Work Text:
Handwashing
Definition of handwashing:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handwashing
Finding a parking spot is impossible on Tuesdays, but the parking lot is almost empty today. Did I forget another holiday? I grab a half full bottle of hand sanitizer from my dashboard and scrub my hands clean. The leathery texture of the wheel makes my palms sticky.
Gautam’s Jaguar and Amar’s beat-up Toyota Corolla are the only cars gracing the parking lot.
The air is filled with a low humming sound as I approach the lab. A drone the size of two and half medium sized bananas, as we recently measured, greets me at the door. It's a model from 2 generations ago, quite outdated but we still use them internally. I am faced with a dilating lens which floods my face with blue light.
‘EMPLOYEE DETECTED.’
‘JEREMY GARCIA.’
‘TEAM: COMPUTER VISION.’
‘ACCESS LEVEL: 5.5.2.’
"Sure dude, just open the gate"
‘OPENING GATE’
The employee entrance is quite rustic compared to the scenic route through the building. That is where the politicians, business magnates and generals are led through. But while the red carpeted halls are filled with pieces by Monet and Van Gogh, the grey and drab entrance for us mere mortals goes through the kitchen where the coffee machines are. So, it's not surprising to see my colleagues bickering there as I walk in.
"Morning Jer, figure out why the office is empty already?" Amar says as I step into the staff kitchen, accompanied by a quick wink.
"Everyone sped off after seeing you two were in the office?"
"Go to hell dude." Grumbled Gautam, over the sound of the coffee machine.
"I must already be there if I have to look at you all day. Where is Dennis?"
"I presume he came in early and did everything he needed to do, he drove off as we arrived.” said Amar.
"I am hoping for overtime pay as we are the only ones here today." Gautam responds as he turns away from the machine.
Gautam handed me one of the espressos. He is wearing the same three-piece suit as the first time we met, navy blue with pinstripes. If he put as much attention into this espresso as he spent on his outfit, the coffee should be much better than usual. As soon as the first sour sip hits my tongue, I am rudely reminded that he didn’t.
The kitchen is a small offshoot of the robotics lab, littered with prototype drones and cameras. On the window overlooking the lab, I am greeted by our company slogan "Preston&Jorgensen, for a sustainable and sovereign future”. On the other side of the hall, an empty parking lot is staring back at me. It's uncanny, I haven't seen it this empty since our team started working here.
Behind me I hear Amar, "No clue why it is empty, huh? There was a stay-at-home alert, but I am guessing you muted the communication channel as well."
"Why are we still here then?"
"We figured this is the perfect time to play drone-ball without getting caught." Gautam chimed in.
"Valid, but no using the targeting system to cheat this time."
"A gentleman's agreement it is." He responded.
‘EMPLOYEES DETECTED’
Suddenly the lights of the security drones lit up. Their speakers activate and the room is filled with a cacophony of artificial voices.
‘DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE RECENT OPERATIONS ON TRAKON III’
Gautam jumped in surprise and shouted: "Dennis, there is a regular speaker system, why do you insist on giving us a heart attack"
"Yeah, I can't believe they wiped out the whole valley." said Amar, ignoring Gautam’s heated reaction.
"It seems the targeting system malfunctioned, and the drones are registering anyone as a hostile entity." I respond in turn.
‘EXACTLY’
"That's way worse."
“Is anyone on the team from the Tarkon system?” Asked Gautam.
“No clue, how would I know?”
"At least some people are if I remember correctly. Besides that, don't they use our autonomous drones for riot suppression and security over there?" Amar noted timidly.
Prompting a quick reaction from Gautam: "Oh shit, we aren't liable, are we?"
"Nope, if anything the company will pay a compensation fee. Replacing leading researchers in the field isn’t worth the hassle. Besides, we followed all of the testing protocols to the letter."
‘LIABILITY IS STILL BEING INVESTIGATED’
I feel my heartbeat rising, and my hands start to sweat.
I should wash them.
"They could have chosen any other system, but they wouldn't be better off, didn't Carson&Co have a similar incident recently" exclaimed Gautam somewhat triumphantly.
