“Well let’s have a look…” Anthony stood across the desk looking over the health report. He rubbed his face slightly not quite sure… how to react or what to think.
He cast a vague glance towards those in the meeting in his office room. He was a manager of a rather successful building company, having built it from the ground up. A relatively large man with a slightly greying head but had a fair amount of facial hair. He was stoic in appearance, but only had one interest… to make money and keep building. He was in his prime entering his late thirties and had been incredibly successful, with his main office now in a very lucrative part of the city. A high riser… overachiever… a man to be taken very seriously.
Though right now, he had a very difficult issue.
A person’s job review was not looking good.
This was something he has had to do a few times before and it was never an ‘easy’ thing to do (At least at first.) He hired only the best people for the job and that was his secret so success. Strong instincts guided him on hiring his initial team and so it cascaded down.
He looked to his employee that he had known for a few months and a report paper on what happened.
‘Contact with Morphogenic Quantum Solution’
So… one of these situations. Anthony stared at the report then back at the strange creature that now stood across his desk. He evaluated the situation as best he could but could find no real solution. “Hm… I am sorry but… under the circumstances I just can’t keep you retained, and I don’t really have any other jobs you can do.” The words were harsh even to himself, but they were necessary.
The employee standing across him was… a harpy. A Harpy boy! He had rather interesting red hair, with brown feathers running all across his body wearing just a work-vest. A single distinct feather plume above his head which was a brighter shade of red catching some attention. An orangey red seemed to be his primary colour with feathered wings where a normal human hand would be and scales running up his naked legs, with incredibly sharp looking talons at the end.
Anthony couldn’t help but smirk inside (thankfully hiding it inside his beard) as the bird creature had those legs pulled inside his torso, making him kind of look like a chicken. Though a male, he had ended up a bit androgenous in his transformation. Nobody really knew what contact with that stuff would ever do.
The other ‘person’ in the meeting was a small fairy, standing on his desk. “Mr Douglas, the rules are quite clear on transformed people. They are not allowed to be dismissed just like that! We agreed to those rules!”
The bird creature looked down to his representative then back to his boss. “I- I I um- I just didn’t know I was going to become a bird! I just thought I’d become something… well cool and… maybe even more useful.”
“…more useful?” Anthony tilted his head with a confused raised brow.
“John, you don’t have to explain!” The fairy insisted. “It was his personal choice.” She said to Anthony in her tiny voice. She had to shout a bit to be heard properly.
Anthony leaned back in his chair. “To be honest… I mean… I would ‘like’ to know? Off the record if that helps.”
“Would that make any difference?” Asked John a bit cautiously.
“Well… no not really. I guess I’m just curious. You were a great worker catching all kinds of safety issues others didn’t catch…”
The harpy-boy sighed burying his wings in his face with sheer embarrassment looking somehow even more chicken-like with that pose. “There was a ‘sale’… “
“A… sale.” Athony repeated with a flat tone.
“Yes. Two people transformed for the price of one.”
“Two for.. one- they do that?” Anthony was having trouble keeping up as his eyebrow lifted ever higher.
“Yes. My girlfriend was into the idea of it, I um- I kept on saying it was expensive but.. I thought well- she really wanted to- and I guess I was okay with trying it out.”
Anthony raised his second eyebrow. “huh…”
The fairy groaned. “All of this is irrelevant! The point is Mr Douglass, you can not remove him from his job!” The fairy protested. “The rules are very clear in my company-”
“Our company…” and Anthony shook his head. “It’s.. it’s not so simple Miss uh- Starsparkle. You run your side of things the way you want to but I have my side of things to think about. I have specific contractual clauses about this that my employees, including John agreed to.” Anthony had no idea why the changed gave themselves such weird names afterwards but he guessed it made them happy. “I can’t get any insurance for a harpy to go up the ladders and deal with things on roofs, or work with pipes wielding. He’s got no hands… Health and Safety laws trumps the rules.”
“But he can fly now! He doesn’t need hands you I-“ she paused very irate that this man was being so obstinate but name calling wasn’t going to help. “You can see my point…” she fluttered up in the air, as if to show that she was quite happy with her own transformation. She fluttered back and forth, with a slight shimmering of the wings on her back, almost teasingly as if to make the human envious. “So there should be no need for this insurance. He can do his job and you can save money by not paying insurance.”
