“Cathy Dunlop,” came a confident male voice over the intercom. “Cathy Dunlop, come on in.”
Cathy snapped shut her small vanity mirror, folding it back into its equally small pink shell case. She had been adjusting her short blonde hair when the call for her to step into the Primm Acquisition of Information Nexus office had just been announced.
Primm was a company she had never heard of, but that was okay, since she was currently desperate for any work she could find…The world was not kind, and there were bills to pay. This small office was located in a building that was being renovated out in the suburbs of her fair city, but this was also okay, because it had been easy enough to locate.
The reception area was small and run by a single Hispanic man in his fifties, that man in a black suit, a white button-up dress shirt, and a black tie, his stoic form sitting behind a desk with a computer, phone, and all that jazz upon that desk, but that was unimportant. What was important were the three other women in here applying for the same position, and all three of them were young, slim, and attractive, and though Cathy was only thirty-six and she figured herself to be fairly attractive, slim was something she had never been.
The small square room with grey carpet and grey and white walls did little to relieve her anxiety. This company she had never heard of before was run by men, and men were easy to figure out when it came to women, so she had very little confidence in getting this position, but she had to try…She did not have a choice.
You had to keep a positive attitude and, more importantly, a positive image of oneself.
She stood and put her vanity mirror away in her off-white purse.
She was dressed today in a grey suit jacket, a white button-up blouse, a grey business skirt, and tan pantyhose with sharp black dress shoes on her feet. Her colors matched the reception area quite well, so maybe she had a little color coordination going for her, who knew. This was what she dressed in for every interview, because it spoke volumes about her personality, that personality a strong one exuding both professionalism and confidence.
Cathy walked through the grey metal office door as she was buzzed in by the male receptionist. It occurred to her that a male receptionist was something of an oddity, but perhaps this position for “product tester” could lead to something easygoing like a receptionist, and that would definitely be nice…She heavily doubted the guy at the desk wanted to be there with any serious conviction.
Maybe he was like one of those Dalber’s door greeters? Some older person who had to work but couldn’t do any of the heavy lifting anymore?
It was food for thought.
She walked into the office, and the man at the office desk motioned for her to sit down in a plain grey plastic chair with metal legs.
“Ms. Dunlop,” smiled the man as he stared down at what could only be her resume.
Cathy studied him for a few seconds.
This attractive white man was in his thirties, though he looked somewhat sketchy with his short, black, business-cut hair slicked back to executive perfection, that hair glistening with a hair-gel sheen. He wore a black suit, a white button-up, and a black tie, just like the receptionist outside, and though that style seemed professional, it gave him a look that reminded Cathy of a cross between a used-car salesman and a mortician.
Off to his right, her left, was a tall, bald, black man, also in his thirties, that man dressed almost exactly the same as the man behind the desk. This other man was standing in front of another grey metal door that led off to…who knew, wherever.
“Let’s see here,” smiled the white man behind the desk. “Well, your credentials look fine, but I’m going to run a small test just to see if you’re suitable in general…Oh, I’m Jerry, by the way, Jerry Tortura…You can just call me ‘Jerry.’ Off to my right here is Mr. Payne, and you’ve already met Mr. Agonía out in the waiting room. Inside the testing area is Mr. Kurushimi.”
“Yes,” said Cathy hesitantly.
“We need test subjects,” nodded “Jerry.” “We’re eager to find some candidates for testing our new product, the XJ-Concord-49. Now, all we need from you is to put your finger into this testing box, and we’ll get started.”
“Okay,” smiled Cathy.
This was already starting out on a positive note. This “Jerry” seemed to have some real interest in her.
At any rate, the man motioned her toward a small black box on his desk. This box was no wider or longer than a deck of cards, but it was a tall rectangle with a wide black hole in the center of it, kind of like a pencil sharpener. Furthermore, it had a power cord that was plugged into a floor socket.
“What is this, fingerprint identification?” asked Cathy.
“More like a tolerance indicator,” said Jerry. “You put your finger in, you get a mild shock, and we judge your reaction.”
