Valkyrie AGR Team Headquarters
Team Valkyrie AGR Sport Team headquarters were located on the outskirts of Aachen Germany. The racing team was a partnership conglomerate of corporate owners and the European Union government research and development interests. They are guided by a board of directors with 10 members with an elected President of the Board who held the tie breaker 11th vote. The team had top of the line engineers and a solid craft but the team was barely hanging onto their reputation and placement as one of the top teams. The team had excellent financial support from top corporate interests and the European Government but was plagued with leadership that had a divided viewpoint and vision for the team. The result was excellent technology and engineering and an underperforming below average team when they should be placing in the top three places each race. Among the Board of Directors were companies that had racing in their DNA such as Ferrari, Sauber, Renault, and Red Bull. Then there were tech and big pharma companies investing in the technology developed for the team looking at developing marketable products and services to the masses. Then there was the European Union Space Agency that utilized the racing team to expand their research and development of clean environmental propulsion systems and antigravity solutions to some of Earth’s biggest issues with a goal of expanding mankind’s future in space.
The team headquarters was a large complex that resembled a university campus. The campus sat atop a hill overlooking the city of Aachen. The buildings were a mixture of sculptural modern artistic metal and glass laboratory buildings and historic looking buildings. The campus had research and development buildings, a large warehouse and production facility, a large office building, an onsite training facility and a test track. There was also a large apartment building for key staff, trainers, and pilots. The team headquarters had everything the team needed to get the best results.
The office building had a large auditorium that was used for team events and press conferences. It was set up with state of the art holographic equipment and sound systems. The training facility had a well appointed gym and a state of the art simulator. The onsite medical facilities were also housed in the training center. The engineering research and development labs were housed in the large warehouse and production area of the campus. The test track was also in this area and could be seen peeking above and around the buildings in the area. The medical research happening was in one of the metal and glass looking buildings that had clean rooms and would make any big lab proud. The onsite apartment housing was in one of the older more historic looking buildings. The onsite housing was not wasteful on space but they were adequate, well appointed, and maintained. The grounds had plenty of open green space with lovely gardens and trees. Walkways meandered through it all with benches providing a natural respite to the indoor environments at the team headquarters.
The corporate headquarters office building was a staggeringly beautiful modern marvel of steel and glass. The campus was on the city's main public transportation lines. An antigravity bus system and monorail dropped passengers off at the main entrance to the campus. The main office was open to the public but there was security. You didn’t get past the main lobby without an appointment or a staff badge. The main office building had a large industrial kitchen that was attached to a restaurant style space that served food to the workers. This area was run by the team chef. Workers could bring their own lunch and eat it here or could eat at the team restaurant. They could have meals deducted from their pay. The food was excellent and cost effective for employees as well. It is one of the great perks from working at headquarters. There is an onsite daycare for the children of employees that is located across from the cafeteria.
Alexander made sure the conference room was set up with coffee and pastries. Along the back wall was a serving counter with a small sink in it. It had storage cabinets on the bottom. The cabinets were a sleek black wood with a dark quartz countertop. There were chrome plated finishes and knobs that contrasted nicely with the dark and black finishes. It had an individual cup coffee maker set up. There was a spinning pod rack full of recyclable pods with different types of hot drinks, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and apple cider. There was a condiment holder with creamer, sugar, and alternative sweeteners such as agave syrup and honey.There was a holder for utensils, napkins, stir sticks, small plates, and stackable mugs. There was a glass front beverages cooler that held cold drinks such as bottled water, juice, and soda. The pastries were arranged nicely in serving baskets with tongs. There was also a snack basket with granola bars, trail mix, protein bars, and pretzels. He tried to make sure there was something for everyone and enough for a day of meetings.
The conference room was large enough to seat 20 people. The massive dark wood conference table was modular and could be set up to make one large table or moved to create small group tables. There was enough room to set it up like a classroom with rows of desks as well. He had it configured as one large table. There were comfortable black leather swivel chairs with chrome arms and legs on rollers around the table. The room was set up with screens and holographic projectors that tied into the tablets and laptops wirelessly. The room was set up with security countermeasures to keep proprietary information and data secure during meetings. There were also cameras in the room. Alexander had discovered it was company policy to record all meetings. Alexander suspected the Board of Directors would use it to spy on him this week to see what he was doing. He didn’t care. He would do his job his way anyway. He had nothing to hide. It was an efficient way to take notes and have a record of anything that might need to be addressed by the human resources department.
He knew most of the team that traveled to Auckland had to be pretty tired. He grabbed a black coffee and an apple strudel. He polished off his treat and was sipping his coffee as the engineering team began to trickle into the meeting. There were 8 staff and 4 interns on the engineering team. Alexander had taken the seat at the head of the table. He smiled and waved at Felix Burkhart, the Chief Engineer. He indicated that Felix should take the seat to his right. Alexander had been pleased with how Felix had run his team so far. Alexander smiled and stood up to introduce himself. He looked around the room and gave everyone a warm smile as he got started.
Alexander: “Good morning everyone. My name is Alexander Knight and I am the new Crew Chief for Valkyrie. Before we get started, please help yourself to something to drink and a breakfast pastry. This is going to be a long meeting.” He waited as those who had not yet helped themselves from the refreshments set out on the sideboard did so. There was coffee, tea, water, milk, and juice to accompany the pastry assortment. Everyone in the room had an earwig or as they were more commonly called an ear worm which was a translation device that was worn in the ear like an earbud. It was a device that allowed collaboration and people from different cultures and backgrounds to live and work together without having to learn additional languages. While the bulk of the engineering team was German, there were also some Asians, Italians, and a few English speakers in the bunch.
Alexander waited as the group quieted and looked at him expectantly. He nodded to Felix and grinned
Alexander: “Felix I like what I have seen from you so far. I like the way you run your team. I think you are doing a great job. I want to be perfectly clear with my intentions from the beginning. I will only replace those who are not performing their job to the best of their ability. The person who will make the decisions on the engineering team is Felix. Yes Felix answers to me and I answer to the board. But Felix is in charge of the engineering department.” He paused to let that tidbit sink in. He wanted to make the chain of command clear that he supported Felix in his current position. It was common when there were changes in team leadership for teams to fire everyone and bring in the new leadership's preferred people. He was pretty sure there were one or two engineers that were hoping to replace Felix who had been wooing Board Members.
Alexander: “With that being said, I have an engineering background. I understand your work and the constraints and limits on it. I don’t plan to interfere in the day to day running of the engineering team. What I will do is highlight areas we can work on to make the ships better. I will suggest areas of research. I am open to hearing your ideas. The biggest disadvantage our team has is restrictions on pilot augmentations. I say we embrace that and see how far we can push natural talents and the limited augmentations we are allowed. Which means that our ships need to be better and faster to accommodate those differences. We need to rethink our approach to match our pilots' needs. We have to try different approaches to achieve the same goals. What works for a pilot with augmentations might not be the best choice for one of our pilots.” Alexander took a seat and looked around the table. Some of them looked excited and pleased and some of them looked shocked. A few had closed expressions that he couldn’t read. A few looked downright rebellious. He had a few younger interns that rolled their eyes at him dramatically. He chuckled to himself thinking about the vagaries of youth.
Was he ever that young?Alexander: “With that being said, I prefer to work all hands on deck in a team manner. I want to hear everyone’s ideas. I don’t care if it was wild and out there or it was something you drew on a cocktail napkin when you were drunk. The question I have for the engineering team is what can we change on the ship to make it faster? The ship handles well and the ELS systems are solid. We are lacking in speed. This will be critical at our next race. What can we implement between now and Africa to improve the ships’ speed? What is on our ships now that could be improved or changed to help our pilots?” Alexander leaned back in his chair as the team all looked around at one another and then turned to Felix. Felix looked a little poleaxed and swallowed nervously before turning to Alexander and gulping. Alexander could see the moment that Felix had finished processing what Alexander had said.
Felix grinned and settled into his chair comfortably exuding a new aura of confidence as he nodded at Alexander.
Felix: “Thank you for your trust Mr. Knight and your kind words.” Felix turned to his team and grinned at them. “Well people, don’t be shy. Let’s hear your ideas. What can we do to make the ships go faster? How can we change them for the better?” The meeting pace picked up as the eager interns were excited to be able to give input. Some of their ideas were not possible but their creativity was inspiring. They spurred the rest of the team to contribute. Alexander sat back and watched as Felix took over the meeting. Alexander made notes on his tablets of the ideas that the team came up with to explore both long term projects and short term projects. Alexander glanced at his watch and knew he needed to close the meeting. He thanked the team for their help.
Alexander: “Thank you all for your ideas and participation” He turned to Felix and addressed him personally.
Alexander: “Felix, take the rest of the day to get together with your team to brainstorm and develop a project proposal list with the necessary details. Can you have that on my desk by noon tomorrow?” Felix nodded with a confident look.
Felix: “Of course sir.” Alexander smiled and stood up. He clapped Felix on the shoulder and looked around the table at the other team members.
Alexander: “Well I guess that answers my question of is the Engineering Team ready for a challenge. Good work everyone! Now I have to shoo you all out the door so the next team can come in.” The engineering team filed out of the conference room, most of them in good spirits and eager to get work energy about them. Most of them headed out of the office building towards the warehouse and production areas where their offices and workshops were.
Alexander had no time to check his messages or email as the medical team was coming as the Engineering Team was leaving. Alexander could hear whispers as the two teams made comments in passing. He was pretty sure they were asking their colleagues how the meeting had gone. Alexander watched the hurried and whispered conversations with a smile. They were hoping to get an idea of what was going to happen in this meeting.
He noticed a middle aged man with a slight paunch and a large bald spot who had salt and pepper hair with hazel eyes wearing an impeccable designer suit. The man stopped and glared at the employee who had taken the chair at the other end of the table directly across from Alexander. He leaned intimidatingly over the woman.
The young woman sitting in the chair was an intern. Her shoulder hunched down and she ducked as if she was afraid of being hit. In a fearful shaky voice the woman spoke softly
“I’m Sorry Dr. Zimmerman. I didn’t know you wanted to sit there.” She quickly vacated the chair and took the chair furthest from the man.
Dr. Zimmerman: “As head of the Medical Team of course I would sit at the other head of the table. That is to be expected. I shouldn’t have to move an intern from my seat.” The man’s tone was condescending and cold. The man claimed the seat and fussed with his tie. Alexander already didn’t like Dr. Zimmerman. He would give the man enough rope to hang himself. He would keep a close eye on the good doctor during the meeting. Alexander started this meeting like he had the last one. He waited till everyone had come in before standing up.
Alexander: “Hello. I am Alexander Knight, the new Crew Chief. This meeting is scheduled to take an hour. Please help yourself to the refreshments in the back of the conference room then we will get started.” Once again Dr. Zimmerman didn’t disappoint him as he simply snapped his fingers and glared at the female intern he took the chair from.
Dr. Zimmerman: “You know how I like my coffee.” The woman made him a cup of coffee and set it next to his right hand. She then proceeded to fetch her own cup. He waited until people had grabbed what they wanted and had resettled into their seats with tablets and notepads. Evidently some of the doctors went old school or were simply pretentious. Most people used strictly digital devices and records to spare the environment. Paper was actually quite expensive these days. Alexander noted that Dr. Zimmerman was one of those with an expensive looking pad of paper and a silver pen next to his seat. Alexander had not missed that one of the male interns had brought him the pad and pen. Alexander had returned to his seat as he waited for everyone to resettle. Alexander turned to Dr. Julian Zimmerman, the Medical Team Lead, giving him a respectful nod before addressing him.
