CONFERENCE HALL 50TH FLOOR
“Fatima Hasaan - Secretary - Acquisitions - eliminated.”
“Jason Hardwick - Actuary - Accounting - Eliminated.”
“Hyoza Dakuma - Network Technician - Elim...pardon. Wounded. He is continuing.”
Gulping down another mouthful of champagne, Laila Riedell, Senior Vice President of Vanguard Industries listens to the names spoken by the monotone voice over the loudspeaker. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Laila groans at the 'swimming' feeling from the fifth glass of champagne she consumed. It was always a bad idea to drink on an empty stomach, especially in the morning.
Then again, this was not most mornings and it was not a typical afternoon.
Seated in the front row at center at the 100 inch projector screen, Laila pulls herself thoughts out of its depths and refocuses on the action taking place on the screen.
Legs crossed, red bottom shoes aflair for all to see, Laila tilts her head at the screen.
Almost like a video conference meeting, several square boxes fill the massive screen. Each box transmits a video of various candidates. Some fighting. Others hiding. Some killing. Others killed.
With each kill, the name, title and department was immediately announced with a large red ‘X’ flashing across the screen.
Laila’s green eyes settled to one box. The one she sought to see - her secretary of two years. A nice girl. Too nice. She said as much countless times, she could remember. All of a sudden, Laila’s thoughts whither away as she notices the live footage pan to her secretary, getting thrown across the room. Silent curse slips out between Laila’s lips as her secretary crashes through, defeatedly laying on debris.
“Get up.” Laila grumbles, “Get up like I…”
Her words drift to silence at the footage of three fleet footed Accountants sprinting after her secretary, surround her as another skids to a stop and raises a large katana over her torso.
Laila turns aside from the screen and closes her eyes as a ‘SHUNK’ sound emanates over the speakers.
“Carmen Villanueva - Senior Secretary - CEOs Office - Eliminated.”
“Awww too bad, I liked her.” says a voice from behind.
Instantly recognizing the voice, Laila raises her eyes to a rather tall uninvited Swede male seating himself beside her. Lester Fincher, Assistant Director of Marketing, unbuttons his army green suit jacket and smiles at Laila with more audacity than that of an ill-mannered teenager.
Laila Riedell flicks aside her dusty blue hair and clenches her jaw, “I didn’t know you were capable of liking someone, Lester.”
Lester plasters a grin across his face. “I’m not a brute Laila - that's the Board.”
“The Board of Directors is brutish, but you're the snake.” she retorts, “Of the most venomous kind.”
“Ooh, I see where Carmen got her spice!” Lester replies, “It'll be hard to find another Latin woman to replace her that didn't work as a cleaning woman who only graduated high school.” Lester snickers.
“It should be a federal war crime that you’re allowed to lead our diversity meetings.” Laila comments, shifting her posture and her attention back to the screen, already finished with this pointless discussion, "What do you want Lester? I feel the air dying around you."
“Well doesn’t that sound like a frustrated middle-aged unmarried woman with no hope of prospects..." He grins to Laila's narrowed eyed glares, "...well there are the male secretaries of course.”
Laila lifts her eyes to the ceiling, mumbling curses, "If I'm not mistaken you lost people today Lester."
“Is it a loss when its calculated?” Lester smugly retorts, "I needed to lose two secretaries to combine their salaries and hire a better candidate." he smirks, "I mean, I saw my lemons ahead of time and made a Lemon Martini. You should take a page off my book."
“I don't take anything from blood sucking leeches.” Laila abruptly states to Lester's surprise.
“Careful Laila, we maybe on the Board together one day.” Lester cautions, “Look at our new CFO? Harold? He was an Operations Administrator. Then, one evaluation and five deaths later, he’s a CFO thanks to your friend Felix lobbying and all his inbetween people being killed in the last Evaluation. So Imagine if that happened in my department and I became the first ever Chief Marketing Officer.”
Laila leans in towards him as if one was to divulge a secret. Cupping her mouth, Laila smiles, “Mike Schwartz, your subordinate, trained you. He's a company man. Decades of experience under his belt. The Board unanimously agreed on his appointment, just as we agreed that your promotion - was too early. Its his time. And everyone hates the company slogan you made."
"Its good."
"Its really not." Laila chides, "Mike's in. Your not. The only reason you still have a position in Vanguard is because Mike asked you keep what you have.” she whispers before leaning back to her proper posture.
Lester narrows his eyes and rolls his tongue in his mouth in an effort to stave off his rosy red cheeks from reddening even more from his anger.
