As the phone rang, Aaron Tauverson, with videocassette in hand, strode into the waiting room of Mr. Giltomas' office. He had big news for his boss, but it could wait a while. Pondering what he would do with his guaranteed raise, Aaron perched himself on the edge of the secretary's desk and listened to the one-ended conversation.
"Mr. Giltomas' office. Yes, he is the head of production for Sliders. I'm sorry, but you cannot talk to him without an appointment. May I take a message?"
The secretary withdrew the pencil from behind her ear and scanned the desk for the memo pad. She glared at Aaron and slapped him on the back. As Aaron relinquished his perch, she grabbed the memo pad that he had been sitting on. Glancing at the secretary's notes, he circled around the desk and rested his chin on her shoulder. Hmm, Jen O'Maley. I don't recognize the name. Maybe a new up and coming actress. He leaned his head against the secretary's curly blond hair. He sighed as she gently shrugged him off. He returned to the opposite side of the desk. He leaned his elbows against the oaken table. The secretary rolled her eyes, but he could not tell if it was directed at him or the speaker on the phone. She jotted down something else. An address. His curiosity ran rampant. An actress in a hotel? Or is the big cheese not telling us something about his extracurricular activities? Aaron smirked as the secretary hung up the phone. There's nothing like a good blackmail story to help you climb up the ladder.
"And who was that on the phone, my sweet Miss Claire?" Aaron asked innocently.
"That is none of your business, Mr. Tauverson. Now, do you have an appointment with Mr. Giltomas, or have you been promoted to my tormentor?"
"Yes to both accounts," he chimed while shaking the videotape in his hand. "And please, do call me Aaron. We'll definitely be seeing more of each other once I get a raise for the image on this tape. But first, who was that calling?"
"If you must now, it was some loony-bin escapee. She actually wanted me to tell Mr. Giltomas that the Sliders are on this world, right now, and that it would be wonderful if they could meet their acting doubles. A little obsessed isn't she! I mean, how delusional can you get?"
"But, then, why did you write down her name and address?"
"God! This girl needs help. I figured that I would talk to her parents about seeing a psychologist."
"Here, I'll take care of the girl." He snatched the paper from her desk and started towards Giltomas' office. "You just sit back and relax. Just think of all the wonderful time we'll be spending together."
"You know, Aaron. You have such a wonderful voice. I think you would make a wonderful castrati. A guy singing all those high notes just sends tingles down my spine." She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a big pair of scissors. "And to think, with a simple snip snip, you could be in charge of your own harem of concubines." Her honey shaded eyes flashed as she opened and closed the scissors quickly.
Aaron just smirked as he entered the boss's office.
"All in good time, dear Claire. You'll see the err of your ways."
"I hope that you've come here for something more than an excuse to harass my secretary," Giltomas stated as the door closed.
"I have something very interesting." He inserted the tape into VCR and pushed play. The image of four people materializing from a portal filled the screen. "Like he said, they've returned." A wide grin on his tan face, Aaron held up the memo sheet. "And I know where to find them."