Jess is running late for work, she slept in. Maggie gave her an extra few weeks off and today is her first day back. She's been off so long.
It was good though to have extra time to herself to really sort through some baggage and stuff.
She did run halfway cross the country from her past and was homeless before she got an apartment.
Her phone gets a text messages, checking it, it's Douglas.
---
Douglas: So, first day back today. You better bloody get me something today. I still don't understand why the hell my ex-wife gave you so much time off.
Jess: I'll make it up I promise, I'll get you something.
Douglas: I hope so. Remember, I will set a bomb off in there or... I could even kill you to cover my tracks and "recruit" someone in your place.
Why bother with an underling when I could go straight to the top of the Security department. Your friend, Bella Day herself. I know you went home to her house with her. She introduced you to her family.
Jess: No!!! Don't you dare lay a finger on her, please! I'll get you something, by midday. I promise.
Douglas: Midday? Well, alright then. Better hurry up and get to work then.
Jess: Douglas.
Douglas: What?
Jess: You made all the androids at the fun centre, right?
Douglas: Most of them. There is one there now I didn't make, I think her name was Dreamer from an article that featured the Centre.
Jess: Yes, she's the like a Nursery Maid bot or something to look after really young children, toddlers up to I don't know what age.
I think she was sold on to Maggie not long ago, she was reprogrammed.
Douglas: Did you just call an android a women?
Jess: So what if I did?
Douglas: Hmm. I have to go, enjoy work. Midday, not a moment later.
---
And then his offline and Jess finishes dashing out the door. She arrives at work late, the place is fully open for the day when she darts in, scanning her pass. "Thompson! You're late. Security Office, Bella and Maggie actually want to see you. Not to mention, it's your first day back. This doesn't look good for you." A random, pain in the ass colleague she barely knows points out.
"Ugh." She sighs, preparing to head upstairs.
"Morning." Calls out a voice. She turns to see Brianna in the medical tent with Adam. She gives Jess a small wave and smile. Jess nods and continues on to Brianna's sadness that she didn't talk back.
"Well, would you look at that! The girl is here, got yourself a job here to did you? Didn't think you'd go as far as to copy my idea!"
"Hey! You're not the only one who got out of hospital, I need money too to eat and pay for a place to sleep. Not to mention pay off my medical bills as well, Ren and ongoing outpatient treatment."
"Fuck ongoing, I'm not participating in a day program or anything."
"Enjoying being recalled if they drag your ass back then."
"At-least my ass is flatter than your fat ass, Lou!"
"It's Louie! Not Lou! I'm not a girl!"
"Then why we're you there then for anorexia?"
"Cause boys can suffer from them too."
Jess can hear arguing, the voices familiar. She rounds the corner and almost runs smack bang into them. Her eyes widen when she sees who they are. Sarcastic and cruel, Ren. Depressed and withdrawn, Louie. Both patients from the hospital when she was there.
"Ah, shit. Hi, I remember you. You're, ummm? You got out before us. Crap, you work here. Right, I'm sorry. I forgot. I signed up with a job agency and they found this place for me, I interviewed a week ago." Louie stammers while Ren is silent and glaring.
"Where did the new girl go? Hey, Maggie. Did you see Ren Wilson passing by in the halls? She's one of our additional new part time hires."
"No, I'm actually looking for the new replacement head of the IT department. Have you seen him, Bella?"
"What's his name?"
"Louie Dawson."
Jess can hear Maggie and Bella not far off. Rather than stand here listening to Ren chew poor Louie out and start to target Jess herself, she calls out alerting all their presence.
"Bella! Maggie!"
Bella and Maggie round the corner. "There you both are." Maggie says. "Uh, hey, Jess." She adds on quickly.
Ren looks annoyed, gritting her teeth slightly. "Louie, I was going to take you up to the third floor and we can do a walkthrough the IT department and I can introduce you to everyone who you will be managing. The Team basically, you guys and gals are the ones responsible for resolving software glitches in the androids and attractions and even writing new code and more so they will continue evolve over time.
And also give the techs a hand with whatever they can't figure out with the androids and so fourth. The IT department will be working very closely with them. Cool?" Maggie says awkwardly.
"Am I shadowing anyone?" Ren asks in a cutesy tone. "What am I doing?"
"Uh..." Bella responds, trying to think. Jess throws Bella a look that says give me a task, now, please.
Get me out of here. "Maybe I shadow, Jess here?" Ren says, grabbing Jess arm who pulls it out of her grip quickly and looking like she's about to cry which Maggie notices.
"Actually, we have a early party of teens for the Princess Quest game thing. They reserved a very early slot, will be quite lucrative. Maybe Jess could go supervise that because a security guard needs to be in there at all times when there is an active party." Maggie suggests.
"What." Jess says, looking worried.
"Aw, what's the matter? Scared of an android? It's okay, they're not alive. They won't take over the world, Jessie." Ren say, smirking.
"She-Devil." Jess responds, but then realizes she said it outloud. "Paranoid freak." Ren says back.
"Ren, shut up." Louie interjects. "Do you want me to call you a girl again?" Ren nastily says back.
"Alright, cut it out. All of you!" Maggie yells. "What is going on? You're acting like you all know each other."
"They we're on the unit with me. Sadface though, at-least I got to go home earlier." Jess says back.
"Jessie Thompson! if you can't be civil with your colleagues, would you like some more time off at home?" Maggie says annoyed.
"....I'm sorry, Maggie."
"Go supervise Princess Quest."
