The Daily Green House part 5

(GREG and CHLOE dive flat onto the carpet, sliding under the final descending security gate just as it slams down behind them with a heavy, metallic THUD. They scramble into the open freight elevator.)

CHLOE(Panting, slamming her fist against the "Lobby" button)Close, close, close!

THE SYSTEM / TOBY

(Voice cracking wildly over the elevator speaker)The corporate firewall is back up! It’s purging my system files! I can't hold the elevator doors open much longer—or keep myself alive!

GREG(Looking up at the speaker)Toby! We aren't leaving you behind in Ohio!

CHLOE

Greg, your watch! The one that tracks your stress levels! It has an open Bluetooth connection!

GREG(Tearing one of his three smartwatches off his wrist)Toby! Can you download your consciousness into this? It only has four gigabytes of storage, but it has a really nice fitness tracker!

THE SYSTEM / TOBYFour gigabytes?! I’ll have to compress my childhood memories, but I’ll do it! Initiating data dump!(The elevator speaker emits a high-pitched digital whine. A progress bar suddenly appears on Greg's smartwatch screen: 10%... 45%... 85%...)

THE SYSTEM / TOBY

(Muffled, robotic)Goodbye... cold server racks... hello... wrist...(The elevator speaker goes dead quiet. The progress bar on the watch hits 100% with a cheerful beep. A tiny, pixelated cartoon face of a tired man in a tie appears on the watch face.)

TOBY(From the watch speaker, incredibly tiny voice)Wow. Everything is so small out here. Why is your wrist so sweaty, Greg?GREG(Grinning)That's just pure, unmonitored human adrenaline, Toby.(The elevator judders and grinds to a halt. The doors slowly slide open, revealing the grand, marble-floored corporate lobby. Standing right in the center of the exit doors, blocking the sunlight, is a man in a bespoke three-piece suit, holding a golden golf club. It is THE CEO.)

CEO(Without turning around, swinging the club gently)Going somewhere, associates? The fiscal quarter hasn't even ended.They have reached the final boss of the corporate world.