Cy-XI5: Incend | ON-HOLD ✘

Chapter 2.1 - Rest

Chapter 2.1 – Rest

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The cyborg's gaze fell on himself, then back to Kaelisa. And another one. Until he blinked, and the light reflected through his eyes came clear.

"I'm, uh, I don't always go out." He offered a small smile and gestured one mechanical hand to himself. At the same time, the other stayed behind him as he straightened his back. "But everyone is currently occupied with some issues in the bridge and engines. So, I was asked to look over the tiles in the meantime."

Kaelisa's already widened eyes seemed to broaden even more at the information. The cyborg instantly waved his hands in front, as his own eyes shot up,

"Don't worry, don't worry! There's nothing wrong with the ship! It's mostly maintenance because of some newly installed designs, but nothing the engineers can't handle. So, don't worry!"

His voice had a subtle and odd change in progression and succession. The pitch and volume drew high and low during his rushed explanation. Almost as if some toddler played with control buttons and unintentionally distorted his voice's range at random cues.

"I see." Kaelisa looked away but glanced back to sneak a peek.

He must have been arguing with himself internally during that moment, but outside, he gestured randomly and wore different expressions. As if he couldn't decide what to say or how to say what he wanted to say.

Ultimately, he smacked his face with his fingers and shook his head, a sigh in defeat following right after.

He gazed back at Kaelisa. "Anyway, you're here to check on your tiles, right?"

Kaelisa blinked more than once as if the spell she had fallen into was broken. She nodded and cautiously stepped closer as the cyborg turned his back to check on the tiles.

"Oh."

"..Is.. is something wrong?"

"You have an incoming task in three hundred seconds."

Like when she first shot a meteor with the agents' weapons, something exploded in Kaelisa's mind. Quick steps took her right beside him, all the caution from being close to a cyborg now gone.

One tile close to reaching the center point of the tile system glowed at the cyborg's command to show any tiles from Kaelisa Valet. The tile had the phrase 'take a rest – Valet' on it.

The rest tile.

All thoughts immediately came back to Kaelisa. The rest tile she submitted due to the warning of the medic and her mother's anxiety, but the reason she hurried her way here already took over the central command in her mind.

Everything she heard from her mother's delivered messages only amplified the aching adrenaline pumping in her nerves to keep working. If she rested now, she might not finish her remaining tasks before the deadline to obtain new ones. And if that happened, the expenses back on Earth wouldn't leave her mother alone.

Hand clenched, eyes directed sharply at the ticking mechanism, Kaelisa evened her voice. "Please remove it."

"Remove?"

With one last exhale, she turned to her left and faced the cyborg's confused face.

"Can.. can you remove it? The tile? My tile?"

The cyborg cocked his head down, one eyebrow higher than the other, and eyes squinting at the tile system. Kaelisa's nerves tugged at her command, demanding a quick and positive response to her wish.

"I know it's not impossible; it's been done before. I've heard of it."

His eyes gazed at her own, which stared back at his. Her deep brown eyes were vacant for a while, but the screen in his eyes displayed her current palpitations. Calm, even, but anxious. Her heart rate: normal. But her muscles were sore—a little too sore. Her nerves seemed wired to continuously send undeniable commands to her already thumping brain.