Employee of the Multiverse and His Darling Cat

8| Log 002 Pt. 3

I could only infer that for some reason, the CEO was making rounds in the Records Department. I scratched my neck wondering if I'd see him and if so, how should I act?

Not once had I ever seen the CEO, sans a photograph (though it'd been so long ago, his features escaped me). That was the case for most of us on this level. In this world's organization, the highest figure was an elusive entity. Most employees wouldn't even dare speak his name, and he didn't show his face at company events to even spare a speech or toast. His parking garage and elevator were rumored to be private and hidden.

I'd all but ruled him out as a suspect involved in my world migration, so hearing his presence in our department made me mildly self-conscious and curious but not anxious in the least.

Just as I belatedly noticed a trend in the timestamps of the staff who'd sent the messages and their team locations, the sound of footsteps came from one end of the hall. I realized it wasn't Bradley; there were too many pairs of feet and two were high-quality dress shoes—not fitting the lax uniform dress code of the lower divisions.

One voice was saying something while another repeatedly agreed. As they came around the bend, the architecture allowed their speech to come to me more distinctly.

"We need more decor in these hallways. They're so barren and classless."

He was a tall, thin man with peachy-beige skin and shoulder-length dark blonde hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail with curly sideburns. His navy pinstripe suit was fitted and wingtip black leather shoes freshly shined. He stood poised, chin slightly raised and hands languidly clasped behind his back. Everything about him was reminiscent of a pampered prince, except his eyes. His long, narrow grey eyes were more so that of a general's—experienced, ruthless, calculating.

This was absolutely clear as our gazes met. Before I could react, he gave a small smirk and entered the Team 6 office, the other two with him following on his heels.

Half of the employees of Team 6 were standing and the half that weren't were being urged to stand by their coworkers. The leader of Team 6 approached the CEO and greeted him with a polite bow, lip-licking and eyes darting around frantically, but the CEO paid him no mind and only glanced around the office from ceiling to floor. It felt like he was taking in everything except the people.

Was he actually here to redecorate, I wondered. That seemed odd.

"Loren!" Bradley scrambled to my side from the opposite end of the hall. Sweat beaded his forehead.

Resisting the urge to wipe his forehead, I stated, "I didn't move."

"Yes, thank you. I—"

"You didn't have to run."

"Oh, I need to get this finished by today."

"It's not worth quitting over. Have some confidence." I gestured to the file in his hand.

He quickly opened it and began explaining his dilemma. Simultaneously, I tried to listen in on the CEO and his company.

"How inefficient. Order two more copiers," the CEO stated. Then he pointed to a key box hanging behind the team leader's desk. "Why is that old-fashioned thing still here? Get rid of it."

The Team leader's eyes widened in panic as the assistant employees exchanged confused looks.

I recalled that Team 6 dealt with paper records for the Finance Department. While traditional, it was important to have documents in multiple formats for both security and longevity. The keys were likely to traditional filing cabinets and small storage rooms.

One of the people who had followed the CEO in, I realized was Department Manager Kean. "Sir, you're right that regular keys aren't very secure for the filing storage. A wise call, sir. Um, what can we expect for an alternative?"