The 9 to 5 Grind: Powered Personnel, #1

By K. A. Maxwell

TROUBLE BREWS IN THE 9 TO 5 GRIND

 

Experience The 9 to 5 Grind in a universal workplace of action and adventures. Book 1 of the Powered Personnel sci-fi fantasy series features a collection of office hero stories and pictures.

 

The Big Startup - Chloe Ceres, a project management giant, begins building a new company for Green Ventures Unlimited. On her first day, she faces a high-stakes rescue mission that imperils her job security.

 

The Hangry Hunter - Vanessa Locsolen is a designer beast working from home. While hunting for breakfast, she confronts gaming tourists who set her forest on fire as they played their app. 

 

Agile Breakthrough - Lt. Felina Gatti was an activist against superpowered workplace bias. After a failed kidnapping stunt, she now has superpowers of her own. She must rely on her agile training to escape a bad hero deal.

 

Tough As Gold - Oriana Chandroni joins Macmor and navigates the high-powered corporate world at GVU. A high-stakes boardroom showdown tests her will as she confronts the CFO who almost cost Oriana her life.

 

Iced Support - A new short story. Nieve Cristwynn, investigates an overheating laptop during tech support. But she stumbles upon a room of overworked and overloaded workers. Nieve must cool down her clients before they go critical.

 

This book has scenes of violence, mature themes and drama which may make this book unsuitable for younger and sensitive readers. 

 

Seriously, these high-powered people are in a bad mood if they struggle to get their coffee in the morning. Vanessa, in particular, lays f-bombs and eats her prey for breakfast.

• Language: English
• Publisher: K. A. Maxwell
• Release date: Nov 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781777658052

Book preview

The 9 to 5 Grind

POWERED PERSONNEL Book 1

K. A. MAXWELL

The 9 to 5 Grind - Powered Personnel Book 1 (2nd Ed.)

Copyright © 2021-2023 by K. A. Maxwell

Front Cover Art by Pixie Covers and K. A. Maxwell Copyright © 2023

Editing:

Kaija Rayne (The Big Startup, The Hangry Hunter)

Calee Allen (Agile Breakthrough, Tough As Gold)

Creative Consultant:

Liana Kerzner (Agile Breakthrough, Tough As Gold)

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical book reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact K. A. Maxwell at [e-mail].

Published in Canada

eBook ISBN: 978-1-7776580-5-2

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7776580-6-9

www.poweredpersonnel.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales and incidents are either of the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is purely coincidental.

Content Advisory: This book has scenes and images of violence, mature themes and drama which may make this book unsuitable for younger and sensitive readers. 

Seriously, these high-powered people are in a bad mood if they struggle to get their coffee in the morning. Vanessa, in particular, lays f-bombs and eats her prey for breakfast.

Table of Contents

Also By K. A. Maxwell

Dedication

Part 1 - The Big Startup

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Part 2 - The Hangry Hunter

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15 (Epilogue)

Part 3: Agile Breakthrough

Chapter 16 (Prologue)

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20 (Epilogue)

Part 4: Tough As Gold

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27 (Epilogue)

Part 5: Iced Support

Chapter 28

Afterword (2021)

Acknowledgments (2021 & 2023)

An Afterword of Grinds (2023)

Thank You

About the Author

Also By K. A. Maxwell

Powered Personnel Books

Book 1 – The 9 to 5 Grind

Side Hustle 1 – The Hangry Hunter (Included in this Book)

Side Hustle 2 – Agile Breakthrough (Included in this Book)

Side Hustle 3 – Tough as Gold  (Included in this Book)

Short Story – Underclassed (Free Book & Newsletter)

Short Story – Power Rankings (Free Book & Newsletter)

Short Story – Iced Support (Included in this Book)

Web Fiction / Websites by K. A. Maxwell

The Daily Amazon

Dedication

To Grandma Doreen (1920-2018).

May you rest in power.

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Chapter 1

Chloe Ceres stirred under her bed sheets as beams of sunlight leaked through the window blinds and hit her lime-colored skin. Her eyelids fluttered, and she rolled onto her stomach. After a moment, she cleared strands of bark-brown hair from the spikes protruding across her eyebrows to get a look around her environment: Queen size bed, thick pillows, wooden bedside table and solid walls. For a moment, the sounds of the morning buzz within her half-asleep haze had her wondering if she was in the middle of a busy honey factory. Once she threw open the blinds, she took a long breath and stretched her arms wide, letting as much of the sun hit her body as possible.

