ACME Elevators

Katherine Christianson walked warily through the hollow halls. The office building she'd entered looked for the life of her as if it'd been abandoned years ago. What furniture had been left in the passing offices were empty and covered with a good inch of dust. But the front door *had* been left unlocked, she stubbornly thought to herself.

Vainly trying to suppress the shivers that danced along her spine, she checked the now worn scrap piece of paper in her hand. It *was* the right address. She'd checked it several times out front already. This sure is an odd place for a job interview. As if on cue all the warnings her mom had ever given her about the *evils* of the world came rushing back.

"Oh monkeys!" Katherine exclaimed, a little startled as her voice echoed back to her. Then grumbled, a little more quietly, "Who would want to be an ACME consultant anyway?"

Katherine remembered when she'd first found the ad. At first glance it looked more like a joke than an ad, but something had drawn her attention. With sigh she turned back towards the front door. Looks like she was never going to find out what it was, now.

A whisper of voices rose from down the hallway. Katherine spun about, and edgily called out, "H-hello?" There was no reply, and no more whispers, but by now her curiosity was peaked. That little flaw in her personality had gotten her in more trouble than she cared to admit to. As her sister would often reminded her, 'curiosity killed the cat!" And as Katherine would always reply, "yea, but the cat came back the very next day...the cat came back, thought he was a goner..." she hummed the tune softly under her breath as she carefully inched back down the hallway where the voices had come from.

Coming to an adjacent corridor, Katherine paused, her hairs standing up on ends in anticipation of what she'd find. You're being silly, she chastened herself and taking a deep breath moved on to find...yet another empty hallway. The dust on the floor wasn't disturbed, and as she wandered aimlessly down the carpeted pathway, her shoes were leaving an almost muddy trail it was so thick.

"Okay, so it wasn't voices I was hearing, it was something else," Katherine admitted to herself out loud, and yet not so surprised. She smiled and took a small breath of relief. "Something else, I can deal with," she grumbled to herself then checked her notes again. Now she was even more curious about this ad, and just where it came from. "Fourth floor, fifth door on the right." Katherine began looking for an elevator.

She was still a fair bit nervous when she did find one, and it didn't look to be in much better use than the rest of the building, yet when she hit the up arrow, the light *did* go on so there *was* power. The doors slid open removing a blanket of web as it did and obediently she stepped in, pressing the fourth floor button. Now, if she'd been thinking straight, she'd have realized taking an elevator in a building that hasn't been used for an extended amount of time, probably isn't the best of ideas...but honestly, she wasn't thinking.

The elevator began its ascent, and to her great surprise, it didn't travel straight up to the fourth floor, rather, instead, it stopped on the second floor. Katherine was even more surprised when as the doors opened a man in his thirties with thinning hair but soft features walked in, a stack of files clutched precariously in his hands as he fumbled for the button for basement level 2. He didn't even notice Katherine who, to put it plainly, couldn't stop staring.

She was more than surprised to simply see someone else there. "M-Mike?" She stumbled, feeling very much like she'd rather go into shock. Spooks she could handle, but...*actors?* He still didn't notice her and the elevator, instead of continuing up like any normal elevator would, began its decent down. Katherine didn't care and was wondering if this time she might succeed in getting an actor's autograph for once instead of ditsing out. "Mike McCafferty?" She asked again, this time a little louder.

At last the man noticed her and turning with a small frown replied, "I'm sorry, who?" But instead of giving her a chance to repeat it again, suddenly smiled, saying companionably, "Oh! You must be here for the job interview!" Then he frowned again, "I wonder why front desk didn't call it up. They should have called me." Katherine just stared at him. He sure *sounded* like Mike. The man was still grumbling to himself about not being informed, but with another timid smile said to her, "I'm sorry, how rude of me. I'm Eberts." He tried to give her a hand to shake, but almost lost his stack of files in the process, and giving up just smiled again.

"Eberts?" The word came out in a squeak.

"Um, yes..." 'Eberts was frowning again, but as timing would have it, they had arrived at basement level 2 and the doors were opening. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you soon. I do all the initial interviews." He stated professionally as he stepped out of the elevator. A woman with burgundy hair was stepping in.

"Oh good, Eberts, I need that research you have from the Tribune..." she trailed off giving the departing man a seductive smile.

Like a reflex his lips curled up and there was an odd glaze to his eyes, but he didn't answer her and said instead to Katherine, "You want the fourth floor. Fifth door on the right!" Then the doors shut.

