06-29-2018, 09:20 AM
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Atomic+Age" /> <style type="text/css">.template2_container{position:relative;z-index:1;width:508px;border-radius:350px 350px 1px 1px;padding:15px;background:#f7f4ea;border:15px double #2aecf9}.template2_container p{margin:0}.template2_image{border:3px dotted #000;border-radius:350px 350px 0 0}.template2_message{text-align:justify;font:15px 'Century Gothic',sans-serif;padding:15px 0;color:#000}.template2_name{text-align:center;font:65px 'Atomic Age',cursive;color:#2aecf9;padding:0}.template2_quote{text-align:center;font:18px 'Atomic Age',cursive;font-style:bold;color:#f71143;padding:0}</style><center><div class="template2_container"><img class="template2_image" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/dc/d3/6e/dcd36ef0b3e8c2f69e3865afb998a8af.jpg?epik=097V-E_IWHxpz"><p class="template2_message"> It was an ad in the newspaper, that I had picked up as an afterthought that day. Nothing unusual about that, I'd mostly been interested in the current events and the obits. Life and death make the world go 'round. Classifieds were glanced at on a whim, and well, it's a wonder I didn't miss the ad. Hardly one inch of space, just a few lines really. Cryptic, as these things usually are.
Wanted
Lab techs, assistants, maintenance crew
$15+/hr, benefits, advancement opportunities
Apply at www.oit.com/hiring
That would be a two dollar improvement over my current salary, and truth be told I didn't love my latest position as a records clerk at the local hospital. Why not try? A quick search brought me to the cover page for Occāsus Institute of Technology. Clean, crisp site with minimal detailing. A few pictures of people in white coats staring thoughtfully at half full beakers, with the declaration "Occāsus: the final word of the future" emblazoned at the top. The hiring page was similarly brief. Tap, tap, tap...
Thank you for your interest in joining the OIT family
Please stand by for an email with further instructions
So communication may not be a highlight of this job... I'd barely closed the page out when my phone buzzed, signaling an incoming message of some sort. Well that didn't take long. The email was short, something I was coming to realize was going to be par for the course.
Dear Mr. Bright,
We have received your resume and application and would like to schedule an interview at your earliest convenience. We are looking forward to making your acquaintance.
Sincerely,
Monica Blair, HR Manager
◇◇◇
Getting hired had been the easy part. It was a small company that had signed a very large, very discreet contract, and was expanding its workforce accordingly. My new job title was Laboratory Technician, I was issued four sets of black scrubs and a security pass and told to keep Lab 3 in working order. Sweeping, mopping, delivering Petri dishes and slides, organizing chemicals... it was mundane work in an extraordinary setting. At Occāsus, impossible things were happening.
Under the brilliant leadership of one Nadia Mendez, DVM, PhD, etc, the Institute had been busy developing tomorrow's technology. Spread across a moderately sized campus, the labs were each assigned a dedicated purpose. Lab 3 dealt with blood and tissue studies. Two doctors and half a dozen technicians worked long hours combining and recombining samples that arrived at the lab in clean white boxes. Blood, urine, muscle and brain tissue. It was all studied with utmost attention, every detail logged precisely. I was happy to be a background witness to what I already knew would be world changing science.
◇◇◇
The Institute had made good on their promise of benefits and good pay. With my annual pay raise, I had felt no need to leave, and the steady rhythm of work passed seven years without major change. It had, however, brought tension to the work place. Dr. Aimes and Dr. Landry who ran Lab 3 grew terse where once they had joked with the techs over their pipettes and centrifuges. Now the lab worked mainly in silence. Until one day in the middle of May when one of the newest techs, Lydia, called the doctors over to her station. I paused in my task, deciding that the MSDS could wait to be updated for another five minutes. It was in this way I was able to observe the gathered personnel, as first the doctors, then the techs, then the doctors again peered into the microscope sitting on Lydia's workstation. There was an inaudible but urgent debate, after which Dr. Aimes strode over to the wall mounted phone and dialed a number.
Minutes later the door swung open dramatically, admitting the surprisingly diminutive form of Dr. Mendez. A woman in her mid 50s, I had only seen her around the campus a handful of times, and only once within Lab 3. The look on her face was somewhere between hope and fear a she hurried from the door to the microscope without a word. Practically shoving Lydia to the side she stood on her toes to squint into the sights. The room held its breath for a full minute. Vaguely, I noted a russet spatter on her white coat lapel. Like a woman waking from a deep sleep she stepped slowly back, an expression of rapture stretching her features ghoulishly. "Yes. YES. It's done! We have to- wait. You there, follow me." And suddenly I was no longer the invisible observer. One stubby finger was stretched out across time and space, or at least across the lab. I, it seemed, was its intended target.
