Page 5 of Last Resort

“Red, purple, gold, and navy. Why?”

“They are making custom clothing for us. Since the others auditioned three weeks ago, I am guessing their clothing is sorted.”

Tyr sighed. “This sudden demand for more personnel is surprising, but you did really well.”

“And it had to be me because everyone else is either knocked up or married, and it had to be female.”

Tyr wrinkled his nose. “Yeah. That.”

“Well, yay for me. Now, excuse me. I have to finish the mountain of paperwork you have snuck onto my desk and then pack clothing for the tropics, knowing that I am just there to work. Oh, does my work insurance cover my trip and all the stupid shit I am going to get up to in the islands?”

“Yes, and you are covered by the program as well. For injury and recovery. I have to say, I am wondering why they need you. Antonio’s company is scrambling as well. Tiberia Games is stumped, too.”

She looked over at Narro. “They have a plan, and they have seers, and if they think this is what they need, this is what they will have.”

“Seers?”

“Yeah. Not as flashy as snake scales, but some of them have some skills.” She smiled.

Tyr looked at her and blinked before saying, “You aren’t one of the altered betas?”

“Altered? No. Different? Yes.”

“How different?”

“I guess you will just have to watch the show and find out. I expect a retention bonus if I come back to Sityr.”

He stared. “What do you mean? We need you.”

“I am eminently replaceable.”

“You are not. Roane was so smug when she got you working on her team.”

“And then I was transferred off the team because you were over budget and she was on track, and I haven’t been back in my regular office since. It is very disconcerting.”

Tyr looked embarrassed. “You handle things so much better than I do.”

“Right. So, you borrowed me and never gave me back. That was very annoying.”

“Well, you are still working for the company and making the same pay.”

She looked at him and shook her head. “Read my résumé, and tell me if you think I should be happy to be doing office work. But don’t talk to me today; I have work to do.”

Poppy headed back to her desk and ignored the looks that she got as she headed to her cubicle. The budgets needed adjustment, and the projections needed to be revamped.

An email came through, and she got travel information for the following day. She went online and applied for a visa to the Emerald and Wonder Islands. They said the production was going to do it, but she was a last-minute addition, which meant she was going to slip through the cracks. She was good at slipping through the cracks, but just in case it was true, she contacted the hotel chains and went looking for a room. She found one, but it was away from the main area and up the hill. It was better than nothing and an excellent backup in case things got goofed with her presence. The less that she wanted something, the more fate helped her avoid it, but this time, she had to work around her own impulses.

* * * *

Tyr was cuddling withhis daughter when he remembered what Poppy had said. He went to look up Poppy’s résumé and froze.

Roane came in. “What’s wrong?”

“Poppy’s a coder and game designer.”

Roane nodded. “Sure. That’s what she was doing for me, along with keeping my admin in line. Why? What did you think she was?”

“I thought she was just a bookkeeper. Admin. That kind of thing.”

---