“Oh…okay,” said Cathy hesitantly.
“Just stick in your finger, and we’ll get started,” smiled Jerry.
Cathy wasn’t so sure about this, but she needed the job, so she slid her left index finger into the hole.
“We’ll start at a setting of ‘1,’” said Jerry.
Cathy noticed another cord running from the box up to Jerry’s desktop computer.
“Okay, here we go,” said the man.
He pushed a key on his keyboard, and Cathy felt the mild sting of an electric shock upon her left index finger. She didn’t flinch, however, because she was not the kind of woman to freak out over something so minor.
“Good, good,” said Jerry. “Let’s try a setting of ‘2’ now…”
He pushed another key on his keyboard, and Cathy felt a stronger shock this time, but she made sure to not to show any physical reaction to it. She did not want to look weak.
“Okay,” said Jerry. “Well, you can remove your finger.”
Cathy withdrew her left index finger but was careful not to shake it or anything.
“Aaaaalright,” drawled out Jerry. “Let’s just get down to the brass tacks. The good news is, your tolerance is great. The bad news is—”
“Let me stop you right there,” frowned Cathy.
She already knew where this was going…There was no job forthcoming here.
“I don’t believe in ‘the bad news,’ Mr. Tortura,” she continued. “I can already tell you’re not interested in my services, so why don’t I get down to the brass tacks?”
“Certainly,” said Jerry nonchalantly.
“There are three very slender women out in the reception area also vying for this job,” said Cathy unhappily. “You don’t want me because I’m plus-sized, is that it?”
“Well—” started Jerry.
“I’m sure you’re the type of person who uses the ‘fat’ slur to describe women like me, huh?” asked Cathy in steadily growing anger. “I prefer to have body positivity, so I—”
“Let me stop you right there,” smiled Jerry in deliberate imitation of Cathy’s earlier remark. “We’re going to interview the other ladies applying for this position, but because your tolerance level is high, we’re going to call you in for a follow-up interview tomorrow…if you’re interested.”
“I…I…uhhh…” stammered Cathy.
She had not exactly expected this response from the man.
“We believe in diversity here at Primm Acquisitional,” nodded Jerry, “but we also value merit, and I can say right now, Cathy, that you cover both, so if you’re so inclined, we’ll just set up a second interview tomorrow at 9:00 A.M. How’s that sound?”
Maybe they could see the writing on the wall, or maybe they could smell a lawsuit…Cathy didn’t know, but she did know that she needed this job, so she was not going to pass up this opportunity.
“Okay,” she smiled. “Okay, we’ll do that. I’ll be here ten minutes early.”
“You got it,” smiled Jerry again as he raised both hands and pointed his two index fingers at her. “9:00 A.M. tomorrow. Just come on in at 8:50 if you want. We’ll be waiting.”
Cathy nodded twice and took her leave of the office.
Things were looking up, but she could not help but notice the three other women within the waiting area.
One of these young women was a very attractive black woman with a sophisticated air, while the second was a gorgeous redhead with brown eyes. The third young lady, however, was a cute brunette with a round face, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that this little twig of a brunette shook her head a couple of times as Cathy walked past her.
It was that last one who made Cathy angry. The redhead held a vacuous look, as if she were staring off into space, while the black woman’s attention was thoroughly upon her own phone, but the young brunette possessed a disapproving air that really ruffled Cathy’s feathers…
She did not take such insults lightly.
*****
Cathy showed up to the office ten minutes prior to her appointment, just as promised, but the door was locked. A paper notice had been taped to the door that indicated the office had been moved to the sixth floor due to renovations.
She walked over to the elevators, but another paper notice indicated that the elevators were out due to maintenance.
Cathy turned her attention toward the stairwell door and sighed. Walking up six floors of stairs was not going to be fun, but at least it was some exercise.
“Wonderful,” she frowned.
She opened the stairwell door and took to the stairs. She made it to the fourth floor before she was out of breath and had to stop.
