DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT ONLY MY SELF AND THE PLOT OF THIS FIC...I AM BROKE PEOPLE!
A/n: This is a reminder that this is an A.U. Fic that takes place in the year 2012 so no flames and just read the story to get why it was in the Mass Effect section.
Mass Effect The Immortal Series pt 1.
Mass Effect: Flight of the Normandy
Chapter 2: The Woman with the Orange Apron
KAILUA KONA, HAWAII
If there is one thing that Martha hates, it is being interrupted by arrogant customers. Especially the one standing in front of her right now lecturing her about his hatred of Monsanto Corporation. She glared daggers at the man as he went on and on about his hatred of G.M.O.'s and other bio-engineered products. Her thoughts were on throttling the man before her; his attitude towards her and her other customers is enough to make her want to scream. To make matters worse, the man was beyond unhygienic. His repulsive appearance was something that Martha wants burned from her memory. To see this man with his beer belly hanging out from his shirt covered in grime from who knows what to his horrible breath, rotting teeth and foul body odor. Her keen sense of smell was going haywire with the nauseous odor, and her eyes started to water as he came closer to her.
"Look, sir, I have no control on what is sent to us. You are going to have to file a complaint to our merchandising department in Atlanta. They are the ones who decide what we do and don't sell," Martha stated to him. "I can even give you their address, email and phone number, if that would help."
The man scowled her, "Well do you have something that is not manufactured by Monsanto?" he demanded, spittle coming from his mouth as he spoke. Martha growled, but she put on a fake smile showing off her pointy canine teeth to her customer. She could feel him getting nervous as she glared at him.
"I told you about three times, sir, we have Spectracide, Othro, and Bayer for weed killers. None are owned by Monsanto, but they are the alternatives. We have some organic products by those companies and we are pretty generalized in what we sell. If you want something more specific, go to Kona Lawn and Garden down the street, or Ace Hardware in Old Industrial," she said.
The man glared at her, his long gray beard made him look like Santa Claus from Hell. Martha could have sworn there was something crawling in it, which made her shudder in disgust. "You could have said something sooner, you fuckin' bitch!" With that, he stormed, out leaving Martha alone with several other people in her aisle.
Martha let out an animistic snarl exposing more of her teeth before taking a deep breath and sighing. The other customers in the aisle quickly made their exit from the short five-foot, three-inch-tall woman. Broad-shouldered and overweight, Martha looks more like a linebacker than a woman. Which was all the same, considering the job she has to do currently. Looking down at the pallet of freight she was trying to work on, she sighed once again before picking up a box of bug spray.
This is just another long day, she thought as she looked at her cell phone. Only ten more minutes till break, thank God!
If only that were the least of her worries.
KAILUA KONA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
A private plane came to a stop on the southern end of the Kona International Airport. The ramp agent led the plane to its parking spot on the southern most end of the landing ramp, reserved for private jets. It was also home to the inter-island commuter terminal, where those who are traveling to other islands in the Hawaiian Island chain often use.
The Kona International airport is a small airport located about five miles from the main town of Kailua Kona on the Big Island of Hawai'i. It is an open-air airport, meaning there are no large terminal buildings that go up several stories. Instead, this airport is single-story, and passengers have to go up long stairway ramps to get to their planes. The downside about it, is the intense desert heat caused by the lava rocks that the airport is built on. This caused the ramp agent to nearly faint from heat exhaustion because there is hardly any shade for them to relax in.
The private plane finally stopped, allowing the ramp agents to immediately get fuel lines out and other cables needed for plane maintenance. When the shutdown routines were finished, the hatch came down, and a woman exited the plane. She wore a light business dress with light-colored high heels. Her blonde hair was quickly blown by the strong sea-breeze that blew past her face. As she neared the end of the stairs that led out of the landing ramp, she could see several men waiting for her. She knew who all of them were: her security detail. They led her away from the plane, towards the airport terminal, and into a waiting vehicle. On the sides of the vehicle, the sigil of the United States government was shown. Her security detail then entered in the front and from the side. There was another vehicle behind the one she entered making sure that security was kept at its highest. Looking out the window, the woman could still see the plane sitting there on the tarmac. She could even hear the security detail go over final checks before departing the airport.
The car then pulled away from the airport, following the long road towards the airport exit to the main highway, where it turned southwards, towards the main town of Kailua Kona. They then made another turn east again after reaching Koloko Industrial Park. There, the driver took them up the hill and down another street till at last, they came to the nation's most famous home improvement retailer...Home Depot.
