Frank and Angelo: Filing Cabinet Blues- Backdated

[x-pinnochio.livejournal.com]

Angelo checks up on X-Corps' new intern!

The thing about interning, Frank thought as he shoveled another pile of paperwork into folders and dropped them into the relevant cabinet, is that no-one ever tells you how boring it's going to be. The work was important, he got that, and he was picking up a lot just by listening to conversations. But there was only so many different ways to keep oneself amused when all you're doing is filing and coffee runs.

"How you doing over here?" Angelo asked, dropping by the desk that had been designated Frank's when he was there. "Bored to death yet?"

Frank looked up, and pasted on a smirk. "Nah, man. Filing paperwork? Exactly how I planned to spend my weekend. How's it looking up at the top?"

"Busy busy and in many languages." He grinned. "But at least I'm not the guy who has to apologise to people after the boss swears at them anymore. I could probably find you something a bit more fulfilling to do..."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "Depends. Am I going to be apologising to people for you swearing at them? Because I'll admit I like career trajectory but I sincerely doubt I share your temperament." A beat. Frank Grinned. "Then again, it is that or go postal. What can I do for you?"

"Nooo, Nathan was the swearing guy. I'm just really rude and occasionally threatening to the people who piss me off while sounding completely polite. It's a valuable skill. How would you like to expand our contact base?"

"That... sounds interesting. What exactly do I have to do?"

"Make phone calls, mostly", Angelo told him. "I'll give you a list of numbers for people and organizations that might be interested in forming a network with us. You call them and sound them out."

"So cold calling, but with morals. Okay. I think I could do that." He shifted the paperwork in front of him into a slightly more neat file and shoved it to one side on his desk. "Seriously, how are things up top?" he asked casually.

"Yeah, at least you're not trying to sell stuff people they'll never want, need or use", he said lightly. "And for life at the top, it's pretty good. I think X-Corps is going in good directions now we're properly off the ground."

Frank smirked. "Dude. You telling me I'm ground-flooring the next big thing? Because that's gonna look amazing on my resume. Imagine it-" he spread his hands in the air as if he was framing an imaginary headline- "hobbies- changing the world with my sexy genetics. Also puppies."

"Oh, trust me, I have big plans." Angelo grinned. "And the Professor to bankroll pretty much anything I want to do, as long as it's with his approval and not completely out there. If you still want it when you graduate high school, there'll probably be a paid job in it for you."

"Hey yeah? Might take you up on that," said Frank idly, standing up from the desk and leaning against it. "Considering the industry I used to want to do seems to be going ass-over-ankles pretty fast these days, I might not have many other options."

"Absolutely, I'll take on anyone who wants to work here enough to do their job well." He shot him a curious look. "What industry's that?"

"Journalism. Got turned onto Hunter S. Thompson back in school, and then got on the school paper. That's my real bag, you know? Finding stuff out. Expressing it so other people can see it. It works for me."

"If that's what interests you, we could probably find a way to work with it here." Angelo thought it over for a moment. "School's too small to really have its own paper, but you could write up investigative things, if they're relevant to X-Corps, we could arrange to get them printed."

"Hey yeah?" Frank looked up, a spark of interest in his eye. "That'd... that'd be really cool. I'd like that. But wouldn't that be kind of a risk? I mean, you don't know if I can write anything good yet. Heck, I don't even know if I can write anything good yet. And you guys are kind of a big deal to be sabotaging your rep on baby's first gonzo journalism."

"I'd vet everything first", Angelo said with a shrug. "And if it didn't fit our image, I'd either ask you to redo it or send it over to this guy in the District who runs an indie paper for mutants. He's not connected to us and he can print basically whatever he wants."

"The district? District X? Wait, you don't mean the guy who writes that news-sheet do you?" He raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was anonymous. I thought that was kinda the point."
"He is." Angelo grinned. "But I keep an apartment over there and I believe in being engaged with the community you want to work for. I don't know his name, but I did get hold of an e-mail address for him."

"Christ. We are the mutant big brother, aren't we? Right now George Orwell is sitting up in his grave and demanding royalties from our freakish asses." Frank smirked a little, then sat back. "Seriously, that'd be great."

"We're a lot more benevolent than his Big Brother", Angelo said cheerfully. "No rooms full of rats for people that step out of line here. And yeah, one way or the other we can probably get you published."

"You say that now, but I'm just waiting for my first detention. I see room 101, I'm gonna be pissed." Frank leaned back on the table and thought for a bit. "...I... guess that'd be awesome. I mean, it wouldn't be for a while, but... Yeah. Thanks."

"No need to wait until you graduate for that part, if you don't want to", Angelo suggested. "If you get something written, you can bring it to me any time."

"Well, I don't know about that," said Frank, a little awkwardly. "I've not really... I mean, it's not like I've written anything really good enough to be worth publishing yet, you know? And a lot of it's just... you know, school stuff?"

"I didn't mean anything you've already got, if you're not happy with it. Just, if you come up with anything before you finish school, bring it on over, don't wait until it's an official job. Everybody starts somewhere."

"I'll think about it," said Frank. He plastered on a smirk. "Suppose I've got some writing to do first, huh? And contacts to cold call?"

“..right, the contacts." Angelo nodded firmly. "The list's on my desk, I'll be right back."