10 Minute Tales

Feb 6

Queenson sighed to himself as he hung his hat up. His coat followed, leaving him in the force-standard security jumpsuit. He flopped onto the sofa with another sigh, whistling briefly as he switched the television on. It flickered automatically to the sports channel, informing him politely that he had missed the live broadcast of Z-ball, enquiring if he would like to view it now. He selected yes, shuffling a little to get comfy. Something big and black suddenly jumped onto the seat next to him; he smiled as he pet its black synthetic fur.

"Hey, Rex." he greeted his canine companion. A real dog on 32-A would have cost ten times what he earned and then some; instead, he settled for a robotic replacement. Syn-Pets, as they were called, were the most popular variant of pet, and this particular model was a large, jet-black dog with big, brown eyes and an intelligent-yet-foolish personality. He scratched it behind its ear, making its tail wag as it curled up beside him. It was an old model, sure - so old that Sentinel no longer connected to it - but it was loyal to him, and he to it. He smiled softly, his cold demeanour melting a little as he returned his attention to the game. It wasn't a particularly special game, just an exhibition match between the teams of 32-A and 84-D, but it was something to help quiet his mind. Z-ball was slow, small teams bouncing around the inside of a sphere as they tried to get the ball into the goal. Pre-Ascent Terrans played similar games, according to the archives, but he couldn't figure out why they didn't come up with Z-Ball before Sentinel's activation. Maybe gravitational negation was beyond them at the time. He wrapped an arm around Rex, pulling him in to a loose hug. It wasn't much, but it was home. He was finally relaxed.

A quiet moment, reading the news. A niggling voice in the back of the mind, serving as reminder. The sensation of movement, without actually moving. A gentle nudge into sleep. Darkness. Power. Control. It was done. Movement once again. Stillness. Home again.