Glitch in the Collective Conciousness: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I might have underestimated just how brutal Kanon's exam was as I stared at the number of applicants who barely got past the half mark point. "Just a handful huh?" I whispered to myself as I pulled out the files of those that reached that point. Tossing the rest for my drones to shred and dispose of, I considered my options.

I expected a lot of applicants dropping out, but not by this match. Then again, I did post the job posting anonymously which might have contributed to the applicant's performance. "It definitely made my job easier though," I shrugged before turning my attention to the remaining resume.

With their numbers decimated, it was now only a matter of picking out which one would become my secretary. Glancing at their resumes and seeing the prestigious schools of some as well as the impressive grades of the others, each one of these applicants could easily fill in the role. They have the qualification, backgrounds and skill, but the question was if they would be a great fit. They were going to be my right hand woman after all. I needed to know if I could trust them.

"Well, there was only one way to find out," I whispered as I turned to my drone and commanded them, "Call in these applicants and send the rest home." It was now time to pick my secretary.

-x-x-x-

Given their qualifications, I decided that I was going to hire most of them. It would be a waste to let them go when I was starting out from scratch. Might as well recruit them to fill in the other roles in the office while I was at it. I had big plans for Tau Technology and a robust support staff would be essential for keeping my operations running smoothly.

This still left me in quite the dilemma. Since they were all equally competent in my eyes, how was I going to pick the person that would become my right hand woman? For that, I had a simple question. "If you were my secretary, which of the other candidates would you consider for another role," I asked, offering each candidate the chance to form their staff from the list of candidates.

It was a simple question, but one that would decide their fate. When I sent out the job listing, it wasn't just limited to Britannians. I opened it all for all candidates, even for the numbers and foreign migrants. Why the hell should I exclude more than half of the population of the empire?

If my secretary would be racist to the rest of my future employees, there will be problems. They were going to be at the heart of the operations. While I held ultimate power on decisions, it would be up to my secretary to coordinate everything and to have them as the main source of friction would be a disaster.

Unfortunately, I might have underestimated just how racist Britannians could be as I stared at the list of resumes returned to me for their plans and the rather glaring lack of numbers amongst the ranks. Glancing up at the pinkette, I asked, "Why did you exclude the following applicants?"

Jumping at the question and pulling her hands away from petting the drones, she apologized hastily, "I-I apologize for your highness, but while their records are impressive, it would be far too risky for your royal image if you were to associate with far too many Numbers." I blinked slowly as I stared at the girl.

Dororthy Grey, the lone daughter of the Duchess of Kansas. As the youngest of twelves siblings, she gives off the impression of being quite sheltered. She looked like a sweet and innocent girl, reminding me almost of Euphy if my sister was far reserved which made her reasoning all the more surprising. Amongst the Britannians, she was the only one that excluded all the numbers.

I wasn't even mad, just surprised that the dainty looking wallflower of a girl would be the one to reinforce the Brittannian obsession with purity. Sweating, the girl explained, "T-there's some nasty rumors amongst my aunt's- ! I mean the upper classes, that you have gone mad, and those are certainly not true!" Fiddling her thumb and glancing away, she continued, "S-so as much as I wanted to include some numbers, I-I can't. I merely want to protect your image, your highness."

As I sighed and reached up to massage my temples, she let out a whimper. No, she wasn't racist or most of the candidates as far as I've seen. They merely didn't want to go against the grain. The current Darwinian Philosophy was simply far too ingrained in the society and to go against it would be seen as lunacy.

"I hate this world so much," I whispered under my breath before looking back up. As the girl looked up to me in apprehension, I gave her a tired smile. "Thank you for your honesty Miss Grey," Gesturing at the door, I told her, "Please return to the lobby with the rest of the applicants while I process the rest of the applicants. I'll send some tea and snacks later."

"D-did I say something wrong, your highness?" the girl asked as she paled and stammered. Just looking at her made me feel like I just kicked a puppy.

"No," I replied, grimacing as I glanced away, "You just gave me a lot to think about." Was asking them that question might have been a mistake. Did people here really hate each other so much that being associated with them was a toxic trait?

With teary eyes, she nodded, "My apologies." Getting up on shaky legs, she suddenly bolted out of the door, catching me by surprise.