“I always insure,” Anthony replied to that. “We can’t have workers working without insurance. The legality of it is… difficult.”
“Is that why you don’t hire any changed people?” The fairy asked grumpily.
“… well we are doing business together, are we not?” Anthony said to that.
The harpy-boy was looking increasingly worried. “Star uh- Anthony isn’t like that I think-“ John quickly interjected. “I just wanted to see if I could keep my job, I didn’t want to make a huge fuss over it. If I can’t work here, I can find somewhere else. I did like working here but…”
“Do you have a job opening?” Anthony asked Star-sparkle.
“…not at the moment.” The fairy pursed her lips. “Things have been a bit…tricky on my side of things.”
So that was it then. Anthony looked at the two bewildered. What was he supposed to say? What ‘could’ he say? “Look… I can’t.. hire ‘changed’ people. We work with tools here… machinery. Things that were made ‘for humans’…” He looked exasperated. “I ‘m just trying to be practical about the situation-“
“-sure.” The fairy responded curtly. “However, the lack of ‘diversity’ in your workforce is quite apparent.” She removed some fairy dust from her arms as they collected in a gentle pile almost like sand on Anthrony’s desk.
Anthony became rather quiet at that. “The contracts… state that transformations require a formal review and could risk employment. John broke those rules… and now on review I cannot declare him fit to work.”
“He is fit! He can do anything.”
The manager shrugged. “Yes… well, go get a hack-saw then and see how long you can make use of it. You seem to be thinking the problem is me… but I can’t in good conscious let any of the changed work with human machinery,” He shook his head. “I have to let Johnathan go, and I don’t have any other work available at the moment. It’s just what it is. I can pay him a redundancy package and a generous one at that. The insurers wont even consider it an illness given he did it to himself! I got bills to pay of my own, but I recognise the unusual circumstances.”
The fairy gave an annoyed look again. “I can’t believe we’re working togeh-” She started.
“It’s fine,” said John. “I can accept that, it’s more than I expected. Thank you Anthony I really do appreciate it.”
Anthony nodded again glad to be moving on from this and started to type a bit on his computer printing out a document. This awkward meeting would soon be over and he could get back to running the business. “Here you go, you’ll get a cheque later in the mail- um-” he vaguely wondered how he would even open letters but decided not to ask… as the paper slipped through the harpy-boys wings. “I’ll.. send it to you all by E-mail.” ‘If he can even still use a computer..’ he mused to himself.
Miss Starsparkle seemed quite unhappy with this whole thing but accepted there was not much more to talk about. She left soon after wishing John well with his new life. “If a job does open up you’ll be first on the list okay?” She smiled. “don’t you fret, it takes time to get used to it. I think you look great.”
“Thanks really. Oh and- sorry boss,” John smiled. “I know I was stupid. I um… I was really stupid.”
“It’s fine.” Anthony replied. “We do what we got to do… So uh- what did your girlfriend turn into?”
“Oh.. well she’s a ‘kind of’ bird changed too. Except um.. well it’s hard to describe. She’s a bit like a centaur only… bird? That’s how the two for one thing works. Two people get similar changes and hopefully… though she’s taking it a lot worse than I am. She’s in therapy.”
“... uh- right. Well- good to know. Take care.” He passed the documents over and shook his head.
Finally he was alone… Anthony did not enjoy that one bit. He looked out the window in the comfort of his office, debating what to do. He would have to hire another person of course. Ever since the business had merged with a few others they were slowly working towards becoming a larger… more formidable cooperation. Anthony himself started this business about ten years ago and since then, everything has gone absolutely ‘right’. It was fortunate that all the stars aligned and he was eternally grateful.
His company started as just a normal builders and repair type, fixing roofs, windows, floors… but it did merge with another company which specialised in making new builds for the change, that being owned by Star-sparkle. He wasn’t too sure about such a company to join with but… it made sense. Then came others who were good with plumbing, pipework, and they were soon becoming a ‘make anything’ company.
He wasn’t quite at the stage where he could say he was a Multi-national company as yet but… Anthony was close. So very close. He could feel the markets looking at the superb growth of their profits and business. He just had to secure a further loan now from the banks and they could push towards expanding into another country…
“Mr Douglas?” A voice knocked on his door.
“Ah- Alex, come in.” He smiled. “Sorry I had to hold you up… had to deal with something.”
