by Candice Lim
I shrugged and said lamely, “I guessed?”
“What happened?” Lucia bolted to my side. Her gaze darted between me and Tobias. The other customers huddled around us, muttering whispers.
“This name–this name has appeared in my dreams many times–I called myself Tobias…” Tobias let out a tormented scream and fell on his knees. He clutched onto his chest as his eyes pierced into mine for one last time. Then, his gray irises flickered and displayed the termination message, before it blacked out.
Tobias collapsed on the floor.
“Oh fuck! Someone call the ambulance!” shouted Lucia, going frenzy.
“No need,” I said. “He’s a Helper Bot. Check the IDEI (International Droid Equipment Identity) code on his back and notify his owner.”
7
As much as I wanted another day off, I couldn’t do it without pissing Wu Zhang off and throwing away Cypher’s life. After the incident at the Royal Asianova Hospital, I’d better stay away from it until it cooled down. This sucked because it was the biggest public hospital in Centerport City, hence higher death toll.
The counter on the Mind Drive showed seven and it was only ten past nine. I shouldn’t be celebrating the number of deaths. But it had to be one of the better days for me.
There would be another three in half-hour, according to the Futuregrapher. So I decided to take a break at the empty waiting room of Centerport Hospital, a smaller hospital right around the corner, and luxuriate my solitude and their free coffee from the vending machine. Royal Asianova waiting room was usually bustled with people and you wouldn’t stand a chance to sit.
I thought not many people had discovered this secret waiting room tucked away at the end of the quiet hallway.
My Mind File count was at two hundred thirty-five now. After tonight, I thought I was able to hit the KPI. I checked the Futuregrapher again, pushing my luck. It wouldn’t hurt to hit the target earlier. A familiar face appeared on the screen.
“What the hell?” I didn’t realize I slumped in my seat until I straightened myself and my back hurt. I rolled my shoulders and looked at the Futuregrapher again. I blinked a couple of times. There was no mistaking it was Detective Danny who walked down the hallway.
Fear bounced around me. What the fuck was he doing here? I checked my smartwatch. Twenty minutes before my next subject. Why did he have to fuck up my plan? Anger rose in me but I kept watching the clip.
Danny looked concerned as he paced up and down the hallway. I squinted at the direction board that read ‘Radiology Department’. A sigh escaped from my chest. My targets would be at the Emergency Department, further north of the hallway. He wouldn’t have bumped into me even if he tried.
A few seconds later, Danny walked out of the screen and reappeared with another girl. They were muttering something but it was so soft the Futuregrapher couldn’t pick it up. I tasted bile in my mouth when Danny put his hand on the small of her back and guided her out. Danny had a girlfriend! Why wouldn’t he?
Danny was gorgeous and had an established modeling career. Why would he be single? I could taste the bitter envy in my mouth. But why didn’t he post his girlfriend’s photo?
Now I felt like a thirsty moron for posting that comment and those emojis on his profile. I might just go delete them and deactivate my account altogether. I stashed the Futuregrapher back into my backpack and pulled out my phone.
I couldn’t bear the embarrassment of Danny thinking I was flirting with him when he clearly had a girlfriend. I had to delete all my evidence before Danny found out whose profile it was.
Logging into my account, my attention went to the red balloon read ‘3’ above the notification. I didn’t think anyone on my friend list was active anymore. I hadn’t got notifications for ages. I arched my brow and tapped on the balloon.
It was a reply from Danny. My heart galloped in my chest as my shaky thumb clicked on it.
Thanks ♥
My stomach reeled. Did Danny just fucking send me a heart emoji? Was he fucking flirting with me? I found myself grinning foolishly to myself. When my mind went back to the Futuregraph, my smile died away. Danny had a girlfriend. Why would he do this to me? Maybe it was a joke. Maybe he knew who I was.
I wanted to stalk Danny’s girlfriend when the timer on my phone beeped. “Urgh,” I groaned and reluctantly stashed away my stuff. It was time to work again.
Today was one of the best days of my soul-sucking job. Perhaps it helped Danny was in my thoughts, so I didn’t even notice time passed and couldn’t be bothered to find out the backstory of my subjects. Maybe, after all, Danny was a blessing in disguise.
It was noon when I’d finished. I should be heading back to Wu Zhang’s lab and go for lunch.
But the mental images of the Futuregraph was spinning in my head. “A small peek at him won’t hurt,” I convinced myself. After all, it was about time Danny was here. With his girlfriend.
I’d no clue why I was being all bitter about it. It wasn’t like Danny was my crush or something. Or was he? Why did he reply to my comment?
Against my better judgment, I snuck into the Radiology Department where I saw Danny in the Futuregrapher. Standing against the wall, I played with my phone and pretended to be waiting for someone when Danny suddenly appeared.
My stomach plummeted. Keeping my head low, I turned away from Danny. He didn’t see me. I didn’t even think he noticed anyone else in there. Urgency catapulted his feet down the hallway where he barged in through the door and disappeared.