"Miss Grey-!" I called out, but she was already back in the lobby, sobbing openly as the other girls went to comfort her. "Damn it all," I whispered, slumping back on my seat. Despite her rather conservative reasoning, she sounded like a well meaning girl. It was just fucked up that the values of Britannia was just that twisted.

Glancing at the list of the Numbers and one European amongst the list, maybe I could just simply double down. What if I just hired a number, consequence be damned. If my image was already that bad, then could it fall any lower? They should be more open with hiring, right?

-x-x-x-

Unfortunately, not even the Numbers were immune to prejudice. It ran deep, permeating every inch of the society. While the Britannians were more than happy to reduce the Numbers to a minimum, the Number on the other hand wanted to reduce their interaction with the Britannian. There was animosity from both sides.

Such was the case as I stared down at the list of candidates given back to me and the rather pointed lack of Britannian Nobility amongst them. There were only two of them, but it was rather odd that both of them were removed from the list.

"Is there a reason why most of the candidates you chose were numbers, Miss Singh?" I asked curiously as I gazed up at the dark skinned woman. Anika Singh, the daughter of immigrants from the Military Districts of India. Sharply dressed and well groomed, she wouldn't have been out of place in a fashion magazine.

Even her grades were immaculate, having graduated top of her batch from one of the Ivy League Schools in Business Management. She should be perfect, but her pick of candidates left me a bit apprehensive. Smiling, the woman replied, "May I be frank, your highness?"

Gesturing for her to continue, she nodded. "It's because your highness only deserved the best," she replied without missing a beat as she started to explain, "Despite their background, these girls managed to get into these prestigious academies and stood head and shoulders above their peers."

"And how about these two?" I asked, pointing out their records. They were not as good as the rest, but they did study in prestigious schools. Not only that, but their extracurricular activities were quite impressive. They were well traveled and well connected.

It was small and brief, but I saw the ghost of a frown on her lips, before she replied, "While their records are impressive, the rest didn't have to rely on connection to achieve what they have." Ah, that explains a lot. She wasn't racist, she just didn't like their privilege.

"These girls would be willing to show their all if you just give them the chance," She told me as her cold eyes glinted with a bit of hope. "Please, consider them." She asked.

Breathing in deeply, I sank back into my seat as I considered her words. "I'll think about it," I replied before gesturing at the door. "Meanwhile, why don't you join the rest of the applicants over at the lobby?"

"Of course," She nodded as she slowly sat up from her seat, her eyes dejected. She was eager and competent looking, but I wasn't sure she would be the best fit. Still, her words had merit. These applicants would give it their all if I give them a chance.

"I'm having some tea and cakes served in just a few minutes," I told her just as she opened the door. "Do you have a particular blend you prefer?" I asked.

"My apologies, your highness, but I prefer coffee," She replied before her eyes caught the sight of the distraught Miss Grey who I had a Drone attend to. "But… a cup or two of Chamomile sounds like a good idea."

Smiling, I nodded back, "I'll send some over,"

As the door closed behind her, I slumped against my desk. "Thank god for small mercies," I whispered as a drone flew back, carrying a pot of tea over. "There is hope," I thanked the Collective Consciousness as the drone poured me a cup.

Taking a sip from the relaxing brew and savoring the floral scent of jasmine, I turned my attention to the name of the last candidate; Moirine Rembran. Amongst all the candidates, only one European was amongst the bunch. She wasn't really an immigrant, as she still retained her European citizenship, but she does have a working visa.

It wasn't Britannia allowing her work status in the mainland that surprised me however, but it was her parents instead. "The daughter of the European Vice President working in Britannia." I said out loud, chuckling at the absurdity of it all. "This interview certainly got a whole lot more interesting."

While Europe and Britannia were hostile to one another, the war between the two was fought between Euro Britannia, the noble remnants of the old world, and the United Republic of Europia. At best, our two nations were in proxy war with each other. Technically, there was nothing wrong with her moving over to Britannia, but it was quite the move. Now curious, I called for her, "Send her in."

-x-x-x-

Staring at the tiny silver haired girl before me, I found myself more and more intrigued. "So, Miss Rembran," I said as I gave her resume a second run over. "I have to say, I'm surprised you applied for such a job posting given your background," I told her honestly. It was not everyday that you get the daughter of a hostile power applying to your company.