She turned to a can-sized device on her bedside table that projected a hologram with the words New Job Day and New Voicemail with the time on the top-right side of the display: 6:49 a.m.

Hey Steve, said Chloe. Can you play my voice messages?

Sure can, Chloe, replied the virtual assistant. I took this message today at 4:52 a.m.

Good morning, my Super Sales Warrior.

Chloe winced at the booming voice of her new boss.

It’s Hilda. As I speak, I am on my way to a summit with members of the Executive team on the other side of the Caerus System. Alas, I won’t be around to see you on your first day at work. But do not fret. Melinda will get you settled in. I did have a chance to review your talent roster earlier today, and I’m impressed with your selections. I’ve approved your roster and made arrangements for their salaries to be added to your budget.

So far, so good.

Melinda chose well in introducing you to me. I want you to enjoy this first day and get acquainted with GVU’s culture before we engage in the battles that lie ahead.

Chloe shrugged and opened a bottle of water, gulping it down. She turned around, back now facing the sunlight so she could get a hearty photosynthesis-style breakfast.

Indeed, with the challenges you will face in building Macmor, we may see the Market Maidens in full costume yet!

The water sprayed from Chloe’s mouth in a blast, leaving droplets gleaming in the sunlight across the hardwood floor.

May the blessings of the Goddess be with you, Ms. Money, Chloe Ceres. I will talk to you again soon.

Do you want me to play this message again, delete it or save it? asked Steve.

Nuke it, grumbled Chloe.

Boom. Message nuked.

Chloe stomped into the shower and spent the next few minutes going through all the possible ways her semi-secret identity could have been leaked. Hacking? Spying? Conspiracy theorists? Or someone with a grudge?

Chloe reached up and lathered bath suds across her hair and body until the moisture saturated her skin, then rinsed. Once out of the shower, she combed her hair, leaning into the mirror to run thick fingers through to form it into a pixie bob style, straight, slightly lower than chin length with bangs that hung over the right side of her brow spikes and face. She made sure they properly covered her large ears, which angled outwards. She stood up straight to review her stature, making sure she was at the normal height: a couple inches above five feet and not a single inch more.

The phone rang.

Hey Steve, can you answer that? said Chloe.

No problem. Aaaand, phone connected.

Hello?

Mrrrow... morning Lil’ Greenie. The voice had a twangy drawl of a northern city accent.

Chloe narrowed her eyes. Out of all possible suspects, this person was most likely to have clued in Hilda on their alter egos.

Melinda, did you tell Hilda about what we did at business school? asked Chloe.

What? said Melinda.

How did Hilda know about the Market Maidens? Chloe paced around her bed. We haven’t done anything for years. There’s no way she could have known unless she found an old news clip or someone told her about it.

Maybe she, uh, did some kind of due diligence and poked around some Heroes’ Guilds? The boss lady’s been a Nyxazon gladiator and probably tapped into her network to talk about us. Kinda hard to deny her once she gets on your case.

In other words. Chloe sighed. You told her when she asked about it.

Course I did, said Melinda. We did great work back then, Greenie. There ain’t nothing to be ashamed about.

Chloe’s face burned as she looked over the options of dresses and tops to wear over her generous figure.

Not everyone likes telling stories about being in tight super suits, okay? Does yours still even fit?

Why are you asking a question like that? With all that flexicarb they strung into that suit, you got nothing to worry about.

It had cost Chloe an extra three thousand credits on top of the original thousand to have her suit made with durable stretch fibers. That discovery led her to get almost every piece of wardrobe with it as a necessity afterward. She picked a simple brown one-piece dress with a white collar and pulled it over her head, then buckled her belt. It initially stretched taut around her body before it expanded and draped over her properly.

By the way, mine still fits me just fine, said Melinda. I bet if we wore our super suits today, we’d get a helluva lot more attention, now that our curves grew and matured after how long?

Sixteen years, and we’re not superheroes anymore, Chloe said as she brushed her hair. Is that the only thing you called about?