Alexander: “Doctor Zimmerman, Can you explain how the work and decisions are made on the medical team?” Dr Zimmerman: “Certainly. The Medical Team meets once a month to discuss any issues brought to us regarding pilot training or clearance for racing. In between those times, we work on the research proposed by the race team that will impact the pilot. Some of the members of my team work more closely with the pilots in the respective disciplines. I of course make all final decisions as to what research is pursued.” Zimmerman turned to point out Dr Johannes Thorkelson.
“Dr Thorkelson works with the pilots on nutrition.” He pointed to a woman, Dr. Emerson Ainsworth.
“Dr Ainsworth works with pilots to help them with neural integrity and is researching ways to improve cognitive dissonance some people experience from neural chip use.” He pointed to another man
“Dr Chandler Montgomery works with restorative medicine and is improving noninvasive techniques to help our pilots recover from injury with minimal downtime.” He moved to the next member of the team Dr Mitsuko Ishikawa.
“Dr Ishikawa is our augmentation expert. She handles any issues with pilot augmentations and implants.” He pointed to the final two members of the team.
“Konrad is an emergency paramedic that travels with the team. Konrad is there for any emergency medical care that team members may need. He handles all emergency health issues and helps with augmentation maintenance and inspections by the racing authority. And last but not least is the team physical therapist, Sasha Volkova. She works closely with Dr. Montgomery to help pilots recovering from injury.” Dr. Zimmerman’s tone was very blasé and dismissive of the work done by his colleagues. Zimmerman’s tone changed as he put emphasis on his role.
“Of course, I am the official team doctor. I travel with the team. I make all final decisions regarding pilot health and medical care.” Alexander leaned back in his chair as he looked at the four remaining people in the room. Alexander knew who they were but he wanted to hear Dr. Zimmerman’s answer. Why didn’t the man introduce the interns? He also failed to state the work they did. He also didn’t share if they were working on any ground breaking research. Usually interns were chosen in the medical field because they had something to contribute to existing research happening.
Alexander: “And they are?” He pointed to the other people in the room who had not been introduced or given a job description. Dr. Zimmerman looked around with a blank stare as he looked at where Alexander was pointing, looking confused. He seemed to get it after about 30 seconds of silence.
Dr. Zimmerman shrugged dismissively.
Dr. Zimmerman: “They are just interns. They are here because your email specified the entire team. They are basically grunts studying and hoping to gain insights into the various specialties represented on the team. Their work is not worth mentioning.” Dr Zimmerman looked smug, arrogant, and relaxed. Zimmerman seemed confident that Alexander was duly impressed by him. Zimerman raised an eyebrow as if asking Alexander for his next question.
Alexander frowned as he heard Dr. Zimmerman’s explanation of how his team was run. He also didn’t like that he was so dismissive of the interns. Interns are there to handle grunt work yes but they are there to be mentored and taught. It was a great way for the team to locate and find new and exceptional talent. Alexander gave Dr. Zimmerman a contemplative look. Alexander noted that most of the medical staff sat quietly with their hands folded on the table with blank looks on their faces. The interns shifted nervously in their seats and kept exchanging glances with one another.
Alexander: “Dr. Zimmerman, how you run your department makes no sense to me.” Dr. Zimmerman’s face turned bright red in anger. He sat up straight in his chair. His hands were clenched into fists on the table.
Zimmerman: “What do you mean by that? I have been running this department for the last 5 years. Dominic Ricci was always complementary to my work. You obviously don’t know what you're doing!” Dr Zimmerman’s voice was going up the longer he spoke. Zimmerman’s angry glare went around the table at his staff.
Alexander looked around the table at the other people present. Most of the older staff had carefully neutral expressions and were focusing on Alexander and avoiding Dr. Zimmerman’s gaze. The interns all looked downright fearful. The rest of the staff were trading worried looks between them. Alexander focused on Dr. Zimmerman and calmly raised an eyebrow at the man’s behavior.
Alexander: “I think some changes are in order. This is what we are going to do. All of you staff members are going to go back to your desks. You are going to compile a proposal of what you would like your work and research to entail. Put it in layman's terms, no heavy medical jargon please. Then you are going to share how that benefits the racing team. Then you are going to propose a leadership structure that you feel works for your department. In your proposal, you are going to share how you are going to use interns while mentoring and teaching them. Please think about and include ways your areas of expertise can be used to benefit and help our pilots. We can not artificially enhance them any further but are there more natural solutions that can help them be better than they are now? Now as for you interns…”Alexander smiled at the nervous looking interns hoping to put them at ease. Dr. Zimmerman’s face was getting redder and he was shaking his head violently no as Alexander spoke.
Alexander: “I want each of you interns to write me a letter explaining which of our staff you want to work with and why. What research you hope to do here. And why did you want to intern with Valkyrie AGR Sport.” Dr. Zimmerman looked apoplectic with rage. He rose to his feet slamming his fist down on the conference table. He began yelling at Alexander at the top of his lungs. Alexander noted many of the others were moving away from Dr. Zimmerman and a few who looked fearful. That just pissed Alexander off.
Dr. Zimmerman: “YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” Dr. Zimmerman began to stride towards Alexander with clenched fists.
Alexander rose to his feet as Dr. Zimmerman encroached his personal space and began to jab his finger towards Alexander.
Dr. Zimmerman: “THIS IS MY DEPARTMENT! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL ME WHAT DECISIONS TO MAKE OR HOW TO RUN IT!” By this point Alexander was beyond done with the good Dr. Zimmerman. The next time he jabbed his finger into his chest, Alexander casually caught the man’s arm and twisted it behind his back in an arm bar so he could control himm.
Alexander: “Dr. Zimmerman, you seem to have misplaced your manners and professionalism. This behavior is not acceptable for leadership with this team.” Alexander put enough pressure on the man’s arm until he shut up and was wincing. Alexander’s tone was firm and confident.
Alexander: “I am firing you Dr. Zimmerman for insubordination and abusive behavior towards staff. You will leave now.” Dr. Zimmerman body was tense with rage and shook. Alexander pulled on his arm again until Dr. Zimmerman relaxed. He finally let him go.
Dr. Zimmerman: “THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS! YOU WILL BE FIRED BEFORE I LEAVE TODAY! I WON’T BE THE ONE LEAVING. YOU WILL!” Dr. Zimmerman’s shoulder slammed into Alexander as he moved away from him. The man proceeded to kick his chair into the wall before storming out of the conference room. He slammed the conference room door on his way out. Silence was left in his wake. Everyone looked afraid to say anything.
Alexander smiled gently at the remaining staff. Some of them looked shocked, a few gleeful, and most of them just looked nervous. Alexander addressed the group with a calm and compassionate tone.
Alexander: “I am sorry you all had to witness that. I had expected more professionalism from Dr. Zimmerman. I understand he is a brilliant man in his field. Leaders are supposed to lift their team up and give them room to fly. They lead the way so the whole team can improve and move forward. I believe Dr. Zimmerman has lost sight of that. He will soon find out, I do have the right to change how he does things. That kind of behavior will not be tolerated here at Valkyrie AGR Sport. I want to apologize to any of you who have been victim to that kind of behavior. Please go see the human resources department to lodge any formal complaints. If anyone has a need for it, I am sure we can arrange counseling for anyone impacted. Please compile those reports for me and have them in my office by 5pm tomorrow. Any questions? Is everyone okay?” Alexander took a closer look around the room. He saw a sea of stunned faces. He saw many shaking their heads.There was one intern who was shaking so hard that his chair was rocking back and forth. He was tall and lanky and was the stereotype for a brainiac. The poor man whispered
“What the fuck?” It broke the silence in the room. The man turned and looked at the closed door and back to where Dr. Zimmerman had sat and then back to Alexander. It was Dr. Ainsworth who broke the silence.
Dr. Ainswoth:
“How are you going to use these reports? Why are you asking us to write them?” Alexander: “That is a great question Dr. Ainsworth. I will be using the reports to decide if there are any new approaches or research or maybe even older forgotten research that might help our pilots. We can only artificially augment so far because of the restrictions we are under. I can’t help but wonder how we can improve their natural talents. Athletes have been using a variety of methods for training for years. Is there something we have overlooked? Is there something that can be applied and used differently? Dr. Zimmerman will no longer be head of the Medical Team. I will be using your responses to decide who the new lead will be. As for the interns, it will give me insight into what draws interns to Valkyrie AGR and how we can better support them. Not utilizing interns to their fullest capabilities is a waste of talent.” Alexander looked around the table.
“Any other questions?” Dr. Ishikawa:
“So you want us to include not just current projects but proposed projects?” Alexander smiled and nodded. “Yes Dr. Ishikawa.” Dr. Montgomery: “Thank you for not holding the entire team responsible for Dr. Zimmerman’s policies and issues.” Alexander saw heads nodding as many agreed with Dr. Montgomery’s statement.
Alexander: “I want to share my thinking on this so you understand my leadership style. To hold the entire team responsible for one man’s stupidity is a waste of time and talent. I will hold you responsible for your behavior and your work. If you are in a leadership position then the work of your team does reflect back on you. Just like our team cannot win every race. Research has to go through trial phases and sometimes treatments take time before they show they work. Your team will have failures and setbacks that are beyond your control. I understand that. Poor results due to a lack of effort and a lack of good leadership is another matter. That you should be held accountable for. Does my explanation make sense?” Alexander saw a few smiles and nodding heads around the table.
Alexander: “Any more questions? Comments?” There was a chorus of
“No’s and No sir” around the table.
Alexander: “Then you are all dismissed to work on your reports. If you need to see human resources please do so. I will be forwarding the recording of this meeting to HR.” Alexander watched the team leave. Most of them looked excited and a few looked resigned. There were a couple of them that were maintaining neutral postures and expressions. He knew the office rumor mill was probably already hard at work.
Alexander waited till the door closed before he asked the virtual assistant to get him the head of human resources on the phone. He was already using his tablet to forward the video of the meeting and the issues that came to light with Dr. Zimmerman’s abusive behavior of the staff to security and the human resources department.
An annoyed male voice greeted Alexander after being on hold for about 5 minutes.
Bernard Maier, Chief Human Resource Officer for Valkyrie AGR: “Mr. Knight I am a very busy man with a full schedule. I am not available at your whimsy. Why are you calling me?” Mr. Maier’s tone was condescending and dismissive. Alexander raised an eyebrow before responding. He kept his tone calm and hit record on his tablet.
Alexander: “Well Mr. Maier, I was contacting you personally about a large personnel issue that was unveiled this morning in my meeting with the Medical Team. I was contacting you as a professional courtesy. I thought you would want to be ahead of any lawsuits that your lack of inaction may cost Valkyrie AGR Sport. I am pretty sure the Board of Directors is going to want to hear your explanation of how Dr. Zimmerman’s abusive behavior was not investigated or acted upon. I understand you don’t have time. I will report it to your staff instead. Right after I call security to have Dr. Zimmerman removed from the building. Have a good day Mr. Maier.” Alexander hung up on the condescending asshole. Alexander dialed the Chief of Security Wulfric Gunderson.
