A Personal Project

Jack was a likable guy. He got along with almost everyone at work and was known to be easy going, always smiling and courteous. The women at the office adored him and were always making sure he had everything he needed (office supplies, lunch, a date). If Jack needed a favor, someone would almost always gladly oblige. Jack was the nice guy who worked downstairs. Jack was the model employee, getting praise from his superiors as well as the occasional pay raise. Jack had been working at his present job for nearly five years and just like most people had grown comfortable with his work. He knew what was expected of him and all the "in's and out's" of the typical project. Life was sweet.

This morning's drive to work was a bit more congested than usual but nothing to worry about. His boss was usually understanding about these things and that was just another benefit of where he worked. There weren't too many people at the office who got uptight about the little things. His boss, Mr. Cates, may have an inconvenient attention to detail at times, but overall it was a huge improvement compared to his last job. At his last job, Jack had to get up entirely too early and make a boring, long drive in the dark... and once he got there, he would have to sprint -- quite literally -- inside to clock in. The management there kept a close eye on things like that. Clock in, clock out, production sheets, project schedules, etc. This current job was great. He had his own office where he could come and go as he pleased. As long as he could provide Mr. Cates with several innovative robotics designs every so often, Jack had nothing to worry about.

Jack finally made his way up to the company's building. First up a steep incline, around a mild curve to the left, and back down again. The building itself was nestled down into the side of a hill and surrounded by a thick growth of trees. If you were to drive by on the main road, you might notice the building if you really looked. Most people didn't really notice... this was the kind of place that held more than a few valuable secrets; places like these did not need unnecessary attention. So there it sat... not completely out of view but not out in the open. There, but hardly noticeable. Jack slowed down as he approached the gate. After a quick scan, he pulled around and parked his car in the usual spot. After taking a moment to gather his things, he walked inside. He fiddled with his key chain a bit and then unlocked his office door. It was at this point where he usually just set his stuff down and made a quick trip to the coffee machine, but a hand-written letter laying in his chair caught his eye. Jack picked up the letter and recognized the large, messy style of his boss' handwriting.

In a panic, Jack sat down at his desk and typed his password into the prompt on the screen. Access Denied. He typed his password again, hoping he had misspelled it the previous time. Access Denied. Jack didn't notice the footsteps approaching his office until they were practically at his door. Nervous and red in the face, Jack looked up to see three people walk in. It was the entire chain of bosses going all the way up to the top. Mr. Cates walked in first followed by his boss, Mrs. Grimes. Behind Mrs. Grimes was her boss, Mrs. Cutler. Jack adjusted his chair and tried to appear calm.

"I assume you've read my letter," said Mr. Cates. "Surely you understand why you cannot be employed here any longer. I would have never thought that you would work on personal projects while on the clock."

Jack, feeling his face become red hot, cleared his throat and tried to remain composed. "I'm sorry, y-you must be mistaken. I been working on the Kinsler project nonstop for the past two months! I'd be happy to give you a progress report but I've been locked out of my workstation."

Mrs. Cutler shuffled to the front of the trio and sat down in the chair across from Jack's desk. "We cannot allow you to have access to our system any longer, Jack. We know what you've been doing and it ends here. By the way, please understand me when I say that anything done on company time does not belong to you... which is a shame because the designs you've been hiding from us are quite extraordinary. The company is going to make an obscene amount of money and you would have seen a handsome bonus... if you still worked here."

Jack knew exactly what they were talking about. Buried deep inside numerous, widely scattered directories were the contents of his pet project. Jack didn't think anyone would find his work, he had broken up the project in to so many little files that even if someone had found one or two they would mean nothing. How they found the files wasn't important, though. What was important was that they had found them, and were going to keep them for their own gain. Fully understanding now what had to be done, Jack spoke.

"Well, Mrs. Cutler, I suppose there's nothing for me to do but get my files back. Mr. Cates, you will kindly have a seat and log into my workstation." Mr. Cates almost laughed... almost. Before he could do anything at all, he was blinded with pain before falling to the floor with a sickening thump. Mrs. Grimes, content with the blow to the head she had just given Cates, quickly checked the hallway and then shut the office door.

Jack, grinning now and still looking Mrs. Cutler squarely in the eyes said, "Oh... you're right, Mrs. Grimes. How silly of me to think that Cates would have the clearance level to retrieve my project. Mrs. Cutler, would you please give me a hand with this before Mrs. Grimes decides she can find someone else more suitable?"

Mrs. Cutler sat heavily in her chair with her mouth gaping. Her face was white and her head was swaying a bit. Jack thought she was about to faint, but before Mrs. Grimes could take two steps in her direction, Cutler had nearly jumped to the other side of the desk. Jack stood up and motioned for Cutler to have a seat just as countless gentleman have done throughout time. Cutler stared at Jack only briefly as Grimes was making her way over across the room. Cutler initiated the login prompt, and signed in. Just as soon as she logged in, she found her head speeding towards the desk.

Grimes grabbed Cutler's limp arms and drug her over into the middle of the office where Cates lay. Jack sat down and began to scour the company's network looking for his files. Who knew how many they could have found. After nearly ten minutes of looking and a dozen impatient looks from Grimes, Jack gave up. The files must have been moved and deleted from the system. Jack was furious.

Jack stood up and motioned for Mrs. Grimes, "Come on... we'll be caught if we stay much longer." Then, as Jack made his way around his desk something caught his eye. It must have fallen from Cutler's coat pocket. It was glossy black and tipped with silver on both ends. Recognizing the the size and shape of it, Jack picked it up and spun back around to his workstation. Upon plugging it in, he saw that his hunch had paid off. There in front of him was all of his work. A design for the most sophisticated robot the world had ever known... a true brother to man-kind.

Jack looked up and smiled at Mrs. Grimes, who had never looked more attractive, and motioned for the door. The two of them walked to their cars, and drove up the small incline, around the soft curve to the right, and back down the hill.


© 2007