Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy
Written by BansheeGirl
A/N: Haha! I've finally gotten around to rewriting the second chapter of this thing! Go me! Please enjoy, and do review once you've finished!
Disclaimer: Nope! I do not claim ownership to any of Pokémon's characters, ideas, concepts… you name it! It's not mine!
Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy
Chapter 2: The Waiting Game
On a busy city sidewalk, a lavender-haired man gazed up at the enormous skyscraper towering above him. Inhaling a deep and prolonged breath, he stepped through the silver rotating doors and was instantly greeted by an elderly attendant stationed on the other side. Somewhat startled by the prompt welcome, the man merely smiled in return before making his way up a short flight of marble steps toward the elevators. The fragrance of fresh flowers wafted through the spacious foyer, and the man could not help but notice the immaculate way in which the inset flowerbeds of pink and purple tulips which lined the marble stairs were kept.
Making his way into an empty elevator, the man pulled out a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket. He quickly glanced at it before hitting a button on the panel beside the elevator doors. With a barely-audible hum the elevator began moving upward. The man felt his heart beat uncontrollably in his chest. He had no idea why he was here. He had no idea what to expect once he'd arrive at his destination. So as his elevator reached the sixteenth floor, the man stepped out and rather reluctantly into a large and animated reception area. Spying an information desk, he quickly made his way over. A strikingly familiar blonde welcomed him.
"Hi!" The girl greeted perkily. "Welcome to Paramount Corps. of Saunders. Like, can I help you today?" The man grimaced at her pronounced valley-girl tone of speaking.
"Yes, thankyou… uh…" The man squinted to read the nametag pinned to the girl's formal white shirt, "Daisy. Thankyou. You see, I received this letter last week requesting for my presence at a… meeting?" The man spoke uncertainly, producing the piece of paper from his jacket pocket again. The receptionist took a fleeting look at it, turned to her computer and swiftly punched a few letters in.
"Yes! You're like, right on time! I'll just send a page to your escort if you'd like to take a seat over there," she said, motioning to some modern-looking chairs and a coffee table in the corner of the reception area.
"Thanks," the man replied with a smile. Stealing one last glimpse at the receptionist – where had he seen her? – he wove his way through the commotion of people moving to and fro through the large area. He finally found himself at the directed corner and sat himself down in the sleek black of a rather oddly-shaped chair. Drumming his fingers impatiently on the leather arm, the man looked around him.
He did not know why he was here. The letter had told him nothing except to make sure that he was available for a meeting on this day. It was a quite an inconvenient request – the mere journey to Saunders City was a task in itself. But not even a warning as to what the meeting was about? Why would a big company like this press such an urgent appointment with the lead councilman of an obscure little village tucked away in the mountains? He could make no sense of it. His heart still thumped violently against his chest. He hated being left in such suspense.
Suddenly a blonde-haired man wearing an expensive-looking suit appeared beside him.
"James Morgan?" He asked, punctually.
The lavender-haired man swiftly stood up. "That's me," he said, the relief awash in his voice. He was tired of the waiting game.
The other man affably extended his hand. "Glad to see you arrived safely. I'm Michael Richton, executive assistant here at Paramount Corps. of Saunders."
James warily returned the handshake. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Richton." He was still yet to make an informed decision as to whether these people had requested his presence for a beneficial or harmful cause.
Michael smiled amiably. "Please, do call me Michael."
James raised an eyebrow. "Okay then… Michael. A pleasure to meet you."
"I'll escort you up to Miss Avalon's office now," Charles announced, as he began to ascend a broad flight of stairs. Mr. Morgan followed.
"Miss Avalon? The CEO of Paramount Corps. of Saunders is a woman?" James exclaimed, somewhat taken aback by the statement. The letter he had received a week earlier had certainly been empty of any real information about the requested meeting. He suddenly found it increasingly peculiar that he had not even been privy to the name and consequent gender of the very person he was scheduled to meet.
Michael turned his head to James as the pair continued walking, the executive assistant displaying a haughty smile. "Is that really so hard to believe?"
James blushed. "No, I just… assumed it would be a man. I'm not entirely sure why." He silently chided himself. What had led him to make such an offhand assumption? He was not a normally sexist person. Perhaps the fact that most positions of authority in his village were held by men added some weight to the supposition. For a woman – the typically suppressed gender of society – to hold such a seat of power, especially in Saunders City, was a tremendous achievement.
And didn't she know it.
The assistant laughed, and James found himself rather unnerved by the other man's tone. "Let me offer you some advice: never assume anything about Miss Avalon."
James frowned, puzzled by this implication. They passed by rows of working cubicles, each with one or more people seated inside busily talking on phones or expertly tapping away at computers.
Eventually the two men reached another set of elevators. Michael promptly pressed a button, and one pair of metallic doors opened almost immediately. Both stepped inside, and Michael flashed in identification card over a small panel before pushing some more buttons. The doors closed and the elevator began to ascend.
James shifted on his feet. He did not feel comfortable with the man called Michael, but his curiosity eventually defeated any silent antagonism he may have felt. "Hey… uh, Michael?" James asked, trying to choose his words carefully. He was determined not to repeat the same type of mistake had so stupidly made earlier.
Michael turned his head to James and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Listen… you wouldn't by any chance happen to know what this meeting is about, would you? The letter I received last week was quite… sparse on details, so I'm quite unsure as to the exact reason I'm here." James made sure to express his annoyance at this fact through the tone of his voice.
A barely recognisable smirk appeared on the other man's face. "Miss Avalon will let you know in her own good time," was all he said, and with that the elevator doors opened on a new level. They strode out into a long corridor with many doors and smaller corridors leading away to a number of other rooms and offices, obviously for the more important employees of Paramount Corps. of Saunders than the cubicle-workers below.
Before long the pair arrived at a large oak door, which Michael opened. James peered in as Michael revealed the spacious office, which was quite empty considering its size. The entire right wall was made of glass, giving a spectacular view of the immense city below. James was drawn in as Michael continued to hold the door open.
"It appears as though Miss Avalon has stepped out of her office for the time being," Michael said, following James into the room. The oak door automatically closed behind him. He quickly motioned to one of two chairs that sat before a large desk. "If you'd like to have a seat I shall go and alert her of your arrival."
James gave a weak smile, and, under the glare of the executive assistant, seated himself on the chair. "Thanks, that'd be great," he replied unenthusiastically.
Michael grinned almost deviously, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. James listened as the large door automatically clicked shut behind the blonde-haired man.
James breathed a sigh of relief to be out of Michael's presence. He hoped that Miss Avalon would not have the intimidating demeanour that her executive assistant seemed to have. As he looked over the desk before him, and the long-backed chair that sat behind it, he feared that his hopes would not come true. Just her office seemed to radiate an intimidating sense of power.
James sat back in his chair, trying once again to calm down his rapid heartbeat. He could not for the life of him understand why he had been brought here.
All he could do… was wait.
…Hmmm… interested yet? Intrigued as to what will happen when Jess and Jim finally realise who they're up against? And just exactly why was James requested for this meeting anyway? Make sure to stay tuned for the next instalment of Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy!
As always, please review my ficcie! I'd especially love feedback about my new title for this fic… honest feedback! Is it good, awful, or do you have a better suggestion? I wanna know! Thanx!
Till Next Time,
BansheeGirl.