Inner Workings

Inner Workings - Part 37

The egg timer duct-taped the front wall of Comp Tech had five minutes left. Grant lay sprawled on his cot in his office, leg hanging over the side when Cetz checked up on him. Cetz was tempted to shake the Comp Tech awake. It had been hours since an update on Sandra; Olivia's Surveillance Tech was good, but even they had limits. But Grant needed all the sleep he could get. Cetz could wait a little longer.

Meanwhile, Rachel still wasn't talking to him.

How could Cetz explain to her that Watch One was hurting after Martin Zach's betrayal. Rachel hadn't liked the man when he was just the Head of Watch Security, but couldn't she empathize? Then again, he couldn't empathize that much with Martin either. Shooting one of his own agents had put Martin on his no-like list. Perhaps Cetz could bring up the fact that she had kept an open mind to a man willing to hand over a man-made super virus to an arms dealer.

Cetz took his empty mug to the break room and finished off the tepid coffee in the pitcher, making another batch for the long day ahead. Franklin entered, candy cane first.

"Woot! Fresh coffee!"

"Help yourself," said Cetz, gesturing to the machine.

"Much obliged. Oh, I left Nate's report on your desk."

"Thanks, I'll read it once I get there." Cetz grabbed another mug of coffee, a peace offering for Rachel. He passed the lab on the way to her office and paused at the slender window. The psychologist, Milton Balcuwitz, was passing toys back and forth with the lab chimp via the slot in her cage. And, Milton made a flying noise with a rubber bird.

They were playing.

"Definitely a chimp whisperer," Cetz muttered. To think Watch Mission Control actually recommended the guy.

Cetz continued to his office to read Nate's report.

***

"Do Ram and Mary live that far away?" asked Will, listening to distant thunder that echoed through the Laundromat. The amount of laundry coming through the folding station kept piling up with a new batch of refugees being brought in from the flooded roads. The promise of an early lunch kept most of the volunteers working, but Will felt drowsiness creep upon him. "They've been gone for a while."

Parvati shrugged, but her brow creased with worry as she took Will's folded clothing and bagged it with the others. "Only a few blocks away, but they should have been back by now."

"I would not worry," said Massaru. "Young couples need time to talk."

Louis dumped his rumpled pile of clothes in front of Will and made a straight line to the exit. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" asked Will.

Louis held up the thermos as he walked out the door. "Coffee. Don't wait up."

***

So much for sunny California weather. The temperature had dropped like a stone, the thundering mist making Louis' nose run, but it was better outside than in the tiny laundry room. Hot, steamy, crowded, always things moving... like Will's insides. And Will asking questions like he gave a damn.

Louis shook his head and kept walking, tucking the thermos under his arm and rubbing his left hand.

Coffee. Relatively easy to come by. Any decent gas station had the caffeine basics, but they were too far to walk. Painkillers, that took a little more. The mom and pop grocery store across the street had both of his needs, and more than one attempt at looting, so the old man at the register kept an eye on him as he browsed the limited selections of Advil and Tylenol. Something to keep the pain manageable until this whole fiasco was over and he could get it looked at. And not in front of Will. As he reached for a box of extra strength medicine his knuckles twitched, tightening against the movement, a spasm that caused the whole row of boxes to fall at his feet.