We, The Dreamers (Short Story Collection) Chapter 4: Story 4: Corporate Mercenary

Read chapter 4 of We, The Dreamers (Short Story Collection) by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Writing Prompt: Ever wanted to be an action writer, and lots of writing advice tells you to ‘write what you know’, but you’re just an ordinary corporate worker whose everyday life couldn’t be more boring? No? Well, I do. So, without further ado, here’s a one-shot about how things would probably turn out if experienced mercenaries behaved like office workers. Genre: Action/Satire/Slice of Life ~ ~ ~ It was a bright and sunny morning. Or so I wished. No. It was a stormy Monday morning, with thunderclouds darker than my mood and rain heavier than my eyelids. It was the perfect weather to sleep in. Or read a book. Or enjoy a cup of tea. Or do literally anything else that didn’t involve leaving the house. Yet here I was, commuting to work like every other day. The private van was a comfortable ride, if nothing else. It was basically a metal box on wheels, with darkened windows that shielded its occupants from the world and a dynamic suspension system which reduced virtually any engine rumblings. Thankfully, I was the last person scheduled to arrive for the mission, so I had the entire vehicle to myself. It was better that way; I was in no mood to speak to anyone today. Or any other day, in fact. Work wouldn’t be the place where one would find me in the most pleasant of moods. I checked my watch and groaned; it was barely nine in the morning. And here I was, already planning what to have for lunch. Thunder cracked as the van cruised to a stop. My tactical boots sent a small puddle splashing onto the leather seats as I took a step out of the vehicle. The boringly normal office building ahead of me looked like all the others around, other than the fact that its roof was on fire. I sighed as the van drove off. Time to get to work. A barely audible whirring caught my ears despite the muted clatter of gunfire on the other end of the steel doors as I attached the standard-issue decryption device to the highly secure lock. The circular decryptor flashed yellow a few times before turning a bright green. I pushed open the doors and strolled into Nova Incorporated’s Headquarters. “Morning, Dave,” I greeted the man crouching behind a cabinet as the sound of gunfire multiplied at least tenfold. “Morning, Carol. How was your weekend?” Dave was dressed in the exact same dark tactical uniform as I was, and his assault rifle was slung loosely by his side. There was an almost bored look on his face as the guards on the other end continued spraying bullets over our heads. “Same old, same old.” I leaned up against a support pillar beside him, checking my rifle to make sure it was fully loaded. “Family day with the kids. My husband drove us to the theme park.” “Again?” I peeked from my cover, catching a glimpse of the enemy. No less than fifty guards were tearing up the entire main hall with heavy cover fire. They sure were an enthusiastic lot. It was almost as though they were lining up to die. “Yeah.” I shrugged, pulling a fragmentation grenade from my collar pocket and tossing it over my head. “The kids never seem to get bored of it.” A deafening explosion tore through the entire hall, sending tremors through the entire building. The gunfire stopped. Dave stood up and moved from his cover, aiming his weapon forward. “Eh, they’ll grow out of it someday.” “Some day, huh? That day had better come soon. Being a working mom sucks ,” I sighed wistfully, following close behind. “Man, these corpses are everywhere. What a crappy Monday to start our week.” “Doesn’t seem that different from any other Monday.” My colleague pulled out an electronic wrench and began prying open the next set of doors. A message flashed across my visor. I glanced at it before letting out a clearly audible groan of exasperation. “Client rushing you again?” Dave asked without turning back. “Man, they really have got no patience.” “Nah, it’s my Head of Department.” The doors opened with a soft hiss, and a complicated array of moving lasers greeted us warmly. “Just another one of those