FB1-64 "At Work"

A Chapter by dw817

I just wanted to go home, I wanted to be in my own bed ! I looked up to her and pleaded to Stefani, “I wanna go home.” My voice was hard to understand I was crying so hard now.

Press CTRL = (equals) to increase the page size and CTRL - (minus) to decrease the page size

Want to read this in a different language ?
Change the TO field to your own country and after going HERE

F U T U R E B A R R I E R
( The 1st Novel )
Secret Technology, Unrequited Love, Absolute Vengeance

© July 2014 Written by David Wicker
Please do not reprint without permission

CHAPTER 64 - AT WORK
[ CHOOSE A DIFFERENT CHAPTER TO READ ]

* * *

This chapter is Rated: EVERYONE

I reached out and continued to follow her. We passed by a candy machine and I paused staring at a wrapped 3 Musketeers Bar. My mouth watered at the sight of the chocolatey goodness. Stefani tightened her hold on my hand to watch me carefully. I tried to pull free but she hung on with a solid grip.

“Dev,” she said, “if you’re that hungry, I have breakfast already ready for you. You don’t want THAT.” and she pointed to one of the candy bars in the machine. “They’re just full of sugar.” she said with some contempt. “You’ll want something better.”

I looked away. Something inside my head said not to argue with her. I couldn’t. In fact, what she was saying made perfect sense, and yet … my head threatened to hurt if I gave it much thought.

“C’mon.” she said encouragingly. “We’re just about to my office.”

“OK.” I said flatly. We walked on. Suddenly my tummy rumbled hungrily. If Stefani heard me, she ignored it. Finally we came up to a door, regular wood, unlike the transparent acrylic one I had been seeing so many of before now. There was a slot for a pass-key so she slid her card in it as it whined scanning the ID.

It was then I realized just how huge an organization Arkos was. Apparently all doors used a pass-key, there were at least 87 levels straight down and if each floor were as little as 16 feet high, then the complex was over 1408 feet deep in the ground ? That’s more than a mile, I think ?

My head threatened to hurt me the more I thought of it, so I just did my best to keep up with Stefani.

The door beeped acknowledgement at Stefani’s pass-key card and the I heard a latch inside unlock. She pulled the heavy door handle and we walked inside.

I saw several people talking on phone headsets, one was looking at a huge clear map that had lit blips hanging in midair and was apparently talking to others in vehicles. Several others were reading from papers and typing out forms for things.

There was a strong smell of warm rich coffee and pastries. I also noticed there were no men in here, it was all women.

I saw there was a window here too with blinds but knew it was just a long florescent light above the top of it like my room. We were underground. I could tell from my earlier ride down here. Someone approached Stefani with a clipboard for her to sign. I watched only remotely interested as she quietly spoke with them and smiled writing on the paper.

Then we were walking again to a large office. Her name was printed across a steel name-tag that ended with “CEO.” and she opened the office to walk to the seat. I stood dumbly nearby not really sure what to do. Finally I walked to a corner to sit down, somewhat confused as to why she invited me to work with her.

Then Stefani, smiling at me, clicked an intercom on her desk. “Juliana, can you get me a chair for my guest please ?”

“Sure thing.” I heard her reply crisply on the speakers. Stefani rustled some papers on the desk to look for something. I looked at my feet for a second and then there was a knock behind me. Stefani said, “Come.” and Juliana entered with a small wooden chair.

“Here you go big guy.” she said to me and walking around me, set the chair out next to the right-hand side of Stefani’s much bigger chair. I didn’t move at first until Stefani padded the chair invitingly with her hand. I must’ve looked really nervous as I padfooted over to the chair and sat down next to her.

She smiled and took my hand in hers as she read more papers. I continued to look at the desk very shy. Finally I met Juliana’s gaze.

She was curious, as I’m sure everyone in the office was, why their CEO invited some strange boy up into her office during working hours. She looked at me, opened her mouth for a second, then closed it. Opened it one more time. She was definitely thinking of something to say. I almost laughed at her predicament.

Stefani finally looked up to Juliana still standing there and caught her with her mouth open. She spoke crossly to her, “That will be all, Julie.”

* * *

“Yes ma’am,” she said and nodded her head leaving, closing the door behind us.

