Member
FourtyTwo
wintersoldier
Pen Name
Lunamaria Hawke
Eventua
Snowdrops
Ivar
Sky Blue
TriantafylloValkyrie AGR Sport Headquarters
Monday, April 17th, 2094
Soundtrack: You Were Good to Me - Jeremy Zucker & Chelsea Cutler
Alexander had a rough weekend. His nerves had been stretched to their limits. He had garnered some interest from Quantumnium Computer Systems for a potential sponsorship deal. The sponsors had attended the race in Italy. Alexander had spent quite a bit of time with their senior leadership in Valkyrie’s Hospitality suite at the races. He had been stressed out about Arianna being seen in public for the first time since the press conferences since she left the hospital. All his worst fears had been realized in that department when she had to be bailed out of a potential volatile situation in public by Harrison Makara the lead pilot for Southern Cross. Alexander had been more than grateful to the man. Alexander knew that Harrison was a nice guy. He would have to find a way to thank the man.
Alexander had been helping the crew and overseeing the packing and load out in the paddock on Sunday after the races when Alexander had been approached by Isabella Rossi, the team’s engine and propulsion specialist. She had pulled Alexander aside and told him that she had been in the bathroom of the team’s mobile command center. She happened to overhear Felix’s side of a conversation on a phone call. He obviously didn’t know she was in there as everyone was working on loading up the gear and ships to head back to HQ. She explained what she had heard. Felix had been approached with an offer from another team. Felix had said that he had agreed to take a new position and would be able to start after the Luna Race. She had asked Alexander if it was true? Was Valkyrie losing Felix? Alexander was stunned and shocked. He thought everything was great with Felix. Felix had not mentioned being unhappy. Alexander had discussed pay raises with him after he had assessed everything going on with the team. Felix didn’t mention being unhappy so he was completely blindsided by this information. Alexander asked Isabella to keep it to herself for now. He needed an opportunity to verify the information with Felix. It was not that Alexander didn’t trust Isabella. He did. He was hoping she had misinterpreted what she had heard.
Alexander didn't sleep a wink that night. He knew this was bad news. Felix was the glue holding the engineers and mechanics together. He had flown back to Germany earlier than the team on a private shuttle. He had called Mabel once he was in the air and had her talking to legal to review Felix’s contracts. He was surprised that Felix would consider a move after the season had started. Typically if they were going to move to another team it happened in the off season. Most engineers had a form of noncompete or at least a clause that stated that they couldn’t reveal proprietary information or take any intellectual property with them to competitors. Some had a period of time where they couldn't work for a competitor to render any current knowledge useless so it couldn’t be used against them. Alexander needed to know what kind of stuff was in Felix’s contract so he knew if this was a genuine threat to Valkyrie. Losing Felix Burkhart, their head engineer, would be a huge blow to the morale of the engineering staff and team. Alexander had worked late into the night with their legal team.
He found out from Wulfric that some of the corruption they uncovered inside Valkyrie when they investigated Maier was suspicious since it implied that the CEO had knowledge of it. There were also those implied ties to some of the board members. He explained that was why the investigation was taking so long. Wulfric was being blocked by the CEO in the investigation. Wulfric informed him that the Valkyrie CEO was trying to save his job by blaming people in key positions for last season's results, in particular Felix Burkhart. The Board was considering replacing the CEO as more evidence came to light. Valkyrie AGR Sport’s operating structure was built along the lines of a multinational corporation. The various companies and corporations that had a stake in Valkyrie AGR Sport had a board member that represented their interests. The voting members of the board of directives were from the companies and government interests that held the most controlling interest in the company. The board president was elected from the pool of all company representatives giving some of the smaller controlling interests in the corporation a voice. Leopold had been voted in as board president during the pre-season. Leopold’s appointment uprooted a long standing Board President who retired after not being re-elected. Leopold had been a voting board member for five years with Valkyrie.
Valkyrie AGR Sport had a CEO who ran the business side of operations. They dealt with business and corporate filings and day to day business. Valkyrie AGR Sport had so much more involved than just racing and endorsements. There was also a research and development branch to what they did. The racing team was the marketing and public outreach branch since Formula AG was so popular worldwide. There was a lot of overlap between the necessary requirements to run a Formula AG and other services and products produced by the company. The Crew Chief made all the decisions and guided the decisions regarding the Valkyrie AGR Sport racing team. They didn’t answer to the CEO but worked in tandem with them. The two shared corporate resources such as office space, human resources, research and development labs, and infrastructure.
