Esper

Prologue

Part 1

"Great! Our reward for all this year's hard work, a crappy office party! I'm not the least bit surprised that Vernon would spend all his time brown-nosing and hobnobbing with Walter and the others. Meanwhile, the good little worker bees get rewarded by being sat at the bar, given cheap beer, and being allowed to watch some crappy game on a big screen T.V. I can't wait for all of their castles to come crashing down around them!"

"Wow Nicolaus, you sure do wax poetic when you're drunk! Keep up that level of complaining and not taking action and you've got yourself a job in politics someday."

"I'm better off in the trenches. The Department of Futurists and the world at large wouldn't benefit from someone like me taking any leadership rolls. Carl, you'd definitely have a better chance up at the top, being the light that brings all of us lowly peasants on the lower floors some kind of joy."

"What are you talking about? The one that brings us any form of joy is clearly...ah, her!"

"Her? Amala? Yeah, she's pretty. But that 'holier than thou' personality of hers needs to go. She won't even give any of us shlubs a chance."

"Well, when you look like that, and are that talented, do you really need to talk to losers like us? Shit man, look at her. Long black hair, sexy fuchsia lipstick, tiny black dress, bronze unblemished skin, and those beautiful purple eyes...and such a cute little butt! Man, they don't make 'em like that too often!"

"Let me finish my drink so I can poke holes in your previous observations. Bar-keep, one more! First, you sound like a perv. Second, her eyes probably aren't purple; contacts. Third, you sound like a perv."

"Good to see that you agree with everything else though."

"You know what? I take back my complements; you're just a dirty old perv. That's enough standing around and doing nothing! Do you see that cute, red headed waitress with the freckles and in the short skirt? I'm going for it!"

"Yeah...okay. I'll wait here to console you when she turns you down, and you need someone to complain to about how much of a bitch she is."

"Whatever man; watch this!"

"Hello! Can I help you?"

"Hi - Yo! I'm Nicolaus - or Nick, that's what most people call me. What's your name?"

"I'm Katie...look...I know..."

"Katie, huh? Sweet name...you know sweet, like cool not tasty. Anyway, before I make any more of a fool of myself, tell me how do you feel about office parties? I hate them, personally."

"Well, I don't really go to office parties, since I don't work in an office. These 'end of the year' gatherings are the bane of my existence! There were two of them this week before you guys. I had maybe... two old guys grab my butt, one d-bag tell me I looked like 'one hot tamale', and some dude barfed all over my pretty little skirt. That, as a matter of fact, gave my already skeevy boss a reason to finally make me wear an even shorter skirt, one he's been trying to stick me in for a month!"

"Oh...um...M-my boss is over there with the slick haired guy's head up his ass."

"*Giggle*"

"Hah! Made you laugh. I'll take that as my one victory for the night!"

"Wait, is it so bad you need to count?"

"I mean... This year sucks in general. There were those documents that were leaked naming a bunch of criminals who'd never gotten convicted, a bunch of big businesses fired their workers and...it feels like the world's about to end."