Cognitive Deviance

59. Shadows

June 7, 2045 - 12:55 PM

Margo watched the bloodied ball of gauze drop into the trash can on her way out of the SafeSpace. Nurse Louise patted her on the shoulder as she trailed behind her, adding, "Have a good day, Margo. And if you feel any other pains or concussive symptoms, you can always find me around here. Hopefully, I won't be tending to someone else."

"Right," Margo said, and the two of them went their separate ways.

Dryness returned to her throat as she caught sight of her unfamiliar coworkers' perturbed glances. Singular eyebrows raised. Unbroken staring. All angled toward the nearest exit, only a quick jolt away from sprinting out the door. Some even lowered their hands to their Fatemakers, grazing their weapons with their fingertips. Margo turned away, knowing their eyes remained glued to her but fraying away the slightest bit of embarrassment by having them out of her line of sight.

At the far end of the hall, by a vending machine, Holden and Carl sat on a bench.

"Margo!" Ellie declared through her ThoughtControl piece. "Please tell me the nurse isn't giving you a hard time anymore."

"No, she's not," Margo hissed, fingertip nudging her piece into her ear. "You'll be lucky if I still have my job by the end of today."

"Are you really blaming me for losing your job?"

"You told me to beat the shit out of Andrade! And I did!" Margo studied her bruised knuckles. "Alright, correction: I just punched her in the face, but it was still your fault!"

Ellie laughed. "I was just offering input, sweetie. You didn't have to go ahead and take a swing at her face if you didn't want to."

"Well, I did!"

"And what? You still really think it's my fault? A voice screaming into your ear, catching you off-guard? Don't blame me, Margo. Blame your fucked-up reflexes."

Margo took a deep breath, frustration building like smoke. "Just," she hissed, "tell me where you went."

"Well," Ellie said, "once the hall cleared up, I went to grab a sparkling water from the vending machine. Now I'm using the bathroom."

Margo studied the hall. "Which bathroom?" she asked.

"You really want this start off this reunion while I'm on the toilet?"

Margo winced. "Damn it, no," she replied, laughing purely out of discomfort. "Just...let me know when you're out. A colleague needs me."

"Oh, you mean that Carl guy? Yeah, I ran into him by the vending machine. Quiet guy. Kinda creepy, too."

"That probably wasn't...nevermind. I'll explain when you're out."

Margo felt Ellie's presence vanish, and she marched down the hall, her steps smacking loudly against the gleaming floor beneath her. Carl and Holden remained in her sights, neither of them looking or even talking to each other. Their expressions were sullen, grim, as if grieving a recent loss. Margo hoped that wasn't the case, especially considering the likelihood of such an incident in their line of work.

"Margo!" Holden exclaimed, and he leaped from his seat and charged down the hall, nearly tackling his colleague to the floor.

"Hey, Holden," Margo said, patting his head as he kept his arms wrapped around her.

"Glad you made it out alive," Holden said, releasing her. "Something's up with Uncle Carl."

"Yeah, I saw him earlier," Margo said, glancing over Holden's shoulder to see Carl gazing off into the distance. "Is it what I think it is?" she asked.