A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles #1)(16)

Until that time, though, Layla was, to all intents and purposes, left alone to work without outside interference. She didn’t mind that. The work was repetitive and easy, with little in the way of taxing mental stimulation.

Layla logged on, and after waiting for the system to come to life, opened her e-mail, before leaving the office to go to the small kitchen to make a cup of tea. It would be a while before the computer was capable of doing anything much, thanks to the background security stuff opening and running checks. She wasn’t really sure what people might want to steal, but upper management sure liked telling everyone that they should be on the lookout for such people.

She returned to her desk a few minutes later, mug in hand, to read one such e-mail: apparently attackers were out there ready to steal sensitive information. She clicked on the little green tick, acknowledging she’d read it, and promptly removed it from her mind.

She’d been working for two hours when she stretched back in her chair and realized she needed another drink. Keeping track of over a hundred trains was hard work, and the fact that she was the only one in the depot doing the job meant a lot of people were waiting for the information. Even so, everyone needed a break.

She walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where she found several technicians just leaving, about to start the night shift.

“You still here?” Andrew Green said as Layla entered the kitchen. The depot was ninety percent male, and that percentage went up during the evening shifts. There were nights when she was the only woman in the entire building. Andrew had once been a technician, and was one of the old guard, someone who’d been here since the depot had opened fifteen years earlier, and would likely retire here.

He worked with Marcus, doing something that Layla had never quite figured out. Most people seemed to think that the downstairs office was where they put the people no one else wanted to work with, but Layla didn’t agree. She liked the people in there; they were fun and chatty, and actually had a sense of humor. Trains are all very well for work, but at the end of the day they’re just trains. Layla thought that sometimes people in management needed to be reminded of that.

“I could say the same about you,” Layla said as she flicked the switch on the kettle.

“Overtime. I’m here for a few more hours yet. We’ve got to get the figures out by Monday, so it’s all hands on deck. Even Star and Aoki are here.”

Star was the third member of the team, a twenty-two-year-old woman, fresh out of university, who was not only excellent at her job, but also well known for saying exactly what she thought to anyone who annoyed her. Aoki was the final member of the team, and the youngest at just over twenty. Layla didn’t know much about him, except that he’d moved over from Japan to work for the company only a few months ago.

“Say hi for me,” Layla said, pouring the hot water once the kettle had boiled.

“We’re having a team-building thing next weekend, if you want to come?”

“What are you doing?”

“Paintballing. The whole office is going, twenty-two of us. Marcus suggested it. Personally I just think it’s an excuse for him to shoot the boss and get away with it.”

Layla paused for a second. “Sure, e-mail me the details and I’ll see if I can make it.” She returned back upstairs to her office and, after a few minutes, received an e-mail from Star.

You coming next weekend then?

Layla replied straightaway.

I don’t know.

You have to come; otherwise it’s just going to be me and twenty blokes. Most of whom will try really hard not to shoot me because I’m a fragile flower of a girl.

Layla laughed, her voice echoing around the large room.

I guess I’ll have to join you then. We can gang up on the others.

That’s the plan.

I assume there will be drinking afterwards.

It wouldn’t be a team event if drinking wasn’t part of it. We’re not allowed to charge the company for the alcohol, though, so if anyone asks, we had Coke or orange juice all night.

The boss is okay with that?

What the boss doesn’t know won’t kill him. So, you’re coming?

Layla nodded and then reminded herself no one could see her.

Looks that way, yes.

Star sent back a smiley, and Layla went back to work, barely looking up until it was completely dark outside. The entire shift had, as usual, lacked anything one might call eventful. By the time she’d finished inputting all of the data from the work done by the technicians earlier in the day, it was just before midnight. She had about an hour’s worth of work left to do before she could go, and considering she wasn’t going to be in for a few days and didn’t like leaving work for the day shift, she decided to complete an overtime form and work the extra hour.

It was half past twelve when she looked up from her computer screen and glanced out of the nearby window. Lights were on below her, showing the safe walkways between the tracks, and she considered getting one last hot drink. But when she looked at the bridge, she thought she saw movement on it. She got up from her chair and stared at the top of the bridge, but there was glare from the office lights and she couldn’t make anything out. Switching off the lights was impossible—they were triggers to motion sensors—so she cupped her hands around her eyes to try to see better.

“Probably just a bird,” she said to herself, although she knew she didn’t believe it. Whatever she’d seen had only been there for a moment, but it had been big.