But it was so much fun doing those jobs back in school, wasn’t it?

We can talk more about it later, but if I don’t, ugh— Chloe’s hair brush got stuck.

You okay?

Another tug; it didn’t budge. Then with one more pull, the brush snapped loose and smashed into the closet door, leaving a big dent while the brush shattered into pieces on the floor.

Crap.

What happened?

Had a hair accident. I broke my brush and the closet door.

Still a tank, Melinda declared. Better than wardrobe malfunctions, right?

If you told Hilda about any of that...

Nah. I wouldn’t tell people about the time when your b—

Knocks and bumps interrupted Melinda, followed by a loud crash.

Mooooom!

Mooooom!

Rrroraaah! What’s going on down there? Chloe, hang on a sec?

The next time Chloe visited the Calanke house, she would definitely bring some ice cream cones for the kids. She took the interruption as a chance to clean up the brush pieces and wet spots from the floor. When she slid open the damaged closet door, there was a cardboard box that sat behind the pair of shoes which matched the dress. Chloe kneeled down towards it and brushed off some dust, revealing a sticker. It was of an insignia of two M’s intertwined, with arrows pointing up at each end. She flipped open the box and inside was her old costume: a simple dark green one piece with a skirt, mask, and her hero’s license card on top. Her license photo showed a younger face with hair in an apple-shaped style. A dark green mask over her eyes and spiked brows completed the look. She picked up the one-piece and held it up. Chloe tugged at the suit. It made a light groan and stretched out as wide as her arms could spread. Her right fingers slipped, and the fabric snapped back.

Ouch!

Chloe recoiled, and the one-piece floated and landed back on her bed. Leaning forward, she took the suit up by the shoulder straps and gazed at the suit’s neck line which dipped low in a ‘U’ shape. Chloe shook her head in disbelief at one of her not-so-smart career decisions, at least when it came to suit selection.

I’m back, said Melinda.

Is everything okay? asked Chloe.

Just two of the cubs trying a new strike move they saw on TV. They thought it would be fun to try it out on each other in the kitchen, again.

They’re good kids.

They better be good alright, ’cause I’m the one training them.

How do you keep up?

Best advice I can give any potential babysitter or parent: Get a supply of super-high concentrated coffee that glows in the morning, the one that gives super-speed, without too much sugar.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. And where would I get that?

At a secret service supermarket where superheroes are born from breakthroughs. Get it? Superhero, Super-market? Melinda laughed.

Chloe groaned at the mom joke. You’d have better odds of winning the lottery than having a breakthrough. Even if that kind of coffee existed, would you really risk your health like that?

One can still dream, Lil’ Greenie. But for now, I still got that long commute ahead. Don’t forget that I’m meeting ya after onboarding, all right?

Okay, thanks so much.

All in a day’s work, citizen.

Chloe rolled her eyes and dropped the super suit back into the box, Bye, Lin.

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When Chloe got outside, she placed a hand on one of the layers of wood that were part of the building’s structure.

How are you doing today? she asked.

The building itself didn’t respond vocally, but gave Chloe a gentle warmth as her fingers brushed over the vines and leaves which interconnected with each other across the structure. She walked away from her home and turned around one more time, admiring the green apartment building, made with wooden layers, vines, and blooms.

The Timberfront neighborhood was known for its sustainable housing, having most of its buildings made with materials and plants which also lived within its structures to fortify them. Between the townhouses were thick trees with wooden cone-shaped homes placed on top. Most of them were occupied by fliers who were more comfortable living in traditional tree houses and needed an easy path to the sky roads.

Five minutes of walking brought Chloe into more traditional brick and mortar store spaces with residences on top. A lot of them let vines and other plants live within and around them. One of the stores, Gaia’s Gifts, used to be her staple stop on her way to downtown Brahma City. She’d done a good job staying away in the past few months while she kept her food budget under control. But today, she faced the store window, eyeing those massive Mushroom Muffins. She reached her hand over the full curve of her stomach, rubbing it in anticipation until she glanced down at the paper in front of the large pastries. Their price made her take a step back and fiddle with the strap of her bag, then the zipper. Chloe shook her head at her reflection and kept walking. It was better to wait until her wallet got thick enough to enjoy them again.

