The next day Mike headed into work a bit uneasy about going back now. It made him pause a bit as he got up to the front gate instead standing back a moment as he watched people head into the building. He was just curious as to who was going to change into what and also if he was honest losing his nerve a bit about going into work. He tried to see if there was any sort of pattern but as far as he could tell there wasn't. some people with similar jobs and time at the company were turning into copies of Michelle and others who had very different jobs and experience at the company were as well. Was it really just random? He wondered. He saw his rival Will start to head in now and he got more interested. He was one of the two other people he was competing against for a promotion, but Mike was sure he was more likely to get it with his longer time at the company and his close relationship with James.
"What?!" he gasped as he watched Will go through the door. He didn't have the same Pass base as him. Instead he had a young man around the same age as Michelle who looked pretty fit. He had short combed hair and brown skin. He looked like he could be east Indian or something? He was too far to tell, and it's not like Mike was an expert on that sort of stuff. Did he have to deal with all the low level stuff he had to deal with when he was under a pass?
Mike finally headed over to the door and put his badge up to the door feeling that familiar distortion run through him and then her. Unlike yesterday when he had scanned in Michelle didn't look or feel so put together. Today she was running late! It was because Mike had been standing around the front of the building but as Michelle changed it shifted so that she looked like she over slept. She was wearing a white button up with two of the buttons mix matched and the top two undone. She had a tight black pencil skirt and some bright blue heels. Her legs were covered in some nude colored stockings and her underwear were just a pair of her simple plain white ones. Her hair was a little messy pulled back needing to be retied. Her face still looked beautiful but her make up wasn't completely done.
"Wait for me!" she called out as her heels clacked on the floor running into the elevator. She took out a small make up mirror from her purse and tried to rapidly finish up before the elevator got to their stop. The man in the elevator smiled over at her checking her out a moment before he smugly asked.
"Hey Michelle, late start?" and then chuckling a bit to himself. This made Michelle wince as she got sort of anxious at how she looked and how it reflected on the company. Being late made it worse plus the man talking to her was a high enough rank to not even need a pass.
"Sorry sir... I just overslept a bit." she said with a frown. Even though its not what actually happened it pretty much was what happened from the point of view of Michelle. The door opened and she bowed her heads to the man hurrying over to her work station. She finally got to her desk and set down her things turning around to go over to the bathroom and fix her hair, so she could finally get back on track when she bumped into the worse possible person. She gasped in horror as she bumped into Mr. Abbot and made him spill the two coffees he was holding all over his shirt.
"M-Mr Abbot! I'm so sorry!" she said turning to get some tissues and then trying to wipe him off. He looked very annoyed but didn't snap and just let out a sigh waving a hand at her.
"No, NO! Really its okay. I have a spare suit in my office.... I was going to bring you a coffee so we could talk this morning but..." he looked the woman over and he frowned.
"Just go and get yourself fixed up while I go and change. I know its a pretty major change for everyone, but part of this whole Immersion Pass thing is meant to improve the overall image of our company so we can't have people looking like they just rolled out of bed. Meet me in my office when you're done." He told her moving away to his office. This whole exchange really hurt Michelle with how her value system was structured. She rushed over to the bathroom and came out ten minutes having fixed her buttons, hair, and face finally feeling a slightly bit better as she looked truly proper for the first time today. She walked over to Mr. Abbot's office he was already changed sitting in his desk gusting to the open seat.
"Have a seat" he said before closing a file.
"So basically why I brought you in here to day is-" he started before she cut him off.
"I'm sorry I was so late today!" she bowed her head.
"What? You were late?" he said not even being aware.
"Yes. I was almost 20 minutes late... I'm so sorry sir. I'll be sure to report myself so I can get a write up." she said feeling truly awful about it.
"Well... that's actually not what I brought you in here for..." he said shaking his head.
"This was about the two promotions. The front runners were you and Will. I already had a talk with Will yesterday and he will be getting promoted. I was about to offer the second job to you." she shot her head up at his.
"What about Lisa? Wasn't she also up for it?" she asked making Mr. Abbot looked over to Lisa who was outside working at her desk. Michelle's eyes followed and she had the same type of pass as Michelle, so Michelle felt a bit of a connection to her like she was one of her sisters. In the back of their mind they wondered how things were for her having always been a woman.
"Well she is a good worker, but you've been putting in late nights and early mo-" he was cut off again as she suddenly said.
"I refuse! I can't take the job!" she blurted out and he was clearly shocked.
"Excuse me?" he asked before she went on.
"Lisa deserves the job not me. I was super late today and with how I looked this morning and the coffee... I don't even deserve the job I have." Mr. Abbot looked lost for a moment.
"Whoa whoa whoa, what are you trying to say you quit?" he asked not having expecting this meeting to go this way.
"I clearly can't handle my job even though I love my job. This is the best job I could ever ask for!" she declared at him.
Mr. Abbot looked thoughtful a moment before looking over at Lisa again from the window and sighing.
"How about this. Take the day off and think about it. If you still feel this way after that will go from there, but one day is all I'm giving you and then the job is Lisa's" he said and Michelle simply nodded her head.
"Yes sir, but I'd still like to wo-" this time Mr. Abbot cut her off.
"No. Take the day off. This pass thing is effecting everyone and I know its a bit much. I'm actually having a big meeting with HR after this. They are going to be sorting out and ironing out the kinks today, so it should be better if you come back then. Now I'll see you tomorrow." he said getting up and moving to open the door for her. She pouted and nodded of course sir.
She gathered her things and went to check out feeling that same distortion as she was mike again. He instantly said
"Fuck!? What was I thinking!??" he pulled on his hair as he walked out feeling like a fool as he thought about putting this behind him and waiting till tomorrow when he could take the job and apologize for how stupid he was today.
