They had all found their seats by now. The ever smiling receptionist had carefully checked off each new entrants name on a clipboard as they had gathered in the atrium before the small, uncertain group been directed into the lecture theatre. Although, with it's three tiered rows of seats facing a single large screen, the lecture room resembled a movie theatre more than something you'd expect to find in an office block. The entire building was a prime example of corporate chic decked out in sleek chrome and pale wood which did a good job of making what was essentially a rectangular box look vaguely interesting.
Beccy had taken a seat in the back row and settled comfortably into the well padded red leather chair. It was more like a really comfortable armchair than a cinema seat, with a nice padded headrest section and wide armrests. It was very cosy though. Despite her new-job nerves Beccy even managed to savour the luxuriating comfort of the chair.
Why couldn't she find a chair like this for her apartment? The answer popped straight into her head; because comfort like this costs money and Beccy knew that luxuries like this were way beyond her means. Just managing to find a decent paying job in this gloomy economic climate had been an achievement in itself as far as she was concerned.
Another person was making their way along the row and Beccy turned to look. She was a petite, large chested girl in her mid twenties with a mane of curly black hair which nicely complimented her dark complexion. Seeing Beccy appraising her, the woman broke out into a broad welcoming smile before taking the seat next to her.
"Hi!" the girl announced cheerfully, "my name's Gabrielle."
Beccy smiled immediately in response to the girl's open, breezy manner. She liked Gabrielle instantly. "Hiya, I'm Beccy," she returned in the same cheerful manner.
"Do you think I'll be able to go to the lobby for some popcorn before the movie starts?" Gabrielle quipped mischievously.
Beccy sniggered in reply. "Don't forget to turn off your cellphone," she replied weakly in response to the banter.
Gabrielle flashed her another toothy white grin before asking, "So I wonder what they'll be showing us here?"
"Some sort of presentation about how great they are and how lucky we all are to be working for them I guess."
"Think I've seen that movie before," Gabrielle muttered, her smile dropping slightly.
Their conversation was interrupted by a voice from the small dais in front of the screen. They both turned to look down at the speaker. She was a tall slender woman with long blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail and dressed in a smart grey trouser suit and jacket.
"Good morning everybody," the woman announced over the microphone. "Firstly I want to take this opportunity to welcome you all to your brand new jobs. My name is Monica Devitt and I am the Human Resources manager in charge of recruitment here at this facility." She paused for effect, her eyes scanning the silent audience before her.
Whereas Beccy had taken an instant like to Gabrielle, she now had an equally strong, but opposite, reaction to Monica. She'd only been speaking for under a minute and already the woman gave Beccy the creeps.
"We take employee satisfaction very seriously in this organisation," Monica went on, "and it's my job to make sure that each and every one of you will be happy working here. Happy employees make for a much better environment for us all."
Unusual way to introduce yourself thought Beccy. But was this just some sort of tongue in cheek HR aspirational policy statement or was there any substance behind it? It certainly caught her attention despite the less than favourable impression she had of Monica.
"We have a video orientation presentation for you all to watch now which should go some way towards explaining the mission of our company and where you as an employee fit in to our corporate structure," Monica continued. "We will be continuing your induction after the video so please just sit back and enjoy the presentation" she smiled before stepping away.
Beccy shuddered involuntarily at Monica's patently false smile. The image of a wolf baring it's teeth before a helpless prey sprang to mind.
With that the lights dimmed and the large screen flickered into life. Up came a series of nifty, expensive looking, graphics which morphed into the corporate logo; a stylised inverted eye within a diamond shape. Some cheesy intro music accompanied the display. With surprise, Beccy noted that there were speakers in the head rest of the chair itself which gave a odd stereo type effect to the music. Beccy did have to admit that it did make this otherwise boring corporate presentation just a little bit cooler.
On the screen, some aerial shots of various company buildings and happy workers were merging into a display of some of the various products the corporation had a hand in developing. Finally a pretty, wide blue eyed, blonde with her pulled back on top of her head appeared on screen.
"Hello," the woman announced cheerfully, "my name is Drina and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to your new working life." The blue eyed blonde's mouth was wrapped in a permanent toothpaste commercial grin. "I'm going to be your guide as we explore the many exciting new challenges that lie ahead of you!"
Drina was quite attractive, Beccy did have to admit, but the boundless enthusiasm was grating on her nerves just a little.
"Now, lets begin," Drina continued in the same bubbly manner. "One of the key facets of corporate life is that we regard employee satisfaction and happiness as an essential element of how we do business. It makes good economic sense for us to have an enthusiastic and well motivated workforce who will actively help us reach our targets and goals."
Beccy did have to admit that did sound sensible. Too much time was wasted bickering and bitching about trivial things.
Drina beamed her pearly whites at the twenty seated women. "And from your point of view, being a content, well adjusted employee will provide a great deal of happiness and stability on your own life."
Again Beccy conceded the point. She'd worked in places before where it was all bitching and scheming in order to gain a toehold on a slippery rung of the corporate ladder. It was all so ridiculous and stupid. If people only concentrated on their jobs and did what they were supposed to it would be so much better and simpler.
"Our ultimate goal is to create a totally new workplace, one where our employees are free of the negative aspects of life so that they can concentrate on what is truly important. Our overall goal is to transform you into a happy employee," Drina announced ecstatically.
Without even realising it, Beccy smiled in response to Drina's permanent on-screen beam. Beccy wasn't able to take her eyes off the screen. But she wasn't worried. Drina was really pretty. The more she looked at the blonde girl the more Beccy grew to like her and trust her. Drina was so beautiful. Beccy hardly heard what Drina was saying now. She was lost in Drina's smouldering Eastern European looks. So sexy. If only Beccy could be more like her.
Beccy suddenly knew what she wanted. It was so simple and so clear in her mind. Beccy wanted to be happy like Drina. Beccy wanted to be a happy employee.
By now the background behind Drina had slowly faded and changed. Instead of the interior of the office building she had been standing in, Drina's face was now located in the centre of a giant pulsating spiral.
Beccy's eyes dilated at the sight. She was utterly captivated by the twirling, patterns and colours that had ensnared her gaze. Unable to turn away even if she had wanted to, and she didn't want to, Beccy stared intently at the beautiful, happy Drina.
