Double Take Saga: Chapter One; Part 2

As always Hailey pulls up to her reserved front row parking space at Central Innovation Industries. She looks good in her car, her outfits on point and she’s finally ready for the workday. Much to accomplish and check off her to do list, yet much to look forward to. She says “Hello” to the security guard, Bert and the receptionist, Marline, as she passes, aiming for the elevator, and presses the up button. The doors open, she enters the elevator and takes out her black card to gain access to the 9th floor. She has the highest clearance level one could have in this field.   

The hallway was mostly empty. Everyone busy in their offices, typing away, calculating figures and of course designing designs that are beyond what you could probably imagine.   

The first trip, being the break room because that coffee this morning, never got to be enjoyed, unfortunately. She thought to herself I’ll be extra careful this time. Mornings usually go smoothly, being that Hailey is an early bird. That girl is always ready to face the day but after her morning coffee and binge watching the news every morning of course she couldn’t do it without working her problems and frustrations out by going to the gym every day. But today was different. She couldn’t quite pinpoint it or the reason for all the clumsiness this morning, but she certainly wasn’t her usual self. Oh, well, the morning was behind her now and she had the rest of the day ahead of her. It was time to focus on the tasks set before her, letting the uneasy feelings drift away.  

Hailey walked down the empty hall into the very empty diner style breakroom. The breakroom was decked out with a coffee and espresso bar along with countertop full of fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels and croissants. As much as Hailey would like to stay and savor all the delicious food, she knew she couldn’t. She had to get started with work. She glanced at her CII smartwatch. It was now 10:07am, March 18th, 2027 (three days from her birthday). Pretty late. She usually was at her desk by 9 am. So, she made her coffee with extra cream and grabbed a buttered croissant and headed out of the breakroom, down the hall and into a large room filled with glass offices and fancy cubicles decorated elaborately with custom décor.  

The receptionist greeted her from a semi-circle desk that was front and center of this enormous, almost, warehouse size room. The ceiling was sky high with black metal beams visible giving the room a very urban, city-like architecture. She walked to the left and around the receptionists’ desks, her heels going click, click-click, click as she went. The areas were sectioned off into teams and every team had a lead employee who occupied a reasonably sized glass office with desks and chairs in an open area. There was better communication, easy to work as a team and test products out in the open. This floor is where they made independent contractors’ devices and gadgets (basically spy tools, mainly spies who worked for Marvin Stratton and his underground [technically legal] spy operation]). One of Haileys favorite thing on this floor was the thinking pod. There are multiple thinking pods on this floor, three to be exact. The thinking pods were complete circular, round pods with a door that slid up and down so you can sit in the pod and have complete privacy as you worked. They even have a light and charging ports on the inside to give you optimal privacy and a space you can really focus in.  

Hailey used them on occasion, bringing her laptop & the rest of her work supplies, sitting in the pod, sliding the door shut, shutting out the world focusing on a new design and new product to invent. She didn't just do ads, well really ads were something she did from time to time, but her main focus was new product designs (gadgets for independent contractors that worked with CII); hence why her office was on the ninth floor of the Stratton Tower Based in San Diego, CA. Although, most times she combined these talents giving a pitch for company to take on her next project, often marketing the approved devices.  

Maybe Cole loved her for her smarts or maybe he loved her for her looks or maybe it was a combination of both, but she was definitely both; gorgeous and highly intelligent. A genius in technology, had a natural knack for innovation and talented in making these designs, functional and practical.   

Passing those pods reminded her how hard she had worked. She couldn’t count how many times she’d stayed way past her desired time of six pm. Of course, it was only on occasion that she used the thinking pods, it was a memory of working through moments when she was stumped beyond measure. Finally thinking up a solution to her never-ending problems. It seemed there was always a problem when designing a new product, whether it was science and math not adding up to make the product go the way she needed it or the design itself just irked her. For example, not the write color or shape or style but she loved her job, nevertheless.   

To Haileys right were multiple groups of desks, each group having a team lead along with the four team members working away. Some teams were coders on this floor, some design and some marketing. It was really a mix because this is the floor where all of the private, top-secret items were invented, and they were approved and produced by testers and creators in the basement. The team on her right, being a group of coders, had gadgets flying around protypes of electronic devices piled on their desks around them and any other device requiring a code was in line to be tested by them.  

This room was more like a warehouse. It took up practically the entire left side of the ninth floor. There were endless employees who had to be screened for their positions on this floor. There were always amazing opportunities at Central Innovative Industry. They even gave you stock in their company so you could invest just by working there alone. It was a fair place to work as well. Even if Hailey wasn’t the potential niece-in-law, it would still be a good environment to work in. She grew and prospered every day at this company.  