Sunlight, water, and soil were plentiful on Planet Neerg. But she longed to eat solid food through her mouth again. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a couple sticks of minty gum.

A few minutes later, she reached a main street and walked among people also on their way to work, although she spotted a few kids here and there in school uniforms, laughing. Most of the crowd read their ebooks, listened to music, or talked on their cell phones. Then, some chirping from above, which grew into a: Watch wing angle, your wing angle.

A shadow loomed over Chloe and she ducked just in time to avoid colliding into someone who ended up landing a few feet in front of her. As he stumbled, brown feathered wings fluttered. Before he ground to a stop, the young Falcan boy flapped his wings, turned and stretched them out wide, before folding them back. He reached up with his hands and took off his helmet and goggles. Short white feathers covered his head, with a row of them in the middle that stood up higher in a single line. He clicked his yellow beak and brushed himself off.

Are you all right? said Chloe.

The young Falcan turned and gave Chloe the thumbs up. Good, Ma’am. Getting warmed up.

Must be careful, must be careful. Son flew dangerously. His father, a larger, stocky Falcan landed next to him, wings out, then folded in.

Aw, Dad. I have to train.

The Falcan’s father sighed and bowed his head. This started when his mom and I took him to an air show a month ago. Been obsessed with learning to be a stunt flyer ever since.

The father Falcan reached down with his arm and opened up the young Falcan’s backpack. And you forgot your lunch. No more stunts in the street. He pecked his son on the head with his beak. Say sorry to the lady.

The young Falcan bowed his head. Sorry, miss. School won’t teach me advanced flying in gym class.

They won’t teach that sort of stuff in primary school, said Chloe. They don’t have the facilities.

Have to wait until high school, said the father Falcan.

Dad, squawked the young Falcan.

I think The Heroes of Verity might have camps for kids on flying, said Chloe. I don’t know if they still offer it, but it’s worth looking into if he really wants to try.

That’s the superhero guild, isn’t it? I can be a superhero, exclaimed the young Falcan.

No. Too young. The father Falcan folded his arms and raised his eyebrows at Chloe.

Chloe shrunk back slightly and mouthed a sorry.

Forget about that and get to school. You’ll be late, father Falcan said.

The young Falcan put his helmet and goggles back on. Okay, thanks Lady. With a wave, his wings opened up, and he launched himself into the air. Chloe’s gaze followed him up as he joined the stream of air traffic; people and vehicles that led into swirls around a cityscape with skyscrapers on the horizon. Down below, a river separated Downtown Brahma from the southern part of the city. Chloe stood and admired the landscape with its bustling traffic, both on the ground and in the air. Pulling out her phone, she took a photo. It would be a memento of sorts, of the day that Chloe Ceres re-entered the job force with a better salary, job, and progress in her life.

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Upon entering the Timberfront Subway Station, screens by the fare gates displayed a Weather Report. It was going to be a sunny day with a bit of cloud, warm, with a high of—it switched to breaking news about the Brahma City Council deadlocked on the vote on charging tolls on traffic entering downtown from the sky roads while they struggled to find ways to close the fiscal deficit. The displays switched, showing an ad from the Orbblu App showing its upcoming movies and TV shows from Planet Earth, especially their documentaries. Subscribe to the only source for Earthling Entertainment for free for the first month.*

Chloe glanced a bit lower for that asterisk with the fine print which read: *new customers only, some restrictions apply, not available in all areas. It didn’t matter a whole lot; she was already a subscriber and loved watching movies that featured Earth’s nature and their animals. Some of the species looked oddly similar to ones found on Neerg and around the Caerus system, except they were more... primitive?

As Chloe tapped her fare card, it gave a beep, then the screens switched to showing an ad to try out PuraCorp’s latest PuraWake supplements to help give extra pep to your step without the harmful effects of stimulants. She stopped for a moment and glared at the ad, then snorted, pushing through the fare gates without looking back.

