Multi-Dimensional Merchant System

Oliver was mulling over the details of the job when the door behind him opened. Despite Mr. Hall talking with him for over an hour, it was fairly straightforward. With security already established around Sophia's apartment, he just needed to accompany her whenever she left. An experienced team of security people were on standby around the clock, ready to respond to problems within minutes. Both he and Sophia were now carrying GPS trackers and panic alarms, disguised as a car's key fob, to alert the security team to trouble.

Oliver just had to keep her safe until they could arrive. Simple.

Simple, but not easy Oliver reminded himself as he turned to the opening door. Seeing the young woman entering the room, he immediately identified her as Sophie. She looked a near mirror to the woman from the photo on the shrine in the hallway, her mother. Tall and graceful, her cheeks dimpled when she smiled at her father and hurried over to give him a hug.

“Dad! Why did you call me over in the middle of the afternoon? You know I have club meeting tonight.”

Mr. Hall hugged his daughter with a gentle smile on his face before sitting her down beside him. “I know pumpkin, I know. But this is important. I told you some people had made threats, so I wanted some extra security around you. This is Mr. Silk, he will be accompanying when you go out for the next couple weeks.”

Sophia gave an exaggerated sigh that all teenage girls seem to have mastered, shaking her head at her father. “Really dad, this again? I'm on campus most of the time; who is going to mess with me there with so many people around? It's not like it would be the first time someone made empty threats...”

“These people sound serious, Soph. It's better to take extra precautions.”

Seeing the reluctant look on Sophia's face, Oliver decided it was time to jump into the conversation to reinforce the point. “It's better to take precautions and not need them than need them and not have them. And you have to consider, it's not just about what they may or may not do to you, or about what they may make your father do to ensure you safety... How would your father feel if something happened to you and he didn't do absolutely everything in his power to prevent it? Knowing that his inaction hurt you? It's not worth the risk.”

Oliver hated pulling the family card on people that obviously cared for each other, especially considering the loss they had felt before. But, at first glance, Sophia was clearly the type to respond more readily to an emotional argument rather than the logical one, especially when it concerned her father.

Despite the heavy handed manipulation, Sophia's features softened as she glanced at her father. Patting his hand gently, she nodded her acceptance quickly. “You're right. Better safe than sorry, as they say.”

Giving her father another quick hug, she bounced to her feet and headed towards the door. “I need to run if I'm going to make the meeting! I'll be back for dinner on Sunday, Dad!”

With a nod from Mr. Hall, Oliver followed her out of the room, quickly catching up. They walked side by side for a moment before Sophia glanced at him and chuckled. “So, you're gonna be my shadow for a little while? Kinda young to be a bodyguard; you're what? Twenty? Twenty-one maybe?”

Oliver shrugged with a chuckle. “Twenty-five, actually. But your dad wanted someone that could blend in on campus and not draw attention.”

Sophia nodded in understanding. “Yeah, that makes sense. How long have you been doing security?”

“This is actually my first time.”

Seeing Sophia's bewildered look, he smiled awkwardly. “I've had a bit of training from a cop. But honestly, if it wasn't for how much security your dad already has in place, I probably wouldn't have taken the job. Being a bodyguard is a lot more complicated than most people realize.”

“You've never done it before, but you think you can still keep me safe? Seriously?”

Oliver carefully considered his answer, knowing it was important to reassure her but not wanting to overstate his abilities. Glancing at the security station ahead of them in the hall, he nodded at the people stationed there. “I'm not going to claim to be an expert, but I do have a couple of advantages that matter. First, it's nearly impossible to rattle me. I don't mean just that I'm calm. I've seen some terrible things and been in some bad situations, and the only thing that has made me panic was trying to ask a woman out.”

He gave her a cheeky smirk when she snorted a laugh, but continued speaking evenly. “Second, I always plan ahead, but I also adapt quickly to the unexpected. I was taught that is pretty critical to being a bodyguard. Make plans for every scenario, then adjust those plans when things go wrong... And I definitely have experience adapting to the unexpected.”

“And third... I'm just as strong and tough as any of the security guys here. I just lack the experience with the job. Granted, experience is pretty important for something like this.”

Sophia glanced across Oliver's body quickly, frowning. While he was clearly fit, he lacked the muscular build many of the security team sported. “No offense, but you really think you could match up to someone like Henley?”

