“Hmm..Mhmm…Mhmm..This. is. Amazing!” exclaimed Roni happily as the massage chair she was lounging back in vibrated her body, relaxing her muscles with precision. “I..I..Have..ne..never..fell..felt this…be..before from…a chair!”
Mr. Hunter smirked from his spot at the lounge room’s dining table while he helped himself to a slice of pizza as Roni enjoyed the chair. “I know what you mean. I was shocked the first time I sat in one. The R&D team and the research littles worked really hard on getting these set up for testing.”
Roni was too lost in relaxation to comment, but Mr. Hale, who sat across from Mr. Hunter, cocked an eyebrow when he heard this. “You mean these aren’t just…regular massage chairs?”
“No, these were designed to mimic the little pet in humans,” Mr. Hunter replied, “Granted, it isn’t one to one, but I imagine it’s pretty close. We can really only go off what it is the Littles tell us and what we tell them after testing”
Mr. Hale stroked his facial hair as he thought about this, but Roni, coming out of her relaxed state, voiced her own reaction. “That…seems exploitative…doesn’t it, Mr. Hunter?”
Mr. Hunter pursed his lips and nodded. “Admittedly, yes. I personally do see it that way to a degree. We do use the research of littles for the benefit of humanity in addition to the Homo Parvus species, but I need to be perfectly clear that none of the research littles are mistreated, disrespected, or anything like that. There are so, so many checks and balances in place to prevent that from happening. We have a mental health support team that gives them evaluations, and there is so much surveillance of research littles vitals and their conversations that it would make Homeland Security blush”
Roni and Mr. Hale exchanged looks, before Roni looked back at Mr. Hunter. “So…the research littles have a choice then?”
Sighing, Mr. Hunter thought for a couple of moments. “No, not exactly…” He rubbed the back of his neck as he considered how to proceed. “Look, we’re…getting into NDA territory…and I understand the skepticism. Even I had a hard time believing Littles in the research department weren’t being mistreated.”
He looked at the two of them, ensuring he had their attention before he continued. “That was until, for my orientation, I was given a tour of one of the little facilities. The city–the one Tonya lives in–is immaculate. Cleaner, safer, more inclusive than a majority of human cities. When I was shown where the Research littles lived I was….surprised but only because they didn’t have a city. They were still taken care of, well fed, under constant evaluation both mentally and physically. Their opinions are listened to and taken seriously, they contribute to the betterment of the Homo Parvus species, and are even proud to know that they are helping both their own kind and humanity.”
Roni’s expression softened a bit when she heard this. On the one hand, she wasn’t too thrilled that the littles in the research department weren’t there by their own choice, but she hadn’t considered how they felt about it themselves. Who knows how many of them had caught smallara and thought their lives were over and had no meaning. Even the thought of not being considered good enough to live in a Little city would be disheartening, thought Roni, but knowing that you are somehow helping improve the lives of others in some capacity versus being sold to a stranger must give them some purpose.
“Look,” Mr. Hunter said gently, his tone sincere, “I know we don’t know each other personally, but based on all of the case notes and our interactions in the conference room, I know you’re a good person. I just…ask that you trust me when I say that the littles are taken care of.” Said Mr. Hunter, his tone fueled by genuine empathy as he looked at Roni. “Even the Gracewoods make personal visits to any facility that is below what is considered ‘exceeding expectations’ to ensure their standards are met. Everything you need to know and want to know will be covered in your training, but I swear I wouldn’t be here, fighting for littles and their rights, if I didn’t think Generitech were the ones with their interests at heart”
Roni and Mr. Hunter studied each other intently. Mr. Hunter was hoping that Roni would see things from his perspective, or at the very least give him the benefit of the doubt. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was a skeptic about Generitech before becoming one of their lawyers. His goals were more driven by civil rights cases and a desire to help those that couldn’t help themselves. Mr. Hunter was fairly certain the way Generitech was presented in certain articles was the truth until he had met with the recruiter and a few of the littles that were involved in the hiring process. Having a chance to hear their own accounts first hand, hearing how they felt abandoned by society until Generitech gave them purpose and a way to live life on their own terms. Now, Mr. Hunter just wanted to make sure all littles and those with futures as littles would have a fair chance at living a good life.