Chloe shifted and squeezed through people who packed the subway platform and were far in the back, hardly in a good spot to get on the next train. Clutching her bag, she glanced around the floor for cracked tiles. She found one fully cratered in and positioned the front of her foot on it, then pressed down. With her eyes closed, she focused on the energy within her body and channeled it through the minute polyps on the bottom of her foot. They shook and sent vibrations through the sole of her shoe, the crack and into the floor. She only needed to send a subtle wave with just the right amount of intensity and feedback to get a rough estimate of how dense and strong the people in front of her were. She glowered at the narrow image with shoe shaped outlines; hardly any of the waves went beyond that. Either these people were denser than a wall, strong enough to break one or both. That was usually a sign of someone with a high amount of power or ability. It was important to know before getting on the subway because it’s a struggle to get a seat and relaxing in comfort during a commute was best won with the least amount of conflict.

When Chloe opened her eyes, a Woolian man stood in front of her, tall with a stocky build and large curved horns on the sides of his head. He wore a dark red business suit with his chest wool trimmed to the level of the collar, adding a refined natural undercoat.

Ba-aa-ah, I can take care of that, said the Woolian into his cell phone. The client wants the company to be ready for winter. He ran the tip of his finger around the strands of chest wool. I’ll handle the logistics. Add in a bonus or two, nice and warm, my treat.

The sheer depth of his voice made Chloe shiver. He would make a good masseur or a bulldozer if he had to ram his way into the train, hopefully not through it. He was in the middle of the pack, which meant he’d likely be the last one in. She noticed someone beside him, shorter, sleeker. She shifted to her right and pressed her foot on a solid tile this time. The feedback she got was even less from him. A gaze up his legs showed ridges of muscle stretching the pair of tight jeans.

Chloe cleared her throat and shook her head. It was no use trying to follow that line, let alone try to squeeze in between them unless she wanted to risk being the soft patty in between two dense buns. She giggled at that pun and took a route down toward the back tunnel and reached about mid-way, where a digital screen at least sixteen feet wide and nine feet high flashed an ad.

Eat up, power up! Energy Egg Sandwich and Coffee for 3.99, it read, displaying the Meshburger breakfast sandwich made from cheese, eggs, and meat strips between toasted English muffins and steaming coffee; emphasis on the rising steam from the coffee and sandwich. She took two more steps before pausing and looked around the ad screen, then at the wall above it. Something was off. The pattern of the wall looked the same, but its texture was grainy and had bumps of different sizes. It then moved, making her flinch. She followed the movement and spotted the scales of a couple of Meeleons who’d managed to stick themselves on the wall and ceiling as their colors shifted to a mix of colors from the ad. They both leaned in, with one pulling out a smartphone with a grid of colored squares. They compared the colors between the screen, their scales and the smartphone.

The colors do match the brand guide, said one of them.

The other meeleon sniffed. But it’s missing the ad scent experience. There’s no MeshCafe scent.

Should we install a tasting experience module here, too?

They both licked and gnawed at the top of the ad, distracting some of the crowd, which gave Chloe a chance to slip by.

The ad now featured the Breakfast Bees, a popular morning show with Betsie and Betty on BRTV and BRStream. That show was one of Chloe’s favorites since the two always gave tips on keeping busy, secure, and adding more to life. Like how to food prep ahead for weeks and ways to do make-up in a natural style. The ad featured this week’s theme of securing the home and featured the Bees, two Bienes, hovering in the air in front of a house. Betsie, the planning Bee, held a tablet and a phone in the top pair of hands, and had the bottom pair free. Betty, the action Bee, has her antenna up at attention with a baseball bat in each of her top hands and her bottom arms folded. Betty’s stinger poked out of her back abdomen, ready to strike back against the would-be robbers. Their "pests’ that served as the evil comic relief were two other Bienes: Beth and Becky. They hovered in the background wearing burglar masks and bodysuits over their stout builds.

Chloe continued her trek towards the back, and when the ad switched again, everyone shuffled. A bump from behind pushed her forward and the bodies in the crowd squeezed in around her. Side to side, back and forth. The movement of the crowd made Chloe’s stomach churn. She wasn’t about to allow herself to make a mess on her first day if she could help it. She focused within and let her energy expand through her body. Her legs thickened, stretched, and reached the floor again, and with a push of her foot, she broke free. The push sent people around her tumbling. Chloe winced and pushed the energy back in. Her gaze sank back down. She slowly took a glance behind and cringed at the people on the ground with mixed expressions on their faces, with a couple frowning at her.

