My apologies - this is short. I have to share some of the thing brilliant things people wrote about Eileen after the last chapter. They were all really good.
valok wrote: Eileen deserves maple syrup, bacon and Godiva chocolates. She makes 'Old Yeller' look unfaithful! Impossible I know but true.
QuickLookBusy wrote: Oh Eileen! You romantic little nutball. I bet you have all the Disney movies organized alphabetically in your bedroom. Kiss the ex-statue! It works in every animated romance ever!
Your special bag of hugs is in the mail.
Take That!
"Who are those people?" Myka asked Helena when they heard them through the door.
"Alas it would seem that my escape will not go unnoticed," Helena said sitting by down and sounded discouraged.
"Who are they?" Myka asked a little more sternly this time. It wasn't meant to be directed at her boss, but she was getting short on patience with this whole place.
"The Regents – sort of like our Board of Directors, if you will. They report to Mr. Kosan," Helena said.
"Are they the ones who bronzed you?" Myka asked. No sooner had Helena said yes, Myka was then banging on the door.
"Myka, you can't….," Helena was trying to tell her, but Myka couldn't hear her over the sound of the loud banging.
Nothing.
"Let me just see what I can do about getting us all out," Claudia said.
"We still need Mrs. Frederic," Pete pointed out.
"My guess is that she is in there," Helena said and now Myka resumed her banging on the door.
"Let her in," Mr. Kosan said and Jack opened the door.
They all got up when the door opened, but Myka turned to them. "I'm going in alone," she told them. Helena did not believe her message was meant for her of course, so she rose from her seat.
"I want you to stay here, Helena," Myka said.
"But darling," Helena started to say before Myka cut her off.
"Let me do my job, Helena." Myka walked in and slammed the door shut.
Dead silence filled the outside corridor. No one had ever told Helena no …oh wait, no Myka had.
'She'sonebossyOne," Pete said covering his mouth.
Everyone looked over at Helena who had technically just been put in her place. "Well, it would seem my services are not needed," she said and walked back into the Warehouse.
"Ouch," Claudia said, feeling for her boss.
"Mrs. Frederic, are you okay?" Myka asked.
"Better now," Irene said. "How is Helena?"
"She's okay now, no thanks to you people," Myka said looking at the group.
"I'll wait outside," Irene said and took her leave.
"Ms. Bering," Adwin Kosan said to her and bowed his head to acknowledge her.
"It would appear that you have been confirmed as Helena's One," one of the Regents said.
Myka stared at them. "You listen to me, every last one of you, I don't know what kind of operation you have going on here, but your management methods are archaic. Helena was … hear me? Was….an agent with you people. And yet you treated her like an indentured servant who hadn't served her time," Myka said, leaning over the table at them.
"Ms. Bering, the nature of Ms. Wells' job is very complicated," one said giving Myka the benefit of the doubt.
"Complicated? I'll tell you what's complicated. Invading someone's home, kidnapping them, transporting them across state lines, sentencing them, and practically embalming them!" Myka shouted. "I don't care who you are, we have a little thing here called due process, and I can't even begin to name the things you people violated. Your contract is tantamount to a non-compete clause. Helena can't share what she knows except to one other person. Have you read that contract?" Myka said stopping to stare at each of the people. "Any of you?" Myka asked because they were all looking at each other.
"Legal handles them," finally one confessed.
Myka whipped the contract out of her bag. "Page 32, Paragraph 4, Section 2: The agent may at any time select one individual with whom that agent may share any and all information about their job. Only one individual may be chosen on the natural course of the agent's life. The only exceptions to this rule is A) in the event of the death of the first selection, a second individual may be chosen, or B) if the agent exceeds her life expectancy, a second may be chosen, " Myka read and they smiled thinking she had just made their case. "Mr. Kosan, please define 'natural course of the agent's life' for me," Myka said, putting the paper down.
"Ms. Bering, these papers are drawn up by our legal team," he explained.
"OK is there anyone from your legal team here?" Myka asked. One Regent raised her hand. "Would you care to define it?" Myka asked her.
"Natural course is the typical lifespan of an agent based on actuarial tables, which are periodically updated," the woman answered.
"Do you know what the life expectancy of a woman in the United States is today? Eighty one years old. So based on your stipulations, Ms. Wells should not select another One until her 82nd birthday. According to your very own device, Ms. Wells is sixty five years overdue," Myka said.
"The document is based on our typical Warehouse agent," the Regent said defensively.
"That was your first mistake," Myka said.
"It would seem that Ms. Bering has adeptly found the loophole in Ms. Wells' contract," Adwin said slightly smiling at the woman at the front of the table. He had a feeling she would.
The group began to talk to each other.
"Bravo, Ms. Bering," the middle aged woman who had spoken before said. Myka noticed her sitting at the back. She looked oddly familiar to her.
"I'm not done. I am Ms. Wells' attorney. Let me list just a few of the charges I can file on her behalf. Hostile work environment, abduction, and kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly process –whatever the hell that bronzing was. Should I go on?" Myka asked. Her eyes were narrow with fury and she didn't miss staring at one of the people in attendance.
"You will be hard pressed to find a court of law ….," one of the Regents said, sure of himself.
"Imagine what the press will do with this, while I'm looking," Myka threatened.
"Ms. Bering, you have a deep responsibility as Helena's One, to keep what you have seen secret. We are not in the habit of inviting guests into the Warehouse," Mr. Kosan said.
"You didn't invite me, I found my way here. And let me make this clear, nothing would have kept me from finding Helena, and nothing will keep me from taking her out of here," Myka said.
"You may take her," Mr. Kosan said.
"Oh I am taking her, make no mistake. Release her from any holds you have on her," Myka demanded. "Now!"
The Regents looked at each other and finally looked at man in charge. "She is released," Mr. Kosan said. "You have my word."
In spite of his part in all of this, Myka believed him. Myka gathered her papers and was about to leave when she turned back to the group.
"I don't understand what you do and I don't know what this place is, although if Helena was a part of it, then I know it is a good place. But there is nothing within those walls of yours as wonderful, as precious as the woman who is HG Wells. And because you did not recognize her worth, I do not want any of you ever to contact her again. If you need Helena, you come to me," Myka said clearly.
And with that, Myka Bering left.
Helena had rejoined the group and was pacing the floor when Myka came out.
"Myka?" Helena asked, concerned that she had been in there alone.
"It's okay, Helena," she said pulling Helena into her and hugging her. "They understand now. We're going home," Myka said.
Helena had never heard sweeter words.
RL prevented me from perusing law journals to find a better way out of this. I hope it passes as plausible.
If not - chastise away and I'll do something when my head is clearer.