IOM- Chekov's Gun.

"Alright, Sally is it? Let me just scan your card please, then we'll let you on through."
The women nodded and gave the security guard a shy smile. Her eyes, which were covered by black frames, never left the floor. The guard could not help but steal a couple of glances her way while he scanned her card. He was somewhat fascinated by her inherent likability. She seemed to be slightly awkward, fidgeting with her hands and slightly bouncing on her heels, nibbling her bottom lip as she looked around uncomfortably. She came off as one of those quirky brainiacs who wouldn't hurt a fly but wouldn't know how to talk to one either. He smiled to himself as he looked away, about to push the button to let her on through when the screen in front of him flashed red. Her I.D. card had been denied.
"Hmm."
The guard flipped the card between his fingers, glancing briefly at the information. Sally Cahill, Clearance level B, Administrative. Nothing out of the ordinary, although it was an unusually high clearance level for someone just starting out. He wouldn't use the term 'paranoid' but the facility tended to cater to those who had established trust with the company. All completely understandable on their end of course. Maybe she had ties with a different branch of the company; she looked smart enough to have been employed for a couple of years previously.
The women looked up at him, blinking absentmindedly before asking in a soft casual voice, "Is there anything wrong?"
The guard looked at the card again before holding it up for her to see.
"It appears your I.D. card didn't go through with the system…." He replied. Catching the flush of her cheeks and the way her face contorted into despair, he quickly added," But don't worry. If you're new, I suppose the system just hasn't updated yet or something."
Her hand forcibly shook as she pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose, her cheeks still pink with embarrassment. She could barely contain the quiver in her voice, "I-I'm not going to be late am I?"
Suddenly her eyes widened, and her voice rose in panic, "Oh no, please, not on my first day." She wasn't talking to him in particular at this point, wringing her hands nervously as she continued," This is just great. Just perfect. Way to make a good first impression, Sally. God if I even still have the job after this It'll be a miracle."
The guard was a little taken aback by her sudden change from shy and awkward to visibly distraught. He supposed it all had to do with the heightened nerves of the First Day. He remembered those days almost fondly, how uncomfortable it was to walk into a brand new environment and new people. Without any established relationships, one could feel alone and isolated from everyone else. Something told him this woman was probably all too aware of this and was understandably scared.
He couldn't help but chuckle at how much he indentified with this poor girl. She gave him a curious look before he quickly reassured her, "Ah, sorry. It's just, you remind me of me on my First Day. I didn't have any problems with my card, but I kept setting off the metal detector before I realized I had a spare key in my back pocket. Jesus, the guy looked like he was ready to rip my head off. Probably thought I was concealing something dangerous and was getting all worked up." He chuckled again, and the women forced a small shaky smile.
"Listen, I'll just punch you through kiddo. Lord knows you'll probably have bigger things to worry about today." He smiled brightly at her as he handed the card back, ushering her through the gate.
She fumbled with the card in her hands and nodded appreciatively, flashing him a warm smile as she walked through.
"Thank you so much, you don't know how much you saved me just now."
He couldn't help but swell proudly at this. The thought of making her day pushed him on.
"No problem, you have a good day now, you hear? Our first days always start off on the wrong foot, but they always get better. You'll see."
She nodded again and waved merrily at him, "I will! Thanks again!"
The guard looked like he was about to say something else, but the women walked on. It wasn't until she was successfully out of view that she let her smile drop. Her eyes lost their sparkle, replaced by a new determination. Her whole body relaxed, swaying as she moved, losing the uptight awkwardness of before. The first move had been played, and Ada already grew weary. She was tired of the game, no longer finding amusement in the way she was able to mold people's behavior to benefit the outcome. Now all she was left with was an uncomfortable feeling that she was only starting to get used to.

What's this Ada, concerned for the poor fellow? Sure, he appeared to be decent enough, but decent people would never find themselves involved with all of this. Just hope for the poor bastard’s sake he wizes up and gets himself off this godforsaken island before it’s too late.
Maybe I wouldn't feel so bad about playing him if my I.D. card didn't nearly blow my cover.

She would deal with the operative responsible for that little screw up later. She was all for playing the innocent naïve girl, but she always hated having to take it up a notch to full on 'incompetently unaware' and thus helpless. If there was one thing about Ada that always remained consistent, it was her unshakeable pride. And having to cover up for someone else's mistakes never sat well with her either.

...
INCOMPLETE

((2009))