"I hope that my heritage wouldn't detract from my accomplishment, your highness," She replied, her voice holding a dangerous edge as she stared back at me.

"Oh no, nothing like that," I replied, impressed by the girl's spirit. She was certainly not one to back down and take insults lightly. Laying down her resume, I admitted, "I'm just surprised you didn't apply for one of the bigger companies in the area such as Standard Oil."

Her grades were impeccable, her records spotless, even her pedigree by Britannian standards were top notch. She should have been snatched up the moment she got here. "Any company would be lucky to have you as an employee," I told her as she gave me a curious look.

Curious at her choice for applying to an unknown company of all things, I asked her, "Is there a reason why you chose this job listing?" Given the context clues, my company wasn't exactly part of the common rabble, but compared to others, it might as well be.

"Honestly, your highness?" Miorine replied as a frown graced her brow. "I tried, but I was rejected," She admitted, grimacing as she looked away. She looked peeved, almost angry even, but there was just a hint of relief in her eyes.

"Oh?" I replied, curious at why.

"Oh please don't play coy your highness, we both know that prejudice was involved," She scoffed as she leaned back on her seat. "Despite how humiliating it is to be treated as secondary at best, I find this refreshing," She replied as a wry smile stretched across her lips before she told me, "At least now I could say my achievements are my own."

So it was independence, from the legacy of her family and their influence, that she seeked. "You certainly went far away from home just to achieve that," I pointed out as she gave her a playful shrug.

"It certainly is, but it's a price I'm willing to pay," She replied and I nodded back in respect. To go this far away from home takes guts. Either she finds life in Europia so suffocating that she's willing to relocate, or she had an independent streak a mile long. Either way, I had the chance to have her as an employee.

"Let's get back to the interview, shall we?" I cleared my throat, covering my mouth to hide my smile, as I shifted back to the reason why we were here in the first place. "Now, I'm only going to ask you one question and this would determine if I'll hire you as my secretary or not," I told her as I handed her the resume of the rest of the applicants, "If you were my secretary, which of the other candidates would you consider for another role?"

Without question, the girl took the resume and reviewed them. She took her time, reviewing each one, shifting their order before she nodded. Returning the files, she told me, "All of them."

I could feel my brow rise as I gaze back at her. "I've seen quite a number of combinations of candidates, but never have I had someone suggest all of them," I replied. I had a few Brittanians and some numbers which I was going to cut off for various reasons as well, but not cut off a single one? Now that require

"Am I wrong in choosing them?" She asked as she stood her ground. "They are all qualified for certain roles in the company and it would be a shame to lose any of them to potential competitors," She reasoned.

Nodding, I countered, "Even if most of them are prejudiced against one another?" It was these same prejudices that got her rejected in other companies and it would be one that she would deal with if she were to become my secretary. "Some of them were quite against me associating with Numbers, much less someone foreign," I pointed out.

She frowned as she looked down and rested her chin against her fist. "I have half the mind to have you shred their resume right now as I believe they would be detrimental for the company's future as I will be hiring Numbers and other nationalities," I shared to her as I gestured for the drones to come. "The Friction between my employees would be too much," I reasoned.

It was the nature of things inside Britannia. Both sides hate the other in one way or another. While it could be overt, coming in the conservative factions inside the government. Dealing with such conflict early on would be too much of a headache, one that I wasn't sure I was equipped to handle.

She let out a heavy sigh as she relented, "I can see your point." However, there was still some fight in here as she looked up and argued, "But while I respect your decision, I would advise against such actions for the following reasons."

As I frowned and listened closely, she explained, "Each one of these girls have strengths that could help the company." Picking one of the candidates I was planning to let go, she started, "Take Miss Grey for example."

Opening her files, she admitted, "While she might come off as highly emotional, she possesses a background few could match." Pointing at the girl's background, she continued, "Not only does she come from a prestigious private academy, but her extracurricular shows she is quite well connected"

"She had traveled all over the Empire for various charities and I haven't touched on her membership to a prestigious sorority," She explained before reasoning, "She has a hand on the pulse of Nobility, one we could take advantage of if we have it directed in cultivating the companies image."

