Night Shift

part 1

1520 words

There was an ache in his chest and a sinking feeling that hadn't gone away since yesterday. The head scientist shouldn't be aimlessly wandering around town, he should be being productive. There were unfinished projects lingering in the back of his mind as he ignored the empty feeling of never being able to complete them. He itched to go back, but he had to reason with himself. He just wasn't what they needed. The weeks he spent stuck at home, unable to think clearly from a pain that wouldn't go away, made him practically useless. He was one of the smartest minds in Blackrock, but the burden of keeping him around had finally outweighed that. Months of nothing new to show, and increasingly expensive medical bills made him dead weight. He wasn't mad at his superiors. In fact he admired their calculated actions. There really wasn't a good reason to keep him around. He was by all means useless.

But despite his attempts, he could not shake the distraught he felt. No amount of logical thinking he repeated in his mind would make the situation any better. He was still dying, just now they had no reason to keep him alive. So he followed sidewalks to wherever they would take him, nothing to occupy his time but the sounds of cars rushing by and cold air stinging the tips of his ears.

As his legs began to ache he made his way to a bench. He closed his eye and his mind couldn't help but drift back to the Biografts that he had been working on before he learnt of his termination. He had started to improve their ability to mimic regular speech, and he knew it was getting better, but he had been working on it for at least a month with too little progress. Still, he wondered what improvements he could make if he had stayed. But his daydream was cut short by a voice.

"I don't usually see you outside the lab."

Subspace opened his eye to see the masked phighter standing in front of him. He sat up and tried to readjust his expression to hide the fatigue in his eye.

"Hyperlaser!! What are you doing out in the cold?" He ignored the other's remark.

"Going for a walk." He paused. "What are you doing?"

Hyperlaser would not consider Subspace to be his friend by any regard, but they had spent enough time together for Hyperlaser to be at least curious to the ongoing of the scientist's life. It was quite entertaining when you ignored the torture.

Subspace let out a dramatic sigh. "I've been worked to the brim!! So many new inventions that they can't keep up with it all!! Haven't slept in about a year with all these breakthroughs, I think as the smartest person in my field I deserve to have a break or two!!"

Hyperlaser let out a small chuckle at Subspace's theatrics. "Well, how about you join me for a coffee and tell me about all of these supposed breakthroughs?" Hyperlaser knew Subspace would never turn down a chance to ramble about whatever he was working on, and Hyperlaser couldn't deny it was interesting.

But Subspace hesitated. He looked down for a second, thinking the question over, before standing up. "Alright!!"

They made their way to the cafe mostly in silence. This wasn't their first time having coffee together to talk. Hyperlaser knew the scientist didn't really have friends, and partly felt bad even though it was Subspace's own fault. Sometimes he wondered if Subspace made the Biografts seem more human just so he'd have someone to talk to. The way he speaks of the Biografts is oddly reminiscent of a parent speaking about their child, so Hyperlaser wouldn't be surprised if the Biografts were the closest thing to family Subspace had.

"I was thinking of trying to update the Biografts communication. Make them seem more... ehh... human and all! Give them unique mannerisms, so people will feel bad about killing them!"

Speak of the devil.

"How will you know you haven't accidentally created sentient robots?" Hyperlaser joked.