“Mike is a good man, a company man." Lester admits, almost choking on the words. "It is also true that he did train me, I owe him that." he sighs.
Lester draws another breath, trying to calm himself as each word he utters he feels an increase of anger rise in his soft tone.
"But..." Lester continues. "...my dear friend Mike Schwartz is part of the old-guard. A dying idea of how to do business. Vanguard Industries needs teeth. Innovation. Boldness. And fortune favors bold. That's why the Board need me, not just a - 'good man' like Mike."
“Is that so?” Laila smirks, “Is that why you boldly found your way to my seat? Hoping to kiss my a…”
Abruptly Lester stands up, towering over the woman. Tugging at his suit jacket, Lester arches his auburn eyebrow and observes the screen, “I see your mind is set.”
Laila clenches her jaw, "Quite."
Incensed, Lester clenches his jaw, “No matter. I'll get my chance one day. Til then, i'll make sure to introduce you to my new Administrative Assistant. She is in the evaluations.”
Laila’s raises both eyebrows with disinterest, “How nice. Hope she chokes."
Lester turns his attention to the screen, “Isn't likely. She is from Iron Enterprises.”
As if struck by a bolt of lighting, Laila's face drains white. Lester glances away from the screen to look at her. Her facial expression was everything and more he hoped it could be. Shocked. Bewildered. Even angry.
A sinister smirk curls the corner of Lester's thin mouth, “Oh you didnt’ know? Yes dear, from Iron Industries. Who’d know our direct competition had a soft spot in their little Yakuza hearts to bargain and let me hire one of theirs who just so happened to leave. Well, the Yakuza part is all rumor but still, she is - bold."
Speechless, Laila simply stares at Lester who nods and turns away, gesturing a wave, “I was hoping Kazuko, that's her named, could've met Mike before Evaluations, but alas it is what it is. Anyways - tootles.”
Watching Lester elegantly stride away towards another group of huddled male businessmen, Laila can’t help think about his comment earlier. ‘
“ She met a few people already. I wanted her met Mike today and your division. I hope she does.
Pulling out her phone, Laila mumbles curses to herself, “Felix, we have a problem.”
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THE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
ISSUE #2
ITS NOT BUSINESS, ITS PERSONAL
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MEANWHILE 45TH FLOOR
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“Oh god this is crazy, this is crazy!”
Antony Orr - Network Technician - Research & Development Department
He could feel his pounding heart in this throat.
“I gotta get outta here!”
Sweat drenching his face and sticking his blond hair to his forehead as if having run through a rainstorm, Antony runs across the entirety of the “L” shaped 45th floor to a discreet corner window.
The sounds of screaming and fighting were fading away, but his fear was still ever present.
Reaching a large window, Antony slaps his sweaty palms against the pane glass and pushes up. Muttering a flurry of inaudible curses, Antony puts all his might to pushing up to the old rusty window. Momentarily the window gives way and lifts with ease. The rush of cool wind hitting his face, Antony leans out from the 45th floor window.
“SOMEBODY HE-eellkk!!”
Suddenly, something wraps around Antony’s neck so tightly, his words become a series of garbles breaths.
Instinctively Antony grabs hold of what feels like ethernet cables crushing his windpipe. Blood rushes to Antony's pale face that reddens like an apple. Opening his mouth to scream, he's suddenly yanked away from the window and sent flying!
Hitting the floor and rolling, Antony rolls one last time onto his back and greeted with a firm high heel boot stomping onto his chest!
Immediately his eyes snap open in horror at the woman standing over him.
Her gorgeous light eyes peer into his face with the coldness of an artic sun. Of middle eastern woman descent, her black suit fitted perfectly of her slim figure, she pulls down her black hijab and drapes it around her neck. Her pursed lips curl to a smirk as Antony's face grows paler by the second.
Adira Hazir - Network Technician Intern - Research & Development Department
Antony’s gags as she jerks back the ethernet wires tightly bound around his neck.
"Greetings Antony."
“Ah-deer-rrraaa..…” he gasps, "Paaallleeeeezzz..."
Tightening the cords around his neck even more, muting his voice, Adira scowls at him. A fistful of tightly wrapped around her right hand, Adira reaches behind her back and whips out a golden pistol that she aims at him.
“Funny, I recall you posting in all the chatrooms how I would be choking on my blood saying your name during evaluations?”
His eyes filled with hate, Antony’s bares his teeth as his face reddens more by the second as Adira points the gun at his face.