◇◇◇
There had been no thought to argue as the mind behind Occāsus lead the way out of the building. There was no conversation as we moved further and further away from the shell-shocked faces of the crew I had been working with for nearly a decade. God knew I wasn't about to initiate conversation with the formidable woman. Before long our destination became apparent. We were heading towards Lab 1, by far the largest structure on campus. This area was considered off limits to most personnel, but the good doctor needed only swipe her ID in a slot by the door and it swung open of its own accord. Once inside I could see why they required such a large building. They interior was a hybrid between science center and equestrian center. An arena took up the central area, surrounded by a series of 10 stalls on one side and a combination biology lab and physical research zone on the other.
About half the stalls were filled with horses of assorted colors and breeds. One was currently standing in a strange contraption in the lab, partially submerged in what looked like an enormous fish tank and walking at a moderate pace. Dr. Mendez cordially gave me a moment to take in the scene before addressing me at last. "I'm going to level with you David. We were this close to being shut down. Not enough progress, you see. Natural selection will only get you so far so fast, and it wasn't fast enough for my employers. Never mind the artistry of the work, never mind what we've already achieved. They wanted more precision. As of today, we're going to be able to give it to them." Truly I had no idea what she was talking about, nor what it had to do with a lab full of horses. She wasn't going to give me the chance to ponder either. Once more we were walking, this time along the stable side of the lab. The scent of horse was somehow dulled by an overreaching odor of disinfectant.
As we neared the first beast, I noted a certain raggedness about it. Hair was dull and frosted with grey, and it was obvious on closer inspection that it was also entirely blind. A chart hung on the door of its synthetic stall, as thick as a dime store novel. The name, "Ankh" stood out, and then we had moved on. Our frenzied pace came to an abrupt halt in front of the seventh stall, though this was only the fourth occupied one. This horse looked to be in somewhat better condition, at the very least it's chestnut pelt was smooth and its eyes were clear. I almost missed the rows and rows of pencil sized puncture wounds on her neck. They ranged from jaw to shoulder, the lower ones now silvered scars, the highest ones still glistening with recent blood. My eyes dropped to the rusty smear on the doctors coat, one eyebrow raised. The greying woman spoke while staring almost lovingly at the marked creature. "We wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for Darla here. Sweet girl, she has the most beautiful genome. A perfect sequence for the work we do. The other three horses here are her foals by the old man you saw in the first stall. All great specimens, but she was the first and still the best." A shrill whiny echoed throughout the building then, followed by a sloshing of water.
It was an animal sound, I was sure. And yet it could almost be mistaken for a woman screaming. It was enough to unnerve a body, though the doctor looked merely irritated beside me. With an ugly scowl she cursed under her breath. "I must apologize. The subjects are usually sedated but it must be lightened for certain tests to minimize the risk of property loss. They get restless without it." Not a problem, I replied. My curiosity was piqued more than anything. A weird little smile pulled at her thin lips. "I chose you for a reason, David. Your work is adequate, of course, but it was your background check I was more interested in. Good school records, good work ethic reviews. But you know this. Standard stuff, a dime a dozen. What set you apart was the rabbit. And the cat. The neighbors "runaway" dog. After some rather literal digging it became apparent that you were exactly what I've been hoping to find. Someone to share my joy in the work. Congratulations on your promotion, David. Today you begin work as my personal assistant."
◇◇◇
My new position was much more fulfilling than the one I had held in Lab 3. They were easily forgotten, all but Lydia... She occupied my thoughts like a buzzing mosquito, persistent and irksome. Pretty, in an unglamorous way, thoughtful, quiet. Always with a kind word. The day she'd discovered the new M6x2 complex was burned in my mind. The way she'd fallen to the side as Dr. Mendez rolled through. She would get her recognition one day. I would see to that.