“All this…for a job,” she huffed out as she leaned against the railing.
It was not more than twenty seconds later before she heard the sounds of footsteps journeying her way from down below. The young and slender brunette from the day before came walking up, but one look at Cathy and the young woman gave her a rather unbecoming scowl.
Cathy was taken aback by this open hostility.
“Move out of the way,” demanded the young woman. “I don’t have time for you.”
This rude young thing pushed past Cathy without an apology and marched up the stairs as if Cathy did not exist at all.
Cathy swore under her breath but did not call after her. She wanted to challenge this insolent little tart, but she had to focus on the here and now…She needed to get to her interview.
By the time she made it to the office on the sixth floor, the intercom was already calling her name. She didn’t even have time to fix her hair or look and see who was in the waiting area. She simply had to go right on in as the Hispanic gentleman, Mr. Agonía, ushered her through the office door.
She walked in and sat down in the interview chair that was strategically placed before Jerry’s desk. Jerry was waiting, of course, but so was Mr. Payne, the tall, bald, black man waiting silently before yet another grey metal door that led to…wherever.
It was odd how this office and the previous one on the first floor were nearly identical.
She shook out that disturbing thought and turned her attention toward Jerry as he happily addressed her.
“Hello again!” said the man, and he was all smiles.
“Hello,” said Cathy awkwardly.
“Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” asked Jerry.
“I…uhhh…Yes,” replied Cathy.
“We’re just going to do the same test we did yesterday,” smiled Jerry. “Just put your finger in the box…Oh, and sorry about the walk up. This building is still being renovated, but the owners have graciously allowed us to keep renting here.”
“That’s…okay,” breathed out Cathy. “We should all take the stairs sometimes.”
“It’s good you have a positive attitude,” grinned Jerry as he pointed the index fingers of both hands at her. “Now, let’s get this party started. Juuuuust put your finger in here…”
Cathy stuck her left index finger in the box, just like she had the day before.
“Let’s turn this puppy up to a ‘3,’” said Jerry.
He hit a key on his keyboard, and Cathy felt a strong electric shock run through her. It surprised her how powerful it was, and she had to struggle not to wince or cry out…but she would not show weakness. She refused to show weakness to these men, so she stone-faced them instead. She was not some weakling like those barely-out-of-their teens girls in the lobby. Those weak-sauce little cherry tarts didn’t have any game as far as she was concerned…They certainly didn’t know how to handle men.
“Good, good,” said Jerry with some hint of surprise. “I’m actually impressed you took that without batting an eye, Cathy…I can see that we don’t need to do any further testing on you…Impressive.”
Cathy smiled as she withdrew her finger from the small black box. She resisted the urge to shake her left hand, mainly because it was numb and pulsing somewhat, but she did indeed successfully resist that urge. She needed this job, but more importantly, much more importantly at this juncture, she needed to show up that terrible little brunette witch who hated her for no reason at all.
“Now, the good news is…is that you are number one in the tolerance department,” nodded Jerry. “The bad news is—”
“I don’t want to hear the bad news,” frowned Cathy. “Do I have the position or not?”
“Well—” began Jerry, but Cathy cut him off yet again.
“Never mind, Mr. Tortura,” spat Cathy. “I can already tell you’re going to hire one of those incompetent little hot tarts out there just because they’re straight out of the oven.”
“I think you give them too much credit,” said Jerry cautiously. “We’re not actually done interviewing you, Cathy, so why don’t you come on in at this same time tomorrow, and we’ll go from there.”
“What?” asked Cathy. “I have to come in again?”
“Yes,” nodded Jerry. “You see, the young lady we hired yesterday didn’t last very long—a total washout—so why don’t you come on in again, and we’ll go from there. We need someone who can go the distance, someone with a little fortitude, if you know what I mean, so come on in tomorrow, and like I said, we’ll go from there.”
Cathy sucked in her breath and muttered a near-silent curse.
“Okay, Mr. Tortura,” she frowned.