Wulfric: “Go for Gunderson.” Alexander smiled at the hint of the former military in that commanding deep voice and word choice.
Alexander: “Good Morning Mr. Gunderson. This is Alexander Knight. I have an issue that I need your assistance with.” Wulfric:
“I thought I might be hearing from you. I have already received a call from an angry Dr. Zimmerman who alleged you attacked him.” Alexander grinned as he felt he was going to really like the Chief of Security here at Valkyrie.
Alexander: “I just fired Dr. Zimmerman for insubordination and abusive behavior towards his staff. I told him we were going to make changes to his department. He told me I didn’t have the right to tell him how to run his department and proceeded to poke me in the chest with his finger. I applied an arm bar hold on him to control his aggressive moves. I have already forwarded the video from the meeting to you and HR. Many of his staff members and interns were showing indications that this abuse is long term and systemic. That shit needs to be addressed. I don’t condone that kind of behavior by leadership.” Wulfric’s voice rang with sarcasm.
Wulfric:
“Well Mr. Knight, that is a serious accusation and if you have his behavior on camera… Well I have to back your concern. He poses a security risk to other personnel. I will dispatch officers to remove him from the building. I know just the two to send. I will be sure they search all his personal belongings for company property digital and physical. I will be sure his security status is immediately revoked and I will personally review all his files for improper handling and malfeasance.” Wulfric’s voice rang with a hint of humor and excitement. “I knew that you would be shaking things up Mr. Knight. I didn’t know it would be so soon. I better clear my afternoon. Call me Wulfric. Keep up the good work Knight.” He hung up laughing.
Alexander hung up with a smile feeling satisfied that Dr. Zimmerman would be handled appropriately now to cover his own ass with HR.
He had the virtual assistant connect him with whoever was on duty and taking calls in the HR department. A warm lovely cultured voice answered the phone.
Valerie: “Human Resources, this is Valerie, How may I assist you today?” Alexander smiled as he responded.
Alexander: “Good Morning Valerie. This is Alexander Knight. I just met with the medical team and want to report a rather large issue that needs immediate action and investigation. I would like it on the record that I tried to call and discuss this issue directly Mr. Maier but he indicated he was too busy.” Valerie’s voice sounded unsure and nervous.
“Alright Mr. Knight. What is the issue I can help you with?” Alexander’s tone remained calm and sweet as honey.
Alexander: “I just fired Dr. Zimmerman for insubordination and abusive behavior towards his staff. I will have the virtual assistant send you the recording from the meeting. I suspect that Dr. Zimmerman has been abusive to his staff for some time. I can’t believe it has not been investigated or reported yet. You might want to review surveillance camera footage in his department. I apologized to the staff who were party to the incident. I did tell them if they had any personal grievances that they could file a formal complaint with HR. I also told them that if any of them require counseling services Valkyrie would be happy to provide those services. I hope my fast response will prevent lawsuits from the impacted employees and interns.” Valerie’s tone dropped an octave in surprise and she spluttered out a response.
“I see. Can you do that? Do you have the authority to do that? Usually there is an investigation period while the company investigates claims such as these. You can’t just fire someone…” Valerie’s voice trailed off.
Alexander: “Unless their behavior poses a significant risk to the company and staff. Tell me Valerie, do you think that every employee working in the medical department who have suffered from Dr. Zimmerman’s angry aggressive verbal abuse does not pose a significant risk to the company? I am sure you are aware if they have proof of Dr. Zimmerman’s behavior and reported it with no action being taken that it puts the company at significant risks of lawsuits and pending legal action. Not to mention that it is against the law.” Valerie sounded unsure and tentative.
"Thank you for reporting this incident Mr. Knight. I will forward this information to a supervisor who has the authorization and capacity to handle this issue. Is there anything else I can help you with?” Alexander grinned at her response. It was about what he expected. He was absolutely positive he would hear from the Board before noon about the incident.
Alexander: “Yes there is. I sent a request to hire Mabel Brown as my personal administrative assistant. Her flight is due later this afternoon at 2pm. Have arrangements been made for her that I requested?” Valerie sounded more confident this time.
“Let me check on that for you.” Alexander could hear clacks and clicks from the keyboard as Valerie accessed files.
Valerie: “Well Mr. Knight, I see we received your request but no one has done anything with it yet. This kind of request usually takes a few weeks.I will see what I can do to expedite it for you.” Valerie bumped his second request up to her supervisor as well. “Is there anything else Mr. Knight.” Alexander rubbed his forehead. He was getting a headache. He didn’t have two weeks. He needed Mabel’s help now.
Alexander: “Thank you for your help Valerie. Please notify your supervisor that I will be checking at the end of lunch to see what progress they have made on my requests.Alexander noted the time and it was almost time for his next meeting. He had enough time to run to the restroom and stretch his legs though.
Alexander was hopeful that his day wouldn’t go downhill from here. He had not intended to fire anyone today. His intention was to learn more about how the different departments worked in relation to the racing team. He wanted to identify changes they could make before the next race to improve team morale and performance. Alexander was a little surprised that Leopold had not demanded he call him already. Leopold was smart enough to know that not everyone was going to embrace Alexander and his way of doing things. He knew putting Alexander in control was going to cause ripples and there would be consequences. When Alexander came back to the conference room most of the mechanic team was already there. A lovely blonde woman with ice blue eyes was wearing a mechanic’s overall with the name Helga embroidered on it with work boots. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a braid. The rest of the mechanic’s team sat on either side of her including the two mechanics that Alexander had overheard in Auckland.
Alexander noted that the mechanics didn’t wait for an invitation and everyone had a drink already. He nodded respectfully to them all as he took his seat.
Alexander folded his hands and placed them on the table top with a sigh. He noticed that all the mechanics had a closed off distrustful look. He could understand why. The mechanics were in the unenviable position to be everyone's favorite escape goat when something went wrong. They were the first ones to get the blame.
Alexander gave them a serious look and a tired smile. He respected that at least they were not trying to kiss his ass or throwing each other under the bus to make themselves look better.
Alexander: “Hello. I am Alexander Knight the new Crew Chief. I wanted to have this meeting to learn more about your team and to clear the air over a few issues.” Alexander noted that Helga’s eyes narrowed as she leaned forward like a protective mama bear.
Alexander looked over to Zane and Juan.
Alexander: “I overheard your conversation in Auckland Zane and Juan. I was in the paddock when you were rechecking the actuators at my request. I want to clear the air and hopefully avoid future misunderstandings.” He paused and looked directly at Zane.
Alexander: “Please understand that I am just getting started. I don’t know you and your team yet. I don’t know if I can count on you to have my back yet. I don’t know if I can count on you to have the pilot’s back yet. I literally flew in the night before on the red eye. I didn’t have the opportunity to do pre-season with the team. It is my responsibility to make sure this entire team runs and accomplishes its goals safely. There had already been a huge technical issue with one of the ships in the qualifying round. It should have been caught and repaired before the ship ever went to the track. The fact that it didn’t was an issue. It is my job to solve those problems. SO YOUR DAMN RIGHT, I asked you to double check the work.” Alexander heard the protests forming already and held up his hand to stop them. All the mechanics were looking mutinous.
Alexander: “That doesn’t mean I don’t trust you to do the work. I am asking you to take the time to make sure our pilots will be safe. I am not assigning blame for this incident. I am saying that someone somewhere fucked up. You know and I know that mechanics are the first to get the blame. I know that it is often the mechanic who makes the engineer's thoughts and plans work. I want to build trust with this team. I want to know that if you tell me you did it and something happens or goes wrong. I know it was not your work to blame. I will back you up and have your back in return.” He let them sit with those words for a few minutes before turning to Juan.
Alexander: “I appreciate that you gave me the benefit of a doubt to your coworker that day. I also know you don’t know me yet either. Respect is earned both ways. I need to earn the respect of this team as well.” Alexander then looked around the table meeting the eyes of every mechanic at the table.
Alexander: “How do we build that trust between us?” Helga still looked angry and protective of her team. Her team looked just as protective of her.
Alexander: “Tell me about your team Helga? What roadblocks or barriers are you facing to doing your job? How can I help? Tell me what you need.” Alexander leaned back and waited for her answer. He could see he had surprised her. She looked more contemplative and was really thinking about her answer.
To Alexander’s surprise Juan was the one who spoke up first. Juan seemed like the quiet typer who kept his head down and simply did his work. The man seemed like the type that normally avoids trouble.
Juan: “Disrespect to the mechanic team is common. Helga is disrespected at the track and by other colleagues just because she is a beautiful woman. The blonde jokes about her intelligence here at headquarters are ignored. I am glad Ricci is gone. He was a pig!” Alexander looked around the table and many of the mechanics were nodding in agreement with Juan. Helga looked surprised and shocked as she stared at Juan. It appeared Alexander was going to spend his first week fixing discipline issues. No wonder Wulfric had been laughing at him and told him he would be clearing his afternoon schedule. Alexander nodded and made a note on his tablet to have HR conduct a mandatory refresher course on harassment with all employees.
Alexander: “I will have HR conduct a mandatory refresher course on harassment with all employees. In the future, please document cases of harassment and I will ensure they are investigated.” He looks Helga in the eyes and then Inga as he repeats himself.
“I mean all types of harassment. Please document any harassment that happens when we are traveling and the tracks. I will address it.” He looked around the table.
Alexander: “Please all of you feel free to chip in. I want this to truly be a team. Where we look out for one another. What else do you need?” Helga smiled for the first time in the meeting.
Helga: “We have had issues with engineers borrowing tools and parts and not logging them correctly. Then we are short when we need them. We have to go search for them or reorder because they have not properly logged the inventory." Zane was still eyeing Alexander distrustfully. He sat with his arms folded leaning back in his chair.
Inga sat forward.
Inga: “I have had issues where engineers make a change and they forget to tell us about it. Sometimes those small changes make a big difference. Better communication between our team and engineering would be nice.” Alexander leaned back in his chair and thought about that.
Alexander: “You know I was surprised to see that they had split the mechanics off into a separate team. I think it would make more sense to fold you all into the same department. It would be more appropriate to call your team the Pit Crew. The engineers do the design work while you guys implement it. You would still have the same dedicated work space you have now. We could explore options like that. What do you think?” Helga folded her arms and looked distrustful again.
Helga: “Who would lead the team? Who would be in charge?” Alexander could tell where Helga was going with this.
Alexander: “I think co-chairs would be appropriate. You would retain your title and salary. You would still be responsible for leading the mechanics on the team. I think it would benefit your two departments to fold them together. One inventory system. One work space. We could break down the walls. Then engineering knows what mechanical is doing and vice versa. Felix would remain in charge of Engineering and lead them. This would allow you and Felix to work more closely and make collaboration easier.” Helga looked thoughtful. She looked around at the other mechanics who were all looking at her.
Helga: “That could work. I can see the benefits of that.” The rest of the meeting went up from there. They hashed out a plan to integrate the two departments and their workspaces. He knew it would take a little time to implement but the changes to morale and collaboration would be worth it.
