The Meeting

                                                 The Meeting.
"Alright, alright, everyone settle down please. We really do need to get started."
The noise in the room started to quiet down as the group that had gathered in the large conference area moved to take their seats. The meeting had been set up so quickly, and with such urgency, that they had all been trying to find out why. Now that Mr. B. had called the meeting to order, they were all anxious to find out.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice everyone. I know how busy you have all been, especially now." said Mr. B.
"I know that some of you have had occasion to meet with one another, but some of you have been so busy on major projects that socializing hasn't been possible. So, let's go around the room and introduce ourselves and maybe say a few words about what it is we do here. Connie, why don't you start us off?"

"Oh. Well, alright. Hello everyone. My name is Connie and I work in the Ethics Department, where I try to supervise and coordinate all the rules and regulations, as well as take care of moral and ethical issues as they arise". She looked worn out, like her job might be getting the better of her somehow. She was obviously irritated at being called away from her duties, but she was able to manage a weak smile.
The next introduction wasn't necessary, everyone knew who she was, and several had even whispered to each other their awe that she had decided to grace them with her presence. She rarely came to these meetings, and they all knew that if she was there, then something must really be wrong. The tall, graceful woman with long, flowing, golden hair stood up and acknowledged the group with a full smile that lit up her face.
"Good morning. As many of you know, my name is Angel. I am not part of the company, as you all are, but I do sit on the Board of Directors, and I have witnessed your struggles and frustrations. I hope that we can resolve, if not all, then at least of few of these issues today. I am confident that this will be a very productive meeting, and I want you all to know how much the Board members appreciate all of your hard work."
The applause echoed throughout the conference room. Angel smiled at them all as she took her seat, filling everyone with a feeling of pure joy, if only for just a moment.

The moment was shattered by a frustrated grunting sound that emanated from the shabby looking creature sitting next to Angel. The room went silent as the man begrudgingly stood to introduce himself.
He may have seemed odd to outsiders, but they all knew that he was Angel's counterpart, and no one had ever seen one without the other. Many of the people gathered together this day had strict orders to stay away from him, and it was one rule Connie had never had a problem enforcing.
"Are we bothering you over there Dev?" asked Mr. B.
"No. It's just her. I can't stand little miss goody-two-shoes and her constant joy and happiness. It makes me sick!".
"Well", said Mr. B., "deal with it. It is crucial that you two find some way to work together for once. Our situation, our very existence, depends on it!"
"I know, I know! Don't go and have an aneurysm on my account. It's not my fault you know!" Dev shouted back. "Let's just get this over with as quickly as possible. This whole "do-gooder" thing just isn't my style.
My name, as you have hopefully figured out by now, is Dev, and I work with Angel on the Board. We can usually be found up stairs, locked in a constant battle of wills, but something has happened recently that has caused our focus to shift from our little everyday battles; something much larger and infinitely more dangerous. I know that may sound strange to some of you, especially coming from me, so you can probably guess at how badly I want to destroy the thing. It's making me look bad."
The room was silent for a moment as they all sat and wondered at what could possibly be more dangerous and scary than Dev. Then they all started to talk at once, getting more and more agitated, forcing Mr. B. to whistle loudly and get their attention.
"Let's try to stay focused here, people. Everything will be revealed shortly, and we will need input from each one of you. Just, please, not all at once, okay?" said Mr. B.

As the room began to quiet down, a serious looking little old man stood up and, realizing that he probably could not be seen from this vantage point, decided to climb up and stand on his chair. All eyes turned to him as he cleared his throat and introduced himself.
"Everyone calls me Memo. I work in the Research Department, keeping records of all transactions that come into the company. I also handle the filing of all incoming data for future use, try to keep track of past research, and I am responsible for putting all the information we do have into usable data files. Things have been very mixed up lately, and I for one am frightened. I can't seem to find anything, and all the files are jumbled up. It is all very odd."He was always so meticulous with the files and the recent chaos had clearly upset him. Seeing him so upset made the others realize how important and dangerous the situation had become.

