New Worker

When the driver dropped me off at the building, I walked up to the doorman and he opened the door for me. The feeling of walking into the building felt new. Hardly any of the Clocks walk into the building because we have no business on the bottom floors. The white collars work them. We just normally MT ourselves to our designated floors.

I walked to the elevator and swiped the bar. It's doors opened and I stepped onto the platform. As the floors started whirring down in front of me, I remembered about my badge. Shit! Stupid fucking policy. Of all important things, wearing a stupid badge for the ambassadors only had to be one of the dumbest ones made.

230... Oh no. I patted my breast pockets for my badge. It's wasn't in there nor my pants pockets.

252... I checked my side pockets and then my torso pockets. Found it! I took it out, but it got stuck to my pants. I tried all of my might to get it untangled, but it wasn't working.

280... I sat down on the floor and focused.

330... I took the pin and with a simple yank, pulled it out. As I got up, I was thanking whatever God there was.

456... The door opened and the badge was securely on my shirt.

I walked around the corner and bumped into a man. He was carrying for what looked like classified files of previous subjects. "Hey, careful." The man gathered all of the papers he dropped while also glancing back at me with shy smiles. "Thank-you, Miss." He disappeared around the corner. I walked hastily to the Ambassadors's office. As I walked into the meeting room. "Good morning. Mr. Calmin? What are you doing here?" Calmin stood up and bowed. "Hello Lt. Zimmerman. It is nice to see you too."

"Sorry sir, I am though honored to be in your presence," I said as I saluted him with my hand across my chest. He bowed once more. "Lavidia, take a seat please." Ambassador Jung motioned for me to take the one chair centered at the end of the table. I sat down. The room was fairly lit by the awakening sun. In front of me was a black folder. Across the room was the holographic screen of some girl who looked like she was in her early twenties. "Lavidia, meet your new partner." My jaw tensed. It was only then that I had moved from my frozen state when Ambassador Smith threatened me with his finger. He took his index finger and slid it across his throat. I straightened up. "New business partner? How... inclusive of you all."

"Her name is Lana Choi. She just assembled her last week. Since she is going to be your new partner, I expect you to train her for the next month and a half, okay? After that I want you to bring her into the simulation room and see if your training paid off. If not-"

"You die." Ambassador Smith said it so loud and clear that the whole board stared at him. "I'm only saying that if she trains her, but the girl fails, we won't have time for her to make up for it. It is easier to lose a failed project than to keep one." Calmin looked at him then at me with agreement. "I hate to be the one to agree, but he is right, Lavidia. If you fail, we will resort to desperate measures in order to keep the flow of things. The sooner you die, the more people we can recruit. And I'm not saying that we should kill you off the sooner the better." I sat there tapping my fingers. I looked at Calmin for permission to open the folder. He nodded. I flipped the folder open and inside were three photos of the girl. I could already feel a bad vibe from just looking at the pictures. On the left was a report of her.

U.C.C

Name: Choi Lana.

Race: Korean-African American

Age: 24

Married: NO

Eye Color: Brown-Green

Children: NO

Subject No. 59837 has sustaining brain capacity, but lacks training and needs further knowledge in of becoming a part of U.C.C. We will assign patient No. 59837 to a Death Officiate. Lavidia Zimmerman will coach this patient and have her ready soon for a simulation test. If the test is failed, patient No.59837 and Lavidia Zimmerman will undergo further consequences.

~~Calmin Hirioshi

I read the whole thing. Even though it was a small report, it was also a death certificate for me and whoever this girl was.

Calmin dismissed the board. When everybody went left I went right. I really didn't want to be in walking distance of the people who could kill me with a piece of gum and a leaf. When I got down the stairs I was pushed into the little supply closet full of spare parts for the maintenance E.gobots. I remained quiet for fear I might upset my secret kidnapper. I don't think my insides started panicking until I heard that person locking the door. "You know what I want." My eyes welled up. I knew that voice from anywhere. "I'm tired. Let me go. I have a new business partner and I have to train her for simulation testing. That's a lot to do so if you will excuse me, I would like to leave." I budged onto the door hoping to have at least knocked the sensors loose, but me knowing, that budge wouldn't have done a thing except for knock down some stuff. He turned on the light. "Don't you think I'm tired too? I am Ambassador Turan's son and yet I'm called crazy and treated as if I was an inmate at the Calmin city jail. So give me what I came for and we can both leave this place sane."

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20 years ago...

"Happy 1st anniversary, Lavidia!" All of my friends are here. German, Mandy, Alvin, and Dylan. "Hey Mom! What are you doing!" I looked through LC at a digital hologram of my mother. "Nothing, Sweetie. I'm just proud of you for doing your job. We miss you Lavidia. Everyone misses you. Talia, come and say hi to your sister. Who knows this might be your last time seeing her as a little kid."

