Cy-XI5: Incend | ON-HOLD ✘

Chapter 2.2 - Here

Chapter 2.2 – Here

-

Mark wasn't there today, either.

Kaelisa sighed and walked away, taking her chip from her belt. There was only one task left, and the countdown time of twenty hours rested beside it. She had no energy to finish her work immediately for the first time in a while.

She wouldn't have more reason to frequent the tile room if she did. Then she wouldn't ever know whether the cyborg from nearly two hundred thousand seconds ago would be there.

All throughout her years working with engineers handling the tiles, none of them had ever exuded anything other than a professional air that separated them from the non-engineers to a certain extent. But that cyborg, Mark, had none of that. He casually spoke to her like equals, yet he was polite and even scarcely sly.

With nothing much else to do, Kaelisa went back to the tile room to input her final task. Then she'd dedicate the rest of her free time to resting and healing at the medical department. That way, she could minimize the trouble her muscles and nerves had been trudging through.

The pocket door opened, and a sharp exhale emerged from Kaelisa's breath.

Still no Mark.

Maybe tomorrow.

-

"You're one task left? Already? Again?" Makena yelled. Kaelisa waved both hands between them, silently asking her friend to calm down. "If I only knew you'd work your butt off again once the new circulation came up, I'd have insisted on filing a six-hundred-thousand-second break for you!"

"You'd still need her signature for it, so..." A dark-skinned petite girl said, leaning her body against Okeyo's back.

"Ekene, I am eating. Please get off." Okeyo said in between gritted teeth. Ekene didn't respond to him and only tilted her head, looking over Kaelisa.

Makena pursed her lips. "Maybe I should do it, for real."

"As I said, you'll need Kaelisa's signature for the file, Makena."

Makena blocked a hand between her and Ekene. "I don't wanna hear it. I'm still doing it."

"Kena." Kaelisa held Makena's forearms, forcing her to make eye contact. "I'm fine. I submitted a rest tile forty thousand seconds ago."

Makena calmed down, but her eyes still bore into Kaelisa's. "When's it gonna kick in?"

"Probably in a few thousand seconds."

"Good."

"She calmed down fast," Ekene commented, jumping away from Okeyo before his head erupted.

"Kaelisa, just take Ekene away to do your reports now, please." Okeyo pleaded.

Ekene pulled out a tongue as she ran close to Kaelisa at Okeyo's glare.

Kaelisa smiled at Makena and waved. "I'll see you later."

"Don't you dare have your rest tile removed, Kae."

"Scary," Ekene mumbled, which only Kaelisa heard.

"Yes, yes."

Kaelisa pulled Ekene away to the intelligence department. The walk and submission of reports from the previous task went on quietly.

"Kaelisa."

"Yes?"

"How long were you a junior data analyst?" Ekene stopped walking. "I've been junior for nearly a year now. What do you think I'm doing wrong?"