Prologue 4: A New Accountant

Seras was gently awakened by the sound of Michael's voice drifting through the door. "Rise and shine! Breakfast is ready!" he called, his tone cheerful and full of energy.

Blinking herself awake, Seras sat up in bed, stretching out the stiffness from her muscles. She could hear the clinking of dishes and the hum of the TV from the living room. It was a strange but comforting sound—a far cry from the sterile, silent mornings she was used to at the facility.

With a small smile, she got out of bed and followed the sounds into the living room. As she entered, she was greeted by the sight of Michael, proudly standing in front of the coffee table, which was set with two large bowls of cereal. The TV was on, tuned to some bright and colorful morning cartoons.

"Good morning, Seras!" Michael beamed, gesturing to the table. "I've whipped up a little something special for breakfast. I call it... Lucky Coco Cinna Crunch Loops!"

Seras raised an eyebrow as she looked down at the bowls. The cereal was a chaotic mix of Cap'n Crunch, Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Cocoa Puffs. It was a rainbow-colored sugar bomb, and Seras couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the sight of it.

Michael handed her a cup of coffee, his own in the other hand, and nodded eagerly toward the bowl. "Go ahead, try it! It's one of my breakfast specialties."

Seras, still thankful for everything Michael had done for her yesterday, decided to humor him. She took the spoon, scooped up a big bite of the cereal, and hesitantly brought it to her mouth.

The moment it hit her taste buds, her eyes widened. It was... exactly as terrible as she had expected. The combination of flavors was overwhelming, each sugary cereal vying for dominance in a chaotic mess that somehow managed to be too sweet and too bland at the same time.

Michael watched her expectantly, clearly proud of his concoction. "Well? What do you think?"

Seras swallowed the bite, doing her best to keep a straight face. "It's... definitely unique."

Michael grinned, clearly taking that as a compliment. "I knew you'd love it! It's got all the best cereals in one bowl—what's not to like?"

Before Seras could respond, Michael's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, and guess what? I've got a surprise for you! Today, you're coming to the office with me for an interview!"

Seras blinked, caught off guard. "An interview? For a job at the place your the boss?"

Michael nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! I thought, what better way to get you acclimated to normal life than by joining me at Dunder Mifflin? Trust me, it's going to be great."

"Michael, I already get paid a massive stipend by the UN in exchange for not destroying things when I get bored. I could quite literally burn a million dollars a day for the rest of my life and I would still have enough money to do whatever I want."

Michael waved a hand dismissively, interrupting her. "Oh, don't worry about that! It's not about the money—it's about the fun! Working at Dunder Mifflin is more like being part of a big, dysfunctional family. There's always something happening, and you'll love it!"

He leaned forward, his voice full of excitement. "Let me tell you some stories. There was this one time when I burned my foot on a George Foreman grill while trying to cook bacon in bed. I heroically came to work despite my injury. Or that time when my protégé, Ryan, started a fire—total accident, of course, but it led to a whole thing."

Seras couldn't help but smirk at the mental image of Michael trying to cook bacon in bed. "That sounds... interesting."

"Oh, that's just the tip of the iceberg!" Michael continued, now fully in his element. "There was the time I took two dates to Casino Night—yeah, that didn't end well. Then there was that Christmas party Secret Santa where we all got drunk and things got a little crazy. And how could I forget the time I beat Dwight at the dojo during lunch break? It's less like a job and more like a one-stop comedy shop, all led by the one and only Michael Scott."

Michael grabbed Seras by the arm, ready to try and drag her to the car. Not being able to budge the infinitely stronger woman, Seras looked at him with a smirking expression. "If you want me to come take this interview, you should probably tell your boss about me. Let's not have any hiccups on my first day, right?"

While Seras went to change, she could hear Michael pacing around his condo, the phone pressed to his ear as he waited for Jan to pick up. He knew it was early, but he was too excited to wait. Besides, in his mind, this was a big deal—he had finally solved the accounting problem that had been hanging over the office ever since the whole Oscar incident.

The phone rang a few more times before Jan's voice came through, groggy and clearly annoyed. "Michael, it's barely 7 AM. Why are you calling me so early?"

Michael didn't miss a beat, his excitement bubbling over. "Jan, Jan, Jan! You're not going to believe this, but I've solved the accounting problem!"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Michael, what are you talking about? And what do you mean by 'solved' the problem?"

Michael beamed, even though she couldn't see him. "Well, you know, with Oscar out and all, things have been a little, uh, chaotic in accounting."