Alexander had called Leopold after he investigated what was going on. He confronted Leopold with what they had uncovered so far. Leopold had not seemed surprised to hear the revelations about Felix’s contract, the failure of the previous legal team in that area, and the connections to the CEO. Alexander was angry because once again he was having trouble trusting the board. He had thought he could trust Leopold but Alexander read his reaction to the current situation as expected. That made Alexander wonder how much more of this corruption he would uncover that Leopold seemed to have previous knowledge of. Alexander knew that the fault did not lie with Felix but in the decisions their former Team Principal had made in the prior season. Alexander had a bad feeling about this and it certainly explained the rampant corruption he had uncovered on his first day in the office. There was even more money on the line since Alexander had brought in several new very lucrative sponsorships. The team had wrapped things up around midnight. The legal team explained the ramifications in Felix’s contract. He was clear to move to another team. If Felix walked, the current ship designs were dead. They would have to go back to the drawing board. It would also mean setbacks with the current upgrades and who knew how much disruption to the team.
Alexander had texted Felix and asked him to meet him in his office first thing this morning. Alexander was a nervous wreck. He saw all his hard work so far going up in flames because a lazy greedy asshole who didn’t do his job properly was blaming others for his mistakes. Alexander knew engineers; he was worried that half the engineering department would leave with Felix. He had already lost a few. He didn’t really have anyone with the right experience and leadership skills that he could promote to take over the department if Felix did leave. He could do it but it would be like trying to do two full time jobs at once and it would be a temporary measure at best. That was not a solution to this potential problem. He knew his first step was to find out from Felix what was going on. Alexander had dark circles under his eyes. His hair was sticking up everywhere since he had run his hands through it repeatedly in frustration. He had tried to get some sleep but worry about this had kept him up all night.
Alexander was sitting at his desk staring off into space when Mabel walked in carrying a tray from the cafeteria. It had a plate of eggs, breakfast sausage, and toast with a glass of orange juice on it. She set it down in front of him.
Mabel: “Alexander, you need to eat something. I am willing to bet you never ate dinner last night and you have a long day ahead of you. You will think better with some fuel. You look exhausted. Did you sleep at all last night?”
Alexander blinked as Mabel sat the tray down in front of him. He looked up at her and frowned. “I had dinner before I got the news. I couldn’t sleep last night. I would rather just have some coffee.”
Mabel frowned at Alexander and put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
Mabel: “Alexander Knight! You will eat the breakfast that I was nice enough to fetch you. You will finish it and the orange juice before you can have coffee. You will thank me for it later. You cannot exist on coffee alone. Besides I have it on good authority that you already have had two cups this morning.”
Mabel turned on her heel and strode angrily for the door.
Alexander blinked in surprise at Mabel’s waspish tone. “Mabel wait.”
Mabel just kept marching for the door which slammed behind her. He sighed and picked up the fork. He knew she was right. He would apologize as soon as he was finished. He knew if he didn’t show up with an empty tray, she might actually throw something at him.
The time for the meeting had come. Alexander had since apologized to Mabel. He had contemplated having the meeting in a conference with HR present, but he respected Felix and wanted to give him an opportunity to speak privately. He rose to his feet to greet Felix as Mabel showed him through the door. He smiled and greeted Felix warmly.
Mabel asked Felix: “Can I get you anything to drink?”
Felix gave Mabel a warm smile and shook his head no. “No, I’m good Mabel. Thank you for offering.”
Mabel gave him a warm smile back. “Anytime Felix.” She then left the room, closing the door behind her.
Alexander waved Felix to the conversational seating area in his office.
Alexander took a seat in the comfortable chair across from Felix.
Felix looked at Alexander curiously.
Alexander sighed and looked Felix right in the eye. He laid out what was going on in a pragmatic neutral tone.
Alexander: “A rumor has reached my ear that you have been approached by another team and plan to leave Valkyrie after the Luna race. Is it true?”
Felix looked a little surprised but then his expression morphed into a neutral one but Alexander could see the anger in his eyes.
Felix: “Yes it’s true. I have the right to do so.”
Alexander nodded: “I understand that. I reviewed your contract to check out the clauses in it. Can I ask why? I would like to think that I have supported you and treated you right.”
Felix looked wary and a little guilt and pain flashed across his face to be replaced with anger.
Felix: “Alexander, you have treated me well since your arrival. I have no issues with you personally. Others have not been supportive. I am being blamed for the mistakes of others and that tarnishes my reputation as an engineer and my integrity. I can’t stay at Valkyrie. The offer is an excellent one and its time for me to make a change. It is as simple as that.”
Alexander sighed, understanding where Felix was coming from. He understood personal integrity and what it meant to an engineer who got blacklisted over gossip and backroom chatter from jealous or angry colleagues and bosses.
Alexander: “There is nothing I can do to convince you to stay? I understand it's not about the money. Can you tell me who is behind this decision of yours?”
Felix looked at Alexander like he was contemplating his answer.
Felix: “You are right it is not about the money. It is not something you can fix. I won’t stay where I don’t feel respected and a valued engineer. My answer about who is, go ask your CEO.”
Alexander swore up a blue streak. Alexander looked pained when he nodded respectfully to Felix.
Alexander: “I understand your decision and I won’t stand in your way. If you plan to leave and go to a competitor though, I hope you understand if I ask you to leave now instead of later. I would rather begin making the changes I am going to need to make. It has truly been a pleasure working with you Felix. I am sadder than you know that you are leaving. I do hope you find what you are seeking whether that is a new challenge or validation. You are a fantastic engineer and a great guy. I am very sad to lose you. You have been a crucial member of this team. I want you to know that.”
Felix looked surprised by what Alexander had to say. He gave Alexander a polite smile. He looked a little sad also though.
Felix: “I understand your reasoning behind it. It has been a pleasure to work with you as well Alexander. I hope you understand that you are not why I am leaving.”
Alexander nodded. “I do and I understand why you feel you need to go. Will you come with me to address the engineering team? Would you be willing to tell them that you are leaving?”
Felix nodded and rose to his feet. “Yes I will come with you. I want a chance to say goodbye.”
Alexander pulled a sealed envelope out of his pocket. He handed it to Felix.
Alexander pointed to the envelope. “I wrote you a letter of recommendation. You will need to stop by HR to process your separation paperwork. I also included some severance pay for you. I truly wish you the best of luck wherever you are going.”
He shook Felix’s hand. He gave Felix a moment to process everything.
Felix’s hand shook a little as he accepted the envelope. His voice shook a little and he sounded confused. “You wrote me a letter of recommendation?”
Alexander again met Felix’s eyes unflinchingly. “Others may not have treated you well or appreciated you Felix. But I did. I saw your dedication and hard work. I understand your brilliance. You are going to be almost impossible to replace. I hope you know that. I don’t want you to leave thinking I agreed with those people.”
Felix pocketed the envelope and nodded. “Well no time like the present. Let’s go address the team.”
On the way out of his office Alexander asked Mabel to inform Valerie in HR that Felix would be seeing her after they went to engineering. He also asked her to ring Wulfric and let him know to change Felix’s security status. Felix and Alexander walked through the headquarters to Engineering in companionable silence. They had said all they needed to each other in private. They entered the engineering department and everyone stopped what they were doing. There had already been a tension in the air and they seemed to sense that something momentous was happening.
Alexander smiled and gave a little nod of greeting to those present.
Alexander raised his voice to be heard over tools and equipment that were still being used. “Can I have everyone’s attention please?”
The chatter and noise in the space died down as people moved closer to them and stopped using their tools and machinery. There was still machinery in the background but it was much softer and easier to hear over now.
Alexander nodded and smiled in appreciation. “Thank you. Is everyone here?”
Alexander looked around as others did so and once he had a confirmation nod he continued.
