First Day At Work

Part 3

"I could be in this elevator all day. What kind of building is this?" You think. The elevator begins its ascent upward and you feel the g-force of it pull you. All you could do was wait. There was another monitor above the door that displayed the current floor you were passing, "1042" It read and you let out a sigh. It's only been a minute and already you are feeling anxious. This is definitely the biggest building you've ever been in.

The elevator light flickered briefly. You stood and you waited for what seemed like an eternity and eventually you decided to sit down in the corner, "This can't be real, this must be a dream." You think.

Then the elevator dings and you shoot up to your feet before the door opens so as to not seem suspicious for sitting down. The floor reads, "1455" and someone enters the elevator with you. You take a peek out to see one long hallway, to which you couldn't even see the end of. The man who entered had with him a briefcase and was wearing a suit and tie, "This man must be important here." You assume. He presses "2230" on the number pad and steps back.

He had a fine haircut and was quite tall. He seemed indifferent to your presence and he didn't look at you, but you felt the need to speak to him, but would you say?

You rehearse some lines in your head, "Can you help me? I'm lost." Or, "Which floor leads to the exit." Maybe you would say something like, "Hello. I'm new here." As to not raise any suspicion.

You think about this for far too long and about how he might respond, "What if he doesn't respond at all?" The man stands motionless on the other side of the elevator, almost like a statue, then he checks his watch and you think, "Does his have hands?" Now you know how to break the ice.

"Excuse me, do you have the time?" You ask and he looks at you. Better than nothing.

"Yes, negative three point four." He says with confidence.

You stand there in disbelief, "Sorry, what was that?" you ask.

"Negative three point four." He repeats clearly and slowly. You stand there silently for a moment just trying to comprehend what he said.

"Alright. Thanks." You respond calmly, but inside you are losing your mind. You can't help but ask him another question, "Sorry, my watch is broken, and it's my first day." You hesitate, "What do you do here?"

He gave a slight laugh, "I remember my first day. I recalibrate the delta fission waves." He says as if you are supposed to understand him.

You speak slowly like your mind just hit a roadblock, "Oh, that's, interesting. How does that work?" You ask in confusion.

He loses the slight amusement in his tone and is quite uninterested in you, "That's not important for you to understand." He says without emotion, "Please stop talking." and he stares at the elevator door motionless.

You tense your eyebrows and cross your arms in reaction and step back from him and lean against the elevator wall, "Asshole." You think to yourself. Both of you remain silent for another few hundred floors. You study his shoes and his briefcase, it must be heavy because he's periodically switching hands with it.

"Ding!" Rings the elevator and it opens to a panicked man who's out of breath. He bursts into the elevator.

"Help!" He's sweaty and panting heavily. He's wearing a business suit like the tall man beside you, "How do I get out of here!" He looks at you and gets right up in your face, while the tall man shrugs in disgust and just backs away. He grabs your shirt and looks into your eyes. You can tell he is terrified and he looks at you with sweat dripping into his eyes. You are speechless and begin to tell him something, but there isn't any time. Two hefty men who look like security guards rush to you and pull him away and a struggle ensues. The man kicks and pouches, but is powerless. They drag him away and you are left in shock as the door closes and the elevator begins rising.

"What! What was that?" You ask the tall man firmly.

He sighs and remains still, "Some people just lose it. That's all." And they both continue standing in silence.