Do I know Jesse Faden?
I don't know. Can you really know a goddess?
I'm not sure how else to describe her. She flies. She can punch a man through a concrete wall, use her mind to hurl furniture across a room. She has a magic gun that can demolish just about anything.
Containing dangerous anomalies, destroying extra-dimensional creatures we can't even see.
She's Director for a reason.
When she first showed up, I practically worshiped the ground she walked on, but now I'm not so sure.
The loud creak of the boardroom door snapped me into semi-consciousness. I'd been dreaming of the pretty swirling gray thing again. A massive inverted pyramid got involved somehow.
Every time the door opens, I jump to attention. It's like I'm a dog expecting its master to appear. That's how dependent I've become on the Director.
Once more my hopes are crushed.
Not Jesse.
"Deputy Director, we've got a hostage situation in the Central Executive Mail Room. We've also got Hiss Nodes resurfacing in the Power Station."
Again? I thought, rolling my eyes.
Reports covered just about every available surface on the long mahogany conference table in front of me. They overflowed from file boxes all around me. Sightings and descriptions of paranormal anomalies.
Scores of markerboards obstructed the polished wooden walls, hand drawn maps of the weirdly shifting building we inhabited. So far, none of them told us anything super helpful, like how to fucking go outside, or see the sun out a damn window.
I frowned at the soggy, coffee stained documents in front of me. I didn't have the luxury of sleep, but I had done it anyway.
I poured myself another cup, trying to focus my bleary eyes on the uniformed figure with the inverted speaker strapped to his chest.
Short. Young man. Blonde. Mousy ears.
Randy, one of our new trainees. If I knew how he got here, I bet we'd be closer to finding a way out. Even he doesn't know.
"Maybe the building won't let us leave because we're just as abnormal as the shit we're trying to contain," I muttered.
"Excuse me, ma'am?"
"Nothing." My cheeks flushed red. "...Thank you, Mr. Cranston. I'll notify the Director."
What time was it?
I glanced at the clock, but I'd been stuck in this building, this Conference Room so long I couldn't tell 12 A.M. from 12 P.M. It really had no meaning.
I touched the Fisher Price walkie talkie lying sideways on a stack of folders.
"I'm on it." Director Faden's voice came through the little speaker with such clarity I could swear she stood in the room with me.
I shivered. I hadn't even said anything. "Have you found an exit yet? A window?"
"Sorry, Emily. And before you ask, I haven't found a way to stop these guys. They just keep coming. You'd think by now I'd killed all the world's soldiers and used up all their ammunition, but they keep showing up and trying to murder everyone on the team. Speaking of which, I've cleaned up the Central Research cafeteria, so if you want to eat, you'd better send someone down there quick before they come back."
Another chill ran up my spine. Was she even human anymore? "What about those...rolling balls of entropy? I almost died just getting near one."
"I know...wish I had more information to tell you, but I've been all around The Quarry and haven't found anything that can stop them...or explain them."
My stomach rumbled. It felt like it had been hours since I'd eaten. "Thank you, Jesse."
It felt like a prayer when I said it. Maybe it was.
My thumb clicked the battery cover off the walkie.
No batteries. My body temperature plunged.
Just another day in The Bureau.