MARIBEL

An automated message echoed from the loudspeakers.

"Attention. Attention. All personnel report to the recreational dome for your emergency safety briefing. Repeat. All personnel report to the recreational dome for your emergency safety briefing. Myna thanks you for your cooperation."

We were packed into the HQ like sardines. Lab technicians and coworkers alike were standing shoulder to shoulder all around me. Some were panicking and crying, making phone calls and telling family they loved them. Others were entirely despondent and blank-faced, staring at the white-tiled floor as they followed the line. But me, personally? I still couldn't process what I had just witnessed on the way here.

The freeway in flames. The bodies, lying in blood. What exactly was going on here?

I had felt a tiny hand squeeze my fingers, shocking me back into reality. I glanced over my shoulder at Remmy, who was holding my hand. He was wiping his eyes from the painful glare of all the bright lights in the lobby.

"I want to go home," he pleaded.

"Me too, Rem," I responded.

"...Do you know if he's okay?"

I stared onwards at the bustling line. "...I don't know. I really don't know."

We slowly stepped towards the for what seemed like forever. I rarely got the chance to come to HQ ever since I started working for Myna. I had almost entirely forgotten just how large it was, and just how many people worked there. There was a large water fountain with a marble statue of a myna bird - the company's mascot. A shining glass roof encompassed the entirety of the ceiling; I could even see our reflection in it.

That loudspeaker made its announcement every passing minute, to the point where Remmy had started to repeat it himself.

"Miss Jefferson!!!"

I hushed Remmy, because I thought I had heard something. I looked around but didn't see anything. Must've been in my head. I was mentally disheveled anyways. I was worried sick about everyone.

"MISS JEFFERSON!!!"

Remmy suddenly let go of my hand and ran straight out of the crowd in a frenzy. 

"SANDWICH MAN!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!"

The entire crowd had gasped.

I haphazardly spun around and saw the man, alive and in the flesh.

Professor Lazzari picked up Remmy and danced around with him wildly. "The Rem-Ram! You've gotten so big!!! You were a little bean the last time I saw you, haha!"

My heart thumped. Without even thinking, I immediately pushed my way through the crowd and bear-hugged the two knuckleheads. I don't know what drove me to do so, but it felt like all my internal worries had subsided for just a moment. My eyes were watering up a storm.

I almost didn't even notice his wife, who was silently grinning next to us. She was stunningly gorgeous, with a stream of beautiful brown hair down her back. The blazer and slacks that she wore matched the professor's pinstriped outfit, which I thought was cute. She had a quiet, yet powerful elegance about her, and I couldn't figure out why. 

Maybe it was because she was the tallest woman I had ever met in my life.

"So this is the little monster that you've been talking about," she wistfully stated while she leaned over to mess with Remmy's hair. "It's nice to finally meet him."

Remmy looked up at her as she did so, completely confused. "...Sandwich woman ?"

Lazzari immediately let go of us and cleared his throat. "Oh, where are my manners," he stammered, putting a hand on me and his wife's shoulders.

"Marissa, my dear, I'd like you to meet Miss Maribel Jones Jefferson, my star pupil from the Energy Research Department. Miss and Mister Jefferson, I'd like you to meet Mrs. Marissa Priyanka Lazzari, the love of my life."

I wiped my eyes and shook hands with her. "It's nice to finally meet you in person. Sorry about Remmy. He really does love your sandwiches."

"The pleasure is all mine, darling," she stated, nearly crushing my hand with her fierce grip. "And don't worry, the twins at home are the same way, always devouring everything that comes out of the kitchen. My two heartbeats..."

For a minute, there was a painfully somber expression on her face, as if she were choking back tears. It surprised me, how quickly it came and went across her face as she forced a smile. She could be going through several different things. Her husband just survived an assassination attempt, after all.

I took notice of the crowd in complete shock after seeing their CEO alive. Some were overwhelmed with happiness, taking pictures and videos of the professor. Some were just staring... curious.

They were just as curious as I was.

"So, Professor," I carefully chose my words, coming back to the situation at hand. "...I don't know if you've seen what happened out there, but... what exactly is going on? Do you know?"

All the cheer and happiness melted away from his face like ice to a flame.

He wiped the sweat from his bald head and eyeballed the crowd. "...It's not safe to discuss here. Marissa?"

Marissa began walking towards an empty hallway, her long majestic hair swirling behind her like a mesmerizing cape. She turned towards us and gestured. "...Follow us. I'll try my best to explain."

Lazzari followed suit, waving a hand and flashing a false smile at the people as he followed his wife.

At this point, I had far more questions than answers. I grabbed my little brother's hand, readying myself for whatever I was about to her, and we followed the power couple to the hallway.

ANTONIDAS

"And then Deebs looks at me and my bag of explosive charge and says, 'Jinsun, either you go back and get a fiver, or you start digging tunnels with your bare hands from now on!"

Vianca instantly started cackling. "Whoa, you even got his accent down, wow!"

