Imperfect (on hold)

Mini Artius

"Code red. I repeat, zhis is a code red. Firearms, ready. Zhis is not a test, I repeat, not a test."

I watch as Mazil barks the words into an intercom, his accent so heavy the words are barely intelligible. After repeating the same message several times, he finally nods and turns to me.

"Vas it gud?"

I sigh dramatically. "Mazil. The speaker."

"Ah!" he agrees. "Of course. Speaka."

His hand moves to his ear and mutes the thing. "Good Robin?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Acceptable."

He purses his lips. "I start timer."

In obvious disappointment and frustration, he presses a small button underneath my desk and taps in the rhythm code. I quickly say my name and press a finger onto the smooth glass for identification. Mazil scrolls through the menus with a shaking hand until he finds the timer. Three minutes after he signalled the alarm. I roll my eyes at his timidness and we wait in silence. Or well, he waits in silence. I check my email.

Perfect technology is the one thing that never fails to amuse me. They had advanced from little rectangular cubes controlled by a "mouse", to this. The smooth black glass desktop that could be easily transformed into a touch computer. The same could be done for the windows which weren't nearly as fragile.

After four minutes and thirty-two seconds have passed, the current record, I open one of the cameras. And frown in annoyance. The timer is telling me that four minutes and forty-nine seconds have now passed, though the camera still shows Imperfects busily scrambling to their bunkers.

Finally, at little over five minutes, Mazil announces to me that it's finished. I scowl and shut off OLab, my desk computer.

"I guess there's a reason we're Imperfect." I sigh.

Mazil frowns. "Zhat was a vewy gud time."

I roll my eyes. "Do I have a training time scheduled for today?"

Mazil nods frantically. "Yes! Zhat one. It vas at 3:30. And you going to-"

He's cut off as the big brass doors are opened without any knocking. Then I realize why. It's Chastity. The sight of her fills me with hatred. She was the one who forced me and Artius to go out that night.

"What's this I hear about you pulling false alarms?" she bellows.

Oh. She means the code red I had Mazil do.

I shrug, even though my instinct is to cower under her. "I run things now. This is going to be done my way."

"You're putting the civilians into a panic!" she barks.

"So?" I snap. "They'll be panicked when it's happening for real. And it's better than bringing Perfects over for target practice. And shooting the ones that don't make it on time."

Chastity narrows her eyes. "That gives them incentive."

"At the end of the day, they'll still be dead!" I yell, banging my hands against the desk.

She looks down at OLab. "I see you've replaced my desk."

I snort. "Of course I replaced your desk Chas, it was a piece of shit."

She gives me a hard look. "Just don't forget your training at 3:30."

She spins around and walks put angrily. It surprises me to see how much white hair she's accumulated. It makes her look incredibly old.

When she's gone Mazil sighs and shakes his head. "You gels. Vike cat and dog."

"Which one am I more like?" I ask.