“Jerry,” smiled Jerry.
“Jerry,” repeated Cathy. “Look, I have to find work. I have bills to pay. I’ll come in one more time, and that’s it.”
“Some things require a little patience, Cathy,” replied Jerry. “Just come in at the same time tomorrow, and we’ll see what we have to work with, okay? If we hire you for this position, trust me, you’ll never have to worry about looking for work again, so just drop in tomorrow, and like I said twice before, we’ll go from there.”
“Okay, but this is the last time,” frowned Cathy. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Cathy!” grinned Jerry as he pointed two fingers at her once more. “Hang in there!”
Cathy left the office as she shook her head in disappointment. This job opportunity was going nowhere fast.
She walked out into the waiting area and took notice of who was there. The young redhead from yesterday was there, as was the witchy brunette, but there was a new girl in here, a young and slim Latina with a pretty face.
Cathy mentally assessed her situation and determined quite quickly that there was no way she was getting this job tomorrow, not with new competition in the works…a minority at that. It was clear that Jerry had hired the young black woman from yesterday, and it had to have been sheer luck that that choice hadn’t panned out.
Cathy sighed and walked past all three of the young ladies in the lobby, but she heard the grating sound of a distinct snicker come from the brunette. Cathy wanted to turn and snap the impudent girl’s little neck, but she sucked it up and made her way out of the office and to the stairwell.
If she could resist Jerry’s little “tolerance test,” then she could resist kicking that little cherry tart’s tiny butt.
*****
Cathy made her way up the stairs, but once again, just like yesterday and right on cue, she could only make it to the fourth floor before she was out of breath.
“I hate…these effing…stairs,” she panted as she gripped the railing.
Unfortunately, at this juncture at the top of the third-floor stairs, right at the beginning of the fourth floor, just like the day before, she heard footsteps coming up from below.
She silently cursed as that nasty little brunette witch rounded the bottom of the stairs and came marching up toward her. The young woman held a nasty scowl on her face just like yesterday.
Enough was enough…Cathy decided to call her out on it.
“Why are you—” she began.
“Out of my way, heifer!” hissed the young woman.
That one did it…Cathy hadn’t even gotten to ask what all of the hostility was about…No, that insult was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“What did you call me!” she growled.
This time she stood looming and large in order to block the stairwell. She’d had enough of this little turd, and she was not going to take it anymore.
“I said move out of the way, lard ass!” demanded the young brunette as she stopped before Cathy. “Your fat old ass isn’t going to get hired anyway, so just go back to the field you came from and graze there!”
“You little bi—!” Cathy began to curse.
Her hands reached out as if on their own. It was an instinctual reaction, really, but the results were exactly the same whether or not it had been intentional.
She pushed the little witch hard, and time slowed to a crawl. The look of surprise on the young brunette’s face as the girl fell backwards was only rivaled by the look of surprise on Cathy’s own face over that unintentional hostile action.
The brunette tumbled down the third-floor stairs after that, her fall echoed by the sounds of thuds and bones snapping, and the young brunette’s body came to rest against the east wall at the bottom of the third-floor stairs.
It took Cathy a few seconds to understand what had just happened.
“I…I didn’t mean to…” she stammered.
She stared in wide-eyed shock at the broken body lying at the bottom of the stairwell, the part of the stairwell just before it rounded down toward the second floor. The young brunette’s right leg was bent the wrong way at the knee, and her left arm was bent the wrong way at the elbow, but it was the girl’s twisted neck and sightless brown eyes that dug into Cathy, that macabre image immobilizing her for a few fateful seconds.
She walked down the stairs toward the body as her brain assailed her with guilt, horror, and straight-up denial.
“It…It wasn’t my fault…” she choked out.
Cathy stared down at the body and shook her head no at the slim line of blood that drooled out from the dead girl’s lips.