The stop was uneventful as they pulled up at the entrance doors.
The doors slid open upon their entrance, and with suitcase in-hand, she walked into the store.
The woman turned from the main door to her right. There, a large counter was sitting with the large sign above it marked, 'Service Desk.' Right behind the desk, a single person was standing there, going over some things with another person over the phone. From his conversation and the tone of his voice, the woman knew he was speaking to a customer.
It did not take long before he finally hung up the phone. Turning from the computer he was working on, he was going to the next one to help another customer. He was alone, by himself, with no one to help him. The woman walked up to him anyways. Her two bodyguards stood watch right beside her.
The previous customer noticed the two men right away and backed away from the service desk. The clerk behind was a bit nervous when the woman finally walked up to the counter.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"I wish to speak to your Store Manager please, this is a matter of National Security," the woman said and presented her I.D.
The man standing there looked shaken as he picked up the phone and, after he dialed a number, began to speak rapidly into the phone. Nodding to himself, he hung up and turned towards the woman. "He will be here shortly, ma'am, he is with a customer at the moment." The woman nodded and then waited.
A few minutes later, a rather short, balding man approached, his dirty apron a tell-tale sign that he has been working. His appearance alone alerted the woman that he does not often sit behind a desk like a normal manager. Then again, she has no idea how management worked in retail.
"What can I do for you folks?" he asked, his rough southern accent adding to his rough demeanor.
"Mr. Holshue?" the woman asked, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.
"That would be me," he said.
"I am Alexandria Wilcox, United States Department of Defense, I would like to have a word with you, in private, if that would be appropriate," she said.
Holshue nodded and led the way. The woman and her two bodyguards followed.
The main managers office was the only place away from prying eyes. The HR office had too many places for people to listen in. Holshue ushered the woman to sit while he took a seat behind his desk. The two naval officers stood guard outside the door.
"Now what is this all about?" he asked.
"I come here on behalf of the Pentagon. It is a matter of national security that you need to see," she said, and handed him a file from the brief case.
"What is this?" he asked
"We have been doing extensive searching for possible subjects, who were exposed to a new element that has recently been discovered. Are you aware of Element Zero?" she asked.
Holshue nodded. "Yeah, I am aware of it," he said.
"Do you know of the effects one has when exposed to Element Zero?" Alexandria asked.
"Just the basics; depression, extreme aggression, increased brain activity, heightened senses... The sort of stuff I've read in a National Geographic magazine somewhere, why?" he asked.
Alexandria reached into the briefcase that she brought with her and showed him a photo.
It was a photo of an employee he knows all too well.
"Martha Kahalewai? What do you want with her?" he asked, brows raised in surprise.
Alexandria smiled, "As you are well-aware, there are those who are recently exposed to Element Zero, and then there are those who are born with traces of it in their DNA. Pacific Islanders and Asians are prone to it, Mr. Holshue. Your employee has a high concentration of it, due to the combined DNA of both Asian and Pacific Islander. Because Native Hawaiians are descended from Maori, they have some traces of Element Zero in their system, but due to isolation away from the currents that have it, that exposure has diminished. However because your employee is part Japanese, as well as Native Hawaiian, you have a potent mix. I am surprised she never shown signs of telekinesis," Alexandria said.
"Telekinesis? I should have read those articles more carefully," Holshue replied.
"Telekinesis and telepathy are two sure signs that your employee has the Element Zero in her system. Did you read what it tells you about what it does to the human brain?" she asked.
"Increases brain activity by 50 percent that much I know, and given that the human brain only uses 10 percent of all brain activity that is a huge feat," Holshue replied.
"While the matter of 10 percent is a myth, that is essentially it, yes. Now that we have that settled, I would like to talk about your employee's status at this store," she said, opening up a folder.
It was a copy of a psychiatric readout and it was very thick. "What is this?" he asked, accepting the folder, and beginning to read.
"It is Martha's readouts, she shows strong signs of it even though it was labeled at the time for ADHD. According to this, she has ADHDI, which is a rare form of ADHD, meaning she lacks the really hyperactive portion of the disorder, but she shows the other common symptoms. But, as we dug deeper, and did some testing -which is required for all laboratories- we found that she does have traces of Element Zero in her bloodstream. They were not recent, mind you, so that shows that she was born with it." Alexandria then took back the folder after Holshue was through reading it.