Adira smirks, “Oh what will the boys at the water cooler say about this?”
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Feeling the ground tremble, Adira pulls the trigger just as something explodes through the wall behind her!
Dropping to the musty carpet beside Antony’s lifeless body as a high pitch flatline noise emitting from his watch, Adira catches sight of a man zoom over her and smack up against the window, cracking it.
“GAAH!” he cries out in pain.
Mike Schwartz - Operations Administrator - Marketing (Oldest Admin - 63 Years Old)
Wasting no time, Adira whips her Ethernet cables across the room, wrapping them around a broken desks’ legs.
As soon as Mike drops onto his tired legs, he watches Adira ‘two finger salute him’ before pulling herself across the rug and away from his fight.
“That’s right get outta here Adira.” Mike grumbles as pain radiates on his back. Suddenly, Mike quickly spots a fleet footed black suited Customer Service Representative sprint out from the smoke billowing out the wall he was sent through.
Lauren Hews - Customer Relations - Customer Service Representative
“HE’S MINE!” barks Lauren as four more Customer Service Representatives follow behind him.
Unconsciously moving back, Mike feels his back meet wall and curses under his breath as Lauren leaps in the air twirling his katana over his head, moments from splitting Mike in two.
“TIME TO RETIRE OLD MAN!” he shouts.
“I STILL GOT FIGHT LEFT !” Mike yells.
Suddenly Mike sees a black marble appear in the scope of his vision between him and the Customer Service Rep.
Dropping to the floor, Mike covers his face as an explosion erupts between them!
Immediately the other Customer Service Representatives skid to a stop as their teammate’s rockets back past them and roll on the floor to stop in a heap of black smoke with a high pitch flatline noise emitting from his watch.
Lauren Hews - Customer Relations - Customer Service Representative - Eliminated.
Despite seeing it with their own eyes, the team of Customer Care Agents stare Lauren’s body in wide-eyed astonishment as the announcement rings in their ears. Slowly turning to the old man, everyone suddenly stands at attention at the sight of a far younger male in a fitting black suit skid to a stop in front of Mike.
Everyone fixes their katana’s forward, focused on their target. However, none of them move.
The mystery man’s pale green eyes rover over them both with an intensity and thoroughness that everyone gulps almost at once, unable to find a weakness to start an attack. Buttoning his suit jacket, the sunlight cuts a perfect silhouette through his form as he approaches them.
Stopping several passes away from them, he speaks. “Call this a Professional courtesy…” the stranger says. His voice both gravely and deep.Raising his left hand, the man shows his fanned out fingers holding black marbles perfectly between his four fingers.
“...I’m sure in your department you're skilled...” he states, “...but today, you are out of your league. Back down.”
One of the female Admin standing closer towards him observes his name tag and curses.
William Glass - Executive Assistant - CEO's OFFICE
“Guuuys…” she calls out, taking a step back, “He’s a FREAKING E.A.!”
Standing across from her, another Admin nervously pulls out two short swords, “But we can take him….”
“Ten YEARS Abby.” exclaims another, “Most barely make it four years…He’s got TEN!”
The girl with the swords points at William, “WE NEED TO TAKE OUT THE OLD MAN OR WE DON’T GET A BONUS!”
Tightening his tie, William unbuttons his black jacket exposing the red lining underneath, “Not happening.” he replies before gesturing his thumb over his shoulder at the old man behind him, “He’s off limits. Walk. Away.”
“I’d do as he says…” Mike advises, ever so slightly leaning out from behind William, “...E.A’s don’t give warnings. He’s being nice.” Mike protests.
Glancing over his shoulder, William looks to him, “You’re getting promoted tomorrow…” he retorts before focusing back at the four Admins who slowly back away, “...can you hold off the on-the-job coaching?”
“I remember you being one of them once.” Mike smirks.
Turning his attention back to the Admins, William narrows his eyes at them, “Yeah but I didn’t attack old men, old man.” he grumbles.
Looking at each other, the group all nod at each other. Slowly taking a step back, the group of admins turn aside and sprint away like a flock of deer into the forest.
Seeing them turn the corner to join the chaotic fighting, William folds his arms at his old friend. Standing taller than him, William observes his friend's wounds. Cuts decorating his face, cuts torn into his suit, William shakes his head as Mike leans up against the wall, taking a breather.
“What happened to ‘work from the shadows’?’ asks William.
Mike chuckles, “What happened to burning down the company that kidnapped your son?” he retorts.
