Powered Personnel: The Big Startup

by K. A. Maxwell

  When Chloe opened her eyes, a Woolian man stood in front of her, tall with a stocky build and large curved horns on the sides of his head. He wore a dark red business suit with his chest wool trimmed to the level of the collar, adding a refined natural undercoat.

  "Ba-aa-ah, I can take care of that," said the Woolian into his cell phone. "The client wants the company to be ready for winter." He ran the tip of his finger around the strands of chest wool. "I'll handle the logistics. Add in a bonus or two, nice and warm, my treat."

  The sheer depth of his voice made Chloe shiver. He would make a good masseur or a bulldozer if he had to ram his way into the train, hopefully not through it. He was in the middle of the pack, which meant he'd likely be the last one in. She noticed someone beside him, shorter, sleeker. She shifted to her right and pressed her foot on a solid tile this time. The feedback she got was even less from him. A gaze up his legs showed ridges of muscle stretching the pair of tight jeans.

  Chloe cleared her throat and shook her head. It was no use trying to follow that line, let alone try to squeeze in between them unless she wanted to risk being the soft patty in between two dense buns. She giggled at that pun and took a route down toward the back tunnel and reached about mid-way, where a digital screen at least sixteen feet wide and nine feet high flashed an ad.

  "Eat up, power up! Energy Egg Sandwich and Coffee for 3.99," it read, displaying the Meshburger breakfast sandwich made from cheese, eggs, and meat strips between toasted English muffins and steaming coffee; emphasis on the rising steam from the coffee and sandwich. She took two more steps before pausing and looked around the ad screen, then at the wall above it. Something was off. The pattern of the wall looked the same, but its texture was grainy and had bumps of different sizes. It then moved, making her flinch. She followed the movement and spotted the scales of a couple of Meeleons who’d managed to stick themselves on the wall and ceiling as their colors shifted to a mix of colors from the ad. They both leaned in, with one pulling out a smartphone with a grid of colored squares. They compared the colors between the screen, their scales and the smartphone.

  "The colors do match the brand guide," said one of them.

  The other meeleon sniffed. "But it's missing the ad scent experience. There's no MeshCafe scent."

  "Should we install a tasting experience module here, too?"

  They both licked and gnawed at the top of the ad, distracting some of the crowd, which gave Chloe a chance to slip by.

  The ad now featured the Breakfast Bees, a popular morning show with Betsie and Betty on BRTV and BRStream. That show was one of Chloe's favorites since the two always gave tips on keeping busy, secure, and adding more to life. Like how to food prep ahead for weeks and ways to do make-up in a natural style. The ad featured this week's theme of securing the home and featured the Bees, two Bienes, hovering in the air in front of a house. Betsie, the planning Bee, held a tablet and a phone in the top pair of hands, and had the bottom pair free. Betty, the action Bee, has her antenna up at attention with a baseball bat in each of her top hands and her bottom arms folded. Betty's stinger poked out of her back abdomen, ready to strike back against the would-be robbers. Their “pests'' that served as the evil comic relief were two other Bienes: Beth and Becky. They hovered in the background wearing burglar masks and bodysuits over their stout builds.

  Chloe continued her trek towards the back, and when the ad switched again, everyone shuffled. A bump from behind pushed her forward and the bodies in the crowd squeezed in around her. Side to side, back and forth. The movement of the crowd made Chloe's stomach churn. She wasn't about to allow herself to make a mess on her first day if she could help it. She focused within and let her energy expand through her body. Her legs thickened, stretched, and reached the floor again, and with a push of her foot, she broke free. The push sent people around her tumbling. Chloe winced and pushed the energy back in. Her gaze sank back down. She slowly took a glance behind and cringed at the people on the ground with mixed expressions on their faces, with a couple frowning at her.

  "Ba-aa-ad high-powered," a Gotefalk woman grumbled.

