Conspiracy
Two questions plagued Yamada’s mind: Why did she accept this position, and what did the Galactic Coalition want with her research?
She sighed and continued to tap her foot with an irate glare.
Her office was reminiscent of a cave - pitch-black with an eerie silence. The room was barebones, with only a single long-black steel desk and matching curved chair with grainy textures in the middle of the floor. The acrid stench of her metal claro’s smoke fogged the room, enough to make one’s eyes water and head hazed.
Today started as usual but changed drastically with a single call. On days like these, Yamada would present talking points to shareholders and potential buyers of their Militant-Injection product lines. But she knew something was amiss when her superiors called her early that morning. They never call unless it’s urgent business.
“Yes sir,” Yamada said, seemingly to no one. “The children are making excellent progress and are acclimating to their new genetic enhancements.”
Her cigar's exhaust was visible even in the dark. Her brown-tan eyes gazed through the translucent waves of gray clouds of smoke floating around the small space. The dark circles under her eyes showed her lack of rest.
“I wholeheartedly agree. Time is of the essence.” She spoke once more.
With a quick hand raise, Yamada brought the cigar to her bottom lip. The cherry-red tip lit up on her inhale, illuminating her entire face.
Her plump caramel-colored lips were glossy. A few strands poked out of the two messy buns of black hair atop her head. Some strands were long enough to reach the bottom of her slender, oval face.
Her metal chair rattled as she pushed it back and stood. She paced around the room with her eyes fixed on a hologram reading ‘Call in progress, Superintendent, 24:01...’ in red letters.
“... If everything goes accordingly, you may have a designated spot on the voting committee, Director Chaou.”
Yamada stopped mid-stride, gazing at the floor with her cigar loosely hanging at the corner of her widened mouth.
She didn’t think it would be this easy to climb higher up the ladder, especially when she came in as a nano-doctor only about two years ago. Though she was efficient at her job and produced high test scores on her cell-response treatments, she didn’t let it go to her head. Even now, she shrugged off her promotion to Director as simply employee retention to keep her from going to another firm with all its secrets.
She then shook her head to regain herself.
“Y-yes... But I’m humbled by being able to service the COEN anyway I can, Mr. Superintendent.”
Her black lab coat was outlined with golden silk that shimmered as she continued pacing, covering the sleeveless gray corset showing her tight stomach and long straight black business slacks stopping at her ankles.
Yamada's five-inch black heels continued to clack as she paced.
“Right... And, yes... I’m sure we won’t have to resort to that... Yes...” Yamada nodded as a buzz of information continued to whisper in her ear.
Two knocks came from the door. Ayuu, a young man with beige skin, almond-shaped eyes, and thick black hair, appeared behind the door as it slid into the wall.
“Ma’am, the Commander’s daughter should be here in fifteen minutes after taking a tour of the facility.”
Yamada stared in the other direction and shooed him away. He nodded, and the door closed.
“... So, they’re here. That’s good. They took our offer seriously. Dazzle them. I want to have them begging for our product. Do you understand me?” The voice commanded in her ear.
Yamada nodded once more. “Understood, Mr. Superintendent. If you'll excuse me, I must prepare.”
She pressed a blinking green button in her golden earring, and the hologram beside her face faded.
Her shoulders relaxed as she let out a deep sigh, then collapsed into the chair behind her.
Yamada yearned to be closed back up in her lab again. Though it was a shoe box of a white open office shared with a dozen other scientists, it was like a second home. And since a good portion of the Earth’s surface was now uninhabitable, it has been home for a long time.
She rested her neck on the narrow backside of the seat, gazing up at the silvery ceiling.
Howard’s persistent chip crunching heard two cubicles down; Amara’s constant need to pop into her booth to ask questions then trail into something else entirely; Even Lan, who sent an exceedingly long row of emojis in her text chats. She thought they were all driving her completely insane. But now, she would do almost anything to work alongside them again.
Another bang came from the door that made Yamada jolt from her seat.
“Yeah, yeah! I’m coming!”
The door raised with a puff of smoke, revealing a vast, open space surrounded by towering concrete walls and blue-alloyed steel. The floor before her clanked as she stepped onto the thick metal-grated bridge that stretched into separate directions, disappearing into the distance of the sprawling complex beyond. A chill coursed through her body as a brisk wind blew from the endless dark abyss below them.
She strode through the door and headed towards Ayuu, who was leaning against a railing with a closed-lip smile.
Yamada walked over and leaned on the rail a few inches away.
“Sorry about that. I stuck in another chat with the higher-ups. They’re doing daily check-ups for these new clients of ours. It’s exhausting.”
