The Double Shift

Time: 1:28 PM

Jack stared at the card for a long moment. The spiral on its surface almost seemed to move when he tilted it — not spinning exactly, just… shifting. Like it was waiting to open if he stared too long.

He slipped it into his pocket and stood up.

Just a normal report, right? Just some paperwork.

So why did he feel like he'd passed some kind of silent test?

He started walking back toward the main office area. His shoes made soft taps against the tile. Everything looked the same as before — desks, monitors, employees — yet the air felt just a little heavier now.

Then it happened.

He heard it.

"Jack."

He stopped.

His head turned sharply.

No one was looking at him. No one near him had spoken. The typing continued. The phones rang. Someone laughed far off near the break room.

Jack stood still for a few seconds longer.

Nothing.

He shook it off. Just nerves. Long day. Probably nothing.

But when he reached Adam's desk — a wide L-shaped setup scattered with paperwork, two monitors, and a cracked coffee mug that read "I'm only here for the overtime" — Adam was already waiting for him, arms crossed and grin ready.

"He lives!" Adam said. "And in record time too."

Jack pulled out the black card and placed it on the desk.

Adam's eyes lit up. "Oooh. Spiral mark. Good one."

"You said it was just filing a report," Jack said, still slightly winded from the walk.

Adam raised his eyebrows, mock-innocent. "It was a report. Doesn't mean it wasn't important."

Jack leaned on the desk slightly. "Okay… I've worked in offices before. Well, sort of. Temp work. But this place—this place is different. The way things are labeled, the way the system felt... it's not just for tax returns and invoices."

Adam looked at him for a long second.

Then he smiled and leaned forward, dropping his voice just enough that the buzz of the room didn't pick it up.

"This building doesn't just manage work, Jack."

"It manages weight."

Jack blinked. "…What kind of weight?"

But Adam stood up, already brushing off his sleeves. "Shift talk. Too early for all that. You haven't even gotten your second task."

Jack followed him as they began walking back toward the center of the floor.

"But that's what this is, right?" Jack pressed. "The 'Shift'? That card said 'Welcome to Shift One.' What does that even mean?"

Adam gave him a sly side glance.

"Means you've just started your first real job. And you're doing better than you think."

They stopped at a corner near a bulletin board, filled with rotating monitors and a few printed notices. Jack noticed some postings used strange symbols instead of words — and some photos had been… burned out. Cleanly. As if by light.

Adam reached into his coat and handed Jack a fresh notepad and a pen.

"Next job's simpler," he said. "But eyes open. Everything here teaches you something, even if it doesn't tell you right away."

Jack nodded slowly.

He was tired. He was still confused.

But somehow… he was also ready.

Time: 1:34 PM

The clock on the wall ticked forward. The Shift had begun.