Badge Lanyard Blues

Four paintbrush towers rose over Creative Paintbrush Thicket, their metal bristles catching the morning sun like tidy combs.

Buck tugged his black sunglass goggles down and checked his phone.

“‘Safety Demo. Courtyard. Be early,’” he read.

Doe jogged beside him, cape flicking. “If it’s another ‘harmless’ jet-boot test, I am bringing snacks this time.”

They reached the glass entry arch. A human greeter blocked the lane with a tablet scanner.

“Welcome, Creative Paintbrush Doe!” she said, smiling at Buck.

Buck paused. His blue gloves hovered over his chest emblem.

“And you must be Buck,” she added, turning to Doe.

Doe blinked behind his goggles. “Uh—”

The greeter looped badges over their necks. Buck’s read DOE in bold letters.

Buck opened his mouth, then shut it. “Thanks,” he said, a little too fast.

“Great,” the greeter said. “Cameras are live. Head to Tower Two. Quick test.”

The Box With No Weight

Buck followed the bright arrows into Tower Two, past a wall screen looping the words “LIVE SAFETY DEMO.”

The room was a shipping hall, all shiny floor and drone carts sliding by with stacked mail boxes.

Doe, an athletic humanoid deer with light brown fur and small antlers, leaned close. “Buck, your badge says DOE. Fix it.”

Buck touched the lanyard. The camera on the ceiling blinked red.

A man in a lab coat and a headset waved. “Creative Paintbrush Doe! Perfect. Step into lane A.”

He pointed at Buck.

“And Buck, you watch from the line,” he added, pointing at Doe.

Doe’s jaw dropped. “Wait, I’m—”

A snack cart rolled in. A baker in a flour-dusted apron called, “Pastry delivery! Also, one of you is definitely named wrong.”

The lab man snapped his fingers. “Invisible Crate Field test! It makes boxes you can’t see, to stop accidents.”

Buck stepped forward anyway.

A clear buzz hit the air.

Buck’s cape jerked, then stuck. His blue gloves pressed flat against his chest like an invisible box hugged him.

“Uh—Doc?” Buck squeaked.

A drone cart slid between Doe and the lane as the buzzing grew