Vibe, Inc.

One day she decided to buy a few shares of a company and see what happened. Nothing fancy or risky, but still something to keep her hopes up on getting some extra cash and feeling like a finance guru with every little buck on the top of the previous one. 

She picked up her phone, opened a cool, young investment app and searched for the best option. A few scrolls and there it was: a telecom corporation was up for grabs.

With a swipe and a tap followed by another tap she bought it. She then went off to sleep, too tired to think of anything else.

The next day, a strange call took place in the wee hours of the morning. Some guy wanted to come over and take her to the company building, check-in some documents and you know, he added.

Except that no, she didn't know. Confused, she turned on the do not disturb and went back to her business. She was already getting late for gym.

Ready in her overbright workout outfit and overcolored sneakers, she was about to turn around a left corner when a black car stopped beside her. A dark-tinted window rolled down.

"Ms. Hane?", a voice flowed from within.

"Y-yes?", she answered, almost too shocked to think of anything else to do or say.

"Could you please come over to our meeting today? There's a few things we need to discuss."

The voice was low and slightly urgent. She hesitated.

"We could really use your input, you know."

Again, she didn't know. And she told them just that.

A brief silence. "You are Ms. Lana Hane, aren't you?"

She was. After a few seconds she entered the car, not after checking up the plate and sending it out to a number of groups she was in on Telegram.

The backseats were big and comfortable, and by her side sit a tall, wiry woman, perhaps on her mid-40s.

"We were eager to know you! We couldn't find the trust you belonged to, so we decided to come over and chat with you in person. I hope you didn't mind."

She did mind, but did not voice it. "No, of course not. What is this about?"

For a moment, she thought the woman looked at her as if she had been hit really hard on the head and needed medical assistance.

"Hm, er, about your... new role at Vibe?"

She recalled very faintly the logo of the company flashing up in the investment app.

"Oh. Ooooh, that. Hum, ok, I bought some shares yesterday", she considered, more to herself than to the woman.

Did they use to contact anyone who bought their shares, regardless of how meager the percentage was? Weird.

"Ms. Hane", the woman said, very delicately exasperated, "You effectively own 56% of the company at this moment".

Lana took it in very slowly, like a child who tries to pull out their baby teeth.

"Ex--Excuse me!?", she barfed.

The woman looked at her, now effectively with alarm and a tiny little touch of despair, and looked Lana over, her workout Martian alien green seemingly trapped inside the blackness of the seat.

With a strong display of will and self-control, the woman adjusted her suit and brushed off a single drop of sweat. "Well, no need to worry. Everything is gonna be fine", she said.

Lana didn't know to whom she was saying that, but tried to breath as slowly as possible on her way to the company building. On the panel screen, a big, round, yellow logo shone bright under the morning sun.

VIBE, Inc.

"Well. Fuck", she thought.