“Just you and me now, Dev.” she said and smiled to me giving my hand a friendly squeeze before giving it back. Somehow I was feeling more numb by the minute in the silence of the office. I imagined the papers on her desk were moving slightly around by themselves.

Stefani saw this and chuckled a little bit knowing I was still under the effect of her cocktail. If I had any brain at all I would’ve said I was BORED or something ! Instead I was in a kind of hypnotic trance and didn’t speak a word.

Finally my stomach rumbled again hungrily. I was feeling really bad now, I had to eat something ! Stefani didn’t look up at her work and commented absently, “Are you hungry for breakfast now, Dev ?”

My brain wasn’t working correctly. I heard the question but I didn’t want to answer it, and at the same time I didn’t want to say no. I sat there without a word.

Then Stefani jerked her head up like she was remembering something and reached over to click the intercom. “Cafeteria,” she spoke. “Room 486-A is off-limits until further notice, Stefani Charteiris authorizing.”

A male voice on the intercom spoke back gruffly, “Confirmed Miss Charteiris. 486-A is prohibited from the cafeteria. OK, no food for this tenant until you clear the notice. Out.”

Stefani returned back to her paperwork though I could see slyly she had a bit of her gaze on me as an evil smile curled on her pretty lips.

I couldn’t believe what she just did ! I moaned quietly and uncomfortably, looking at my feet in despair, and wringing my hands. Stefani just chuckled to herself and went back to her papers now ignoring me.

It was quiet again for a good minute. I was starting to yawn and was interrupted by a very loud rumble that came directly from my belly. I hadn’t eaten solid food in over 24-hours now !

Stefani looked up from her work with an agitated glance. She didn’t say anything. I knew it was going to be torture like this until I fainted in my chair or finally agreed to have “breakfast” so to save myself a world of discomfort I finally said quietly, “Ok.” while looking down at the floor.

“Hmm.” Stefani said satisfied, then set down her pen and reached into one of the desk drawers for a shiny little black purse. Putting it around her shoulder she said, “Let’s go.”

She opened her office door and I followed numbly behind her. I wanted to cry, it was like I was getting punished in a terrible way, and I couldn’t apologize, or do anything about it !

We hadn’t gone very far. I was crying real tears now. Suddenly one of the girls by a desk reached up to hold my arm and ask, “Hey, are you okay ? Why are you crying ?” There was actual concern in her voice.

Stefani’s face screwed up in a rage but she caught herself and smiled saying smoothly, “He’s just hungry, Danielle. We’re going for breakfast now, isn’t that right, Dev ?”

She looked to me and it got very quiet in the office as everyone stopped working on what they were doing to see what I would say to this.

My tummy rumbled again and I felt pain there. “Ok.” I said quietly.

Stefani grinned, playfully rubbed my hair a bit, then took my hand to head out of the office.

Once we cleared the office, I finally started pulling on her hand, but when I did, my head started hurting. I knew I was going against her and somehow that hurt my head knowing this.

Stefani was getting angry, “Dev, you keep lollygagging you’ll get a shock. You don’t want that do you ?” and for emphasis, shocked my wrist at level 2 for less than a second.

I cried out suddenly at the terrible pain. Then I reached out and hugged Stefani’s legs with tears in my eyes, hoping she would end the hurting. I just wanted to go home, I wanted to be in my own bed ! I looked up to her and pleaded, “I wanna go home.” My voice was hard to understand I was crying so hard now.

She reached down to kneel on the floor to meet my height. “Dev, did you want to go back to your room after breakfast ?” There still wasn’t much regard in her voice.

I sobbed. No ! I didn’t want any breakfast at all ! Well yes, I did, MY breakfast she ate earlier ! Well no, not that way. I continued to sob and collapsed to my knees. Then my head started to throb trying to find a way around this terrible puzzle in my brain.

Stefani reached down to raise my chin. A few tears splashed onto her fingers as she held me there. “I’m pushing you too hard, aren’t I Dev ?” she said finally with compassion in her voice. I nodded.

She paused to look at me. The tears were real. “Ok, I understand.” she said with empathy. “Let me get you something to eat and you can go back to your room. We’ll have a nice evening together later tonight when I get off work.”