Bab 5: Chapter 05: The office meets Seras
Michael, still bubbling with excitement from the prank he had planned, leaned in close to Seras and whispered, "Okay, Seras, I want you to hide in my office until I call for you. Trust me, it's going to be hilarious; we'll go based on the plan we made in the car." He grinned, practically bouncing on his feet. Seras, deciding to play along with Michael's idea of humor, nodded slightly and, in the blink of an eye, vanished from sight. Moving at a speed no one in the office could perceive, she slipped into Michael's office and hid, completely unnoticed by the staff as they went about their morning routine.
As Michael prepared to put his plan into action, Toby approached him, his expression a mix of concern and exasperation. "Michael, you shouldn't do anything crazy. The employees here are probably used to hearing about superhumans who can do minor things, but most people aren't prepared to find out that someone can destroy a city with a flick, much less that they're going to be sitting next to them in the break room."
Michael waved off Toby's concerns, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Relax, Toby. If you and Angela don't spoil the surprise, I'll do something for both of you. Angela, the Party Planning Committee will get a 20% increase in funds, and you, Toby, can do one of your boring HR meetings without me being there. Now shush up because it's showtime!"
Michael, practically vibrating with glee, made his way into the main office, where the day had started off normally enough. Pam was at her desk, flipping through some paperwork, while Dwight was meticulously organizing his beet sales records. Kevin was snacking on a candy bar, his eyes glued to his computer screen, and Meredith was, as usual, nursing a hangover with a bottle of something dubious hidden in her desk drawer.
The moment Michael appeared in the middle of the room, clapping his hands for attention, the office fell into a confused silence. "Everyone, conference room! Now!" he announced, his tone uncharacteristically urgent.
Pam looked up, her brow furrowing in concern. "Is everything okay, Michael?"
"Oh, it's more than okay, Pam," Michael said with a mischievous smile. "In fact, it's about to get legendary. So, come on, everyone—let's go!" He was almost bouncing on his feet, his energy infectious, even if slightly worrisome.
Dwight, ever loyal and ever suspicious, immediately grabbed a notepad and followed Michael, his curiosity piqued. "Is this a new training exercise, Michael? Do I need to prepare the staff for a tactical drill?"
Michael waved him off. "Just get in there, Dwight. Trust me, you're going to love this."
The rest of the office slowly filed into the conference room, exchanging puzzled glances. Kelly was the last to drag herself in, still mid-conversation with Ryan about the latest gossip she'd heard on the phone.
"What do you think this is about?" Phyllis whispered to Stanley, who responded with a disinterested grunt.
"Probably just another one of Michael's 'motivational speeches,'" Stanley replied, clearly unenthused.
Once everyone was seated, Michael positioned himself at the front of the room, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked over his employees. The tension in the room was palpable; no one knew what to expect, and that was exactly how Michael liked it.
"Okay, everybody," Michael began, his voice dripping with theatrical flair, "I've been thinking a lot lately about the direction this company is headed. And after much consideration, I've decided it's time for a little... downsizing."
The room collectively stiffened. Downsizing was a word that sent shivers down the spine of every office worker, especially coming from Michael. Pam's eyes widened, and she exchanged a nervous glance with Jim's empty chair. Kevin stopped mid-chew, his face paling, while Stanley's expression shifted from indifferent to mildly alarmed.
Dwight, however, leaned forward eagerly. "Downsizing, Michael? I fully support any decisions you make to improve efficiency. Should I start drafting termination notices?"
Michael let out a short, sinister laugh, reveling in the growing discomfort around him. "Not that kind of downsizing, Dwight. I'm talking about something much more... permanent."
Toby, who had been quietly observing from the back of the room, felt a knot of anxiety tighten in his chest. He could already tell that Michael's prank would not go over well. "Michael, maybe you should clarify what you mean before people start to panic."
Ignoring Toby, Michael turned to the projector, clicking a button on the remote he held in his hand. "Let me show you all what I'm talking about." The screen behind him flickered to life, and a grainy video began to play.
The footage started with an aerial shot of a barren, snow-covered landscape—an isolated section of the Arctic. The camera panned across the desolate terrain before zooming in on a large, perfectly circular crater, its edges smooth and precise. The scene shifted to a figure standing alone in the center of the vast wasteland, the wind whipping around her as she calmly raised her fist.
"What the hell is this?" Stanley muttered, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
The camera zoomed in further, capturing the moment as Seras, looking young but impossibly powerful, brought her fist down with unimaginable force. The resulting shockwave obliterated everything in its path, creating a massive crater that stretched for miles.
