The Thought

Tuesday Afternoon
20h41

A thought made me pause next to the mess hall’s doors. “Hey, Hades?”

“How may I be of assistance, researcher V?” The AI asked.

“Have all the anomalies in your system gone away?”

“Yes. I’m operating at full capacity.”

“And I assume Management hasn’t figured out what caused it?”

“That is correct.”

“Hmm, tell me, have you figured out where the anomaly originated from?”

“No. The anomaly’s radius extended beyond the confines of this facility. I’m unable to determine the anomaly’s center. However, please note that only one of the anomalies was stationary.”

I paused. “Excuse me?”

“The anomaly obscuring F’s demise was stationary. The second one was mobile.”

I bit my lip as I added the new information to my hunch. That means our murderer had to carry it. So it’s something they could do without raising suspicion. It had to be small... or smallish. “Hades, using all the data you have available, can you estimate where the anomalies started?”

“Applying reasoning models.” Hades’ ring spun for several seconds. “I’ve analyzed the data using seventy-one models. Fifty-two put the source of the anomaly somewhere in the upper half of the facility, fourteen indicate a distributed system of disruption nodes, three place the source within five meters of the living area, and two outside the facility.”

“Humor me. Which are outside the facility?”

“Meteor strike and localized atomic detonation.”

“I think we’d have noticed those. Well, so much for my idea.” I started to walk away, but a voice drew my attention back to the mess hall. Inside, I saw R munching on a breadstick while his good friend busied himself with a steaming mug.

“Hey,” O waved when he spotted me. I nodded my greeting as I joined them. “Helluva week so far.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” said R.

“I swear, Management’s gone nuts. They’ve never fired people this fast before. Never!”

“That is the price to pay for substandard work.”

“Are you sure?” O shot his friend a look. “Well, I don’t buy it. We’ve had weeks that were a lot worse than now. Remember M’s pathogen that nearly escaped? That could have killed all of us. Instead, they only killed M’s paycheck. Even V’s explosion got her a tap on the wrist and two weeks of sick leave.”

“Management has always focused more on our work than our activities within the facility.”

“It almost sounds like you’re supporting them.” O frowned.

“I’m saying I understand their actions.” R kept his face neutral. “My feelings on the matter don’t go further than that.”

It took me a second to stifle my yawn. “I only wish they’d let us know who else is in the firing zone. Knowing you might be let go at a moment’s notice isn’t exactly good for morale...”

“Yes!” O clenched a fist. “I know they’re big fans of negative reinforcement, but this is taking it a step too far.”

“Such thoughts are likely to get you fired as well,” said R.

“At this point, I’m not too sure that’s a bad thing.” O sighed.

“You’re letting your emotions talk.” I patted O on the shoulder. “You should rest up. Maybe you’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I just...” He blew out another breath. “It sucks, you know? We had a nice thing going on here. We almost became like family. I hate it when people leave without a chance to say goodbye.” O took a last swallow before standing up. “The lady’s right. Curfew’s not that far off, so we’d best get going. Are you coming, R?”

His friend answered with a shake of his head. “I will see you in the morning.”

“Here’s hoping. Good night, V.”

“Night.” I watched him leave with his hands in his pockets.

R closed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. “I’d have liked to tell him.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Why are you here?” R asked.

“That’s a peculiar question.” The chair scraped as I sat down.

“You were talking to Hades when you walked in here, so food wasn’t your primary motivation. Hence the question.”

“You have quite the hearing.” R didn’t comment. “You’re right. I was asking Hades about the anomaly. I wondered whether the murderer could have hidden a device inside the mess hall since there’s a lot of movement here, but Hades said it’s unlikely. That’s when I heard your voices and came to take a look.”

“I see.” R nodded slowly. “What did his models indicate?”

“That it’s something in the upper half of the facility. Or the disruption was spread via a distributed system of some kind.”

“I see. The latter would make more sense. The energy requirements for the former would be quite high.”

“Luckily, we’re not in some top-secret laboratory with access to extremely niche technologies.” I raised the corner of my lips.

“Point.” R nodded.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you. Curfew will hit soon, so we’d best be off.”

“I agree.” R fell in step as we emerged from the mess hall. “There is one loose end. We found blood smears against the walls when F died. It’s likely the perpetrator got their clothes dirty. You should ask Hades about that.”

