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Post by Judge Sam on Jun 11, 2009 20:00:58 GMT -5
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Post by Judge Sam on Jun 11, 2009 20:05:50 GMT -5
Despite Boss McNeal and the overseer’s every attempt to crush the emerging union, none of it seemed to be working. The proles had taken every setback in stride and stayed organized in their attempts to certify the union. One by one they had plucked out McNeal’s inside plants and kicked them out. Sure McNeal had gotten a little revenge at Imprisonment, getting a few of the more trustworthy workers unceremoniously ejected. Still, at this rate the Union would be in full force by next month.
It had been three months since Peabody died and McNeal took over the Burg Factory, changing nearly everything about it as it had been done for the past 25 years. He brought in new supervisors, bureaucrats, and management to metamorphose from a community-supported workplace to a metaphorical orange, eager to squeeze every last cent of juicy profit in his fist. Yes, so far it had been working, profits were up 300%, but McNeal knew this wouldn’t last long. If the Union got their way they would gain total control of the factory and drain every dollar from his pockets. How in the world would McNeal buy his sixth Preakness-winning stallion to fill his stable if the Union got their way???
Thankfully, things were looking a bit up. McNeal had hired the Pinkertons – a private detective force working with him to dismantle the Union from without and within. They were expert union busters, experienced in demoralizing, dehumanizing, and destroying unions. Using all sorts of devious tactics the Pinkertons had begun their daily assault on the workers.
“We have had some small successes,” the Pinkerton agent reported as he stood up from his chair. “Let me go through a few of the events we’ve personally engineered to our advantage…”
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Post by Judge Sam on Jun 11, 2009 20:10:35 GMT -5
Pinkerton agent Charlie thought he had the most tedious job of the agents. Sure it was a little thrilling as he bribed the bank teller to let him have access to the worker’s private financial files. And at the start as he flipped through these statements he felt oddly energetic, as if he was doing something sneaky. But that was two hours ago, and as he flipped through reams and reams of financial statements, he couldn’t stop wondering if there was anything interesting in here at all.
At least it was better than going through the trash to find their personal credit statements, he thought. Sandra had to do that last week. It was his task to go through the employee’s private files to see how they spent their money.
How they spent their money could tell you a lot about a person. Something in here was supposed to give him clues he could use against someone to get them to stop supporting the Union. Every person they could drag away from the union meetings was important – with enough, they could drop support down past that critical 30% mark that it took to call for a union certification election.
Charlie flipped through the papers. Some of this stuff was pretty revealing. He picked up a piece of paper and looked down at the payments… $100 to a grocery store, $300 for furniture, $10 for… what was this? It said “Adult Subscription Service.” Now that’s something he could use!
Copying down the details so he could use it later, he continued to flip through the papers. Pulling out one on Amelia he set it aside to go through it more carefully. He was curious what Amelia was up to.
Scanning past more of the boring, everyday payments he finally came to a special section at the bottom. Seems Amelia had been having some money problems lately. Quite a bit in fact. Some loans she couldn’t pay off. Impending bankruptcy.
Smiling, Charlie wondered what sort of delicious problems Amelia had gotten herself into that would lead to such a predicament.
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Post by Judge Sam on Jun 11, 2009 20:16:14 GMT -5
Seems like Amelia had run up a whopper of a bar tab!
Charlie leapt up and did a little dance of joy as he grinned at the wonderful good fortune that had dropped into his lap. McNeal was going to be thrilled about this. Amelia’s financial problems because of too much drinking… this provided a wealth of opportunity for the Pinkertons. Charlie couldn’t decide which one of the plots he wanted to enact first. Maybe he could pay part of Amelia’s bar tab in exchange for her no vote at the union election? Nah, too straight forward.
Charlie knew he was going to be paying Amelia a visit at the pub later this afternoon. Sure it was a Monday, but if this huge dollar figure on this paper was any indication Amelia probably spent most Mondays there. Of course it would be simple to befriend her and coax some union secrets from her, especially while she was inebriated. But Charlie wanted a challenge. That was too easy.
Charlie decided to take a more subtle approach. One day, as he was walking a dog that he had paid a veterinarian to let him use specifically for this purpose, Charlie ‘accidentally’ bumped into Amelia’s mother. Amelia’s mother and Charlie’s fake dog became quick friends which allowed the two humans to start up a friendship as well.
Charlie carefully steered the conversation to Amelia’s drinking problems. Amelia’s mother was so worried. She knew her daughter was a little angel. She would never get into so much trouble on her own. So who could be the cause of Amelia’s fondness for the spirits?
Well Charlie was only too happy to answer that question. Charlie filled Amelia’s mother’s head with stories of the Union Bosses taking Amelia out for drinks, encouraging her, and enticing her to miss work because that would look bad for the supervisors. Amelia had been docked pay, reprimanded, and was in danger of losing her job because these corrupt union officials were using her for their own nefarious ends. Her mother was flabbergasted.
Charlie was doing such a good job spinning yarns he almost believed them himself. The ensuing argument between Amelia and her mother, probably while Amelia was a bit tipsy, would lead Amelia to rethinking if her union friends were truly her friends.
