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"Now, final question. What do you bring to ARC as an employee?"
That's a question you've been asking yourself for a while. Why DID they pick you? Why ARE you here? Who decided YOU were a good pick for this place?
The answer you believe in is that there is no reason. That's all you can do: <span class="mu-i">endure</span> and survive, day to day, to fulfill whatever inane <span class="mu-i">obligations</span> ARC throws at you.
You doubt it's an answer that would satisfy her. "Well, I have an odd knack with anomalies. Dunno why or how; it just comes naturally to me."
Now THAT got her attention. Her posture suddenly stiffens. She glances up from the clipboard with an inscrutable expression. Did you say something wrong?
"How so, if I may ask?" There's a tinge of cold, almost clinical curiosity in that question. As if she just found an interesting test subject.
"I couldn't tell you much, but it feels like I've dealt with them before." Your memories and/or dreams involving the <span class="mu-r">Heart</span> are spotty at best.
You know for certain you've dealt with <span class="mu-i">two</span> anomalies before you were hired by ARC: The <span class="mu-r">Heart</span> and that weird mannequin you saw as a young boy.
"Maybe my memories were erased, but I subconsciously remember something? I imagine you guys erase memories."
"We do." Ms. White nods in agreement. "We can't exactly have civilians knowing about anomalies. For their own safety, of course." She whispers something underneath her breath. All you could pick up was '<span class="mu-b">faulty batch</span>'
"Continue."
"Well, as a researcher, having a knack with anomalies means I'd be more efficient when researching them. Which means more profit for ARC. I think that's a strong upside, no?"
You narrow your eyes as you remember last week's inflated QUOTA. You might as well ask. "I also assume that's why ARC assigned an inflated QUOTA to me. I was told by some acquaintances that it wasn't normal to have it set at $3000 for my first week."
Ms. White doesn't immediately answer your question about your QUOTA. She scribbles down your answer to her third question. She raises up her clipboard to quickly reread everything she's written down about you.
After a bit of rereading, she places her clipboard down. "For your QUOTA, yes, it was unusual but fully intentional."
"One of my colleagues, Ms. Cyan, wanted to give a bloated QUOTA to some of the new hires we found. To see if they were crafty, lucky, or ruthless enough to fulfill the artificially increased QUOTA." Ah ha! You <span class="mu-i">knew</span> there was something wrong with your QUOTA.
"You completed it within four days. I say, you exceeded our expectations." Is that a hint of pride in her voice? "Most of your fellow Level 0 colleagues just barely completed their quotas today."
"With that, and your satisfactory answers, <span class="mu-g">I've decided to approve your promotion.</span>" Huh? That's it?
"I thought I was going to get more flak."
Ms. White dryly laughs. "No, your answers were passable. You're the type of employee we look for."