Ba-aa-ad high-powered, a Gotefalk woman grumbled.

Chloe quickly jogged away until she made it to the end of the platform and pressed her foot down on a tile crack. Finally, she found a place where the feedback showed shapes of bodies in front of her, but it became brighter as a rumble grew louder. She pulled her foot back and opened her eyes just as the roar of the subway train echoed and entered the station. It wasn’t pretty getting to the back, but this was where it gave Chloe the best chance for a seat. She counted to five as the train slowed to a stop. She took one step, two steps, then the train doors slid open.

She squeezed through while keeping herself sturdy as the wave of people behind her tried to push her aside without success. She pushed through, grabbed one of the standing poles and swung herself toward a single seat, landing with perfect execution. Within a few moments, all the seats and most of the open space filled in.

Excuse me.

Chloe kept her gaze away from the voice, which sounded hoarse.

Excuse me, Miss.

Chloe fought to keep her vision from moving toward the voice.

Excuse me, ma-aa-as.

She looked up. The person had grey fur, with wrinkles on his forehead, short pointy horns, and used a walking stick while keeping his other hand on a nearby pole.

Do you mind, I can... he gestured to the seat.

Chloe looked around the train for any other willing person ready to help. She swallowed hard and fought back a sigh and stood up with her shoulders slumped.

Sure, it’s no problem, sir. Please take my seat, she said.

Thank you, the old Gotefalk said and sat down. You’re off to work, aren’t you?

I’m starting a new job today, replied Chloe.

Wonderful. I remember when I started my first job…

Chloe bit her lip and steeled herself.

…it was at a farm in sector thirty-one where we grew grapes. Twelve hours a day, at minimum wage. Ba-aa-ck then, we didn’t have any of the fancy machines or robots to pick off the grapes. We were only a small winery. You wonder why these fingers sport a tint of red? It was hard, honest work pulling grapes off the vines and tasting them. The grapes we harvested were as red as the sun that grew them. He paused. We used to be called Ruddy Vintages. The things we made up there were art and for twenty years, it was the type of bloody gold you can drink if you found us, until the takeover of the planet, friendly takeover mind you. Not from one of those invasions or hostile takeover things.

The old man made a light smile and leaned back in his seat as the train rushed outside.

It was a peaceful time, he continued. The owners shared in the success of the winery with us and it set me up to retire early. I didn’t want to end up in one of those old people’s homes with those people. He winced. The ones they keep talking about on the news, you know? I stayed with a few of my old pals living in a space we rented out. We choose the people we trust to help us, no one else.

Good for you, Chloe said, nodding. So, you bought yourself a place all the way here on Neerg, away from the wine sectors?

The old man nodded. And how old are you?

Thirty... one. Chloe was actually thirty-nine.

You better be thinking about how you want to live. Live your life your way before it’s too late. Been seeing young people getting big pays, but blow it and end up on one of those TV talk shows in the afternoons.

I don’t intend on—

The train jerked back and screeched to a halt.

Attention all Brahma Rapid Transit Customers on Line 5. A voice spoke over the speakers. We are currently experiencing a service interruption due to a reported High-Powered People Incident in-progress nearby. Safety features on all trains and tunnels have been activated. Please remain seated or firmly braced for possible impacts and shockwaves. Standby for more information.

A group of people pointed toward the sky and had their cell phone cameras aimed up, while others just kept going about their business. Chloe squeezed and pushed, trying to get a good look. It was far in the sky but she saw a couple dots in the air zipping across and back. The sky lit up as red beams shot from one of them, trying to hit another. The two dots flew at each other and their collision blasted away some of the clouds around them. A few seconds later, the shockwave slammed into the train.

Ma-aa-an. Too many high-powered people in the city, said the old man. I’ll tell you something. When the wine people thought they were getting a discount by getting someone with super-strength to help squish the berries, they…

Chloe frowned and kept her eyes on the flyers in the sky. No matter what planet it happened on, it still only took an irresponsible person or two with high-level powers to bring everything to a halt. A couple of larger dots with flashing blue and red lights flew up toward the others. Within a minute, several other dots converged on the two. After a few minutes of more shockwaves, things calmed down and the flashing lights in the sky moved away.

Hey! shouted the old man.