What was going on with his girlfriend?
Danny returned with his girlfriend after a few minutes. She looked upset. Something wasn’t right. Danny consoled her like the perfect boyfriend he was.
I overheard Danny said something along the lines of, “Don’t worry, it’ll get better soon. Worst comes to worst, we’ll get the insurance and you’ll be fine.”
I pretended to answer a call when Danny and his girlfriend walked past. He didn’t even notice I was there. All the time, his eyes were on his girlfriend.
Curiosity burned my mind. I wanted to follow them out of the hospital and find out what was going on with the Futuregrapher. I followed them with my eyes out of the automated glass door. I was about to pick up their rear when my phone buzzed.
With a groan, I rolled my eyes, thinking it’d be Wu Zhang. I frowned at the screen when I saw the name. It was Lucia.
Strange. Lucia never called me.
“Hey?” I answered.
“Kira?” Lucia’s voice sounded hoarse. As if she finished crying.
“Sup?”
There was a brief pause and I knew something wasn’t right. “Can you please cover me tomorrow?” I mentally checked my schedule. I was just catching up with my KPI. If I lost a day, I’d have to pick up on the daily count. “Um…”
“Please, Kira. I really need you to help me.”
I sighed, regret tugging my chest. My mind went to Cypher and how much he’d forgotten. “Um, okay. What’s going on?”
Another silence stretched between us. Uneasiness crawled over my skin. I wished I could climb through the line and see it for myself. “My dad. I don’t–I don’t think he’ll make it tonight.”
My blood drained from my face. My head spun as I lost my voice. We were just talking about him a few days ago. I wanted to ask her what’s wrong when she said, “His condition got worse.”
“Where are you?”
“The Royal Asianova Hospital.” She let out a self-pitying laugh. “Where else could we get cheap medical services?”
Closing my eyes, I sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll be there.”
Since the Royal Asianova Hospital was only a block away from Centerport Hospital, I thought I’d drop by to check on Lucia before going back to Wu Zhang’s lab.
Once I stepped foot in the familiar setting of the ward, Lucia, who was sitting at the corner with her face buried in her palm, looked up. Her eyes glinted as she hopped to her feet.
/>
“Kira, oh my god, thank you so much for being here.” Lucia threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back and didn’t let go until she pulled away a full minute later.
Her eyes were glassy in pink when she feigned a smile. “Thank you again, Kira, for coming.”
I smiled and passed her a basket of fruits that I grabbed from the supermarket I passed by on the way here. Mom always said to bring fruits when visiting someone at the hospital. When I saw Lucia’s face brighten up, I knew mom was right. I also got her a self-care pack that contained tea bags, snacks, and chocolates.
“I needed it.” Lucia ripped the package open and greedily inhaled the chocolates. She looked tired. She was a totally different person from the usually happy and carefree Lucia I knew.
I smiled to myself, glad that I thought of getting her something that might cheer her up a little. She looked sullenly at the unconscious man lying on the bed next to us. “The doctor said his condition is really bad. He...” Her voice quaked. She sniffed and feigned a straight face. “He probably can’t survive tonight...”
I patted her on the shoulder. “There, there.” I was never good at this. I witnessed so many deaths but I didn’t know their surviving family members. So I didn’t have to do anything. All I did was detach myself emotionally and do the job as Wu Zhang would always remind me.
I never had to say anything. I didn’t know what to say. My brain raced for words. I was about to say something when the beeping sound cut me off.
Blood drained from Lucia’s face when the ECG started to drop. My stomach lurched. My hand flew over to my backpack, ready to grab the beacon as a reflex.
Damnit, Kira. No...
My stomach burned a hollow hole when the wicked idea sprang to my mind. If I were to cover Lucia’s shift, I had to get more Mind Files. I didn’t want to risk Cypher’s Mind File anymore.
Lucia didn’t have to know...I tightened my clench on the backpack as I contemplated my choice. Lucia’s cries became white noise in the background. I hated how I felt nothing when I was supposed to feel sorry for Lucia.
There was no empathy. I sank into the corner and disappeared behind a curtain when the doctors and nurses rush in. Lucia bawled and tugged at the unconscious man’s shirt until the medical staff pulled her away.
“Dad...please...please don’t go...please! I love you! Please stay strong.” Her voice echoed in my head.
I’d seen and heard all these before. Lucia stood at the corner of the bed and helplessly watched the doctors rush about trying to revive her old man. Her sobs punctuated the whispers of the medical staff.
Lucia didn’t even notice I was gone. I watched numbly from behind the curtain. I sat on the edge of the lumpy bed and listened as the ECG went flat and Lucia’s sobs got louder.
When the nurses pulled the white sheet over the man’s body, the counter of the Mind Drive jumped up.
I felt like shit. I’d feel shittier if I didn’t do it and found out that Cypher’s Mind File got corrupted because I missed the chances of capturing as many Mind Files when I could.
