Chapter 174: The Fourth Division.

The weekend came to an end all too soon. My mind and body were preoccupied by the absolute mess that I found myself in. Come Monday morning, as promised, the computers arrived and we had them set up by the evening. Then, by the end of the week, everyone was at the point where production could start in earnest.

Which really just added to the growing list of issues. I barely had time to do much else over the weekend. My phone had been constantly ringing as different people called me and had me coordinating the different portions of the work and the general direction of it all.

Yes, this was Terada’s project, but I was the one that gave it direction. Nobody was truly happy with that. Nor were they happy with me making this into a eulogy, and a funeral. The general mood was not great. Yet, Terada never complained, if anything, he tacitly supported it, which is why everyone begrudgingly went along with it.

They worked because this was necessary, because they all felt how important this was. None of them held back or cut corners. If anything, they gave it their all. All because they didn’t want to feel like they’d not given their all. That they hadn’t done their very best to make this project a success.

It was for that reason that we had any chance of succeeding. This was not without cost, however. We were like a runaway train. With no emergency brakes, forced to go full throttle, shoveling coal into the engine until it gives out, we run out of fuel, or crash headfirst into something.

A single bump on the track could derail the whole project. A single turn or swerve could fling us off into oblivion. There was no tact. No easy solutions as we barreled onward. No, if anything, it felt like I was trying to do surgery with a chainsaw.

Terada kept everyone together. He was the very embodiment of gum and rubberbands keeping an unholy engine creaking along well past its expiration. The other leaders added their own additional spice to the mix, making it a volatile cocktail that could explode at any moment, and I was the one at the helm.

There was no time to question a decision. I just had to make it. Even with the input of others, I needed to make sure we weren’t derailed. With how little time we had, it felt like I was making a sequence of ever worse decisions.

Worse still, nobody confronted me about them. They merely lowered their heads and worked. I didn’t dare drink. Not when my phone was buzzing at all hours. Not when we had to keep up the pace, rather, we needed to go even faster.

Just getting enough sleep became difficult. I only held on due to the ice propping me up. Into the new week, we started off at a full sprint. Work was done at a lightning pace. Before long we had piles of paper worked over. Yet, this was only a small percentage of the whole project. We’d barely even scratched the surface…

Which is where we hit our first real snag, right as we were transitioning into the next phase of our workflow. Of course, nothing ever came easy…

“We have a problem.” Terada announced.

I didn’t groan. No, the ice was too thick by now. “Explain.”

“The fourth division, we worked out a prior agreement, but something happened.” Terada said and placed down a stack of papers. I immediately rifled through them.

It was an official work order. Rather, the receipt of one. The former third division, the division that now occupied our floor had approached the fourth division head and outbid us.

A quick follow-up of company resources and announcements, it became clear.

“They’re making a play…” I muttered. The former third division had started a plethora of new projects. Too many for themselves to handle. Which is why they made an official order to the fourth division… though…

“Our deal wasn’t with the fourth division leader, right? Or am I remembering wrong.”

“You’re not wrong… However, officially, we had to go through him. Now that he’s been contracted, well, it gets a bit more complicated.” Terada said.

“How so?” I asked the man.

“You’ll need to approach the man and hash out a deal in person. Separate from the fourth division leadership.”

“That… makes sense…” I muttered under my breath, not at all audible. The fourth division was made to separate the chaff from the wheat. It was encouraged to seek and work with individuals in the division, or even smaller groups rather than relying on the division head.

Last time, our liaison had been a member of the fourth division and not the head himself. Which means, we shouldn’t really be affected by the division head being occupied by the now second divisions order. The issue is, last time we had the fourth divisions backing and resources…

That Terada had chosen a specific person to lead the team, rather than simply relying on the division head of the fourth division spoke volumes. Could it be that Terada foresaw this coming? Or was it merely a cautionary measure, to get our hooks into a capable induvial languishing in the business equivalent of purgatory?

