Small Town Problems
“Charlie? Um, we have a bit of a problem.” Leona burst into Charlie’s office completely undignified, nearly panting.
“What’s that?” Charlie looked up and over his reading glasses at the younger woman in front of him.
“Remember that little device enclosed in the non discreet glass case in the basement of this building locked away in the safe that holds extremely unimportant things such as broken mops and books of staff photographs?”
“Yes…” Charlie immediately rose cautiously.
“Well, one of those monkeys somehow managed to get into the basement.”
“Through the staff only door?”
“Through the staff only door. And into the super special door behind the bookcase.”
“Behind that bookcase?”
“Behind that bookcase and into the safe.”
“The safe with the broken mops?”
“And we all know how monkeys like shiny objects…” Leona prompted him. Charlie staggered back.
“Through the glass?”
“Broken into pieces.”
“And the little device?”
“Turned off.” Leona sighed, finally exclaiming her anger, surprise, and fear.
“Do the others know?”
“The alarm was set off in the room. So, yes.”
The phone rang in Charlie’s office, causing both Charlie and Leona to jump. He swallowed anxiously, making a move and slowly, nearly ominously picking it up.
“I take it Leona’s told you?” The head of the Research division calmly and practically said over the otherwise silent line.
“Just now, sir.”
“We’ll declare a state of emergency.”
“State?”
“Country. That rift ran across the country.” The head of the Research division, Larry, sounded almost unusually calm. Charlie briefly wondered if the man had a soul. Or if he was in the midst of a nervous breakdown.
“Shit.”
“Indeed.” Charlie heard a click, and returned the phone to its hook on the desk.
“Sir?” Leona asked, reverting to an usual state of inferiority.
“Country state of emergency. The veil has been crossed.”
“Which means?”
“Which means that every disgruntled mutant and unexplainable creature occurring not only in myth but also in those very, very bad dreams that we all struggle to forget and erase from the sands of time, have a free pass to terrorize those members of the human public who have, for so long, used and abused them.” Charlie eased into the truth not so casually. The entire world was screwed.
“Oh.” Leona said, looking dumbfounded for a moment. “What can we do?”
“Lots of things.” Charlie paused, reviewing the options in his head. “But none of them will work.”
As Charlie took a breath, the intercom for emergencies hot wired through the building finished his sentence and thoughts for him.
“Attention, employees of Green Tech. There has been a mix up and a monkey got through some extremely stringent security measures and has broken the barrier of protection against unusual, non humanoid beings. A state of emergency across the country around this barrier has been declared. Please await instruction from your department head, and direct all questions to them. At this time, it is advised to exit complex A-4 as soon as possible if that is where you are present. Otherwise, please remain in your complex until released by your supervisor. Thank you for your patience while we deal with this rather unearthly matter.”
“He always sounds so calm…” Leona commented, and Charlie agreed.
“Gather the troops, Leona. It’s time for some background information!”
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