  Chloe quickly jogged away until she made it to the end of the platform and pressed her foot down on a tile crack. Finally, she found a place where the feedback showed shapes of bodies in front of her, but it became brighter as a rumble grew louder. She pulled her foot back and opened her eyes just as the roar of the subway train echoed and entered the station. It wasn't pretty getting to the back, but this was where it gave Chloe the best chance for a seat. She counted to five as the train slowed to a stop. She took one step, two steps, then the train doors slid open.

  She squeezed through while keeping herself sturdy as the wave of people behind her tried to push her aside without success. She pushed through, grabbed one of the standing poles and swung herself toward a single seat, landing with perfect execution. Within a few moments, all the seats and most of the open space filled in.

  "Excuse me."

  Chloe kept her gaze away from the voice, which sounded hoarse.

  "Excuse me, Miss."

  Chloe fought to keep her vision from moving toward the voice.

  "Excuse me, ma-aa-as."

  She looked up. The person had grey fur, with wrinkles on his forehead, short pointy horns, and used a walking stick while keeping his other hand on a nearby pole.

  "Do you mind, I can..." he gestured to the seat.

  Chloe looked around the train for any other willing person ready to help. She swallowed hard and fought back a sigh and stood up with her shoulders slumped.

  "Sure, it's no problem, sir. Please take my seat," she said.

  "Thank you," the old Gotefalk said and sat down. "You're off to work, aren't you?"

  "I'm starting a new job today," replied Chloe.

  "Wonderful. I remember when I started my first job…"

  Chloe bit her lip and steeled herself.

  "…it was at a farm in sector thirty-one where we grew grapes. Twelve hours a day, at minimum wage. Ba-aa-ck then, we didn't have any of the fancy machines or robots to pick off the grapes. We were only a small winery. You wonder why these fingers sport a tint of red? It was hard, honest work pulling grapes off the vines and tasting them. The grapes we harvested were as red as the sun that grew them." He paused. "We used to be called Ruddy Vintages. The things we made up there were art and for twenty years, it was the type of bloody gold you can drink if you found us, until the takeover of the planet, friendly takeover mind you. Not from one of those invasions or hostile takeover things."

  The old man made a light smile and leaned back in his seat as the train rushed outside.

  "It was a peaceful time,” he continued. “The owners shared in the success of the winery with us and it set me up to retire early. I didn't want to end up in one of those old people's homes with those people.” He winced. “The ones they keep talking about on the news, you know? I stayed with a few of my old pals living in a space we rented out. We choose the people we trust to help us, no one else."

  "Good for you," Chloe said, nodding. "So, you bought yourself a place all the way here on Neerg, away from the wine sectors?"

  The old man nodded. "And how old are you?"

  "Thirty... one." Chloe was actually thirty-nine.

  "You better be thinking about how you want to live. Live your life your way before it's too late. Been seeing young people getting big pays, but blow it and end up on one of those TV talk shows in the afternoons."

  "I don't intend on—"

  The train jerked back and screeched to a halt.

  "Attention all Brahma Rapid Transit Customers on Line 5.” A voice spoke over the speakers. “We are currently experiencing a service interruption due to a reported High-Powered People Incident in-progress nearby. Safety features on all trains and tunnels have been activated. Please remain seated or firmly braced for possible impacts and shockwaves. Standby for more information."

  A group of people pointed toward the sky and had their cell phone
cameras aimed up, while others just kept going about their business. Chloe squeezed and pushed, trying to get a good look. It was far in the sky but she saw a couple dots in the air zipping across and back. The sky lit up as red beams shot from one of them, trying to hit another. The two dots flew at each other and their collision blasted away some of the clouds around them. A few seconds later, the shockwave slammed into the train.

  "Ma-aa-an. Too many high-powered people in the city,” said the old man. “I'll tell you something. When the wine people thought they were getting a discount by getting someone with super-strength to help squish the berries, they…"

  Chloe frowned and kept her eyes on the flyers in the sky. No matter what planet it happened on, it still only took an irresponsible person or two with high-level powers to bring everything to a halt. A couple of larger dots with flashing blue and red lights flew up toward the others. Within a minute, several other dots converged on the two. After a few minutes of more shockwaves, things calmed down and the flashing lights in the sky moved away.

