THE MOMENT
Somehow, 8600 people managed to get on the same page in a short amount of time. They'd organized departments and delegated work only four hours after someone first noticed the change. The building still had power, and each of the employees quickly discovered they had access to a system Slate. They were all able to choose classes and gain abilities, and most of them were eager to learn more about the world. Most, but not all.
"I never imagined being in this situation...," Darrin shook his head with a concerned expression. He was addressing the rest of the newly formed leadership council and giving his opinion on the current discussion. "...that being said, we shouldn't imagine things will stay like this. We have electricity and a working intranet for now, but we can't know when that might disappear," he finished his point. "Instead of wasting time and resources exploring, we should take advantage of what we have now, while we have it. The raw materials we accidentally brought with us, and the knowledge in this entire building, are invaluable. We have a reliable source of water nearby; we should be kickstarting a kingdom."
"We might be in the middle of someone else's kingdom already!" Annette, another team leader, highlighted something he hadn't considered.
"If they find us while we're building, we'll say we didn't know...," Darrin shrugged. "If they find us after we've got our Kingdom going, we'll bring them down easy enough."
"With what weapons?" Paul asked. He was assigned to oversee the security teams. "We've got four pistols and a shotgun, with about 300 rounds total."
"We have 8600 people who all just chose magical or martial skills!" Darrin replied.
"We got those abilities as soon as we got here. We have to assume if there's another kingdom, they have access to those same abilities," Annette replied to Jorge. He was the only one who hadn't voted yet. Darrin's vote made it a tie, and they were both trying to convince him.
"What? What sense does that make?" Darrin shook his head. "WE came from another world; the people that live here already didn't."
"That's a good point," Jorge nodded at Darrin. The elder man had kept his silence while the 10 other leaders gave their votes. Jorge's job was supposed to be simple, and he didn't expect to have to break a tie on the first vote ever. He was senior in age and profession enough that he already had most of their respect upon landing in the new world. He had no interest in leading, but he agreed to impart his wisdom when it was required.
"We don't know how we got here, nor what we're dealing with," he stood up and met Annette's eyes as he explained his reasoning. "However, from the outset, we do not belong on this world. There is no way of knowing what default behaviors exist here, and furthermore, our presence automatically skews the behavior of anything or anyone we come in contact with. While I don't agree that we need to establish a fully functioning Kingdom, I will admit that's not something that happens overnight, nor accidentally. I believe the best course for now would be to solidify our position before venturing out to explore," he said.
"Wooo!" Darrin cheered, alone, as the rest of the team leaders began to consider their next talking points. "I don't care how you spin it, Jorge," he added. He was already in the leadership team, and in his mind, he was only a few steps away from being an actual noble lord. "The truth is, the people inside the Empire State Building decided to use it as a starting point for building a Kingdom!"
"Did they?" a woman's voice asked. The words came from everywhere at once, with an amused tone. Then, shadows coalesced in the center of the room to form a tall pale woman with bone white horns and golden eyes. The 11 employees all retreated to the far side of the room to put as much distance between them, with the men in front. "That's not why I brought you here at all, but the idea appeals to me. Do you think you really can?" she asked with a smile.
"Why did you bring us here?" Annette asked.
"Of course we can!" Darrin answered the important question.
"I wanted the building for something, and brought the rest of you here on a whim. I decided to watch for a bit while I let you get acquainted with the systems here. It was fascinating watching you all pretend to work together while hiding important knowledge from each other."
"What? Who? In what departments?" Darrin asked.
"All of them," she laughed. "Everyone, except you, by some strange miracle," She glided forward toward Darrin and extended her pale hand. "My name is Ballisea, what's yours?"
"Darrin," he said. He had enough sense to shake her hand and to make it quick.
"Darrin, everyone else has lied about something. Small things like a bit of food, all the way up to greatly important things, like how to survive the next 24 hours."
"What?" Darrin wasn't the only one to be surprised, but not everyone in the room was.
"What do you mean survive?" Jorge asked. "24 hours, it sounds like a time limit?"
"Would you like to say anything, Annette?" Ballisea asked.
"How'd you know her name, but not mine?" Darrin asked as he eyed the woman. She was the shortest person in the room, and somehow still seemed to shrink more.
"Anything at all?" Ballisea asked one more time.
"Good bye!?" Annette blurted it out. Ballisea laughed, and suddenly Annette vanished.
"It seems Annette's group is the only team that actually read all the terms and services of choosing your Class. And, they have chosen to keep that information to themselves, so it's not for me to reveal here," she smiled. "Regardless, the rest of you now have to survive 24 hours. Should you succeed, you'll get to return home, and maybe visit with Annette if you like," she added.
"Okay," Jorge was quick to take charge. "Get everyone to start sealing the doors. If we only have to make it 24 hours, forget the kingdom. We're bunkering down."
"Ah, sorry," Ballisea shook her head, and then a black flash enveloped Jorge and everyone else in the building. In an instant, about 7800 people were all standing on a vast plain under fading sunlight.
"I did say I needed the building for something," Ballisea said. "Besides, it honestly would've been a death trap for all of you. It's better that you have room to run," she giggled as she gestured toward the distance. An army of marching skeletons was approaching.
"Have fun. I'll be back tomorrow to check for any survivors."