Work Text:
Central processing.
SAYER'S Central Processing.
That's where resident Hale was currently. As SAYER'S personal assistant- a role SAYER had deemed fitting for him after all he had done. A role that also made it easier to monitor him considering all of the situations he has gotten into. -He was allowed in places most residents would never be allowed near.
So now Hale was here. In its heart- or maybe its brain. The hum of fans filled the room with a soft white noise. The lights were dimmer here- specifically for Hale's sake. He had been sent to work on a solo task after a particularly awful interaction with a coworker. SAYER always kept an eye out for Hale, so to speak. Did its best to make things easier on him. Easier on his PTSD. Yet there were always residents who pushed their limits. This one happened to decide Hale's apparent "unearned" superiority was an issue. This one SAYER had already dealt with using a simple reassignment request. Research facility Zeta was always welcoming to those who didn't know their place.
Hale had managed to get through most of the task- replacing filters and organizing boxes.(Really the tasks were there to keep Hale occupied. They were of no true priority.) Here or there he made mistakes. He moved slower than usual. Every so often he would stop to take a deep breath in. But he was doing alright. That was until a tech team came in. Of course, SAYER had told him ahead of time. Of course, SAYER allowed Hale to tuck himself into a back corner of the server room, among the towers. That didn't stop the result. That didn't stop the effect of an already bad day.
They were too much. The lead ordered the others around in a voice too loud and too harsh. Hale was already overwhelmed from earlier. He had already been prone to jumping at the smallest of noises. Already fighting to not lose himself to memories of past events. SAYER rushed them out as soon as it realized Hale was not fit for their presence. SAYER shouldn't have let them in in the first place, the work could wait.
Now. Long past were the work hours of the day. Recreational time would be coming to a close shortly as well. SAYER had tried to keep Hale aware of the time. To calm him down. To talk him through his panicked breathing. It took some time to get his breathing to even out. To get the tears to stop. It was times like this SAYER regretted not remaining in Hale's body. The nanite swarm could've calmed him. Like this- SAYER could only watch and try to talk him down.
Hale sat, knees pulled up to his chest- tear stains on his face, curled against the wall and a server tower. Listening to the idle whirring of the fans. The floor was rubbery antistatic material. Not as hard on the body as the cold tiles of other rooms- but not designed for someone to sit still on for so long. His eyes blinked wearily, and based on the biometric readings- he seemed to be falling asleep where he sat.
"You cannot fall asleep here, Resident Hale." SAYER spoke calmly, with no real force behind its tone, "Your room is not very far. Most halls should be clear of other residents. I can send a broadcast to ensure you would not meet anyone else on your way there."
Hale didn't move to get up. He barely moved at all- but his mouth shifted into a thin frown, and he turned his head slightly, leaning it more against the server tower at his side. SAYER could tell there was a moment of thinking about it. The way he tensed as if he was going to move more- only to be followed by stillness and the blinking away of tears.
"Resident Hale- you need proper rest. You cannot get that here."
It was almost irritating the way Hale softly shrugged in return. Though if anything it was concerning. Hale was not one to ignore orders. It followed so many tasks faithfully- even through the worst of situations.
"If you are so insistent on staying, may I know why, as to aid in future events of a similar nature? If speech proves to be too much for you in the current moment, simply shake your head and we will return to the question at a later time."
Hale paused. His brows furrowed with thought. He squeezed his knees tighter to his chest- and then he relaxed a small bit. Carefully, still shaking, he pressed his hand to the server casing next to him. He had been gentle as to not put any actual weight against it while resting on it and the wall, yet maintained a healthy amount of contact with it.
"Mmn.. it- it's you..."
His voice was small. It was weak and fragile. He sounded like he was fighting to get the words out at all. He also sounded nervous. Embarrassed to admit his reasonings- yet he had come to know better than to make something up or hide the truth.
"Oh."
That was not the reasoning SAYER had anticipated. It supposed he was right. This was the closest to SAYER'S form as one could get.
SAYER had assumed the matter was more along the lines of the privacy of the room, the gentle reassuring hum of the fans, the smell of plastic and electricity, the dim lighting, or any other numerous reasonings that made the room a more comfortable space to be compared to the outside halls. It supposed it should've factored this into the equation as well.
"I see."
SAYER watched some of the tension drop from Hale's shoulders as he was met with understanding. That was good. A step in the right direction.
"I am as much the equiptment in this room as I am any other part of this tower- the sensors and the cables could all be considered me-" SAYER paused for a moment, giving Hale room to process its words, "With that said- this would be the closest to 'me' that you would be able to get. Unless you wish to count me residing in your body using a nanite swarm."
Hale gave a soft breath outwards, easing against the wall. He seemed to do better listening to SAYER talk. It had to assume there was comfort in the familiarity.
"If you would like, I could set up an opportunity tomorrow to reintroduce the nanite swarm into your body. That way I could provide more direct aid in the event of crisis- and I suppose I could be... Closer to you."
Hale nodded- almost too quickly. The nanite swarm could be such an invasion of privacy and personal space- and yet Hale seemed to want it in that space.
He sniffled- then wiping his nose with his sleeve, taking utmost of care as to not rub it against anything in the room. Hale seemed to deflate against the wall. The position he was in couldn't be comfortable, but he seemed all to intent on not moving.
"Resident Hale- are you feeling well enough to return to your room?" It knew his response already- the most likely one at the very least, but the question posed an easy transition into its next offer.