Katherine had been gazing out the elevator door as it closed into a clean and obviously well used hall. Quite the contrast to the lobby floor. Now she turned wide eyes to the woman giving her a wary look with arms crossed. This was yet another familiar face. "Brandy?" Katherine asked weakly.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" The woman asked sternly, but despite how she said it, Katherine was beginning to think this wasn't Brandy, just like that hadn't been Mike.

"My name's Katherine," The young woman told her, then added when that apparently wasn't going to be enough, "Katherine Christianson." And added again, "I'm here for the job interview."

The woman's attitude changed completely. She smiled sweetly, her arms relaxing at her side and gave Katherine a warm smile. "That's great! Our last ACME specialist wasn't much of a specialist. He didn't last long." Then pushing the button for the third floor offered Katherine a hand in greeting. "I'm Agent Alex Monroe."

Katherine just numbly shook the woman's hand, then hesitantly asked, "What happened to him?"

"Um? Oh, something about an anvil, I think. But if I were you, I wouldn't bring it up in your interview." She told the young woman confidently.

"Okay." Katherine felt like her mind was running in circles now. What on earth was going on here? Eberts? Monroe? This was all some elaborate hoax right? She started looking around for the cameral that she was *positive* had to be *somewhere!*

The bell dinged and the doors to the elevator opened. Monroe smiled. "I'll catch you around. Good luck."

A balding, but very handsome middle aged man was running for the elevator. "Monroe! Have you seen Fawkes?" He asked quickly, but just as quickly added, "and the Fish wants to see you."

"Again?!" Monroe exclaimed exasperated, "I already gave him my answer!" she stated already moving down the hall.

"Well maybe if you learned to play with others...!" The man called after here, then abruptly noticed Katherine and turned on the charm. "Well, hello. New here? Name's Bobby Hobbes. If you need anything, a tour of the city, a dinner, walk along the beach, Bobby Hobbes in your man."

Katherine felt her cheeks flush, why weren't people like this in real life? She wondered, then wondered just when she made the transition to this fantasy world. Yet as she shook the man's hand, she couldn't help but feel the warmth and wondered again, this *isn't* real...*right?* "That's ah...that's really sweet." She lamely answered, unable to keep the dreamy gaze from her eyes, but he didn't seem to mind and smiled back, causing her smile to broaden even further.

He automatically reached back and hit the button for basement level five. "Are you joining our accounting team? I always say woman have just as much talent as men, Bobby Hobbes is down with feminism, if you know what I mean."

Katherine giggled, she couldn't help it, the whole thought of a fictional person hitting on her was enough to drive her sanity completely away. 'Bobby Hobbes' smiled, but he had that shifty eyed looked that stated he's been *giggled* at one too many times. As if that brought him back to attention, he spotted the lighted button panel and with a curse quickly hit the button for the second floor.

The elevator practically groaned with the effort of stopping in time. The doors opened, but Bobby put his hand out to keep it open as he tried one more time. "My office is just down the hall, everyone knows where it is, just ask for Bobby Hobbes."

"I'll do that," Katherine told him trying to sound as sincere as possible, but as soon as the doors shut behind him she was in a convulsion of near hysterical laughter. "This is impossible!" She gasped then began to rant, "Impossible? Ya, like I'm one to ask that question. Okay, so..." She looked around wondering if the elevator would finally take her to the forth floor, but the motion indicated it was still heading down.

A chill breeze swept by her causing her laughter to suddenly die away and shivers to replace it. Like a switch flipping every nerve in her body went on guard telling her she wasn't alone...but that would mean..."Darien?" She asked hesitantly to the empty elevator.

"Who are you?" The voice was low though not deep or loud, but the sheer intensity of those three simple words froze her blood.

Katherine turned slowly to face the now visible man, seeing what her mind had already suspected as she met his steady red eyed gaze. "Mew" The *mew* that escaped her lips in her sudden fright was just as much a surprise to her as it was to Darien. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from advancing.

A sinister smile crossed his face to match the demon eyes and within a few steps he was towering over her, his hand coming to rest against the back of the elevator and effectively trapping her in place. "So," he drawled out. "Do you want to tell me, or am I going to have to *force* it out of you?" He asked slowly and methodically.

Katherine just froze, a hundred thoughts rushing through her head that for the most part sounded like 'think, think, think, think, think...' If she was Winnie the Pooh she'd be hitting her head to match, more to fact, if she *could* move, she'd be hitting her head to match.

Okay, what do they do with a QSM Fawkes? She frantically thought to herself, but the only scenes that came to mind that didn't involve physical violence were..."sexually aggressive?!"

Once again he was taken back for a second. Katherine, on the other hand, having now planted the idea for survival in her brain let herself transition to shock, giving it the power to act for itself.