We talked for another solid 10 minutes, but after that I hung up and that was when the party began. "So Miss 1st anniversary, what do we do now? You haven't quite planned this party, so it shoots from you," German said. "Let us...slow dance." At first everyone looked at me crazy. Then their faces started softening up. "Come on. It's a great idea. I mean who really slow dances anymore? Let's bring it back." They still looked at me. "I know I'm not the most fun person on this planet, but that's all I could think of." Mandy walked over to LC and programmed it to play Colorful Winds by The Carousels. "Hey you guys, I'm going to go and call Jenna. Slow dance without me." Works for us. At least now there's an even pair here. Alvin walked into my bathroom and locked the door. As the song started to play out we were standing there looking at each other. Then Dylan started walking to me. Just then German jumped in front of him, but just in time as it looked like it was an accident. Dylan started nodding in an regretful way and turned himself to Mandy, who was looking shy because she thought she was going to get nobody either way it went. German gently placed his hands on my back and smiled nervously. I looked at him and then he took a deep breath. I placed my right hand into his palm and leaned my head against his steady chest, listening to the rhythm of his heart beat. Then his left foot started moving and to my surprise, so did mine. As we danced, I glanced at Dylan and Mandy. Mandy was in a daze, but Dylan was looking at me. Smiling. I looked away. When I looked back, they rotated and Mandy was facing me.

German lowered his arm. It was now firmly placed on my waist, but I didn't mind it. It actually felt safe to be in his brace. Like I will forever be held in his clutch with nothing to ever hurt me again.

When the song was over with I politely left German and went into my room. I knew it. I couldn't contain myself. I could feel the tears rushing down my face to so eagerly to land onto my hands. German peeked his head in. "Lavidia, are you okay?" He walked in. I only turned away from him. I didn't want him to see me like this. "Was it the way I held you? I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable." I turned back around. "No. I'm not crying because of that. I'm crying because I will never get to have a day, a moment like this again in my life. I wish I wasn't born. That way I'd have nothing to worry about." German closed the door and locked it. He came and sat on the bed beside me. "Don't say that. You were meant to be born the same as everyone else. If you weren't, then my soul purpose for being happy wouldn't exist without you." I looked at him. German leaned in.

I kissed him. He grabbed my shoulder and started to gently pull my tank top sleeve off. I waited for another move of his before I started to ruffle his shirt. Revealing his abs, I suddenly started melting back onto the bed. He climbed on top of me and finished taking off my tank top.

He pulled his shirt off and then started caressing my body. German gnawed my neck and I started scratching at his back. He grunted as our bodies coiled. I felt onto his back. I didn't even know he had muscles like these. I felt them change as he thrust his groin onto mine. German flipped me over to my side and grabbed my waist. He trailed his hand against my body line and up and around my neck. He pushed. My head went dizzy at the sudden pleasure.

We fell to the mattress. "I told you that I wouldn't be happy without you," he breathed in my hair.

When we came out Mandy and Dylan were having drinks in the kitchen and Alvin was still nowhere to be found. We both walked up to them, trying to conceal what we had just did. Dylan looked at me as German poured a glass of brandy for himself. He was about to say something when Alvin came out with a gloom look on his face. "Alvin what's wrong", asked Mandy. He plopped into the love seat and placed his two fingers on the bridge of his nose. "I broke up with Jenna and she didn't take it well." Alvin's lip began to quiver under his hand. "Why did you do that?"

"When I saw you, Lavidia, hang up with your mom, I...thoughts started going through my head. Me and Jenna wanted to have a baby. But when I got chosen to be a clock, I knew I wasn't going to see her again, at least not in person. So when you got off of the comm, I knew I needed to make some changes in our lives. I explained to her that she needed to move on without me." We all gathered around and each gave him a hug. And that marked the end of the party.

After everyone left, I decided to take a shower. "I saw you guys go into that room by yourselves. What...did you...guys do?" I was startled by Dylan. He was sitting in my chair with his leg on the arm. "Dylan, my goodness. I thought you left."

"Leave? No, no, no. I stayed. I needed to ask you something." Dylan hopped off of the chair and MT-ed himself right in front of me. "Do you love me?" I hesitated. "Of...of course I love you, like a-"

"Like a boyfriend, husband, close partner?" I looked away from him. "Alvin is my partner and no, as a friend. And nothing more." Dylan started nodding his head. "I could have my father kill you for, oh I don't know, setting the building on fire and killing everyone in it."

"Why would you do that? What do you want from me?" Dylan wrapped his hand around my neck and picked me up. "I want you to love me and only me. No one else can touch you." I scratched at his hand and gasped for air. "I've had my eye on you ever since you joined. I was planning on taking my chances today, but German just got in the way, like always. If you won't do as I ask, you, your friends, and your family will die." He put me down but still held me by my neck. He then put his hand on my breast and squeezed it. "I'll meet you in the bedroom."

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Dylan had me up against the door. I, against my own heart and mind, did not dare call out for help. Just as I thought I would faint, from the pain, the door opened and standing in front was German. He grabbed Dylan by the shirt and punched him in the face twice. I slumped to the ground crying with my pants still down. I looked up. Dylan pulled German back and tackled him to the ground. German tried his best to block him, but Dylan landed blow after blow. Finally, German grabbed Dylan by his face and threw him to the side. Dylan tumbled and hit his head hard on the glass window and fell to the ground unconscious. The last thing I remember was German yelling if I was alright.