"Sure, I'll go check in on Princess. See if she's ready to begin."
"Aw, cute. The androids a girl too." Ren but's in again. "Ren Wilson! You won't make fun of your colleagues. This is your one and only warning today as well. Go with Bella and find something to do." Maggie says, having had enough and takes Louie upstairs.
Jessie heads back out on the floor to go see Princess and supervise the VR group while Bella leads Ren off somewhere.
"And now they both work here too, this is going to be hell, Princess. I might actually just quit if I have to work closely to Ren. She was a nightmare on the unit! Or I'll throw down with her, whichever happens first. Quit or throw down and get fired by Maggie."
"I still don't really understand why you said you had to go to hospital, you we're off for so long, but I believe you that the girl is a nightmare. She sounds it. Do you want me to keep an eye on her whenever I can for you?" Princess questions as she sets up the game.
"Yes."
"Sure, I'll do that. Just for you. And Jess."
"Yes?"
"I've really missed you. It was so lonely without you here, your my best friend."
"Surely not. You have Dreamer, Cuddles as well as some of the android help desk staff."
"Yes, you're right. But they're not like me and no one is like you. I like you so much!"
"Thank you."
"So, you going to... dig around and get dirt for Douglas why I run the game?"
"Uh, I had been meaning to-"
"Don't worry, the tablet is safe. I kept it safe for you when you didn't come back to work. An ambulance drove you out of this place."
"I was... sick."
"Yes, and you went to the hospital. You all better now?"
"Yeah."
"What was it that made you sick?"
"Um, I don't want to talk about it further, sorry."
"Okay, no worries. I'll always be here for you if you do want to talk."
And Princess gives Jess a strong hug, then steps back and remains neutral and ordinary. A group of teens are coming inside.
"So, Jamie. You excited for Princess Quest?" Says a girl. "No, this is costing us a fortune when we could just stick to mini golf, bowling, and go-karting." Jamie responds to a friend in her friend-group.
"Welcome, Adventures! I'm Princess, your warrior princess and I'll be accompanying you on your quest through this vast land!" And Princess continues her spiel.
"Where is Jade?" Jess mouths silently. "Nursery." Jamie mouths back. "Are you serious?" Jess mouths back.
"Yep."
"Come on." And Jess leaves the room to go check on Jade. Princess can handle a group of six teenagers in a small room. But Dreamer running around after 20 toddlers in how big the nursery is, Jade could get hurt. Jess forgets all about her midday Douglas deadline.
---
At the end of the day, there is a end of day security briefing and talk session if anyone wants to raise anything. Bella is conducting it. "So, I think that covers everything. Unless someone has something they wish to raise that we need to cover?"
Jess and Ren raise their hand at the same time. "Uh, OK. Jess?" Bella says. Ren scowls.
"I want to bring up 15 year old, Jamie Stevens. She's still coming here everyday instead if going to school and bringing her baby toddler sister who's 3 years old with her and ditching Jade in the nursery on Dreamer, going off with her friends to have her own fun."
"Uh, yes. That really is tricky because we can't make her want to go to school. And if a truancy officer wants to check the center if one attends on their own accord, it will be Jamie's problem alone. As for her sister, our policy is clear we don't take responsibility for toddlers. Dreamer is just a security measure for if one did get hurt, someone will be there.
I don't know why Jade isn't in a daycare center, but maybe we should talk to Jamie and ask her to take care of her sister when here and if she doesn't, we'll have to suspend them both for the moment."
"We're going to suspend a toddler?"
"What, no! Not actually Jade. Just Jamie, but just lie, Jess. Hopefully it will encourage Jamie to step up and take responsibility. Fifteen is old enough to look after her sister if she's going to wag school."
"Bella." Ren says, fluttering her eyes.
"Right, yes, you. Moving on. What would you like to raise?"
"Jess didn't supervise Princess Quest properly. She left it and didn't return."
"You snitch. And it's Jesse to you, not Jess."
"Jess, shut up, please." Bella says nothing.
"Ren, no one like someone who isn't a team player and throws their colleagues under the bus to get something. Know when to raise a genuine concern. So, shut up.
I saw you go and check on Jade, Jess. I understand why you did, but try and hurry back before the Princess Quest group finishes next time if you have to leave for a mini emergency or call me or someone to relieve you."
Ran and Jess start arguing with each other. "Okay, stop, enough!' And Bella blows a loud whistle.
Everyone is in pain and our pair stop fighting. "Okay, you know what. You both can work together, Ren will shadow Jess from now on for the moment.
Hopefully you learn to work together, because in an emergency the other one will be the only one watching your back if no one else is around, got it?"
"But you know what Ren is like-"
"Yes, I know she's had an attitude today which is not acceptable and you we're quite rude to me when I picked up Jess from the hospital, Ren.
But put your petty shit behind you, there is a job to be done here, Ren. I nor Maggie have time for this.
And Jess, you came to work with an attitude tomorrow. Next shift better be better, got it?
Alright, everyone, dismissed! Go home!"
And Bella dismisses them. Jess heads outside to walk home, it starting to storm when it hits her she didnt do anything for Douglas. She gets nervous and keeps as far away as possible from the blind spot where the cameras can't see due to the broken light and hurries onto a bus just up the street. She sees his car sitting down the side of the building.
Her phone beeps, it's him.
Douglas: You failed me, today. Next shift will be better, you will bring me something or you best believe my mood will change and I won't be Mr nice and patient much longer, Jesse.
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