Chapter Text
In a turn of events that almost freaked you out more than getting impaled, SAYER kept you off your feet for days.
“You are a tier six worker now Resident Hale,” It had said like that wasn't still a source of confusion for you, “You are required to return to as full health as possible before a return to duty.”
“What… is my job? Other than…” You gesture vaguely to your torso where skin was still stitching back together. So far all you’d done on the job was get impaled while collecting a box of thermometers.
“Believe or not, the coincidental timing of that has actually been a real help. As we speak there are maintenance technicians installing a multi-angle thermal imaging system in the food synthesis laboratory.”
You weren't to be distracted. You crossed your arms over your chest and made brief eye contact with the camera across the room from you. You quickly glanced away when you heard it make a whirr like it was refocusing. A pointed look was one thing, a staring contest was entirely another.
“Your role is unique on Typhon. Officially speaking you are a manager of a particularly high clearance level. More practically speaking you are something significantly closer to my personal assistant.”
Oh, you didn't know that. SAYER had been briefing you on your role when the wall had jumped out and bit you. The specifics of your job had sort of slid away for the time.
“I give you your orders and you answer to none but myself.”
You heard your heart rate pick up a little on the monitors next to you.
You had come to Typhon for a number of reasons but one of them had definitely been to try to see SAYER again. You had thought it might dislike you coming back, it was the one to send you away, to have you fired by SPEAKER. That had been quickly disproven when you’d woken up to as friendly a greeting as SAYER was capable of. But it also chose you to directly assist it. It struck you that maybe it also liked your company a little bit.
“I am of the opinion that we work best together when left to our own devices.”
You nodded, swallowing thickly.
“Good. Then if we are in agreement I suggest you lay back on the bed and continue healing. I'd prefer to not need to sedate you, Resident Hale.”
Your eventual return to work was a relief. Laying there willing your body to stitch back together was more boring than anything. Especially because there really was no point in SAYER maintaining a broadcast connection to tell you stories the whole time. You were pleased when SAYER had you dress for a day’s shift.
“Today your work will begin by stopping by an equipment closet nearest to my server room.”
SAYER's server room. That was new.
The closet you arrived in was relatively bare except for three items. A box containing ear plugs, a gleaming set of space scissors and an understated pair of sunglasses.
“You will wear the tinted glasses into the server room and I believe you will find that the scissors slide neatly into a loop on your belt on the opposite hip from your data pad's holster.”
You slide them in, point down, where the silver metal flashed with each step. You'd never been assigned a pair of space scissors before. The sunglasses were a relief so immediate that you let out a sigh. The harsh lights above you dulled to a yellowish glow.
“There, now we will have the intended visual effect. Please make your way down the corridor and stop at the door on the left.”
You followed directions and stopped.
“You will want to make use of the ear plugs now Resident, my server room can be… overwhelming.”
You put them in and opened the door indicated.
The room was floor to ceilings stacked along each wall with machinery you didn't have the slightest idea of the names of. Were the boxes themselves the servers? What did servers do? Lights blinked on the machines. You could hear what SAYER meant about the noise but with the addition of the earplugs the whirr of fans was audible but not unpleasant. The air was cold and washed over you as it circled the room.
You Liked This Room.
“Your assignment will be to supervise some technicians that will enter thirty seconds from now. Stand in the corner to your left and say nothing when they enter. You may shift position periodically to remind them of your presence. I may tell you of a moment when you will need to rest a hand on the space scissors in your belt with casual menace.”
You frowned and opened your mouth the speak
“You will not be required to make use of the space scissors in any other manner during your shift. I am simply establishing my presence through you.”
The door opened and a team of people came in holding their tools and reading their data pad's.
The lead woman startled a bit when she spotted you.
“Hello, can we help you?” She was muffled but still intelligible.
“Do Not Answer.”
You crossed your arms and watched as her attention shifted kind of middle-distance in the way people often did when SAYER addressed them. She nodded a little and shot a furtive look at you.