Alexander had wrapped up the Mechanics with just enough time to walk over to the company dining room with the mechanics. Alexander smiled and had them walk in before him. He gave them all a friendly smile and a wave as he made his way towards the front of the dining room where Leopold was standing with the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors were surrounded by different employees. Some of them love the attention and power of their position. Alexander knew that they would probably corner him before this lunch was over but at the moment it was showtime for all of them. The team lunch was a way to get the key racing staff together for some team building and to dispel any rumors. They couldn’t fit all the company’s employees into the dining room at once. Lunch was being provided to everyone but only the key staff would fit in the dining room at one time. There were still almost one hundred and fifty people in the dining room.
As Alexander passed through the crowd the whispers followed him.
“I heard he assaulted Dr. Zimmerman.”
“I heard Dr. Zimmerman hit him first.”
“Dr. Zimmerman was escorted out by two of our burliest security guards.”
“I heard he made someone in human resources cry today.”
“I heard he found a heap of issues which he called HR out on.”
“I heard Maier the head of HR was livid with Knight.”
“Rumors are that he is replacing the head of all the main team leads.”
“I heard he plans to fire us all and bring in his own people.”
“I heard he stood up for the worker bees today.” Alexander greeted the Board of Directors with a smile and good professional handshake. He nodded to Leopold who had stepped up to greet Alexander.
Leopold gave Alexander a knowing smile as he shook his hand.
Leopold: “Hello Alexander. It is great to see you again. Thank you for thinking to arrange this welcome luncheon for the staff and for inviting the board to attend.”Leopold chucked before continuing.
“I heard you have had a very busy morning.” Alexander nodded and rolled his eyes at Leopold.
Alexander: “I have. I will fill you and the board in later. Right now we need to get this working lunch started.” Alexander clapped Leopold on the shoulder and gave him a grin. Alexander accepted the microphone from the technician who had it waiting for him. Alexander gave the man a grateful smile.
Alexander spoke into the microphone so everyone in the dining room could hear him.
Alexander: “Good Afternoon. Would everyone please take your seats?” There was sudden noise as everyone scrambled to find a seat as chairs scraped across the floor. Finally everyone was seated except for Alexander and looking expectantly at him.
Alexander: “Good Afternoon everyone. I hope most of you are having a good day. For those who don’t know me, my name is Alexander Knight and I am the new crew chief and team principal for Team Valkyrie AGR Sport. My role here at Team Valkyrie AGR Sport is to take a step back and look at the broader picture. It is my responsibility to help the team be successful and win races but that is not my only responsibility. As most of you in this room know, a successful anti-gravity racing team has a lot of moving parts supporting those pilots. We have engineers, mechanics, trainers, support personnel, and marketing executives. All of these different parts have to come together and work as a team in order for a team to be successful. I have been given complete control for this season of Valkyrie AGR Sport. Valkyrie has not been performing as well as it should have. My goal is to unite all of you for the greater good of this team. The success of this team is not just up to the engineers, mechanics, or pilots. The success of this team requires all of us to pull together.I am meeting with all the individual teams today. I have already met with Engineering, Medical, and Mechanics. Yes, changes are coming. Some of you will think they are bad changes. Some of you will agree with the changes. I am working on what will change. My answer is I am doing my homework. Once it is done, I promise I won’t hide anything. Changes will be announced with an explanation of why they are being implemented. I want to be as honest and open with you all as I can be. On a brighter note, I arranged this lunch so we can all get to know each other better. I hope you all enjoy lunch. After you have finished eating please make your way around the room and introduce yourself to a colleague you have not spoken to before. The Board of Directors has joined us here today as well.”Alexander pointed out the Board of Directors and most of them were waving to the crowd.
“So please stop by and talk to them. I want to thank the Board of Directors for taking time out to join us here today. I know you are all very busy people. I wanted to be sure the folks who make this team work know how important their work is to you all. My thanks to Chef Jacques for handling our lunch. It smells delicious!” Alexander gave a wave as he handed the microphone back to the waiting tech. There was a splattering of applause. Alexander made his way to the Board of Directors table. He pulled out a seat and joined them. A group of servers approached the table and began setting down plates. A plate was set in front of Alexander that contained some kind of chicken dish. It smelled good. Alexander poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table. Alexander could feel eyes on him as he began to eat. Alexander looked up as saw that many of the Board Members were watching him closely and looking expectantly at Leopold who was sitting to his right. Leopold was kind enough to wait until Alexander had taken the edge of his hunger before beginning the conversation.
Leopold’s tone was mostly neutral with a hint of amusement in it. Leopold had heard about the incident within 10 minutes of Dr. Zimmerman leaving the conference room. The Board Members who had not voted to bring Knight on were already baying for his removal and the reinstatement of Dominic Ricci. They were about to learn a valuable lesson at the hands of Alexander and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.
Leopold: “Alexander please share what happened this morning. I have had a phone call from an angry Dr. Zimmerman who said you attacked him. A call from Maier, the Chief Human Resource Officer, who said you were demanding things from his department that were inappropriate and not using the appropriate company protocols. A call from Chief of Security, Wulfric Gunderson, telling me I should be thankful for the way you handled Dr. Zimmerman.”Alexander looked over at Leopold as he set down his utensils. He caught the spark of mischief in Leopold’s eyes.Alexander looked down the table at the other Board Members. Some of them expectant, others looked angry, and a few curious.
Alexander: “Well Leopold, let me be frank. I didn’t expect I would spend my morning cleaning up the shit show that passes as management and oversight with this racing team. I have only met with three of the department teams so far this morning. I fired Dr. Zimmerman for insubordination and abusive behavior towards his staff. When I suggested that we were going to make changes to his department, he got angry, loud, and began poking me in the chest. It was clear from the body language of his team that he has been abusive towards them for some time. I let him poke me in the chest a few times before I used an arm to control his behavior before I told him he was fired. Now I don’t believe I should need to tell this Board that abusive behavior by a member of management is illegal and the worst kind of publicity for this team to have. It opens this company up to lawsuits and legal actions from both civilian and criminal law. I believe this situation was large enough to warrant calling Mr. Maier so that he could get ahead of it. Instead he was upset with me for daring to interrupt his morning. I then wished him a good morning and then reported the incident to the HR Staff. I spoke with a lovely young woman named Valerie. I assured the employees on the Medical Team that the incident would be investigated. I also told them if they had any grievances with Dr. Zimmerman, and wanted to file a formal complaint to see HR. I also assured them that if any of them needed counseling Valkyrie would be happy to take care of that. I hope my efforts will stave off any lawsuits.”Alexander paused and took a sip of water before he continued.
“In my meeting with the mechanics team, it was revealed that systemic and long term harassment has been happening to our female mechanics both here at headquarters and while we are in the field at the track. I am ordering all company employees to undergo a mandatory retraining course in harassment and the proper procedures for reporting it. This is yet another set of behavior that puts this racing team at risk. There is no way all of these incidents have gone unreported. I suspect that these incidents were swept under the rug by those in positions to do so. You have to deal with issues like these. The truth will always come out.” Alexander paused and met the eyes of every member of the board looking over their reactions to his statements. The ones who had been angry just looked even angrier but were biting their tongue. Board Member Amantas’ sneering face was a good indication of his rage as he spit sprayed from his mouth as he spat out his words towards Alexander. Alexander was grateful he was far enough away that he avoided being hit.
Amandas: “How dare you fire a respected member of this team without following proper protocols. If you had a problem with Dr. Zimmerman, you should have brought the issue to us to be dealt with. You are overstepping your authority!” He pounded a fist on the table making all the glasses and silverware jump.
Leopold raised an eyebrow and spoke directly to Amandas.
Leopold: “Amandas, we are being watched. Knight was given the authority to do whatever he needed to do to turn this into a winning season. This board should be grateful for his interference since Dr. Zimmerman has already gone to the authorities to file a complaint against Mr.. Knight. Our head of security, Wulfric Gunderson, dealt with the issue when law enforcement came to arrest Mr. Knight. He showed them the video of the incident. Dr. Zimmerman has been arrested on assault charges. How will this incident reflect on this team when the government and regulatory inspectors investigate it if Knight had not taken immediate action?” Leopold looked around the table at the other Board Members. Some of them looked shocked, others were nodding their heads in approval. Only a chosen few like Amandas still looked angry. Amandas was sputtering with rage, unable to form words. Leopold’s voice was cold as he spoke.
Leopold: “Amandas, if you cannot control yourself, you should leave. If you cannot work with Mr. Knight, maybe your company needs to send another representative to act as their Board Member. As you have reminded us recently, none of us are irreplaceable.” Amandas rose to his feet and stormed off followed by Aldenburg and Steindl. The remainder of the board looked from Leopold to Alexander and exchanged looks. It was Nielsen who spoke and broke the silence at the table.
Nielsen: “I for one am glad you are here Mr. Knight. I applaud your ability to keep your cool in a stressful situation. Not many would have. Did you have any other issues today?” Alexander regarded Nielsen and nodded.
Alexander:“I have hired a personal administrative assistant. It is someone I have worked with in the past. We work well together. She is on her way and will be here this afternoon. I had emailed HR to check on the arrangements for her. I was told they had not even looked at them yet. I was informed that requests such as these take weeks. I need help now. Is there anything the Board can do to expedite her paperwork and processing?” Nielsen looked surprised and then disgusted.
Nielsen: “You want us to pull favors so you can have your office fling join you?” Alexander’s patience was at an end. His temper flashed as he stood and loomed over the table.
Alexander: “I tell you I hired someone to help me and that we work well together and that is what you think? What the hell is wrong with you people! Mabel Brown is 89 years old and like an adopted mother to me. I will tolerate no disrespect to her! How dare you!” Alexander’s fists clenched at his sides. He itched to hit Nielsen in the face.
Alexander: “Even if she wasn’t old enough to be my grandmother, comments like that are disrespectful to every woman working at this company. They are also sexist. How do you know I don’t prefer men?” Alexander gave Nielsen an evil smirk as he leaned even closer over him sneering.
Leopold reached over and patted Alexander on the arm bringing his attention to him. Alexander’s body trembled with rage as his head snapped around and met Leopold’s gaze. He straightened up and swept an arm out in a gesture to encompass the whole table. Alexander spoke directly to Leopold, his tone hard, cold, and furious.
Alexander: “This shit starts at the top. That comment was in no way professional or expected. That is not the behavior you expect to hear in a professional setting. It's no wonder I am running into all kinds of behavior issues. Fix this shit Leopold.” Alexander jerked his arm away from Leopold and stalked out in a rage. He needed to bleed off his anger. He needed to hit something. He made his way to the team gym. He ignored all the looks as he made his way to the locker room. He changed into shorts and a tank top. He then proceeded into the gym and began to pound on the heavy bag. Thank god it was one of the reinforced bags that could handle the strength of his augments. He was so angry he couldn’t regulate the strength in his punches if he tried. Alexander moved to the treadmill and ran until he could barely feel his legs. He went back to the locker room to shower and change. He finally had control of his emotions and face once more. Alexander left the gym for his next meeting. He had managed to remove the scowl but he still looked like he wanted to stab something.
Alexander was only a few minutes late with his meeting with the Marketing Team. He had to switch to water after his third cup of coffee. He wanted to be able to sleep that night. The marketing team had been particularly hard on him. They were like trying to herd cats with everyone screaming over the other to get their ideas in. Katherine wrangled her team well. It was just that they were all creative extrovert types and glory hogs. She had a team of vibrant and memorable talent. Alexander couldn’t believe some of the ideas they pitched. They wanted to market new types of fan experiences to capitalize on Paul’s popularity with the younger generation. He had put a hard no on anything new until he had a chance to find out what Paul and Dorian would be comfortable with. He had asked Katherine to submit a proposal of changes and campaigns they wanted to run for review. She promised to have it for him by Thursday since she was busy arranging the news conference.
