The City Of Steel

Valentine (10)

"It's not like it is," I mumbled.

"Is what?" Albert asked. He popped up at the foot of my bed.

I dropped the flower and faced him. How did he get in? Nevermind.

"Well, are you gonna tell me or not?"

"It's unimportant," I mumbled.

"So, uh, I got that thing you wanted," Albert smiled proudly as he lifted a extension cord.

That isn't what I asked for. At all. "I don't need it anymore. Valentine got it for me."

Albert lowered the extension cord and hid behind the foot of my bed. "Oh," he sounds so disappointed in himself.

I don't care at this point. I'm sick of him dragging me down.

"Is there anythin' else I can help ya with?"

"No," I looked out the window. It's cracked.

"Nothin' at all?"

"Valentine will help me handle it. You can just go do whatever. Just don't get in my way."

Albert whimpered, like a sad puppy. "But, but, dolly-"

"I said don't get in my way."

Albert whimpered again as he made his way to the window.

"Ok," he muttered as he climbed onto the window sill. He sat there for a moment, staring at me.

"What do you want?"

"Your love," Albert mumbled, "No, I don't want it. I need it. I need your love."

Before I could respond, he jumped out of view.

What the hell is wrong with him?

I looked at the flower Valentine had gifted me. I can't really be thinking something so childish right now, right?

There's no way I'd be in love with Valentine. We're enemies, at best. I mean, he's my main (only) competitor. My business would flourish without him.

The only reason he's where he is and I'm where I am is because of his fancy development team. I, singlehandedly, make technology far greater than his.

How can I fall for a stupid simpleton like him?

That's right, I don't. I didn't. I'm better than Valentine, and I don't love him!

How can I love someone who I don't even remember the first name of? What was it, Zip? Hector? Zector?

It doesn't make sense at all.

There's no way I'd fall for him.

I like the idea of him, not him. Yeah, that sounds right.

I like the idea of Valentine. I don't like him, specifically.

There's no way I'd like Valentine.

•
•
•

The night came. For once, staring out the window, I thought I might actually be seeing outside of the city.

I folded back the thin sheets of my hospital bed and carefully lifted myself to the window.

I know that it's just a screen, but the false sky is still beautiful. The moon is clear. I don't think I've seen any type of moon before.

Maybe I should leave this city. It'd be nice to see outside. I know it's only farmland out there, but it still sounds interesting to see something which doesn't move.

Maybe I want to see a silent, still world for a minute. Just so I can rest.

The city never sleeps, and that's by design. Valentine built this city so it'd never rest. He didn't want production to slow down. That's why the entire city is cased-in. No light. No signs out the outside world.

Just the city.

The only sense of time I have is the clocks, which all work on a special time-set made by Valentine's company so you aren't sure whether it's day or night outside the city.

The more I think about it, the more this city just feels like a large Valentine Corp. building.

Where those who don't work for him sit on the bottom gears. And those who lead his company live at the top, in fancy buildings of his design.

And now here he is, coming to a hospital to talk to someone of the lowest ring of a society he created.

Why?

And why the fuck can't I get him out of my mind?

Word Count: 662