Roni, on the other hand, was still trying to decide if this was a truth or a ploy by Generitech to keep her calm. After all, this was a person that would technically benefit from her believing whatever it is he said. Though Roni was fairly certain she signed away the ability to be skeptical towards Generitech, her stubbornness wouldn’t let her flat out admit it.
“I…I dunno Mr. Hunter…It just doesn’t seem…right to me” she finally told him with a conflicted tone of voice.
Mr. Hale snorted as Mr. Hunter’s shoulder slumped in response. It was clear that Mr. Hunter was being completely honest, but Roni’s moral compass and inability to just agree with someone without all the facts wouldn’t allow her to see it.
“Roni, I swear you are too stubborn. I’m sorry, Mr. Hunter. She can’t make a choice without being completely certain about the situation. She gets it from my side of the family, sadly” said Mr. Hale, thinking about all the time his sisters would be stuck on a decision because they thought there was more to consider.
Even Amelia was like that, which is why it hurt so much that she became Lily’s guardian without even asking for his input. Hell, thought Jeff as he considered it, I don’t even know if she asked Syl or Kyle about it.
Roni pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at the remark. “I am not stubborn, daddy! I just…like being informed is all…”
“Roni, it took you almost a year to find a new bike you liked for your cycling club, and even after having all of the reviews and technical specs in that spreadsheet of yours, you still went with the one you looked at first!” her father replied, a smile on his face when he remembered how annoyed he was that she opted to go with her first choice, her gut choice no less, after spending months of research.
“But daddy! I just needed to be certain!” whined Roni defensively. Though deep down, she knew her dad was right., and if she wasn’t so obsessed with being thorough she could have had the bike she wanted months ago.
“Of course you did, sweetie” Mr. Hale relented, knowing this would go on forever. Rather than continuing the argument, he looked over at Mr. Hunter and changed the subject. “So, David, how long have you and Tonya worked together? You seems to have a pretty good rapport with her”
Mr. Hunter, mid-bite, paused to think. After swallowing, he replied,. “Hmm…It’s been about a year I think. We were paired up based on a mix of compatibility and our previous history”
“Wait, previous history? What, did you two date or something?” asked Mr. Hale with a bit of surprise.
Chuckling to himself as he considered what that would have been like, Mr. Hunter shook his head. “No, no, nothing like that. We went to different law schools–Tonya to Stanford, me to UCLA–but were on competing debate teams. She was much, much better than I was, but was also a pretty gracious winner and always would talk with me and the team after words. We became friends and, well I’d say rivals but that wouldn’t be fair to her intelligence” he smiled as he remembered all the times Tonya would outsmart whomever she was debating against, her use of different arguments, whether they were facts or emotional pleas, always astounding the competition.
“We fell out of touch after she graduated. I just assumed she got a job at a big law firm. I never thought I’d see her again, let alone here of all places” His face became more somber as he went on. “I had been working here for about a year when I heard what happened…she’d caught smallara during a surge in I think January of 2020. She had been in a Little City for about a month when we finally got paired together. I really pushed for it. I knew better than anyone that she’d be a shark if given the chance.” finished David, sighing sadly knowing the world lost a good lawyer when Tonya caught Smallara.
“So…does that mean you’re her guardian?” asked Roni, wanting to understand the workings of Generitech a little better.
“Now that’s actually an interesting question, Roni,” said Mr. Hunter, his eyes lighting up excitedly as he knew that this would be a good way to try to ease her mind about the Littles and their lives at Generitech. “Technically, no. I’m not her guardian. We are partners and I maintain responsibility for her safety and happiness between 9am and 5pm. After that, she’s free to do as she pleases within all Generitech facilities that she has clearance for.”
Taking another bite of his pizza, Mr. Hunter continued with his explanation, “You may have heard Jessie mention going to Generigym later with her. Well, that was all Tonya’s idea. Even if Jessie couldn’t go, Tonya could still have a Generilift take her if she wanted to do so. Research littles have a similar, albeit more restricted version of that. They have a less refined gym, for example, that they can go to that is separate from Generigym. The caveat there is just that their vitals and progress is monitored. Consider it a mutual benefit: research littles get to have a little exercise, and Generitech gets information for extra research.”