Leaning towards the menacing man, Katherine raised her hands up to his chest, the shakes instantly gone, and breathing in deeply tickled his neck with her lips. "If you want to *force* something out of me...I won't mind," she murmured seductively.

It was clearly evident Darien was surprised by all this, but as her lips caressed his exposed skin and her almost none existent nails dug into him through his clothing, the gland took over and with hungry passion he returned the expression.

A minute later, the door 'dinged' and the elevator opened.

"Oh Darien, there you are...oh!" A richly accented voice exclaimed. The part of Katherine's mind that was still aware of her actions was surprised just how much she *was* and *was not* grateful for the interruption.

Darien growled over at the disturbance and with shock, Claire's expression went from embarrassment to alarm. "Bloody hell! Ah, Darien...just..."

Once again moving on something akin to instincts, Katherine could tell the situation was quickly deteriorating and refusing to think it through acted. She grabbed Darien's head by the scruff and yanked him down into a passionate kiss, trying to hold it there as long as possible even while one of her hands motioned behind his head in imitation of a needle injection.

"Just stay right there!" The accented voice needlessly declared.

Katherine met Darien's aggression move for move to keep him fully distracted until a few minutes later she suddenly felt him go taunt and then limp in her arms. Letting out a huge breath, partly as a release, partly from the warmth that was surging through her, and simply in part from the sudden motions of a much taller man practically collapsing on her. Half falling with him to the ground, she looked up to see the concerned gaze of the Keeper. "Well, that was different," Katherine breathed out and finally coming out of her shock collapsed the rest of the way to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Claire asked worried, feeling the shaking young woman's pulse, it was racing faster than a racehorse on steroids.

Nodding, Katherine swallowed, hard, then looked to the slowly waking Darien beside her. He sat up with a groan, and when he looked up, a haunted look had entered his eyes, but at least they weren't red anymore. "I'm so sorry," he quickly stammered.

"No it's okay," Katherine was just as quick to reply. Together they all got back to their feet. Katherine figured she must still be in shock, because the whole weirdness of the situation before her wasn't even phasing her anymore. "I understand it happens."

"You understand...?" The Keeper began suddenly cautious, and Darien added with a grimace as he absently rubbed his neck. "I never did get your name."

"Katherine Christianson," she told them simply, then deciding against trying to explain to them exactly *how* she understood what happened, she tried to divert the conversation by saying, "I'm here to apply of for the AMCE consultant position."

"Oh," Claire said, biting her lower lip.

Darien let out a sigh of relief. "Good! That last guy was a dork!"

"Darien!"

"Well he was!"

"Ah, ya," Katherine intervened, but still shaking, realizing that as cool...and weird...as this was, she really wanted today to be over with. Looking at the lighted panel, she had a suddenly thought and trying to sound as casual as she could said, "I really should get going, don't want to be late. Could one of you hit the forth floor for me, please?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Claire quickly asked, and once again Darien had the guilty expression on.

"Yea, yea, I'm fine. I'll, ah, talk to you guys later." Katherine stated and smiled thinly, clenching her teeth to keep them from chattering. Gratefully they pressed the already lit button for her before they left with brief farewells. As she suspected, the elevator once again began its ascent. "Please let there be no more stops," Katherine pleaded, wondering if anyone was listening. It wasn't as if what happened wasn't interesting and all, quite interesting in fact, and different, but her nerves were shot and she wanted to get this over with.

Luckily, there were no more stops before the fourth floor, and when the door's slid open a clean well lit hall greeted her. Using her foot as a doorstop Katherine cautiously looked down the hallway. An echoed voice barked "Shut up, Eberts!" from a few doors down, and briefly Katherine wondered if she was forever going to be caught in this mixed up world, yet as she stepped out of the elevator, the environment around her literally changed as she did.

The light was much dimmer now, coming solely from windows in the adjoining office rooms. As he eyes focused, she realized she was once again standing in a thick layer of untouched dust. Extra cautious now, Katherine made her way down the hall, fifth door on the right. The office looked as stark as the hallway. This was it, this was her destination, and after the trip, it seemed like such the let down. Sighing deeply, Katherine turned to leave again, realizing no one had been even here, but then something caught her eye and she walked in, instead.

Lying atop an empty desk, but beneath the dust lay a piece of paper and pencil. Brushing away the dust she realized it was a questionnaire, and labeled at the top was 'ACME Inter-dimensional Elevator.' Finally, the last of Katherine's shakes dissipated, well, for the most part anyway, and she grinned, he body convulsing in silent laughter.

Picking up the pencil, she wrote two words on the questionnaire. "It works."

Then turning, Katherine left, leaving the pencil and paper there, and went in search of the stairs. Boy was this going to be an interesting journal entry!

End, the