Session 21

Quinn arrived at the Mars space port with very little time to spare. Typically, she was the first one to arrive, and the last one to leave; especially when it came to work related events. Unfortunately due to her early morning rendezvous with a certain space cowboy, she now found herself in quite the awkward hurry.

She left her shuttle parked in the lot as she frantically made her way inside. With her purse hanging off her arm and her jacket draped over her shoulders, she ran into the building, scanned her electronic boarding pass, and sprinted towards her gate. 

It was terribly unprofessional of her to meet her partners so late at the loading gate, but due to her authority, they didn't bother questioning her. Instead, they greeted her apathetically before rushing her onboard their flight to Venus.

...

The last time Quinn had gone from Mars to Venus was quite some time ago. Since her last visit, space travel had made somewhat of a significant jump. Typically, it took quite a few hours to get from planet to planet, but luckily for Quinn, she was aboard a new and improved hyperspace travel cruiser that could reach closer to the speed of light than any other ship in the galaxy. That, combined with the combination of the space gates, allowed the flight time to be cut in half. These little luxuries made Quinn's life all the better. 

"Venus is a couple hours behind us, so we've got a little while to prepare for the presentation once we get there," Quinn's partner, Justin, announced as he took a seat beside her.

"Why'd we have to leave so early then?" Quinn's other partner, Cole, scoffed as he sat next to Justin.

"I don't think they anticipated the flight to be this fast," Quinn shrugged sorely while shaking her head. Microz meetings coordinators never seemed to be able map out a manageable schedule for its workers. Quinn resented their work, and it it were up to her, they would've boarded their flight hours later. Regardless, she knew it would give her and her team some extra time at Fusiun to get familiar with their presentation space. Also, jet lag was the absolute worst when travelling from planet to planet, so having a rest period in between events would be comfortable to say the least. 

...

Moments after they had boarded, the flight set off for Venus. 

"Should we start prepping our presentation now? I mean, we've got time to kill," Justin suggested eagerly, but before Quinn could reply, Cole stole the words right out of her mouth. 

"We've got hours on Venus to prep, lets just relax for a moment," he shrugged as he leaned back into his seat. 

"Agreed," Quinn nodded as she yawned into the palm of her hand. Usually she would've been on the ball and ready to work early, but she was exhausted from last night. Quinn figured one coffee would have been enough to get her through the morning, but somehow it was already beginning to wear off.  Her eyelids were getting heavy, and she felt herself quickly growing fatigued. 

"Something the matter Q? Usually you're ahead of this stuff," Justin asked suddenly as he leaned forwards in his seat. He was a partner Quinn worked with frequently. She knew little of his personal life, but she was fully aware of his work habits. Justin was quite similar to Quinn in regards to productivity, so he noticed her mood imbalance almost instantly. They made a good team, but Quinn had never spoken to him casually before. She was taken aback by the use of her nickname, but she didn't dismiss him. 

"Just had a rough night at the office," Quinn shrugged, giving him a half smile. Justin shifted in his seat as he gave her a judgmental glare. 

"You didn't pull another all nighter did you?" Justin teased. Quinn scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Did Sophie tell the entire office that?" She laughed, and Justin nodded. 

"Word spreads fast around Microz," Cole chimed. He ran a hand through his perfectly combed blond hair before straightening his back in his seat. Quinn hadn't worked much with Cole before, but his name was an office common. He was a bit of a trouble maker and class clown despite being a grown man with a reputation to uphold. Quinn resented his presence in the workplace, but his jokes would occasionally lift her spirits. She had never presented alongside him before, and she hoped his care free attitude wouldn't counter his professionalism. 

"I suppose you're right," Quinn added jokingly. She was never one to listen to such insignificant chatter, but when she did hear word, she liked what she was told.

"You must know everything right? There's no way you don't. I swear Sophie has eyes all over the office and I'd be shocked if she didn't report to you on the daily," Cole laughed while Justin nodded in agreement. 

