Part 3: Spark - The Thought

Tuesday

06h00

BEEP BEEP BEEP

My sight groaned from nothingness to darkness as my body awakened to something soft and gentle. I pressed my head into the pillow, involuntarily holding my breath as I tried to block out the devil's doorbell. Maybe P had a point about throwing it.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Go... away..."

"Good morning, V," said Hades.

Scowling, I turned my head toward his voice. A blurry response and lack of motivation made me re-close my eyes after a few seconds. "Hades, I..." I only registered the yawn when I was halfway through. "I... have a day... off..."

"While true, you have failed to state that you do not wish to wake as per your regular schedule."

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"You're... kidding me..." I devoted all my attention to opening my left eye, managing so for about three seconds before it closed once more. By itself, of course.

"I'm not programmed to make jests or jokes."

"I'm going to... kill you..."

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Would you like me to turn off the alarm?" Hades asked.

"Yes!" I sighed in relief when the room returned to silence. I prayed that a return to sleep would follow soon after.

"Researcher V, are you still there?"

Why now?! I cried on the inside. "Yes, Hades?"

"Since Management has granted you a free day, I can instruct the kitchen staff to prepare a packed breakfast which you may retrieve during the morning. Would you like me to do so?"

"Yes, please."

"The current menu for today includes cereal, yoghurt, breadsticks, and lemon-"

"Hades, I don't care." I raised my head a few centimeters from the pillow. "Please, just let me sleep!"

"Very well. As communicated, Management has rescheduled the deadline of your project to Saturday."

That's it. I squinted in the direction of my Sleeve, trying to shoot Hades the dirtiest look I could muster. "You're talking a lot on purpose, aren't you?"

"As I said, I'm not programmed to make jests or jokes. While previously considered, Management has decided against such a feature."

"Hades..."

"Very well. Will this become standard operating procedure, or is this-"

"Hades!" I yelled. "I want to sleep!"

"Very well. I await your awakening."

I didn't blow out my breath until I was sure that Hades got the message. Satisfied, I pressed myself deeper into the bed and fell asleep within seconds.

***

I had no idea what time it was when I woke up properly. Neither did I have an immediate intention of finding out. Instead, I chose to lie in bed as my visits to dreamland became ever shorter. Management's relentless pace of work ensured nobody really knew how tired they were. Our days consisted of work, with an evening to give us a modicum of rest. A free day gives your body time to take stock. Maybe that's why we are rarely given a free day.

My right hand slapped the table several times until it found the Sleeve. The display came to life when I tapped it, where I found I was holding it upside down.

09h52. I laid the Sleeve down my chest and closed my eyes until my body started to itch for more complex movement. Grunting, I twisted my legs off the bed and forced myself into a sitting position. I might have sat like that for several more minutes if a knock on my door hadn’t startled me.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Pizza delivery!"

I smiled. "Pineapple on it?"

"What, are you crazy? Went for pepperoni, like a sane person."

Of course. I chuckled. "Why are you here?"

"Are you going to keep me yelling through a closed door?"

"I'm still in my jammies!"

"Oh, I definitely won't mind that."

Oh, I bet not. After managing to move my weight onto my legs, I walked over to the door before pressing the Sleeve against the scanner. The door slid upward to reveal P leaning with his hand against the door frame.

"Oh, wow!" He pointedly moved his head up and down. "I know I liked what I saw back in the pool, but when you remove the water distortion? Veebee, your legs just moved from something to look at to sexy as hell!"

"Quit exaggerating." I turned around, both to allow him to come in and to hide the emerging blush.

"And such a cute butt to boot! No wonder H is always mean to you!"

The fuzzy feeling over my face warned me not to turn around. "Then why jump in the sack with her instead of me? Hm?"

'Why Veebee, is that an invitation?"

'In your dreams."

"And what dreams they are." He sounded wistful.

I shook my head while opening the closet, but the smile didn't abate. "So, any reason for the visit?"

"Why, I can't come to see some leg... I mean, my friend, and hear how she's coping?"

"You should be working."

"Pft. Management gave me the day off, just like you. They thought my 'morale might be dampened', so I hammed it up a notch.

"Of course you did." I unhooked my daily jumpsuit from the closet. "Well, wait here for a bit. I'm going to shower. Try not to peep."

"No promises!"

I'll bet. I closed the door behind me when I stepped into the bathroom. I found it odd that Management opted for bathroom doors when everybody lived alone. Was it to prevent steam or unpleasant smells from entering the main area? Or maybe keep some semblance of normality. Right now, I was glad for it.

I laid my jumpsuit across the toilet seat before jumping in the shower. I didn't want to keep P waiting. He might really start finding ways to peep if he got bored enough. Again, was it really a bad thing?

True to fashion, P had made himself comfortable on my bed. "And thus the lady steps forth from heaven, steam signaling her earthly arrival."