Mr. Hunter could see Roni’s expression change a little, a bit more understanding showing in her eyes, mixed with some relief. David knew it wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing. It was the store littles that really had it the worst. They would be subject to the whims of whomever purchased them. At least as a research little, there was still some choice in the matter, an allowance of freedom and even being able to partake in the point system, though limited in what they could purchase. Store littles, though, could only hope to get a guardian that would allow that sort of thing to happen. It was rough, but it was a necessary evil meant for the betterment of the littles in Generitechs care. After all, following these strict guidelines and methodologies is what’s kept the little cities so peaceful and well maintained.
“I wish I could tell you more, Roni, honest. It’s just…there are things that Generitech wants to keep a trade secret. Personally, I think they are a little nervous of some kind of Government oversight committee being created that would cause disruptions if word were to get out.” Mr. Hunter added with genuine care. He hated keeping secrets from his clients about the workplace, especially when they would eventually be a guardian, but he knew that it was what is best for the Generitech Littles, and that’s what matters most.
Feeling a little better about the situation, Roni decided to let the subject drop. She could see Mr. Hunter was trying to not say something that would get him in serious trouble. She stood up from her massage chair, the massage itself having ended a few minutes ago, and stretched her arms overhead as she joined Mr. Hunter and her dad at the table. “It’s been a bit, hasn’t it? Do you think Joey and Tonya are okay?” she asked, glancing toward the door. “I wonder what they’ve been talking about this whole time”
Mr. Hunter looked at his watch before he replied. “We…should give it a bit more time. They’re probably almost done talking but, I don’t want to interrupt them”
“How can you tell?” questioned Roni, with Mr. Hale leaning in to hear Mr. Hunter’s explanation.
“These conversations tend to follow a similar pattern and timing,” Mr. Hunter explained.
“These conversations?” repeated Mr. Hale, “What exactly are they talking about, David?”
“I…think it’s best to leave that up to Joey to disclose. I have a pretty good idea on what it’s about, but I don’t want to assume.” advised Mr. Hunter. “Trust me, though, if it’s what I think it’s about, it’s really important for Joey.”
Before either Roni or Mr. Hale could press further, the door to the lounge opened slowly, and backing into the room was Joey, his hands cupped together as he gingerly walked into the room. The current occupants looked over at him, but it was Roni who was first to see why he was moving so strangely. In his hands sat Tonya, one arm wrapped around his thumb. Roni’s eye went wide at the sight, as this was probably a huge moment for Joey. Finally being able to hold a little was one thing, but to actually carry one? He was probably ecstatic.
However, as he made his way over to the table where they sat, Roni could see in his face that something was bothering him. She didn’t need to bother asking about it, though. Roni had a feeling, given the context clues, that this had something to do with whatever he and Tonya talked about. The two shared a glance, Joey’s nerves reflected in his gaze, but Roni’s reassuring smile steadied him. Her heart felt lighter as Joey’s eyes softened, showing a sign of appreciation for her support, and he went back to focusing on making sure Tonya made it safely to the table.
As Joey got closer, the three at the table could see Tonya was using her free arm to gesture to Joey on how to step, where to shift his balance, ensuring her safety as he navigated the unfamiliar feeling of carrying her.
From his hands, Tonya could see a knowing look on David’s face, and she smiled warmly as they made it to the table. “Okay Joey, now just lift your hands up to the table and I can step off, okay?”
“R..right…here you go, Tonya” replied Joey, slowly and steadily lifting her to the point to where Tonya could step onto the tabletop without issue. Once she had done so, Tonya quickly made her way to David, whose own hand was laying flat on the table. Once safely on the table, Tonya made her way over to David, stepping onto his hand, which he then lifted to let her settle on his shoulder. His expression changed as he heard what Tonya had to report, and he nodded.
“Tonya says your a natural, Joey!” said Mr. Hunter with a smile. “Sounds like she didn’t really have to do too much adjusting as you walked. That’s pretty high praise.”
“Thank you.” replied Joey, pride welling up inside him as his nerves giving way to gratitude as he heard Tonya’s praise. “And, thank you, Tonya, for letting me carry you.”
Tonya gave him an appreciative wave and Mr. Hunter smiled, happy with the outcome of Joey and Tonya’s talk. Once he was sure Tonya was settled on his shoulder, he stood up and gestured to the door. “Well, I think it’s time we finish up the paperwork. Once that’s all done, I can officially say, Joey, that you are a Hale.”