“On track…” William replies, “...that is if my one and only friend who is about to get promoted tomorrow to infiltrate the ranks of management so we can burn this company down, doesn’t get himself killed by trying to relive his glory days in a fight.” he replies with an annoyed tone.
Holding his chest, Mike struggles to take a deep breath, “I stuck to the plan and tried to lay low, but as soon as the evaluation countdown started: my watch lit up as a target and those Customer Service twerps had my location.”
William arches his eyebrow at the statement, “What?”
Holding up his watch to William, Mike looks at it, “Their mission was to kill me.”
William clenches his jaw, “You mean…”
Before William can finish, he feels a vibration in his pocket. Pulling out his phone, William looks at the screen and sees a message.
“Someone wants me dead here Wil, I’ve made a few enemies, question his who.” says Mike, but after seeing William read his message, he grows concerned.
William’s face tightens.
“I don’t like that look.” Mike says, “That Lebanese temper of yours starts off with that look.”
William shakes his head, “Yeah well the ‘who is trying to kill you’ part is figured out.” he mutters before shoving the phone back in his pocket.
“Who?” asks Mike.
“My boss just messaged me. Lester Fincher seems to be going scorched Earth.” he says, cutting him a glance, “Your ‘favorite’ is trying to kill you with a new hire from Iron Industries. This is bad...he may even be after the new CFO just to prove a point.”
Mike furrows his brow, “Lester wouldn’t. We already had a long talk yesterday and hammered things out. He knows I didn’t want this promotion but…”
“...after he started making promises his mouth can’t cash....” William interrupts, “...Board decided to promote you and new people to clean up Lester’s mess.” he flately states, “I read the private emails and trust me Mike, Lester is not sitting well with this I don’t care what he told you. He wants to be Chief Marketing Officer and will kill you for it.”
Patting him on the face with a smile, Mike smirks “My boy, he’s your rival, not mine.” he responds to William’s frustrated sigh, “I trained you both, him longer yes. So I know him. He hired the new girl off my advice, so he curry favor, but not to betray me.”
William grinds his teeth and shakes his head, “Look, I don’t have time to convince you. God knows I’ve tried. All that matters now is that I do the impossible task of acing this Evaluation while keeping you alive and with me.”
Mike dusts himself off. “You’re only one of six Executive Assistants in fifty years to last ten years. Accomplishing the impossible is what you do - ACK!!!”
William’s goes pale as Mike’s eyes open wide in shock with blood bursting nose and mouth! William looks to the center of Mike’s chest and sees a neon blue staff sinking straight through his chest.
“Direct LinkedIn made.” emits a voice from the staff.
“NNOOO!!!” William shocks, reaching out for his friend but before he can touch him, Mike is suddenly pulled off his feet to his attacker.
Before he can move, William watches as a woman jumps backwards in the air and impales Mike in mid-air before landing on the floor and pinning Mike’s to the ground through his torso!
Crouched down beside his body like a vulture with one hand on the handle of her Katana, the woman slowly looks at William from over her shoulder and twists the sword in Mike’s chest.
Mike Schwartz - Operations Administrator - Marketing - Eliminated.
William face reddens. Warmth heats the his ears as rage boils inside of him. Immediately his eyes shift to the name tag on the woman’s leather kimono robe.
Kazuko Mitasuri - Administrative Assistant - Marketing
Slowly standing up, the woman fluidly sheath’s her sword, “Ah, Lester told me about you. The Executive Assistant. An honor to meet you.” she says in a flat, emotionless voice.
Grinding his teeth, William stares at Mike’s body laying in a pool of blood, “You just - just…”
“...finished my task, Executed my team.” Kazuko finishes, tilting the hilt of her sword forward while pushing it up with her thumb, “Question you do work for Felix Alderman correct?.” (see The Executive Assistant - Issue 1)
The sound of the blade sliding out its sheath snaps William back to his senses and looks to the woman. Her arm covered in a red and black sleeve tattoo, her free hand flexes to a fist.
Consumed with anger, William bares his teeth, “I believe it's very unprofessional to bring emotions into this job, but you just killed a dear friend of mine…”
Feeling the ground tremble beneath their feet from a small explosion on the other side of the L-Shaped floor, Kazuko sighs, “Friends and business don’t mix. So that was your fault. Hence I would advise that since I have a lot more business to conduct before this evaluation is over, sideline yourself.” she says.
Turning her back to him, Kazuko walks away but stops to hear a click of a gun from William.
“Yeah, this isn't business, its personal.”
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To be continued…Saving Your Boss
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