Neville stood before Jenna, his fists clenched tighter than before. Jenna continued to ignore him. She barely glanced up from the holographic screen. Her fingers moved across the holographic display with indifference, scrolling through another display with what looked like a shopping site.

"I said, I need to speak to your supervisor," Neville repeated, keeping his voice level despite the frustration building in his chest.

Jenna’s eyes flicked toward him for half a second before returning to her screen. A small smile played at the corner of her lips as she tapped something that made a satisfying ding.

"Supervisor? There were no higher ranks available in the department right now to tend to your important application."

Neville’s jaw tightened. "Then you should’ve approved it immediately. The protocol already said it’s automatic if there was enough leave available."

"I also said, that’s for standard situations." Jenna looked at him, leaning her back in her chair, arms crossing over her chest. "By the way, your request was flagged for additional review."

"On what grounds?"

"Insufficient advance notice." She said it like she was reading from a script, bored and mechanical. "You just gave me a few hours or minutes of notice."

Neville’s hands trembled slightly. He shoved them into his pockets before she could notice. "The system already accepted my application. If there was an issue in the first place, it should’ve rejected it immediately, not left it in limbo."

Jenna shrugged, one shoulder lifting in a gesture that screamed Not my problem. "System accepts everything. Doesn’t mean it’s approved."

[Host,] Shelly’s voice resounded in his head, tinged with concern. [Your pheromone levels are spiking. That’s not good.]

’I know,’ Neville thought back, careful not to let his expression change. ’Just give me a minute.’

But Jenna wasn’t done. She glanced at her light brain again, this time pulling up something that made her eyes light up with barely concealed glee.

"Besides, even if I wanted to approve it, I can’t. Director Hatfield is in off-planet meetings all week. You can schedule an appointment for next Monday if you like."

"But I—"

"Enough." Jenna cut him off, her attention already drifting back to her screen.

She pressed something on the interface where a countdown timer appeared. It looked like she was in a virtual queue for concert tickets or something similar.

"You should’ve thought of getting a leave this morning." Her finger hovered over a button as the waiting room countdown ticked closer to zero. "I might’ve been able to approve one day. Unpaid, of course."

Unpaid. One day. For a problem that would last at least a week.

Neville’s vision swam for a moment, and he had to blink hard to clear it.

[Host,] Shelly’s voice was even quieter now. [You really need to get out of here before someone notices.]

’I know,’ Neville thought back, his desperation mounting. ’But I can’t just leave without—’

"Is there a problem here?"

The voice cut through Neville’s spiraling thoughts—that deep, measured voice with an undertone of authority that made even Jenna snap to attention. Neville turned toward the source.

Liam Rivera approached casually with confidence. Neville recognized him immediately. He was the one who interviewed him before. Liam looked different now; he looked sharper with an HR Supervisor badge clipped to his pressed suit jacket instead of the staff member tag he had worn before.

Jenna straightened so fast that Neville heard her chair squeak. Her entire demeanor transformed in an instant, that bored indifference melting into something uncomfortably close to adoration.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smile widening. "Supervisor Rivera!"

"What brings you to this section?" Her voice practically dripped with honey. "There’s no problem, just some employee."

Just some employee. Neville’s fists clenched tighter in his pockets. I came from the Secretarial Department, Missy!

"Is that so?" Liam’s gaze moved from Jenna to Neville, and something flickered in his expression.

"Ye—"

Neville cut her off before she could spin whatever story she had come up with.

"I’m asking why my leave was pending when I’m clearly qualified for one." He kept his voice steady, professional, even though he was clearly about to burst in rage.

Jenna’s smile tightened at the corners. She turned back to Liam, hands spreading in a helpless gesture. "No, no. He just hasn’t completed his appli—"

But Liam had already moved past her, his fingers dancing across his own light brain interface. His eyes scanned the holographic display that materialized in the air between them, brow furrows deepening with each line he read.

"I’ll handle this," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"But—" Jenna started, and this time there was genuine alarm creeping into her voice.

"I’ll talk to Director Hatfield myself."

The color drained from Jenna’s face. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly, the picture of someone whose crush became disappointed with her rather than someone who felt any real guilt about her actions.

Liam gestured toward the main corridor with a tilt of his head. "Come on. Let’s sort this out properly."

Neville didn’t need to be told twice. He fell into step behind Liam, minding the distance between them. Close enough not to be left behind, far enough that his leaking pheromones wouldn’t be obvious.

Behind them, a strangled cry of frustration echoed through the HR section, followed by what could only be described as an anguished roar.

Neville glanced back to see Jenna through the slightly frosted cubicle wall. She was staring at her screen in horror; her virtual queue number had clearly timed out.

Karma, Neville thought with grim satisfaction.

As they walked through the maze of cubicles and workstations, Neville noticed the subtle shift in atmosphere around Liam. Employees glanced up from their quantum computers, offering respectful nods that Liam returned with easy familiarity.

A woman in Logistics who was just visiting the department actually smiled at Liam and gave him a small wave. Liam waved back.

It seemed that he was thriving in HR, not bad.