*****
It was seven when I surrendered the Mind Files back to Wu Zhang’s lab and got back to my apartment.
I was at the foyer when I decided to go for a walk around the block. The sky was in dark blue and the night breeze blustered over my face. The last thing I wanted was to be trapped in the confines of the empty house and fight the urges to talk to Cypher.
I let the breeze caress my face and eavesdropped at random conversations as I walked past the food courts. I passed by the boba shop and decided to use the ten percent discount coupon that Wu Zhang had generously given me. He only did so because he didn’t like boba. He thought junk food would damage his DNA or some shit.
I inhaled my drink and chewed the squishy balls and pulled out my phone to see if Danny had posted any new photos.
To my disappointment, he hadn’t. Fair enough if his girlfriend wasn’t feeling well.
But that girl was really his girlfriend, then why there weren’t any traces of her on his profile? Why would he publicly send me a heart emoji?
A naughty smile curved on my lips.
I replied to his comment with another ♥. Now let’s see what he was going to do. I pocketed my phone and went back to my apartment. I might as well plan for tomorrow’s journey and hit the target before going to work at Rain Bar.
8
Humming to the music in the air, I mindlessly wiped glass after glass until I lost count. I must have wiped over a hundred of them over the hour. Rain Bar was exceptionally quiet without Lucia, though the happy hour was a mad rush. Something just felt not right without having Lucia here.
It wasn’t like she made a lot of noises or anything. Every time I stepped into Rain Bar, Lucia had always been there. It was like knowing mom was always there when you got home.
Tonight, I was somehow glad she wasn’t there. I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to face her tonight.
My day went pretty well today. I got twelve Mind Files which were enough to cover my KPI for the week. I could almost call this a perfect day until the chimes at the door rang noisily. When I glanced out, my eyes were met with the deep-set brooding eyes of Detective Danny.
Blood drained from my face. I stood there, frozen in shock and fear as he came to the bar. I followed him with my eyes as he plopped onto the highchair. My stomach was knotted. I pulled my tank over my cleavage and my shorts lower. I hadn’t realized how revealing this outfit was until right now. Would he recognize me?
“Could I get a Space Sling please?” Danny asked, his eyes were everywhere but on me.
“Sure.” I grabbed a glass and poured him the drink. My fingers were shaky and the cold liquid spilled along the sides. I quickly wiped around the glass and slid it across to Danny. He muttered a soft, “Thanks,” and chugged it down in one shot.
I pretended to be wiping the bench while stealing glances at him. Danny raked his fingers through his hair. My stomach fluttered when I saw his ripped bicep muscles bulge as he flexed his arms. Heat roared through me and I quickly shook my head to get the dirty thoughts out of my head.
No, Danny was fucking off-limits. Plus, I couldn’t be doing this to Cypher.
My head was in delirium as questions whirled in my head. What was Danny doing here? Did he come here often? I didn’t remember seeing him here before. To be fair, I didn’t work here as often.
The glass I was wiping slipped off my fingers and crashed onto the floor where it shattered into pieces, snapping Danny into attention.
Now his eyes were piercing straight into mine. If he hadn’t noticed me before, he would’ve now.
My heart somersaulted into my throat as I stood there, frozen in fear. Fuck, Kira, what the fuck were you doing? I snapped myself out of my trance and crouched down to pick up the pieces.
“Ouch!” I muttered a cuss when a shadow fell over me.
“You okay?” Danny’s deep, hoarse voice came from behind me. When I looked back, he towered over me. Danny didn’t seem to recognize me. Wu Zhang’s modifications seemed to work. At least I’d fooled two people already. Danny glanced at my hand. “Your fingers are bleeding.”
I shook my head. My voice was trembling when I said, “I’m fine, thank you.”
I pinched my fingers to drain all the dirty blood. I was a Transient Bot. My fingers would heal themselves within seconds.
Danny couldn’t know that. He couldn’t know the Soul Thief he’d been hunting down had been revived. When the cut wounds closed, I wiped my hand over my shorts and got up to get the vacuum.
I tried to clean up as slowly as I could, pausing to serve some other customers. When I picked up the last bit of glass, Danny was watching.
Heat ran up my face and I looked away, not wanting to make eye-contact.
“May I have another Space Sling, please?” said Danny.
“Sure.” I got him another glass and slid across to
his side of the bench.
“Are you new here?”
“Excuse me?” I cleared my throat and lowered my voice. “No, I’ve been working here for years.”
Danny frowned, then smiled. “Really? I don’t remember seeing you here.”
I wanted to shoot him with a snarky comment but instead, I said, “Probably because I was on another shift.”
“I usually saw Lucia around this time.” A wave of uncanny jealousy bounced around me. Lucia had been meeting this hottie but never spat a word about it? What kind of friend she was? “What happened to her tonight?”
I shrugged. “Family matters.” Well, Lucia could tell him her own story when she met him later anyway, I thought bitterly.