“It wasn’t my fault,” said Cathy as she trembled in place. “I…I didn’t mean to. She just kept…She kept…I didn’t mean to…It was an accident…Yes…Yes, it was…It was an accident. That’s what it was…an accident…”
She looked around the stairwell and realized that there were no cameras in here. This whole building was being renovated, and there were no cameras in here. It would be easy for someone to have a horrific accident, and no one would ever know any different…Oh, someone would discover the body later, but Cathy didn’t have to do anything to avoid any accusations…She essentially had to do nothing…nothing at all…
Cathy stared into the young brunette’s sightless brown eyes, and then she sniggered. She full-on laughed after that, laughing long and loud, and then she quieted down in her laughter and turned, intent on making her way up to the sixth floor for her interview.
“That little witch won’t be insulting anyone ever again,” giggled Cathy as she made her way up the stairs. “It doesn’t pay to be plus-phobic, does it?”
She had no trouble getting to the sixth floor after that. In fact, she felt vibrant and alive, more alive than she had ever felt before…Even if she didn’t get this job (and there was a good possibility she wouldn’t), life was just better now.
She walked into the Primm Acquisitional office with a huge grin on her face, but upon seeing the empty waiting room, a room devoid of anyone but the receptionist, Mr. Agonía, she quickly checked her excitement and sat down in preparation of being called.
She waited for five minutes before the intercom called out a name, one that was decidedly not Cathy’s.
“Kaitlin Palmer,” came Jerry’s voice over the intercom. “Kaitlin Palmer, come on in.”
Cathy controlled a snicker before it could be released, struggling to hide any suspicious behavior, and she managed it, though barely.
Ten minutes went by before Mr. Agonía picked up his office phone and quietly spoke into it. It was clear that “Ms. Palmer” was a no show.
“Go figure,” muttered Cathy under her breath. “I would have never guessed.”
“Cathy Dunlop,” came Jerry’s voice again over the intercom. “Cathy Dunlop, come on in.”
Cathy smiled and thanked Mr. Agonía as the man ushered her into Jerry’s office for a third time. She walked in and sat down in the guest chair before Jerry’s desk, but this time, she felt fully confident in herself. She deserved this position, and she was going to get what she deserved, one way or another.
“Well!” grinned Jerry as he clapped his hands together. “I know you don’t like bad news, so this time there isn’t any! It’s just good news all the way, and the good news is, you’ve got the position!”
Cathy grinned back at him; she couldn’t help it.
“The young lady we hired yesterday was no good,” said Jerry matter-of-factly. “She struggled a little, but in the end, she just didn’t make the long haul. Just not enough information off of her test.
“Believe it or not, we had actually hired someone else this morning before you came in, but she didn’t last long, either…She broke pretty easily. As for our last candidate ahead of you…unfortunately, a no show, and this is a business, after all. Can’t hire a no show!”
“How sad,” said Cathy dryly. “Some people have no professionalism.”
“Indeed,” said Jerry. “Well, why don’t you follow me and Mr. Payne through the back door here, and we’ll get started.”
“Excellent,” grinned Cathy.
The tall, bald, black man named Mr. Payne opened up the grey metal door with a keycard swipe, and then Cathy stood up and followed Jerry and Mr. Payne, ready and willing to get familiar with her new job.
Cathy had no idea what product she would be testing, but at this point, she didn’t care. She had killed for this job, so this job had to be worth killing for…It had to be.
The three of them walked down a long white hallway with grey metal doors on each side of it, but it was the grey metal door at the very end of the hall that they made a beeline for. Mr. Payne opened this last metal door with another keycard swipe, and all three of them walked inside to what could only be a large testing room.
Mr. Payne turned and shut the door behind them, and the door locked with a resounding click.
“Welcome to our soundproof testing room!” said Jerry happily. “We have to soundproof our testing facilities in order to suppress the screams.”
Cathy’s eyes fixed upon the large metal table in front of this mostly empty room. That metal table was indented with a human shape for someone to lay down in, and affixed to that table were various tools with absolutely wicked-looking blades, saws, and drills. Some of these tools even had electric sparks crackling from the tips of them. Worse, though, were the bloodstains clearly visible upon the shiny metal surface of the table.
