The Tower

Flying Monkeys and Ninja Assassins

May 5, 2014, 7:55 AM

I scan my keycard and stumble through the Engineering Department's security door. Kori is beaming behind her desk. She apparently saw me coming through the window.

"Good Monday morning Birthday Girl," she explodes. "Twenty Four!"

I stop and give her a confused look before it clicks in. I smile broadly. "Oh, yea! Thanks Kori. Although you know my birthday is next Monday, right?"

"I know, I know, but this is our last week of work and then it's vacay time and Disneyworld girl," Kori squeals. "And if anybody deserves vacation, it's Percy Joyce! I'm just along for the ride."

"Don't you know it," I quickly reply. "Ever since we won that damn Corona Castle project, it's been six months of living hell. I thought it was bad during the bidding, but now," I exhale hard and shake my head.

"You'll get through it," Kori urges. "Just one more ..."

The department door bursts open and in slithers Nigel.

"Morning ladies," he mutters as he sidles past me and heads into his office.

"Kori, coffee!" Nigel yells over his shoulder. "Percy, office!"

Kori leaps up from behind her desk and makes a beeline for the coffee station. I scoot over to dump my purse and coat on my chair and scamper into Nigel's office.

"Yes Nigel?"

Nigel drops his briefcase on the desk, throws his coat over the back of a visitor's chair in the corner, and turns to face me.

"Percy, I'm going to be in an emergency board meeting all week and possibly into the weekend."

Say it isn't so, I muse. Nigel work on a weekend? What's next? Flying monkeys?

His grating voice snaps me out of my revelry. "I need you to get those redesigns from last week digitized and the takeoffs over to Estimating before close of business tomorrow."

"I'll try my best, but why tomorrow? I thought I had all week?"

"No, 'I'll try'," he mimics. "You will do it. The Corona Castle project is way over budget. This board meeting was called by Mrs. Flynn herself to try and turn the project around before it's too late. She said the meeting will last for as long as it takes."

"Oh," I murmur. "I had heard ..."

"Yeah, well, whatever you heard I'm sure it's wrong. Just get those takeoffs to Estimating by tomorrow so they can have new numbers for us by Wednesday." With a flick of his hand he tells me we're done.

I sigh, turn, exit and go straight to the coffee station. It's going to be a very long day.

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May 5, 2014, 8:10 PM

I've been at it all day and I still have ten drawings left. Kori's the best. She went out and got me lunch and was funneling coffee and jolly ranchers into me all afternoon. Exhaustion has cold tentacles wrapped firmly around my neck. I need more coffee. I push my chair back and ... yep ... right into Victoria's cubicle. There's the familiar crash behind me but ... no Victoria retort.

Why?

Because I'm by myself.

Again.

I pull myself up out of the chair and slog out of my cubicle for the coffee station. Out of the corner of a bloodshot half-open eye I see him.

I open my eyes and jump back.

There's a guy standing outside the department security door. He's wearing black jeans and a plain black tee shirt. All he needs is a black stocking cap and my worst ninja intruder fears would come true. His hands are cupped around his eyes and he's staring in through the window by Kori's desk.

Who is he, and more importantly, how did he get in here? This is supposedly a secure building.

For security purposes I sure hope we have cameras. But then again, now that I think of it, for every other moment ... I hope we don't.

Our eyes meet and he gives me a little wave. I don't return it. Instead I dash back to my cubicle and pick up the phone.

A composed voice answers the phone. "Security, everything okay Ms. Joyce?"

I'm starting to breathe heavy, and I'm pretty sure it's from the gravity of the moment, as in there's an assassin outside the department, and not because said killer is pretty damn dorky nerdy hot.

"No Mel, there's someone outside the department," I gush. "And he's staring in! He's dressed ..."

"In black? With black hair, blue eyes?" Mel asks calmly.

"Yes, but how'd ..."

"It's okay Ms. Joyce. That's Mr. Flynn. He ..."

I peer around my cubicle at the window. He's still standing there with a big toothy grin on his face. I pull myself back around into the cubicle and hunch down. "No Mel, he's not Mr. Flynn. I know what Mr. Flynn looks like and that isn't him. This guy is so much better loo... well ... it's just ... it's simply not him."

Mel politely waits for me to finish. I can practically hear him smiling over the phone. "Ms. Joyce, he is definitely Mr. Flynn. Mr. Cameron Flynn. He's the younger of the two Flynn sons."

"Oh?"

"He's in for the big board meeting. Said this was the first time he's been back to the building since his father died. He asked me if he could look around the offices. I said sure. After all, he does own part of the company."

"So he's not a ninja assassin?"

"No," Mel says chuckling.

"Thanks Mel."

"Not a problem. Don't work too late."

"I've got a few more hours left then I'll be done."

"Okay, well I'll be here," Mel says, ending the call.

I put the phone back in the cradle and peer over the top of my cubicle.

He's gone.

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