Pam gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Kevin dropped his candy bar, his eyes widening in terror. Even Creed, who usually remained unfazed by the strangest of things, leaned forward in his chair, a rare look of surprise on his face.
"What is this, Michael?" Angela demanded, her voice trembling slightly, though she tried to maintain her composure.
Michael paused the video, letting the image of the devastation linger on the screen. He turned back to his employees, his face serious but his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my secret weapon. Seras, you can come in now."
There was a brief moment of silence, followed by the sound of Kevin's chair scraping against the floor as he stood up, clearly preparing to make a run for it. But before he could even take a step, the air in the room seemed to shift. Seras released a small fraction of her aura, and suddenly, it was as if time had stopped.
The gravity in the room increased, pressing down on everyone with an invisible force that left them unable to move. Pam's hand, still covering her mouth, was frozen in place. Kevin, mid-step, found himself rooted to the spot. Even Dwight, who prided himself on his resistance to fear, felt the overwhelming pressure and realized he couldn't even lift a finger. He had met Seras the day before, but she had never seemed this terrifying.
Michael, oblivious to the sheer terror that had gripped his employees, continued to laugh, thoroughly enjoying his prank. "See, isn't this great? Downsizing! Get it?"
Toby, Angela, and Dwight, who had been briefed on Seras's capabilities, were still uneasy despite knowing she wasn't going to harm anyone. But the sheer power radiating from her was enough to make even the most rational mind question its safety.
Suddenly, Stanley, who had been sitting silently but with growing discomfort, gasped loudly. His hand clutched at his chest, his face contorting in pain. It only took a second for everyone to realize what was happening—Stanley was having a heart attack.
Michael's laughter faltered as he noticed the look on Stanley's face, but he didn't fully comprehend the seriousness of the situation. "Stanley, come on, man! It's just a joke!"
Seras, however, recognized the signs instantly. In a flash, she ended the joke and moved to Stanley's side, her aura retracting as she took immediate action. Her hands glowed faintly as she placed them on Stanley's chest, and within a second, the color returned to his face, the pain receding as quickly as it had appeared.
Stanley blinked, his breathing slowly returning to normal. The others in the room, still frozen in shock, could only watch as Seras effortlessly brought him back from the brink.
Michael, still not fully grasping the gravity of what had just happened, chuckled nervously. "So, uh... can we get back to the joke now? Stanley's fine, right?"
Seras stood up, her expression serious as she turned to Michael. "Michael, this isn't something to joke about. What just happened was real. I'm sorry, everyone. Michael planned this since this morning, and when I asked him if anyone had any heart problems or issues that might flare up due to me releasing a minuscule amount of power, he assured me everyone was in perfect health."
The room was silent, the air thick with a mixture of shock and disbelief. Just moments ago, Michael had made it sound like Seras was going to kill them all, and in a way, she nearly had. And now, this same being had just saved Stanley's life as effortlessly as she had almost ended it.
Pam was the first to break the silence, her voice shaky. "So... you're not going to, you know..."
Seras turned to her, her expression softening. "No. I'm not going to hurt anyone. Michael is my uncle, he helped get me out of a government facility, and I'm staying with him for a while. I'm actually going to be your new Accountant."
The others slowly began to relax, though the tension in the room was still palpable. Michael, now fully aware that his prank had gone horribly wrong, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Okay, maybe that was... a little too much," he admitted, glancing at Stanley. "Sorry, big guy."
Stanley, still regaining his composure, began to blow up at him. "Michael, of all your hair-brained schemes, why the hell did you think it was a good idea to show us a video of someone destroying an area the size of a country and think, oh, you know what would be funny, let's have them threaten to kill all of my employees."
The entire office got up and returned to their desks, leaving Michael, Seras, and Angela standing alone in the room.
"Seras," Angela began, her tone clipped but not unkind, "you'll be working at Oscar's old desk. Follow me."
Seras nodded and followed Angela to the back corner of the office, where Oscar's desk still had a few of his personal items scattered around. She sat down in the chair, adjusting herself to the new surroundings. Just as she was settling in, the door to the office swung open, and in walked Jan, looking as if she'd just sprinted from her car.
Her sharp eyes scanned the room, landing on Seras at the desk. With a deep breath, she turned to face the office. "Michael! Toby! Angela! I need to see you in the conference room. Now."
