Life and Insurance
1076 Words
Maddie Thorn
The sunlit streets are accented horrifyingly as the cleaning bots pick up the bodies and scrub away the blood and evidence of the night before. The deceased will be cataloged by their DNA, and life insurance invoked by “loved ones” by the end of the day.
I sign the stress already coming back to me. “Are you in need of an assistant Miss Thorn?” A mechanical voice says next to me.
“Yes, can you call a cab for me?” I said, looking towards the human-like cleaning bot with glowing green eyes.
“Of course, Miss Thorn. There is one right around the corner. It will be here in a moment.”
“Thank you.”
“You are most welcome, Miss.” The human-like robot bows to me, sweeping his hand out as the self-driving car pulls up the door, sliding it open.
I step in the door closing as I wave to the robot. Of course, it doesn't wave back as the car drives out of the underground of the city. “Where to Miss Thorn?” A feminine maniacal voice in the car asks.
“Thorn Heights.”
“My information shows that the establishment is closed today, Miss Thorn. Do you still wish to go there?”
“Yes, I own it. Please transfer authority permission to my assistant.” I add by placing my hand on the center scanner of the car, it lights up purple rather than blue, reading my fingerprints.
“Good morning, Maddie, are you alright?” The soothing mechanical female voice I had specially commissioned asks.
“Yes, I am thankful to you for asking, Jane. Please take me to the office.”
“You have nothing on the schedule for today, Maddie. Why go into the office?” Jane asks, her compliance evident as the car turns heading towards my business.
“I’m sure I will by noon, Jane. There are people already being informed of their loved ones who didn’t make it through the night. I want to be prepared for the onslaught tomorrow. f**k, and I’ll need to see how many of my employees died.”
“I am showing three so far, Douglas, Maria, and Carter. All individuals were found under rubble from a bomb explosion in the center of town.”
“I wonder what they were doing there…?”
“Additional information is above your citizen clearance.”
“Very well, have their files ready for me when I get upstairs. I want to make sure I don’t have to do too much work with their successors if I don’t have to.”
“Of course, Maddie, we have arrived.”
“Thank you, Jane. We will discuss more upstairs.” I stepped out of the car and onto the freshly cleaned pavement stones.
The two-hundred-story building in front of me houses many financial businesses under my family name. I step across the shattered glass door that is still being swept up before a new door is brought in by the bots.
I step into the black and gold marble lobby, walking towards the security bot.
“Has the building been cleaned?” I asked, turning to watch the outside windows being washed as well, blood and matter splattered across them.
“Yes, Miss Thorn, the sweep and cleaning was complete as soon as the purge lifted.” His mechanical voice ensures.
“Thank you, I will be working on the top floor for the day. Please do not send anyone up. The employees have the day off.”
“Of course, Miss Thorn. Will you be ordering food?”
“Probably, but I’ll have Jane give you the details.”
“Of course, Miss, please do not work too hard.”
I chuckled at his program sentiment, hitting the elevator button and stepping inside, “Thank you, Jack, I will try not to.”
The doors close and I sign, leaning my head back against the mirrors, my body is so sore from last night…from my Dom. I wonder if he would- “NOPE! Stop that right now, Maddie!” I said, opening my eyes to stare down my reflection in the mirrors for a moment before my eyes glanced at the elevator. “f**k only on floor 100!” He made me scream and cuss…he made me c*m in front of everyone. He even marked me…
The elevator door dings thankfully pulling me from my thoughts. I step out into the grand ten-foot lobby, my grandfather’s famous quote displayed boldly on the back in gold and black lettering “Life is a set of choices, may your next be for the good of all.” -Howard Thorn
I rolled my eyes at the dead man’s quote, feeling cheeky and bratty after my first fun purge as I walked towards my corner office with a view of the canal. “Jane, could you make me some coffee?” I asked, sitting down at my desk and accessing my files with my fingerprints.
“Of course, Maddie. Which file would you like to go over first?”
“Let’s talk about Carter. He has the lowest access and only one successor. Confirm his records in a day or so. Give his family a few weeks to reach out, then we can dispense the funds when they are ready.”
“Of course, your coffee is ready, Maddie.”
“Thank you,” I stood walking over to the little stand on the wall and grabbing my favorite mug with a wooden cabin next to a stream printed on it. I took a tentative sip of the warm mocha before returning to my desk.
“Let’s do Maria next.”
“Miss Thorn, I’m sorry to interrupt but Jack is informing me you have a call. It seems a Dominic Crane wants to see and speak with you.”
“He is Douglas Crane’s heir. Damnit, where is he?”
“Downstairs, waiting in his car. Jack performed all the security checks.”
“Thank you, Jane. Has he already tried to tell him we are closed?”
“Yes, but Dominic is insisting he knows you are inside.”
“Of course, he does, he f*****g owns half the robotics in the city.”
“Fine, send him up but have Jack accompany him.”
“Of course, they are in the elevator.”
- Writer