  "Hey!" shouted the old man.

  Chloe turned around to him.

  "Were you even listening to me?" He blew a snort at Chloe, a foul breath which made her gag and cough.

  "Attention all Brahma Rapid Transit Customers on Line 5. The delay we were experiencing due to the reported High-Powered People Incident has been cleared and service has resumed. All infrastructure checks have been cleared as safe. If you have any questions or concerns about safety on the BRT please contact us. Thank you for your cooperation."

  Chloe turned her back on the old man and shoved a couple more sticks of mint-flavored gum in her mouth. She mentally plotted out how much more time it would take to get to her destination, given the delay. She was on the Line 5 Express train, and with seven more stops it should take her forty-five more minutes, and with the time being 7:32 a.m., she still had—

  "Attention all Brahma Rapid Transit Customers on Line 5. As a result of that incident, all trains will operate at slower than normal speeds. We apologize for the delay as we continue efforts to ensure your safety."

  Chloe bounded up the steps of Waymens Street Station at 8:42 a.m. to the freedom of the streets and its abundance of overground air. North of Waymens Street, the land spread open with lush clover lawns, lined with trimmed bushes, while the ground roads continued through diverging crescent shapes. The path straight to the Green Ventures Unlimited campus was one only people could use, although fliers came and went from higher floors. It sort of made sense. There was no need to waste energy with elevators if people could just fly up. For the non-fliers, they walked over a brick-laid pathway decorated with shards of emeralds. At the end of the path, the cylinder-shaped building loomed among the highest in Brahma, its top resembling a lid with a cover extending over the front. What would it take to reach the top? She imagined herself large enough to pop open the top like a garbage can and throw out the President and CEO so she could take over. Could she get to that level?

  The front lobby bustled with professionals as they spread out in groups and huddled around tables and coffee bars that had data screens hovering over mobile workstations. Looking up, large displays showed company news, weather, and market data that crawled across organic LED tickers. Walking up on the ramp to the front desk area, she stepped on patches of sun rays that beamed to the floor, each time giving her a bigger boost of power. She got to the desk where a security guard sat. He had bubblegum pink skin, long limbs; probably would be tall and lanky standing up. Even his three fingers were long.

  "May I help you?" he said.

  "I'm here for onboarding," said Chloe.

  "Name?"

  "Chloe Ceres."

  "Not on the list."

  "There has to be some kind of mistake."

  "No mistake."

  "My boss called me this morning and wished me well."

  "What is your boss's name?"

  "Hilda Artemis."

  "Not on the list."

  "That's impossible."

  "I can't find her on the staff list."

  "Hilda Artemis? Chief Brand Officer?"

  "There is no Hilda Artemis on the staff list."

  Chloe looked at the clock above the desk, it read 8:53 a.m. She leaned in closer and was about to talk when something gripped her shoulders and pulled her away.

  "Ma'am, please do not lean on the desk," said the Security officer. The name Zulmel sewed into his top. "If you don't have more business with us today, I would appreciate it if you didn't loiter."

  Zulmel had two of his fingers up, surrounded with a pink glow. She tried moving her legs, but his telekinesis lifted her off the ground, causing her to stumble and slide back before being set back down.

  "If you are looking to pay a bill or buy something, you can find the GVU Retail Store in Building 220, if you exit and—"

  "Stop and listen to me!" She stomped on the floor, which made a coffee cup on Zulmel's desk jump.

  "I am Chloe Ceres." Her eyes watered. "I am a new Director for the Macmor brand and I went through all the interviews, security checks, and power level tests. Is there anything at all I can do to convince you of that?"

  "You're not on the staff list," said Zulmel. "All current and incoming staff have always been on the list and only people on the staff list can go through."

  Chloe had her hands on the security desk. They shook and her fingers sank into the granite. Zulmel glanced down at the indentations. "Ma'am, if you do not stop, I will have to escort you off the campus."