I couldn’t help but eye Terada and once again re-evaluate the man.

Now, as to why I had to approach the person in question, the answer was fairly obvious. Terada couldn’t step away. Not now. Every minute he wasn’t at his station, was a minute or perhaps dozens of minutes lost as work stalled.

Not to mention, without the fourth division leader’s blessing, we had to work around him. Which meant we’d have to negotiate in person and not with the usual division rules. Which made this all the more annoying, since I couldn’t just send anyone, which left only me.

As for whether I could actually leave, as frustrating as it was, I was next to worthless in the grand scheme of things. I was the director to an extent, but really, I was pointing in a direction and letting them work. I could easily disappear for a bit and leave Terada in charge if it meant getting something done. If anything did come up, all he had to do is give me a call.

With that in mind, I resigned myself to my new fate…

“Right, who is this man? And where can I find him?” I asked, and Terada gave me the details.

It didn’t take long. Rather, shortly after Terada gave me the information, I was on the move. Having been demoted and moved down a floor, the fourth division wasn’t far. Only, the fourth division was nothing like the others.

The fourth division, commonly called the bull pen, was a large-scale division. It didn’t just occupy a single floor, but multiple. Taking a good chunk of the building, all to hold a large number of prospects. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I got when I arrived was nothing like what I had anticipated.

The moment I stepped out of the elevator, I felt it. A tension in the air, and not just any tension either. I felt like I was sitting on a war front, standing between trench lines. The very instant I disembarked, people moved.

Furtive glances were sent my way, messages were passed. The whole floor came alive as people milled about. In a matter of moments, it became clear, everyone knew not only that I had arrived, but why I was here.

Lines were clearly drawn. Desks were put together forming into makeshift forts. People worked in small or large groups, almost like squads and companies.

The multi-level design of the fourth division only added to the atmosphere, to the tension that carried over the space. At the top. Almost like a king, sat the division head. He and his direct subordinates were a capable sort. A mix of young and old, all talented, skilled, and yet, at a glance it was clear. They were nothing special.

They were the run of the mill worker, those destined to never truly go beyond their station, forever stuck at the bottom of this corporate hell. Yet even here, they were akin to nobility amongst their fellows. Their equipment, though not entirely new, was of a better grade. Not to mention just how much better they looked, compared to their lesser colleagues. None of them even paid me any attention as they worked, likely absorbed in their new task. A few did glance my way, but only brief, cursory looks.

As for those outside the division head’s group, it was a mixed bag. Some groups had better setups, others worse. The makeup of each group was different, as was their attitude. Most of the groups near the top, were made up of mostly younger folk. Earnest, hardworking. Putting their all into their craft in the hopes of garnering attention. Making it clear, that those near the top, they had a chance. These people were perhaps a bit busy, but they looked at me with curiosity. Yet none were desperate enough to approach.

Midway down, was where I met the first signs of trouble. Tired and ragged people. Men and women both. Bloodshot, with energy drinks and coffee cups scattered about. Their machines ticked ominously, screens flickered as they fought every step of the way to continue. These made up the majority. People desperately doing their best to stay afloat. To stay ahead of the curve, to not be drowned below. I could see the hunger in their gazes. How they looked at me and knew immediately that I carried with me potential work, a chance to go forward, and yet, despite preparing themselves to lunge and test the waters, with grit teeth they held themselves back.

Even amidst this though, there were those that succeeded. Older fellows, wiser folk. People that were more than keen to pull in the bright-eyed, the eager, or the desperate and give them just enough to keep them afloat. All the while they reaped the rewards of their work.

Those were the ones I exchanged glances with. Each of them appraised me. Understood me. And knew to leave well enough alone.

Below that, were what could be called the damned. Those well below the curve. Just waiting for the door to revolve and kick them out. The old, the infirm, the burned out. None of them spared me much of a glance. Their eyes were empty, devoid of hope as they worked. Yet, their machines were old things, of an older era, old enough that I even questioned why the company kept these around.

