Reset

Reset.

The word was murmured up and down the corridors of the Company. The Chief Engineer was contemplating a Reset of the System. Too many users had bogged it down, and too many viruses and bad programs were running rampant among the servers and networks. She had allowed too much freedom to the end users and would have to solve the problem somehow.

Nobody was really sure what a Reset would mean. It had only happened once, a long time ago, before any of the current Company employees had been there. The Reset had happened because of the splitting of the Company. The Chief Engineer and the Head of IT had argued, and many Company employees were terminated along with the System Reset. Many of those employees had followed the Head of IT to form a new Company in competition with the old.

The murmurs increased to panicked whispers when the Chief Engineer called the Whiz Kid into her office. When the Whiz Kid walked out, she looked sad and burdened. She beckoned to the new Head of IT to walk with her, and they were gone for eons.

Meanwhile, the Chief Engineer was looking for her notes. Her filing system was very haphazard, and she couldn't find the notes for the last Reset of the System that had been done. She had written the System, built it, installed it – but she wanted her notes, just the same. When she finished searching every nook and cranny in the Company, she realized the Whiz Kid and the Head of IT had been gone for a very long time. She was upset that they had chosen to traipse off in the middle of discussions about the Reset, but she also knew the Whiz Kid would need support and advice.

Finally, the Whiz Kid returned. She took one look at the Chief Engineer's office, found the missing notes, and told the Chief Engineer that she agreed: the System Reset would have to proceed.

A Company-wide briefing was held, with all the ranks in attendance, from the CFO's circle to the newest custodian.

“I had hoped to avoid this, but we are going to Reset the System,” the Chief Engineer announced with sadness in her voice. “Everyone here will not be affected by the Reset. Expect to lose power for a little while, but don't panic, as we'll have a lot of catching up to do afterward. I'm going to need Customer Service to be here for the long haul; there are going to be a lot of confused end users with questions. The Whiz Kid will be responsible for the Reset. She will be going Outside to accomplish it, and we will not see her again for some time. She has chosen the Head of IT to be responsible for her duties until she is able to return.

“While we are in Reset mode, the Other Company may try to overtake some of our business. We will do the best we can to woo our customers back when the System re-stabilizes. The Whiz Kid will be helping with that on the Outside.”

When the briefing was over, the Chief Engineer gave the Whiz Kid her notes for the System Reset and sent her on her way.

The Whiz Kid had to clear away people from the Company entrance and ask them to come back tomorrow, while knowing that they might not be able to return. If the System did not reset properly, there was no hope for them.

She went to the utility shed behind the Company headquarters where the Reset switch was located. Reaching out her hand, she flipped the switch.

“...And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep...”