Disclaimer: Monsters, Inc. and all characters herein belong to Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios unless otherwise stated.

Agent 127 and Gerald belong to me. Although they won't be playing a particularly big part. So... yeah. ^_^

A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to the new and improved version of False Start. I've rewritten the currently uploaded chapters and beefed up the plot, so hopefully it should prove to be a more enjoyable read. You probably won't notice a lot of difference at first, since the bigger changes will happen later on. And most of all, as always, I hope you enjoy! :)


'Operations Assistant… Junior Manager… Hmm, Business Consultant, this could be worthwhile… Wait, for a fast food chain? Pass."

Bonnie sighed in exasperation and threw the newspaper aside, fed up with browsing the job section. She'd spent the past hour having done so to no avail, there was nothing even close to the job she had before. Granted, simulation moderation wasn't what she was looking for, but that wasn't all she was employed to do at Monsters, Inc., having also taken over a lot of the business administration over the years.

And therein lay the problem. This wasn't a choice. Bonnie hadn't chosen to switch jobs. That would have been simpler and held much less pressure from a time scale. No, she had lost her job along with every other monster under the employ of the factory. One of the biggest scandals Monstropolis had ever known ensured that MI's doors would most likely be closed for good.

Bonnie had spent a good amount of time cursing Waternoose blind. She'd never particularly liked the guy, his way of looking down his nose at monsters he didn't consider 'worthy' of his attention irking her to no end, but she'd never pegged him as a criminal, and to such a high end too. The news came as a shock to everyone the nation over, but that didn't matter to Bonnie. What mattered was the fact she was now unemployed. She took too much pride in herself to claim a single cent through any form of unemployment compensation so the pressure of finding a job fast was working her to her last nerve.

It didn't help that she was looking for a fresh start, not even considering working for another Scaring company. She'd grown weary of her job, finding it had quickly become stagnant and allowed her no freedom to grow either professionally or personally. She didn't want another job of the 'same old, same old', but avoiding a job like that was easier said than done.

Moving to the kitchen to fetch another cup of coffee she considered the idea that the internet could help her search much faster. She didn't particularly like the idea, having heard many horror stories of supposed 'ideal' jobs which quickly turned out to be nightmares, but she was fast running out of options.

Once her coffee was poured she made her way back to the living room, sitting herself down on the couch to watch a little TV. She figured spending ten minutes winding down wouldn't harm her chances and she really needed her coffee. The TV showed much the same as every other station, another rerun of the same story. Apparently, conspiracy to kidnap really was that big a deal, especially since it involved humans. As the story came to an end Bonnie was about to flick the channel over, but a commercial prevented her from doing so.

"The Child Detection Agency is arguably one of the most important public services throughout the Monster World," the commercial announced. "Ensuring the safety of monsters everywhere from the risk of human toxicity, a career in the CDA is an opportunity of a lifetime…" Bonnie had to laugh at the last statement; with the news of humans not being toxic becoming public knowledge along with the scandal it would no doubt be removed sometime soon. "If you think you have what it takes, the CDA is recruiting now. Travel the world. Do good. All in one place."

As the commercial finished Bonnie switched the TV off. Slowly, an unknown feeling came over her, one of excitement and slight nostalgia. She remembered joining the CDA had been her childhood dream, but she was quickly swayed away from that path by her very pushy business-oriented parents. She'd gained a degree in Business Administration, much to her regret, knowing all too well that majors in Monstrosities, Monster Education or even Scaring were preferred to any other by the agency. She would have little chance of gaining a position, so to think otherwise would be silly, which was very much unlike her.

But Bonnie then realised what she was doing. She was debunking the idea before even giving it proper consideration. She also then remembered something else, something that could even give her an edge. She just so happened to know the number one of the CDA personally. Someone who had been working in the same place as her, right under everyone's nose, for a whole two years. Roz.

For the first time in a week Bonnie allowed herself a smile. This could actually work. She would get the fresh start she wanted and live out her childhood dream all at once.

Bonnie Flint, CDA Agent. She liked the sound of that.