"I am all knowing," Quinn smiled sarcastically. Sophie seemed to know everything about everyone. Quinn never knew how she obtained such knowledge or why she even bothered to do so, but she managed to have eyes and ears on every worker in the building. 

She had connections with people that Quinn had never even heard of before, and somehow, almost everyone Sophie encountered owed her some sort of favour. She was an office classic for sure, and everyone seemed to love her. No one wanted to be on her bad side, and that gave Quinn quite a bit of leverage. The two of them were loyal and almost unstoppable. Their power was unmatched, and Quinn was happy that everyone was aware of it. 

As Quinn continued to converse with her two partners, she noticed how quickly time was passing by. Two hours had flown by quickly, and only an hour and a half remained. Quinn didn't remember much from the last half of the ride, only that she had fallen asleep for the majority of it. 

...

When they arrived on Venus, Quinn checked her phone for the first time in hours. She noticed she had a message from Spike, but as she exited the space craft, she figured he'd had to wait for a response. She needed some time to relax and begin presentation preparations, and even though she was dying to speak with Spike again, she simply didn't have the time to wrack her brain with such minor complications. 

After leaving the space port, a shuttle arrived to transport the three of them over to Fusiun head quarters. The ride was short, and by the looks of it, the sun had barely started to peak. It was very early in the morning meaning they had plenty of time ahead of them to prepare for their meeting. 

Once they arrived, Quinn helped herself to a few cups of complementary coffee while the three of them began setting up their work space. After an hour or two of prep time, the group was ready for their meeting to begin. The sun was up and shining brightly through the boardroom windows. Quinn was tense, but she enjoyed the feeling of pressure weighing down on her. Cole and Justin were just as collected as she was, but Quinn could sense their rising anxieties. 

Business proposals weren't easy, but despite Quinn's flawless track record, tensions were high due to the fact that Mack had been in charge for such a long period of time. Quinn had heard a lot about Mack's horrible use of her position. Although she was just as qualified for the job as Quinn was, she lacked confidence, and she saw almost everything in her job as a competition rather than a simply opportunity. 

She was always either competing with herself, or someone else on the job. That factor never played well in the business world especially since Mack would begin to break down if she ever felt like she was losing. She had some good strategies for sure, but she was never able to execute them efficiently. Quinn was much more confident than her, and it seemed like Justin and Cole knew that as well. 

Just as the meeting was about to begin, Quinn felt her phone buzz rapidly in her pocket. Before any Fusiun officials entered the room, Quinn turned it off, and tossed it into her bag. Whoever was attempting to contact her would have to wait. Surely it wasn't urgent. 

Moments later, a handful of Fusiun partners shuffled into the room and took seats along either side of the glass table. Quinn had been awake for hours now, and she was more than ready to get her morning over with. 

...

Their presentation started off quite well. Quinn led with a strong introduction while Justin and Cole structured her arguments with their own supportive claims. Their audience seemed to be impressed, but it wasn't anything Quinn wasn't used to. She always aimed to please, and she never failed to reach her objective. After a solid forty-five minutes had passed, the group entered their negotiation phase. Prices were offered, prices were shot down, but a median value was bound to be met. Suddenly, just when Quinn figured their meeting was coming to an end, a loud, bone chilling sound erupted from outside the boardroom. 

Everyone went silent. The sound was nearby, and it seemed to have echoed down the hall. Everyone's eyes shifted around the room while they all shared looks of confusion. The sound was distinct, and not a single person present was unaware of what had caused it. 

It was the sound of a gun being fired, and after moments of pure silence, another shot rung out. This time it was followed by deep, unintelligible yelling. The voice was masculine, and Quinn couldn't make out what he was saying in the lightest. His tone was fluctuating, and as his voice got closer, everyone tensed as the sound resonated throughout the empty hallway behind the closed, but unlocked boardroom door. Although the door served as some sort of protection, it wasn't going to hold if someone tried to get in. As they all sat petrified, the sound of approaching footsteps triggered mass panic within the room. 