The last two to introduce themselves worked upstairs with Mr. B. They were twins, and moved, talked, and even breathed simultaneously; as though they were one being. They spoke in a low monotone, and tended to make everyone feel a bit uncomfortable. The main reason for this was because of their job. They were the secret keepers. The ones who knew everything that had ever happened in the Company. They were the ones who tried to predict what would happen in the future. They were the head of the security force that did its best to protect the Company's assets. Most people tried to avoid the twins as much as possible.
"We do not tell our name to others. We just are. If you require some sort of label for us, you may call us R. and W. We are everywhere, all the time. We see everything. It is our duty to protect you all." they said in tandem.
Then something odd happened, something that unsettled everyone at the meeting, at least those that did not possess all the facts. The twins bowed their heads, and spoke as one, in a voice filled with sadness and shame.
"We have failed you all. We did not know what was happening until it was too late to stop it. We are ashamed and believe that we should be replaced by someone who can better protect the Company. We did the best we could with the wealth of resources available to us, but it was no use. The Company was infiltrated and it is our fault. Forgive us." With that, the twins sat down and burst into tears. The whole scene would have been strange enough if it hadn't been common knowledge throughout the Company that the twins had no feelings at all. This meeting was becoming a lot scarier.
Angel rose once again and glided across the floor to the twins, wrapping her arms around them, instantly comforting both. With the twins calmed down, Angel stood and spoke to the assembly before her. Her tone of voice had changed. Usually so docile and kind, there was anger in her voice and a hardness seemed to wrap around her like a knights suit of armor.
"There is a reason we are all experiencing so much sadness and confusion, a reason why everyone is feeling so helpless and out of control. It is why Mr. B., Dev, and I decided to call this meeting. Something has invaded our beloved Company. The shell is intact, but the insides have all been contaminated."

Angel paused to take a deep breath. She had heard the gasps from the others as they listened to her and started putting the pieces together. As she watched them, their expressions started to change: first from fear of the unknown invader; then to dismay at the thought that they could possibly lose everything; to a sort of righteous indignation that something had had the gall to invade their territory.
Angel had moved back to the head of the table, standing between Dev and Mr. B. She looked at each individual at the table, and said,
"There are several of us here, as well as countless more out there, that have been trying to fight this demon invader on our own, in our own way. This has obviously not worked. The Company is dying, and the demon will prevail if we can't learn to work together to defeat it. This strange Demon is something I have never witnessed before. Neither has Dev, who has more experience in this area than any of us. And before anybody starts jumping to conclusions, I want you all to understand that Dev has nothing to do with any of this. He is just as shocked and appalled by this creature as everyone else. Right, Dev?"
Dev looked around the room. He could already see that they did not believe he didnât have anything to do with this.
After a minute, Dev finally spoke. "I know what you are all thinking. That, one, I am enjoying the hell out of this, and two, that maybe I caused this to happen. It's not true. Sure, I relish mayhem and chaos. Always have. But only when I cause it and, only if I have total control."
They did not look too convinced, so he went on, "This entity that has invaded our livelihood, that has corrupted the best of what we are, has also stolen the one thing I have been fighting and arguing for for a long time." Dev was getting angry now.
"This is my territory, and I'll be damned if I will allow anything to take it from me!"
With that, Dev stomped back to his seat and sat down with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like a little boy who had just had his favorite toy taken from him by the school bully. If the situation had not been so serious, everyone would have laughed, but they just sat there in silence.
Mr. B. cleared his throat. He was clearly upset, but tried to maintain his composure.
"You all need to hear the truth. This demon, this pure evil, has infiltrated our sanctuary and has completely taken over all the main systems of the Company. It has managed to find a way to bypass all security measures and has wreaked havoc in all systems. Luckily, the main hard-drive has finally decided that enough is enough, and has decided to fight back. That is why we asked you all here today. We are all going to have to band together to rid ourselves of this thing."