Alexander: “I have an announcement to make that will impact this department. Felix Burkhart is leaving Valkyrie. He goes with our respect and well wishes. He is leaving for his own reasons. I wanted you to hear it from me first. I will not tolerate any backlash or gossip about him leaving. He will be moving to one of our competitors. That doesn’t matter because we know that Felix is the same upright honorable guy that he was here with us. We still wish him all the best for the future. I asked him to accompany me so you can discuss whatever you like with him and hear it from him. I am not hiding his departure or shading over the reasons for it. He has done nothing wrong here at Valkyrie. The choice to leave is his. Before I turn it over to Felix, I have one more thing to add. I know we have lost some engineers recently and now Felix is leaving. If you want to leave, then do so. Don’t drag it out. If you don’t want to be here. That is okay. I am happy to write you a letter of recommendation. If you want to leave when Felix does, just say the word. This is your opportunity for a clean break, if you want one.”
Alexander paused as he looked across the faces of the staff. Dismay, shock, anger, worry, and fear. There was a whole gambit of emotions and was about what he expected when he dropped this bombshell on the department.
Alexander nodded to Felix. “Felix will be cleaning out his office after this. This is his last day. Sorry to spring this on you all. I am going to leave now. Felix the floor is yours.”
Alexander turned and left the room. He would leave them to talk to Felix and ask their questions without him standing there looking like an overprotective father. He knew the damage to the engineering department had already happened because he was losing Felix. He was going to be impossible to replace. Alexander sighed and went back to his office. He had some details to attend to.
Alexander’s first call was to Leopold. He waited for the call to connect. Leopold’s face showed up on his screen as the call connected.
Alexander gave Leopold a frustrated angry look. “Leopold am I going to run into any more nasty surprises? You know you didn’t seem all that surprised when I told you that Felix’s contract was poorly written and he was free to move to a competitor.”
Leopold sighed and gave Alexander a weary look. “I am just as surprised as you are that Felix Burkhart is leaving. I am not surprised to hear that his contract was sloppily written and missing important clauses. That is why the previous legal team was let go”
Alexander was frustrated and angry and it showed as he once more raked a hand through his hair. “Well can you explain why the new legal team didn’t review all the existing contracts? We might have had an opportunity to offer a better contract to Felix before this shitshow happened.”
Alexander paused for a breath before he continued. “Felix confirmed that he was leaving. I didn’t ask him which competitor he is leaving us for. He confirmed that it was not about the money although he implied it was better than he gets here. I point blank asked him if there was anything I could do to get him to stay. The answer was an emphatic no. I asked him why he was leaving and he said he had a better offer. I told him I knew it was not about the money. He confirmed that someone from Valkyrie was blaming him for last year’s results. When I asked him who. His response was ‘Go ask the CEO.’ Now I find that very interesting when I just got a report from Wulfric that he was being blocked in his investigation into Maier’s activities by the CEO’s office. Now would you know anything about that?” Alexander watched Leopold’s reaction closely.
Leopold sighed and looked at Alexander for a moment or two before answering. “Alexander, one of the reasons I supported your contract was because I knew you wouldn’t put up with or enable the corruption I suspect lurked at the heart of this racing team. I have suspected there were highly placed factions inside Valkyrie that were siphoning off money and resources. I have been a board member for five years.Things kept happening that shouldn’t be. They started happening more frequently. I suspected that the CEO was working with the previous Board President. The previous Board President had been Board President for the last eight years. He retired after I won the vote against him. He could have just stepped back into the role of a board member but he chose to retire. I thought that was an odd choice.”
Alexander looked stunned and then angry. “You hired me to be your god damn stalking horse?!” He was so angry he couldn’t talk.
Leopold looked tired but amused. “Alexander in my position as Board President, I can’t interfere with the day to day running of Valkyrie. I needed to put some distance between the office of the Board President and whatever corruption was uncovered. I needed whoever uncovered that corruption to have enough power to make those accusations stick. Your first day you uncovered Maier, who I suspect was a key person helping to support this corruption that was happening from the CEO and the former board president. I am in a position to support your findings and take action on them. Something the Crew Chief can’t do. You were not my first choice but Alicia Mulder’s but I agreed with her that you would do what was right.”
Alexander glared at Leopold through the computer screen. Alexander took a moment to calm down and think. He was on the verge of smashing his computer screen and it had done nothing to him. Alexander spoke in a decisive tone as he continued.
Alexander: “Leopold you need to bring Wulfric in on this and support his behind the scenes investigation. We have to know how far the rot goes. The team can not afford to have any more surprises like this one. This one cost us our lead engineer. The new ship plans will have to be trashed. We will have to go completely back to concept. I have no clue yet how many engineers we are going to lose over this. Losing Burkhart is… Catastrophic doesn’t feel like a strong enough word. Especially this way. We need to get our house in order, Leopold. The optics over Burkhart leaving and going to a competitor so soon in the season are going to be bad. No matter how we spin it. People are going to wonder why. We are going to be under a microscope and scrutiny over new ship designs. We need to be seen as being proactive and taking action to fix the crap we find going wrong. I am surprised we have seen more investigations sparked by government oversight over the issues I found with Zimmerman. We need to investigate the CEO’s activities without his knowledge and we need to see how his activities tie in with those of the former board president.”
Leopold nodded. “I agree with you and I will work with Wulfric on it. Let’s keep that knowledge to the three of us. Need to know. We will only read others in, when and if it becomes necessary. What else do you need from me?”
Alexander blew out a deep breath. He shook his head and pondered the massive hurdle he would need to leap and quickly. “I need a fucking miracle! Please no more surprises. If you know anything else, now is the time to tell me about it, Leopold.”
Leopold laughed and shook his head sadly. “You know what I know. The rest we will have to uncover together.”
Alexander sighed and dropped his head to his desk. He banged it gently against the desktop a few times before raising up to look at the screen once more. He sounded tired and resigned as he spoke. “Well next I find out how many of the engineering and mechanic team I am going to lose. Then I have to pull a real miracle and find someone to replace our irreplaceable lead engineer! Like I said, I need a …. Miracle!” Alexander had almost cursed there but he was trying to be better about his language. Mabel had been on his case again.
Leopold: “When you get an idea of how many, call me and we will discuss what we can offer to attract the right people.”
Alexander nodded and hung up the call. Alexander decided he had earned that third cup of coffee now. He got up and brewed a fresh cup. He sipped at it and sent an email to Wulfric asking for a meeting this afternoon. He knew he would be busy for a bit. Alexander thought about what his plan of attack was. He had no clue. He was staring off into space deep in thought when Mabel came strolling in with three file folders. She sat down across the desk from Alexander and raised a brow at him.
Alexander’s focus was redirected to Mabel as she sat down across from him. He gave her a tired sad smile.
Alexander: “I have no idea how I am going to replace Felix.”
Mabel crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Alexander.
Mabel: “Alex, is that resignation and quitting I hear in your voice?”
Alexander was warned by her tone that something was up. “I am tired Mabel. I didn’t sleep a wink last night. All I can think about is we just lost an amazing lead engineer because some douchebag was handed too much power. Was too lazy to do his job and is blaming it on better people.”
Mabel: “When have you ever given up and not risen to a challenge? So we lost Felix. We still have other engineers. We are already in the process of hiring new ones. Yes Felix was amazing but you know what. He is not alone. You are not a half bad engineer yourself. You know there are other candidates out there. Will they have the same skill set? Probably not. Will they be just as good? Maybe not. What have you always told me when it came to hiring engineers?”
Alexander rolled his eyes. He knew where she was going now. Alexander’s tone was flat and he sounded like he was reciting something from memory. “Even though engineers might study the same field and even be given the same materials, the design to get there might be radically different. Engineers are practical artists. They all have hidden expertise and talent.”
Mabel just glared at him and raised her eyebrow at him. “Alexander, are you going to go to work and stop moping? Or are you going to sit here stating the task is impossible again? Are you giving up on me?”
Alexander sighed and rubbed his face and leaned forward. “I am going to work because I know you are close to kicking me in the ass.”
Mabel finally smiled at him with a nod. “You damn right I will. You never give up when it gets tough. We can do this.”
Alexander couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm and tough love kick in the ass he needed. “Mabel don’t ever change on me.”
Mabel smiled and relaxed back into her chair. She gave him a wink. “That’s better. Well now that you are done with your pout session. Can we discuss potential candidates to replace Felix?”
Alexander looked floored. “You have identified candidates already?”