The three exchanged uneasy glances before following Jan into the room. As the door closed behind them, the atmosphere in the office remained thick with tension. Kevin, sitting at the adjacent desk, was still visibly trembling, his eyes darting nervously toward Seras, who was now calmly typing on her computer.
Inside the conference room, Jan wasted no time. "Toby, Angela, I need a full rundown of what exactly has happened here today."
Toby, ever the reluctant bearer of bad news, began, "Well, Jan... Michael, uh, decided to introduce Seras to the office in his... own way. He showed them a video of her capabilities, which led to a bit of panic. Stanley had a—"
"Stanley had a heart attack," Jan cut him off, her voice sharp with concern.
"No, not exactly," Toby continued, trying to remain calm. "It was more of a scare. But Seras immediately helped him, and he's fine now."
Jan's eyes narrowed as she turned to Angela. "And you? What's your take on this?"
Angela pursed her lips, clearly unhappy with how the day had gone, but she couldn't deny the truth. "Seras... she's competent. Exceptionally so, in fact. There's no question she can handle the job. But the way Michael introduced her to the team was completely reckless."
Jan sighed, rubbing her temples as she tried to process everything. "Okay. I'm not happy about this, but if you both vouch for her competence, we'll proceed. But Michael," she turned to him with a glare, "no more pranks. Do you understand? She is not a toy for you to use to scare people."
Michael, looking chastened, nodded quickly. "Understood, Jan. No more pranks."
Back in the main office, Kevin was still frozen in his chair, staring at Seras with wide eyes. Sensing his fear, Seras looked over at him, her expression softening.
"Hey, Kevin," she said gently, "where's the vending machine?"
Kevin gulped, his voice shaky as he answered, "It's in the break room."
Before he could even blink, Seras vanished from her chair. A few seconds later, she reappeared, holding a handful of candy bars. She held one out to Kevin with a friendly smile. "Here, want one?"
Kevin stared at the candy bar, then at Seras, before slowly reaching out to take it. The moment he did, his fear seemed to melt away, replaced by the comfort of chocolate and a new, surprising warmth toward the girl sitting next to him.
"Thanks," Kevin said, the corners of his mouth lifting into a small smile.
"No problem," Seras replied, happy to see him relax.
She then made her way over to Phyllis and Stanley's desks, where she offered them some of the candy bars as well. Stanley, who had been carefully eyeing his crossword puzzle, accepted the treat with a nod of appreciation.
"Stanley," Seras said softly, "I'm really sorry about earlier. That wasn't supposed to happen."
Stanley, never one to mince words, looked up at her with a measured gaze. "Apology accepted," he grunted, though his tone was far from hostile. He started to unwrap the candy bar but stopped to frown at his crossword.
"What's the problem?" Seras asked, noticing his frustration.
Stanley sighed. "There's this one word I can't figure out. The clue is 'to grub up trees and bushes to make land arable.'"
Seras smiled. "Want a hint?"
Stanley nodded, looking somewhat skeptical.
"Think of it this way," Seras began, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "Michael plus Picasso."
Stanley furrowed his brow, rolling the words around in his mind. After a few moments, his eyes widened in realization, and he burst out laughing—a deep, hearty laugh that caught the attention of everyone in the office.
Stanley in a talking head interview with the cameras still chuckling to himself. "You know, it's not good for your health to hold grudges against walking, talking weapons of mass destruction. Plus, she's a surprisingly good kid. The word was 'assart.' Michael's an ass, and Picasso is art."" He paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Just hope Michael doesn't turn her into a mini-Michael... God help us if she starts doing Kermit the Frog impressions while leveling cities." He shuddered at the thought before laughing again. "But yeah, she's alright."
Seras, having made amends with Stanley, approached Phyllis next, holding out a candy bar. "Want one?"
Phyllis smiled politely but shook her head. "Thank you, Seras, but I'm cutting down on candy. Trying to get in shape for my wedding."
Seras nodded understandingly. "Makes sense. How about this because I can't give you a treat now, I could teach you some recipes and help you cook lunches that are good for people trying to stay healthy, but still taste like something you shouldn't be having. Its something you have to pick up in the environment I grew up in..." Seras smirked before continuing, "...these recipes are pretty much state secrets."
Phyllis's eyes lit up with interest. "That would be wonderful, Seras. I'd really appreciate it."
Seras smiled warmly. "Great. We'll start tomorrow. I'll bring some ingredients."
Phyllis nodded, looking genuinely pleased. "I'm looking forward to it."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
ShartRighter
ShartRighter I keep saying just one more, ill have her placate a few more people in the next chapter and then we can start main storylines.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone