In her small one-bedroom apartment in downtown Boston, Nina Avanthika browsed through job postings on her laptop with a growing mixture of annoyance and desperation. At first, she had thought her major in Women's Studies from Boston University would open doors to her to make a difference for women and marginalized groups in the world, but now, it felt more like a millstone around her neck.Her meager savings were being eaten away by Boston's high rent and her high speed internet bill. The looming first student loan payment would completely clear her out.
Nina ran her hand through her short cropped black hair as she scanned through posting after posting that required a STEM degree that she did not have, until one job posting finally caught her eye. It was a posting for a personal assistant to a CEO, offering a very generous paycheck along, with insurance and travel allowance and only requiring a bachelor's degree, and experience in event management and organizational skills! This was it!She quickly clicked the 'Apply Now' link. Her jaw dropped as the online form loaded. It was from Sirius Software, a relatively new, but widely successful, extremely controversial, and very secretive game development company.
"If I get this job, it would be an excellent opportunity to campaign for women's rights and gender equality from within" thought Nina to herself. With a passion borne from years of activism, Nina launched Google and tried to find information on Sirius Software's CEO.Unfortunately for Nina, Sirius Software's CEO was a complete enigma. Aside from his name, Aaron Zakhrov, there were no pictures of him, he had no social media or any online presence. Even at game development conferences and other trade shows, he was not the public face of Sirius Software. Instead, Japanese idols were hired to present and promote Sirius Software's games, in skimpy, revealing costumes, and extremely high heels. "_Such antiquated and sexist practices speaks volumes even if the coward never shows his face_", thought Nina savagely to herself as she tried in vain to gather information about the elusive and enigmatic Aaron Zakhrov.
Finally giving up her fruitless search, Nina took a deep breath and started filling in the online job application form from Sirius Software with a fierce determination, her long, brown-skinned fingers with short, neat nails devoid of polish, flying across the keyboard.The first few sections of the form were easy. She quickly entered her contact information, social media links, education, and work experience. But then she came to the IQ assessment questions. She felt a wave of annoyance wash over her. Why did they need to ask her these strangely cryptic and ambiguous questions?
The next section of the form was even stranger. It asked for her height, weight, shoe size, and other tailoring measurements. Nina stared at the form, her eyes widening in confusion. What did her measurements have to do with the job? She was applying for a personal assistant position, not some modeling gig!As she reluctantly entered her height and weight, the form spat out a red error message that she needed to enter the values in SI units. She blinked in surprise, SI as in Metric units? Growling at the form, she impatiently punched in random values, but the form still spat out error messages saying her values were not valid. Her hands trembled slightly, the form's demands overshadowing her earlier annoyance. It seemed as if the form was designed to filter applicants based on body measurements! Surely this wasn't legal?A savage determination to change the company and make sure no other woman would have to endure the indignity of being filtered by their body shape gripped her, and she painstakingly converted and entered the SI units of height, weight, shoe size and other tailoring measurements. She sighed in relief when the form accepted her converted measurements, for a few moments, she had worried that her actual measurements would be filtered as well.
The final section of the form was the request for a selfie. This too, thwarted all her attempts at uploading a random photo. With a growl of impatience and frustration, Nina quickly washed and moisturized her face, combed her hair, and snapped a picture with her webcam.The form finally accepted the photo, Nina sighed in relief, and fell back on her bed. She had never filled out a form so intrusive before, and she couldn't help but wonder what kind of person Aaron Zakhrov was and what kind of company was Sirius Software. "_I will change Sirius Software, and make it a safe, inclusive space for everyone. Just you wait Aaron Zakhrov! The world has no place for sexist pigs like you!_" she vowed to herself, as she closed her laptop and started to get ready for bed.
In his darkened office at Sirius Software Headquarters, Aaron Zakhrov sat at his computer, stretching his broad muscular back after the end of a long day of coding, interspaced with business meetings. He took a gulp of coffee to clear some of his fatigue, and launched the job application program that processed the data from the application form he posted for the open position of his Personal Assistant. He watched as the sophisticated program, one of his best creations, took not only the data applicants provided, but also mined their data from social media and other online activities to create extremely detailed and comprehensive profiles.
Aaron knew exactly what kind of person he wanted as a personal assistant, political correctness and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion be damned. A young, conventionally attractive female with a strong work ethic who was intelligent and discreet. Someone who was arm and eye-candy, and who could take over the mundane day-to-day activities of responding to correspondence, scheduling meetings and planning itineraries, while he focused on the overall direction of the company and his own involvement in the engineering process. To that end, he had designed an extremely detailed application form, backed by a sophisticated filter to weed out potential bad actors, and ensure his exacting physical, and intellectual requirements were met.He read through the only application profile that had survived his aggressive filtering algorithms with cold and calculating blue eyes. Nina Avanthika was a recent graduate in Women's studies from Boston University, and from her social media profile, had strong opinions on what video games should look like. She aggressively called out the use of breast jiggle physics, and raged that Sirius Software's video games catered to 'the male gaze'.
Cold contempt and suspicion coursed through him as he reviewed her application information. It was not the first time that activists and corporate spies had tried to infiltrate his company and force him to change the way he ran things and change the content of his games. And Nina Avanthika clearly viewed herself as a savior, bringing diversity, equity, inclusion and whatever else she thought was needed into Sirius Software by applying for this position. The fact that hers was the only application in over a week fueled Aaron's sense of suspicion. "_Either you have powerful friends, or you are an accomplished actor Nina Avanthika. Which is it?_" Aaron mused quietly to himself.
Closing his eyes in deep contemplation, he carefully considered the ramifications of hiring her. It was obvious from the way his application posting was tampered with, that somebody well versed in manipulating job sites, and with considerable influence _really_ wanted him to hire her. "_Keep your friends close and your foes even closer. I think that adage applies in this case_" Thought Aaron to himself, as he emailed her a detailed interview invitation, including directions to Sirius Software headquarters and the compulsory dress code of a skirt-suit and heels. "_Let's see what you are made of Ms. Avanthika_" he mused to himself, before shutting down his computer and retiring for the night.
Nina stood in her over-sized gray hoodie, yoga pants and sneakers, looking up apprehensively at the black glass skyscraper that was the Sirius Software building. Surrounded by a gray concrete courtyard, with security cameras mounted on tall concrete obelisk-like pillars, the tower loomed dark, ominous and foreboding, the bright summer sunlight giving it an alien shimmer. Situated nearly a kilometer from the highway, with nothing but dense forest surrounding the courtyard and the skinny access road, it gave Nina the chills.She nervously walked up the sweeping concrete driveway, towards the massive door that was adorned with a security camera, a faintly glowing handprint lock, and a red intercom button.Nina swallowed her nervousness and discomfort from being monitored and watched, squared her shoulders and buzzed the intercom."Hi, I'm Nina Avanthika," she announced. "I'm here for the personal assistant interview."
"You were informed that the dress code is a skirt suit and heels, Ms. Avanthika" answered a cold, deep, gravelly voice through the intercom speaker.
Nina angrily buzzed the intercom again.
"Look, I don't believe in such sexist and outdated practices like dress codes. Are you seriously going to turn away a potential employee because of that?" she demanded.
Nina's anger and bravado, slowly gave way to apprehension and disbelief as the silence grew, and the seconds ticked away. Would they really deny her entry and an opportunity all because of a dress code?
She was about to buzz the intercom and lit into them with some choice words, when the disembodied voice answered again.
"Go straight to the 128th floor." It commanded, and the massive titanium reinforced door swung open with a pneumatic hiss.
As Nina crossed the massive threshold, the door behind her slammed shut with a deafening boom, making her jump, an ominous metallic thud told her that she was locked inside. She checked her phone to see that its cellular signal had completely dropped. Her heart pounded in her chest while she frantically fiddled with her phone's settings to get her signal back to no avail. Taking several deep breaths, she pulled herself together, and took stock of her surroundings.
The walls and floor were smooth, polished black stone, and sparkled with a sinister beauty under the white light that blazed from the OLED panels that covered the high ceiling, leaving no trace of reflection or shadow. The icy conditioned air and deathly silence, gave the deserted lobby an eerie, sterile atmosphere. Four massive floor-to-ceiling posters were spaced at regular intervals along the far wall, each depicting an alluring female character from Sirius Software's games. The slavish adulation in their eyes, their idealized body proportions, and their sexualized costumes, made Nina's skin crawl. She shuffled towards the elevator alcove, her sneakers making a muffled echo on the floor. The elevator doors hissed open, and she stepped inside, her heart pounding in her chest as she keyed in 128 into the elevator's keypad.
Nina took several deep breaths to calm her nerves as the elevator began its smooth and efficient ascent. The elevator doors hissed open to an empty foyer leading towards an office space with a large empty desk and another, black door flush with the smooth glass wall and flanked by surveillance cameras that just said "Aaron Zakhrov - CEO" in spartan black and white lettering. This door hissed open as well revealing a dark room beyond.Swallowing her nervousness, Nina entered the office.
The office was pitch black. The only light sources, were the light from the outer office spilling in from the doorway behind her, and the LED strip lights from a massive PC case that was quietly whirring in the corner of a massive black desk. A veritable wall of massive ultrawide monitors covered the desk, completely obscuring the person behind them.As Nina stepped further into the room, trying to get a better look, the door behind her slammed shut with a loud boom, plunging the room into total darkness, and she spun around in alarm.The pitch black ceiling blazed with a white light. Temporarily blinded, Nina shut her eyes, and threw up her hands in front of her face.Loud, booted footsteps sounded behind her, she slowly turned around, lowered her hands and opened her eyes to see Aaron Zakhrov coming around his desk.
Aaron was nothing like Nina expected. He was young, probably her own age of 21, extremely tall, and darkly handsome. With a neatly trimmed black french beard and long silky black hair slicked back into a ponytail. He was dressed in a black leather business suit with black leather ankle boots. His broad shoulders and the sleek cut of his suit gave him an extremely intimidating presence. His blue eyes were icy cold and calculating as he surveyed Nina in her baggy sweatshirt, yoga pants and sneakers.
"Sit," commanded Aaron in a deep, gravelly voice, pointing to a pair of plush black leather couches that faced each other with a glass coffee table in between them, in the corner of his office. Still trembling, Nina shuffled towards the couches and sat down on the edge of one of them. She shut her eyes and tried to calm herself down, her trembling slowly subsided, and she opened her eyes to find Aaron sitting opposite her. She now realized that it had been his voice on the intercom as he tossed a stack of papers in front of her. "Read this, and tell me why I should offer you a job when you are seemingly incapable of following instructions." He demanded, his deep voice and cold tone leaving no room for argument.
Color drained from Nina's face as she read through the documents and realized they were print-outs of her various social media posts attacking Sirius Software's character designs."I-I am a hard worker. I'm organized, and I'm good at event management" stammered Nina, wishing she sounded more confident."_Who is this man? I thought he would be just another dork using his games to make up for his insecurities, but this is something else! What have I gotten into?_" asked Nina to herself."A-And I don't believe in dress codes. Besides, I don't have a suit" she finished breathlessly, but with her eyes shining with determination.
"I see. Your role and responsibilities as my PA are scheduling and organizing both online and in-person meetings, planning itineraries, and other day-to-day activities that cannot be automated. I expect professionalism, discretion and confidentiality. Are you capable of handling that without your personal opinions on the games I make interfering Ms. Avanthika?" asked Aaron, his icy blue-eyed stare boring into Nina's wide and apprehensive black eyes.Nina looked away from him for a moment before returning his gaze with renewed conviction."Yes I am." she said firmly "I am a team player, and I can work with you as long as we don't let our viewpoints get in the way." She finished. Her conviction seemed to satisfy Aaron, for he simply nodded in acknowledgement."This is the employee contract and non-disclosure agreement. Read it carefully and ask if you are unclear about anything." he said, handing her a plush folder.
Nina's hands shook as she read through the contract and agreement.The contract included a meticulously detailed dress code that mandated skirt suits, pantyhose, and high heels for female employees, along with regulations on hairstyles, makeup, lengths of skirts and heights of heels. It even had instructions on how many coats of nail polish were to be applied!The NDA was extensive, and designed to keep extremely tight control over intellectual property and social media. Employees were forbidden from unionizing, and were forbidden from discussing almost anything related to Sirius Software, with severe financial and legal consequences for any breaches.She finally looked up at Aaron, fury and defiance in her black eyes. "Surely this dress code can't be legal?" she hissed.
"It is perfectly within the letter of the law. Either agree to comply with it, or get out and don't waste any more of my time. This is the last, and only time I will tolerate your presentation in those shapeless rags." returned Aaron coldly.
"But I don't have a skirt suit!" Nina shot back, deeply offended by his remark that her hoodie and yoga pants were rags.
"That's easily remedied. Sign the agreement and this is yours. You can start tomorrow" said Aaron, waving a Sirius Software employee credit card in front of her face.Nina looked away from him and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She absolutely hated his cold, arrogant and authoritarian attitude, but she also knew this was her best shot at resolving her financial woes, and changing Sirius Software and the games they built for the better, from within.
Gritting her teeth, Nina signed the agreement.
Aaron held a large tablet computer out to her. "Press your hand on the screen, your right-hand first and then your left" he instructed.
Nina did so, and the computer beeped.
"And your bank account information, for crediting your salary" said Aaron, swiping the screen to reveal an online form.
With a little trepidation, Nina entered her information into the form, which caused the computer to beep again.Aaron then handed her the credit card. "Welcome to Sirius Software Ms Avanthika" He said and gave her a handshake. "I look forward to working with you"
"L-Likewise" Nina gulped. The handshake and welcome was the most normal thing that had happened so far, and his powerful grip sent a fresh shiver of fear down her spine.