Mabel just tilted her head to one side. “You told me on Sunday that this might be an issue. Have I ever let you down?” Mabel hands Alexander a file folder.
Alexander just laughed and shook his head. He reached for the file she was handing him. Inside was a dossier for an engineer that works for Al-Saqr. Alexander began to read. There was a headshot of a brown haired man in his late 30’s. Marko Livaković, was a Croatian. He got his start at Valkyrie working with their junior AG team. He moved on to Al-Saqr to get progression in his career. On the plus side he is familiar with Valkyrie and their protocols. The negative side was he was here before Alexander. That made Alexander wary about hiring him. He had uncovered so much corruption already. Marko sounded like a solid engineer but he didn’t see anything in his resume that really spoke to team leadership. Alexander needed someone who could lead the engineering team not be a shining star among the team. Marko seemed like a team player but he wasn’t convinced he could be a team leader. He looked at Mabel and raised an eyebrow.
Mabel just smiled. She knew what he wanted to know. “He is my number 2 choice.” She simply handed him another file.
Alexander accepted the file and began to read. This one had a headshot as well of a woman with a punk hairstyle dyed blue. She had tattoos on her face. She was an engineer with Southern Cross. She is not a chief engineer either. Her speciality seems to be in the speed department with a lot of experimenting with new techniques and designs. Again she was strong in an area where Valkyrie was struggling but her methods were time consuming and costly. She had the same issue as the previous candidate. She had no leadership experience and her resume made her out to be more of a maverick.Alexander closed the folder and held out his hand.
Alexander smiled at Mabel: “That was your third choice. Now show me the one you want to call.”
Mabel just grinned looking like the cat that got the canary. She handed Alexander the folder.
Alexander opened it and it too had a headshot. It showed a man in a tweed flat cap with a big smile, blue eyes, and brown beard. The dossier said he was 39 years old. He was married and had two children still in elementary school. He has a masters degree in mechanical engineering. He got his start at Silver Apex and worked his way up to a senior engineer before taking the job as the lead engineer for Fitzroy. He left Fitzroy because he wanted his children to grow up in Sheffield where he did. He quit after telling Fitzroy off in person heatedly about firing people and underfunding the team and blaming the staff for the issues with the ship. He was passionate about his community as well. There were articles included where he had done what he could to help his community.
Alexander sighed and looked up at Mabel. “I see why he is your top choice. But how do we convince him to move to Germany?”
Mabel smiled at Alexander. “You did read why he quit right?”
Alexander nodded. “He has the leadership experience I want. He was angry Fitzroy fired some of the engineers and mechanics.”
Mabel smiled at Alexander: “Alexander you have been looking for the engineers you need to get new ship designs off the ground. We might lose more engineers than just Felix today right? So offer to bring over his people. As many as we have room for. Or even just one or two. We have room in the department right now even if no one leaves.”
Alexander shook his head and smiled at Mabel. “Well, call him and see if you can get him to come for an in person interview in the next few days. We don’t have any time to wait. Offer to send the private shuttle. Extend it to an overnight stay offer for his whole family. Make sure there is a family apartment available for them to stay in. If he is going to do this, his wife will have to be on board as well.”
Mabel smiled and rose to her feet collecting the folders. “I will get right on it.”
Mabel bustled out of his office as Alexander picked up his phone and was informed that in addition to Felix he had lost Chistoph Ziegler, Colton Mathews, and Anneleise Schubert from the engineering team. He lost Zane Kovacs from the mechanics. Alexander quickly wrote letters of recommendations for the other engineers that were leaving. He printed and signed them and sealed them in envelopes with their names on them. He took the stack and headed towards HR. He needed to stretch and this would give him a chance to talk to Valerie the head of HR about the current staffing crisis. He would leave the letters with Valerie. She could give them the letters as they stopped to process their separation paperwork.
Mabel sat down at her desk and checked the time difference between Germany and England before dialing the number on file she had for Cavan Mitchell. Mabel was unsure if she was dialing a mobile number or a residence number. She sighed it was what she had. The phone rang several times before someone picked up.
Mabel in her sweetest feminine voice said hello. Her American Southern accent was thick as honey. “Hello. May I speak with Cavan Mitchell please?”
