Inner Workings

Inner Workings - Part 5

"Just let it slide," instructed Beni, watching Will work with a borrowed slim jim. She shifted her hips and slid, to the grace of her roller blades, to his other side, enforcing her instruction. "You're not trying to stab it."

"Sliding as best I can," said Will. He eased the rod back between the rubber lining and the window, trying to catch the lock and pull it up. It had been a while since Beni had shown him the basics of breaking into a car, but he didn't think his meager skills had rusted so much. Monday morning was the perfect time to practice; it got his mind off tomorrow's test.

Just as Will hooked the edge of the lock, Reese bounded through the open door of the garage, grinning with his phone out.

"Check out what the Cetz dragged in this morning!" The redhead flicked a video app on his phone.

Will quirked his eyebrow at the shamefaced man in the video, hiding in the alcove beneath the stairs that went up to the second level. "That the new shrink?"

"Yes," answered Reese with a conspiratorial chuckle. "Not that bright either. The guy came in late."

"Did he get yelled at?" asked Beni, gliding around Reese and taking the phone for a closer look.

"No," replied Reese. "Got taken up to Cetz's office and then sent back down five minutes later to lurk just like the others. And also, no, I didn't try to listen in on the conversation. My ears ring just thinking about it."

Beni laughed with a malicious grin. "The puppy has learn his lesson!"

"It was your idea too!"

Beni handed the phone to Will as she and Reese got into a child-like banter of "did not" "did too". Will took a closer look at the man in the video. The shrink was squirrelly, his eyes darting back and forth in spurts, and then resting for long moments, as if deep in thought.

"Do you know his name?" asked Will, interrupting the tirade between the Asian thief and ginger safecracker.

"No," said Reese. "But I can "bump" into him later and find out."

Will nodded absently and handed the phone back. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. He checked his watch. In twenty minutes he'd have to meet Rachel to go over the test procedure for tomorrow.

***

Leaning against the wall under the stairway, Milton took stock of his situation, picking the dried bits of tissue off his jaw. It was better than listening to PTSD cases. Mostly. Cetz had charged him with observing the agents in Main Tech and singling out a few that might need looking into. Most of the agents were doing paperwork, each with tics too numerous to count. But the blond man in the shades seemed a little reserved as he sat as his desk and drank coffee over while reading papers. Didn't he strain his eyes wearing shades indoors?

In about ten minutes Milton was to meet Doctor Rachel Sampson and get a further overview of his job at Watch Two. From what Cetz had told him, he was to stay here for only a week. Shame. Perhaps if he did well he could stick around. Watch Two wasn't all that dissimilar from Watch One, but it was someplace new with new people.

Noting on a pad of paper the easy body language between two female agents across the room, Milton sobered his hopes of staying. Being late hadn't made a good impression on the Head of Watch Two. And he was hungry. Damn. Maybe he could swing by a vending machine on his way to Doctor Sampson's office? Cetz said it was just down the hall upstairs, between Med Bay and the labs. Second door on the right.

Or was it the left?

Hand furtive, he scribbled quick observations about an Asian woman and the redheaded man from earlier reentering the bullpen of Main Tech. Rollerblades? That was new, but fun. He also took note of an auburn haired young man that entered with them, glancing over at the blond tentatively. By the arrangement of their desks Milton assumed the newcomer and the blond were partners, but the younger man seemed hesitant around the blond. Even his posture was stilted, like he had a bad back.

Milton looked at his watch and flipped his notebook shut. He head towards Dr. Sampson's office early; that way if he got lost he wouldn't be late. Double checking he had his papers, he walked down the stairs.

Half a flight down he corrected himself and went up the stairs.

***

"I know Paul has a green one... oh, the blue. Yeah you can borrow it, just don't break it; I know how you swing those around."

One advantage Louis found in having to wear sunglasses all the time was the ability to look straight at someone and have them not know it; like looking at Will as he took a call on his cell phone. Apparently Fanboy had friends outside work. Probably geek friends. Will sometimes picked up on Louis looking at him, even with the shades, today he was lucky, Will wasn't noticing a thing. Louis was trying to figure out why Will was being so... to himself lately. And he sure wasn't going to outright ask. Perhaps he would ask Massaru next coffee break.

"I'd prefer you come by tonight and pick it up," replied Will to whoever he was talking to. "I'm going to be leaving Thursday for work. Way out of town. A few days. Yeah, I know it's a bummer I'm not going, but its work. Maybe the next one. Hm? No, I'm not lending him my gun belt; the last time I lent Jeff a prop it came back smelling like wet cat and cigarette smoke. Febreeze doesn't fix that. I don't care how many ladies are going to be there."

Gun belt? Now Louis's interest was piqued.

"Okay, see you later tonight."

Louis pursed his lips, running a finger along the rim of his coffee cup. He wouldn't ask, especially when he hadn't a clue what the conversation had been about. Then it dawned on him. Green, blue, swinging things around, gunbelt... geekness.

"Did someone just call you to borrow a light-saber?"

Will looked up, startled. "Yeah."

"And you had one to lend out?"

"I have two."

"Fanboy..." Louis shook his head and got up with his mug. Might as well get a caffeine recharge before Will and he met with Rachel about tomorrow's torture. He passed by the stairs, noticing that the new shrink had left his post. Good, he didn't like people eyeing him.