Chapter One - Sending my friend away

Chloe's POV

I was sat in my office when an email came through which surprised me quite a fair bit. Nordic Research, A company set just outside of Drammen wanted me to call them as soon as possible as they needed the assistance of one of my staff members. I frowned. I had heard of the company, They were quite a large company, but very little was known about them, I had heard they were run by werewolves, which if this was so, they wouldn't want any of my staff, none of my staff was werewolves, in fact, I knew for a fact I was the only one in the company that had any sort of supernatural genes in them. Being half mermaid, I could tell if someone else was supernatural. I picked up my phone on my desk and called the number on the email. After a few rings, a heavily accented voice answered

"Hei." Came the response.

"Hello, is this Mr Johnson?" I asked.

"Ja, it is." Came the response.

"I hope you are fluent in English as I only speak English and Russian," I said making the man chuckle.

"Ja, I speak English. Can I ask who this is?"

"Ah, that would help wouldn't it," I said. "My name is Doctor Chloe Burbridge, I have just read the email you sent me asking that I ring you concerning a member of my staff."

"Ah Doctor Burbridge, Thank you for calling me so quickly." The response came. "Yes, we have read some articles from a member of your staff and wondered if we could obtain her for a period of time to look into a patch of our land, we will cover her pay and also donate to your company for the help."

"First of all I need to know which member of my staff you want," I said to him, but I had a feeling I knew who it would be, and I was not sure I could send her.

"Yes, we are hoping that Doctor Larson would be able to help us, we have some land we want to use that we fear is contaminated still from the Chernobyl explosion, and would like her to come and check it out for us, we have read her work of radiation in soil and we have heard she is the best in the field."

I bit my lip, I was right. I didn't have an issue sending her, my issue was convincing her to go. She had never flown before, and had never left the United Kingdom, I don't think she had ever even crossed the border into Wales or Scotland.

"I will speak to her and see if she would be willing to come," I said.

"Are you not her boss?"

"Indeed I am, but she is not like normal employees, she would more likely leave than she would travel somewhere that she didn't want to, and she is someone we can't afford to lose. I have an idea to entice her to go but I will need to speak to her."

"We need her here as soon as possible." The man said.

"I will see what I can do, and if she agrees she will be on a flight to you tomorrow," I told him. "Let me speak to her and I will have an answer with you within the hour."

"Thank you, Doctor Burbridge." He said before hanging up. I looked at the handset in my hand. That was a very weird phone call. I put the receiver down and picking up my I pad I made my way to my best friend's office. She was sat at her computer reading something, her glasses were perched on the end of her nose and her white blonde hair was pulled into her signature ponytail. 

"Kari, do you have a moment?" I asked as she looked up at me from her computer. She smiled at me and motioned for me to come in. I walked over and dropped my plump frame into the chair on the opposite side of her desk putting my feet up onto her desk. I knew exactly what my OCD-filled best friend would do, and she didn't disappoint, pushing my feet off her desk without a second thought. I grinned at her, I think secretly she liked it when I pushed the boundaries of her OCD. I watched as she subconsciously realigned the things on her desk I had moved.

"What do you want boss?" She asked me as she lined up some pens.

"So you know how you want to visit Norway." I started.

"Spit it out." She muttered, I could detect the nervousness in her, although she had gotten better at hiding it, I always picked up on it. Biting my lip I continued. I had an idea of how to convince her but didn't want to use it unless I really had to.

"A Mr Ralf Johnson, under the order of the CEO Mr Henrick Pederson of Nordic Research has requested your help with some research." I started. "He said he had read your thesis and some of the journal articles you wrote about Listeria in the soil and has requested your services. They would like your assistance as soon as possible"

She was silent amount as she took in what I told her. "I take it you have already accepted this invitation for me." The fear and nerves were radiating from her. "What about the work here? I can't really abandon that. The one for you isn't too much of a worry as it's your choice to send me away, but the two for Reading and Cambridge. I don't know if I can leave them in the position they are in."

"I have, I have told them I can only part with you for a month, as you have a lot of work to do here, Hubert and Caroline will look after your research whilst you are away," I told her

"When do I leave?" She sighed as I tapped away at my I pad, trying to avoid the glare I would be getting from her.

"Tomorrow, your flight is at 10 am from Heathrow," I said as I booked the flight for her on my Ipad. I cringed waiting for her response.

"FAEN I HELVETE!" She exclaimed in what I guessed was Norwegian, but I had no clue what it meant, although I figured it was cursing. "Don't give me any warning, will you Clo?"

"I'm guessing that phrase isn't anything I want you to translate for me. Sorry, they are desperate to get you out there to help them. Something about tracing back an outbreak to some land. They saw your work and asked for the best."

"Suck up." She muttered, I grinned at her, hoping to hide the worry that filled me.

"Melissa will send you your itinerary, and Dr Johnson will be waiting for you at the airport. If it helps, I have tagged an extra week for you to try and find any of your family."

I watched as her expression softened. "Takk, Clo." She whispered. I knew she wanted to see if she could find anything about her father.

"I know what that one means!" I grinned. She spoke so many languages I had lost count, I spoke two. "And you are quite welcome. It is the least I can do as I am sending you out at such short notice and alone."

"Where is it I will be staying?" She asked changing the subject.

"Konnerrud," I told her looking at my tablet again. She started laughing I looked at her.

"It's pronounced Konner-roo, not Konner-rud."

"I speak English not Gibberish," I said waving my hand, glad she was laughing, she didn't laugh enough.

"I suppose that means I get a free afternoon off then to pack does it?" She asked, I say asked, but it wasn't really a question.

"Yes, take the rest of the day, I am not that cruel a boss," I told her with a chuckle.

"Ubihørlig" She muttered and I laughed at her. I knew that one meant Imbecile. I took a breath before I said the next thing.

"Make sure you Facetime with me regularly. Let me know how you are getting on, how you are coping. If you feel any panic attacks threatening, you call me instantly any time, night or day." I told her seriously. I watched her relax a little. I got up and went and gave her a hug. "Get yourself home and get a good night's sleep. Call me as soon as you arrive."

I left her office and returned to mine. I closed my door and picked up my phone, dialling the same number as before.

"Doctor Burbridge." Came the heavy accent after two rings.

"Mr Johnson."

"Please, call me Ralf, Mr Johnson is my father."

"Ralf, I was just ringing to say I have emailed her itinerary, she will be with you tomorrow. I have given her a month, if you could just do me one thing and allow her last week as free time, she is looking for some of her family, her father was from Norway and she will want to see if she can find anything about them." I told him, there was silence for a moment.

"Of course, it is the least we can do, we can always assist her in that aspect if she so wishes."

"That will be up to her, she is a pretty private person, so she may not want to share, it wasn't a good time in her life." I was sure I heard a gasp from him.

"We will help her in any way we can, it is the least we can do. Thank you for allowing her to help us, there will be a donation to your research centre in the next few hours." He told me before hanging up. What a strange man.