By the end of the day, Alexander had met with all the teams that were part of the work that made Valkyrie AGR Sport Team a success. There were a lot of support personnel behind the scenes that made the magic happen on race day. Not all his meetings went smoothly. The mechanics team was downright distrustful. The lead mechanic had a chip on her shoulder and an attitude that she earned by the way she had been treated professionally just trying to do her job. Alexander suspected that the mechanical team had been used as a scapegoat by the previous crew chief or other leadership. He would have to work to earn their trust and support. Alexander began to put together his plan to present to the board later that week on what changes they would be implementing and new policies they would be adopting to stop some of the inequalities and abuse that was occurring amongst the team. He was still fighting anger from what happened earlier in the day. He hoped Mabel had gotten settled in okay. He had not heard from her yet. He had not had time to contact her yet.
Valkyrie Lobby That Afternoon
Mabel had dressed knowing she would end up at the company headquarters. She suspected she would need all the authority she could muster to deal with whatever was happening. Mabel knew Alexander. He wouldn’t have called her unless he was really in the shit. Mabel was experienced enough to expect a shit storm of attitude for her sudden position with Valkyrie as Alexander’s assistant. Mabel had worn one of her favorite outfits. The creamy ivory suit with gold accents gave her chocolate brown skin a warm glow. She wore her favorite jewelry, a present from her beloved husband for their 50th anniversary. She was wearing classy looking gold colored leather flats. The outfit always made her feel great and gave her confidence.
The young man who met her at the airport was respectful and handled her bags. She learned on the drive from the airport that his name was Peter and he was an engineering student. He had told her about his mother, sister, and the girl at the office he was crushing on. He dropped her off at the front door to the office. He pulled her luggage out of the trunk and set it on the sidewalk next to her.
Peter: “Do you need help getting into the building ma’am?” Mabel smiled at the polite and helpful young man.
Mabel: “I would appreciate that. Thank you, Peter.” Peter pulled up the telescoping handle on the suitcase and grabbed it as he offered Mabel his arm. Mabel chuckled delightfully as it was rare to see such manners in youth these days. Mabel slipped her old hand around his arm not that she needed it. She walked along next to Peter, graceful even in her advanced age. She kept fit and had an active lifestyle. Her hand rested gently in the crook of his arm as they made their way to the front door of the massive building. Peter led her into the building pulling her suitcase. He walked towards the security checkpoint. They got into the line that was going through security. Mabel looked around the spacious and luxurious looking lobby. There were holographic models of the ships. There were videos playing in the background that showed various sponsors and the products and services associated with the team. There was a large receptionist desk in black chrome that curved through the center of the lobby. It had glass walls behind it that separated the rest of the building from the public. There was a set of sliding glass doors just beyond the security checkpoint. The line was moving quickly and Mabel was now standing in front of two security guards one on each side of the door. There was a security kiosk for scanning badges on the right side of the walkway.
The security guards were watching and indicated the scanner with a hand motion. The two security guards on duty were Ivan and Damian. They noted that one of the younger employees was escorting an older black woman who had a regal air about her. Peter motioned for one of them to come over. The guard on the left, Damian, stepped forward to see what the hold up was.
Peter: “Hello this is Mr. Knight’s new administrative assistant, Mabel Brown. She doesn’t have her security badge yet. She needs to go to Human Resources for processing.” Mabel patted Peter’s arm affectionately.
Mabel: “Thank you Peter. I think I have got it from here. You were a great help. Good Luck with Valerie, remember you will never know unless you man up and ask her.” Mabel winked at Peter who smiled at her even as his face flushed a little in embarrassment.
Peter: “It was my pleasure Miss Mabel.” Peter gave Mabel a little half bow with a smile and turned and walked away.
Mabel turned her attention back to Damian the guard. Mabel used her sweetest no nonsense voice as she asked the guard.
Mabel: “Well, where do I need to go? Would you show me the way?” Damian was already accessing a datapad and had a slight frown on his face. Damian’s tone sounded confused as he replied.
Damian: “Can I see your identification so I can verify your identity Miss Brown?” Mabel handed over her special encoded ID and international passport.
Damian: “I don’t see you on the approved list of visitors today Miss Brown. Usually we are informed of new hires and have the relevant clearances to escort them about the building.” Mabel: “Well I know it was short notice. Alexander Knight just hired me yesterday. Maybe they are still processing the paperwork. Can you escort me to Human Resources so I can resolve this issue?” Damian: “Well umm…” The guard was stumbling over his words unsure what to do.
His partner Ivan came over.
Ivan: “What is the problem? You are holding up the line.” Mabel’s honey brown eyes narrowed at Ivan’s tone and she smiled sweetly at him as she stepped to the side out of line. Mabel raised an eyebrow at Ivan.
Mabel: “You could have just asked me to step out of line while you worked to resolve the issue, young man.”Mabel’s perfectly manicured nails began to tap against her thigh. She was beginning to get annoyed. Damian looked even more nervous and unsure. Ivan’s scowl deepened at being reprimanded by the older woman.
Ivan looked at Damian. “Figure it out while I keep processing the line.” Ivan stalked back to his post, his body language registering anger to go along with the scowl on his face.
Mabel gave Damian a warm smile.
Mabel: “What is your name, young man?” Damian answered absentmindedly as he glanced at his retreating partner. Damian was a new guard and had only been working the front desk for a week. His focus was on his tablet as he sought the information that seemed to be missing.
Damian: “My name is Damian Miss Brown.” Damian turned his attention back to the older woman.
Mabel smiled at Damian and patted his arm in a comforting way. Her voice was warm and full of compassion as she offered to help the befuddled guard.
Mabel: “I am going to make a guess that you are a new guard. What did your training tell you to do in a situation like this?” Damian relaxed a little as he realized that the older woman was not going to knowingly make his life difficult.
Damian: “Yes. I really like this job and want to keep it. This exact situation was not one they covered.” Damian pointed over to Ivan. “He was supposed to be providing on the job training for me and guidance.” Damian sounded frustrated and blushed as he realized what he had just shared with a total stranger. He winced at that realization. His second week was not going so well.
Mabel’s warm laughter filled the area. She patted him on the arm again. Mabel’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned closer to Damian and gave him a wink.
Mabel: “Well we will figure this out together then. Shall we?” Damian couldn’t help relaxing again and smiling at the older woman. She reminded him of his great grandmother. She had the same spunk and spirit. Damian had always loved spending time with her.
Damian stood up straight and nodded. She was right he could figure this out.
Mabel watched as Damian seemed to regain his confidence.
Damian spoke out loud as he thought through the problem.
Damian: “Well during training we were told if a situation occurs when a guard needs to leave to escort a visitor into the building then we call the security office and request another guard be dispatched to the main entrance. The main entrance is to be manned at all times with at least two guards. Once the replacement guard gets here, then one of the guards will act as the escort.” Mabel gave him a nod and a smile as she encouraged him.
Mabel: “So do you know what you need to do now?” Damian gave Mabel a nod and a confident smile as he spoke into the comms system that connected him to the security office. His voice had more confidence and he spoke with authority this time.
Damian: “Yes this Damian at the main entrance. Mr. Knight’s new assistant has arrived and needs to be escorted to Human Resources for processing. I need another guard to take over my position at the main entrance while I escort her to HR.” Mabel waited patiently as Damian spoke to security. She observed Ivan as she waited. Ivan was quick and efficient as he kept the line moving. There was finally a break with no one waiting to get in. Ivan was staring at Damian and shaking his head.
Damian turned back towards Mabel and told her.
Damian. “It will be a few minutes, ma’am while they send another guard to replace me. Then I can escort you to HR. Will you need help with your suitcase?” Mabel caught Ivan following their conversation as he walked back over to them.
Ivan: “She is not on the list. She is not authorized to be in the building. You are breaking protocol. Not to mention offering to be her bellboy.” Ivan sneered at Damian, his voice mocking.
Damian gave Ivan a surprised look.
Damian: “I am following protocol. Unusual circumstances happen. I called for another guard to replace me so I can escort Miss Brown to HR to resolve the issue. Offering to help her with her suitcase is just me being respectful. There is no dishonor in being polite.” Ivan continued to look angry. Damian couldn’t figure out what was going on. Mabel had an idea about what was going on though. She suspected interoffice politics and power plays. She came prepared to cut through the bullshit.
Mabel looked at Ivan and gave him a piercing look; her tone was suspicious and scathing as she began to question Ivan.
Mabel: “Who asked you to delay me or turn me away? Was it a staff member? A member of the board?” Ivan looked truly pissed as he scowled at Mabel. Mabel had not missed his body stiffening and the quick look of surprise that he suppressed quickly. Mabel watched Ivan and was not intimidated by his 6’2” muscled frame. The man’s posture was radiating violence.
Ivan’s angry voice barked out.: “How dare you accuse me of such a thing?” Mabel just laughed in his face knowing she had hit the nail on the head.
Mabel: “Let me guess. This was just a small little favor requested by someone wearing a tight or short skirt?” Damian was watching what was happening and was shocked by what he was hearing. Ivan’s behavior was over the top for such a minor inconvenience and issue. His eyes narrowed as he began to look closer at the man.
Damian made a snap decision and called the security office again.
Damian: “Please inform Chief Gunderson that he is needed at the main entrance.” Mabel smiled and winked at Damian.
Mabel: “You are learning, padawan. You show potential.” Damian kept his eyes on Ivan as the man’s fists began to open and close.
Ivan: “I am your trainer and the shift supervisor! How dare you go behind my back over this unknown woman.” Damian replied to Mabel with a smile never taking his eyes off Ivan.
Damian: “I appreciate that you think so ma’am.” Damian nodded to Ivan.
Damian: “We will find out what the Chief thinks of this situation. I trust him to educate me on how this situation should be appropriately handled.” Damian’s tone and words implying that Ivan was incapable of completing that task.
Tensions were increasing between the two men as Ivan stepped closer and gave Damian a menacing glare.
Mabel smiled and noted that the whole scene was being observed by the receptionist. Her discerning eye picked up the cameras that covered the area and she smirked.
Damian moved so that he was between Ivan and Mabel gently pushing the older woman behind him. If Ivan got violent, he wanted to protect the older woman.
Ivan sneered as he noticed Damian’s movement.
Ivan: “You are a coward who is easily manipulated. Can’t you see you are doing exactly what she wants?”Damian smiled confidently and nodded.
“Yes and it is what I want too. So it was an easy decision to make.” Mabel just chuckled softly and waited patiently. She rested her hand on the handle of her suitcase so she could pull it out Damian’s way if violence erupted.
Mabel remained behind Damian as two new guards and an older man in a suit came out of the corridor that led deeper into the offices and the elevators.
Mabel stepped out from behind Damian as three men approached. She gave the three men her warmest smile and most innocent look.
Wulfric noted the body language of the two guards. Damian was in a protective stance and Ivan’s body language said he was ready for violence. Wulfric also noted that the older black woman looked relaxed. He hid his amusement at the thought that Knight was going to keep him on his toes.
