The Chaos and The Chronos

One - Marina

Year-3045

Marina marveled at the city around her, the tall silver buildings glittered like glass in the sunlight. It had been three years since she had moved to the city now called Atheneos. She had arrived as an expert in Greek artifacts and remained on at The Museum of Greek Origins as it's curator.
     It was the first job she had gained on her own without her father's pull and she loved it. She relished in the fact that they had hired her and not "Dr. Bernard Thomas' daughter". She had impressed the Government of the New Cities, and they had brought to her the proposition. She had accepted eagerly and whole heartedly.
She wrapped her long fingers around the shining chrome door handle. It was always so tough first thing in the morning. One day she would remember to have it fixed. She locked the door behind her, the museum wasn't open yet, still too early. She looked at her watch, Eight AM, she thought to herself.
Most of the staff had already arrived, they scurried about like hungry squirrels. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, Marina not so much. She still gripped her black coffee in her left hand, it had yet to take effect. At least she got to sleep in, being a boss has its perks.
"Good morning!" A tan man with dark curly hair exclaimed. As he entered the door. Stavros her assistant seemed to exist within a perpetual state of glee.
"Morning." She replied dryly as they both made their way down the hall.
"Your hair looks nice today." His eyes glancing to her dark brown locks pulled into a French Twist.
"Thanks." She sipped at her coffee. "We're getting a new shipment in this afternoon."
"Yeah I heard, they dug it up at the Arcadia site last month. I think that's what it said in the email." Stavros ducked his head down as they entered Marina's back office. The doorframe had always been too short for him.
"I asked Professor Orologas what was in it and he only said, Marina it is amazing, you will love it. " She sat the cup on her desk and opened up her interface. Three light projection screens glowed blue above her desk. The New Cities logo glared on the screens as the system booted. Marina had always felt that it was rather vapid, the large N and C inside the a circle. It was plastered everywhere, she could not escape it.
"Hello Marina." The interface spoke with a clear and precise female voice.
"Hi, can you please open my most recent email?"
"Of course Marina." The screens flickered briefly as the file opened. "Would you like me to read the file aloud?"
"No that's quite alright." She looked at the words. "Guess we'll have to wait until two for the delivery."
"Figures." Stavros plopped himself into the nearest chair. "One of these days it will arrive at ten like it's supposed to."
     "I highly doubt that." In all the time she had spent working with the monthly shipment of artifacts not once had it ever arrived on time. Marina knew that it arriving at two even was dubious at best.
Stavros poked a finger at his own interface. A frown on his face as he clicked from screen to screen. "Looks like we have a meeting with the shareholders next week..."
     "Somehow I'm not surprised. Is it a dinner meeting again?" She sipped at her coffee as she cut her eyes at him. If it was it would be the fourth one in three months.
     "Yes, and your favorite person will be there..." Sarcasm dripping from his lips.
     "George Fourlis." The richest investor on the board. She remembered the man. He was physically attractive, and at the same time a pompous windbag.
     "You guessed it." Stavros replied. A wry smile played at his lips. He couldn't help but think of how Marina had 'accidentally' spilt her champagne all over the man.
     "Don't make me think about him right now." She cradled her head in her hands as she stared at the coffee cup. She paused a moment and began pulling up information on the interface. The budget was just barely breaking even. She had however in her short time pulled the museum out of its seemingly black hole of debt. "Well if we can get a good display out of this shipment maybe we can eek out some kind of profit."
     Stavros had pulled up a few of the uncatalogued items from last week on the holo viewer. A strange spearhead, a rams head carving and a pottery fragment covered in stylized fish. "Something tells me none of these are going to do it." He laughed as he leaned against the wall.
     "Nope." She sipped the coffee, it was gone. Damn it.

     The day had been relatively uneventful. She glared at the digital clock, 15:00 New Cities time. Marina rolled her eyes, the shipment was late. As usual. She paced back and forth in the receiving room. Bits of broken statues stared at her from around the room. Pieces considered unworthy for exhibit by the collectors, Marina had always liked them anyway. She felt like they were alive somewhere inside.
     "Am I late?" Stavros asked jokingly as he entered the room.
     "No I don't think so." She laughed uneasily as the sound of a hover transport could be heard outside the shipment door. "I think it just got here." The plasma shipment door clicked into open mode. A large floating rectangle hovered into the room.
     Straps held the wrapping on the transport that slowly lowered itself to the ground. The anticipation was killing them. But as with all artifacts things must be done slowly and systematically. They heard the whir of the hover click off and the plasma door sealed again. "Delivery complete." It was the same female voice from Marina's interface. But this time it had come from a small guidance system on the end of the hover transport.