Ninth Millennium Navigator

22

Matthias wanted this event to go smoothly. 

He did not want to create any suspicion so he tempered his curiosity as he entered. He was expecting to find pieces of material lying all around and embedded in the lome. He figured the console was badly damaged and was fearful that he would hurt himself when he ran all the initial tests of the unit. He feared that when he said all was broken that the man would explode in a wild fury. He needed to remain calm and hold back, not letting this affect his exposed touse.

Just before entering the house, Matthias organized his methodology. He would not immediately take any notice of the console or anything unusual. He would focus on the man. 

Is that what I normally do? 

I can't recall. It had never been an issue before. 

He would act surprised if he found anything to be improper. He needed both minds to be focused. One mind would manage conversation. The other would identify and analyze.

As he approached the entry, a fear crossed his mind.

What if Marie was standing with the man? 

He would probably break down and get flustered. It would be too much for him to manage then. Regardless, the gig was up anyway if she was there. All the cards would then be on the table. 

Perhaps that was for the best.

Those thoughts seemed to be his most effective weapon as it turned out. When he entered the lome and found only the man, his manner subsided. He calmly previewed the man standing bordered by chamber and console. He scanned the corners of his view for any signs of material there. He saw nothing notable. Everything looked as well as when he had been here before the incident. He moved to the man and congenially shook his hand in the typical way. He did not seem sick, have any improper skin coloring—no yellow blemishes—or have any noticeable scars or ailments, and most importantly, he was not mad. Matthias felt a bit of concern at having not seen anything like he had expected.

Matthias had been prepared for a variety of situations. He would carefully examine the console before using it. He would control his thoughts and reactive emotions. He would limit his speech so as not implicate himself. He would monitor the man for any peculiar behavior. He would have one or two excuses at his disposal. 

He had made an important decision prior to leaving his lome.

Kill the man if provoked.

Only now that it occurred to him how terminal he believed this meeting to be. Only now did he understand that he was thinking he may never see Calissa again. Only now did he realize that his plans to meet Marie in almost a week had been fluff. Deep down, he did not think he would live to make that appointment with her. 

Though he was not entirely safe, the thought of seeing Marie again excited him. He had not expected the best possible situation in which he now found himself. Either the material had fully absorbed into the lome or the man had cleaned it out.

He needed to stay alert because nothing about this encounter was ideal. Matthias had entered with the unlikely hope that the man would not be hiding his touse. Then, he would have an additional ability to gauge the man. But, the touse was hidden.

The man was amicable in his own, mean way. Having seen the dark undercurrent of the man in his parasitic sequence was enough to see his attitude as the facade it was.

As curious as Matthias was about the man's thoughts, it was not his place to ask a client this. Matthias had taken a personal vow to remain quiet. Any curiosity about this in his own touse was fine because any guide would wonder about a quick end.