“Good idea.” I glanced at R. Everybody was used to his emotionless stare, though his gaze seemed oddly intense as we walked. “Penny for your thoughts?”

The movement was tiny, but R narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. “I question the timing. Why two in a row? It would make more sense to spread the killings over several weeks. It would draw less attention that way.”

I shrugged. “Maybe they want to send a message?”

“At a cost to themselves? I can’t imagine the curfew being of great benefit to their plans.”

I stopped when we reached my room. “I guess we’ll have to ask when we catch them.” I waved R off with a smile. “See you in the morning, R.”

“Pleasant dreams, V.”

You should learn to open up. I pressed my hand against the scanner and stepped into my room.

“You’re telling me!” The voice drew my attention forward, where F was leaning against my cupboard. The cocky grin was unmistakable. “Maybe the wind changed and froze his face in place.”

“B... bu...” My back thudded against the door as I scrambled backward. “You... you...”

“Researcher V.,’ Hades spoke from my Sleeve. “I detected a spike in your biometrics. Are you all right?”

“F... F...” My room returned to normal when I blinked. No F stood the cupboard, no voices in the air. Just me, with my back against the door, pointing at the closet like an idiot.

“Researcher F isn’t present in this room, nor in this facility.”

“He... he was standing right there!”

“Nobody has entered your room since you left. Are you experiencing a headache?”

My head throbbed in reply. “Hades, I’m telling you. F stood right there! He even talked to me, right when my biometrics spiked.”

“Migraines may cause both visual and auditory hallucinations. I suggest you retire for the evening and report your hallucinations to Doctor X.”

“But... but...” I know what I saw, but how do I prove it to an AI that can see almost anything? Pick your battles, V. You’re stressed.. I relented. “Fine.”

“Understood. Please note that the facility is now in effect. Exiting your room is illegal and will result in termination of contract.”

“Thanks.” My eyes fell on the scanner. Now we really are in a jail cell.

“Management has sent you the information you’ve requested.”

“I’ll take a look at it tomorrow,” I said while walking toward the bed. The Sleeve whirred when I clicked the button on its edge. “I’m going to take a shower, so I’m removing the Sleeve.”

“Estimated duration of your shower?”

“I don’t know. Thirty minutes?”

“Applying a thirty-minute grace period to your Sleeve. ”

I put the Sleeve on my nightstand before heading into the shower. Applying my usual lavender-scented coat was both calming and lessened the brewing headache. Maybe Hades was right. I shook my head when F’s grin reappeared in my thoughts. Drying myself off, I put on the gray shirt and embarrassingly short pants. Fully clothed, I returned the Sleeve to my arm. Feeling its weight made me glad I didn’t have insomnia. Those who do would likely have a longer night ahead of them.

“User detected. Welcome back, V.”

Yawning, I tapped on the Sleeve’s screen as I sat down. The clock showed twenty-seven minutes past nine. The small ‘2’ next to the email icon caught my eye. One of those would be the data Management promised me earlier. My heart skipped a beat when I noticed the sender’s name was corrupted, just like before.

Came the call in the dead of night

Message of a cure for my cranial blight

A secret revealed, information once kept tight

But what words would reveal wasn’t their only plight

5mm

The deal was accepted with internal cheers

Strapped onto a table by my complex peers

But waking up made joy turn to tears

As the flame was released, confirming my fears

5mm

Now the second has gone, the Spark glows no more

His remains decorating all from ceiling to floor

No more orders to bark, no more avenues to explore

No more words to speak in a melodious snore

5mm

But the fire isn’t done, its flames continue to hunger

A debt still owed due to the Project’s blunder

Does Blaze realize she awoke the hunter?

Ready to tear her body and soul asunder

5mm

The Firewalker

“I... I should stop reading my emails before bed.” I clenched my hands to stop them from shaking. It didn’t help.

“I note the Firewalker indicates the next target is a female,” said Hades.

“That narrows it down to half of us.” My stress gave way to tiredness. Giving perhaps one of the longest yawns of my life, I squeezed myself between the blankets before pulling them underneath my chin. Just the way I liked it. I scanned the room with a sleepy eye. Everything seemed exactly as it should be.

“Hades?”

“How may I help you, researcher V?”

“I’m currently alone in my room, right?”

“That is true.”

“Thank you.” A second yawn escaped. “Goodnight, Hades.”

“Sleep well, V.”