Holly NX

Chapter 4

A machine starts, blaring a low growl throughout the building. I can hear condensed air being forced out of a nozzle, so I gather that Smiles is busy tinkering away in his shop. I take up his offer to explore the warehouse, starting with his room. From the amount of dishes I can see, he had probably been cooped up in here for the last seven days, minimum. Papers with schematics were also thrown about, as if he had been frantically trying to perfect something on paper that he had concocted in his head. Picking one up, I see the light sketches of some kind of gas powered bike. I can not trace the exact patterns of the metal to any known brand, so I assume he is designing his own.

His bed is queen sized, with the sheets and pillows strewn about. He is not a peaceful sleeper, I gather. I throw them all off and start to replace them, making them all smooth. His comforter is a simple blue and his pillows are gray; together they look quite nice. I pick up some of the dishes, despite him not asking me to clean, because I feel obligated to help him. I have no fear that a man will encroach on my space anytime soon all because of him.

With the cups and plates balancing in my arms, I leave the room, looking for the kitchen. I peer through doors as I pass them. The closest one is closed, with muffled sounds of a video game coming from inside. I take a guess that Richard had gone into this room after dropping me off. I glance into the two other rooms of the hallway. The first has reds, blues, and browns mixed into a very contained environment. The bed is made, there are no clothes on the ground, and there are figures from several popular tv shows lined up on shelves. The last room is a whirlwind of color, with scattered paint tubes and random craft items. It seems whoever is staying in this room has painted elaborate swirls of color on the walls, and they converge into paintings of men and women dancing.

When I leave the hallway, I ascend some steps and find a large living space. There is a wall monitor on the farthest wall fronted with a large rounded sofa. I note the pool table and foosball table next to a makeshift bar. Kegs of beer lie underneath unpainted pallets with two by fours, nails, and hammers all scattered in the corner.

I see a kitchen attached through a doorway, so I meander towards it. It is a large kitchen, with an island and stainless steel kitchenware. It is surprisingly clean when compared to the bedrooms, but I do not have to wonder why for very long. A worker bee android comes to life from its hub and scoops up my dishes with its long, spindly arms. It buzzes as it flies towards the sink and starts cleaning. I let it finish before I grab it out of the air and check its diagnostics. It is set to only clean the upstairs, with the makeshift bar set as a red zone. Letting it go, it buzzes back into its little cave and starts charging.

"Interesting that they do not want their cleaning bot to clean downstairs," I think. The rest of the room is reserved for a large dining table, capable of seating fourteen people. This puzzles me and I try to comprehend why so little people would need such a large dining table. I decide I should stop questioning their decisions until I have further information, so I head back down the stairs and stroll towards the shop, where I can hear Smiles welding.

Sparks are flying in bright waves from his steady hands. Through the light, I can see that he is sure of his movements from what I can only imagine to be years of experience. I sit on a stool and watch him for a while. He doesn't hear me and he is so focused that he does not notice me for nearly an hour. When he shuts off the welder, pulling off his helmet and gloves, he turns and jumps.

"Oh, Jesus!" He exclaims. "I didn't see you there." His hand moves to his heart and he smiles as he tries to slow his breathing. "How long've you been watching me?"

My eyes widen and I realize that this scenario could easily make him uncomfortable. "Sorry, I did not mean to frighten you. I have only been here for a while watching you work. You seem quite enamored with it and I did not wish to disturb you."