"You're unusually perky today." I raised an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I be? I slept late, I don't have to work, and I saw some legs. Today's been a good day."

"You're awfully easy to please." I heard the familiar whirring as I stepped into my shoes. "Especially considering what happened yesterday."

"I take what pleasures I can get." He shrugged. "You never know when the next one will appear."

"Awfully philosophical."

He rubbed his chin in mock thought. "The perky waves often hide a deep pool of thought."

"That's called your stomach." To which my own grumbled. "Something I should sate in the near future."

"Sexy legs, cute butt, and smart to boot! Curse H for showing up in my life."

Just need to say the right words, P. I winked as I slid my nametag and pen into my pocket and Sleeve over my arm. "Then shall we go eat?"

"My lady, I'm ready to stuff my face."

"Are you ever not to?" I pressing my Sleeve against the door’s scanner.

"In the mood to ask difficult questions again, eh?" P lifted himself off my bed, faking a bow as he reversed through the open door.

"Morning, V." F nodded as he walked past.

"Morning... wait-" My head snapped to look down the hall, but I saw nothing. Only P, who turned to me with a question mark written on his face.

"Uhh, Veebee? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I blinked twice. "Yeah, I'm okay. Mind's playing tricks on me."

"Getting another headache?"

"Only the regular one after a stressful day." I smiled.

"Hmm." He pursed his lips, something he always did when in thought. "You should see the doc."

"I'll think about it."

"Risky, V. Not everybody with a sliced-off head lives to tell the tale. Count your blessings, and make sure they continue."

"It's not fun rushing to the doctor for every little problem."

"Prevention is better than cure," he said.

"Says the person that's never been sick." I pressed my arm against the scanner when we arrived at the Mess Hall, but nothing happened. "Not again." I groaned.

P chuckled before motioning that I should give him some space. The doors parted easily when he pressed his Sleeve against the scanner. "All in the wrist." He winked.

"That, and a working Sleeve." I tapped mine twice, harder than usual.

"Maybe it has a headache too."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's find our breakfast."

The Mess Hall seemed barren without the activity of my colleagues. Several lingering smells betrayed the morning's breakfast, but the only remaining object was a plastic-wrapped plate on the buffet table. Whoever packed my breakfast was generous, to say the least, but P was unimpressed.

"Only one?" He raised an eyebrow at the solitary plate. "Am I supposed to be on a diet?"

"Maybe they put out food together?"

He shook his head. "Only one cereal bowl? What kind of monster would do this? Not even Management would stoop that low, to give them my back-handed compliment of the day. Monsters!"

"Cheer up." I picked up the plate before heading for the nearest table. "There's more food in here than I can eat. I'll take the cereal and a couple of breadsticks. You can have the rest." I winked when he shot me a look. "Think of it this way, a little less now and then might even be good for you!"

"Monsters!" He sat down as I started helping myself to the plate. "Utterly despicable."

"Quit exaggerating." I plopped a spoonful of cereal in my mouth as he started helping himself to the breadsticks.

"Look at this! Dried grain a breakfast doesn't make! Give me a pig, sizzling in fat with a bit of butter on the side. Or even better, pasta, with ground beef, a little bit of sausage, celery, a dash of onion, and some pepper, cooked to perfection."

"You know pasta has grain as well."

"But it's good grain." He puffed. "Not this dried nonsense you can beat goats with. The Italians know what to do with grain. Think I'll buy Italy when I get out of here."

"You'll have to beat H to it."

"Pft, a few squeezes in the right places and she'll be butter in my hands." He ignored my scowl. "Wait, they didn't even give any butter!"

"Quit whining." The last of the cereal entered my stomach. "So what are you going to do with your day off?"

"Complain about the food some more."

"After that."

"You underestimate how long I can complain."

"I have no doubt there."

"Yeah, well." He scooped up the last of his yoghurt. How does he eat that fast? "Since you're asking, what are you going do?"

I bit my lip. "This is going to sound incredibly weird, but I want to go to the gym."

"Oh?" The spoon stopped in front of his mouth. "You're not exactly the gym type. Got something else on your mind?"

"I... I want to see where F died. Maybe, and I know the odds are minuscule at best, but maybe Management's clean-up crew missed something."

"Hmm." P emptied the spoon. "You're right. Doubt you're going to find anything."

"It can't hurt to try. I don't have anything else to do."

"You can always complain about the food with me."

"Don't have anything productive to do." I smiled. "Besides, a murderer is walking among us. F's murder was messy, so I can't imagine that he covered every one of his tracks."

"But why you?" P asked. "And should I join you? Neither of us has any detective skills. We can barely figure out what Management truly wants in their projects."

You think I don't know that? Instead, I shrugged. "Can't hurt to try."

"I can't argue with that stubbornness." He leaned back in his chair.