Before Mabel could say a word Ivan turned to face his boss with anger on his face and in his voice.
Ivan: “I am sorry you were called sir. I was handling the situation when my trainee mishandled the situation. This woman arrived and was not on the clearance list or the escort list to enter the building. I denied her entry. Damian called for another guard so he could escort her into the offices. She is purposefully manipulating him to get into the office sir.” Damian: “I asked Ivan for help and was told to handle the situation while he went back to processing the line sir. What he failed to tell you is that the woman is Alexander Knight’s new administrative assistant. She explained that she was just hired yesterday and that it was short notice. She requested an escort to Human Resources to resolve the issue. Ivan took exception to that and got angry after I called for another guard per protocol to escort her. He got even angrier when Miss Brown asked him who had asked him to delay her or refuse her entry. That is when I called for your presence sir.” Mabel just kept smiling and waited patiently for the security guards to sort it out.
Wulfric wasn’t surprised that shenanigans like this would be taking place. He was annoyed that one of his guards had been caught up in it. Chances are there was a member of upper management or a board member was trying to sabotage Knight’s efforts. Knight had already rocked the foundation of the racing team by uncovering and addressing some serious issues. He also had watched the video from the gym as Knight worked out his temper instead of slugging the board member. He had been impressed with his form. Wulfric’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Ivan.
Wulfric spoke into his comms with a deep commanding voice.
Wulfric: “Send another guard to the main entrance.” Wulfric pointed to one of the new guards.
Wulfric: “Escort Ivan to my office.” He turned to Ivan.
Wulfric: “You will go to my office and then we will review the footage on this incident and fill out an after action report and decide on what corrective measures need to be taken. Go.” Wulfric pointed back the way he had come, giving Ivan no chance to defend himself or speak.
Wulfric: “Now.” Wulfric paid no attention to Ivan’s angry muttering as he stomped down the hall with the other guard. He turned his attention back to Damian.
Wulfric: “Damian I know you are new. However you handled this situation appropriately as far as I can tell right now. After you have escorted Miss Brown to Human Resources, come to my office and we will review the video and discuss this incident. Good work.” Damian’s spine straightened under his boss’ praise. He smiled and nodded at Wulfric.
Damian: “Yes sir!” Wulfric turned his attention to Miss Brown. She was nothing like he had expected. He had wondered why Knight had requested her specifically. It was his job to run background checks. Miss Brown had passed with flying colors. He was curious how Miss Brown had handled the situation. He was going to watch that video with interest. He offered Miss Brown his hand to shake.
Mabel smiled at the security chief and shook his hand firmly. Wulfric smiled at her as his deep voice carried in the open space.
Wulfric: “Welcome to Valkyrie AGR Sport Miss Brown. I apologize that there was an issue. My name is Wulfric Gunderson. I am the Chief of Security for Valkyrie. I will make sure your security pass is set up and waiting for you once you are done in Human Resources. Damian can escort you to my office to pick it up.”
Mabel gave Wulfric a smile and a nod as she replied with her southern accent prevalent as she thanked him for his help.
Mabel: “Thank you Chief Gunderson. Please call me Mabel.” She winked at Wulfric.
Wulfric had been surprised at the strength in the handshake. Wulfric laughed heartily. He already liked her.
Wulfric: “Then you can call me Wulfric.” The guards looked surprised when Wulfric offered her his first name.They looked at each other as Wulfric released Mabel’s hand.
Wulfric turned to the other guard and gave instructions.
Wulfric: “Please store Miss Brown’s suitcase until we know which apartment she will be assigned. Then make sure it gets delivered there for her.” Wulfric smiled as the guard nodded and accepted the suitcase from Mabel. He rolled into the small security booth next to the entrance. Wulfric was glad to see that the other guards were following orders just fine. Wulfric gave a rueful shake of his head.
Wulfric: “I have to go deal with Ivan. If you run into any more issues, please feel free to have them call me. I hope your day gets better Mabel. I look forward to hearing how your day went later. Damian is at your disposal Miss Brown.” Mabel gave Wulfric another sunny smile.
“Thank you Wulfric. I appreciate your assistance.” Wulfric left with a quick ground eating stride. The guard who had escorted Ivan to the security office was approaching, having passed Wulfric in the hallway.
Damian smiled and offered his arm once more to Mabel.
Damian: “Are you ready to go to Human Resources now?” Mabel chuckled and tucked her old hand into the crook of his arm.
Mabel’s eyes twinkled as she told him.
Mabel: “Lead on good sir.” The other two guards just watched with a look of confusion. They watched as the odd pair disappeared into the back hallways.
Valkyrie Human Resource Department
Mabel paid attention to her surroundings as she was escorted deeper into the building. Damian led her to a bank of elevators and pushed a button.
Damian pointed down the hallway to the left.
Damian: “Down there is the company dining room. Food is available there and can be deducted from your salary. Across from the dining room is the daycare center.” Mabel nodded and tried to absorb all the information Damian was sharing with her.
Damian explained that the main hallways were set up like an I. One main hallway went from the front entrance to the back entrance which led deeper into the campus. There were two main hallways that ran across the building, one they had to cross to get to the center of the I where the elevator bays were located. There was another large hallway that ran across the building just before the dining room and day care center. The front hallway led to the large meeting rooms and the big room where they held press conferences.
The elevator arrived and she stepped inside the chrome mirrored monstrosity. Damian punched the button for the 2nd floor. The elevator was smooth, quick, and quiet. Damian put his arm across the elevator door to ensure she could step off easily without being caught in the door. She smiled and retook his arm as he led her down the hall towards the rear of the building. The hallway let out in the intersection into another lobby of sorts. There was another black and chrome receptionist desk. Human Resources was on the front of the desk in foot high chrome letters. There was a waiting area with plush black leather chairs with chrome accents. A nice attractive young woman was sitting at the desk with warm chestnut colored hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a white button up top and a black skirt with heels. Her name tag read Valerie. Damian led her up to the desk.
Valerie’s head was down as she typed something into the computer. She had heard the chime that said someone had entered their area. Her cultured voice greeted them with warm tones.
Valerie: “Welcome to Human Resources. I will be right with you.” Valerie finished up what she was typing and closed the screen before she looked up from her desk with a warm smile. Her smile was replaced with a surprised look as she looked Mabel up and down. The rumors Valerie had heard was that Mabel Brown was only being hired at Alexander Knight’s insistence. Rumors had it that she was his office fling.Valerie managed to regain her composure as she smiled at the security guard. Her voice sounded confident and competent once more.
Mabel couldn’t help smiling as she thought.
No wonder Peter is smitten. Mabel didn’t miss the surprise or confusion on the young woman’s face.
Damian smiled at the young woman as he explained the situation.
Damian: “Hello there seemed to be some confusion at the front desk. This is Miss Mabel Brown. She is Alexander Knight’s new administrative assistant. Security was not informed of her arrival. Can you help us get this issue resolved?” Valerie: “I spoke with Mr. Knight about his request this morning. I had forwarded that to my supervisor. Let me see what progress has been made.” Valerie’s fingers flew over the keyboard as she focused on the holographic screen in front of her. She looked a little flustered and her cheeks tinged a little pink as she reviewed the file. The only work that had been done so far was the background check. Valerie was worried she would get blamed for this after speaking with Mr. Knight this morning.
How could her supervisor ignore this important request? Yes it was unusual but not unheard of. Things sometimes moved fast in a racing team. Valerie had bumped the request up the chain because she didn’t have the authority to handle everything that was requested.
Mabel watched Valerie’s face. She was getting annoyed.
How many people were trying to block her being hired? It made her wonder how many enemies Alexander had made already. Mabel maintained her calm patient demeanor. She had a feeling that whatever the problem was that Valerie was not to blame. Mabel had worked in the corporate environment for years. She was a pro at interoffice political warfare. Mabel decided the enemy had already given her their warning shot. It was time to start recruiting her own troops.
Damian shifted nervously next to Mabel. He glanced down at the older black woman and noted the look in her eyes. It reminded him of when his great grandmother would begin to use her wooden spoon on someone. That old woman could find a tender spot everytime! He was just going to stand here and watch. Mabel had already taught him a thing or two. He smiled and winked at Mabel. He couldn’t wait to see how she handled this situation.
Mabel’s voice was silk over steel as she asked the young woman what the problem was.
Mabel: “Well I haven’t got all day. What is the problem?” Valerie's face blanched as she tried to explain the situation. Her voice trembled as she spoke.
Valerie: “Well Miss Brown. I explained to Mr. Knight this morning that typically the hiring process takes several weeks. His request was highly unusual. I don’t have the authority to expedite the process. I forwarded his request to my supervisor this morning. The only thing that has been done is your background check.” Valerie winced as she explained the situation and told the truth of the matter.
Mabel’s eyes narrowed in thought before she looked down at the young woman who was practically trembling in her presence.
Mabel gave Valerie a warm smile, She reached across the desk and patted Valerie on the shoulder. Her southern accent dripped honey as she spoke.
Mabel: “Young lady, what is your name?” Valerie managed to squeak out,
“Valerie.” Mabel winked at Valerie before she continued.
Mabel: “It is a pleasure to meet you Valerie. I understand that this is not your fault. Maybe we can solve this together.” Valerie relaxed as she realized the woman was not holding her responsible for this snafu. She appreciated her relaxed confident demeanor. Valerie gave the older woman a tentative smile.
Valerie: “It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Brown. I am happy to try.”Mabel: “Well Valerie. How much of the process do you have the authority to do?” Valerie stopped and pondered the question. In reality she made all the arrangements for onboarding new employees. Her supervisor just had to authorize the security clearance and any additional perks like on site housing, and they set the wages.
Valerie smiled at Mabel and nodded.
Valerie: “Let’s get started. I can do everything but push through the authorizations to payroll, security, and housing.” Mabel smiled back at Valerie: “I already met with Wulfric. He said to call him if you need him to verify my security clearance.” Valerie had pulled a chair over next to her workstation. Damian had made himself comfortable in one of the black leather chairs as he waited for Mabel. Valerie had learned that the guard’s name was Damian. It took her about an hour to complete everything. Valerie got to work and finished processing Mabel’s hiring paperwork. She set up her company email and sent her the relevant self guided videos and quizzes on company policies and procedures, the employee handbook, and the relevant training on harassment, reporting procedures, and mandatory security measures. She had worked with Mabel to help her set up and activate all her employee benefits which would be activated when the supervisor sent their approval to payroll.
Valerie smiled at Mabel. She had quickly grown to like the old woman. Her voice was full of genuine warmth as she told her.
Valerie: “I just need to run this paperwork over to my supervisor’s office to get his approval codes for the remainder. Then Damian can escort you to the security office to pick up your security badge.” Mabel smiled warmly at Valerie: “I appreciate all your help Valerie. Thank you.” Valerie smiled at her as she rose to her feet and disappeared into one of the office doors behind the receptionist desk.
Valerie knocked on her supervisor’s door and waited for her to respond. Her supervisor, Désirée Guyon, was not the nicest person in the world. Valerie knew for a fact that the woman slept around the office looking for her next promotion. She had seen executives come out of her office looking disheveled with lipstick stains on their collars. The woman was downright vile to Valerie and never missed an opportunity to put her down and disparage the work she did.
