Daily archives: February 21, 2002


Let’s see, Page 21 of Bulletproof Poets.
And quite a large chunk of The Eliza Effect-

Professionals:
�We run an informal ship here. Everyone calls me George, so call me George.� Sarah nodded dumbly at the mandate. He had talked at her for twenty minutes- The Company was undergoing major changes and expansions, it was an exciting time for all involved, there were great opportunities for those ready to take the risks, the moon was made out of blue cheese, whales were marsupials and lived in trees�..
Now he was taking her Out On The Floor, to meet the people she would be working with and tech supporting. The desk separators weren�t quite high enough to make it cubeville, so the view across the open plan would have played hell with an agoraphobic. �How many of these people am I supporting?�
�Oh, just my department. Forty or so. Most of your work will come from our developer boys. In fact, we go past their office first. You�ll like them, very professional.�
George stopped by the door to a broom cupboard and pushed it open. The room was large enough for two desks and chairs, a small bookshelf, a whiteboard and a bin. At opposite sides of the room, using the chair backs as shields, were the two guys Sarah had watched leave earlier. Foam padded arrows flew back and forth. One of them bounced off the doorframe by George. He closed the door quickly.
Sarah could just control her laughter. �Professional?�
�Well�.. They always complete everything on time.� George straightened his undisturbed tie and opened the door again.
The Nerf guns had disappeared and the room�s occupants were each staring studiously at their monitors. They looked around as George entered. Sarah spotted a foam dart atop the bookshelf, snapped it up and hid it behind her back.
�Good to see you two so busy.� George tried his best sarcastic tone of voice.
�We�re just running the documenter over it.� The taller one volunteered. Then he caught sight of Sarah. His gaze lingered long enough for her to feel red.
�Of course. This is Paul� indicating the taller one, �and this is Mike. This is Sarah. She�s joining the department as dedicated tech support, particularly for you two. We’re going to give you A one top priority from here on in.�
�Oh goody.� Mike beamed, �Does that mean we’re getting a pay rise?�
There was a moment’s embarrassed silence. George had taken this suggestion badly. �Well, you�ll find we�re well behaved in this department.� Paul offered as compensation.
�No hogging bandwidth to download MP3s?�
�No.�
�No?�
�No. No, we would never do that.�
Sarah flashed Paul a smile, to tell him she knew he was lying. He couldn�t help but grin back.
George considered enough introductory bonding to have been done. �Good. Now, I’ve got to take Sarah to HR. I’ll see you chaps later.�
�Sure.�
�Bye.� Sarah caught herself before she waved. She dropped the dart on the floor as she turned around.
�Bye.� Paul leaned forward in his seat a little to watch her buttocks as she walked away. He nodded appreciation. �We are downloading MP3s aren’t we?� he asked Mike.
�We were, then they beefed up the firewall.�
�How much did we get in the end?�
�Oh, only a couple of Gigs worth.