  Chloe glanced at her hands and pulled them away, placing them behind her back. "Melinda said she'd take care of things. Why is this happening?" muttered Chloe.

  "Melinda? Melinda who?" asked Zulmel.

  "Calanke?"

  Zulmel's mouth furrowed and reached for the keyboard. As he typed, there was something odd about the way he typed.

  "You're typing out my name?" Chloe asked.

  "Yes. K-L-O-I-E, last name: S-I-R-A-S-S."

  "No, it's spelled C-H-L-O-E C-E-R-E-S."

  Zulmel typed it in and he leaned forward toward his screen. His eyes widened. "Oh, here you are, Kloie with a C. Yes, I see Hilda is also spelled with an I and not a Y. You're going to be working with Melinda as a co-director. Very, very interesting."

  Zulmel held out a guest pass and before he opened his mouth, she snatched it and pressed it against the sensor, opening the gate. She checked the time again, 8:56 a.m. She sprinted ahead, but she wasn't going forward. She went up. A pink glow on her shoulders whisked her off the ground and pulled her back to the security desk.

  "May I suggest taking this campus map? Or do you know how to get to Meeting room 10C on your own?" He raised his other hand, and a booklet floated toward her.

  Chloe's cheeks flushed a deeper green. "Which way do I go?"

  "To get to Meeting room 10C..."

  "Please, Mr. Zulmel, I'm in a rush, just point me in the right direction."

  Chloe's body rose like a piece on a game board and then set down in front of a pair of doors.

  "You go straight through those doors and follow the map until you are in Section Ten. You're in section three. Welcome to Green Ventures Unlimited. I wish you good luck in your new position Ms. Sir-ass."

  With people who butchered her name like this, she could only hope. For now, she ran.

  Chapter 2

  "Good morning, I'm Alina from HR."

  Chloe tilted her head up at the voice to see a fairy who wore a sparkling green dress and blazer with the GVU logo on it. She made her response with an almost foreign dialect of gasps, wheezes, and coughs.

  The strawberry-blonde-haired Searfae hovered down into Chloe's vision. "What happened to you?" she asked. Each flap of her wings spewed out a sparkling trail of green dust that went up Chloe's nose.

  She sneezed, sending a blast of air that sent Alina spiraling down and crashing to the floor, kicking up a plume of green dust. For a moment, the Searfae didn't move, and Chloe got on her knees, leaning in
closer, listening for any signs of life.

  Alina's wings buzzed and stopped before she coughed and sat up, rubbing her head. She glared at Chloe and trails of steam rose from her face as she shot herself up.

  "What did you do? Run a marathon or something?" she barked, waving her arms. "If you're trying to get back into shape, we have training facilities, you know." Her wings shifted to translucent orange, which made the green dust stop.

  Chloe waved off the fairy. "Sorry for being late." Her lungs and throat finally gave her some space to talk.

  Alina pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips. "You didn't have to rush. We give space for social networking before the onboarding. Your first day is supposed to be relaxed and fun, not a natural disaster."

  "I didn't mean to do that, it was all that dust."

  "Humph." Alina hovered back and forth, leaving a trail of steam behind her. "I told them the green dust would be trouble. What am I supposed to do against super breath? Sparkles are so overrated and messy, but no." Alina's voice picked up speed, and her wavy hair glowed with heat.

  "Everything has to be on brand and sparkly. 'Green dress, green dust, green sparkles with sparkly personality. Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. Be a sparklemuffin and go out with a sparkle on your face. Ugh!"

  Chloe stood. "Okay, I get it. You've turned off the sparkles, so, no more sparkles is good, right? Don't sparkle if it makes you mad."

  Alina huffed and folded her arms. She took another look at Chloe and bit her lip. The steam still radiated, but now the glow moved to her cheeks.

  "I knew I shouldn't have skipped my morning coffee,” she muttered. “I'm always more peppy with my coffee and honey. I guess it's better to be blown away by you, a Silvan, than having a slime embrace GVU by embracing me."