Her supervisor made her wait for almost five minutes before she called out to come in. Valerie kept her face neutral as she stepped into her supervisor’s garishly decorated office. Her supervisor scowled as she saw it was her lowly underling.
Désirée Guyon: “What? Haven’t you caused me enough grief today?” Désirée’s tone was scathing and full of disapproval. Désirée had gotten an earful from Maier about Valerie taking a call from Alexander Knight. She had been ordered by Maier to stall the hire of his assistant. Valerie had to be such a rule follower. She had forwarded the request and information that Knight had called this morning to check on the status of the arrangements for his office skank.
Valerie flushed scarlet knowing she had handled and forwarded two direct requests and issues to her supervisor at Alexander Knight’s request. She could see Désirée getting some flack and heat over the incidents.
Valerie was shaking as she handed her tablet to Désirée. Her voice was tentative as she tried for a helpful tone.
Valerie: “Miss Brown was escorted into the office by security. I checked her file and none of the work had been done. I took the initiative to take care of her file after I noticed all that had been done was her security clearance. I just need you to authorize her hire so I can finish getting her settled in.” Désirée vibrated with rage at the presumption of the little pipsqueak.
Désirée: “How dare you touch that file without my approval?! Her hire has not been approved yet. Who does that skank think she is? She can’t come in and order our staff around before she is even hired.” The color drained out of Valerie’s face at the vitriol coming out of her supervisor’s mouth. Valerie spluttered out a defense. Valerie bravely tried to defend her actions.
Valerie: “But ma’am, Mr. Knight requested this hire personally. He has the authority, Miss Guyon. I assumed you would want to take care of this right away. Mr. Knight is the new Crew Chief. We were told he had authority in the interoffice memo sent by the Board President last Friday.” Désirée was furious as she rose to her feet. Her spiked stilettos made no noise on the thick carpeting. She straightened her skin tight pencil skirt and smoothed down her blouse that was so low cut you could almost see her navel. She stormed past Valerie pushing her aside so the woman stumbled. Her voice was full of hatred for the younger and more attractive woman.
Désirée: “You are an incompetent imbecile! Do not think of dictating company policy to me.I will take care of this myself” As soon as Mabel heard raised voices coming from the open office door she picked up her tablet and began recording.
Damian tensed as he heard the raised voices. He couldn’t help hearing the conversation and it made him angry. He turned to Mabel who looked cool as a cucumber.
Mabel: “Don’t interfere Damian.” She winked at him.
“Don’t worry I got this. You might want to record this too though. I am sure Wulfric will want to see it afterward.” Damian did as she requested and sent a message through his tablet to Gunderson.
A situation is developing in Human Resources. Miss Brown may need your personal intervention.Damian nodded to Mabel before responding.
Damian: “Yes ma’am. I am here if you need me.” Désirée’s stilettos made a satisfying angry clicking sound as she stormed out of her office and into the lobby where Valerie’s desk was located. The ever present sneer on her face as she looked around the waiting area. She saw one of the company guards and an older black woman holding a tablet. Désirée had been told that the woman Alexander wanted for his assistant was his latest secretary and office bunny. She was looking for a slutty dressed attractive woman who could be her competition here at Valkyrie. Désirée’s head snapped from side to side. She snapped her fingers at Valerie as if she was summoning a dog. She turned to scowl at Valerie. Désirée’s voice was full of hatred and dripped with disgust as she looked at Valerie.
Désirée: “Well where is this trumped up trollop? I don’t have all day. Point her out, you interfering twit!” Valerie trembled as followed her supervisor on shaky legs. Valerie shot Mabel an apologetic look before pointing her out to her supervisor.
Valerie: “She is sitting right there ma’am.” Désirée scoffed and waved a hand in the direction of Mabel.
Désirée: “You are mistaken. I was told that Alexander Knight’s request to hire a personal assistant was to bring his latest office hookup. There is no way that is Mabel Brown. You are being deceived and manipulated into processing that paperwork against orders I might add.” Damien noted that Désirée’s loud strident screeching was drawing people from their offices. The women were gaining a crowd.
Valerie looked confused and gestured toward Mabel once more. Her voice was confused but stronger this time.
Valerie: “Miss Guyon you are mistaken. Her security clearance and identity were confirmed by the Chief of Security before he had a guard escort her up to resolve the hire paperwork issue.” Désirée shook her head no as she continued to glare at Valerie.
Désirée: “Mr. Baier personally told me not to approve her paperwork because the woman was being hired under false pretenses.” Désirée flinched as she realized what she had just admitted out loud to an audience no less.
Mabel stood up and approached Désirée. Her voice was acid as she looked the hateful woman up and down with disdain.
Mabel: “Show some damn respect for yourself! You give all women working in business a bad name. I am Mabel Brown. I just got here from a flight from the East Coast of the US. Are you telling me you didn’t process my paperwork on purpose? I want you to think about your answer very carefully, Miss Guyon. I am recording this conversation.” Mabel watched as Miss Guyon flinched but regained her composure. She put on a haughty air as she turned to address Mabel directly.
Désirée sneered as she regarded the other woman with suspicion and disdain on her face.
Désirée: "Miss Brown I don’t care if you record our conversation. I take my orders from the Chief Human Resources Officer who takes orders from the Board of Directors. This is a professional company with set policies and practices for hiring new employees. The fact of the matter is that Mr. Knight tried to circumvent the company’s hiring practices. He is not authorized to expedite the hiring process or make hiring decisions.” Mabel just kept recording the cold hateful bitch as she helped her dig a deeper hole in which to bury her. Mabel gave her a cold smile. Her voice was ice with hints of steel. She straightened to her full height as she looked at the woman like she was dog shit that needed to be wiped off her shoe.
Mabel: “Miss Guyon I want to clarify and make sure I am understanding what you are telling me. Point one: You don’t believe that I am truly Mabel Brown because I am not a young sexy thing. Point two: You have been ordered to block my hiring by the Mr. Maier the Chief Human Resource Officer. Point three: My hiring is being blocked on the grounds that Mr. Knight didn’t follow proper hiring protocols.” Désirée looked smug as she crossed her arms across her chest and popped out a hip as she nodded at the ugly old woman. Her tone was full of triumph thinking she had won this battle of wits and wills.
Désirée:”That is correct, you old crone.” Damian and Valerie were almost mirror images of each as their heads whipped from one to the other like they were watching a tennis match.
Mabel looked like ice wouldn’t melt in her mouth as she regarded the woman with a nod. Mabel held up a finger as if she had just thought of this point.
Mabel: “So you are saying that the company lacks procedures to expedite the hiring process?” Désirée scoffed again and fluffed her hair before answering.
Désirée: “Of course not. Valkyrie has procedures in place to accommodate expedited hiring.” Mabel nodded sagely at Désirée as she continued.
Mabel: “I see. So really your only argument for not processing my hire paperwork is that Alexander Knight lacks the authority to hire me.” Désirée looked satisfied as if victory was hers as she nodded.
Désirée: "That is exactly what I am saying.” Mabel: “I see. So you are saying that in the company wide memo sent by Leopold Koch the Board President to all staff regarding the authority of the new Crew Chief, one Alexander Knight did not grant him this authority?”Désirée's confidence was dwindling and she started to fidget and get nervous.
How did the old crone know about the memo? She knew she had just told a bold face lie. Maier had assured that the board had never meant to grant that level of control to Knight. Maier assured her he would cover her ass if came to it. That gave her some confidence back. Her lip curled in disgust at the old woman who had interrupted her day and challenged her authority in her own office.
Mabel looked satisfied as she sent the recording to Alexander and Wulfric. She then clicked the record button again. It was about that time that Gunderson arrived on the scene.
Wulfric had to make his way through the crowd that had gathered to witness the latest showdown. He knew it would be useless to tell them to go back to work and sighed. Wulfric looked at Désirée and frowned. He had never liked that pole climbing woman. Wulfric came to a stop next to Damian and looked around at the parties involved.
Wulfric: “What seems to be the issue? I have already processed Miss Brown’s security clearance and verified her identity.” His tone implied there shouldn't be any issues.
Mabel smiled at Wulfric and her whole countenance warmed and exuded classy older lady. She started to explain when Désirée interrupted her.
Désirée’s simpering voice was strident and grating on Wulfric’s ears as she spoke.
Désirée: “This woman is clearly an imposter and should be escorted from the building. Even if she is not. Mr. Knight is not authorized to make hiring decisions for Valkyrie AGR Sport. I am doing my job by following the orders handed down to me by my superiors.” Désirée sounded smug and expectant as she looked at Wulfric.
Wulfric was confused as he knew for a certainty that Knight did have the authority. He had a personal meeting with the board president about the special clause in his contract.
Wulfric: “You are mistaken Désirée. Knight does have the authority. Where is Maier?” Wulfric couldn’t grasp why such an important issue was being handled by an underling. He also didn’t understand why Maier would tell her to stonewall Miss Brown. Wulfric knew that there were some heads going to roll over this. It wouldn’t be his though.
Mabel waited until the trollop had said her piece before turning to Wulfric.
Mabel: “Wulfric, it is a pleasure to see you again. I wish it was under better circumstances. I had hoped to resolve this issue without taking you away from your duties again. Valerie was quite lovely and tried to fix the issue with my paperwork. She did all the work and only needed her boss’s authorization to complete it. That is when Miss Guyon came out here and verbally accosted me accusing me of lying about who I was.I understand from Miss Guyon that Valkyrie AGR Sport has already broken the contract they signed with Alexander Knight. You might want to stick around while I inform him of this. I am sure he is going to be quite upset.” Wulfric heard gasps and muttering in the surrounding crowd. Wulfric looked panicked for a moment because he knew that Alexander Knight was going to blow through this department like a hurricane. His expression switched to amusement instead. He would stick around and watch the fireworks.
Désirée was nervous as she was faced with the certainty in the Chief of Security’s voice.
Wulfric: “Well let's see if we can resolve this issue peacefully. Let me get all parties here.” Wulfric turned to Damian and pointed down the corridor in the direction of Maier’s office. Wulfric's voice was full of command and confidence as he gave Damian an order.
Wulfric: “Damian fetch Mr. Maier from his office. Tell him his presence is required to resolve an important issue. That you are there to fetch him on my orders.” Damian nodded and took off down the hall. Damian had to fight through the crowd.
Wulfric sent a message to have one of the guards bring Alexander to Human Resources.
Mabel looked gleefully smug as she waited for Alexander to make an appearance. She wished she had some popcorn to go with the show.
A few tense minutes in silence passed. Damian almost had to frog march the belligerent executive down the corridor. He had to physically pull the man from his office and tug him by his arm before he finally started walking on his own. The entire time he regaled Damien about how he would lose his job. Damian ignored him since he was working on his boss’ orders. In his mind, Gunderson trumped the head of HR.
Maier appeared in a haughty huff giving Gunderson a nasty look.
Maier:“I don’t work for you Gunderson. I am not in your chain of command. You can’t just order me about. Call off your goon.” Damian nodded to his boss and stood ready. His body language conveyed that he had not given Maier a choice.
Alexander arrived looking like the Thunder God Thor was in the building. The man exuded angry violence. Gunderson couldn’t blame the man after the day he had had.
Maier’s expression, if possible, looked even more angry as he saw Alexander approach.