Nina stood outside Sirius Software's headquarters in a daze. She had attended interviews before, but none of them were quite like this. Most men who interviewed her, including the dean of Boston University, were polite, politically correct, and made her feel at ease. A far cry from Aaron Zakhrov's cold demeanor, hostile attitude, and harsh, clipped remarks.A chime from her phone told her that her cellular signal had returned, shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Nina pulled out her phone to check the notification. A fresh wave of anger and frustration washed over her as she read the message from Sirius Software, directing her to a location that accepted the employee credit card for her new office wardrobe. With a growl, Nina hailed an Uber to take her to the location.
The smell of wood and fine fabrics assaulted her senses as Nina entered _The Feminine Professional_, the shop indicated by Sirius Software's instructions. She was grateful that the store was empty, and that she didn't have to interact with too many people. After the ordeal she faced with Aaron Zakhrov, she was in no mood to debate the objectifying and archaic characteristics of skirt suits that his Draconian dress code enforced.A saleswoman in an elegant black skirt suit and high heels greeted her politely. "Hello, my name is Margaret. How can I help you?" she asked Nina with a slight British accent.
"Hello Margaret, I'm Nina. I've just got a new job, and I'm supposed to get clothes that conform to a dress code." said Nina torn between admiration and derision that she felt at Margaret's attractive, yet traditionally feminine professional appearance.
Margaret nodded sagely. "You know, dress codes are not all that bad. Some propriety and professionalism in the workplace can do wonders for discipline. I once thought like you, but I soon realized that if I wanted to be taken seriously, I needed to improve my own sense of style, discipline and propriety. Clothes make the man or woman for the first impression, no matter how you slice it" she said as she led Nina towards a large mirror and got out a measuring tape.Nina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had heard that argument countless times before, and was already put off by Margaret's femininity and excessively formal shop. "By the way, I was told that you accept Sirius Software employee credit cards?" she asked, trying to change the subject and showing Margaret the Sirius Software employee credit card.
Margaret's eyes widened at the card, "My. My. So you are Mr. Zakhrov's new personal assistant" she said."You know him and the job posting?" asked Nina in surprise.
"Of course I know him. My husband designed that headquarters of his, and he is one of my angel investors. A very gifted and intelligent young man of wealth and taste" chuckled Margaret.
"Intelligent and gifted? He's a misogynist and a sexist pig from the 1940s! How can you endorse a dress code that mandates high heels? Who does he think he is?! Forcing women into those sexist, oppressive torture devices? How does he expect women to walk in those things?" ranted Nina stepping away from Margaret in agitation.
"Now that's quite enough ranting miss Nina. You could have always turned down the job if you are that opposed to them" said Margaret coldly.
"_Aaron Zakhrov may be a traditionalist and an autocrat, but don't you dare accuse him of misogyny!_" thought Margaret furiously as she fought to keep her professional demeanor.
Nina flushed, realizing that Margaret herself was wearing high heels. "I'm sorry. I'm just under a lot of stress. I just had the most unpleasant interview with that man of wealth and taste" she apologized grudgingly.
"_Well what did you expect showing up for an interview like you've just come from a morning jog? The red carpet treatment?_" thought Margaret coldly as she surveyed Nina in her over-sized hoodie and yoga pants. "Well, not to worry. Now what kind of style and color would you like?" She asked, showing Nina a clothing rack of blazers.
"You know what? I think I'll manage on my own." said Nina, eyeing the blazers' tapering waistlines, plunging necklines and shimmering material with distaste.
"_If that pig Zakhrov thinks he can dress me up like some stereotypical sexy secretary he's got another thing coming_" she thought furiously to herself.
"Of course. Just let me know when you are ready to pay" said Margaret and left Nina to her own devices.
Nina returned with her arms full of blazers with high necklines in bright colors and matching, flowing ankle length skirts.
"Are you sure about these?" asked Margaret as Nina dumped them on the billing counter. While technically within the definition of a skirt-suit, the blazers and skirts Nina had picked out were intentionally over-sized and unflattering.
"Just ring them up and keep your internalized misogyny to yourself!" snapped Nina tossing her the Sirius Software credit card."You know, Mr. Zakhrov is not somebody to be trifled with. Your little protest is going to affect you far more than him" warned Margaret."We'll just see about that! I refuse to let some chauvinist pig force his problematic preferences on me like some dress-up doll!" snarled Nina."Don't say I didn't warn you" sighed Margaret as she rang up the purchases and packed the clothes into bags.