Chapter Text
“Oh, hi Y/n!” A voice called over to you. “Just through here, the elevator will take us up. We're on the top floor.”
You quickly followed after the person calling you, a lovely woman with short, curly red hair. She held a clipboard tightly in her arm, a pen in her free hand, which she quickly attached to the board to shake your hand. “I'm Natasha, welcome to Magnet Studio. We're happy to have you on!”
“Happy to be here, Miss!” You responded politely. “Are you the… Manager?”
Natasha laughed. “Nah, and no need for Miss, we're really casual here. Other workplaces will try to say they're like family, but we're the ones who mean it .” She adjusted her blouse. “As for my job? I'm a programmer, but I guess I am also called the assistant director… Maybe I should ask for the title of Manager… Sorry, Y/n, I got a bit carried away there, how did you find the commute?”
“Not bad!” You answered. “I live at the college campus.”
Natasha's eyes lit up. “Oh, that's perfect! So it's just a walk for you!”
The campus was located directly next to a massive plaza mall, walking all the way through it took you directly to the building you’d been hired to work at. Your dream job, playtester for a top-notch game studio! Your degree was in Robotics, so surely this would look good for any student to have!
You had taken a year off to focus on not only your own mental health, but that of your family. Your parent's divorce had left you and your older sister shaken. They'd hidden it well, but figured that, with you two both being adults, it had been time for them to finally give up. Though your father had walked away from you all, and your sister had thankfully managed to keep it together well enough to not backslide into old habits, but you had taken the time away, just to keep what was left of your family from falling to pieces. It hadn't been easy, but it was worth it.
Your mother and sister had both been rocks for you during your time in the fancy college you'd managed to get a scholarship for. The school focused on the technical entertainment that dominated the world. Whether that was video game creation, computer graphics for animation, programs to experience, or robotics. Helpful, in a world so technical, and now finally free of the corporations that had dominated for so many years.
Natasha leading you, you walked up towards a massive room, the outer walls covered in emblems from all sorts of different games that Magnet Studio had created over the years. The door was solid oak, a rarity nowadays without proper approval. These guys were the real deal.
“Just in here,” Natasha started. “is where the newest project is being tested for Amy flaws. Or at least… It was.” She frowned. “Our last tester was fired, caught trying to access files and leak information about the new system being implemented. But you signed all the NDAs, and we’ve been very careful about any information shared about the company. You agreed to have your personal items monitored, correct?”
You nodded. It wasn't like you had anyone to tell anyways. And you enjoyed the thought of having a secret all to yourself. The agreement was monitoring for keywords, up until the game was released. Of course, context mattered, but all you had to do was not spill secrets. It wasn't the worst contract you'd seen.
Natasha made a check mark on her board, scanning a pass to open the wooden door. “This is where the game.is being tested. It's not active at the moment, we'll get you acquainted tomorrow. For now, do you wanna meet the team?”
You straightened your back, nodding in a way you hoped wasn't too excited. “Yes, please. I'd love to know who's on the project with me.”
Natasha grinned. “That's what we like to hear. Now, you've already met me, let's see…” She glanced around the office. “That girl there, with headphones on, do you see her?”
You followed her gaze over towards a woman leaned back in her chair. Headphones on, eyes closed, she looked as if she were sleeping. Was that allowed? “Uh, y-yeah. I see her. She's…”
“That's Alice Wu-Gulliver, currently on break for another few minutes. She's our head of audio design. She'll probably be getting another cup of coffee when she wakes up.” The two of you watched as Alice suddenly sat up, stretched, and walked off into another room. “Told ya. That room she went into has snacks, and a coffee maker.”
You chuckled, and watched as Alice quickly went back to her seat, large cup in hand. She saw you, and waved, smiling at you. “Hey, newbie!”
Shyly, you waved back. “Hi!”
“Oh hey, you're the new girl.” Another voice behind you made you jump. A tall woman, dressed in a tight green suit, stared you down with dark eyes that seemed to pierce your very soul. “You're gonna love it here.”
Natasha stepped forward, gesturing towards the woman. “This is Rio Vidal, another programmer, but also a concept artist! I've never seen anyone draw up things quite as quickly as her.”
Rio looked smug. “I've got very steady fingers.” She remarked, and you felt heat rise in your face. “Of course, it helps that I know exactly what I want to do with them.”
“It's a shame you never want to shut up. Or send me your art so I can review it.” Another woman spoke up. A brunette, leaning over her office wall. Her office was neat, pictures of a young boy sat on her desk. The woman held out a hand to you, icy blue gaze giving nothing away as she spoke flatly. “Agatha Harkness. Artist and animator. Clearly cursed to have to sit next to this pain in my ass.” She glared at Rio, who winked at her. Agatha rolled her eyes and sat down at her desk. Rio chuckled softly as she strode back over to the desk next to Agatha's.
