Chapter Text
“There’s something so calming about late night shifts, don’t you think?”
Dedra Meero gave Heert a long, tired look from over the edge of her datapad. 2 AM was far too late for small talk. It was their second night shift together, and with that had come the unpleasant revelation that Heert got chattier after midnight.
“I’m glad you see it that way,” Meero replied with a scowl that indicated anything but gladness.
The dejected look on Heert’s face made her feel guilty for snapping. He was an efficient attendant, one of the few who could meet Meero’s high standards. The truth was she’d miss him when he matriculated to acting supervisor in a few months. But it was best for him not to know that, lest he became complacent or worse, overly familiar.
“How is the quarterly report on Morlana One progressing?” Meero asked.
“It’s almost finished,” Heert said quietly. “I plan on submitting it end of this week, pending your approval.”
“Very good.” Meero noticed the attendant yawning. “Do you need another cup of caf?”
“I was thinking of stopping by the caf shop, if it’s alright by you.” Heert checked the time. “They’re open until 0230, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” Meero opened the door. She always kept it shut, even during the graveyard shift. It was always best to be cautious about privacy. “I’ll join you.”
Heert’s weary eyes lit up at the offer. While he denied peezos on account of their sugar content, the man had an insatiable passion for caf.
“Isn’t the caf shop this way?” Meero nodded at the main hallway as Heert started in the opposite direction.
“Oh, yes, that’s usually the way I take during the daytime,” Heert said with a light chuckle. “But this time of night, I see too many dead people. Also, the MSE droids are usually vacuuming the area at this time. I can’t complain. They really help with my dust allergy.”
The Attendant shrugged and continued walking, leaving his supervisor to process this information.
“What did you just say, Attendant?”
“Oh, I figured out recently that I’m allergic to dust,” Heert explained. “That’s why I kept sneezing so much when I had to go down to Dr. Gorst’s office.”
“Not that, obviously.” Meero glared at him. “That nonsense about seeing dead people.”
“Well, that I’ve known I’ve had for a long time.” Heert smiled as if recalling an amusing memory. “But the dust allergy is a new issue.”
Meero hadn’t taken Heert for the sort to indulge in puerile jokes, but evidently, she’d misjudged him. She needed to rectify this behavior. It wasn’t good for the hierarchy if the attendants got too familiar.
“You can stop with the nonsense now, Attendant,” she said. “You ought to know such pranks have no place in the office.”
“It’s true though.” Heert frowned. “I have the results from the allergy specialist if you’d like to see them.”
“I don’t care about your dust allergy!” Meero snapped. “I’m referring to the childish ploy about seeing the deceased. I don’t have time for silly ghost stories.”
“It isn’t a prank, ma’am.” Heert looked rather hurt by the insinuation. “I’ve been seeing dead people since I was a child. I thought I mentioned it before.”
“You might have left it out of your application,” Meero replied dryly.
“Don’t you see dead people?” Heert furrowed his brow in confusion. “I always assumed. I’ve been in meetings with you where you spoke to both Corv and me.”
“Over a week ago, yes,” Meero said. “Corv died last week. So, obviously, I haven’t seen him since.”
“Oh, really?” Heert’s eyes widened in surprise. “You didn’t mention. See, I thought he was dead this entire time. That was why I always filed all the paperwork. Hmph. I’ll have to have a word with him about that.”
At least Heert hadn’t questioned why Meero had neglected to inform him of Corv’s death. The truth was, the ISB was running low of non-unionized attendants. While Heert tolerated his fair share of hardships on the daily without complaining, there wasn’t any need to make him aware that he could be arbitrarily stabbed to death in the streets due to budget cuts on trooper escorts.
Instead, Heert had another question in mind:
“Dr. Gorst is alive, right?”
“Of course, he is!” Meero sighed in exasperation. “What kind of ridiculous question is that?”
“It’s just that I always thought he looked a little deceased,” Heert said with an embarrassed laugh. “It’s hard to tell sometimes, even after all these years. Of course, there are some where it’s really obvious. But for the people who died of natural causes, it’s harder. I have gotten better at it though. When I was younger, I had a couple very awkward instances where I really couldn’t tell.”
