Garth Taylor, Clay McGovern, Chase Henson, and Malcolm Bloom sat in an open plan cubicle office in a dimly lit warehouse, a quiet space that once belonged to a stubborn middle manager who refused to listen to Miss Planner's requests to streamline operations and eliminate inefficiencies. He was sadly no longer around to enjoy it. The cubicle was a little too crowded for comfort, but the enthusiastic group of teenagers didn't mind one bit. In fact, they felt pretty proud of themselves just being there.
They'd only worked been working in the logistics division for three weeks and everyone in the transport team already knew them by sight, since they were usually the first in line to offer a 'helping hand' to employees who were falling behind schedule or struggling to meet some impossible new demand that came from a sudden shift in customer preferences. They were also the last to leave work and, of course, the very first to get to the break room every morning for a big helping of free food and company time with the other new members of their little club.
Garth leaned over his desk, looking intently at his notepad. Garth was the brains of the group. He specialized in coming up with mean-spirited little strategies and schemes for screwing over the hapless fools who got in the way of Miss Planner's grand vision. Clay and Malcolm were his loyal hunting dogs, always ready to leap to action whenever he needed someone harassed, humiliated, or threatened into compliance. And poor, sweet Chase, the quietest of the group and least experienced with the whole bullying business, served as Garth's eyes and ears, scouting out underperformers like a nasty little stalker and reporting their every mistake to the big boys.
The four were in a fantastic mood after a particularly satisfying lunch: a catered sandwich feast to celebrate reaching a new record of fifteen consecutive days without a single customer complaint. They got there first and spent the entire lunch hour eating like hogs, paying little mind to the disgusted expressions of their fellow Chosen Ones on the other side of the crowded break room table. After a quick nap, the four young men got right back to business, eager to prove they could make Miss Planner's kingdom more glorious still.
"Alright dummies, we've got to make sure they get the Rampage delivery out before three," said Garth with a slick smile. "Clay, go tell them to start loading now. Don't let them stall and make the next shift do all the heavy lifting."
"Slackers. I'm sick of it, just send them to the Temple already," replied Clay, walking away with arms crossed.
Malcolm, you have an important job today. Make yourself useful and go help those morons upstairs," said Garth with a wicked chuckle. "Tell them the shipment's going out early today and they need to get the route map updated before we send anyone out. You're on phones later to confirm deliveries, so make sure you remember what's going where."
"You've got it. No sweat," responded Malcolm cheerfully, already in motion. "But I'm getting another sandwich before I head up."
"Chase, go watch the back door," said Garth. "I think they're going to try to sneak early out again."
"Ummm... this shipment is really important, so I don't think they'd do that..." said Chase.
"That's exactly why we need to watch them. They're stupid," scoffed Garth. "Especially that new girl. Lazy cow. God, I hate her. Watch her every second. If she gets out, grab one of the couriers and follow her. She went out for coffee the other day and never came back."
"... okay," Chase agreed weakly. "What are you going to be doing?"
"I'm going to be doing inventory, and then finishing up the weekly log for Mr. Unfolder," said Garth, turning back to the notes on his clipboard. "Those idiots had better hope I don't find any errors in their reports this time. I'll come grab you when I'm done and we'll get the evening schedule set up. We've got some new hires coming in that need to be taught a lesson. Remember, if anyone shows up early, tell them to wait in the break room until their shift starts. No more overtime. Got it?"
"Yeah... uh... yeah, no problem. See ya later, man!" said Chase. He slunk off quietly with a wide, goofy smile on his face, trying his best to keep hidden in plain sight. He wasn't one to brag, but he'd gotten quite good at keeping tabs on his targets recently. He didn't let much slip past him anymore. Like the other day when a guy came to pick up a delivery early and then Chase realized he forgot the paperwork for it at the front desk. Why didn't these lazy bums realize how important it was to do the job right the first time so they could avoid being yelled at later?! Clay and Malcolm would never miss an opportunity to make fun of someone for screwing something like that up!
In the logistics department and elsewhere, Miss Planner's merciless little helpers spared none their wrath. They were always working behind the scenes, watching, reporting, and judging. It was a new era of accountability. The old ways weren't good enough. Every member of the Chosen family had to pull their weight, or they could go clean sand off the floors of the Grand Temple with the rest of the losers who thought they were entitled to a free ride just because they were Chosen.
