Becoming More Human: Chapter 1 – The Fall

Chapter 1 – The Fall

The heads of Human Resources and Public Relations go to today’s meeting with important information.

“You think Antonietta will actually listen to us?” the head of HR asks.

“I hope she does. That is if Joseph doesn’t hold her attention.”

“Her lapdog shouldn’t have much that’s new to adviser her on. I swear there’s something going on between those two.”

“It can’t be anything too dirty. He’s a religious nut after all. It suits him that it’s a miracle that he even got the job since he hardly had any job experience coming in.”

“Didn’t you hear why he got the job? Before Antonietta’s Catholic mother died, she smiled and said with confidence that she’ll see her in Heaven despite Antonietta having not practiced her faith in a while.”

“So?”

“So, when the candidates for the personal advisor role was presented, she chose the Catholic because she wants to prove her mother right.”

“But she hardly acts religious at all, but then again, what would I know. Besides, it’s not like the whole company of Tau Enterprise will have Catholic values or send more money to their church because of Joseph.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he told her to.”

The two leaders enter the meeting room with Joseph and Antonietta sitting at the head of the table discussing their current situation.

“We were waiting for you two, so sit down and let’s get started,” Antonietta says.

Once the two leaders begrudgingly take their seats, Joseph says that, “We’ve been having another great month in terms of sales and growth thanks to you all. The only concern I have that I would like to address in the meeting is our customers and employees. Our cybernetics that we give, sell, and maintain to both groups should be as top quality as our relations with them and I’m hearing rumors that some are dissatisfied with the way they are treated. I know that there are some difficult people to please out there, but we should be doing our best to make even these people as happy and satisfied as we can.”

“How are we with our relations with our competitors?” Antonietta asks the head of Ally Relations.

“Our trades and negotiations with them are going well though I still think they are still jealous of our company’s power and influence.”

“That’s just how business is so tell them to deal with it in the nicest way possible. Remind them that without my family’s legacy and kindness then they wouldn’t be able to keep up with us. How about our relations with our overseas customers and businesses?”

“Our joint report is relatively the same as said in the brief summary of our relations with the companies here. We have emailed you our full detailed reports if you want to know more.”

“And you’ll tell them the exact same thing, but in the appropriate language for each culture. Our ‘allies’ in business need to remember what Tau Enterprise did after the World Enterprise War. Remind them, in detail, about our charity and how their company continues to stay afloat because we let them.”

“Antonietta,” Joseph says.

“What?”

“Being too boisterous of the things we do won’t make them more appreciative of us. In fact, it might make them hate us more.”

“I guess you’re right. Try not to remind them about what we did for them then unless you have a reason to.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Human Mechanical Development and Maintenance. What have you got for us?”

“Progress on upgrades to our cybernetics is steady as always though the lingering members of the medical community are still bothering us about taking their business and some have even tried suing us.”

“They should know by now that we can do anything they can do, but better. Send them to me and I’ll look through those cases and respond to them on Sunday. Offering them work and training in your department typically gets them to reconsider since they’re more worried about feeding themselves and work rather than their profession.”

“You can’t, Antonietta,” Joseph says.

“Why not? It’s not real work.”

“It still counts.”

“Okay, I’ll hold it off until Monday or maybe just throw it away and let our lawyers handle it.”

“Why don’t you look through the cases on Saturday?” the head of HMDM asks.

“Joseph and I have an important meeting on Saturday, and I don’t need your suggestion, thank you.”

“Getting special treatment again,” the head of HR accidentally mutters out.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, ma’am. I’m just muttering to myself.”

“Well, don’t say anything unless you have something useful to say. Speaking of that, your friend and you are next to present their report. I hope your late arrival was for a good reason.”

“Yes, it was and we’d like to point out a growing problem-”

Before the report can be presented, multiple explosions from within shake the building and kill hundreds of people within it. Antonietta and Joseph manage to survive while everyone else that was in the meeting room has been killed. The explosions have brought them down to the ground floor with rubble surrounding them and falling from above. They escape the wreckage just in time as the upper half of the building topples over into the nearby building.

“See? I told you it was a good idea to get these enhancements just in case someone decided to come after us,” Antonietta says.

“I didn’t have a problem with getting it. I wasn’t sure to get them at the time is all,” Joseph says as he moves his arms and legs to get the hurt out of them.

“Whatever. You still owe me a home cooked dinner.” While they look over the destruction of their building, a rescue crew comes to them. “There you are. We keep you on standby with pay for a reason so get to helping the people in the building.”

The rescue crew takes out weapons while Antonietta’s and Joseph’s cybernetics malfunction so they are unable to walk or use their arms.

“Unfortunately for you, ‘Cybernetic Queen’, this is the day that your entire empire falls to the ground. Look at the news on the screens above you and the reports in your head.”

Antonietta and Joseph see that multiple Tau Enterprise buildings have been destroyed from the inside across the world through the communication devices in their head and the news that is being shown on the outside.

“What’s going on?!” Joseph says.

“Nothing that you should know because you’ll be joining your girlfriend with that God that you talk about so much-” Suddenly, the attackers are unable to move. “Wh-wha-di-do-”

“Did you think that I wouldn’t have a plan for this?” Antonietta says as her and Joseph’s cybernetics return to normal and Antonietta’s eyes begin to glow dark pink. “My company makes the very body that you use daily and I have the keys to it.”

The attackers barely manage to pull the trigger, but their shots go directly to Antonietta, however, her skin moves out of the way in a flash to reveal her cybernetic skeleton before it instantly goes back.

“Wha-t-ar-you-”

“I’m the Cybernetic Queen like you said. I’ve heard that nickname said about me here and there, and I think I’m starting to like it. Were you the only ones who set up this disaster?”

“It-it-it’s bigger than you and me, and I’m just a pawn in the game who doesn’t know anything.”

The limbs of the attacker’s fold into themselves and their pain senses are overloaded.

“That’s not what I want to hear! Tell me more!”

“Antonietta! We need them alive. They’re no good to us dead!” Joseph says with a hand on Antonietta’s shoulder.

“Tch, fine. I can already look up where you got your cybernetics altered from. I’ll use everything that I have at my disposal to bring your little cabal down. It’s not over just because you blew up a few of my businesses. It’ll be over when I’m in pieces and good luck trying to do that with a broken body.”

Antonietta steps over her attackers and sends out messages to her contacts across the world.

“We should get you to a safehouse or your home so you’ll be safe until our allies help us out,” Joseph suggests.

“That won’t be necessary because I’m taking care of this myself. Most of my so-called allies are either dead or not responding, my home has been destroyed, and I’m not sure if my safehouses are safe because of it.”

“You’re doing this by yourself? I don’t think so. I’m coming with you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any either way. I need my little moral compass with me.”

“We should go back to my place then. It isn’t destroyed from what I can see from my security cameras so it should be relatively safe assuming they don’t think to go after it.”

“Do we have to? I’m really itching for revenge.”

“I’ll make you that dinner I owe you then.”

“Deal.”

Antonietta calls her car over that drives itself over to them. Joseph and Antonietta then drive off while Joseph thinks of their next plans and Antonietta thinks about dinner and getting revenge.