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Like almost every weekday morning, Jane Tarzania is at her desk in the waiting outcove outside her boss, Ruben Holcomb's office. Out the huge pane glass window across from her desk she can see out onto the city. It's just your average Thursday morning in Parrodpolis at the Federal Meta-Human Resource Center. Now Jane has already briefed her boss about his morning which means that she'll have the rest of it to do as she pleases just as long as she could be there at her desk to deal with any unexpected occurrences & be available to do what every other thing Mr. Holcomb needs of her. Currently, Jane is searching the 'Net by typing in words that have a comment thread to them. It's starts with her name, she gets a hit from the employee directory on the Company's website. Another from an old article from her local paper which means they now have the archive online (She bookmarks the site & may return to it). There's a few hits in relation to her being present at some Ronnie centric events & a few other things, so aren't even about her so that means there is at least one other person out there with her name. The next couple searches are related to family, family friends, her job, hobbies of hers, the random word that pops into her head at that moment, etc. After looking up "Kumquat", she turns to people she more frequently interacts with. She starts with Chad & gets hits about him in relation to Accordions mostly. Most of the articles reference his almost non stop talking which Jane lets out a laugh after each time she reads it. There wasn't any real mention to a Swiss Family (There was. But that was the Swiss Family Robinson who were totally different & unrelated). Then comes Catherine & she's all over the place. There a few old hits which seemed to be her from a couple of Colleges & a few from a west coast High School. Most are academic in nature, some are off a "nerdy" nature & some are even about breakfast foods. Catherine had some current links one which link you to the employee directory on the Goth Haven Police department's website, another that link's you to a local Comic Book Store & website that has the appearance of some sort of Waffle Cult which lists her a member. Then came the search she was almost dreading but instead on typing in his more common name she went for the whole darn thing: Ronald Arnold Gerrimoto Beeslyhuxtoy. She had to think for a moment on if she was misspelling the last name but she had Ronnie's "business" card in her purse. She hits "Search" & waits the .09 seconds it took the site to search for him. She scanned blue hyperlinks for something interesting to look at. Most were links to news reports, both video & text, of Ronnie's various appearances around the city. She wanted something she might of not heard about or been present for. She wanted Family history, Job History, Missing persons reports, something that might clue her more into the man who she once dated & may still love. There was some Beeslyhuxtoy stuff for Europe so they might be Ronnie's relatives but maybe not. Then she found a link that looked interesting, it was Ronnie's first & last name connected to a Research programs website. Jane clicked on the link & was, once it loaded, faced with a digital version of a photography from the 1860's. It was a yellowed black & white pic of a proper english gentlemen in what seemed to a parlor of some sort. Jane couldn't get over the fact that the man looked so much like Ronnie. As she continued to stare at the screen, a man into the area. He opened one of the frosted glass doors, stepped in & then closed it. He was a man who stood about six feet tall, maybe a little taller. He was a mane of about middle age or approaching it. He wore a pair of horn rimmed glasses, behind them are a pair of blue almost slant grey eyes. His brown hair is slicked back & was cut in a very conservative manner. He face showed some signs of aging. He wore a warm grey suit, a tailored white button down shirt, a dark red tie & black paten leather shoes. In his right hand was a dark brown leather briefcase. Hung over the brief case & carried with that hand, was a tan trench coat. He made his was over to the desk. He did notice that the receptionist seemed to be fully engrossed into what ever was on her computer screen. Once over to the modern styled desk & standing for a minute or two he cleared his throat to make his presence known. Jane's eyes turned from the screen to the man. She was slightly embarrassed that she hadn't noticed him walk in. "Can I help you?" "Yes." The man said in a firm, confident, yet friendly voice. "I was wondering if I could see Mr. Holcomb?" "Do you have an appointment?" Jane asked as she minimized the web page & brought up the electronic calendar she had had minimized. "No. No, I don't. But, If you could get me into to see him that would be great." He said with a smile & twinkle in his eye. Jane caught both, she smiled & blushed a bit. "I don't know. Maybe. But, as you may know Mr. Holcomb likes to keep to a set schedule." "I know." "And that he'll might want to also know your name." Jane said with a mischievous smile. "Oh. I'm Sorry." He said & as he reached out his hand across the desk he said. "Gillespie. Name's Gillespie, pleasure to meet you..." They shook hands & released, he paused for a moment to read Jane's name plaque." "..., Miss Tarzania." "Yes. uh. um. If you'll have a seat over there, Mr. Gillespie. I'll call up Mr. Holcomb & see if he can see you." "All right." He said. He turned & head over to the couch near the window. As Jane dialed her boss's interoffice number her mind raced about his last name. Was he Catherine's Father? We was he there to see Holcomb? What was with that Picture? She almost didn't hear her Boss answer but she did & relayed the message. Mr. Gillespie sat there on the couch, he has laid his coat across the back of the couch & placed his brief case on the floor next to him. He picked up one of the magazines' that had been displayed on the coffee table before him. He wanted a TIME, a NEWSWEEK, the WALL STREET JOURNAL, something like that but all that was there were Government newsletters, Super Hero related magazines & some Medical journals. The receptionist talked with her boss for a few moments & then hung up. He was called back over, he set down the latest issue of Modern Malefactor. Mr. Gillespie gathered up his stuff & walked over. "Yes?" "Mr. Holcomb will be able to see you now. But, he has an appointment in elsewhere in the building in 20 minutes." "Thank you." Mr. Gillespie said & headed for the office door. About part of the way there, one of the wooden doors opened & he was greeting by one of his sometime business partners. he was greeted warmly & entered the office. The door was shut behind him. Jane tried to think what did she want to do now: Call Catherine or don't call her? She didn't & went back to the research site, the page the picture was apart was a "Missing persons" page. They had pictures of people & a name to go with them but no information about them. They were looking for anything. Jane browsed the pic's, not of the others on the page jumped out at her as been someone she recognized. After the fifth page & no luck, she went back to the one of the 19th Century Beeslyhuxtoy: She bookmarked it & then went on to other things. An hour & half later, Mr. Gillespie came out of the office. As he was leaving, she stopped by Jane's desk once more. "Excuse me?" "yes?" "Can you help me get some directions?" "Sure. Where to?" "Hmmm... Let's see. I have the address around her somewhere. He set down his coat & brief case then began a search in all his pockets for the info. He found it in an interior coat pocket, it was on a business card. He handed the card to Jane. "So, do you want directions from here?" "Yes. I'm meeting my Daughter for Lunch." He said. There was like half a second of silence. "Now I know where were going in a place known for it's breakfasts but..." "It might be served it all day." Jane interrupted as she typed the info into an Internet search page. She turn her head slightly towards him & asked "Do you want Shortest Distance or Time?" "Time." She clicked a box & then asked. "Do you want to avoid Highways, Toll roads or any seasonally closed roads?" "Highways are fine but the rest.." "Avoid? "yes." Jane clicks two of the three boxes & then another button. The page loads with the results & Jane prints the page. They wait a few minutes for it to print & then hands Mr. Gillespie the pages & the card. "There you go." "Thanks." He says as he opens is brief case to put the info inside. Once he does that, He picks up his stuff: He smiles, gives a small wave & says goodbye. Jane smile back & replies in kind. They part ways. He leaves the area & Jane starts to think what she's going to do after she back from lunch: maybe some Sudoku? Not sure if I'll do the lunch "date" between Father & Daughter, but I haven't ruled it out as a story possibility. | ||||