Meero closed her eyes and clung to the little shred of patience she had left.
“So, you’re telling me that since you were a boy, you’ve been walking around seeing ghosts everywhere?” she said.
“Well, I wouldn’t say everywhere.” Heert paused to think. “Maybe every other day, less actually when I’m not at work. The ISB Central Office has more of them, but I think they’re sick of seeing me, so they don’t always come out. A couple of them still try to scare me every now and then, but most of them know better.”
“Is that why you’re staring into space sometimes during the morning report?” Meero asked sarcastically.
“In the past, the Twisty Man did like to hover during the morning meetings,” Heert replied with a shudder much too genuine for Meero’s comfort. “But he stopped after I told him my Auntie would exorcise him if he didn’t behave. Now he mostly stays in Supervisor Blevin’s office. That’s another reason I don’t like going there, even if Blevin doesn’t yell at me… and when Blevin does yell at me, the Twisty Man is very nasty about it. He likes Blevin, I think.”
Meero debated whether to forcibly dismiss Heert for the night. Clearly, he’d gone too long without sleep. However, the pile of data files on her desk was not going to get any smaller on its own. So long as Heert could still process the reports correctly in his delirious state, it was worth keeping him around.
“You could have at least chosen a better name than the Twisty Man for your story,” Meero scoffed. “It sounds like something a six-year-old made up.”
“If he ever tells me his name, I’ll change it,” Heert said earnestly. “But Twisty Man was just the first thing that came to mind looking at his arms. He mentioned getting crushed by something but didn’t want to reveal more than that. I’ve actually been meaning to mention that I started seeing him after the Aldhani theft. It might just be a coincidence, and frankly, I don’t know whether I’ll ever get him to talk. I try not to push them.”
The two reached the caf shop, much to Meero’s relief. Perhaps the caffeine would clear Heert’s mind. She didn’t know how much longer she could take this rambling.
“This one is yours.” Meero handed Heert an extra-large cup once they’d received their orders. “You need it. Now let’s go.”
She started to walk only to realize Heert wasn’t following.
“Is there a problem?” she asked. “Are you talking with one of your dead friends again?”
“No.” Heert actually sounded offended by the gibe. “I swear I don’t even see them that often. It’s just… do we really have to go that way?”
“It’s the fastest way back to my office,” Meero said. “You can’t seriously be this scared of a hallway.”
“Usually I wouldn’t mind.” Heert’s hand shook as he sipped his caf. “I just know at least one of them is going to be there, and he isn’t friendly. He’s civil enough if it’s just me, but he doesn’t like seeing me with other people.”
“Maybe it’s one of your jealous ex-boyfriends.” Meero gave Heert a stern look. “I’ve had enough of this. We have work to do.”
With that, she strode off down the hall. Heert followed behind her, a tad too close for comfort.
“I’ll try to let you know if he tries something,” Heert said. “But this one is tricky. He appears quite suddenly.”
“I’m terrified,” Meero deadpanned.
She was starting to think she’d put too much pressure on the Attendant. Tomorrow, she’d make a note to send him home earlier. Perhaps she could even give him a weekend off to rest and regain his sanity. Then again, two whole days was a very long time. She wondered if a half day off would suffice…
“Watch your step!”
Before Meero could respond to Heert’s exclamation, she found herself on the floor. She’d tripped. Her foot hurt, as if it had struck an uneven floorboard. Only there wasn’t anything in sight to trip over, and the floor was perfectly smooth. Pristine, in fact. Heert had been right about the timing of the vacuuming, though Meero still refused to believe he’d been right about the rest.
“Are you alright?” Heert helped the Supervisor to her feet. “I’m sorry. I tried to look out for him, but he’s very fast. He’s in a foul mood today.”
“I’m fine.” Meero scanned the hallway but saw nothing save the unnervingly calm attendant. Her pulse quickened in spite of herself. “Let’s go.”