Semi-Uber Warning:-
This isn't your typical J/7- I've kinda played with them a little. If you're not into uber, you may not like this one so much.
To Sues, my wonderfully patient Beta-reader who puts as much effort into these stories as i do. Thank You! I'm still not sure why you put up with me {:-)
[This story was writen quite some time ago... hope you're doin' ok, Sues.]
***
Symphony Twisted
by MoJoR.
***
A buzzer sounded heralding the start of another working day. Blue-coated men and women rushed along the corridors en route to their offices. An elderly gentleman strode casually through the crowd, his grey and yellow coat marking him as different to the people around him. Not bothering to acknowledge the young woman who waited outside his office, he muttered a gruff 'good morning' to his desk clerk and disappeared behind his door.
Minutes passed and the noise in the large foyer lessened as the crowd slowly thinned. Occasionally the glass doors would slide open to admit a visitor or another grey and yellow official. Each one wore a distinctive badge, similar to the one attached to the blonde woman's shirt, identifying them to the security officers who patrolled the building.
It was some time before the young clerk indicated that Professor Petarn was available and ushered the waiting woman into his office. The room was almost empty, save for a cluttered desk and a single chair. A plaque hung on the wall behind his desk; a spiked cylinder draped in blue, professing his service to the Minister and the qualifications which granted him his position.
Leaning back in the cushioned seat, the professor watched as the woman entered, his eyes sharp despite the bored expression he affected. "The agency says you have experience with robotics," he stated as soon as the door was closed.
"That is correct, sir," the woman replied with a precise tone. Having nowhere to sit, she stood directly in front of his desk, her hands clasped behind her back.
He stared at her as if evaluating her appearance. She took the opportunity to covertly study the reports which lay scattered over his work space. Two job applications, a memo regarding intersection transience and a lunch menu were the sum total of his pending tray. Pages of scrawled, handwritten notes formed several piles, their contents indecipherable.
"Humpff," he grunted and lowered his gaze. "You have hazard clearance?" Flipping through the documentation that came with her application he searched for the answer to his own question.
"Level four," she informed him, knowing that was one level above what was required for the position.
"Near enough," he said after a minute, continuing to scan the papers.
Petarn sat, tapping his fingers on the surface of his desk, considering his options. There had been very few suitable applicants forwarded from the agency and, although she had little in the way of recent work history, her qualifications were impressive.
"What's your name?" he asked, deciding she was as good as any for the position.
"Anik, sir."
"Speak to my assistant, Anik, he will get you a uniform." Closing her application, he bounced the pages on the surface of his desk, straightening the edges. "Report to the security desk, you are to start immediately." He smiled unconvincingly before turning his attention to the piles of paper on his desk.
Recognising her dismissal, Anik took a final glance at his desk before retreating from the room. She had expected an opportunity to report her success before being required to start. The indoctrination, however, would likely reveal considerable information that could be quite valuable and the sooner they gained that knowledge, the better. Although, for her own reassurance, it would have been preferable to have been more familiar with the building's layout before placement.
The professor's assistant was waiting for her outside the office. Motioning for her to follow, he crossed the hall to his desk.
"Glad to be working with you, Technician Anik," the young man recited with little interest. He presented the newcomer with a pale blue coverall and a white carry-bag. "The facility will provide you with a single uniform and the necessary safety equipment, funds will be deducted from your first pay to cover their cost."
"Thank you," Anik replied, taking the bundle from him.
Glancing along the similarly-marked corridors that ran alongside the clerk's desk, she briefly considered searching the halls on the pretext of being unable to locate the security office. Deciding it was too great a risk after gaining entry into the facility, she turned back to the young man.
"I require directions to the security desk."
"Back where you came in, take the corridor to the right and up the first set of stairs." He pointed as he spoke, indicating the direction.
Thanking him for his assistance, Anik wandered towards the main entrance, taking time to study the few visitors gathered in the lounge. Their conversations were focused on the unexpected results of yesterday's regional Gonda match and the young woman quickly dismissed their discussions as being irrelevant and increased her pace.
Turning into the corridor as directed, she hesitated slightly as a single security guard marched towards her, his padded shoes silent on the tiled floor. He moved confidently with an even stride, his right hand held close to the stun-weapon he wore strapped to his leg. The scanner at his belt acknowledged her presence, automatically reading the information contained in her badge. Identifying her as Anik, third child of Dorlan, resident of the Kytora region, Level Three engineer's assistant, blonde hair, blue eyes, 1236 decrans tall. The device also recognised her limited security clearance, granting her access to the public thoroughfares only. The officer passed her by, a slight movement of his eyes the only evidence of his scrutiny.