There was a childish giggle followed by a young voice. “You talk funny!”
Mabel smiled as she recognized a child had picked up the phone. “Well I guess I might sound funny to you. Did I call the right number? Is Mr. Mitchell your father?”
There was another snicker. “Yes, that's my da.” Mabel heard a click like the headset had been set down. Then she heard that same childish voice hollering. “Da there is a funny sounding lady on the phone for you!”
Mabel just chuckled to herself. She waited patiently for the man to come to the phone. Mabel wondered why the children were not in school. She looked at a calendar and noticed that Easter was last weekend. They must get a long break for Easter.
The phone was finally picked up and a gruff masculine voice said. “This is Cavan Mitchell. Can I help you?”
Mabel smiled and began to try and convince this man to at least come in for an interview. “Hello Mr. Mitchell. My name is Miss Mabel Brown. I am Mr. Alexander Knight’s executive assistant. Would you and your family be available to come to Valkyrie AGR Sport headquarters for a job interview in the next day or two?”
Mr. Mitchell sounded shocked and confused. “I want to make sure I understand you. You work for Valkyrie AGR Sport. Alexander Knight, their Crew Chief, wants me and MY family to come to Germany for a JOB interview in the next day or so?”
Mabel’s voice radiated sunshine, excitement, and warmth. “Yes Mr. Mitchell. You let me know the date. I will arrange to have one of Valkyrie’s private shuttles pick you up in Sheffield and bring you and your family here to Valkyrie AGR headquarters. We will arrange for your family to stay overnight here on campus in our apartment building. We are asking you to bring your family because we understand how important they are to you. We understand that any decision you make will need to include their input too. So let me be perfectly clear Mr. Mitchell. We are wooing your whole family, not just you.” Mabel waited patiently. She smiled knowing she had just thrown a spanner wrench into Mr. Mitchell’s day. There was silence on the phone.
Cavan Mitchell looked at the almost antique handset on his home telephone like it was malfunctioning. He looked over at his son who was grinning from ear to ear. “Doesn’t she talk funny da?”
Cavan looked at Harry his nine year old son and just nodded. He realized he had left the woman hanging. “Miss Brown was it? Can you give me a phone number where I can call you back? I will need to talk to my wife about this. Wait a minute… I thought Felix Burkhart was the Head Engineer for Valkyrie. He is a nice guy and smart too.”
Mabel smiled as she wholeheartedly agreed with him. “He was Mr. Mitchell. He quit this morning. He said he got a better offer. I agree with you though. Felix Burkhart is a great engineer and a very good man. I can hold for a few minutes if you want to discuss this quickly with your wife.”
Cavan couldn’t believe he was getting this call. He felt like he was stuck in some weird movie where he had switched lives with someone else. “Just clarifying again. Valkyrie wants me to come and interview for the job of lead engineer? And you want me to bring my entire family?”
Mabel just grinned. She wished she had thought to try a video call so she could see his face. “Yes Mr. Mitchell.”
Cavan just shook his head. This was the strangest phone call he had ever received. “Hold please.” Cavan set the headset down and went in search of his wife.
Mabel could hear some talking in the distance. She heard Mr. Mitchell’s voice. “Honey! Where are you?” A feminine voice replied “In the kitchen dear.” Mr. Mitchell again. “Honey, you won’t believe the phone call I just got. Team Valkyrie is holding. They want to interview me for the head engineer position. In Germany. Tomorrow. They want the whole family to come. They said bring you and the kids. They will put us up overnight in their campus apartment.” A feminine voice squealed in excitement. “Cavan this is what you wanted right? It's what you love.” Mr. Mitchell. “But Germany honey.” the feminine voice again. “It can't hurt to talk to them right? The kids are out of school for the Easter Break. It would make their holiday even better with a free trip. So why not. You can always turn them down.” Mr. Mitchell sounded grumpy. “Are you sure?” feminine laughter got closer to the phone.
A feminine voice came over the phone this time. “Hello. Who am I talking to?”
