"That Mad Max guy sure is an asshole..." a grumbly portly fellow would continue on, having a near midnight conversation with his fellow sanitation officer friend as they backed in slowly through a gate to the innards and cellar of Enormo Enterprises after hours.
"Yeah but whatever, a job's a job ... they want all this stuff out of here, or as much as possible" the more trim fellow would nod, dressed in a similarly bright orange and yellow safety vest. In the passenger seat of the large garbage truck, crawling out now would be a most unlikely person. Joshua James ... or JJ as he was known in some circles.
"Alright JJ" one of the gruff men would say, giving him a pat on the back, "We're even ... but we can't really do much to protect you from here on out, okay? Not sure what was so important here but uh ... yeah, just look out for those guys"
At that, the man would point to a team of people wearing white hazmats suits, carrying things in and out of the back door to the facility, all adorned with Enormo Enterprise insignia.
Josh would nod at this, giving the men a confident salute, "Thanks again, man, I won't forget this"
With that, Josh would slowly make his way in through the back, wearing a blacked zipped up fleece and a white dress shirt underneath to appear as a science intern. He also had an attaché case on his person and a doctored up name badge just in case anyone had questioned him, although hopefully it wouldn't come to that point. He seemed relatively unphased as he simply walked through the hectic hallways of the basement, although keeping composure would be important if he didn't want to be caught or suspected. Still, the men coming down the hall across from him were likely focused on other matters, like evidence destroying or burying the truth.
It wouldn't take very long to find the room most affected by the accident as it was police taped off and labeled as hazardous. Sounded like the perfect place to start. Of course getting inside would be no easy feat with so much security around but perhaps Josh wouldn't have to. He was only looking for paperwork or any kind of evidence of a ... Project Delta. It was the one thing that came up the most during his deep dive searches into the company's wrongdoings and he strongly suspected it had a tie to whatever happened down there and maybe even effected his new friend Lexi. At least ... he considered them friends. I mean, you bring someone their clothes back, that's a pretty friendly thing to do, right?
"Mister?" one of the men would stop the "credentialed" Josh James, "You can't be down here"
"Ahem, my apologies" the young man would nod, deepening his voice to maintain a sense of professionalism as he quickly showed the badge and withdrew it, "I'm here as an intern ... I left my research papers up in my office, and I really need them ... I could get in big trouble if I don't finish this project by tomorrow morning ..."
The man would look Josh over and ponder the story. It didn't quite add up but at the same time, his main priority was to clear the cellar of all evidence. To draw extra attention to a potential college student and cause a scene may not have been worth it at that time.
"Okay ... well, then head up the stairs on the right. This is a restricted area." the man would firmly warn Josh who would take the warning with a graceful nod and a quick trip up the stairs.
That was close, Josh would think, his heart still pounding. He wasn't immune from nerves but he was surprisingly decent at handling heated situations for someone who otherwise struggled at times with socializing and friend circles. He'd try the door to floor 2 but it was locked. He'd sigh and keep going up the stairs to floor 3. Also locked. Finally floor 4 would be openable and by doing so, he would hear a conversation, however faint, taking place at the very end of the hallway.
"Look, we'll talk about this later, Derek..." the man would sigh, on the phone with his teenaged son, "There's leftovers in the fridge but I really don't like you being out so late ... I told you to call me when you got home ... well that's different, I got called into work ... I ... honestly am not sure why but my boss said it was important so ... okay, we'll talk in the morning, just ... have something to eat, okay? And get to sleep soon! It's a school night"
With that, the beleaguered Dave Henderson would hang up the phone, looking over some things. As one of Enormo's lead accountants, and one of the few to live locally, he was brought in to render an update to the financial projections that seemed rather urgent. It was likely due to the accident and its potential impact on cost to profit margins. After all, there was bound to be a multitude of repairs needed, not to mention behind the scenes costs like reestablishing trust in the community... something the company was frankly short on as it was.
Josh would tiptoe past the man's office and continue on his way.
