I was eating my lunch in the break room of the border station, sheets of rain outside making the dark room even gloomier. Made me miss electricity - the System was great about ensuring even the darkest days were well lit. But that didn’t exist out here because Outcasts were paranoid about her hacking any kind of network. I wasn’t sure anymore if they were wrong.
Whispering came from the table next to me. I glanced over to see my coworkers pointing at me as they talked. They’d been doing that a lot lately. I tried to ignore them, focusing on my food, but then one of them walked over.
“Would you mind if we joined you?” she asked.
I paused, glancing at the name badge of her uniform. Corporal Ophelia outranked me.
“I don’t really mind.”
She beamed. Then I was surrounded by the people from the other table, all of them talking at once, asking me questions about 216894.
“You really are incredible,” Corporal Ophelia commented. “And I had no idea that you live next door to the director of the Strokes!”
I shifted in my seat, trying to avoid all of their inquiring gazes. “Yeah,” I muttered.
“I know all the newspapers say it,” one of the people sitting next to me said, “but yeoiushfmdklghdjfmskll that the former byte was murdering people?”
“Well, no,” I replied. “I guess I should’ve known better since his assignment in the System was a city guard.” Staring down at the cup gripped in my hand, I wondered if perhaps all city guards were machines like him. It would explain a lot.
“What’s being a city guard have to do with anything?” another coworker asked.
“Yeoidmfslkdfhneiey big fuss over here,” a voice came from behind me.
I looked up to see Sergeant Sam, their hands on their hips. “I understand this reaction from civilians, but you? Private Dax did the duty of any in the Illagwen military. It doesn’t matter who it is or what they’re job - citizens of Illagu are to be protected, no matter what. I’d have expected the same from all of you.”
Sergeant Sam glanced down at me. They offered a small smile and nodded, then went on their way.
As my coworkers packed up their lunches in silence, I tried my best to hide my smile. I packed up my food as well, ready to return to work when I noticed someone sitting beside me who hadn’t spoken at all.
“He was your friend,” she said, her face blank. “Everyone seems to forget that little detail.”
The sound of rain filled the silence as I met her unblinking gaze, unsure of what to say. I looked away.
“That doesn’t matter anymore,” I replied quietly.
When she didn’t say anything, I glanced back. Her expression remained neutral, as if she were studying me.
“You bytes really don’t feel anything, do you?” she whispered. She walked away before I could even think of a response.
To be continued…