"Why are you here?" Holshue asked suddenly, feeling a bit apprehensive.
"We are here to retrieve her," Alexandria replied.
"You can't do that!" Holshue said, "What about free choice? Doesn't she have a say in all this?" his voice was raised in protest.
"She does, but for her own safety, she will have to be taken in. We will speak to her in a more open room; this room will surely set off her demophobia." Alexandria replied.
"Demophobia?" Holshue asked curious about the statement.
"Fear of crowds, and I am afraid that this room with the three of us in here will set her off." Alexandria stood up.
"The training room then; it is big enough to allow her some space," Holshue said regretfully.
"Having regrets, Mr. Holshue?" Alexandria asked.
"Martha may have been a pain in the ass, but she was one hell of a worker," Holshue sighed as he pulled out his mobile phone.
"Shall we call her in, then, and have this discussion with her?" Alexandria asked.
"I will need to speak to the HR first," Holshue replied, dialing an extension.
"Very well, we will be back in a few hours. That should give you enough time to make preparations." With that, the woman stood up and shook his hand.
She then exited the room, leaving Holshue to put his head in his hands and sigh. "Theresa, I need to see you in my office; it's important," he said with a bit more force than necessary.
MEANWHILE
Martha's phone went off, signaling the time to go to break. Sighing with relief, she got up from her crouched position and rubbed her knees, which ached after heaving heavy bags of fertilizer to their home on the shelf. Sometimes pulling freight sucks, but to her, at least, it offered freedom from annoying customers. Martha stood up, turned off her alarm, and walked away from her post, making sure to keep the aisle clean so no one will have an accident.
Walking towards the other departments Martha made it her mission to be the time keeper and alert her fellow freight associates about the time. Some tend to forget to go to lunch, so she offered herself the job of timekeeper. She walked into the electrical department hoping to find her coworker. It took some time before she spotted her, "Hey Sina, break time!" she called out.
A rather thin, middle-aged, woman looked up from where she was working and then at her watch. "Oh, damn, already?" she said and put her things back in her wagon.
Martha was waiting for her to exit the aisle and walked with her, collecting their coworkers. There was two guys and one more girl that made up the full-timers of the Night Crew. Or what people call the Night Crew, since they no longer worked the graveyard shift.
They walked down to the other side of the building, till, at last, they came to the break room. It was empty, except for at least two people on their lunch break. That much is expected. Martha walked in and retrieved her bottle of water from the fridge. Sina grabbed her snacks, along with the second girl, Jolie. Both of them sat down first, while Mart ran off to the bathroom. When she came back, she took off her glasses and cleaned the particles and smears that appeared on them. Her reddish-brown eyes shone through as she put them back on. Her black Home Depot cap covered her eyes from the ceiling lights. Shoulder-length dark curly hair came crashing down as she undid her cap and her hair band to redo her ponytail. When she was done, she once again took a swig of her water bottle that was on the table.
"I swear to God that if one more person comes up preaching Anti-Monsanto I will strangle them and use their fuckin' corpse for shark bait!" Martha growled.
"You had to deal with that guy too?" Sina asked and Martha nodded.
"Yeah, a bit of an asshole, really. I mean, who would want to hear that dumbass preach about 'Monsanto' this and 'Monsanto' that! Go somewhere else if you want to preach about Monsanto!" Martha said and slammed her fist into the table.
The force of the hit startled everyone there and Martha, feeling sheepish, rubbed her hand where her fist met the table.
"Oops!" she said sheepishly.
"Girlie, do you know how much you shook the table with that!" the woman on the end said.
"Sorry, Chrissy, won't happen again," Martha replied.
"Better not! You nearly broke the table...again!" she stated.
Martha again looked sheepish as she remembered that time. She did nearly break the table, just like she destroyed the padlock on accident at the garden gates, and accidentally clawed up some fine plants when it fell on her. She was clumsy and stronger than most women in the store. The sharp-tongued woman was a stranger among those who grew up in Kona. Her eyes downcat, she continued to drink her water in silence as she looked at the new dent in the table.
Oops!
Looking down at her watch she grinned, "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, Chrissy, but I have to return to work," she said getting up along with Jolie and Sina.
Chrissy only waved as the three women made their way out. Well, two women; Martha had to use the bathroom yet again before returning to work. Sometimes recovering from a bladder infection sucks.