Jan's exacerbated voice responded with her usual stern tone. "The problem that you caused and has cost the company thousands of dollars, we have to continue paying Oscar for the next month, or else we will be hit with a serious lawsuit. If it was anyone other than you, we would have fired them over this."

But Michael continued, oblivious to Jan's annoyance. "That's the one! But guess what? My niece is a genuine whiz with paperwork! Like, she's got references from some really important government organizations, and even Dwight said she's amazing—and you know how much Dwight loves the company."

There was a moment of silence before Jan's voice came back, more focused now. "Wait, Michael, are you saying you've already offered someone the job? Without consulting me?"

Michael waved off her concern, even though she couldn't see it. "Oh, come on, Jan. It's not like that. You can totally check with Dwight if you don't believe me. He was trying to recruit her himself yesterday! And her letter of recommendation—it's from the President of the CIA! She's probably overqualified, but she doesn't really need a big salary. She's just interested in joining for her own entertainment."

Jan's voice was filled with suspicion. "Michael... what's the catch?"

Michael hesitated for a second, then dropped his voice to a whisper as if anyone else could overhear him. "Well, she's, uh... practically a walking superweapon. Might have the power to destroy the country. But don't worry, she's really nice!"

There was a long silence on the other end before Jan finally spoke, her voice laced with disbelief. "Michael, are you joking?"

Michael's tone was suddenly serious. "Nope. The official paperwork is on its way to your email right now. Check it out."

Another pause, this one longer, as Jan presumably pulled up her email. Michael could hear her breathing on the other end, then a loud gulp, followed by a few muttered words. "This can't be real..."

Michael, still cheerful, continued, "So, yeah! I already told her we've got an interview today in Scranton. I think she's going to fit right in. Anyway, we'll talk after the interview. Bye, Jan!"

A loud "Micha—" was heard as Michael hung up the phone with a satisfied smile. He turned to find Seras standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, having clearly overheard the entire conversation.

Seras, her usual smirk on her face, quipped, "Well, that went well."

Michael looked up at her, somewhat perplexed. "You think so?"

Seras chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Yeah, Michael. Sure it did."

Michael, not picking up on the sarcasm, nodded enthusiastically. "Great! I knew I had this under control. Anyway, let's head over to the office now."

After a car ride where Michael tried new material on his adopted daughter they arrived at The Office.

As Seras stood outside the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office building for the first time, she took in the unassuming structure with a mixture of curiosity and mild amusement. The grey facade and large, plain windows gave the building an almost forgettable presence, blending seamlessly into the industrial park that surrounded it. The small parking lot out front, lined with cars that looked as mundane as the office itself, added to the sense of normalcy that contrasted sharply with her own extraordinary existence. The glass door at the entrance revealed a glimpse of the beige lobby beyond.

"Welcome to my castle, here are where my subjects toil away." Michael stated in his usual tone, before adding on "but in like a fun, I love to work under my awesome hilarious boss way."

Michael brimming with excitement, led Seras into the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. The usual hum of the office seemed to quiet down as they passed, employees sneaking curious glances at the striking young woman with silvery-white hair following their boss.

Michael, completely oblivious to the stares, walked straight to the conference room, holding the door open for Seras. She entered the room with an air of casual confidence, her expression relaxed as she flopped into one of the chairs, leaning back with her arms draped over the sides.

Michael took a seat across from her, attempting to look formal and serious. "Alright, let's start the interview, shall we?"

Seras raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his attempt at professionalism.

Michael cleared his throat, sitting up straight. "So, first question... what's your name?"

Seras just stared at him. After a beat, she finally answered, "Seras."

Michael nodded sagely, trying to maintain his serious demeanor. "Good, good. And... you're hired!" He then burst into laughter, nearly keeling over due to his own joke. His attempt at an interview had lasted all of five seconds.

Seras watched him laugh, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Michael's enthusiasm was infectious, even if his methods were... unconventional, to say the least.

As Michael was still laughing, Jan was in her car, racing to get to Scranton. She was halfway there when she pulled over to the side of the road, frustration mounting. She quickly dialed Toby's number, tapping her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.

Toby answered, his voice calm and measured. "Hello?"

"Toby, it's Jan. Listen, I need you to go check in on Michael's hiring process for this new accountant he's talking about. Grab Angela, too—she'll help with the decision. Just... make sure Michael doesn't do anything ridiculous."

