Hammer Time! (Sayaka and Ethan)

Wet “N” Antics 6th Floor US and North America Offices

11:55 am

Recovering the Grade N52 Neodymium magnet from the locker had been straightforward its metallic sheen winking at them under the harsh fluorescent lights.

"That's one part of our rogue engineer starter kit," Ethan had quipped. They’d agreed to leave the magnet where it was, rather than carry it around until they found the other two items they needed.

The second; a screwdriver, a standard flat head, had been easy—almost too easy. It was sitting right on top of a cluttered workbench in the same room as the magnet.

The third item was proving far more elusive. The magnet and screwdriver were useless without a hammer to bash through the plaster board and get to the lock’s housing unit. And a hammer was nowhere to be found, a fact that was starting to aggravate Ethan's calm facade. They had scoured the usual places: toolboxes, under desks, inside the janitorial closets, even peeking into the random drawers across the Product Testing storage area.

Sayaka, usually the epitome of poise and collectedness, had begun to radiate impatience. Every vacant nook, every fruitless inquiry, chipped away at the clock ticking in her mind. That hammer was crucial, and every minute they wasted was a minute that Emi spent secured behind locked doors, possibly plotting her next step to ensure her own advantage in the bedlam of corporate gamesmanship unfolding around them.

Suddenly Ethan slapped his hand to his forehead. “We’re being dumb,” he exclaimed, “we’re on the top floor of a freaking shopping mall!”

Sayaka gave a thin smile, annoyed she hadn’t thought of it but glad one of them had, “Hardware store,” she said.

“’HammerTime Hardware,’ is the closest. It’s on the 3rd,” said Ethan.

The Sales Support Manager and Senior Business Manager realized they needed to blend into the typical mall crowd to avoid drawing attention to their currently less-than-professional attire. They made a beeline back to their respective desk, and office in the Wet "N" Antics main office.

Ethan quickly rustled through his desk drawer, pulling out a wrinkled polo shirt and a pair of chinos that he kept for emergency client meetings. Not exactly fresh, but certainly mall-appropriate. Sayaka, on the other hand, had two fresh outfits on hand in her office.

They also grabbed their wallets, phones, and essential items that they’d luckily left at their desks rather than being abandoned or damaged in the earlier lotion strip-battle.

12.30pm Sunny Day Mall. 3rd Floor.

Exiting the Wet “N” Antics main office and into the mall proper, they found themselves in an almost surreal atmosphere. It was bustling with the usual shoppers - families steering strollers, teenagers laughing in cliques, and elderly couples leisurely window-shopping. Overlaying this normality was a sort of organized chaos; individuals seemingly caught up in secret missions that Ethan and Sayaka immediately recognised.

Every so often, Ethan and Sayaka would notice an odd interaction between apparent strangers. A quick exchange of glances, a discreet nod, and then they would dart off to the nearest private sanctum – be it a dressing room, restroom, or an employee-only area - that could sustain secrecy. Minutes later, they would re-emerge, some with satisfied grins, others with the impassiveness of those whose needs had been indulged without emotional attachment.

These clandestine encounters seemed almost transactional, giving the mall an air of mystery underneath the mundane everyday shopping experience. Sure enough once or twice they caught the flash of the familiar holographic display on flat plastic. Ethan frantically brought Sayaka’s attention to it they first time the saw an older gentleman presenting a tall blonde who was easy on the eye with one, and led her into a clothing store and Ethan could just make out, the changing room. Sayaka nodded, indicating she had seen it. But she couldn’t be distracted. They had their own agenda to keep them preoccupied.

Five minutes later they were at “’HammerTime Hardware,’ and five minutes after that, they had one fresh drywall hammer.

Standing just outside the stoor Sayaka insisted on holding the hammer. She grinned as she felt its weight. She could almost feel that Emi’s race was run. She was brought back to the present by Ethan, tugging at her arm and pulling her back into the store.

“Shhh,” he insisted, “look over there!” Sayaka followed to where he was pointing across the mall. Browsing the window of a shoe-shop was the striking figure of Yumi Takahashi.

“Shit,” Sayaka breathed, glancing at her watch. It read; ‘12:35pm’ “I would have thought we would have had more time.”

“So, what’s the play?” said Ethan wondering aloud what their next move should be, “should I breed her down here, or do we warn her or what?”

Sayaka considered their options, “I don’t think we’ll get much credit from either her or Corporate if we warn her. Yumi will just want to distance herself from today’s whole debacle. We definitely need her to be bred by the end of the day. But on the other hand, plausible deniability on our part is to our advantage, so I don’t think you should do it. No let’s stick to the plan, get upstairs and do Emi.”

“What if Yumi gets given a Breeding Pass by some random down here?” asked Ethan.

Sayaka shrugged, “I don’t think it matters too much. The important thing is that she is seeded.”

Ethan gave a last stare at Yumi’s tantalising behind, before quickly following Sayaka back towards Wet “N” Antics.