Sorry the lengths are a bit inconsistent. I'm going for breaks in the story as opposed to length. Thanks for reading! We'll see you in the next chapter :) - B.B.
Chapter 3
"Jordan, the master needs you in 2A." "For what?" "Not sure. You best make your way over there." Replied Roland. "Alright, I'm on my way." So far today all I had really done was fix a closet door in a guest room, so the thought of doing something productive had me hopeful. This time I knocked before I entered, taking a step in as a simple 'Enter' came through. "Roland said you needed me?" The CEO didn't look up from his computer, but a long finger flicked out to point at the ceiling. A light was flickering. The same light. "Dang it." I grunted, setting my bag down and shooting a dirty look to the flickering bulb. "I'll be back, getting my ladder." I muttered. When I returned, I had already gone over a few things that could be the cause. Propping the ladder up, I hummed a few lines to the song in my ear. "There ain't no man that can save me! There ain't no man that can enslave me! Ain't no man or men that can change the shape my soul is in! There ain't nobody here- Who can cause me pain or raise my fear 'cause I got only love to share. If you're looking for truth I'm proof you'll find it there " Popping loose the fixture, I pulled it down, pulling a hook from my belt and looping around the stem and hooking it to my ladder so the weight wasn't on the cord. I mumbled with the chorus and pulled out my light from my front pocket. I heard the man below speak up and looked down. "Sorry?" "Again, with those headphones." He grunted, giving me an irritated look. "Sorry... It's my favorite song right now." I replied, flashing a small smile, focus turned to the wires. Making a point not to stare. Today he wore a black dress shirt, his tie gone to show just a hint of collar bone. Dammmmnnn. "I can take them out if it bothers you." "I would prefer you either unplugged them or shut it off. The sound from the one around your neck is annoying." I looked down to see the one dangling. Ears like wolf apparently. "If I unplug them you'll have to hear it." "I would rather do that then listen to your attempts at singing." "Ouch." I muttered, pulling the plug from the phone head. "Straight to the heart." "You put it out there." I had to chuckle a bit. "Fair enough. So what, just not a music lover?" "Good music." "Well that's just a matter of perspective. I think a lot of it depends on what you're raised on." I reached up into the hole in the ceiling and felt around for the wire I'd crimped last time. "That and obviously, cultural differences here." I found the wire I was after and pulled it to get a better look. "Where are you from?" His tone was oddly curious. "I'm from California." I said as I checked my crimp. "And you left Hollywood for here." "Hollywood isn't that great. Just a bunch of big-shot houses. I'm from northern Cali though, not nearly so exciting." I ran my hand up the wire to see if I could find another bend in it. "Lot of trees, lot of rain, not a whole lot anything else. Went to school in Sacramento." I popped the flashlight in my mouth and pointed it to the gap, trying to find a break. "So why leave?" I shrugged, a sound of victory coming from my lips as I found what I was after. Another wire had split, and I dug in my pocket for some clippers and tape, dropping the flashlight to the tray attached to my ladder, my voice whimsical as I answered. "I was young and in love." I heard his snort and I had to chuckle a bit. "He was transferring to Hong Kong for work and I thought, oh yea, that sounds fun. So I went."
I threw the clippers into the tray. "Lot of people there." He replied. "No joke. And the smog was awful. I don't know how they manage." It was odd, having a seemingly normal conversation with a man that could knock me out of house and home within seconds. I think he was curious, more then anything. "Anyway, when I got pregnant we transferred here, I was worried about the baby." I felt a zap and let out a grunt, bringing my hand down to look. Ouch. "You're married then." "No." His brow rose and I was about to respond when my phone rang from it's spot among my tools. Without my headset I had to lean down and answer. "This is Jordan." "Hey." "Randy, to what do I owe the pleasure." I asked, tucking the phone in my shoulder. "Listen about this week's visit..." "What about it." "Well you see there's this trip-" "Get to the point, I'm-" A hard snap had me frowning and yanking my hand back. "Get to the point, I'm in the middle of something." "I was wondering if we could swap your night this weekend for one during the week." "I get weekends off Randy, that's why I can't take him during the week." "That's what I'm offering Jordan, we're going out of town." Another zap would have a small cry from my lips. That one hurt. "Really not a good time Randy." "What are you even messing with?" "Does it matter?" I brought my hand down so I could see. A burn was starting to bubble on my fingers, a small black patch over the end where I'd grabbed it. "I can't deal with you right now Randy." I muttered. "You working wires again?" "Yea. You're very distracting. I gotta go." "Don't bother coming by this weekend Jordan." "Fine. Take my visitation, not like you didn't take everything else." I muttered, dropping the phone into my hand and ending the call. Dropping it to the tray, I winced and watched it bounce off and take my pliers with it. "No..." I whimpered, knowing a fatal fall when I saw one. A sick crunch would bring a sigh from me as I looked back to the wires. I heard the man stand and move around the desk to come pick up the electronic. "How bad is it?" I asked as I twisted the wire back together. "I don't know..." He flicked on the backlight and I heard a rumble escape him. Looking down, he turned the screen to face me. I winced as I saw the shatter stretch from the top corner. "Wonder if it works." I muttered, taking it and tapping the screen. When I didn't get any response, I sighed. "Six months. I was doing so good." "You would think with a job like this you'd be inclined to get a case." Said the man, bending to pick up the pliers that had gone with the phone. "I did. For this one." I grunted, pulling another phone from it's holster on my belt. It had an otterbox on the outside, with a thick glaze over the screen. "This is the one Roland gave me for work calls. I never use this one." He held a hand out for it and I passed it over. "What's wrong with it?" "I may not always hear it." He snorted, and I saw a smirk curl his lips. "Might give it a try." "It's a dummy phone, you can't even open the browser. It's a brick with a touch screen." I said, pulling tape once more to wrap the wayward wire. His thumbs moved over the screen and I found myself curious as to what he was doing. A flash of code came over the phone before he typed something in at the bottom. The phone shut off before the reboot screen came on. "There." He passed it back and I looked at it. "What did you do?" I asked, brows pinned as the home screen loaded. "Rooted it. It should be unlocked now. Use it until you get another phone." "You can do that? Neat." I muttered, fiddling with it a minute before pressing it back into the holster. "You can replace a sink, but you can't unlock a phone." Said the man, drawing a laugh from me as I hefted the light fixture off my ladder. "Hey, ask me to take it apart and put it back together, I'm all over it, but software just gives me a headache." I screwed the light back into place, giving a victorious smile as I saw the solid beam from the once flickering light.