Meanwhile, Dave would research further and notice something peculiar. On the itemized list of machinery classified as "damaged" was a proton accelerator, a particle collider and something called a tectonic sizing plate. None of those were things the company had ever ordered before, not even on a smaller scale and the cost of each item well exceeded 6 figures. He wrinkled his brow. "I'm not sure what the finance department expects me to do with these numbers but its bad all the way around... we're looking at potential bankruptcy unless the company is really serious about this Delta project..." Dave thought to himself. He still wasn't sure what the project was, as it would be kept under wraps, but whatever it was seemed to be worth some hefty investments in terms of time, human resources and equipment.
More clues could be found on Project Delta however, on the 5th floor which is where Josh would find himself next.
Down this hallway he could hear another conversation taking place but this time he could hear both men involved, and it was honestly quite easy to do so when one spoke louder than a microphone even through closed doors.
"Okay! Okay ..." the one man said. His voice sounded familiar and although Josh had only heard him speak once, as his role in the tour had been brief, it was definitely the same man that had kicked Lexi off the tour, Dr. Maximillian E. Mumford. "I admit it! I may have been a little HARSH on you, Dr. Jacob..."
"It's ... It's Joseph, sir but it's okay" the tired older man would yield, equally confused as to why he had been summoned so late.
"Nein, it is NOT okay!" Max would retort. Even in politeness the man was loud as a sailor and as Josh crept up, the words became clearer and clearer. The windows surrounding the office were a bit glossy, and tinted even, although that didn't mean Josh would be safe from detection. In fact they could be one way mirrors where they could see outside but not vice versa. Just in case, Josh opted to hang around the opposite side of the hallway, still within a good distance to hear any particularly damning admissions.
"Oh!" Josh would utter to himself, remembering that very point. He'd carefully dangle his cell phone out from his pocket and activate the voice recorder.
"Dr. Joseph, you've been a valued member of this time and I was WAY too rude to you the other day" Maximillian would continue, "Now I know you've contributed a lot to this company and that is one of the reasons I've called you up here today... you see... we've had a problem... a setback, it regrets me to say"
"Okay..." Joseph would nod, trying to show some sympathy, "I'm sorry to hear that but isn't this something we could've discussed in the morning?"
"DISCUSSED IN THE MORNING?!" the bombastic Doctor would snap, his short temper fuse lit for just a moment, before extinguishing once more, "Discussed in the morning... um... no ... no see this is one of those ... emergencies..."
"Oh ... is anybody hurt?" Joseph would ask
"Well ... we don't know" Max would say with a nervous smile on his face. The smile didn't exactly suggest sympathy however, "But ... it pertains to Project Delta ... and the key ... from the machine was left inside..."
"Oh..." Joseph uttered, his heart sinking quite a bit.
"Yeah. Oh." Max would sigh, "Look, it gives me no pleasure to do this..."
"Sir, I ..."
"Let me finish!" Max would snap again, the scientist always but one word away from another outburst. "I know you're a hard worker and you're diligent. I also know it was your job to keep the machine well guarded and locked up... and certainly not with the only key used to activate it ..."
At this, Joseph would hang his head , looking regretful. "I feared the explosion downstairs was from ..."
"Explosion? Explosion...." Max would smile and laugh a bit, the sight honestly a bit jarring more than anything, "There was no explosion..."
"But I swear I heard a ..."
"No... no no no no... everybody's FINE, there was no explosion ... I mean yes, there were some sparks and fire and ... well, a lot of components are critically damaged but no explosion ... in fact the room has been perfectly cleared to work in again.... once we get some of the shrapnel out..." the doctor would assess, again seeming strangely calm about a potentially precarious situation for him and his company.
"Does ... Edward know about this?" Joseph would ask, to which the Dr. would grow irrate
"NO EDWARD DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS! We don't need that geezer getting involved! I handle the science, he handles the business! We're both intelligent men, Dr. and this mistake can be put behind us soon enough ..." Maximillian added, sliding a file over to Joseph. The file said "PROJECT DELTA - UPDATED PLANS" "I've looked extensively into the machine, it's damages and what may have led to it ... I've proposed an upgrade to the machine and some ideas to increase efficiency and productivity"
At this, Joseph would open the file and marvel at its contents, "well this is all very impressive Doctor but ... can we afford this? And what is ... this... some kind of ... laser grid?""