Cathy sucked in her breath as her blue eyes widened at the sight of a fresh body off to her right, that body laid out unceremoniously against the west wall.
The nude corpse was that of the attractive young redhead, though her bare skin had seen better days. She had cuts and burn marks all over her, and there were twin trails of blood spilling from her lips and nostrils. Her brown eyes were sightless and staring up at the ceiling above.
A large and muscular Japanese man in his late thirties, this man in a bloodstained, once-white lab coat, walked over and grabbed Cathy’s right arm as Mr. Payne grabbed her by the left, both men thoroughly holding her in place.
“The Primm Acquisition of Information Nexus will soon be the leader in information-extraction technology,” explained Jerry with a confident grin. “Interrogation has never been easier! Now governments around the world can have easy access to all of those dirty little secrets spies, insurgents, and dissidents have to offer, and at a lucrative price for our new company! Trust me, P.A.I.N. is number one in interrogation!”
Cathy shook in place as Jerry gingerly relieved her of her off-white purse.
“Mr. Kurushimi, our tech here, will show you to the XJ-Concord-49,” explained Jerry. “And don’t worry, Cathy, we are all professionals here. As I said before, we believe in diversity here at Primm Acquisitional, so don’t worry about getting naked in front of us. We’re not the shaming sort. It’s good that you have confidence in your appearance…Body positivity, right?…Well, anyhoo, let’s get started. Those government contracts don’t write themselves!”
It took Cathy a few seconds to overcome her initial shock in order to scream as the three men began to strip her of her clothing against her will.
BONUS STORY…THE GOOD NEWS
Geffrey stood in front of the scanner and waited patiently for the V.I. security to read his identification, but he was not feeling particularly chipper today.
“Scanning,” said the V.I. as it washed its blue light over him. “D.N.A. identification verified. Vanderhorn, Geffrey L. Please enter through door thirty-eight. Thank you.”
Geffrey walked in through door thirty-eight, the only door he ever used in the same way he always did, and said hello to Percival, his coworker.
Percy sipped his hot coffee and then set the cup down upon the table that he was currently leaning against.
“Morning, G,” said the younger man. “Another day, another credit.”
“Yep,” sighed Geffrey. “Yet another day…How wonderful.”
“What’s up, G?” asked Percival. “You sound down.”
“Ugh…” grunted Geffrey. “It’s just…I don’t know…I’m bored. It’s the same thing day in and day out, and it never really changes, you know? I want something different.”
“Oh, come on,” smiled Percy as he clapped his hand upon Geffrey’s shoulder. “It’s not that bad…Besides…I’ve got good news!”
“Oh?” asked Geffrey. “What good news?”
“You know that suggestion you wanted to send to the higher ups?” smirked Percival. “You left it here last week…and I sent it in for you!”
“You did what!” asked Geffrey in alarm. “My God…”
“Don’t freak out, mi compadre,” said Percy with a huge grin. “They said yes! They installed the speakers last night…You got your wish! No more boring days!”
Geffrey was ecstatic. His heart raced with joy, and he felt like his life had meaning again. He grabbed Percival by the shoulders and lightly shook him.
“You’re a lifesaver, Percy!” he said in excitement. “I won’t forget this!”
He quickly said his goodbyes, whistled a happy tune, and practically skipped down the hall to his designated work area.
He opened the door to the small chamber that was his “office” and smiled as he heard the sweet dulcet tunes of Beethoven’s Für Elise. The door slid shut and locked behind him as he slipped on his protective gloves. He danced a little as he picked up his various tools, deliberately ignoring the moans of fear from the nude young woman strapped to the torture table before him.
Yes, today would not be the same old slice of blood and break of bone for interrogation, but a wonderful music-filled day.
The Bad News Copyright © 2024 bloodytwine.com Matthew L. Marlott
The Good News Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 100 Tall Tales Matthew L. Marlott
The Good News Copyright © 2024 bloodytwine.com Matthew L. Marlott