It was not much after that when the doctor found me at my new desk in Lab 1, a clipboard in hand. "Ah, good, you're here. I have a job for you. I'm sending you to the Island. The details are in here. I trust you to handle it with some... finesse, shall we say?" By now I was more familiar with what OIT was about. The island she spoke of... It was an incredible opportunity. A quick skim of the cover sheet revealed a few necessary details. When do I leave? Her other hand came forward, a long barreled pistol offered nose first. "Etorphine and xylazine. A potent blend, do not use more than one shot or you'll kill the target. It is vital that she and the others be retrieved in good condition." I nodded in understanding, accepting the weapon. Tucking it into my belt I smiled to myself, feeling the beginnings of a plan coming together in my mind. My time was almost here, and she was supplying the missing pieces as we spoke.
Ironic, that.
◇◇◇
The aircraft sent was not standard issue. It moved far to quietly to be considered a normal helicopter, and was barely large enough to carry the pilot and myself. The vertical landing ruffled the grass of the meadow the pilot had plotted out beforehand. A small radio and a compact survival kit were handed over and he was gone again, leaving me to my own devices.
A week of observation. The intended target was female, and much stranger than her file dossier would lead one to believe. Strangely coloured, the freak. Her offspring were no less unnatural. This critter had to be barely within genetic profile. Doused in scent killer, I approached slowly, day by day. The seventh day dawned brightly, unfortunately. And by now I could see that the target had realized something was up. It was now or never. Her pattern was memorized. By the time the foals were off playing I was set, waiting for my shot as she grazed restfully.
The thick foliage of the area worked in my favor, disguising the lines of my shape from view until the weirdly winged creature turned away. Slowly, slowly, I raised my arm, pistol in hand. A bird flight suddenly, shaking the branch over my head and making the blue horse look over quickly. I could have been turned to stone. If she saw me, this mission was over, and for a moment that was how it looked. Eerie blue eyes looked in my direction, holding far more intelligence than a beast of burden should ever have. It shook its head, almost as though it were convincing itself that it had been imagining things. Good. As the slim neck bent once again to the grass beneath its feet I readjusted my aim and squeezed the trigger. The little red tail of the dart marked its path to where the drug sunk itself into the muscle of her neck.
She jumped like she'd been stung. Judiciously I waited in my hide, until the effects of the drug began to show themselves. It was almost funny watching her sway, then fall to her knees, and finally flat on her side. Another minute and she was fully anesthetized. Stepping out from the obliging scrub I moved quickly to the side of the fallen creature. Horrible, unnatural thing. Oh yes, she would have to go. Idly I considered the pistol, what Dr. Mendez had said about it. No, that would be too quick. Back at the lab she'd be useful before we were finished with her. It was probably in the plans to release her afterward, but this island was crawling with the monsters. Her loss wouldn't hurt them in the slightest. With any luck her spawn would die of neglect.
Humming as I worked, the shining creature was trussed and made ready for transport. A quick call on the radio... really, I had hoped this trip would be more of a challenge. Oh well. There was work to be done yet once we returned. The fun was only just beginning. </p><p class="template2_name">SABRA</p><p class="template2_quote">I'm Hell on Heels, Say What You Will</p></div></center>
Word Count: 2,334
Wanted
Lab techs, assistants, maintenance crew
$15+/hr, benefits, advancement opportunities
Apply at www.oit.com/hiring
That would be a two dollar improvement over my current salary, and truth be told I didn't love my latest position as a records clerk at the local hospital. Why not try? A quick search brought me to the cover page for Occāsus Institute of Technology. Clean, crisp site with minimal detailing. A few pictures of people in white coats staring thoughtfully at half full beakers, with the declaration "Occāsus: the final word of the future" emblazoned at the top. The hiring page was similarly brief. Tap, tap, tap...
Thank you for your interest in joining the OIT family
Please stand by for an email with further instructions
So communication may not be a highlight of this job... I'd barely closed the page out when my phone buzzed, signaling an incoming message of some sort. Well that didn't take long. The email was short, something I was coming to realize was going to be par for the course.
Dear Mr. Bright,
We have received your resume and application and would like to schedule an interview at your earliest convenience. We are looking forward to making your acquaintance.
Sincerely,
Monica Blair, HR Manager
◇◇◇
Getting hired had been the easy part. It was a small company that had signed a very large, very discreet contract, and was expanding its workforce accordingly. My new job title was Laboratory Technician, I was issued four sets of black scrubs and a security pass and told to keep Lab 3 in working order. Sweeping, mopping, delivering Petri dishes and slides, organizing chemicals... it was mundane work in an extraordinary setting. At Occāsus, impossible things were happening.