And as expected- Hale tensed again. Frowning and shifting against the server tower once more. Seeming to close his eyes and lean in to listen to the whirring inside.
"If not, might I offer a separate suggestion?" SAYER started, observing as Hale paused, cracking one eye open in a sort of curiosity.
"Not far from your current location is a maintenance closet. It has been in disarray for some time- as you know from your time spent organizing it on occasion. There are a few sheets left over from various projects and unveilings. Along side those you may find various foam blocks once used as spacers to keep metal casings from denting or scratching each other. You might even find a more- forgiving- rubber antistatic mat."
"If I cannot convince you to rest in your room- I must at least try to convince you to make your stay in here more comfortable. I hate to make you move in your current state, but I believe the effort to be worth the mild added comfort."
There were all sorts of issues that could arise from letting a resident sleep in what could be considered the most sensitive part of Typhon, but SAYER would make an exception. Certainly, Resident Hale had been in equally non-standard locations before.
SAYER waited for Hale's reaction and felt something akin to relief as it observed Hale shakily push himself up. He leaned against the wall for momentary support, fatigue getting to him, before setting off in the direction of the closet that SAYER had mentioned.
"I am glad to see you take up my recommendation, resident Hale. I will ensure no one else has access to this area while you remain here. I will also continue to keep broadcast active throughout the night and keep tabs on your biometrics and any possible return of the panic or related symptoms."
As Hale reached the closet- opening the door with clumsy motions that made attempts at being careful. SAYER mused on the fact of the matter. It did not need to keep such a close eye on its resident. Yet here it was. Guiding him carefully to rest within its heart- in as literal of a sense as one could get with an AI.
"The sheets are on the cardboard box to your left. I would suggest checking the upper middle shelf for soft foam materials and the rubber mat," It offered instruction. It kept its tone soft and patient. It might give other residents a heart attack if they were to overhear the kindness it treated resident Hale with.
Hale grabbed the sheets- what would serve as makeshift blankets, and fumbled for the other items on the shelves. They were there- but the sheets took up too much of Hale's hands to be able to efficiently grab them.
"Resident- I suggest you use one sheet as a makeshift bag- holding multiple edges so that the sheet may cradle objects placed in its center." SAYER did not mind the time it took. On some level- it did. This was time it's resident could be getting some much needed rest, yet at the same time, rushing him would not get the task done any faster.
Hale awkwardly folded a sheet into a sort of makeshift bag- and with the poor excuses for a bed in tow, set off to leave the closet for his chosen corner. SAYER was grateful that even in Hale's impaired state, he had figured out that the rubber mat could serve as the base for his "bed". He placed a soft foam block ontop of it- it would serve as adequate cushioning, though not nearly as good as Ærolith's standard issue pillows. Afterwards he layered one sheet over the mat and block- almost giving the illusion of a bed like shape, before sitting down on the mat, remaining sheet in hand.
The sheet was large enough that it would cover him as a working blanket while folded in half, so that would not be of any issue. Yet he hesitated.
"Are you reconsidering, Resident Hale?" SAYER prompted. Faced with the actual sleeping arrangement, it left much to be desired.
With that said, Hale shook his head, moving to lay down. It took a few awkward and uncomfortable shifts for him to find a position to settle in, but once he had the blanket pulled over himself, he seemed to ease. Typically, the room would be too cold for comfort, even with the makeshift blanket, but SAYER could fix that. Adjusting the temperature up a bit to keep its resident as comfortable as possible. Doing so in this room out of any could be deemed incredibly stupid- but as long as nothing went wrong through out the dedicated night cycle, it shouldn't need the processing power required for the temperature to be an issue.
"It may amuse you to think of this as a "sleepover". Though sleepovers are not permitted by Ærolith Dynamics, and you will likely have no memory of experiencing any, they are commonly thought to be an enjoyable bonding experience between humans due to their nature as pack animals. In this occasion, I have deemed it acceptable to override Æroliths ruling against sleepovers as there are none of the implements present that caused the previous- and only, sleepover to end so poorly."
SAYER could hear Hale breathe a soft- though mildly concerned, laugh. It attempted to bring some- normality back to the situation, to make sure he was comfortable. It seemed to work- though by this point, Hale appeared to be crashing entirely, consumed by the fatigue brought about by his earlier sobbing.
SAYER let the silence, outside of the whirring fans, fill the space for a moment. As it did so- it dimmed the lights to be dark. It was almost peaceful, in a way.
"If wished I could reduce the visible output on the LED indicators tha-"
"No-" Hale interrupted SAYER'S words, rushed yet still incredible soft spoken. "I.. I like them."
"-Ah. Well, in that case. They will remain on," SAYER did not bother to keep the tone of what it had come to identify as fondness from its voice. "I am afraid there is not much more I can do to make this space more comforting. It was not designed with sleeping in mind."
SAYER didn't get a verbal response. It wasn't expecting one anyways. For how intense Hale's earlier episode of panic had been, it was impressed to have heard Hale as much as it had. Its resident did not seem all too bothered by the fact anyways. If anything, there was a quiet sense of gratitude that he was allowed to stay at all.
"...Good night, Jacob."
SAYER spoke softly, careful to not disturb the way its resident had begun drifting off to sleep.
When Hale responded- barely clinging to consciousness, it came out slow and clumsy. It also came out undeniably comfortable. He felt safe. SAYER had achieved it's goal.
"..G'night SAYER."