The Split Read Free

security that works.
                  Suddenly, the glass panel door next to me pops open and Tucker, our front gate security officer, pokes his head out.
                  “Thank you so much!”  I tell him, trying to rush past.
                  Tucker puts his hand up and stops me.
                  “Excuse me.”  He says, sternly. “This is a high security laboratory, I’m gonna need to see some identification.”
                    I can’t help but give me a strange look, unsure of whether or not the man is joking.  I’ve said hello to him almost every morning for the past two years and suddenly he has no idea who I am.
                  “Are you kidding me?”  I ask.  “It’s Mandi.”
                  Tucker shakes his head.  “Miss, I’m gonna need to see some identification.”
                  I stare at him for a minute longer, flabbergasted, then finally hand him my keycard.
                  Tucker looks at the plastic rectangle for a moment and then flips it over.  “There’s no photo on this.”  Tucker tells me.  He reaches over and runs it across the scanner.  Predictably, nothing happens.
                  “Tucker!”  I shout.  “Are you kidding me?”
                  “No keycard, no entry.”  He says.
                  “My keycard is broken!”  I yell, losing it a little.
                  Being late for the meeting is one thing, but now my lack of respect around this office is really getting to me.  How could I have been so forgettable to this man?
                  Suddenly, Tuckers eyes light up as he glances past me.  “Oh!  Good morning, Jamie!”  He calls.
                  I look over my shoulder to see Jamie Bird, the beautiful, blonde new girl who’s everyone’s favorite around the lab, walking up the path behind me.  Tucker immediately holds the door open for her and steps back so that the pretty young thing can enter.
                  “Mandi!”  She asks, surprised to see me.  “What the fuck are you doing out here?  The meeting’s in like two minutes and we’re gonna be late.”
                  “I’m trying to get inside but I can’t!”  I cry, throwing my hands up in the air.  “My keycard’s messed up!”
                  Mandi flies through the door and I try to follow behind but Tucker stops me once again, stepping in front of me and shaking his head with authority.
                  “Seriously?”  I yell.
                  Jamie turns around and quickly assesses the situation.  “Oh, she’s fine Tucker.  Let her through.”
                  Turker glances back at Jamie, and then nods and allows me to pass without a hint of hesitation.  “Good god, thank you.”  I gasp in frustration, and then struggle to catch up to the heartbreaker as she barrels ahead through a series of long, sterile hallways.
                  “You didn’t get the email about picking up your new keycard?”  Jamie asks.  “The whole security system’s been revamped from the ground up.”
                  I’m almost positive that I didn’t get an email, but just to make sure I pull out my phone as we walk and open up my mailbox.  There are no messages saying anything about a new security system.
                  “I didn’t get anything.”  I tell her.
                  Jamie shrugs.  “Maybe they forgot to send it to you?  I don’t know.”
                  As if I didn’t already feel invisible enough in this crowd of sexed up scientists, now I’m not even on the official laboratory mailing list.
                  I put my phone back into my pocket and almost immediately Jamie and I arrive at the conference room of our meeting, which has