Monday, 7:18 AM

Natalie was a secretary. But that was only her designation. Her real work was something far more than what any secretary would be expected to do. Natalie was the secretary of Milton Weincraft, which actually meant she did everything to keep him ready for the camera. 

Milton was a popular news anchor, who had one of the highest ratings. More importantly, he was also a news gatherer who would personally pick up the prime news for his show. That wasn't all for which Natalie admired Milton. Milton had a cool head, even in the most dire situation. He was once held at gunpoint, and he still didn't break a sweat. Coolly negotiating with the man who had a gun pointed to his head, Milton held until the police arrived and nabbed the assailant. And Milton never deliberately made enemies, wasn't arrogant and always tried his best to please the people around him. It was thus difficult for people who worked with him to dislike him. 

Although Natalie liked him too, there was one thing about him she wasn't very fond of. Milton was such a workaholic, he almost never left office. That morning, one look at his face was all it took for her to know he had spent the night at office. 

"Mil, you've got to wash up. And get some sleep. You look terrible," she said to him, as she walked over to the desk he was glued to. 

"Nat, there you are. This is big," he said, his eyes popping out from excitement. 

"What is it Mil?" Natalie asked, as she looked into the screen too. 

It was an email that filled the screen. There were very few words in the body of the mail, but there was an attachment. It was encrypted and it was asking for a password to decrypt. 

"What is the password?" Natalie asked. 

"I have no idea. I don't even know the sender. And when I try to send a reply, it says the mail can't be sent because the email doesn't exist. It's weird, isn't it?" Milton replied, his excitement overflowing. 

"It's not something to be excited about Mil. Someone's playing a damn prank on you. You are supposed to get angry, and try to find the person who sent you the mail, and punish them."

"Nat, I get a feeling this is going to be big. Monstrous," Milton replied. 

Natalie was well aware of Milton's intuition. It was right always. And when Milton got so excited about something, it would turn out to be really huge news. It was thus that she couldn't say nay. 

"Alright Mil. It is big. But for now there is nothing we can do, is there. We don't have the password. Maybe the person will send the password to us by another mail, later. For now, please wash up. You have a meeting at 9, with the director and the chairman. Let's get you ready for that," Natalie said, lifting Milton to his feet. 

The moment Natalie mentioned the meeting, Milton's excitement broke. He knew how important the meeting was. They were to talk about the show, and it's future. Agreeing with Natalie's direction, Milton closed his laptop and proceeded to get ready for the meeting. The mail was still on his mind though. He had a strong feeling something huge was coming right at him, and he wasn't very fond of surprises.