username; BreezeParadox
name; Valentine [an alias]
gender; Female
time they lost;
I noticed something was off as soon as I stepped into the office building that day. I couldn’t quite place what had changed, but the atmosphere was different, draping an almost suffocating curtain of tension over my coworkers. As their heads all turned in my direction, a small shiver ran down my spine.
“You’re late.” The head of my department said icily.
“I apologize, sir. I’ll get to work immediately.” I said. He nodded, and no further words were spoken. In fact, the whole room seemed quiet today; Macy’s nonstop chatter about her sister’s newborn kit was missing, and Ted, who usually loved to talk to all those around him, didn’t utter a word.
I tried my best to focus on my work, answering incoming emails and phone calls, but the wave of pressure over the room just seemed to grow stronger and stronger.
Eventually, I decided I needed a breathing break.
I exchanged a quick glance with the department head, who nodded slowly, and then I exited the room. Instead of heading to the bathroom, I made my way a different place: my favorite meeting room that had a large window to make up for the room’s small size. Gazing down on the bustling city down below always managed to calm my nerves, ever since I was a little kid, and this was the perfect place to do it.
However, as I neared the room, I began to hear voices, and soon a small sticky note came into my vision: Meeting room 404 occupied from 1 PM to 3 PM.
It appeared that the meeting room was in use for the first time in months.
My gut told me I should head back to my department and do my job, but I decided to ignore it.
Maybe it was because I somehow felt emotionally attached to the room they were in, or because I desperately needed to hear someone speak today, but I wanted in on this conversation.
So I sat down near the door and began to eavesdrop.
“-we have almost full control now.” a deep voice announced. “Media, brands, money, everything. It’s about time we start to implement the initial plan.”
“Isn’t it wisest to wait a while longer?” another voice butt in.
“Corporation food sales have skyrocketed in the last thirty days; this seems to be our climax. It’s time to integrate the serum, but slowly. Abrupt changes would likely be noticed by the public.”
“Twirly chips are the most popular. Perhaps we start with those?”
“No, it would be conspicuous. Like I said, we must be subtle.”
“Yeah, yeah, subtle. Hold on a moment.”
I was so involved in absorbing their words that I didn’t notice the door creak open.
“What are you doing here?” A cold pair of eyes stared into mine.
My throat constricted, rendering me speechless.
The man pulled a phone out of his pocket. “We have a code cyan. Leaked information.”
He approached me, and I dashed for the elevator. I knew that if I was caught, I’d be arrested, but if I wasn’t, I’d be wiped. My credit card, Corporation brand, would no longer work. I would be evicted from my apartment. I would become a criminal, just for overhearing a forbidden conversation.
That was the day I lost not only my job, but my identity.
And, although it seemed all hope was lost, there was still one thing they hadn’t taken from me; one thing I still had left to lose: My memory.
And until they find me, I still have time to spread the word.
[596/500]
extra; +100 words in my prompt