Mabel just grinned her southern accent oozing through the phone. “My name is Miss Mabel Brown Mrs. Mitchell. I am Mr. Knight’s executive assistant. As I was explaining to your husband. Valkyrie would like to interview him for the job as Lead Engineer. We understand how important family is to Mr. Mitchell. So we want all of you to come with him. Valkyrie will send a private shuttle to pick up your family at Sheffield. We will bring you to Aachen Germany where the team is headquartered. We will arrange for your family to stay in one of your family suites in our on campus housing overnight while you are here. We will then arrange transportation back home for your family after your visit. All I need is a time and the airport you wish to depart from.”
Mrs. Mitchell just chuckled. “You are a smooth one Miss Brown. Tomorrow, ten am, Leeds Airport. Make sure the room has three bedrooms or one with twin beds.”
Mabel just smiled from ear to ear. “I can do that. Any other special requests Mrs. Mitchell?”
Mrs. Mitchell just chuckled and picked up the notepad next to the telephone. “Can I get your mobile number in case I have any issues while we are traveling?”
Mabel rattled off her phone number. “There shouldn’t be any issues. I will arrange to have a company driver meet you at the airport and bring you and your family to the Valkyrie AGR Campus. Is there anything you would like for me to arrange?”
Miss Mitchell chuckled softly. “Actually yes there is. Our children are on Easter Break. Can you arrange a fun outing for them? I want them to think of this trip as part of their vacation.”
Mabel sounded confident. “Leave it to me Miss Mitchell. I look forward to meeting you and your family.”
Miss Mitchell smiled and looked very pleased with herself. “I look forward to meeting you too Miss Mabel. See you tomorrow.”
Mabel looked smug and satisfied as she hung up the phone.
Worldwide Sports
“This is Jabari Biko with Worldwide Sports. Rumors are coming in from all over the Anti gravity racing scene that Felix Burkhart has left Valkyrie AGR Sport. There is a great deal of talk and chatter but we have been unable to substantiate whether these are just rumors or if there is something going on inside Team Valkyrie AGR Sport. There is enough chatter that we believe there is something going on but so far there has been no response either way from Team Valkyrie. Remember you heard it from us first! This has been Jabari Biko with Worldwide Sports.
NBC Sports
“Hello AG Fans. This is Angela Ramirez with NBC Sports. There is a lot of backroom chatter and water cooler talk that Felix Burkhart has left Team Valkyrie AGR Sport. If this rumor is true, it could ruin any progress that Valkyrie has made to return this season. The team is performing better than last season but it is no where close to where they should be performing. This could cripple the team’s chances for redemption this year. We reached out to Team Valkyrie asking them to comment on the rumors. The only response back was No Comment at this time. This has been Angela Ramirez with NBC Sports.”
Social Media
OfficeDrone#12: Insiders at Valkyrie confirm that Burrkhart quit today!
SuperfanAGR54: WTF! What is going on over there?
DantheMan: Burkhart is top notch. They can’t afford to lose him!
BatDave: I am Batman!
Superfan2075: [shocked face emoji followed by bleeding heart emoji]
DadBod89: Nope not believing it till we hear confirmation from Team Valkyrie.
Hater101: Burkhart should be considered a national treasure and he quit? It makes you wonder why!
Papabear34: WTF? I am goin with @DadBod89. I am not going to believe it till it is confirmed by the team.
Nana2050: These are just rumors so far. We have not been told for sure he quit.
GeorgeFly: Burkhart leaving could really set the team back.
ValkyrieFan56: If Burkhart leaves will they be ready for Portugal?
Weedhead81: Wow maybe Burkhart could use a toke?
SexyM@m@5: Wow how does this affect the team?
Paulmulder4eva: Will Paul be racing in Portugal if Burkhart quit?
Britball12: WTF is happening with Valkyrie now. I swear its been a drama fest since Alexander Knight took over.
!YouSlow!: Burkhart is a great engineer. Sucks to lose him.
xImFasterthanUx: Knight is in trouble if he lost Burkhart.
AGInthusiast: Knight screws the pooch again.
micheal650004: Fake news it has not been confirmed yet.
KingKofiFan: I wonder where Burkhart is going if he is leaving?
$erwa: Any rumors about where Burkhart is going yet?
Jan2084: WOW! Sucks for Valkyrie.
Bertha: Knight screwed up again. That is a major hit though. Losing your head engineer at the beginning of the season!
