“Bitte, kommen sie herein,” Commander Aslög said, leaning back in my chair. Her long boots were laced tightly together and her metallic mask was a frightful and expressionless gold-chrome.

“What do you want? I didn’t do anything! If this is about leaving, I had a voucher. I swear I had a voucher! Please, I have a family here! I am-”

“Silence!” she said, standing up and parting the blinds of my office window with gloved hands. “How long have you been with the Corporation, Incorporated, Mr. Bennett?”

“My second birthday was April 8th, 2024. All hail the glory of the corporation!” I said, raising my arm in the customary salute.

“Ah, the day of devastation,” she said. She sat down in my chair and stared at me intently. “You’re a veteran here, Mr. Bennett, and we’ve had our eye on you for a long long time. Does that bother you?”

“No, Commander Aslög, my loyalties are with the Corporation, Incorporated!”

“Of course they are, but what if we promoted you? What if we had something more planned, Mr. Bennett?”