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Office Politics was the second story in Burning with Optimism's Flames.
Summary[]
Newcomer Jamie slowly starts coming between a group of close colleagues during his first week in the office.
Plot[]
At an office in Stevenage, Michael, his girlfriend Laura and there colleague Alison (Office Politics) enjoy a close office friendship. However, out of the blue they are joined by newcomer Jamie who is with them on a short-term placement. Initially the trio are wary of Jamie, suspecting him of being a spy for Head Office, but they soon warm to him when he treats them all to some cream cakes at lunchtime. By the second day, Jamie is integrated into the team and subtly begins to disturb the peace by spreading misinformation across the office; telling Michael that Laura has applied for another job without him knowing, and Alison that Michael fancies her instead of Laura. Later in the week, Michael and Alison have begun a full-blown affair behind Laura's back and Jamie has encouraged Laura to look into taking another job position. Michael and Alison are delighted that Laura could potentially be leaving the office as they would be free to continue their relationship but are displeased to learn that the position is with Head Office meaning that she could end up being their boss. Entering into an unspoken agreement, Michael and Alison resort to murder Laura with Jamie's help.
At the end of the working week on Saturday, Jamie invited the trio round to his house for dinner. During the meal he offered Michael a Tunguska blade to carve the meat with and, as the blade spoke to him, Michael proceeded to cut himself on the sharp edge spilling his blood. Revealing his affair with Alison, Michael attempted to stab Laura but couldn't bring himself to do so. Laura punched him in the stomach and attempted to flee, but she saw red when Alison went to help Michael and decided to use the knife to kill him. However, Alison got in the way of the blow and Laura ended up stabbing her through the chest. Michael attempted to stem the flow of blood, and coming to her senses Laura helped him, but the pair found themselves merging into Alison's flesh and the trio merged into a being known as the Matryoska Gestalt.
Jamie revealed that he intended to return to the Eleven-Day Empire, and needing an impossible sacrifice to do so, he decided to create the Matryoska Gestalt which was a technical impossibility. Before he was able to retrieve the knife in order to make the sacrifice, the trio managed to grab it instead but they decided to spare his life and return him to the Eleven-Day Empire despite what he had done to them as, now sharing each other's memories and feelings, they appreciated their newfound predicament. With Jamie gone, the colleagues returned to work and found a way to continue living their lives despite being fused together.
Characters[]
Worldbuilding[]
- Jamie is trying to get to the Eleven-Day Empire.
Notes[]
to be added
Continuity[]
- The Eleven Day Empire still exists.
External links[]
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