DYSCHRONOMETRIA

CHAPTER 3 - Dishonour

"Hey! Lianna.  .  . uh? You okay?" he questioningly greeted as his cheerfulness faded. He saw that Lianna looked haggard. She seemed to have no sleep.

"Hey, Lianna?" he waved at her face.

He waved a bit more, one, two, three.

She didn't snap back.

So he snapped his fingers instead.

There. Alive as a chicken. Aware as a dog hearing kibbles on his bowl. Great.

"What happened to you?" he asked, disturbed. He was worried.

".  .  . Oh uh. Nothing. Nothing really." she shrugged.

Oh she's going to taste a sermon from him.

"What happened to you, really? Why are you haggard? Did you have any sleep? Or did you have any sleep at all? What were you thinking? The failure of the machine? Your worth? Your phone--"

"Just stop, " she cut off his questions sternly with her palm up "Please? I'm not really in the mood right now." she added.

Collins stared at her wide-eyed. Something must have been bothering her. Really. He thinks its the machine. But also no. What if it was something bigger than that?

"Sorry." Collins regretted his sermon. He thought to add some joke to his speech, to make her feel better. But he guesses that it's impossible. The issue she has must've been heavy. He can't let her muster up her own frustration to herself. He must at least do something for her.

She's eerily silent today and I don't like this.

______________________________________

They were fixing the portal machine. Lianna was about to reach the wrench at the edge of a low table near her, but something clanked.

The watch. It was from her pocket.

It accidentally fell of. But something strange happened.

She was sure it was closed. Why is it open? Possibly from the impact-- but no. It could've been broken or the cap fell off, either way, it would break-- but it didn't.

She thought so deep that she was standing still, holding the mysterious artifact. All of the workers' and scientists' eyes are focused on her.

She looked around, "Oh! Ah, sorry. It was. . . my fault." Crap, it was embarrassing. But she ignored it anyway and went back to work. She slipped back in the watch in her pocket,

She wondered what it really was. She questioned every bit of its existence.

She really wanted to dismantle it and study it. She desired answers.

______________________________________

"Man! What a long day it is! Bye James, goodluck for your next project!" he bid farewell to James, a coworker.

"Ya too man! But all of us do have projects to do right? Ever since that meeting earlier." he brought up.

Earlier.  .  .

"So I want all of your opinions for this short urgent meeting." the Head Scientist stated formally. He was Dr. Vishnu, the wise and old Indian scientist. He was still kind in nature.

"About what?" Fatima asked. She was a novice scientist and is new. She arrived 2 months ago.

"About the portal machine." he sighed.
Tiredness was obvious in his tone.

Lianna's heart was pounding nonstop. She could feel it. She knows what he was about to say. She breathed uncontrollably. Collins noticed this first hand.

"We should stop the repairing of the machine. Its no use anyway. We will only fail and it will only continue."

As expected. Lianna knew it. But why was she jumpy despite predicting what he was about to say? Her heart was still pounding nervously.

"Whoo hoo!" the whole group cheered. Lianna remained in her seat, gazing at the table with visible dread on her face. Collins, who stood up and cheered, had his jolly expression fade instantly to Lia sympathetically.

"We shouldn't." she objected sharply.

The cheering stopped. They stared at her scornfully. They murmured. Whispering nonsense, trash talking Lia right in front of her.

"Unworthy. Trash. Kill joy. She should just quit. Show-off."

So this is how they really think of her.

She had a sharp expression as she stoop up. She defended the portal. She had a lump on her throat. She can't speak up. Bullets of sweat were forming on the side of her face.

She left with the echo of her footsteps.

"Anyways, you can have science projects of your own. It would serve as a self-study, especially for novices here." Dr. Vishnu stated.

The group cheers again.

Present time...

Collins was still troubled of Lianna. He didn't know where she went afterwards the meeting.

She also missed the part where they all get to have their own projects of study. Collins still haven't decided his own.

But first, he wants to confront Lianna. She must be dazed since the circumstances have opposed her now.

He must go find her.