#turns out the security guard knows my sibling bc he was their boss for some time. and Stuff happened to my sibling

[minglana]

at the expense of staying up until 3 am yesterday i found out abt things <3 thank you uesca for being such a tiny city where everyone knows everybody

[kylebrink]

100 Scenarios: 28

Floor 37

It's been a very long day for Security Associate Simon Santos.

A street protest, complete with burning effigy and broken window. Three separate court summonses served, which he knows the boss will not receive well. And now this. An unannounced sanitation contractor shows up at closing time? At least it'll be entertaining to see how the police handle it.

"Hey, no need to hit a panic button, 'kay? It'll just cost you a false alarm fee."

She leans casually on the security desk. She's in gray coveralls, hair in a bun under a ballcap that says C&N Janitorial. Her embroidered name tag reads "Emma" in cursive lettering.

"I have no record of your visit on today's schedule. Perhaps you should leave."

She shrugs her broad shoulders. "If you say so. But the contract was pretty specific about the urgency. You looked it up yet?"

Simon sighs. "Ms...Emma, it is closing time. Even if your contract is valid, I don't have the staff to escort you and I'm not issuing a building pass this late in the day."

Without looking away from him, she reaches down to her heavy keyring and pulls it up to eye level. Sure enough, there's a Banco Credito Superior keycard. With Emma's face on it.

Simon relaxes and his hand slides away from the silent alarm. "In that case, please..." he gestures toward the card reader on the turnstile. Emma hoists the bucket of cleaning supplies and swipes her card.

All Access clearance. Simon glances up from his screen, surprised. Nobody has that but Sra. Martin.

Emma clomps in her work boots to the elevators lobby and presses the call button for the executive express lift. As it arrives, she tips her hat to him and enters. He doesn't see her again until the next day.

That night, he has the dream again. Señora Graciela Martín, CEO of Banco Credito Superior, sitting in a dark cave, hugging her knees and rocking, sobbing. He can't move, can't speak. Just sees her, hears her.

He wakes in a cold sweat. Simon is a protector by nature. Growing up, he took care of his younger siblings, his parents, his grandparents. Still does. Sometimes, that's meant facing some bad people and doing hard things. But he never shies away from it. He can't. It's who he is.

He goes to work as usual. The window is already being repaired and the streetfront is clean again. Another business day is underway. When he gets to the front desk, Javier is there as usual.

"You give her the court papers?" Simon asks.

Javier chuckles. "That's on you man, you accepted them. Here you go." He holds up the three envelopes.

Simon takes them. "Someday maybe you'll surprise me. Do something brave." He walks toward the turnstile. "Or even just a little nice, maybe."

"Was good working with you man," Javier calls out as Simon walks to the elevators.

Simon squares his shoulders and takes a steadying breath as the elevator arrives. His head jerks back in surprise as the doors open. Emma's leaning casually in the corner of the elevator.

"Heya, Simon." She tips her ballcap.

He waits. She jerks a thumb upward. "No, no, I'm goin' up. Step on in."

He lifts his chin and steps in purposefully, turning his back on her to face the button panel. No floors are selected.

He looks over his shoulder at her. "What floor?"

She glances at the summonses in his hand. "All the way up, same's you."

He looks at her a moment longer, then turns and swipes his card over the reader and presses the "EXEC" button at the top of the panel.

The doors close.

"How long you known her, Simon?"

He furrows his brow. "Señora Martín?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I did some cleaning last night. Long night, lemme tell you, but then I guess you know what I'm talkin' about. You look like a bag of real sad, real tired rocks."

She reaches past him to tap 37. It doesn't light up. She swipes her card and taps again. It lights up.

"I thought you were going to the top?"

"Just thought you should see something first. Something she doesn't wantcha to see." She glances at his keycard.

He shakes his head. "Some areas are restricted for safety reasons. We are doing construction on 37. Non-essential personnel don't have access until construction is complete."

"Hm. Seems like security should have access to everything."

This concerns him. She is right. But he doesn't let it show.

The elevator opens. There is no sign of construction work. There is, instead, a small lobby with two chairs and a plastic potted plant. Beyond are carpeted hallways lined with doors.

She steps out and sits in one of the chairs, gesturing to the other one. "Okay. While you quit gaping, I'll tell you about last night."

He sits silently.

"I'm here to clean up a mess. And it's a big one. So I gotta get a look at it first, make sure I don't miss a spot.

"This bank? It's the middle of the stain. BCS has been buying up and closing out all kinds of loans. Mostly real estate. Mostly residential. Some medical. Driving people out into the street. The kind of people who can't take that. Whose lives will be ruined, or lost.

"But it wasn't always like that. Remember Elena García?"

He nods. "The former CEO. Before Sra. Martín."

"Yeah. She hired us. Before she retired. Contract's still valid, at least for now. Anyhow, she said Sra. Martín changed. Got real...cold, she said. Just a few months ago.

"That's when the buyouts started, y'know."

Emma waved a hand around her. "And here, on this floor, is where she's been doin' the research. She doesn't go home at night, you notice? Doesn't sleep. She goes here. Lemme show ya."

For the next hour, Simon followed Emma from room to room to room. Each had multiple workstations connected to, from what they could read on the screens, freelance researchers on multiple continents digging into public records looking for real estate loans with specific characteristics.

"Simon. She's literally looking to find the most harm she can do."

"I...this isn't like her," was all he could manage.

"I know."

He looked at her. "You do?"

"Yes. I think she's trying to stay alive."

"What?"

"What do you know about chaneques?"

"What!?"

"Stay with me. This is important. What do you know about chaneques?"

"They...they aren't real. They are in stories. Little elves who guard sacred places."

"It's more than that. You know why I came late last night? To talk to you, Simon. Because you are the last person in this building who knew Graciela Martín before working with her. You were friends. If she's going to reach out to anyone here, it'll be you."

"You are not making sense. What does this have to do with elves? What kind of...janitor are you?"

She looks at him calmly. "Why haven't you been sleeping, Simon?"

"I..." He looks at her. For some reason, he continues. "I have dreams. Of Graciela. Alone, in a...a cave I think. I don't sleep well."

"Yesss!" She makes a victory fist. "We have a chance!"

Simon looks even more confused.

"Chaneques defend sacred places by scaring the soul out of you, then hiding it. Usually, if you don't get your soul back, that means you get sick and die. Pretty fast, maybe a week.

"But sometimes," she shakes her head slowly, "being soulless is an advantage. Soulless people can live off misery. You lose your soul, there you are dying, but then you do something that makes someone really miserable. Boom, you get a hit of life. And if you connect those dots..." she looks around to indicate the entirety of Floor 37.

Simon just gapes. Is she mad? Or is he?

"Okay!" Emma slaps her knees and stands. "Let's get this cleaned up. We just gotta get Graciela her soul back."

She presses the elevator call button.

"The dream, it's the same every time?"

Simon slowly nods.

"Perfect!" Emma hands him a business card as the elevator arrives. "Tonight, when you're in the cave, give me a call."

"From...my dream?"

"Yep!" The doors close.

A work boot pokes out just in time to reopen them.

Emma points at the summonses. "Hey, ah, don't deliver those today. Remember she's hungry for misery, yeah?"

The doors close as she tips her ballcap.