A Name on Record

The receptionist’s earpiece crackled faintly as she tilted her head, listening to the reply on the other end. A practiced, professional nod followed, fingers gliding smoothly over the keyboard as she tapped in a confirmation. Then, finally, she looked up, her expression shifting just enough to acknowledge Sera’s presence beyond the usual corporate detachment.

“Mr. Fox will see you,” she said, her tone polished but neutral. “May I have your name for the appointment record?”

Sera hesitated for only a fraction of a second, just long enough to feel the weight of her own decision settle. There were a dozen names she could give, a hundred ways to obscure herself further. But the moment she had walked through the doors of Wayne Enterprises, she had already chosen to let the ghost of her former life step forward.

“Sera Phryne,” she said evenly, watching for any flicker of recognition in the woman’s face. There was none.

The receptionist simply logged the name with a deft keystroke, then gestured toward the security gates. “Take the elevator to the thirty-sixth floor. Someone will be there to direct you to the meeting room.”

With a quiet nod of thanks, Sera turned, moving through the sleek chrome turnstile as the system registered her temporary visitor status. The security presence was discreet but absolute—cameras embedded seamlessly into the architecture, guards posted at just the right points to ensure no one drifted where they shouldn’t.

The elevator doors slid open with a near-silent hiss. Stepping inside, she pressed the button for the designated floor, her reflection catching against the polished metal interior. Here, under corporate lighting, she looked even more like the person she used to be.

The ascent was smooth, nearly soundless, broken only by the faint chime as the doors opened again. This was not a vital operations floor, not somewhere that housed research or secured files. Wayne Enterprises was careful, and whatever Mr. Fox wanted from this meeting, it wasn’t going to happen in a room full of classified blueprints.

The hallway stretched out before her, clean and modern, but not ostentatious. She followed the discreet signage, heels muted against the carpeted floor, scanning for the designated meeting room. Thirty-sixth floor. Room 3627.

She reached the door, fingers briefly hovering over the handle before pushing inside. The room was spacious but contained, a conference table flanked by a sleek glass partition, the city sprawling out beyond it like a glittering machine.

Empty.

For now.

Sera stepped inside, letting the door close behind her as she exhaled, steadying herself. The next few minutes would dictate more than just her access to resources. They would dictate whether she had made the right choice at all.