Chloe turned around to him.

Were you even listening to me? He blew a snort at Chloe, a foul breath which made her gag and cough.

Attention all Brahma Rapid Transit Customers on Line 5. The delay we were experiencing due to the reported High-Powered People Incident has been cleared and service has resumed. All infrastructure checks have been cleared as safe. If you have any questions or concerns about safety on the BRT please contact us. Thank you for your cooperation.

Chloe turned her back on the old man and shoved a couple more sticks of mint-flavored gum in her mouth. She mentally plotted out how much more time it would take to get to her destination, given the delay. She was on the Line 5 Express train, and with seven more stops it should take her forty-five more minutes, and with the time being 7:32 a.m., she still had—

Attention all Brahma Rapid Transit Customers on Line 5. As a result of that incident, all trains will operate at slower than normal speeds. We apologize for the delay as we continue efforts to ensure your safety.

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Chloe bounded up the steps of Waymens Street Station at 8:42 a.m. to the freedom of the streets and its abundance of overground air. North of Waymens Street, the land spread open with lush clover lawns, lined with trimmed bushes, while the ground roads continued through diverging crescent shapes. The path straight to the Green Ventures Unlimited campus was one only people could use, although fliers came and went from higher floors. It sort of made sense. There was no need to waste energy with elevators if people could just fly up. For the non-fliers, they walked over a brick-laid pathway decorated with shards of emeralds. At the end of the path, the cylinder-shaped building loomed among the highest in Brahma, its top resembling a lid with a cover extending over the front. What would it take to reach the top? She imagined herself large enough to pop open the top like a garbage can and throw out the President and CEO so she could take over. Could she get to that level?

The front lobby bustled with professionals as they spread out in groups and huddled around tables and coffee bars that had data screens hovering over mobile workstations. Looking up, large displays showed company news, weather, and market data that crawled across organic LED tickers. Walking up on the ramp to the front desk area, she stepped on patches of sun rays that beamed to the floor, each time giving her a bigger boost of power. She got to the desk where a security guard sat. He had bubblegum pink skin, long limbs; probably would be tall and lanky standing up. Even his three fingers were long.

May I help you? he said.

I’m here for onboarding, said Chloe.

Name?

Chloe Ceres.

Not on the list.

There has to be some kind of mistake.

No mistake.

My boss called me this morning and wished me well.

What is your boss’s name?

Hilda Artemis.

Not on the list.

That’s impossible.

I can’t find her on the staff list.

Hilda Artemis? Chief Brand Officer?

There is no Hilda Artemis on the staff list.

Chloe looked at the clock above the desk, it read 8:53 a.m. She leaned in closer and was about to talk when something gripped her shoulders and pulled her away.

Ma’am, please do not lean on the desk, said the Security officer. The name Zulmel sewed into his top. If you don’t have more business with us today, I would appreciate it if you didn’t loiter.

Zulmel had two of his fingers up, surrounded with a pink glow. She tried moving her legs, but his telekinesis lifted her off the ground, causing her to stumble and slide back before being set back down.

If you are looking to pay a bill or buy something, you can find the GVU Retail Store in Building 220, if you exit and—

Stop and listen to me! She stomped on the floor, which made a coffee cup on Zulmel’s desk jump.

I am Chloe Ceres. Her eyes watered. I am a new Director for the Macmor brand and I went through all the interviews, security checks, and power level tests. Is there anything at all I can do to convince you of that?

You’re not on the staff list, said Zulmel. All current and incoming staff have always been on the list and only people on the staff list can go through.

Chloe had her hands on the security desk. They shook and her fingers sank into the granite. Zulmel glanced down at the indentations. Ma’am, if you do not stop, I will have to escort you off the campus.

Chloe glanced at her hands and pulled them away, placing them behind her back. Melinda said she’d take care of things. Why is this happening? muttered Chloe.

Melinda? Melinda who? asked Zulmel.

Calanke?

Zulmel’s mouth furrowed and reached for the keyboard. As he typed, there was something odd about the way he typed.

You’re typing out my name? Chloe asked.

Yes. K-L-O-I-E, last name: S-I-R-A-S-S.

No, it’s spelled C-H-L-O-E C-E-R-E-S.

Zulmel typed it