When she returned to work a few minutes later, she could not help but notice the same three people that came in earlier hanging around. They pretended to shop, but years of experience has taught Martha that these guys are no customers; they mean business. Just like the few customers from the Pohakuloa Military Base, they were dressed in military uniforms, and Martha was very observant of their actions. Her past had taught her to be cautious, and that caution was paying off. Her instincts were telling her to be careful. She could feel them watching her just as she was watching them, their eyes never leaving her back as she stocked the store shelves.
It was when her phone beeped yet again for lunch that she finally finish her freight pallet. She then took her trash to the dumpster area to throw in the baler: a large compression machine that smashes down cardboard garbage. It was a slow night tonight and Martha insisted on being done on time this time. No more screaming bosses and having overtime. She then placed the last of her leftover freight in the overhead, glad to have no pallets to go up. At least with the UPS freight, there was only small boxes.
But as she put her stuff up, she could not help but notice that she was still being watched. Lifting a fifty-pound box in the overhead with a ladder was hard enough, but doing it while being watched was annoying. When she placed the box where it should go, she rolled her shoulders and neck and felt the pleasant cracking as her joints popped. Having her back feeling flexible again, Martha made her way down the ladder and towards the break room after collecting her coworkers again.
Just as she was halfway there, "Martha from freight team to the training room. Martha from freight team to the training room," Holshue's voice on the PA announced.
"Ah shit, what does he want?" Martha grumbled, "It can't be that bad Marty, they might be giving you an award again," Jolie said as Martha changed her direction to that of the training room.
"We'll meet you in the break room," Sina said happily as she entered the break room.
"Martha from freight team to the training room. Martha from freight team to the training room," the PA announcement went again, and this time, Martha decided to wait and head off to the bathroom.
When she emerged after washing her hands of the dirt and grime, she entered the training room.
She saw Holshue there along with the same three people that had been spying on her earlier, and the Human Resources Manager: an overweight woman named Theresa.
"OK whatever it is, I didn't do it!" Martha said, eyeing the two Navy men and the woman in the middle.
"Have a seat Ms. Kayhelabai, did I get your name right?" the woman said.
Martha glared at her, "No. It's Ka-ha-lei-vai the w sounds like a v," Martha replied, and sat down.
All three of the newcomers watched Martha as she fidgeted with her fingers. She eyed them nervously. The two men were dressed in obvious air-force uniforms. That much she could tell, thanks to her step-brother, who is currently serving in the military. The woman, however, had her intrigued, as she was wearing a light-colored business suit with matching high-heel shoes. Her blonde hair was tied up in a tight business-style bun. She carried herself with a military air to her. Martha knew, right there, that something big was up.
The woman then pulled out a suitcase and opened it. Facing away from her, Martha could not see the contents of the suitcase, but from the amount of time the woman spent pulling her things out, it was not good.
"Alright, Ms. Kahalewai, how are you feeling today?" The woman asked as she closed the suitcase.
"I'm fine, thanks. What is this all about?" Martha asked curiously, as she looked at the woman in front of her.
The woman in question brought up a folder and placed it right in front of her. "Ms. Kahalewai, I am Alexandria Wilcox, I am here on behalf of the Department of Defense and the reason I have you in here concerns National Security." She then looked Martha straight in the eye, which made Martha extremely nervous.
"First off: I am not a hacker, if that is what you are going to ask, and second: I am not stupid, so get to the point," she said, and Holshue glared at her for her disrespectful conduct.
Alexandria merely smiled. "I assure you, it has nothing to do with your computer skills, Martha. We are simply stating that what we have to discuss is a matter of national security, nothing more."
Martha raised one eyebrow, "Really? My skills are only at beginner-level, I assure you, and I am merely a tech, not a programmer. My boyfriend Aaron is more of a program person. I do better with wires than programs."
"Alright then, let's try this differently: What do you know about Element Zero?" Alexandria asked Martha.
"Practically nothing, other than it is a semi-radioactive element that mutates anything it touches with high brain activity. Why?" Martha replied.
"Very perceptive of you," Alexandria replied back. "The reason why I am here and why I asked about Element Zero, is that you yourself have high concentrations of it, and therefore, are a security risk," she said, and at this, Martha raised both eyebrows.
"OK, how is that possible?" Martha asked.
"Do you remember the last time you drew blood, Martha?" Alexandria asked.
"Yeah, about four years ago, why?" Martha replied.