As she walked down the enormous room, she passed the coders to her right and coming up on her left were, probably, the most fun team of them all, the marketing team. That’s how Hailey felt about it. It’s the career she fell in love with, inventing and marketing products for Central Innovation Industry. Straight ahead and in the middle of the room, taking up most of the wall, was a massive staircase, similar to the size of bleachers, dual purpose to sit on and walk up. They were practical for the “ninth floor meetings”. At the top of this large wooden staircase was a room encased in glass. In this glass room was a large table with 12 chairs, a large TV for power point and 12 studious and hardworking team members in there working on the next CII model car. Completely open concept, yes, this room was made of glass. To the right of the meeting room was a walkway (part of the platform at the top of the wooden staircase) that lead to a lounge area, with booths/tables and another (open concept) breakroom with a coffee bar, cereal bar, and bagel bar with condiments, creamers/ sugars and such. She didn’t need to head that way, of course, because she’d grabbed a coffee earlier. Instead, she veered left. As she walked by the conference room and employee break room, she remembered the countless meetings her and Cole had hosted there. Public Speaking didn’t bother her a bit. She was good at getting a point across. Cole on the other hand, she had to coax a bit to get up and present power points and to speak at meetings.  Fortunately, for him, it was rare for them to be asked to speak at a meeting.   

On the left, all the way at the end of the room, past the platform that held both the conference and break room, was Haileys office. It was a glass dome of a room, with a unique sliding wooden door surrounded by her team members' office tables and chair. Everyone was hard at work. She could only think, “Man, where to start. I’ve gotta get to work.” The latest project designing what shape and colors to make the new CII reader tablets should be. She decided the shape would be a circle of 6 inches in diameter, with a pop up triangular knob on the back in order to support the tablet when wanting to set it down to read or watch videos. The knob would also swivel & have a lock to lock the knob in place when needed. The case for the CII tablet would be simple; a circle with a slot in the middle for the triangular pop up knob and customers would be given a wide range of color options. She was even thinking of having a custom case design option available.  

After she sent these updates to the electronics department and let them know what color tablet and case she wanted for her prototype, and I quote, “and make mine pink on pink please,” because we all know that pink makes things that much better.  She must have one hundred prototypes at home, some even spy gadgets which were sold to independent contractors. As she clicked send on the email to the electronics department, she heard the door slide open and footsteps approaching her desk. Although her face was glued to the screen, she knew it was her boyfriend, Cole, who had entered her office. Her reading glasses rested on the tip of her nose. She glanced up at Cole over her glasses and then back at the screen again. Cole leaned over and kissed Hailey on the cheek. “Morning Hal, how’s work?” Asked Cole. Hailey looked up at Cole again, sighed, took off her glasses and leaned back in her chair. “If you only knew the morning I’ve had.” Hailey responded. Cole plopped into the chair across from hers. She then gave a drama-filled and very detailed description of how her morning had gone. When she was finished, she realized she’d barely gotten anything done, it was 11:30am and here Cole was, in her office, asking her if she wanted to go to lunch with him. By now, on a regular day, she would have completed three times the tasks as she had today. What a day. Cole rested his palms on the arms of the chair as he rose from the office chair and said, “Well, since you’ve had such a rough morning, why don’t I take you out to lunch?”  

Hailey smiled and rolled her eyes, “Cole, you take me out to lunch every day.”   

“Exactly. So, why should today be any different? Plus, maybe it’ll cheer you up!”  

Cole Stratton was handsome. He had medium length, black curly hair, a defined jawline and bright blue dreamy eyes. Cole was 5’ 10” and fit. Today he was wearing a simple light blue colored suit with a white shirt and no tie, tailored to exactly his size and mahogany colored dress shoes.   

He definitely looked sharp today. Cole looked sharp every day. One of the many reasons Hailey liked him. Another reason she was so interested in him was because he was fun but in a unique way. For example, he wouldn’t just take Hailey for a bike ride in the park and get some ice cream after, they had been on an air balloon for a date once and had a picnic in the sky! Or maybe it was just fun in a rich guy kind of way. Anyway...  

He treated her right... like a princess actually... and that’s all that really mattered, right?   

“What restaurant should we go to?”  

Hailey stopped reminiscing for a second and responded to Cole, “You didn’t have one in mind already?”  

Cole plays that restaurant game where he asks Hailey to guess where he is going to take her and on her first guess he says, “How’d you know I was going to take you there?!” Sometimes he waits until the third or fourth answer to tell her that’s where he was going to take her to eat.   

He really did treat her like a princess. He even lasted on benders of shopping trips. Cole’s such a trooper. So, it isn’t really a surprise that he’d treat her to yet another one of their daily lunch dates at work.  

