Batman and Catwoman: Family Mystery

Part 24: Grown Ups

(past)

Mister Hathaway took the girls straight to the warehouse to start the day. There was a line of workers already, waiting to be let in. The boss man took them to the front, showing them the morning routine. He took them to HR to get them their company cards.

"Now these babies are your life! You're gonna use these to clock in and out. Can't get your pay without these handy dandy cards. You need show 'em to any company transportation vehicle or you're not getting on. And a bunch of other benefits you can read about later."

The girls got their pictures taken for the cards they would get at the end of the day. For now, they had to check in with Mr. H so he could write them down. The two got assigned jobs at the opposite end of the line. Sylvia boxed the artifacts for shipment to the galleries, while Selina was at the head of the line receiving incoming artifacts. Her job was to unbox each item and run it against a checklist: what conditions it came in, etc etc. To challenge her, Mr. Hathaway gave Selina a recorder in which she guessed the values and authenticity of each object she checked.

Sylvia and Selina met again for their lunch time. Before heading out, Selina gave her recorder to her boss, and Mr. H. checked her memos against his registered list. Selina was happy to tell her best friend all the fun she had, while Sylvia noted that she didn't have the patience for anything other than labeling and boxing the artifacts. Selina used her break to call they abbey and check on Maggie. She had asked Mr. H for a phone booth, but he let her use the office phone, and gave her the privacy to talk with her sister. They worked for three more hours till a fifteen minute break, and then a couple more hours before they clocked out for the day.

"So, first day, huh? How'd it go?" Hathaway asked them as he passed out their identity cards. They all sat in his office, waiting for him to take them to their new home.

"Eh, factory work." Sylvia shrugged.

"Show improvement and you get to move up the line." He answered Sylvia before turning to Selina.

"It was great!" Selina almost shrieked. "I don't think I've ever held anything more expensive in my life!"

"Well, you did good. I crossed your observations against my inventory list, and I gotta say, I am impressed! Let me get more familiar with your work and you'll be seeing yourself at audits soon."

"Awesome! Thank you so much, Mr. H. We're grateful for any opportunity working here, sir."

"I like that attitude." Mr. H. slapped his hands on the desk and pushed up to standing, leaving the girls out of his office.

"Now let's go pick up your pay."

Hathaway lead them to the payroll office and showed them how to collect their day's earning. He gave them a tour of the on boarding, and explained their daily morning and closing routine from here on out.

"Now usually, you can help yourself to a shuttle that'll be hanging around the gates and the motel around schedule. Don't forget your-"

"Handy dandy cards!" Sylvia finished for him.

"That's right! But today, you get to go with me so I can get you girls situated at the motel. Let's go!"

Selina and Sylvia got in the boss's car to head home, stopping on the way at a retail store so the girls could get essentials like new clothes and food. Forty five minutes since they'd left the warehouse, the car arrived at a motel. Mr. Hathaway lead them to the front office and did most of the talking, getting them a second floor room at Selina's behest. He took the girls up to their new apartment and explained their housing contract to them.