Deebs looked at us, stone faced. "What's so funny about that? He brought a lil' one-inch bag of powder for a breaching mission. I know you were brand new at the time, but every demo knows you need five inches to get the job done."

"Says you," his fiancée chimed in. 

We both burst into laughter. I almost dropped my guitar case full of weapons because I could barely breathe. I had only known this hyperactive lady for twenty minutes, and I had already determined that she was truly a gift to humanity.

Deebs looked at both of us as if we were complete scum. "You know what... I'll let that one slide hun. Only 'cause I love you."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You know I'm only playing, papi."

Edith quickly spun around, her dress trailing behind her like a beautiful, angry little flame. "Can you guys please just keep your mouth shut for five  seconds?"

Her voice echoed in the empty hallway. There was a brief silence between us all. Vianca glared at her as if she were ready to tear her limb from limb. I decided to do the smart thing, and step in.

I took a knee and closed my eyes in prayer. "...I'm terribly sorry for our behavior. Please lead the way to our destination."

She placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. "Ugh. Thanks, I guess?"

I still had my eyes closed. "You're welcome, Chihuahua Girl."

Vianca screamed, uncontrollably slapping and punching her future husband as she cracked up into more spontaneous laughter. "I KNEW I couldn't be the only one who thinks she sounds like-"

She couldn't even finish her sentence before she burst into laughter once more. Deebs had to hold her still to put a stop to her killer blows.

Edith covered her face in annoyance. "Look. I get it, you're all friends or whatever. You've probably done all sorts of things like this in your past and all. But this is Myna  Headquarters. It was hard enough getting you all inside here anyways."

Deebs ran his big hands through his hair. "Yeah, I think those guards back there were just afraid of me."

I stood up and took a shiny new card out of my pocket. "Yeah, and totally not because of the security cards she made us. Give her some credit, man."

Vianca reached into her shirt and pulled her card out too. "Yeah, give her some credit, man," she says, doing her best impersonation of me.

Edith sighed. "Ugh... Why did I hire you people again?"

Suddenly, in the distance, a door slammed. Barely audible footsteps began to trickle into hearing.

I jolted back to life. "Footsteps. Everyone, quiet."

The little red boss, without a second thought, continued onwards. We quietly followed suit.

As we continued down the hall, the footsteps had gotten closer and closer. It wasn't until we had reached the end of the corridor when they had fallen completely silent.

Edith abruptly stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't move or say a word.

I whispered. "...What's up?"

No response. She just kept on staring forward.

I looked closely at the end of the hallway and realized what she was looking at.

A woman's head was slowly peeking out from the edge of the hall, right around the corner. It was a young, wary looking woman dressed in a lab coat. She had golden-brown skin, with a brown, bushy afro. She looked wary and on-guard. Probably not a threat, but still very interesting.

She wasn't alone, either. A small child was right below her. The child was a spitting image of her, only with long, fine black hair. They also wore a black backpack, with a wooden bat protruding from it. 

Probably her daughter, I thought to myself. Or... son?

"...Edith?" The woman called out.

"...Mari?" Edith stammered.

Before I could even act, the small child ran out from around the corner in a full sprint towards my employer.

"AUNTIE EDITH!!!" the little boy (I guess he's a boy) cried out as he hugged her by her legs. 

Me, Deebs and Vianca all looked at each other, confused. 

Edith just stood there, looking onwards at the woman as she approached us. The afro woman's eyes were fixiated on her.

"It's been a while," the woman coldly remarked. "How have you been?"

"I've been alright, Maribel," she stammered pathetically. "...Hi, Remmy."

The little boy looked up at her, his face beaming. "Hi, auntie! It's been years! What are you doing back here?"

Maribel, the woman, bitterly repeated the question. "...What are  you doing back here?"

Things immediately got interesting. I watched cautiously as my employer fiddled with her hands nervously, stuttering over her own words. 

 "Well, I-I've been helping these people find their way to the safety briefing."

Her cover was getting blown to shreds, and she looked like she needed some help. I shot a glance at Vianca and Deebs, and they stepped in.

Vianca patted Edith on the back. "... Oh, thank you, kind, kind woman! We'd be lost down here if it wasn't for you." 

The poisonous jokester smiled at Maribel. "This place is sooo big! It's easy to get lost! Haha!"

"We've been stumbling around this big ol' maze for half an hour now," Deebs said as he interlocked his hands with his lover's. "My wife and I have been hearing the message on the loudspeaker tell us to go to the 'recreation dome' or something?"

I flashed my security card, hopelessly thinking of something. "Yeah, I've been trying to guide them as well... but I ended up getting lost too. Thankfully the Assistant CEO showed up when she did."

Maribel, the woman apparently, didn't even remove her gaze from Edith. She crossed her arms, staring her dead in the eyes.

 "It's nice to see you doing 'great things', Edith," she stated with a hint of mockery in her voice. "But that's not what I meant."

Edith stammered. "W-what do you mean?"

"...What are you doing in back here in Myna?"