Under the brilliant leadership of one Nadia Mendez, DVM, PhD, etc, the Institute had been busy developing tomorrow's technology. Spread across a moderately sized campus, the labs were each assigned a dedicated purpose. Lab 3 dealt with blood and tissue studies. Two doctors and half a dozen technicians worked long hours combining and recombining samples that arrived at the lab in clean white boxes. Blood, urine, muscle and brain tissue. It was all studied with utmost attention, every detail logged precisely. I was happy to be a background witness to what I already knew would be world changing science.
◇◇◇
The Institute had made good on their promise of benefits and good pay. With my annual pay raise, I had felt no need to leave, and the steady rhythm of work passed seven years without major change. It had, however, brought tension to the work place. Dr. Aimes and Dr. Landry who ran Lab 3 grew terse where once they had joked with the techs over their pipettes and centrifuges. Now the lab worked mainly in silence. Until one day in the middle of May when one of the newest techs, Lydia, called the doctors over to her station. I paused in my task, deciding that the MSDS could wait to be updated for another five minutes. It was in this way I was able to observe the gathered personnel, as first the doctors, then the techs, then the doctors again peered into the microscope sitting on Lydia's workstation. There was an inaudible but urgent debate, after which Dr. Aimes strode over to the wall mounted phone and dialed a number.
Minutes later the door swung open dramatically, admitting the surprisingly diminutive form of Dr. Mendez. A woman in her mid 50s, I had only seen her around the campus a handful of times, and only once within Lab 3. The look on her face was somewhere between hope and fear a she hurried from the door to the microscope without a word. Practically shoving Lydia to the side she stood on her toes to squint into the sights. The room held its breath for a full minute. Vaguely, I noted a russet spatter on her white coat lapel. Like a woman waking from a deep sleep she stepped slowly back, an expression of rapture stretching her features ghoulishly. "Yes. YES. It's done! We have to- wait. You there, follow me." And suddenly I was no longer the invisible observer. One stubby finger was stretched out across time and space, or at least across the lab. I, it seemed, was its intended target.
◇◇◇
There had been no thought to argue as the mind behind Occāsus lead the way out of the building. There was no conversation as we moved further and further away from the shell-shocked faces of the crew I had been working with for nearly a decade. God knew I wasn't about to initiate conversation with the formidable woman. Before long our destination became apparent. We were heading towards Lab 1, by far the largest structure on campus. This area was considered off limits to most personnel, but the good doctor needed only swipe her ID in a slot by the door and it swung open of its own accord. Once inside I could see why they required such a large building. They interior was a hybrid between science center and equestrian center. An arena took up the central area, surrounded by a series of 10 stalls on one side and a combination biology lab and physical research zone on the other.
About half the stalls were filled with horses of assorted colors and breeds. One was currently standing in a strange contraption in the lab, partially submerged in what looked like an enormous fish tank and walking at a moderate pace. Dr. Mendez cordially gave me a moment to take in the scene before addressing me at last. "I'm going to level with you David. We were this close to being shut down. Not enough progress, you see. Natural selection will only get you so far so fast, and it wasn't fast enough for my employers. Never mind the artistry of the work, never mind what we've already achieved. They wanted more precision. As of today, we're going to be able to give it to them." Truly I had no idea what she was talking about, nor what it had to do with a lab full of horses. She wasn't going to give me the chance to ponder either. Once more we were walking, this time along the stable side of the lab. The scent of horse was somehow dulled by an overreaching odor of disinfectant.
As we neared the first beast, I noted a certain raggedness about it. Hair was dull and frosted with grey, and it was obvious on closer inspection that it was also entirely blind. A chart hung on the door of its synthetic stall, as thick as a dime store novel. The name, "Ankh" stood out, and then we had moved on. Our frenzied pace came to an abrupt halt in front of the seventh stall, though this was only the fourth occupied one. This horse looked to be in somewhat better condition, at the very least it's chestnut pelt was smooth and its eyes were clear. I almost missed the rows and rows of pencil sized puncture wounds on her neck. They ranged from jaw to shoulder, the lower ones now silvered scars, the highest ones still glistening with recent blood. My eyes dropped to the rusty smear on the doctors coat, one eyebrow raised. The greying woman spoke while staring almost lovingly at the marked creature. "We wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for Darla here. Sweet girl, she has the most beautiful genome. A perfect sequence for the work we do. The other three horses here are her foals by the old man you saw in the first stall. All great specimens, but she was the first and still the best." A shrill whiny echoed throughout the building then, followed by a sloshing of water.
