"Main screen, turn on," I say in delightfully broken English to one of the mindless grunts I've hired to do menial jobs that I'm too lazy important to do. All it takes is some cringe worthy fuck ups of my native language, and overplaying my oh so "exotic" middle eastern accent, and these idiots forget all about how I'm paying them lower than minimum wage. Funny how the human mind works sometimes, huh? Finally, one of the three currently in my office decides that now would be as good a time as any to put the orders I gave out a full 7 seconds ago into action. I hear a click and then, as sure as getting around tax evasion laws (by you know, keeping illegal shit on the DL and paying taxes like a normal business), a brief flash of static before the picture cuts in. Hiding my own glee, I look down at my desk and gesture for my employees to exit, which they do almost immediately. Good, they can listen. I was starting to wonder that...

My eyes scan the desk for the microphone, which I find resting exactly where it always has, on the upper left hand corner. Still not looking at the screen, I press the button at the base and a red light flashes on. Perfect.

"Now, what is it you've gotten yourself into this time?" Now, I look at the screen. A near sickening whirlwind of insane and erratic camera shaking and an inherent evasion of focusing greets me. I can't help but smile, just a little bit. From the speakers come a distorted yelp of shock and fright. Looks like I hit a nerve there. The smile widens, as I find myself unable to not find enjoyment in this.

This is almost too good. "Oh, did I not make it obvious enough that I want an answer out of you?"

Once more, the woman I'm conversing with fails to answer, turning the smile into a frown in under 0.023 seconds. I am not fucking amused. My fingers drum against the wooden desk, echoing in this unfortunate, infuriating silence. I sigh, she's definitely the sort of person I'd give an unneeded emergency tracheotomy to if given the chance. As a matter of fact, I ought to make a note of this. Yes, stab her in the throat with a ballpoint pen next time I'm in a teen foot radius of the spook bitch.

"Miss Tigris? I don't mean to intrude," a voice began through the same speaker that the woman's reactions would play through were she speaking. "However, you haven't made an audiojournal entry in three days. Would you like to stop and make one now?"

"Yes," I said with a sigh, leaning back in my chair. "I guess a distraction won't kill me."

"That's exactly what Mister Tigris used to say."

"Please, don't remind me." A single tear wells up in the corner of my left eye, which I wipe away without a second thought. I press the same button I had earlier, and the red light does black. "Are you recording?"

"Affirmative, Miss Tigris."

"Well, I guess I should start with a status update. All current projects are on schedule, with Projects Thirty Two and Seventy actually being slightly ahead. Nothing has fallen behind, which I find just a little odd, but I guess the influx of workers was good for something. I haven't checked with accounting in the past two weeks, been wrapped up in my own studies. I fear the worst though. One day I'll wake up and we'll be in the red, I'm sure. What would dad think?"

"I am not aware what Mister Tigris would think. I do still have some of his logs on file, though. Would you like access?"

"No thank you, that won't be necessary. As a matter of fact, I'm losing interest in this entry. Best to end it now before I decide to describe in great detail the heinous things I'd do to Giovanni Ferrari." My eyes kind of light up at the mention of his name, but seeing as though it was just an example, my mind didn't have time to wander that far. I instinctively gnaw at the lining on the inside of my mouth, painlessly pulling it away with my teeth.

"No thank you, ending recording. You seem rather distracted as of late. Is there any reason for that, Miss Tigris?"

"Is there any reason for your sudden nosiness?"

"No..."

"Then get back to your job." I lean forward in my chair, preparing to follow my own advice once Churchill finally gets off the line.

"I'm going to have a lot to explain to the Board of Directors..."

Click! Finally! Without thinking, I turn on the microphone, the familiar red light smiling right back at me.

"What was that? I know you can hear me!"

"Oh, I can now? I thought I was just having PTSD flashbacks to the day you walked into my life, you fucking pathetic bitch."

"You shouldn't have said that Kea, you shouldn't have said that..."