There was complete silence in the room as everyone assembled processed the words their boss had just spoken.
At that moment, a dark mist started to enter the room through the cracks of the large doors. They suddenly burst open, and through them entered a tall, lanky, disheveled creature that looked human, but obviously wasn't.
"Greetings, all." cackled the demon. "Let me guess. You're all here to talk about me."
Everyone just stared at the creature. They all felt loathing and disgust for him. Dev had tensed up and was ready to pounce, but Angel held him back.
"What's wrong Dev", hissed the demon, "don't you like me? I figured if I could get any support it would be from you."
"Never!" cried Dev. "You don't belong here. This is my playground, not yours. Why don't you just go back to where you came from!"
The demon looked hurt. He mockingly answered, "But why, Dev? I was invited."
"That was a momentary lack of judgment on the part of the Company." Angel retorted. "You are not welcome any more and we have banded together to defeat you once and for all."
"Well, well, well. And how to suppose you are going to do that, hmm?", the demon replied with a smirk. "Even if you manage to defeat me, you can never make me leave. I will always be waiting in the shadows. I will be hidden in the background, in the subconscious, biding my time, until another time of weakness. Then I will spring out and be twice as powerful as I am now. There is no getting rid of me."
The room erupted with shouts and curse aimed at the demon. All the workers stood up as one and started toward the demon.
"It is time for you to leave, Demon!", shouted the twins in unison. "We will remain vigilant after you are gone. We will tighten security, and take any measures possible to make sure you never return!"
With that, they linked arms with Angel and Dev. Then Connie came over and linked her arms with Dev. She had a look on her face that made the demon do a double-take.
"You have caused me nothing but trouble, Demon, and I am taking back control. Now!", she said with an emphatic stamp of her foot.
Everyone linked their arms together, including little Memo, and started walking toward the Demon.
As he saw their solidarity and new found strength, the Demon started walking backward. He was visibly shaken, but not enough to keep his mouth shut.
"You can fight all you want, but I will be back. I will be ready to pounce the second the Company becomes vulnerable! I will not be denied!" he shouted.
The dark mist started to subside and then the demon vanished into thin air.

As everyone started to cheer and pat each other on the back, Angel brought them all crashing back to reality.
"He is not gone. He was right about that. He will always be lingering around here, waiting for the right moment to strike. You have all done an excellent job today, but we can never turn our backs or relax because, the moment we do, he will return with a vengeance."
"Well I am just glad he's gone. Now I can get back to what I do best", said Dev, "arguing with you, Ang."
Angel turned to Dev and treated him to one of her dazzling smiles, which made Dev cringe and walk away disgusted. Laughing, Angel turned to Mr. B. and asked, "We have done what we can for the moment, but that isn't going to be enough to keep him away. What do you suggest we do now?"
Mr. B. looked thoughtful, and then puzzled. Something was tugging at his pants leg, but he could not see what it was. Then he heard a small voice say, "I have an idea." Mr. B. looked behind him and saw Memo. He was almost shaking he was so excited. "What is it Memo?"
Memo had to take a deep breath and then he told them his idea. "I remember reading about it in a pamphlet the last time we went to the doctor's office."
"Hmm. That might work. Great job Memo." said Mr. B.
"It will only work if everyone is on board." said Connie.
At that, everyone turned and looked at Dev.
"What?" cried Dev.
"Are you with us on this Dev?", asked the twins?
"R and W have a valid question Dev, are you going to allow us to do this to save the Company? If you don't, then the Company will surely die, and then you will be out of a job." said Connie.
"Alright. I see your point. I will allow it. But I am not going to pretend that I am happy about it." With that, Dev stormed out of the room and went back upstairs.
"Whew. What a day.", said Mr. B. "Twins, Connie, even you Angel; I need you all to start implementing Memo's plan immediately. I am headed back to central command and will coordinate everything from there. This project is going to take constant monitoring of all systems. We have to provide as much support to the internal hard-drive as possible."
"Yes, sir.", they replied as one.

The next day, Susan walked up to the doors of a run down building with dark glass windows. The sign outside was small, she had almost missed it. The maroon paint was peeling, the concrete pathway was crumbling under her feet, and she was a little skeptical. The tiny sign on the door was the only indication that she was in the right place: S.O.S. It stood for Save Our Souls.
It had been a hard decision, but she had come to the end of her rope, had tied a knot at the end, and was now hanging on for dear life. She took the last drag off her cigarette, took a deep breath and walked in.

Upstairs, Mr. B., Connie, Angel and Dev, the twins, and Memo, had all gathered to watch the proceedings. They all held their breath wondering if their plan would work.

Somewhere deep in her brain, Susan heard a collective sigh of relief when she stood up and said,
"Hi. My name is Susan, and I am an alcoholic and drug addict."

The Company was safe, for now.