Illuminator

And I suppose that you'll have to learn about the other part of our work here...

— Virus Scientific Illuminator

An Illuminator is a mentor to a young intern or apprentice - someone to teach them the inner workings of the program they'll devote their life to. Most often. they also teach about the hidden workings as well; the less publicly available truths.

A Temporary Position

An Illuminator is not something permanent. To hold this title, one must already be of high status - namely, the evolved version of their mentee's position. To some, it is a privilege, earned after years of devotion to their company. To others, however, it is a form of probation. Menial labor and a warning to never overstep again.

While an elevated social status lies in the future of most Illuminators, there are others who are given the rank as a demotion. They are given Shadows who are destined for nothing but trivial maintainance work, with nothing 'real', as its put, to the task.

I thought you said that you'd fire me after five probations. It's been seven.

— Spider Employee

Shadows

An Illuminator's Shadow is their young apprentice. Someone who has likely dreamed for years of this job, this idealistic career. Some enter the job with a slight idea of what awaits. Others begin with the innocent naivete of a child. Either way, most are ultimately inducted into the darker side of their future profession - but there is much to say about those who have a less successful process.

But... I thought... I thought that...

— Young, moderately oblivious Shadow

This moment is often a turning point in the trajectory of a mentee's career and future. Further ambition, and further opportunities. But less enthusiasm, in the language of the Illuminaries, results in little growth.

History

While Illuminators are often pitched to the public eye as purely beneficial, support itself, in truth, there is a far less savory aspect. The birth of this role was the risk factor of inducting younger agents and indelicately introducing them to the world that they had been, for lack of a better term, simply lied to about. It is a job that requires a careful touch: 'personalized treatment'. And so the Illuminators were born.

Digital to Personal

Depending on the decided potential of the Shadow - and the nature of the career - whether or not interactions are in-person varies. Many concur that there is a higher level of information retained through physical interaction, and so the more 'advanced' students are permitted to travel to the actual location of business in their Quarantine suits.