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A predictable outcome. I leave the bar, Gibraltar left in my wake. Everything done here was done to make sure that Miss Paquette has optimal conditions to allow her to pursue endeavours that would be valuable to the scientific community at large. As I drummed my fingers on my right hand against my leg, the thought crossed my mind that, Gibraltar got to me, and he got under my skin – but it doesn’t matter if he finds out, they would have eventually, this is merely a blip on the trajectory. This wasn’t my first rodeo, having worked at Humber Labs during the Frontier War as well as a short tenure at Vinson Dynamics, I’ve had my fair share of…problematic co-workers.
I was lost in my thoughts, as I strolled down the corridor. My shoulder bashes against Anita who was strolling at quite a considerable pace; after the collision, she gives a brief apology and then continues on like it was nothing. She was preoccupied with something, perhaps to do with that Andrade woman. Moments later, I hear her enter the door to the bar that I had just left. As I stroll out of the Mirage’s Bar, I notice the rain. Whilst it wasn’t uncommon for it to rain on Solace, it had been a constant barrage of rain for approximately 2 days now – which according to calculations based off of atmospheric conditions, is highly unusual.
It’s clear that the remaining legends will try to protect Miss Paquette. But I can’t show weakness – not to these ignorant fools, fools that want to stand in the way of scientific progression. I walk slowly along the sidewalk, the wide road was seeming desolate of cars, then again it was quite late in the night. “Ay. Caustic. You oughta check you morals.” I hear a spritely call boom out from behind me, the voice was needlessly loud and piercing. Ajay Che. Stopping dead in my tracks, I do a slow heel turn, my fingers resuming their drumming pattern against my leg. 1…2…3…4…5. A simple rhythm, but enough to keep track of time.
“Surely there’s someone for you to be saving, Miss Che?” I retorted, venom oozed and seeped out from every word.
“G’wan wit’cha big mouth. Wraith and Gibby filled me in on the details.” She took a step forward. However, I was able to fear Gibraltar, Lifeline shouldn’t be a challenge for me either. “Tearing us apart for the sake of what?”
With a slight tut, I explained. “Miss Paquette, doesn’t need distractions in the form of human company. It would certainly impede on her incredible scientific mind.” I spoke slowly, making sure the enunciation of each word felt punctual. Perhaps I did it to create a contrast against her short, sharp, glancing words and the diction which dripped with. Perhaps it doesn’t matter. “I was simply shielding her.” I finish one final drum of my fingers against my leg.
Her face explodes at my last sentence. And I watch closely as her right hand, which was still by her right side, flexes shut, curling into a tight fist. She pulls it back slowly, bringing up parallel with her torso. She erupts forward with a swift blow. Reactionarily, I pull up a gloved left hand, and with a thud. Collision. I watch as her expression changes from anger to that of surprise – like when a household pet gets given a new toy, perhaps best described as inquisitive. “Ugh. Yah a nuisance.” She shouts, small droplets of spittle spray onto my mask. Using the back of my wrist on my right hand, I wipe away the spittle. “She needs to learn as a person. Ya just holdin’ her back.” Came her incessant reply. “You can’t be the one to protect her.” She dropped her fist back to her side, it was still tightly curled however, small indentations now appearing where the fingernails were digging into the skin.
“And you think you’re a better candidate?” I dropped my hand back to my side. “You’re here trying to make amends for your parents – trying to make sure that you’re not like them. But that doesn’t mean you get to run the show here.” I note the hypocrisy, the insincerity that laced every malignant word I spoke; it’s not like anything that she said here tonight was going to change my attitude, I had already had this conversation once before with Gibraltar before – however this one had a lot less nuance and definitely was a lot more…on the nose so to speak.
We stood in silence, and for her, with her emotions it probably felt like an eternity, but for me – it was a mere few seconds. “If you have nothing else to say to me here, then I think this conversation is over.” Her head was hung, eyes looking downwards at the gravel pavement. Maybe, just maybe this time I had overstepped a line. “Please, don’t interfere with the interests of the scientific community again, or else you’ll be left in that there wayside.” I gestured to the side of the road, the gutter as some may call it. I turned heel and stepped away into the dark streets of Solace.