Black Jinx

"Oh!" Blazer's eyes light up in recognition. "I'm so used to her being in the office, I forgot she was in here."

"Shouldn't be. Royd isn't - why's she in there with those hooligans?"

As the two talk amongst themselves, the new dispatcher reads through the file.

Her crimes were...some of the worst among the team.

Multiple counts of vandalism and involuntary manslaughter, though committed under physical duress and automatism.

He can only imagine the story behind that.

His attention is grabbed by Blazer as she addresses him.

"Look, you don't really need to take a look at that one. She's technically a part of the Phoenix Program, but-"

"She don't count! Woman's been passed between villains like a damn blunt! Lucky SDN grabbed her when we did."

"You're not wrong."

Robert couldn't help but notice admiration in her voice.

"You won't have to worry about that, though. You'll actually be seeing her quite often; she's the Office Manager."

Though he was told he didn't need to know, he wanted to know. Honestly, it'd be best to know if he's going to be seeing her a lot.

So, he opens up the other section of her file.

"Uh -- excuse me? What's with the spider, wasp thing?"

The heroine sighs, "It's why she's in the program. It's also why we try to keep her in the office. She turns into a kaiju when angry. SDN is able to control it using hypnotism...sort of. If it comes to it, just be confident!"

"So the Office Manager of a stressful cubicle job...is a woman who transforms into an uncontrollable monster when upset?"

You have to admit, when said aloud, it sounds like the stupidest decision they could have made.

"Hey, shut your mouth!"

Chase punches Robert's shoulder, causing the man to wince...not that it actually hurt.

"You're not gonna come in here and start causing trouble for my girl!"

"'Your girl'?" Robert chuckles, "Didn't realize you still had game at your age."

"Not like that, fucker! She's my new favorite kid, since you ghosted me."

Ouch.

He knows the way he meant it, so he's not too hurt.

But ouch.

"She doesn't know I'm Track Star neither, so keep that to yourself. And play nice, I want you two to get along."

Geez. How much did he like her that Chase would scold him like this?

His new boss interrupts their banter, getting them back on track.

"We're legally obligated to let new hires know about her powers and appearance, so I suppose this works out."

"I can't think of a lot of people with pink eyes, so I think I've got it down."

"And pearls."

"Pearls?"

"Lots of pearls; her choice."

"O-kay, then."

Sounds high maintenance, but alright.

The trio finishes up in the records room, Blazer splitting off and Chase showing Robert to his desk for his first shift.

...

Robert lies on the ground of the break room for a bit, watching as the man-bat walks off with his "twinks".

The punch wasn't the worst thing he's felt, but Invisigal put her all into that punch, and his body is still a bit weak.

"I know we just hired a new janitor, but I wouldn't say that makes the floors clean enough for a nap."

A woman in an SDN uniform enters his field of vision, a hand with a pearl bracelet reaching out to him.

Groaning, he accepts the help and gets himself off the floor.

"Thanks."

"Think nothing of it."

Taking in her appearance, he notices her pearl accessories and eyes.

"You're...Bridezilla, right?"

"You'd think they'd start introducing me by name," she sighs, but smiles nonetheless. "My name's Genevieve, but most people call me Jen. And you're the new dispatcher, Robert?"

"Seems like everyone knows I'm here."

The woman giggles, "Don't worry, you're not Mr. Popular. It's just my job to know."

"Oh? And what do you know about me?"

Blazer said everyone who knew he was Mecha Man were people who needed to know. He's not sure if an Office Manager would need to, but he figured he'd test the waters.

"Just that you've got some experience that makes you the best candidate to handle Z-Team, and Chase vouches that you're 'a good kid'."

As they spoke, she had sat him down in a chair and was rummaging through the cabinets.

He hadn't even noticed he was sitting until she returned holding something.

"Tissues?"

"You've got a nosebleed."

Touching his face, he feels something wet and pulls back his hand. Looking down...yup, that's blood.

"I'm fine, I'll just-"

"Sure you will."

She places a hand on his back, and he can't help but sit up straighter.

Gen maneuvers his body wordlessly, tilting his head forward and pinching his nose. Maybe he's just used to being manhandled by now, because he follows her silent instructions without complaint.

"Good boy. I think that'll stop the bleeding. But just in case," she hands him an unused tissue. "Use this if it acts up again."

"Thanks. Do you treat every new hire like this?"

"I don't see why I shouldn't care about ya."

Robert stands up and can't help but look her over.

Round face, dimples, shorter than he imagined (which accentuated certain features)...she seemed soft, but had an air of control too.

"You done checking me out?"

"Yeah, I think so. You're...different from what I imagined."

She raises a brow, silently encouraging him to continue.

"Heard about the pearls, and thought you'd be more stuck-up."

There's a pause before she erupts in laughter.

"No, no," she catches her breath. "I just think they're pretty. And compensation for my suffering."

"For your suffering?"

"Stick around long enough, maybe someone will tell you."

Gen heads to the exit of the break room, "I'll see you around, Robbie.

With a smile and a wave, she's gone.

Robert lingers in the room for a bit before finally getting back to the workday.