She sat next to him as he flipped to the first book in the New Testament and began scouring the pages until he found the 22nd chapter. She didn't miss the slight fingershake as he located the 14th verse.
"Matthew 22:14," he read aloud, "For many are...
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Tasha parked beneath a covered parking spot marked reserved in gold. She gathered up all the files and headed out, directly looking into the security camera above the door. There was a brief pause before it clicked and swung open on its own, allowing her inside.
It wasn't too busy on the first floor, as usual. She hurried into the open elevator and used her elbow to press the 'close doors' button. With some impressive balancing, Tasha managed to wobble the files on one arm just long enough to scan her badge and punch in the code. The elevator made a faint shhhsss as it went down, and eventually came to a gentle stop.
Tasha gripped the files and headed down the hall to Algernon's office. It never ceased to amaze her the cleanliness of their underground operation. Pure white seemed to radiatefrom the seamless ceilings all the way down to the neatly tiled floors. Tall green plants in plain white vases added a freshness to the illusion. Tasha almost forgot they were nearly two miles underground as she stepped into her boss's empty office and flipped on the track lights.
Algernon's office was one of the bigger ones. The entire back wall was taken up by built-in cabinetry, all white of course. His boring desk sat ahead of the back wall with a large monitor and little else on it. Tasha's marbled desk with gold pin legs sat against the opposite wall so that the two faced each other with a few feet between them. This half of the room was hers, and it was evident from the bright red and gold accents that adorned the desk, the wall–even the ceiling where she'd managed to install hanging plants in little red pots. Her computer wasn't as large as Algernon's but had come with a custom-matching keyboard that glowed red.
She set the files down on her desk and began sorting, using the crumpled Post-it note to cross-reference. He'd specifically requested seven...no...eight files, but she had 14 in front of her, and none were clearly labeled on the outside save the small COA symbol. Tasha sighed and got to work.
She cracked open the first file and flipped beyond the first page. Her eyebrows shot straight up. These were outdated stats. The names had long since been redacted, but even without having the code, she could tell what some of the numbers were supposed to represent.
"What does he need with this?"
She looked into a few of the others but it was all the same. Nothing really jumped out at her. So why did she have this weird feeling that something was wrong? Unable to pinpoint it, and worried about his return, Tasha took the eight requested files to the filing cabinet near his desk and unlocked it. She was about to put them away when she caught sight of six new folders she hadn't seen before. It wasn't that unusual for Algernon to have Iris file things for him, but these...these were different. They didn't have the COA symbol; the winged and twisted twin snakes beneath a circular eye. No, this symbol had six wings beneath the same eye.
Tasha shot a quick look at the door before pulling one of the newer folders out curiously. Like most of the information that got passed through here, it was in code, but there were a couple of charts that she did recognize; vital signs.
Her eyes narrowed in confusion. Why would there be actual vitals when they weren't in a testing phase yet? The simulations she'd been tasked with running hadn't included some of the info shown on these charts, which was strange. Why would there be multiple sets? This was the main part of her job, going over these stupid numbers. So why hadn't she seen this version? And what was the new symbol? The feeling in her gut worsened. Could it be possible the Trial had already begun?
"Oh, Madame Director," Iris's nasally voice made Tasha snap out of it. She finished putting away the files and locked it before turning to face Algernon's annoying assistant.
Iris McDougal was short, slight, and exuded a nervous energy. Her blonde hair always remained in the same style; wispy bangs that touched her glasses and the rest curtaining her face. She looked like someone who could hide anywhere, and often she did.
Such a nosey pick-me, Tasha thought with a frown. Aloud she said, "I'm not the Director–"
"Yet," Iris chirped cheerfully. "Do you need any help?"
"Not at all. Just dropping off the files Algernon requested earlier. I'll leave him a note."
"No! No, please, allow me," Iris said, pointing to herself with her whole hand. Tasha didn't cringe on the outside, but it took a lot of effort.
"That's okay, I'll just text him."
Iris frowned. "I'm his assistant. I'm your assistant. I wish you'd both use me properly."
Tasha went through one of those pick-your-battle-moments and sighed, slipping her phone back into her pocket. As long as Iris was in pick-me mode, she'd never get anything accomplished without her nosey eyes on every move she'd make.
"You're right, Iris. Please tell Algernon I recovered the files he'd requested. I'll be back later."
Iris beamed and skipped out of the room to her desk. Tasha rolled her eyes and followed her out.
"Thank you, Madame Director," the girl called to her retreating back.
Tasha gritted her teeth and kept walking.
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