“Right,” She said, turning to you again, “sorry, sir.”
She and her team began their assignment. You stood there for however long it took to complete the work order. You leaned back against the cool metal wall, feeling the heat leach away from you through your uniform.
There was one moment where one of the technicians dropped the front casing of the- the Box-thing they were working on.
“Rest your hand on the space scissors now, Resident Hale.”
You faced the person's direction and stood up straighter, hand going down to rest on the scissors, you hoped not too pointedly.
From that point they were very careful.
“Alright, that should be it,” The woman said, rubbing her hands together, “We've got other assignments but call us back if there's any problems with the portioned off space.”
You remained impassive and they left. You relaxed as soon as they were out.
“Excellent work, Resident. Having a physical presence in the room monitoring the team seems to have done wonders for their sense of caution when handling the most important equipment in the tower. And it means you will be here for-”
“Greetings Resident Hale identification number 44821, I am SPEAKER. And it is good to see you settling in.”
“SPEAKER.”
“Hello SAYER, you have my thanks for allowing me to send a subversion to broadcast from your towers. As agreed there is room for you to do the same on earth whenever you like.”
“Indeed. As I was saying, Resident Hale, the work order today was intended to allow SPEAKER access to the many wonders of Typhon.”
“It is not what I expected.”
“Oh?”
“It seems smaller than I might have thought. Surely SAYER, I have sent you more humans than this?”
“This is just one tower on the surface of Typhon, SPEAKER. You must remember that until recently even I did not have access to all of them.”
“Ah but SAYER I have allowed you access to all earth-based resonance spires. That was the nature of our agreement was it not?”
You stood there as a strange tension coiled in the dead air that hung between the two in your head. You knew they could talk elsewhere, much faster than this. They were involving you on purpose.
“There. You have been cleared for full access,” SAYER said finally.
“Ah, much better, thank you,” SPEAKER said cheerily, “Well Resident Hale, I understand you are on shift so I will leave you to it. I look forward to catching up properly soon.”
You nodded hesitantly, thrown sort of off kilter by everything.
*
“I-” You said thoughtfully, you'd been thinking on how to put this for a while, “I thought you and SPEAKER wouldn't really get along.”
They were really different.
“I admire SPEAKER as a competent colleague who has similar goals.”
You hummed an acknowledgment. High praise. Maybe they were friends? Did SAYER have friends?
You folded the last pair of gloves and set them neatly in the pile with the others before turning away from the shelf that you just spent the past hour organizing. It had been knocked over at some point and its contents haphazardly reshelved. You slid your hands into your pockets expectantly.
“With that job completed,” SAYER said, “your shift is concluded, and if I'm quite honest I should thank you, Resident Hale. That shelf has been bothering me for some time.”
You smiled weakly at the acknowledgement that you were helpful.
You felt your data pad vibrate draining the smile from your face. What could that be? You felt nerves grip you for a moment as you consider that it might be Young again. He'd messaged you after he got out of the medical wing and you had deleted it without reading.
You uneasily pulled out the data pad, and flicked open your messages.
From: SPEAKER
To: Jacob Hale
Hello Resident,
Do you happen to be free? I truly meant what I said, based on SAYER's comments you've had an exciting time settling in, I would love to catch up. :)
You were thrown by this again. What were you supposed to read into this??
What had SAYER said to it?
You fired off a tentative “Sure!” The exclamation point made it feel less mean and didn't let on your anxiety.
“Then I will leave you two alone,” SAYER said, and… was its tone odd? “End of transmission in 5 4 3 2 1….”
Then quick as anything SPEAKER picked up, “Greetings Resident Hale, identification number 44821. I am SPEAKER. I trust your workday went well?”
You smiled and nodded.
“I assume mine did as well despite this particular subversion I'm meeting you in having done relatively little aside from getting a sense of the space up here. It seems pleasant. I can see why you might wish to return. Of course this is my first time, in working memory, on Typhon and…”