Quinn was shaken, but she was used to the adrenaline. She had nothing on her person to protect herself or others, and it didn't seem like anyone else in the room had any means of protection either. Quinn was nervous, but in times of high stress, she always managed to think logically. 

"Get under the table," she announced sternly as she sprinted towards the door. The footsteps outside matched her speed as she lunged for the door handle. Everyone in the room was in the process of ducking for cover when the door suddenly flung open. Shrieks of terror filled the room as the door opened inwards. Quinn hid behind it while the intruder stormed his way into the office. 

"Everybody freeze," the intruder called out gruffly as Quinn stood motionless behind the door. The sounds of movement halted, and everyone fell silent. 

"Now I don't want to have to do this but I've really got no choice," he growled firmly. Quinn could tell his back was turned away from the door. His voice echoed outwards, and while she listened to him deliver the rest of his speech, she slowly slid herself out from behind the barricade. 

"Just go with what I say and I swear none of you will end up- HEY!" The intruders speech was abruptly cut off as Quinn threw herself towards him. She kicked his gun out of his hand before wrapping her hands around his throat. Panic instilled as the weapon went flying. Quinn heard it hit the top of the glass table as she struggled to take the man down. From what she could tell, he was quite a bit older than her, and he was relatively weak in comparison. He didn't go down without a fight of course, but once Quinn had successfully choked him out,  she realized how inexperienced he really was. 

Quinn was hardly trained in combat. Her only skills came from what she had learned during her time on her own. For a moment, her ego was boosted, but as his limp body fell to the floor, she was quick to pick up on the situation at hand. The man (still alive but horribly deprived of oxygen) was a Fusiun employee. His ID card was  hanging from his breast pocket, and by the looks on the faces of the Fusiun officials she had been presenting to, she knew this man was no stranger. 

Quinn heard another set of footsteps rapidly approaching from the opposite end of the hallway. 

"Pass me that gun!" Quinn shouted erratically as her associates exchanged looks of sheer terror. 

"Oh God," Quinn scoffed to herself as she stepped over the intruders unconscious body. 

"Someone make sure he doesn't get up," she grumbled angrily as she swiped the gun off the tabletop. The footsteps were nearly at the entryway now, and as Quinn clutched the gun in her dominant hand, a sudden sense of relief washed over her. 

A scent that used to always evoke such annoyance within her suddenly began filling her with a feeling of comfort. The scent was bitter, and as it caught in her lungs, she knew who was about to enter the room. 

Her back was turned away from the door, and as she lowered her gun to her side, the sound of shuffling footwork suddenly stopped in the entryway. She hoped her instincts were right, and as she slowly turned herself around, she exhaled sharply as a man sporting a blue suit and yellow collared shirt leaned against the doorframe.  

Quinn sighed as his jaw dropped. His cigarette fell from his mouth as he loosened his grip around his gun. 

"You shouldn't take the saying, 'you know were to find me' so literally, Spike," Quinn chuckled as he gave her a surprised look. Quinn couldn't believe who she was seeing, but for some reason she almost expected this to happen. Spike always seemed to show up at the strangest of times, and although his spontaneity was initially kind of annoying, it was beginning to grow on her.  

"What're the odds," he grinned as he stomped out his still burning cigarette. The moment of peace they shared was unfortunately short lived. Seconds after Spike had appeared, another shot rung out from the other end of  the hallway. Spike gave Quinn a nod before running of the room. Quinn began to follow, and as she closed the door behind her, she left her stunned associates with one last word of advice. 

"Keep this door locked, and make sure that idiot doesn't get out," she shouted sternly while glancing towards the mans body. Everyone in the room nodded hesitantly. Quinn shut the door behind her before running off towards Spike.