The Letter

Greetings, Miss. V, personnel number VMK-445#12, currently employed at DataTec Inc.

Please pardon the abbreviation of your first name. In our business, we found it cumbersome to address people by their full names and/or surnames. As such, all our employees have taken shortened designations.

We are a multi-national company involved in research, development, and implementation of prototype technologies. Sadly, the nature of our work requires that our dealings be classified. You won't be able to investigate us, nor will we be able to provide you with examples of our work. For this reason, we also cannot provide you with the name of our organization or any other means of identification. Rest assured, all our operations are above board, and none of our activities are illegal.

Considering our work is on the bleeding edge of technological innovation, we are constantly looking for new talent we believe will add value to our organization. Your work for DataTec Inc has come to our attention, and we trust you could be a valued member of our organization. We investigated your current contract with DataTec Inc, and are prepared to offer you a monthly remuneration of three times your current annual salary, plus performance bonuses. Due to the nature of our work, we require your relocation to our facility grounds for a minimum of three years. You won't be allowed to have contact with the outside world during this time. Please note that you'll be subjected to constant surveillance if/when your contract expires to ensure you don't share any information learned at our premises.

Kindly let us know whether you're interested in the opportunity by contacting us at recruitment@restricted.co.wd within the next seventy-two (72) hours. We'll assume a negative response if we don't receive a reply within the allotted time.

Regards

Management

"I dunno, girl." Summayya bit her lip as she returned my phone. "It sounds too good to be true."

"I can't argue that." I darkened the screen with the push of a button before putting it on the table. "But if it's true..."

"Then you'll be able to buy half of Florida when you retire."

"I prefer Madagascar." My chair creaked a bit as I leaned back with a laugh.

"So..." Summi asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are you gonna do it?"

"I'm not sure."

"Leave it to the girl who scans every possible date with a microscope to get a job offer most people wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole." I smiled at the comment. "Ah, shit."

"What?"

"You're going to do it, aren't you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I know you too well by now." She pursed her lips with a slight shake of the head.

"Well, wouldn't you?"

She cast her gaze skyward with a sigh. She didn't say anything, but the dimple in her cheek betrayed her racing thoughts. "I dunno. The day's been too long for me to think."

"You're dodging," I said with another sip of tea.

"A little bit." She chuckled. "Well, which answer would you like? The honest one, or the one that makes you feel good?"

"The honest one, preferably."

"Hmm."

A screeching seagull tore my attention from the conversation. Several glances gave it the assurance of safety that allowed the bird to tear off a large chunk of what I assumed to be bread before flying off again. "No," Summi reached her conclusion. "No, I don't think I'd have."

"Any reason?"

"Money isn't everything." Kissing the edge of her teacup gave her some time to arrange her thoughts. "Sure, it would be nice to live in a mansion as big as this town, but cleaning it every day would be a pain in the ass."

"Apt analogy," I said.

"I'm serious. Uprooting for three years will change everything. Not to mention that this place sounds as dodgy as well."

"I know."

She sighed. "You're really going to do it, aren't you?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't considering it."

"Why? What's wrong with DataTec?"

"Nothing other than my manager, but the answer gets muddy if the question turns to whether I can see myself there for the next five years." My back gave a pop as I leaned back. "Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the work, but it's not the most stimulating. That's a problem for a place I've only been at for a couple of years. And then there's the money."

"But you don't know anything about who sent you this letter. It could be a kidnapping ring that'll abduct you and sell your organs to the highest bidder."

"I agree it would have helped if I could have researched the organization."

"As it should be." The table clattered slightly when she leaned forward. "Listen to me - turn down the job. Live your life in boring normality like the rest of us."

"Boring normality," I said with a smile, but my thoughts were elsewhere.