This was his other major Partnership. Alex Perkins… who lead the accounting, legal and financial aspects of the company they had built. He was one of the most dependable people he had ever me and together they worked well. . He was a tall man, dressed very finally. A tie and shirt, with formal trousers. “hm.. was that a harpy I saw in here?” He asked curiously. “That’s an insurance violation is it not?”
“Yes- I made that clear to him, he’s no longer working here. I am sorry to see him go though,” Anthony mused. “He did good work.”
Alex nodded. “Indeed. Well, life goes on.” He sat down placing some paperwork on Anthony’s desk with a soft excited grin. “I believe we are at a position where we can start to float on the exchange.”
“…really?” Anthony gulped. “I mean- isn’t that too soon? If it goes wrong-“
“I have calculated the risk to be quite minimal. We have sufficient assets, it is just our capital that is below expectations… unnecessary expenses, wages a little too high for some… and rather generous leaving packages I am sorry to say.” He shook his head. “Anthony, you have done well in your business up to now… but now you are about to go into another league… you will be playing with the big boys. The big leagues.” Alex reminded cautiously. “I have a lot of experience with this stage of a business.. and many of them fail not because they were too cautious or too bold.. but because they became ‘passionate’ in the wrong way. What does your passion take you? It could take you to ruin…”
Anthony looked blankly at that. “This business is my passion… I have built it up with good people… and I only ever hired the best… those who I knew would do the work and never hold us back.”
“Indeed… I have noticed that as well… it is commendable.” He leaned forward. “Your association with uh.. what’s her name…”
“Star-sparkle.”
“…yes.” Alex groaned. “Strange name. Anyway, I have calculated that most of the debts are on her side. It would not be difficult for your company and hers to part ways. In fact it will increase your own standing greatly. We can be rid of her at minimal cost.”
Anthony blinked. She had been causing an awful lot of trouble… and now she was making it so awkward to make his own workforce ‘the best’… he didn’t want to settle for anyone second best. “…and the financial ramifications?”
“According to the contracts, minimal. We simply part ways and pay the initial fee. Then with some clever tax loops we recoup those losses forcing her to pay them into our accounts. Without our support the odds are high that her company will drown in debt and end up like so many others of the changed. They can not compete with humans… never have, never will.” Alex nodded as the numbers all sang he future on his sheet of paper. It almost delighted him to see such a shift in the balance of money and power.
Anthony looked at him. He didn’t understand it all but Alex was an expert. That was why he hired him and if he said it was true… then it was very likely to be so. However Alex didn’t understand politics. “I can see what you are saying but… It’s… probably not the right time,” Anthony thought. “I just had to fire someone for becoming a changed. She’s going to think the absolute worst of me. She will think I have something against her- them- personally.” He rubbed his hands as he looked at the value of money to be made… it was jaw dropping.
Alex tapped his pen on his lips. “…is she honestly going to think any better of you if you retain her company? Honestly, what does it even matter what she thinks? Your company is in the stronger position playing the cards. Power is a funny thing… if you do not use it, you will lose it. The opportunity to float in the exchange will make us rich… people will buy… but they will be cautious of your partnerships… it makes sense to cut the fat… unless you rather cut your employees pay of course.”
Anthony clenched his fists. He loathed to cut anyone’s pay… if it was that simple, cutting Star’s side of things or maintaining his own assets and employees salary… “Very well. I agree. Let’s… proceed with some caution however.”
“Oh, not to worry. I have already made a hit report on her company, exposing her debts… there will be sufficient reason to drop her, do not be concerned.”
Anthony paused at that. “… isn’t that a bit… well…”
“Simply the truth, exposed… at our time and convenience” Alex replied. “It is a good way to ensure people see business the way it is supposed to look, rather then the way it is.”
Anthony stared at the paperwork again. So this is what it took to climb up. It helped that he didn’t ‘like’ her that much but… not a lot. “Alright, but let’s proceed cautiously. I don’t want this to make our company look bad.”
“I will draw up the severance notice… and pay the fees we would be due… do not be concerned. By this time next week, we will look like heroes making necessary sacrifices….” Alex nodded making a few notes. “It does takes us slightly to the red but only for a month. We will instantly bounce back far stronger, and approach the stock exchange with far less debts… we are going to become millionaires.”
Anthony smiled…
Yes, everything was indeed going well for him…