It was an animal sound, I was sure. And yet it could almost be mistaken for a woman screaming. It was enough to unnerve a body, though the doctor looked merely irritated beside me. With an ugly scowl she cursed under her breath. "I must apologize. The subjects are usually sedated but it must be lightened for certain tests to minimize the risk of property loss. They get restless without it." Not a problem, I replied. My curiosity was piqued more than anything. A weird little smile pulled at her thin lips. "I chose you for a reason, David. Your work is adequate, of course, but it was your background check I was more interested in. Good school records, good work ethic reviews. But you know this. Standard stuff, a dime a dozen. What set you apart was the rabbit. And the cat. The neighbors "runaway" dog. After some rather literal digging it became apparent that you were exactly what I've been hoping to find. Someone to share my joy in the work. Congratulations on your promotion, David. Today you begin work as my personal assistant."
◇◇◇
My new position was much more fulfilling than the one I had held in Lab 3. They were easily forgotten, all but Lydia... She occupied my thoughts like a buzzing mosquito, persistent and irksome. Pretty, in an unglamorous way, thoughtful, quiet. Always with a kind word. The day she'd discovered the new M6x2 complex was burned in my mind. The way she'd fallen to the side as Dr. Mendez rolled through. She would get her recognition one day. I would see to that.
It was not much after that when the doctor found me at my new desk in Lab 1, a clipboard in hand. "Ah, good, you're here. I have a job for you. I'm sending you to the Island. The details are in here. I trust you to handle it with some... finesse, shall we say?" By now I was more familiar with what OIT was about. The island she spoke of... It was an incredible opportunity. A quick skim of the cover sheet revealed a few necessary details. When do I leave? Her other hand came forward, a long barreled pistol offered nose first. "Etorphine and xylazine. A potent blend, do not use more than one shot or you'll kill the target. It is vital that she and the others be retrieved in good condition." I nodded in understanding, accepting the weapon. Tucking it into my belt I smiled to myself, feeling the beginnings of a plan coming together in my mind. My time was almost here, and she was supplying the missing pieces as we spoke.
Ironic, that.
◇◇◇
The aircraft sent was not standard issue. It moved far to quietly to be considered a normal helicopter, and was barely large enough to carry the pilot and myself. The vertical landing ruffled the grass of the meadow the pilot had plotted out beforehand. A small radio and a compact survival kit were handed over and he was gone again, leaving me to my own devices.
A week of observation. The intended target was female, and much stranger than her file dossier would lead one to believe. Strangely coloured, the freak. Her offspring were no less unnatural. This critter had to be barely within genetic profile. Doused in scent killer, I approached slowly, day by day. The seventh day dawned brightly, unfortunately. And by now I could see that the target had realized something was up. It was now or never. Her pattern was memorized. By the time the foals were off playing I was set, waiting for my shot as she grazed restfully.
The thick foliage of the area worked in my favor, disguising the lines of my shape from view until the weirdly winged creature turned away. Slowly, slowly, I raised my arm, pistol in hand. A bird flight suddenly, shaking the branch over my head and making the blue horse look over quickly. I could have been turned to stone. If she saw me, this mission was over, and for a moment that was how it looked. Eerie blue eyes looked in my direction, holding far more intelligence than a beast of burden should ever have. It shook its head, almost as though it were convincing itself that it had been imagining things. Good. As the slim neck bent once again to the grass beneath its feet I readjusted my aim and squeezed the trigger. The little red tail of the dart marked its path to where the drug sunk itself into the muscle of her neck.
She jumped like she'd been stung. Judiciously I waited in my hide, until the effects of the drug began to show themselves. It was almost funny watching her sway, then fall to her knees, and finally flat on her side. Another minute and she was fully anesthetized. Stepping out from the obliging scrub I moved quickly to the side of the fallen creature. Horrible, unnatural thing. Oh yes, she would have to go. Idly I considered the pistol, what Dr. Mendez had said about it. No, that would be too quick. Back at the lab she'd be useful before we were finished with her. It was probably in the plans to release her afterward, but this island was crawling with the monsters. Her loss wouldn't hurt them in the slightest. With any luck her spawn would die of neglect.
Humming as I worked, the shining creature was trussed and made ready for transport. A quick call on the radio... really, I had hoped this trip would be more of a challenge. Oh well. There was work to be done yet once we returned. The fun was only just beginning. </p><p class="template2_name">SABRA</p><p class="template2_quote">I'm Hell on Heels, Say What You Will</p></div></center>
Word Count: 2,334