Seeing her skeptical look, Oliver couldn't help but chuckle. “Nah, Henley would kick my ass. I could probably match him for strength and speed, but he probably has a decade of fighting experience on me. Or more. That counts for a lot... I definitely don't want to mess with him. Maybe one of the rookies on the team, but not him.”

Sophia's peels of laughter drew the attention of the security team they were approaching, especially Henley. At their confused and questioning looks she waved it off while trying to control her laughter. “It's nothing... Just... Mr. Silk telling me he really doesn't want to get his ass kicked by you, Henley.”

Henley smirked at Oliver, humor dancing in his eyes, and Oliver could only shrug and nod in acknowledgment. No point in denying the truth.

Oliver breathed in the atmosphere of a college campus again as they walked towards the Student Union Building where the meeting was being held. It hadn't been that long since he was a student himself, and a part of him still desperately missed it.

“So, what do we tell people about you following me around all the time?”

Sophia's words broke him out of his musing, and he quickly refocused on their surroundings. He had a job to do, and letting himself get distracted by memories wouldn't help. Already having considered such a question on his drive over, he was quick to answer. “Tell them I'm your cousin, Olaf. I'm the black sheep of the family, dropped out of college to be a traveling musician. I was in the area, and decided to stop in for a few weeks so we could catch up.”

Sophia nodded slowly, thinking through the idea. “Yeah, that would probably work. I don't really talk about my family much, but most of them are into either business or politics. So you being a musician would definitely make you the black sheep. Do you actually play though? Some of my friends are really in to music festivals and will probably ask you to play something.”

Oliver shrugged casually, but couldn't suppress the proud smile on his face. “I can play about a dozen instruments, though I prefer the violin, piano, saxophone, and guitar. Those are my best instruments, too.”

Seeing such a strong reaction from him when talking about instruments, Sophia couldn't help but question him gently. “Why take a bodyguard job? It's obvious how much you love music, why not get a music degree or start a band? I guess the pay is probably better as a bodyguard, but still...”

Oliver's smile remained, though it dimmed slightly at the question. A minute passed as his eyes constantly scanned everything around them before he answered slowly with a small chuckle. “I was pursuing music, and even had a side job that payed much better than this does.”

Seeing her look of confusion, he went on to explain. “It was a combination of things. Some people were causing me problems, so I decided to get out of town for a bit until things settled down. Plus, some of my future plans require doing some odd jobs like this one before they will become available. There are steps to my system, but I'm working on it.”

Sophia didn't really understand the humor she saw dancing in his eyes, but his explanation at least somewhat made sense to her. Letting what had unexpectedly become a heavy conversation drop, they hurried in to the Student Union for her club meeting.

Reaching the meeting room, Oliver didn't know whether to laugh or curse when he saw what club Sophia was participating in. Quickly pulling her to the side before she could enter the room, he spoke in a low voice so they couldn't be easily overheard. “I hate to say this, Sophia, but I strongly recommend you step away from this club. At least for the next couple weeks so your dad can get a handle on things.”

“What? Why!? It's just Humans vs. Zombies, it's a game. What's the big deal?”

Oliver struggled not to roll his eyes at her missing the obvious. “This game involves people pretending to be zombies, chasing and trying to grab the humans.”

Sophia stared blankly for a moment until it clicked, her eyes going wide. “You really think someone would act like they're a part of the game just to get to me?”

Oliver sighed softly as he nodded. “Something like this is just handing them opportunities. With how often people yell and scream while playing, no one will look twice when one girl starts yelling 'Help'. It will be ten times harder to keep you safe if you're playing. Or more. There's just too much chaos involved.”

Sophia nodded slowly, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Yeah, ok. I can see that. Do you think me helping set up and run scenarios would still be ok? I wouldn't be an active part in the game, but still participating. I really don't want to just drop from the club.”

Oliver thought it over carefully. It wasn't ideal, but Mr. Hall clearly didn't want to completely disrupt his daughter's life over threats that may never be carried out... He didn't like it, but he could work with it. With limitations. “Yeah, that can work. But no playing the role of an NPC either, that would still leave you too vulnerable. Organization and supervision should be fine, though.”

Sophia smiled brightly, nearly bouncing in excitement. “Awesome! I was already talking with Mark, the club president, about maybe helping out with that. We should go let him know!”

Oliver couldn't help the sinking feeling in his gut as the girl merrily lead him into the room. He was already imagining the headaches this club would cause him over the next few weeks.