And the restaurant naming game begins, “Guess what restaurant I’m taking you too?” Cole asked Hailey. She lists a few different restaurants and lands on ‘Mediterranean Cuisine’. The restaurant is only a block from work, so they decided to walk there.   

There goes Cole Stratton and Hailey Stewart walking down the street to ‘Mediterranean Cuisine’ in his blue suit and mahogany shoes and her in her white silk shirt tucked into her tan pencil skirt with her brown bootie heels clicky and clacking as she walks down the street. What a power couple?  “... And so, I only accomplished coming up with the look of the CII reader tablet. I mean I’m glad I accomplished something, but I’m just so behind on my work Cole...” Hailey droned on about her rough morning and how she needed to accomplish more than what had been completed so far today. “Wow, how did you make a round tablet stand in one place? That’s a feat right there. You’re so intelligent.” So, she explained the shape of the pop- up stand [a triangle of course “0>”  ]on the tablet and how it swiveled yet had a “lock” feature to ensure the pop-stand didn’t move so you could steady the tablet and read and use the device easily.   

Entering the Mediterranean restaurant, Cole gives her a half hug as they walk through the doors. Hailey stands a whopping 5’2” compared to his 5’ 10” height. She was considerably shorter than him even in four inch heels. No matter what she planned for the day those were her go to heels, four inch stilettos or bootie heels. Although, she always had a pair of black vans in her trunk just in case. She had to be ready for adventure too! In fact she had a whole kit of devices and a few outfits in the front trunk (where the engine would normally be-electric vehicles only have a battery underneath the car so there's extra trunk spacd). Hailey snaps out of her daydreaming about clothes and shoes as she sees the crowd at the restaurant. Maybe we made a mistake coming here, she thinks to herself.   

But when Cole gives his name to the hostess for the waitlist, she recognizes him immediately, ushering them to the first table available; another perk to being the girlfriend of Marvin Strattons nephew. Again, this isn’t why she was with him but there were positive things attached to being Cole’s girlfriend.  

They were seated outside on this nice spring day. Enjoying each other's company chatting about work, friends, plans and other matters. They discussed missions on which they were sent. Being a part of CII, they felt the need to help with certain assignments. ‘I mean, they had to put the prototypes to use, right?’ Hailey thought as they talked over various upcoming plans.   

They had been dating for one year and had become quite the team, at work and as a power couple, they encouraged each other and grew alongside each other as each couple should. They were really going places. The job wasn’t just a job for them at CII. It was an opportunity to use their skills and talents for a much greater purpose. Being inventors, innovative designers they used their cleverness and skills to help where needed in the community, behind the scenes and in their given assignments. They were usually sent to gather information and intervene in dangerous situations when needed and even at times asked upon by the FBI to do so. Looking at Cole, she wondered how she had come so far. In a way though her life could have been considered simple from the outside looking in (especially before life with Cole): gym, eat, sleep, work, spend time with Cole but little would the everyday person know (other than her fame as being his girlfriend) she actually had a secret life no one knew about, as did he. How could she disguise her real work as this boring simple life while in the limelight, but she did it never-the-less.  

“So, what are we having today?” Back to reality, the two order their food. Hailey ordered the Horiatiki Salad with Pita bread and Cole got the chicken and veggie kabob plate with some baklava for later so they could share.  

The wait for the food wasn’t long. Cole ate quickly while Hailey enjoyed her meal. She then got a box to go, Cole paid the bill, and they headed out of the restaurant, down the block back to work.  They entered the doors to Marvin Strattons Central Innovation Industries sky high building. Walking towards the elevator they greeted Marline and Bert, as the elevator doors slid open Cole whipped out his Black All Access card, hopped in the elevator with Hailey and tapped the card on the touch screen elevator key pad. As they stepped into the ninth-floor hallway, they were surrounded by employees racing to meetings, half eating lunch on the way back to work and some just engulfed in their phones. Hailey enjoyed the hustle and bustle of office life. Cole was indifferent but also felt grateful and lucky to work at the richest, largest tech company in the world. Owned by his Uncle Marvin Stratton, the Central Innovation Industries had really propelled Cole in his career, making an ungodly amount of money and teaching him leadership and management skills, not to mention time management and making him tech savvy and more of an inventor than anything. It was the same for Hailey. The pay was great but, in any position she had held here at CII, it was not necessarily easy. She started out as an intern and shadowing for the first six months and then she was moved to her own office on the fourth floor, with her job designing and troubleshooting for the making of new CII electric vehicles. Then another six months pass by, and she learns about the internal CII independent contractors and all the devices that are needed to supply the freelancers for their missions.