The Bastard and the Butterfly

Chapter 6

Kondraki sat in bed for a few moments longer. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Something told him that going to work would be bad, but not going would be worse.
After a few more minutes of just sitting there, he finally got up.
When Kondraki got to work, he was almost immediately called to go to Gears' office.
"Fuck..." he muttered.
When he got there, he saw Gears was just finishing up straightening out a large stack of papers, and in the corner Iceberg sat typing away at his computer.
"What the fuck do you want, Gears?"
"Ah, Doctor Kondraki. Just the man I need," no emotions flashed on Gears' face and he kept the same cold tone that he always had.
"Cut the crap. I want to know why I'm here,"
"Very well then. Sit down,"
Kondraki did so.
"Now, Whatever I tell you, don't get mad at me. I didn't want this, the O5s did,"
"So I'm guessing that whatever you say, I'm not gonna like it. Correct?"
Gears nodded. "And I'd also advise not taking your anger out on anyone or anything that will get you in trouble,"
"Okay, okay, fine. Get to the point,"
"Very well. The O5s say you've been slacking, and, well," he gestured to the papers, "they want you to do this,"
"What?!" Doing all of those papers would take weeks, if not, months. "What's my deadline?"
"You have two weeks,"
"They're trying to kill me!" Which might've been true. Doing all of those papers in two weeks would mean he would have to overwork himself. Long hours, late nights, early mornings.
"I'm sorry, Doctor. If i had it my way, you wouldn't even be doing these,"
"Thank you, Gears," he sighed. "Guess I'd better start on these right away..."

Kondraki walked back to his office, all of his papers in hand. He was frustrated and angry.
"Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it," he muttered to himself. All of this had happened before.
The O5s would make him do an impossible amount of paperwork, he'd lose track of time, he'd lose track of everything around him, and he'd lose another person in his life.
Maybe that's what they were doing. Trying to take away everyone and everything he loved. Then they'd kill him.
Or I'm just being paranoid, Kondraki thought to himself.
He entered his office and slammed the papers down on his desk. 408 could sense his distress and fluttered around his head and shoulders in an attempt to calm him down.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Kondraki said, gently waving them away from his face.
"FINE?" 408 formed the word in the air.
"Yes. Perfectly fine. I'm glad you care,"
The butterflies quickly flew back to him.
He sat down and began to work.