Anik continued past several doorways towards the stairs. She took careful note of each passageway, committing the building's layout to memory. The wide staircase curved upwards, following an arc back towards the main entrance. The decor remained unchanged as Anik entered the second level of the large facility, the stairs continued to trace the curve of the foyer past the security centre, the discreet wall and floor markings indicating that the area beyond required a higher access level.
Two guards manned the security desk, a multitude of data conduits linking them directly to the console, allowing them to receive continuous updates from the thousands of concealed surveillance cameras and microphones that dotted the facility. The sensor and shielding technology used in and around the laboratories was at the forefront of the planet's defense technology.
"Technician Anik, welcome to the Daihatchi Research Facility. Please confirm your identity," one of the guards announced at her approach.
Anik positioned her right eye in front of the retinal scanner, counting the seconds it took for the computer to acknowledge her, waiting for the confirming blip before allowing her lungs to breathe. Sternly reminding herself that fear was irrelevant, she focused on her position, running over the details of her job and the responsibilities it entailed, to calm herself.
The experiments in micro-robotics and other new fields of research the Daihatchi laboratories were conducting were of great importance to the military consulate. Although she had been given a relatively low-level position, she was now among the elite of the Ketan workforce. As she waited for the guard to speak, Anik decided she would be glad when she was away from the administration section and in the more familiar environs of the laboratory.
"Your identity has been confirmed," the officer spoke sharply, sliding a large manuscript across the counter towards her. "Please familiarise yourself with our guidelines, any infraction is cause for dismissal. Any breach of security will be reported to the Consulate. Is this understood?"
"It is," Anik replied, taking the book from him.
"You have been allocated to section gamma-four. Professor Regarni has been told to expect you following your induction. You will report directly to the professor, you will remain within the designated areas. Is this understood?"
Anik found his attempt at authority lacking and forced herself to remember that this was not the time for arrogance or pride.
"It is," the young technician answered, deliberately softening her tone and lowering her gaze.
"You have been granted security clearance level three. Do not forget to log your arrival and departure at your section." As he spoke, he sent a signal to her ID badge, uploading the modifications to her records; binary code - easy to duplicate.
"Thank you, officer."
"Your induction is to begin immediately. Take a seat in the first cubicle, technician," he said, nodding towards the long row of personal access points that filled the rear wall of the office. Accessing the controls at his console, he prepared to initiate a direct neural link.
Anik moved to the station, lowering her tall frame into the narrow cubicle. Resting her head against the polymer frame, she waited nervously for the download to begin.
This isn't your typical J/7- I've kinda played with them a little. If you're not into uber, you may not like this one so much.
To Sues, my wonderfully patient Beta-reader who puts as much effort into these stories as i do. Thank You! I'm still not sure why you put up with me {:-)
[This story was writen quite some time ago... hope you're doin' ok, Sues.]
***
Symphony Twisted
by MoJoR.
***
A buzzer sounded heralding the start of another working day. Blue-coated men and women rushed along the corridors en route to their offices. An elderly gentleman strode casually through the crowd, his grey and yellow coat marking him as different to the people around him. Not bothering to acknowledge the young woman who waited outside his office, he muttered a gruff 'good morning' to his desk clerk and disappeared behind his door.
Minutes passed and the noise in the large foyer lessened as the crowd slowly thinned. Occasionally the glass doors would slide open to admit a visitor or another grey and yellow official. Each one wore a distinctive badge, similar to the one attached to the blonde woman's shirt, identifying them to the security officers who patrolled the building.
It was some time before the young clerk indicated that Professor Petarn was available and ushered the waiting woman into his office. The room was almost empty, save for a cluttered desk and a single chair. A plaque hung on the wall behind his desk; a spiked cylinder draped in blue, professing his service to the Minister and the qualifications which granted him his position.
Leaning back in the cushioned seat, the professor watched as the woman entered, his eyes sharp despite the bored expression he affected. "The agency says you have experience with robotics," he stated as soon as the door was closed.
"That is correct, sir," the woman replied with a precise tone. Having nowhere to sit, she stood directly in front of his desk, her hands clasped behind her back.
He stared at her as if evaluating her appearance. She took the opportunity to covertly study the reports which lay scattered over his work space. Two job applications, a memo regarding intersection transience and a lunch menu were the sum total of his pending tray. Pages of scrawled, handwritten notes formed several piles, their contents indecipherable.
"Humpff," he grunted and lowered his gaze. "You have hazard clearance?" Flipping through the documentation that came with her application he searched for the answer to his own question.
"Level four," she informed him, knowing that was one level above what was required for the position.
"Near enough," he said after a minute, continuing to scan the papers.
Petarn sat, tapping his fingers on the surface of his desk, considering his options. There had been very few suitable applicants forwarded from the agency and, although she had little in the way of recent work history, her qualifications were impressive.
"What's your name?" he asked, deciding she was as good as any for the position.
