[CW02] Rabbit Hole

Preface

For this week I wanted to write something with my characters from my book (Building a) House of Roses that I will hopefully share soon-ish (like, the next couple months probably…). This scene would be situated in the earlier part of chapter five.

Hope it gives you a glimpse into them and the novel I’m working on, enjoy.

Rabbit Hole

tap tap tap tap

The typing of they keyboard echoes through the large room, devoid of others. It is late, everyone else has gone home, has completed their work for the day, but not Ami, Ami is too close to yet another breakthrough. Of course one other person is still around, Cecillia. No matter when Ami comes into work or when she leaves, Cecillia is always there. A different person, a different boss, would be admirable, being this devoted to their work… but not Cecillia.
Actually, there is a fair amount of admiration in Ami, but it is overshadowed by the great mystery presented by her, by her work.
tap tap tap tap She is close, very close. All the pieces come together in her mind and it is just missing a few cogwheels until it all clicks together and starts opening up. It has been over a month since Ami had made any significant discovery. The others here would not bother, most of them never uncover anything major in their short employment here before termination, but not Ami. Still it has been a month… a month since last time she submitted another improvement to their research, since Cecillia acknowledged her value.
tap tap tap tap
tap tap tap tap
tap tap tap tap
tap tap tap tap
tap tap— THERE. The last piece slides into place, the numbers add up, they turn green and black. This is bound to be something, something great. Should she write her report directly? Hell why wait, it’s only them here right now anyway.
With new brightness in her sleep deprived eyes Ami waves at Cecillia to come over, who obeys immediately… guess what she was working on wasn’t important…
The clicking of Cecillias shoes on the lab floor approaches as Ami moves around the numbers on her screen to be presentable, neglecting the chaotic look of her own outfit.

But that is not what Cecillia would come over for anyway: “Good evening Ami, have you found something out again?”

Right.. they hadn’t really exchanged any words this week yet… Doesn’t matter, this does: “Yes!”, Ami gleams: “This one is even more substantial than everything else I have uncovered so far!” she proudly presents her findings

Cecillia reads what she has to show, the trained eye wandering her screen hastily, before concluding: “That is indeed a good find… A great one even…”

Ami can hardly contain herself, her five coffees today have not invigorated her as much as these words have: “Can’t wait to put it into my report!”

Cecillia turns to her, addressing her with warmth she has only shown rarely these last weeks: “I believe it, this is a little breakthrough…”, her voice slips into her authorative register again: “However…”

“However?”

”… I would like to change up our workflow”

“Change up how?”

”… In the future I would like for you to show your findings directly to me before creating a report. I will tell you then if you should write one”

“Is… is that allowed?”

“Now it is, mandatory even”, Cecillia smiles politely

But… any discoveries get reported, entered into the system… otherwise the company would never know of them would it? Unless…

Suddenly Ami is taken out of the thought, her head is mildly caressed by Cecillias hand, who smiles at her, putting a stop to the clockwork in her head: “Good job, I’m looking forward to what else you will uncover”. And with that she already turns away again…

“Wait… How will we adjust the process with this?”

“We won’t”, another polite smile

“But then…”

“These findings are too advanced, and they would also interfere with other processes right now. There are some pieces still missing”

Still missing? How?? How would one even know that without… without having already tried them. Cecillia is walking back to her work, and the gears in Amis mind start grinding. She must have already known this… And why is she not allowed to create a report? Keeping it from the company…
After all these weeks, Ami finally had the numbers obey her, unlocking the safe containing the secrets of their knowledge… to Cecillia… and what does she find inside? A heavily ciphered stack of documents. A number puzzle traded for a century worth of yet more puzzles. For weeks this has been going on, the deeper she falls into the rabbit hole, the more chasms are opening up.
Ami sinks down at her desk, her weary eyes drag her to its surface, she needs a moment rest her head from the whiplash. Nobody in this building besides her, and her boss, has put these things together. Anything not reported is a secret just between the two, it should bring them closer but instead the gap between them widens. Status, money, hierarchy, it all puts them apart — knowledge and discovery was supposed to build bridges, for weeks it has been failing her. Ami is no step closer to winning her trust, to learning what their reserach is truly about. How much longer will it take, how much more must she uncover? Is a year worth of research enough? Two? Ten? Fifty?
A smile grows on Amis face, as she rises from the Desk.
Yet more mysteries to uncover, and she is the only one able to do it. She heads over to grab yet another coffee. It is one more hour until Cecillia will send her home again, plenty of work can be done in that time.

Just you wait Cecillia, I will proof myself, and I will get all the praise. Once I uncovered the secrets of our research, I become part of it, and then you will have to pay attention to me. Hundreds of others will give up, be terminated from their position, not I, I will make it through. I can’t not, my heart aches for answers, for you to say “Good job Ami, great work, come over to my place and I will let you in on my secrets”.

The sixth coffee fails to achieve it’s desired effect. She falls asleep at her desk.

Maybe it was the skipped breakfast too…

Tomorrow.

Appendix

If you want to read more about Ami and her elusive boss, you can already download the first chapter of my book on this site.