Ayuu looked at Yamada and nudged her on the arm with a chuckle.
“Why so serious? We’re getting alien clientele for the first time. Aren’t you just a tad bit intrigued?”
Yamada placed the cigar between her lips and inhaled, then allowed the black smoke to flow from her nostrils like a dragon after casting its flame. “Not really. The only parties the Galactic Coalition has associated with are Stellar Alliances of the Japanese.”
Ayuu shrugged his shoulders with a perplexed look. “... So?”
“What do you mean, so? We have several competitors that could outdo us in every way, including Stellar. It’s pretty unreasonable for them to want to work with us, so I’m having doubts about their intentions."
Ayuu nodded, then tilted his head to the side, resting his fist on the tip of his chin. “I guess you have a point there... It’s still pretty interesting nonetheless.”
Yamada could feel a knot of anxiety building in her stomach. Though she’d been preparing for several weeks, the implications of what could happen had just entered her mind. Was this some kind of trap? A ploy to lure them into a larger political squabble that they had no business being a part of?
Nowadays, these are the types of questions one must ask themselves when in positions of power, or so she presumed. Especially when you’re deep underground and latent bunker busters or EPWs from past wars can be activated and bury you alive.
She had to wonder once more: Why did she accept this position?
"I don't like the sound of this," Yamada muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to get involved in some inter-political war. We're just a small research group. We don't have the resources or the backing to deal with... Whatever this could overarch to be."
Ayuu’s eyes widened before releasing a short exhale. “Jeez, Yaya… You need to chillax. They’re just coming to look at our genetic-processing charts and our first batch. We’ve never done tests with alien genes, but the results speak for themselves. I’m sure they’re just impressed with our numbers.”
Yamada sighed, allowing the cigar to rest on her slack lips.
“You’re right. I may… I may just be a bit stressed and overthinking. Another thing, don’t call me that while we’re at work. People might get the wrong idea. You’re to call me Ms. Chaou or Director. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Yaya.” Ayuu flailed his hand and then walked down the railed corridor. “Anyway, let’s go check on the playground. I think the children are getting out of class soon.”
Yamada took the cigar from her mouth, pressing the swirling button at the end, causing it to disintegrate into ash and blow away from her hand.
“Why didn’t I just listen to Ma and finish med school?”
Conspiracy
Two questions plagued Yamada’s mind: Why did she accept this position, and what did the Galactic Coalition want with her research?
She sighed and continued to tap her foot with an irate glare.
Her office was reminiscent of a cave - pitch-black with an eerie silence. The room was barebones, with only a single long-black steel desk and matching curved chair with grainy textures in the middle of the floor. The acrid stench of her metal claro’s smoke fogged the room, enough to make one’s eyes water and head hazed.
Today started as usual but changed drastically with a single call. On days like these, Yamada would present talking points to shareholders and potential buyers of their Militant-Injection product lines. But she knew something was amiss when her superiors called her early that morning. They never call unless it’s urgent business.
“Yes sir,” Yamada said, seemingly to no one. “The children are making excellent progress and are acclimating to their new genetic enhancements.”
Her cigar's exhaust was visible even in the dark. Her brown-tan eyes gazed through the translucent waves of gray clouds of smoke floating around the small space. The dark circles under her eyes showed her lack of rest.
“I wholeheartedly agree. Time is of the essence.” She spoke once more.
With a quick hand raise, Yamada brought the cigar to her bottom lip. The cherry-red tip lit up on her inhale, illuminating her entire face.
Her plump caramel-colored lips were glossy. A few strands poked out of the two messy buns of black hair atop her head. Some strands were long enough to reach the bottom of her slender, oval face.
Her metal chair rattled as she pushed it back and stood. She paced around the room with her eyes fixed on a hologram reading ‘Call in progress, Superintendent, 24:01...’ in red letters.
“... If everything goes accordingly, you may have a designated spot on the voting committee, Director Chaou.”
Yamada stopped mid-stride, gazing at the floor with her cigar loosely hanging at the corner of her widened mouth.
She didn’t think it would be this easy to climb higher up the ladder, especially when she came in as a nano-doctor only about two years ago. Though she was efficient at her job and produced high test scores on her cell-response treatments, she didn’t let it go to her head. Even now, she shrugged off her promotion to Director as simply employee retention to keep her from going to another firm with all its secrets.
She then shook her head to regain herself.
“Y-yes... But I’m humbled by being able to service the COEN anyway I can, Mr. Superintendent.”
Her black lab coat was outlined with golden silk that shimmered as she continued pacing, covering the sleeveless gray corset showing her tight stomach and long straight black business slacks stopping at her ankles.
