3.b.vii
The spiral
staircase terminated at the door to the lookout tower which sat several hundred
feet above the main floor of The Office.
Flanking both sides of the entrance were bench seats, a nice respite for
those whose physical condition was not suited to the long climb.
Opposite the
entrance was a large curving glass window that overlooked the valley and the
city below. The exterior of the glass had
been camouflaged by various means throughout the years. Most recently was a see-through screen with
granite texture printed on the outside which made the hillside look like an
uninterrupted slope of stone boulders and craggy rock if seen from the road
below.
Near the
window sat a large telescope which had been employed for all manner of purposes
from science to surveillance to juvenile curiosity.
A massive
computer console dominated much of the space serving in communications, basic
research, and business strategizing. In
the corner opposite this electronic beast lived the infamous copy machine which
was sometimes tasked with the chore of duplicating necessary paperwork. A half-moon couch and coffee table occupied
the center of the area.
Corporate Man
sat at the console. He’d just finished
sending out the last of his work requests when the tower door opened.
“How’s it
going up here?” Tanya said. But, when
Corporate Man turned it wasn’t Tanya that he saw.
It was
Business Woman.
She was dressed
in dark blue slacks and a matching jacket with a white collared shirt. Her shoes were black and dressy, but flat
heeled and practical. Her black belt had
a chunky silver buckle.
She held a
black domino mask in her hands.
“I don’t think
I can wear this,” she said, casting the mask onto the coffee table. “I’ll have to alter this suit jacket,
too. It’s from the late eighties or
early nineties. Can you say shoulder pads? Uggh.
What were we thinking wearing shoulder pads? I ripped them out.”
“It’s… You
look…” Corporate Man stammered. He
cleared his throat and said, “It’s good to have you back onboard, Business
Woman.”