"Because we need to draw a fresh sample to make sure it is a match to the first one, and that there is no mistake." With that, one of the soldiers walked across and grabbed Martha's arm rather roughly.
"HEY!" Martha called out, as he quickly drew a needle and took a quick blood sample.
"What the fuck, man!?" Martha shouted at them.
Alexandria took the sample and put it in a machine, along with what Martha assumed was her old sample. The device was something that Martha has never seen before: It looked like a small watch of some sort, similar to those found on diabetics, only this one needed a larger blood sample. She watched as the blood went into the device. It beeped for a few seconds and then it went silent for a while. The machine beeped a few times again, before the woman's eyes lit up, "A perfect match!" she said.
"What the hell is going on here?" Martha demanded, confused by what is happening in the room.
"Your blood sample, that we took four years ago, contains high amounts of Element Zero in your DNA. We needed to take another sample to confirm it and not see it as another false lead," Alexandria said. Martha glanced at her arm and found the bruise forming from the soldiers hand.
"You could have asked!" Martha all but growled at her.
The other soldier handed Martha a bandage and offered to put it on. Sighing, Martha held out her arm for the soldier to bandage it. He was dark-skinned with Air-Force colors on his uniform. She recognized it from her step-brother's own uniform. The one who put the needle in her also wore Air-Force colors. Unlike his fellow, soldier he remained at attention.
WILCOX POINT OF VIEW
Alexandria watched as the sample was inserted into the analyzer. As the blood went through, it began to give her its' standby sound. The beeping noise that it makes is a sign that it is measuring the amount of Element Zero in one's blood. The girl, Martha, sat before her, holding her arm where the sample was taken. Already, she could see red forming as blood was oozing out. The device signaled it was complete but it suddenly went silent.
What the hell? Alexandria thought, not believing her eyes. The meter had gone dead for about five seconds, before the amount was formed. At the results, her eyes grew large. As she took in the readings she could only stare at the short, stocky woman before her. This woman is built more like a football player than a woman! And yet she has some of the highest readings anyone could every imagine.
MAIN POINT OF VIEW
Martha was growing impatient as she watched the woman Alexandria stare wide-eyed at the results. "Look, Jack," she started, referring to Holshue, "I know you have shit you have to do, and I have lunch that I am about fifteen minutes late for, so can we get this over with, so I can enjoy that steak salad that I have in the fridge?" Martha requested. 'Jack' groaned... of course it would be Martha to think about leaving. This many people, he could tell, was making her nervous, and the way she was eyeing the door, he knew her demophobia was starting to seep in.
"Can you wait a bit longer, Martha? The good lady here is nearly finished," Jack said as he rolled his eyes. The girl is nervous if she is mouthing off like this, he thought.
Slowly, Alexandria stood up, and faced the two of them, "I am sorry to say, Martha, but the results here show a direct match," she said. She then showed both Jack and Martha the results, printed out on the portable printer that was established next to the device.
It was a chart with two samples and the dates. Martha's eyes widened at the sample taken of her blood back in 2008 and the sample that was freshly taken. It shocked her to see it: the samples were a direct match.
"No way!" she said leaning back, "This has to be a joke? I don't have that much Element Zero in my blood! Hell, where did that amount even come from?" she started to panic now and stood up, but Holshue quickly put a hand on Martha's shoulder for reassurance and slowly guided her back to a chair to sit down. Taking a seat near a corner helped, as he sat down next to her. Theresa remained where she was, just as stunned as Jack and Martha. Alexandria could only sigh as Martha was clearly taken back by the results.
"Martha, do you remember having any strange sensations? Any at all? Heightened senses, extra strength, telepathy?" Alexandria asked.
"Well, I do have a keen sense of smell and my hearing is above normal, if that is what you are asking?" Martha said.
"Any extra bouts of strength or quickness?" Alexandria asked.
"Well, I am stronger than most of the women here in this store, but I always thought it was because I grew up pulling fishnets and walking up and down a hill with a sixty-pound backpack," Martha replied.
The woman shook her head, "Do you know how much you can lift?" she asked.
"No," was the reply.
"Well then, now that we have the test results done, we shall get to the dirty part of why we are here," she said and the other two managers sat down.
"I am Alexandria Wilcox, head of Biotechnology for the United States Department of Defense, and I work with people like you, with high amounts of Element Zero in their blood," she said, pulling out a folder.