Yamada's five-inch black heels continued to clack as she paced.
“Right... And, yes... I’m sure we won’t have to resort to that... Yes...” Yamada nodded as a buzz of information continued to whisper in her ear.
Two knocks came from the door. Ayuu, a young man with beige skin, almond-shaped eyes, and thick black hair, appeared behind the door as it slid into the wall.
“Ma’am, the Commander’s daughter should be here in fifteen minutes after taking a tour of the facility.”
Yamada stared in the other direction and shooed him away. He nodded, and the door closed.
“... So, they’re here. That’s good. They took our offer seriously. Dazzle them. I want to have them begging for our product. Do you understand me?” The voice commanded in her ear.
Yamada nodded once more. “Understood, Mr. Superintendent. If you'll excuse me, I must prepare.”
She pressed a blinking green button in her golden earring, and the hologram beside her face faded.
Her shoulders relaxed as she let out a deep sigh, then collapsed into the chair behind her.
Yamada yearned to be closed back up in her lab again. Though it was a shoe box of a white open office shared with a dozen other scientists, it was like a second home. And since a good portion of the Earth’s surface was now uninhabitable, it has been home for a long time.
She rested her neck on the narrow backside of the seat, gazing up at the silvery ceiling.
Howard’s persistent chip crunching heard two cubicles down; Amara’s constant need to pop into her booth to ask questions then trail into something else entirely; Even Lan, who sent an exceedingly long row of emojis in her text chats. She thought they were all driving her completely insane. But now, she would do almost anything to work alongside them again.
Another bang came from the door that made Yamada jolt from her seat.
“Yeah, yeah! I’m coming!”
The door raised with a puff of smoke, revealing a vast, open space surrounded by towering concrete walls and blue-alloyed steel. The floor before her clanked as she stepped onto the thick metal-grated bridge that stretched into separate directions, disappearing into the distance of the sprawling complex beyond. A chill coursed through her body as a brisk wind blew from the endless dark abyss below them.
She strode through the door and headed towards Ayuu, who was leaning against a railing with a closed-lip smile.
Yamada walked over and leaned on the rail a few inches away.
“Sorry about that. I stuck in another chat with the higher-ups. They’re doing daily check-ups for these new clients of ours. It’s exhausting.”
Ayuu looked at Yamada and nudged her on the arm with a chuckle.
“Why so serious? We’re getting alien clientele for the first time. Aren’t you just a tad bit intrigued?”
Yamada placed the cigar between her lips and inhaled, then allowed the black smoke to flow from her nostrils like a dragon after casting its flame. “Not really. The only parties the Galactic Coalition has associated with are Stellar Alliances of the Japanese.”
Ayuu shrugged his shoulders with a perplexed look. “... So?”
“What do you mean, so? We have several competitors that could outdo us in every way, including Stellar. It’s pretty unreasonable for them to want to work with us, so I’m having doubts about their intentions."
Ayuu nodded, then tilted his head to the side, resting his fist on the tip of his chin. “I guess you have a point there... It’s still pretty interesting nonetheless.”
Yamada could feel a knot of anxiety building in her stomach. Though she’d been preparing for several weeks, the implications of what could happen had just entered her mind. Was this some kind of trap? A ploy to lure them into a larger political squabble that they had no business being a part of?
Nowadays, these are the types of questions one must ask themselves when in positions of power, or so she presumed. Especially when you’re deep underground and latent bunker busters or EPWs from past wars can be activated and bury you alive.
She had to wonder once more: Why did she accept this position?
"I don't like the sound of this," Yamada muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to get involved in some inter-political war. We're just a small research group. We don't have the resources or the backing to deal with... Whatever this could overarch to be."
Ayuu’s eyes widened before releasing a short exhale. “Jeez, Yaya… You need to chillax. They’re just coming to look at our genetic-processing charts and our first batch. We’ve never done tests with alien genes, but the results speak for themselves. I’m sure they’re just impressed with our numbers.”
Yamada sighed, allowing the cigar to rest on her slack lips.
“You’re right. I may… I may just be a bit stressed and overthinking. Another thing, don’t call me that while we’re at work. People might get the wrong idea. You’re to call me Ms. Chaou or Director. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Yaya.” Ayuu flailed his hand and then walked down the railed corridor. “Anyway, let’s go check on the playground. I think the children are getting out of class soon.”
Yamada took the cigar from her mouth, pressing the swirling button at the end, causing it to disintegrate into ash and blow away from her hand.
“Why didn’t I just listen to Ma and finish med school?”