She had the same pictures of that young boy on her own desk. Were they together?
Two men stood by the testing room, whispering among themselves. “Tony!” Natasha called. “Bruce! Stop being antisocial!”
They quickly stopped talking, and both of them waved at you. “Sorry, didn't notice you there.” Said one of them.
“That is Bruce, he's head of marketing. He can be a bit shy, but feel free to say hello at any point.” Natasha explained. The two men came over, one of them shaking your hand. He had a shining implant over his heart, and small marks on his palms.
“Tony Stark. Pleasure to meet you… Sorry, what's your name?”
“My name's Y/n, nice to meet you too… Do you… Do you know someone named Morgan?”
Morgan Stark was a very popular girl on campus. Always on time, top notch projects for her programming, and always a kind word for others. She was a couple of years older than you, she'd be graduating soon with ease.
“I should hope so, she's my daughter.” Said Tony. “But she's never mentioned a Y/n before… Are you two friends?”
Determined not to stick your foot in your mouth, you politely shook your head. “No no, she's just well known. Being top of all your classes tends to make your name spread.”
At that, Tony beamed. Bruce gently nudged Natasha. “Bossman wants to see the new girl.” He murmured. “Something about equipment.”
Natasha looked confused for a moment, before she sighed. “Right. Okay, um, you're probably going to get a laptop, but you can leave it here. It's for you to log notes and file bug reports.” The redhead explained.
You nodded, turning to the two men. “It was nice to meet you both!” You chirped, holding out your hand to be shaken. They both quickly did, returning to their own desks. You followed Natasha through a long hall. At the end, where the lights grew dimmer, was a silver keypad.
“If I knew the code, I could take us in right now. But he doesn't share it with anyone.”
You glanced at it. Sleek and shiny, looking almost brand new. There was no giveaway which buttons were pressed at all. Natasha gently knocked on a metal door. “Sir? I have Y/n here with me!”
The door opened, and you stepped into the large room with Natasha, the cold air making you hug yourself closely. An air conditioning unit hummed peacefully, the large windows allowing the room to be bathed in natural blue light from the clear summer sky outside. In a large office chair sat a well-groomed man with a stern face. His long silver hair cascading down his shoulder like a lion's mane.
“Hello, Y/n. How are you?” He asked, his voice gentle despite the intense gaze. “My name is Erik Lehnsherr.” He gestured for you to sit down in one of the small chairs that sat in front of his desk. “Natasha, you may leave.”
Natasha looked nervous, nodding quietly. “Thank you.” She backed away, heading out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
All around the office were certificates for the various games the studio had made, along with a few shelves that held old books, topped with a few award statues. You heard Erik laugh softly. “Yes, we're quite pleased with our trophies. Though they're in my office, I can't do it without my team. I was very pleased with your test scores. They matched exactly what we're looking for.” It seemed that, despite his icy demeanor and Natasha's nervous energy, Erik was a very relaxed man.
“Now, the game we're developing is called Seasons of Adventure. I had you test multiple games out to see how you would perform, as it has many genres within. This is an ambitious project, but I have faith in my team. Can I place my faith in you, Y/n?”
Beaming, you nodded. “Of course!” You were buzzing in your seat. You'd been tasked with recording play footage from multiple different games you'd been sent free copies of. Magnet studios was known for generosity, often giving employees their own copies of games, along with anyone who tried to become a playtester. The position hadn't been open in years, you'd been more than lucky to see their advertisement on your computer back in your dorm.
“Good!” He smiled softly at you. “Let me grab you a work laptop, I only ask that you please keep it here, just to avoid any information breaches.” Erik stood up from his seat, seeming impossibly tall as he walked through a small doorway. You peered at his desk, unable to contain your excitement.
Normal stuff, a coffee mug, a connector cable to connect one’s port to their computer, a few papers that looked full of scribbles…
Beside his computer was a picture of a little boy and girl. They stood together, each holding a birthday balloon.
As Erik re-entered the room, you decided to ask him about the children. “Are those two your kids? Do they like your games?”
“Indeed, they are. My children, my pride and joy.” His eyes seemed to light up at the mention of them. “Thank you for asking. I may seem frightening, Y/n, but I promise, I'm only half as bad as I seem.” He chuckled at his own joke, and you relaxed instantly.
Erik handed you a silver laptop, alongside a cord to connect it to your port. “There we are. Take care not to lose the cord, we've run a tad low as of late. All that aside, welcome to the family, Y/n.” He walked alongside you to your newly assigned desk, next to Rio, who was flicking bits of paper at Agatha. At the sight of Erik, she stopped, lazily waving at the two of you.
You sat down, placing the laptop and cord onto your desk. “Thank you, sir. I'm really glad to be here.”
The older man gently patted your shoulder. “We're very happy to have you. You'll fit in here in no time.”