Yet, it was beyond even this where my destination lay. At the far bottom, at the very end of it all. In a part of the office that almost seemed, decrepit. Falling apart. Yet in the midst of this, I saw it. Something unusual, the source of the disturbance, the tension.

For before me, was a revolution in the making. A gathered mix of young and old. None too eager, none too defeated. Just the right mix of both, yet, strangely eager despite their surroundings. Their computers and tools were an odd mix as well. As if scraped together, and yet, bits and ends were more modern, with others being older than I could imagine.

Each of them looked at me without fear, with a spark in their eyes. A defiance that belied their surroundings. They beheld my arrival, not with awe, but as if it was only natural. Almost ordained in a way.

Slowly, subtly, they made way into their work area, leading me further in, into what I would almost call an office. A makeshift one, made with partition walls having been set up and with chairs and desks being added to make it stand out.

What stood out to me, perhaps the most, was just how silent it was. How the carpet on the floor seemed to absorb every footfall. How even my own breathing seemed so deafening in the silence.

Only to be broken when I entered the office, by a small clock in the corner, tick, tock, tick, tock. The sound was, odd. Grating almost in the almost deafening silence. Yet, I ignored that and instead focused on my target.

The man I was to meet.

“Nathaniel, I presume.” My voice sounded like thunder in the quiet.

Unbothered by the volume, he spoke. “I am, and you must be Prima?” His voice was oddly calm, soothing almost. Blending in perfectly with the surroundings, like static from a television. Still, I heard him, but his words felt oddly slippery. Only barely catching on my ice reinforced mind.

He wore a suit, only, it was pinstriped. The patterns seem to shift and move as he stood. A watch was on his wrist, the subtle ticking coming from it audible in the quiet. He wore glasses, horned, gold rimmed. Hair slicked back, eyes were green, face pale. His features sharp, almost domineering.

He extended a hand. Like mine, his was clad in a glove. I grasped it, we shook. His grip firm, solid. I took a seat opposite him as I tried to center myself. His hand idly brushed on a metronome sitting on his desk, adding to the ambient noise. The ticking, the tocking, and now the swaying metronome going back and forth.

There was something at play. I thought as much as the seconds ticked on. Instinctively, I curled in, letting the ice take hold. Yet, it did little to ease me. I could still feel it. Tick, tock. Tapping, and tapping against the ice. Slowly, surely, incessantly.

I barely listened as he spoke. No, it was hard to follow his words as his cadence matched the clock, the metronome. All I could manage were simple affirmations, or small mutterings.

Something was clearly wrong. I clung further to the ice, pulling myself into the depths, yet, I could still hear it. The tick, tock. The drumming of his fingers on the desk, his voice.

There was a scent in the air. Soft, subtle, relaxing. Something on the breeze that made me think of better times. Teasing me to open up, unbidden, I thought of the succubus at the hospital, of Alex… Daring me to take a deep breath in, almost like lavender on battlefield.

I didn’t bite. No, I fled further and further. I was drowning in the cold. Emotions and everything bleeding away. Until all I could hear was that noise, that constant rhythmic beat. Tick, Tock. With each rhythmic beat, smashing upon the ice, cracking the barriers of my mind.

Then it hit. As I reached the very bottom, as I buried myself as far as I could possibly go. Until my whole body was nothing but ice.

“Prima?” His voice broke through. Cracked right to the bottom. As if his voice had parted the sea and lead right to where I was hiding.

There was a smile on his lips. A twinkle in his eyes. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Every nerve fired. And I didn’t think. Couldn’t. I just did what came naturally.

I was exposed. Vulnerable. All I could do, was lash out.

It happened in an instant. My body sprang forward, taking the man by surprise. I Smashed into the desk, overturning it as the man scrambled clear, only to find himself cornered.