I scrub my hands clean again and toss the empty bottle of hand sanitizer into the garbage, being careful not to touch the sides of the bin.
"Yeah"
‘LIABILITY IS STILL BEING INVESTIGATED’
As we approach the lab, we are greeted by another security bot.
‘EMPLOYEES DETECTED’
‘NO ACCESS GRANTED’
"Huh, that's weird. Dennis, could you let us through, the access system doesn't work." Whined Gautam.
‘LIABILITY IS STILL BEING INVESTIGATED’
The drone's lenses refocus on Gautam, lighting up his copper-coloured face in a blood red hue.
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
"I'll go check on him, maybe he went to the server room and left the dro-"
Before Amar could finish his sentence, two drones ram into Gautam, detonating their batteries and knocking him down.
I freeze.
The tube lights flicker slightly above us as I stare at Gautam, his neck is askew at an uncanny angle, and his upper body is charred. I feel something warm wrap around my hand and get pulled backwards.
"This isn't the time to zone out, what the hell is happening?" Amar shouts in front of me. We run for a while, rushing into the art gallery.
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
As we run, other security drones detonate their batteries, I can feel the heat scorch my back as priceless paintings burn behind me.
"Let's go to the changing room, we can lock ourselves in until help arrives."
I haven't pushed myself this hard in years and after only a couple of minutes, I have to catch my breath. I can see Amar run in front of me. The changing room is just around the corner. But as we turn right we hear a grim speaker.
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
Before he has time to respond, another drone detonates next to Amar, burning a hole into his shirt. I grab him and throw us into the room, slamming the door closed behind me just before another battery explodes on the other side.
“I have to wash my hands”
There is a lavender scented bottle of hand soap on the sink, I hope it disinfects well. It's important to wash your hands properly, and I usually keep going until I hit a prime number to feel clean. Firstly, it is important to wash your palms well, then the fingers, including the fingertips. Then I wash my thumbs, followed by the back of my hand. I observe if my slender fingers are fully covered in suds before washing everything off.
Then I hear gurgling behind me.
"Just a minute Amar, if I touch you now I'll infect your wound"
Three pumps of soap, scrub my palms, rub my fingertips, twist my thumbs, polish the back of my hand. What is going on today. I can feel a warm tear roll down my cheek, as the loud humming of a drone comes closer. They are nearby, but I don’t know in what direction, they could be anywhere.
Three pumps of soap, scrub my palms, fingertips, etcetera. There is no hot water anymore, so it is uncomfortable to wash my hands. There is still blood behind my fingernails, and the more I scrub, the more there seems to be.
Three pumps of soap, the usual routine. My hands feel numb from the water after washing them for the thirty-first time. No matter how much I scrub, my hands are sweaty. Amar is lying on the floor, my shoes are stained red from something. But I can still hear the screeching of rotors, even through the doors.
“You shouldn’t nap on the floor buddy, it sets a bad precedent”
“Remember when Gautam passed out after going to Shirleys and we called him sleeping beauty for a month, that’s your future right now man”
Fifty-two. My arms feel wet and increasingly colder. I didn’t know you could feel the warmth leaving someone’s body, it felt like a piece of myself went with him. Sixty-three sixty-four, sixty-five, if the lock fails I am fucked. It took me 15 more tries before the soap was gone, my hands are still sticky. When I turned the tap off, making sure to shut it extra tight, the humming went away.
I finally look behind me, seeing what remains of my friend on the ground. I didn’t know people could bleed this much and the blood doesn’t seem to go away.
Is this what we have been doing to people?
I crouch down in the corner of the changing room, the only place where Amar’s blood hasn’t reached but my shoes and hands stain the white tiles a deep crimson.
I hear the drones again, a screeching as if metal is grinding on metal. The whirring of the drones echoes through the room as if I am surrounded from all sides. My hands feel sticky, and my shoes are wet, and I hear them in the walls.
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’ ‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
‘HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED’
My hands still feel sticky.