"A necessary evil, I'm afraid" the Dr would tout, "We can't have anybody unauthorized getting close to the machine again, the results could be disastrous!"
"Have you ... gone over these plans with Dr. Hoffnung, sir?" Joseph would ask, "these are pretty drastic changes"
"Oh don't worry about Dr. Hoffnung, he's my second in command and he signed off on everything, we need you to get to work on this as soon as possible. You and Dr. Hoffnung, along with my most trusted staff and advisors will be needed to make sure Project Delta 2.0 goes as smoothly as possible..." the lying Doctor would explain
Joseph still looked uneasy. Dr. Max leaned in, no longer looking so patient.
"Look, Joseph... you could be out of here on your ASS... right now! I can't prove it but I KNOW you left the key in that machine! At the very least you were negligent and allowed an unauthorized youth into the chamber! You could be fired! Nein! Arrested!" Max threatened
"I'm ... I'm sorry sir, of course sir" Joseph would gulp, reluctantly collecting the new plans. At this Josh would zoom in on his camera phone, able to see just a sliver of light and some of the interaction as he could see a folder changing hands. Joseph would slide the folder into his briefcase, tucking it in front of a few other file folders.
"Make sure this is priority one" Dr. Max reiterated, "if not now, first thing in the morning, okay? Now get out of here... jetzt!"
Josh would back away, realizing he didn't have much time. He had to see what was in those files. He began to take off the other way down the hall while the 2 men were still engaged in the end of their conversation.
With enough time passing, the door would creak open and Joseph would come out, looking tired both mentally and physically, several things rushing through his head. He'd head in Josh's direction, unaware that anyone else was there at this hour, the hallway lights being on half brightness at best.
"It's now or never, Josh...." the determined young man would think to himself as the two were crossing paths.
The quick thinking but slow footed Josh would violently jerk sideways, slamming into the older gentleman and knocking him and his belongings onto the floor, paperwork flying out, both from Josh's case (which he had packed with some fake notes) and Joseph's. Josh would have maybe seconds to seize up the file folder labeled "Project Delta" -- it wasn't the 2.0 one so maybe Joseph wouldn't notice anything. Indeed at least for the moment, the man had his gaze turned and so Josh would reach for it and slide it carefully into his attaché case before apologizing profusely to the elder doctor.
"Oh no! Oh my, I'm SO sorry!" Josh would utter, still trying to stay as quiet as possible while he helped Joseph up, "I am sorry... I'm in such a hurry ... I was grabbing some things from my office and ..."
"Who ... who are you?" Joseph would ask angrily
"Again, I'm so sorry! I'm Justin!" Josh would lie, flashing his name badge which bore the name Justin Johnson, "I'm an intern and I was just trying to make a REALLY good first impression on the team, I told them I'd have a presentation ready tomorrow and ugh, it's a whole thing ... no excuse to knock you over, again I am SO sorry"
Joseph would groan, normally more irrate and wanting to deal with this, but the fact that Max's office was still nearby was quite frankly giving him the creeps and he had wanted this nightmarish night to end as soon as possible. He simply nodded in a gesture that he forgave Josh and continued on his way. Josh would bow gracefully and offer a departing smile as he also headed down the stairwell.
Perhaps if Josh had lingered just a second longer however, he may have noticed a single door opening on his way out. It was the door belonging to one Dr. Maximillian Mumford.
"I'd know that young man anywhere..." the bitter doctor would mutter, "that's the boy ... that's the crazy whackjob with the camera ..."
He'd groan as his mind analyzed the facts. What did he know? He knew the boy had been there, clearly posing as an intern (as if he could EVER be Enormo material! Hah!) He also knew the boy was a wannabe journalist with his camera phone and while not a genius, certainly not a pushover. There was no doubt in the Doctor's mind that Josh now knew SOMETHING.
Max would tsk as he sat in his chair and hastily logged onto his computer, "Fool me once, shame on me ... fool me twice ... time to die!"
Giantess World