"Anik, sir."
"Speak to my assistant, Anik, he will get you a uniform." Closing her application, he bounced the pages on the surface of his desk, straightening the edges. "Report to the security desk, you are to start immediately." He smiled unconvincingly before turning his attention to the piles of paper on his desk.
Recognising her dismissal, Anik took a final glance at his desk before retreating from the room. She had expected an opportunity to report her success before being required to start. The indoctrination, however, would likely reveal considerable information that could be quite valuable and the sooner they gained that knowledge, the better. Although, for her own reassurance, it would have been preferable to have been more familiar with the building's layout before placement.
The professor's assistant was waiting for her outside the office. Motioning for her to follow, he crossed the hall to his desk.
"Glad to be working with you, Technician Anik," the young man recited with little interest. He presented the newcomer with a pale blue coverall and a white carry-bag. "The facility will provide you with a single uniform and the necessary safety equipment, funds will be deducted from your first pay to cover their cost."
"Thank you," Anik replied, taking the bundle from him.
Glancing along the similarly-marked corridors that ran alongside the clerk's desk, she briefly considered searching the halls on the pretext of being unable to locate the security office. Deciding it was too great a risk after gaining entry into the facility, she turned back to the young man.
"I require directions to the security desk."
"Back where you came in, take the corridor to the right and up the first set of stairs." He pointed as he spoke, indicating the direction.
Thanking him for his assistance, Anik wandered towards the main entrance, taking time to study the few visitors gathered in the lounge. Their conversations were focused on the unexpected results of yesterday's regional Gonda match and the young woman quickly dismissed their discussions as being irrelevant and increased her pace.
Turning into the corridor as directed, she hesitated slightly as a single security guard marched towards her, his padded shoes silent on the tiled floor. He moved confidently with an even stride, his right hand held close to the stun-weapon he wore strapped to his leg. The scanner at his belt acknowledged her presence, automatically reading the information contained in her badge. Identifying her as Anik, third child of Dorlan, resident of the Kytora region, Level Three engineer's assistant, blonde hair, blue eyes, 1236 decrans tall. The device also recognised her limited security clearance, granting her access to the public thoroughfares only. The officer passed her by, a slight movement of his eyes the only evidence of his scrutiny.
Anik continued past several doorways towards the stairs. She took careful note of each passageway, committing the building's layout to memory. The wide staircase curved upwards, following an arc back towards the main entrance. The decor remained unchanged as Anik entered the second level of the large facility, the stairs continued to trace the curve of the foyer past the security centre, the discreet wall and floor markings indicating that the area beyond required a higher access level.
Two guards manned the security desk, a multitude of data conduits linking them directly to the console, allowing them to receive continuous updates from the thousands of concealed surveillance cameras and microphones that dotted the facility. The sensor and shielding technology used in and around the laboratories was at the forefront of the planet's defense technology.
"Technician Anik, welcome to the Daihatchi Research Facility. Please confirm your identity," one of the guards announced at her approach.
Anik positioned her right eye in front of the retinal scanner, counting the seconds it took for the computer to acknowledge her, waiting for the confirming blip before allowing her lungs to breathe. Sternly reminding herself that fear was irrelevant, she focused on her position, running over the details of her job and the responsibilities it entailed, to calm herself.
The experiments in micro-robotics and other new fields of research the Daihatchi laboratories were conducting were of great importance to the military consulate. Although she had been given a relatively low-level position, she was now among the elite of the Ketan workforce. As she waited for the guard to speak, Anik decided she would be glad when she was away from the administration section and in the more familiar environs of the laboratory.
"Your identity has been confirmed," the officer spoke sharply, sliding a large manuscript across the counter towards her. "Please familiarise yourself with our guidelines, any infraction is cause for dismissal. Any breach of security will be reported to the Consulate. Is this understood?"
"It is," Anik replied, taking the book from him.
"You have been allocated to section gamma-four. Professor Regarni has been told to expect you following your induction. You will report directly to the professor, you will remain within the designated areas. Is this understood?"
Anik found his attempt at authority lacking and forced herself to remember that this was not the time for arrogance or pride.
"It is," the young technician answered, deliberately softening her tone and lowering her gaze.
"You have been granted security clearance level three. Do not forget to log your arrival and departure at your section." As he spoke, he sent a signal to her ID badge, uploading the modifications to her records; binary code - easy to duplicate.
"Thank you, officer."
"Your induction is to begin immediately. Take a seat in the first cubicle, technician," he said, nodding towards the long row of personal access points that filled the rear wall of the office. Accessing the controls at his console, he prepared to initiate a direct neural link.
Anik moved to the station, lowering her tall frame into the narrow cubicle. Resting her head against the polymer frame, she waited nervously for the download to begin.