Employee Five: A To Be A Runner Short Story

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The computer whirls while I stand at the entrance of a Xia-Hifa office building. I grab at my backpack strap impatiently.

"Welcome, Employee Five," The computer says. "Your biometric scans have been obtained. You may enter the Xia-Hifa induction facility and begin your introduction to the Xia-Hifa way of life. 'Xia-Hifa: Winning the human race.'"

The security system beeps, and the glass door in front of me slides open. I cautiously step inside, pulling at my red T-shirt.

"Runner Five, I've got access to some cams in that office building," Sam says. "None of the rest of us can come in with you. We haven't got the right, you know, T-shirt."

'I know,' I tap in reply.

"Is your throat feeling any better since yesterday?"

'No. Feels worse, actually.'

"Right. Right. Uh, try not to talk too much today then, okay?"

'Yeah.'

"You preformed very well in preliminary testing, Employee Five," The computer says. "Various positions may be open to you. We will now probe your abilities. Prepare yourself."

"Okay, Five, the other teams warned us about this," Sam says. "To get into the lower levels of the main Xia-Hifa building, you're going to need to qualify for a good clearance level, which means, uh-yeah, doing well at all this stuff today. You can do it. Good luck!"

I smile, feeling a small boost in confidence from his words. It's nice, having someone who believes in you.

I hear an odd noise, and looking to my right I see that the printer's come on, and it's printing out something. I raise a brow, but make no move towards it until the computer speaks again.

"Employee Five, at your right hand, you will find a scanner and a printed list of items you must now retrieve from various bins in our warehouse. Take the stairs to your left. Go down three floors to the warehouse. Complete the list as quickly as possible. Use the scanner to demonstrate that you have found the items. Work quickly. Go."

The computer beeps, and as I grab the scanner and the list, the door to my left slides open with a hiss.

"Okay, Five, not to panic you, but this does need to be done quickly," Sam says. "I've got a digital copy of the list, so I'll help you if I can. Take that printout and run!"

I dash out the door, finding the stairwell easily. I am quick in making my descent. I try to read the list as I go down the stairs, trying to prepare myself for what I'll be looking for, but I find myself more baffled than anything. It's a very... odd list.

What kind of company is Xia-Hifa? Why would they have all this stuff in their warehouse? I mean, this sounds like the list my volleyball team would get when we went on a Wal-Mart scavenger hunt.

I roll my eyes, padding down the stairs with the scanner in hand. My footsteps echo off the metal stairs, and once I reach the bottom and walk through a small corridor which leads to the warehouse, I start searching.

Since there have been other teams here, the boxes are already ripped open, and I can see the items inside. Some of them have even been left out of the boxes and are just on the shelves. Good. Trying to pull some of the stuff out of the boxes and bins would've taken too much time. Every second counts and I need to find every item on this list.

The first item is a stuffed alligator toy, which is something that I wouldn't expect a company that makes a vaccine for Junin2 to sell. I tsk. Whatever. Maybe the man who started the company likes stuffed animals, and mustard pickles, since that is also on the list. I wonder if I have to scan each jar separately. It says I need six.