The metronome shattered. The scent gave way to the comforting smell of something burning. He yelped in fear. I didn’t stop. I heard nothing else, needed nothing else as I loomed over him, stomping over the desk as he scrambled into the corner.

“Wait, wait!” He yelled, waving his hands. I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. No, I wasn’t in control. The ice was.

Sensing what was coming, the man made a final cry, a final entreaty… one that made even the ice hesitate.

“Usagi! Please help!”

And I felt it, with their arrival, the ice shuddered and broke down.

“Told you to be careful, Pyon! You’re lucky I’m being nice, Pyon, Pyon!” Usagi announced, now in the room, on the ruined desk. That same white rabbit, the mascot. The very one that brought me here, made me into what I am.

“What is this?” I growled. My body still tense. The shattered ice flowing through my veins made them burn. “Why are you here?”

Yet even as I spoke, I understood. Dots connected. Rumors came to mind. “You’re the source of everything? You’re why this division is seeing such insane results, why we’re on the chopping block!” I voice aloud. The tension in the air, the lines that were drawn. The source of the trouble. The very air, now that my senses were cleared held the now familiar tang of iron. Of drawn steel thirsting for blood.

“You’re the magical girl?” I asked next as the man, Nathaniel kept his mouth shut. His already pale face paled further.

“Got it all in one, Pyon!” Usagi darted in.

I whipped my head over to face that damn rabbit, “And you still haven’t answered my question!”

“Sorry, Pyon, but I just wanted to see what you’d do next. And honestly, Pyon, Pyon, I wouldn’t blame you for giving him some good old justice. We did warn him after all, Pyon.”

I snarled. “Fine then. Explain. Why is here, what is this?”

Usagi tilted their head. Ears twitched. “Simple really, Pyon, he’s a magical girl like you! Only, he’s a bit different, Pyon, Pyon!”

“Different, how?” I growl.

“I, uh… can answer that.” I glared down at Nathaniel, he looked about ready to pass out under my gaze, but he quickly collected himself and with a quivering voice explained himself.

“As Usagi said, I’m a magical girl, well, guy, but I’ve been here for a bit, and well… Look, it was, habit really. I didn’t think.”

He winced as I glowered down at him.

Getting the message, he got to the point. “My magic lets me hypnotize people! I wasn’t trying to do anything bad, I just, I wanted our meeting to go well!”

“A real dummy, right?” Usagi sniggered in the back.

I clenched and unclenched my hand. Wondering if I could get away with murdering this guy. Smartly, he kept his mouth shut.

“Terada.” My voice rang out. “Did you do that to him?”

“Terada? The old man?” At my look,. He whimpered, “No, it doesn’t work on them, at least, not in the same way, promise! Look, I really didn’t mean anything bad, right Usagi!?”

“Mmm…. I don’t know, Pyon, you do look suspicious.”

“USAGI!!!” The man cried out, tears in his eyes.

“Okay, fine, Pyon. He didn’t mean to cause you distress, Pyon, he’s just very, very bad at socializing, Pyon. And honestly, his power isn’t that dangerous, not really, Pyon.” Usagi said.

“How so?”

“It’s hypnotism, Pyon. He can’t make you do anything you don’t like. If he did, it would snap you right out, and well, Pyon, you’d be doing what you’re doing now, Pyon, Pyon.”

Not exactly helpful, and yet… “Even so, what’s to stop him from tinkering with my mind, and slowly adjusting me over a long period of time?”

Usagi did not answer. I glance down the man that looked like he was about to have a full-on breakdown. Even then, he was quiet. He whimpered, shuddered, and yet, he did not speak up. Smart of him.

Usagi’s non-answer was plenty enough. This man was dangerous. Exceedingly so. Perhaps it would be better to kill him. To end this threat now, to be done with it, but…

Well…

What was that saying? Curiosity killed the cat? Which is why, I decided not to put my fist through his skull… Well, So long as his answer was satisfying enough.

Whether that was good for him or not well, who knows….