Mabel smiled as Alexander arrived. She stepped forward to greet him with her customary hug. Alexander’s anger faded the moment he spotted Mabel. He smiled warmly at her and bent to give her a welcome hug.
Alexander: “I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from you yet. Is everything okay?” Mabel winked at Alexander as she pulled back from the hug with a dramatic sigh.
Mabel’s voice was full of false regret as she met Alexander’s searching gaze.
Mabel: “Well Alex there has been issues with my hire paperwork. I was hoping to resolve it without having to call you. I regret to inform you that did not happen.” Alexander turned and looked at the others. His face was thunderous as he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest. His stance is one of aggression and displeasure.
Alexander looked from person to person as he barked out a terse.
“Explain.”Maier stepped to the front with a sneer. He was looking forward to taking this trumped up outsider down and getting him out of his organization. He didn’t belong here.
Maier: “Mr. Knight, you continue to abuse this company’s policies and procedures. You do not have the authority to expedite the hiring process. All new hires that require the security clearance that your assistant requires must be approved by the board. There has not been sufficient time to get the approval and I have personally denied the request.” Maier looked smug as if he had won the argument.
The crowd of Human Resource employees were restless and muttering in the background.
Alexander looked confused then pissed and pulled out his tablet and contacted Leopold putting the call on speaker. As soon as Leopold answered Alexander cut him off.
Alexander: “Leopold, you are on speaker and this conversation is being recorded. I am standing in Human Resources trying to resolve an issue about hiring my new assistant. A Mr..” Alexander turned to Gunderson and pointed out Maier.
“What is his name?” Gunderson grinned as he looked Maier in the eye as he helpfully gave Alexander his answer.
Wulfric: “Mr. Maier the Chief Human Resources Officer.” Alexander’s eyes narrowed as he heard the name. His eyes latched onto Maier as he began to understand where all his Human Resource issues were coming from. Alexander continued his voice deepening with anger.
Alexander: “Mr Maier is informing me that I do not have the authority to expedite the hiring process for my assistant. I would like to inform you that Valkyrie AGR Sport is in breach of contract. You might want to let the Board of Directors know to buckle up as I take the team to court and tie it up in litigation.” Maier looked less certain now. He still looked haughty but he was starting to show some nerves.
Wulfric glanced from Knight to Maier to Miss Guyon. She had moved closer to Maier and was hovering behind him like he could protect her. Wulfric snorted knowing that if Knight wanted to truly get violent he would wipe the floor with Maier.
Leopold’s voice was cold with anger. He knew bringing Knight in would shake things up around Valkyrie. He had no idea the number of underground interoffice factions that were vying for power at the company. He was feeling more certain than ever that he had made the right choice. The man had already shone a light on the darkness that was brewing in the corporate structure of the large racing team. Leopold had heard the Chief of Security’s voice answer Knight’s question.
Leopold snapped out:
“Gunderson!” Wulfric: “Yes Sir.” Leopold: “On my authority you are going to remove anyone in Human Resources who had anything to do with this situation without a good reason. Their involvement is to be documented and added to their employment file. They are to be fired and escorted from the building. You will investigate to see if there are any other ties to this incident with anyone else in the organization. You have my authority to remove Mr. Knight’s roadblocks. You will work with my authority to finish processing Miss Brown’s hire. You will report your findings directly to me. Alexander does this resolve the issue to your satisfaction?” Mabel looked satisfied and smiled at Alex.
Gunderson looked surprised but pleased as he responded to Leopold.
Wulfric: “Understood Sir.” Alexander was still seething as he glared at a shocked Mr. Maier. His voice was gruff as he replied to Leopold.
Alexander: “It will do for now, Leopold. I don’t expect this to be the end of this crap. Hopefully you can make this work for us both.” Alexander hung up on Leopold and turned to the people in the room. His stormy eyes landed on Maier and the woman hiding behind him. He turned back to Mabel.
“Who?” That was all Alex had to say. They had been working together long enough she knew what he wanted. Mabel wrapped a comforting arm around Valerie, who was looking pale and imitating a deer in the headlights. Mabel kept her arm around Valerie’s shoulders as she answered Knight.
Mabel: “Miss Guyon revealed that she was working on direct orders from Mr. Maier. She implied there were orders to Mr. Maier from a board member. Miss Guyon was disrespectful to me, arrogant, unprofessional, and blatantly abusive of her supervisory power. She belittled her staff in front of me and contradicted the company’s own policies knowingly.” Gunderson and Alexander both looked at Maier and then the woman trying to hide behind Maier as if she could escape notice now that Mabel was revealing her behavior.
Mabel gave Valerie a warm squeeze as the poor girl was shivering. Mabel smiled and nodded at the young woman she was holding.
Mabel: “Valerie was polite, respectful, and bent over backward to rectify the situation. She told me she had sent the issue to her supervisor, Miss Guyon after your conversation this morning. She explained she didn’t have the authority to push the expedited paperwork through. Yet she took the time to help me fill it out so it could be processed. It was the work her supervisor should have been doing. All Miss Guyon had to do was send out the approval. That is when she verbally accosted Valerie and came to confront me.” Mabel gave Alexander a wicked grin as she winked at him.
Mabel: “Fire the bastard and his painted trollop. Give Valerie the job.” Wulfric couldn’t stop the laugh that belted out of him at Mabel’s language.
Oh he was going to enjoy having her around. Désirée looked shocked as she protested Mabel's choice of language and her statement.
Désirée: "You can't do that. She can't do that!" She screeched at the top of her lungs.
"Maier tell them they can't do that! I was only following your orders!" Maier looked murderous as he slapped Désirée.
Maier:"Shut up! This is all your fault! I never should have trusted you." Damian was snickering and grateful he was still recording. He was going to replay this with snacks in the guard’s room on his break. He moved to separate the two of them. Stopping any additional violence.
Alexander nodded at Mabel and finally smiled. Only she could coax a smile out of him after the day he had. Alexander turned to Wulfric and nodded.
Alexander: “Wulfric, Maier and Guyon are fired. I will let you deal with that while I interview Valerie here for Maier’s position.” Valerie looked stunned as her head whipped to Mabel and then to Alexander.
Valerie replied weakly in a soft voice.
“I think I need to sit down.” Valerie slipped back into her desk sitting down hard. She put her head down on her desk and took a few deep breaths.
Mabel looked at Alexander and swatted him on the arm.
Mabel: “Stop glowering at the poor girl. You are scaring her.” Alexander flinched when Mabel hit him not because it hurt, she managed to startle him. He did his best to wipe the scowl from his face. It was easier as Damian and Wulfric led the two of them away.
Wulfric’s deep commanding voice filled the area: “Show’s over people. Go back to your desks. Go On.” Wulfric made shooing motions to the crowd. He took Maier’s arm and marched him back to his office after requesting an additional two guards to come to HR to help disperse the crowd.
Alexander pulled two chairs across from Valerie’s desk. He offered Mabel a hand in getting seated like a gentleman should. He turned his attention to Valerie and gave her a sympathetic smile. He knew she was overwhelmed right now. He trusted Mabel’s instincts though. She had never been wrong. He used a kind and gentle voice with Valerie.
Alexander: “Valerie what is your last name? Can you tell me about your qualifications for the Chief Human Resource Officer position? Would you even like the position?” Mabel patted Alexander on the knee approvingly.
Valerie took a moment to recover her composure. Now that the chaos had left and the feeling of impending doom and violence was gone. She had stopped shaking. She just felt tired. Valerie smiled gratefully at Mabel.
Valerie: “Thank you Miss Brown. I was really worried I was going to be blamed and caught in a turf war between Alexander, Maier, and Guyon.” Mabel reached across the desk and patted Valerie’s hand in a grandmotherly way.
Mabel: “It is okay dear. I remember those who treat me with kindness and respect. Alexander Knight is a good boss. You can trust him.” Alexander looked perplexed and amused as he looked over at Mabel. He just shrugged and went with it.
Alexander: “I would like to offer you Maier’s position, however I want to be sure you are qualified and want it.” Valerie turned her attention to Alexander. He had frightened her when he came in like a one man army ready to do battle. She liked and respected Miss Brown though. She trusted her not to steer her wrong.
Valerie nodded, mind made up as she answered Alexander.
Valerie: “My name is Valerie Gachet. I have dual bachelor degrees in Human Resources and Business. I have been working here at Valkyrie since I graduated from university 6 years ago.” Valerie hesitated to continue. She looked again at Mabel who was giving her an encouraging look.
Valerie continued: “My goal is to become the Chief Human Resource Officer for Valkyrie AGR Sport. My concern is that there are other mid level supervisors like Miss Guyon who will protest me leaping over them to take the job.” Alexander smiled at the woman. His tone was amused.
Alexander: “Valerie do feel qualified for the position?” Valerie: “Yes”Alexander: “Is there anyone in the department that you feel will do a better job than you?” Valerie looked thoughtful before replying. There were a few people who had been here longer than her but they were going through the motions. They didn’t try to keep up with changing regulations. They were at Valkyrie for a paycheck. She met Alexander’s eyes this time.
Valerie: “No” Alexander: “Then Congratulations! You are the new Chief Human Resource Officer. You can start tomorrow. But first, can you finish processing Mabel’s paperwork?” Alexander looked a little sheepish as he made the request.
Mabel chuckled and winked at Valerie as she confided to the girl.
Mabel: “Valerie as you can see. He gets into trouble without a keeper.” Valerie didn’t bother to stop the sudden laughter that Mabel’s comment caused.
Valerie: “I can see that!” Alexander crossed his arms and gave Valerie a playful smile.
Alexander: “I might resemble that remark.”
VictoryLaps: Victory Laps Racing News is coming to you live with insider information on events happening inside Valkyrie AGR Sport. We have confirmed reports that Alexander Knight’s first full day in the office has been tumultuous with changes rocking the foundation of the team. The only details we could confirm were that Dr. Zimmerman the head of Valkyrie’s Medical Team and Bernard Maier the Chief Human Resources Officer have been fired. More updates as we confirm rumors.
OfficeDrone#12: I told you so people!
SuperfanAGR54: I believe it.
DantheMan:Bold moves.
Superfan2075: So what. More made up conspiracy theory mumbo jumbo.
DadBod89: Rumors are sometimes right.
Hater101: I will keep watching.
Papabear34:I repeat: Alexander Knight Sucks! #knightfail #bringbackdominic
Nana2050: I am sure if he did he had his reasons. #realitycheck
GeorgeFly: #dontfeedtrolls
ValkyrieFan56: Not the changes I would have expected him to make.
Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters]
SexyM@m@5:I have a friend who works at Valkyrie. She confirmed that Maier and Zimmerman were sacked.
Paulmulder4eva: Any luck on getting me Paul’s digits?
Britball12: #fakeracingnews
BatDave: I am still Batman.
Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters]
!YouSlow! AG is great and all, but we just don't get the really amazing stuff! No one will ever replicate Ross Chastain ever again!
xImFasterthanUx: I tell ya, racing ain't like it used to be, back in the day of the Greats, crap like what's happening in the AG would never happen. I hear there's racer trouble among (your company). Lots of bad practices, bad machines. Praise Dale, he's probably rolling in his grave.
AGInthusiast: You know what? These guys ain't so bad. Could do with less of a racer from (rival company) and their leaked sex tapes. I mean come on, have some integrity!
(Props to my friend Big for some racing social media help!)
