A curious email arrived in my inbox earlier this week.

Ms. Hume,

It has come to our attention that the work we’ve allowed you to do here does not necessarily paint us in the fairest light. We invited you to show the world what working at ByoLogyc is really like; instead you have falsified and dramatized even the most mundane of events. More oddly still, your refusal to share drafts with Mr. Getram himself (or, for that matter, any of the employees you’ve taken the time to “research” and doodle) has resulted in this warped and unhealthy vision of ByoLogyc, one that you seem content to put forth as fact. Mr. Getram’s level of dissatisfaction has reached its zenith and we are going to have to end our relationship prematurely.

Please return your access badge tomorrow at our offices. Unfortunately, your lack of cooperation voids our previous contract—ByoLogyc will no longer be able to pay for your airfare back to Iceland. I suggest you begin making other arrangements for your safe return.

And on a personal note, I explicitly told you I had no desire for that particular night to be sketched. Your portrayal of me is almost villainous. My disappointment resulted in a discussion with Chet, and so here we are. Good luck completing your degree; I hope you’ve learned something about dealing with live subjects as opposed to fictional superheroes.  

Best wishes in making better future choices,

Denis Kirkham

Really, Mr. Getram? When I first brought this project to you, you professed to be an advocate of full transparency and a believer of the documentary form. Were this so, I am sure you would understand that my work here takes no editorial stance. I have endeavoured to tell the story that I see accurately. I fear that you may be more interested in advertising than accuracy, however. 

To be frank, I believe there are many worse anecdotes I could have told than the ones I have depicted so far. ByoLogyc clearly has many secrets, and some of them seem quite dangerous. The events at the VIP Launch Party in July strongly suggest that transparency is not at the top of your minds.

Nevertheless, I have a thesis project to complete. My formal access to ByoLogyc may have been terminated, but the show goes on. A source has stepped forward to provide me with an ongoing account of events within the company. Given this source’s position and disposition, I expect a very fruitful relationship.