Corporate Synergies is a modestly epic 14-part space opera of questionable ethics and dubious morality centred on the ongoing conflict between two mega-corporations and their quest to dominate the retail landscape of Earth’s ever-expanding colonial reach.
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2
HUMAN RESOURCES II
“Molly Morgan?”
Turning sharply at the sound of her name, Molly’s hands twitched in her lap involuntarily and then she stood, first smoothing her skirt, then tucking a stray lock of red hair behind her ear.
“Yeah,” she said quietly, then cleared her throat and spoke up. “Yes. That’s me.”
A silly statement, given that was the only other person in the room, but one she nevertheless felt compelled to make.
“I’m John Dietrich. Please,” he said, showing off his veneers in what he likely assumed was a winning smile, rather than the vaguely unsettling grimace it was. “Follow me.”
With a nod, she did and was led into a small, but still well-furnished room. It wasn’t the traditional office Molly had been expecting. There was no desk, just three comfortable-looking armchairs, each with its own side table, upon which sat a glass and a pitcher of water.
One of the chairs was already occupied by a serious, but sort of almost pleasant looking woman wearing far too much makeup. The woman stood and shook Molly’s hand as Dietrich introduced her as Margo Cabbori.
“Please have a seat,” said Cabbori, and Molly complied with a nervous smile.
“So,” said Dietrich, pouring himself a glass of water. “I understand you’re interested in enrolling in our reduced repayment plan for your UniRe credit card debt?”
“That’s right. Yes,” said Molly.
“You’re a school teacher?,” said Cabbori.
“Yes. Grade school. I was on a two year contracting teaching third grade in my home town, but that contract is up now.”
“So no other income at present? What about your husband’s income?”
“He has been unemployed for nearly a year,” she said. “And he’s not really my husband anymore.”
“Our mistake,” said Dietrich. “Our notes have neglected to mention your divorce.”
“We haven’t actually gotten divorce yet. We can’t afford the divorce licence and lawyer fees, so we’re just separated for now.”
Both UniRe employees nodded and both tapped notes into their tablets.
“Of course with any partial debt-forgiveness, we’d like to get a sense of your future fiscal responsibility,” said Cabbori. “You understand we don’t particularly like to provide any debt forgiveness to people who are inclined to simply go into debt again once their enrollment term is up.”
“Of course,” said Molly. She had had a feeling the issue might come up and was perfectly comfortable giving them an answer. “Rudy – my almost ex-husband – didn’t have much restraint with money. He couldn’t budget to save his life. I did okay. Sure I had some months where I over-spent, but I was usually pretty good. He just kept spending. He maxed out his card with you guys and he maxed out his card with Global Consumer Group…”
Both her interviewers twitched slightly at the mention of their bitter corporate rival, GCon.
“The thing no one told me about getting married,” she said, smiling sadly. “Is that his debts were my debts. So I’m here paying his debts, signing on with you guys for five years and he’s having this same meeting tomorrow with GCon.”
Molly was fairly certain Dietrich’s left eye twitched at another mention of the rival corporation.
“That shows great initiative on your part,” said Cabbori, without missing a beat. “Proactively seeking out debt resolution options, taking responsibility for and control of your future.”
“Combined with your education, that kind of forward thinking can see you rise through the company fairly quickly,” added Dietrich.
“You may even qualify to be fast-tracked through officer training.”
In spite of herself, Molly smiled.
“Really?”
“Oh yes.”
“Absolutely. The opportunities here for someone like you are endless. The sky’s the limit.”
As nervous as she was about signing on with UniRe, Molly was pleased to hear that the Human Resources people felt she had a strong future with the company. The plan had been to sign on for the five year requirement in order to qualify for the reduced debt repayment plan, cutting her monthly payments by something like sixty percent, but the more she heard from the people in the video and from Cabbori and Dietrich, the more excited she became about her future with Universal Retail. A strong future with shining prospects for advancement were just what Molly Morgan needed.
It was a new life.
And it was exciting.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Enjoying CORPORATE SYNERGIES? Check out my full-length novel that involves fewer douche-bags, Radko’s War!
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