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Post by Judge Sam on Jun 11, 2009 20:21:12 GMT -5
Thor could remember a time when he looked forward to the cafeteria lunches in the factory. Truth be told, his wife wasn’t the best cook in the world so most of the time the cafeteria served his favorite meal of the day. Peabody had always gone out of his way to provide excellent lunches to the workers. The hour for lunch was always a time people looked forward to, good food, good people, and a nice break.
The only thing left on that list that remained intact was the good people, and Thor wasn’t so sure about them anymore. Since McNeal took over lunches had been reduced to 30 minutes flat with penalties if you took even a minute longer. The cafeteria buffet went from a serving of meat, fresh vegetables, and soup and salad to cold, stale sandwiches, hard macaroni and cheese, and brown apples. Not surprisingly many people just picked at the sandwich. The worst part was that if the workers didn’t finish up the food for the day the cafeteria would just put the leftovers out again next day until it was all gone.
It was the afternoon, and Thor was starving. In an odd turn of events he was very much looking forward to his wife’s meatloaf dinner. Thor was walking through a hallway he almost knocked into a vending machine. Odd, that hadn’t been there before. Looking up, he saw a machine filled with twinkies, mars bars, wafers, potato chips, and so much more. Flavors and tastes filled his mind as he reached for his wallet. There was his lunch right here!
He was about to push the button that made the milky way bar drop from its metallic clutches when he noticed a piece of paper taped to the top of the machine. After reading it, his heart sank to his stomach.
“For Management Use ONLY.”
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Post by Judge Sam on Jun 11, 2009 20:26:50 GMT -5
For Management use only? What the heck? Who would put a tantalizing machine of tasty treats right in the middle of the hallway and then forbid 90% of the factory from using it? Thor had known McNeal was a nasty man but this, this was a whole new level of cruelty.
His stomach rumbling and mind clouded with the smell of sweet chocolate, Thor shook his head and jammed the button, releasing the milky way bar. It sank to the bottom of the machine and hit the metal with a satisfying clang. Apprehensive about being caught taking candy from the management-only machine, Thor quickly grabbed the candy bar out of the machine, jammed it into his pocket, and jogged back to work.
He didn’t get the courage to take a bite out of the candy bar until an hour later. Sneaking a bite, he took a fulfilling taste of the chocolate as he was managing his work station. It was delicious. It tasted a little odd, a little oily, but maybe that was just because he hadn’t had such delicious chocolate in awhile.
There was about an hour left in the workday when the consequences of his candy bar theft hit him like a fist to the stomach. His tummy rumbling and broiling in chaos, Thor made a mad dash to the bathroom as he felt he was about to explode.
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Post by Judge Sam on Jun 11, 2009 20:30:10 GMT -5
On the way to the bathroom he saw Supervisor Amy watching him run by, laughing at his panic.
“Where do you think you’re going young man!” She yelled, picking up her pace and following Thor. “You have 60 minutes left of work to give me you’re not getting out of it that easily!”
Thor ran into the men’s bathroom, into a stall, and sat down on the toilet seconds before he exploded.
Amy chuckled as she made her way through the door to the men’s bathroom. Something so trivial as a piece of wood attached to the wall on hinges was not going to stop her from disciplining her reprehensible employee.
“You can’t hide from me in here!” Amy roared, trying to stifle a giggle.
She couldn't stop laughing, one of the workers had actually taken the bait! The Pinkertons had laced the food in that vending machine with laxatives and Thor was feeling the full effect of purgatives as his bowels emptied violently. Not only was he going through pain, but he was being admonished by his supervisor for avoiding work, and would soon be punished by McNeal for violating workplace rules.
Thor was in trouble.
The other workers looked at the men’s bathroom worried if something like that would happen to them next.
What they didn’t know was that something much worse was going to happen to them in that very same bathroom very very soon.
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Post by Judge Sam on Jun 11, 2009 20:35:40 GMT -5
McNeal wanted revenge on the Citizens for capturing the latest Spy. And he wanted it immediately.
He gave the orders to the Pinkerton guards from his board room and the guards summarily carried them out.
They ended up cornering him in the employee bathroom.
The punches flew, sending the man back against the tiled wall. As the blows continued, sweat and blood sprayed onto the mirrors, the floor, the walls...
Sweat and blood that would be washed down the bathroom drain, leaving the scene of the crime spotless.
 Ed has been fired and Imprisoned by the Spies.
You will never see him again. [/b][/center] Ed : please post Final Words in your confessional immediately. Judge Sam: “It was truly great having you play Ed. Your outlook on the game and opinions on people’s alignments was very unique and refreshing. They were brash, but measured, impulsive, but later rethought out. I feel a little repetitive in these goodbye messages because I say everybody was active, interested, engaged, and highly involved in the game but it is true. So few games (especially ones this size and of this intensity) have so many people fully engaged in the game for so long and I’m lucky to find people like you to play in it. I really enjoyed reading your confessionals – they were reasoned, explanatory, and answered a lot of my questions I had about the game from your perspective. I know everyone will enjoy reading them after the game is over. Thanks again.” Judge Sam: “Ed is our fifth Imprisonment victim. A little surprised? Some Imprisonments may seem a little surprising but is there a method behind the madness? Or have the Spies gone insane with four of their own leaving in just four Episodes? Time will tell!” A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.
–David Brinkley [/size] |
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