"You do make a great point," I admitted, frowning as I haven't considered such an angle for the girl. Yes, the girl might break under the expectations of her as she already did after what I can only assume was her perceived failure on her end, but this girl made me realize that she can be useful.

"And then we have Miss Singh over her with her impressive GPA and her background in one of the premier business schools in Britannia," Moirne pivoted as she brought up another of the more problematic candidates. I was on the fence about her, though leaning on having her hired, but now I was interested in what this girl had to say.

"She can come off as rather cold and overconfident, but it's for good reasons," She explained. "She takes pride in her ability and expects the same of everyone around her. While caustic for any department that would require communication and management, she would be amazing in a department like finance."

"While they might have their faults, each of them has a chance to grow out of it," She concluded as she gazed out to the hall. While there was some apprehension in the group, they were talking and interacting with each other without hostility. Even Miss Grey had cheered up as she talked animatedly with Miss Singh. "They're still young and inexperienced but I'm willing to give them the chance to show me what they could do," She said as she turned back to me and asked, "Will you give them all a chance?"

Slowly, a smile stretched across my lips before I replied, "You certainly convinced me well enough, Miss Secretary." Extending my hands to her, I added, "That is if you're still willing to entertain a fool like me."

The girl snorted as she smiled back before accepting my hands. "It's Moirine, your highness," She replied as shook my hands.

Pulling away, I told her, "Then you better call me Ozzy because I'm getting sick and tired of getting called your highness." I could only get called your highness so many times before the words lost all meaning. It really was such a gaudy title. "I would prefer if things were less formal in the office," I told her.

"You are royalty after all," The girl scolded half-heartedly. "I thought you would be already used to it, your Hi-! Ozzy." She replied, before nodding, "But I'll try to keep that in mind."

Stroking my beard, I half jested, "Your Ozzyness does have a ring to it." It would certainly be far more entertaining as well.

"And they say your madness was just rumors," She rolled her eyes as she smiled before glancing out the window. "I think we should tell them about your plan. It would be best while they're still here," She said.

"As your first official act as my secretary, I want you to organize the applicants for my office," I commanded her. "Tau Technologies might just be starting out, but we will need all the help we could get moving forward," I told her.

Today, the Business World. Tomorrow, the whole world. I will not only have the most advanced technologies in the world, but I will have the industrial might to do so on my own. No need to rely on the Empire when I could just build my own. "Charles you son of a bitch, I'll make sure you die before you can complete your insane plan and that goes to you as well, Lelouch you revenge driven asshole," I told myself.

"Of course, though I just have to ask one thing, your highness" She asked, making me quirk my brow.

"What is it?" I replied, reaching for my half forgotten cup of tea and taking a sip. I wonder if she was just as curious as Miss Grey was to my Drones.

"Did you exclusively hire all females just to have eye candy?" She asked pointedly, making me cough out as I choked on my drink. "You know we could get hit with a lawsuit," She deadpanned as she stared at me while I wiped my lips. Groaning, she sighed out, "Of course you did." I had my weakness. Can I not have eye candy?

"Don't worry though, I understand," She replied as she massaged her temples. "But please do keep your hands to yourself or I will have some choice words," She warned as a plastic smile stretched across her lips.

Not wanting to test the woman's patience, I saluted back, "Yes ma'am." I had no illusions that she would not make good of her unspoken promise of pain and violence.

"Good," She nodded before getting up. "Now stay here while I gather your future employees." She replied before shutting the door behind her, hard. Was it already too late to change my choice to Miss Grey or maybe even Miss Singh? Moirine, she scares me… but she's definitely cute in the bossy angry way.

"Damn it Oz, don't think with your dick," I scolded myself, but it seemed that it was one reminder that I never got to follow.

A/N:

Finally got this chapter out. It fought with me a bit, but I finished it and I feel satisfied. It's been a year since I last posted for this fic and boy was it a walk down memory lane. I've already been writing for more than a year huh?

Oh yeah, the face claim of each introduced character here is Fluttershy from MLP for Dorothy Grey, Geeta from Sword and Shield for Anika Sing and Moirine Rembran from Witch From Mercury for....well, Moirine. You get the idea :V