"The reason why I said what I said earlier, is because I want you to be aware, that at any moment, your bio-readings would go off the charts and might do something that can hurt someone in the process. We are here because this is your last occupational establishment," Alexandria explained to Martha.
Martha glared at her, "So let me get this straight; you did that to me to prove that I am a hazard to society? So you can lock me up? Is that it?" Martha asked.
"Actually, no. What we want to do is offer you a job," the woman replied.
Both Jack and Theresa are taken back by this, "What do you mean, 'offer her a job'?" Jack demanded.
"I meant what I said, Mr. Holshue. The government is needing folks like her for the Challenger Deep project," Alexandria replied.
"The Challenger Deep Project? You mean that ship that they found at the bottom of the ocean?" Theresa said, as she, too, tried to see what is the big deal with this.
"Wait! You want me to go to the bottom of the ocean? Are you out of your fuckin' minds!?" Martha demanded, shooting out of her chair in outrage,
"Watch your language, young lady!" Theresa scolded her.
Alexandria held up her hands trying to pacify the situation, "I apologize if I came off as abrupt, Martha, but what we are trying to do, benefits all of us as Americans," she said, lowering her hands. "You see, our government has taken an interest in finding out the problems that Element Zero has on people. Most cases involves cancer during the first generation of findings, and later generations, like yourself, have slight to drastic changes to their DNA: altering your genetic code to the atomic level, causing them to have... 'Adverse side-effects'. My division of the science department of the Department of Defense finds and recruits potential candidates, and helps them to get used to their new abilities." With this, she pulled out an envelope from her suitcase. It was rather thick and Martha read through it.
"So you want me to give up my job, just like that, and go there?" Martha asked.
"Not really. If you need time, we can give it to you, but we need an answer by the end of next week," Alexandria said, as she stood up and shook her hand before starting to walk out. The two officers also stood at attention as Alexandria took her leave.
Martha looked down at the envelope: The instructions were clear on it. She then raised her eyes, noticing how Jack and Theresa both had solemn faces, "She must have some balls to do that to you guys," Martha said to them.
"I'm afraid, Martha, it is more than that," Theresa said, as Martha sat down again.
"Now what?" she asked, confused by this sudden change of behavior.
"I'm afraid that what they told us is true: you do have high traces of Element Zero in your blood. But what she failed to tell you is that, as a company, when the government asks us about any employee with Element Zero, we are forced to give that person up," Theresa said to her.
"You mean you are firing me just because of something I can't control?" Martha demanded, standing.
"Now, we are not firing you," Theresa said, "We are forced to lay you off."
"Bullshit! I have rights, just like any other American!" Martha was now shouting, her teeth fully bared and her eyes gave an eerie red glow to them. Both Jack and Theresa backed away as she glared at them.
"Now, Martha, it isn't like that-" Theresa started, but was interrupted.
"Don't give me that bullshit! You both just wanted to get rid of me because I don't put up with this fuckin' bullshit! I have worked my ass off for five years, and all I get is four write-ups, one PIP, and a final warning because I go to the bathroom more often than I should! Now, when this bitch from Washington D.C. shows up, you both tell me that you are firing me because I am some sort of mutant!" she said.
"Yes, we are laying you off because you are now proving to us that you are a danger to this company, and to society in general" Jack said, getting some of his confidence back.
"Well, you know what? FUCK YOU!" With that Martha marched out the door and slammed, it shattering the glass, with the shards falling to the ground in pieces.
Storming into the break room, she slammed the door again, causing that door to shatter, and grabbed her food from the fridge. Then, the backpack that was plugged into the wall, and clocked out; punching the wall in the process. She was soon followed by Jack and Theresa to the bewilderment of her coworkers.
She marched out into the dark night, startling her boss and her other coworkers who demanded to know what happened.
"Martha what's going on!?" her boss Jowell yelled, his Filipino accent clearly evident as he walked after Martha.
"What!?" Martha shouted at him, her voice was quivering from her shock.
"Why are you going to your car with your bag? And what happened?" he asked.
"If you just saw Jack and Theresa they fired me because I am some sort of mutant," Martha said between sobs.
"Mutant?!" he asked, stunned.
"Yes, those military goons you probably saw earlier forced Jack to fire me because of my DNA. So now you are stuck three short, so fuck off," Martha said, and with that she stormed into her car and started the engine.
Jowell watched as she peeled away in her old ford focus. That will be the last time he ever saw her again.
TBC