Toby sighed, already sensing that this was going to be one of those days. "Sure thing, Jan. I'll head there now."

"Thank you, Toby. I'll be there as soon as I can. And please, try to keep things under control."

With that, Jan hung up, leaving Toby with the unenviable task of managing whatever chaos Michael had already set in motion.

Back in the conference room, Michael was still chuckling to himself when Toby and Angela walked in, both looking less than thrilled. They arrived just in time to see Michael extending his hand for a handshake with Seras trying to seal the deal.

"Michael," Toby began cautiously in his somewhat whiny tone, "you can't just give away the accounting job. There are procedures we have to follow."

Michael turned to Toby, his expression serious. "Procedures are for when the best candidate isn't already related to the boss."

Angela crossed her arms, her tone dripping with disapproval. "Nepo hires never end well, Michael."

Seras, unfazed by the tension in the room, leaned back in her chair, completely relaxed. She watched the exchange with mild amusement, her eyes flicking between the three Dunder Mifflin employees.

Toby, determined to maintain some semblance of order, addressed Michael again. "Jan said that if you want to do this, you have to do it the right way. We need to conduct a proper interview."

Michael sighed but nodded in agreement. "Alright, alright. Let's do this by the book."

The three employees then turned their attention to Seras, who seemed entirely unconcerned by the scrutiny.

Toby cleared his throat and began the interview. "So, Seras, we've reviewed your resume, and there are a few... interesting things that stand out."

Seras raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"

Angela, who had taken the resume, couldn't resist pointing out the first oddity. "It says here that you have fourteen years of work experience... starting from the age of four. Can you explain that?"

Seras glanced at the resume, realizing this was the first time she'd actually seen it, the people at the facility had created it for her along with any other documents she might need to enter the world. "I suppose you could say I started young. I was involved in some government missions... though I wasn't exactly given much of a choice."

Angela exchanged a glance with Toby, who looked a little uneasy. "Okay, and under skills... it says you're able to move at speeds much faster than the human eye can perceive?"

Seras smiled mischievously. "Oh, that? Well, let me show you."

In the blink of an eye—faster than anyone could register—Seras swapped Michael and Toby's belts and ties. When they finally noticed, their eyes widened in shock.

Michael looked down at his new attire and then at Toby, who was equally confused. "Ha, imagine the shows I could put on with her help!"

Angela was less impressed. "And... it also mentions here that you've been used to 'destroy countries' before. Care to elaborate?"

Toby, looking increasingly uncomfortable, shot Angela a look that said, Please don't encourage her.

Seras, sensing Toby's discomfort, simply leaned back with a nonchalant shrug. "It's as it sounds. But don't worry, I'm not planning any demonstrations today."

Toby cleared his throat again, trying to bring the interview back to safer ground. "Right, well... Angela, do you have anything you'd like to ask Seras?"

Angela, ever the perfectionist, decided to test Seras's competence. "Let's see if you can solve a problem, then. If you're going to work in accounting, you need to be able to handle complex calculations."

Angela brought a laptop into the room, pulling up a detailed accounting program. She quickly wrote out a set of complex variables and equations that would normally take at least fifteen minutes to input and calculate.

"Here," Angela said, crossing her arms. "Let's see if you can solve this."

Seras glanced at the variables for a brief moment, wrote an answer then looked up at Angela. "It's done."

Angela frowned, not believing her. "You didn't even type anything in."

Seras smirked. "I didn't need to. It's done. If I'm wrong, I'll give you $10,000."

Angela's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she couldn't resist the challenge. She started inputting the variables into the program herself, double-checking everything as she went. It took her a full fifteen minutes to finish, during which Toby and Michael exchanged increasingly nervous glances.

Finally, the program spit out the result. Angela's eyes widened as she realized it matched exactly what Seras had said.

Toby, trying to mask his awe, gave a small nod. "Well, that's... impressive, Seras."

Angela, still in disbelief, muttered under her breath. "That's impossible, no human can do something like that"

Seras leaned back in her chair, satisfied. "I told you."

Toby, despite his misgivings, looked at Michael and then back at Seras. "Well, I think it's safe to say you've got the job. And, to be honest, if we didn't hire you, we could be looking at a discrimination lawsuit. We can't not hire superhumans based on their abilities, though I think this is the first time it's been a situation like this. There is a procedure we need to follow however, so Michael, if you wouldn't mind calling everyone into the breakroom, we can proceed."