Hotel Apocalypse

Episode 2: The Custodian's Key, Chapter 5

When the custodians gather back at the maintenance floor after their lunch break, Mr. Calhoun calls Leo and Oliver into his office. Their afternoon assignment, he explains, is to clean the cinema level.

Oliver’s face is expressionless in Calhoun’s office, and he doesn’t say a word to Leo as they gather their supplies and walk to the JetStream platform. Leo assumes that his roommate’s foul mood is the result of his lingering hangover, but as they begin to sweep the popcorn-covered floor of the cinema, Leo senses that Oliver is ignoring him for another reason.

“Is everything okay?” Leo asks.

“Sure,” Oliver says, not making eye contact with him.

“Because you’re acting like you’re upset with me, and I’m struggling to figure out why.”

“Maybe you should go ask your lifeguard friend,” Oliver says, slamming his broom against a cup holder.

This comment stuns Leo, and the only response he manages to muster is, “Huh?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear me? I said maybe you should go ask your lifeguard friend. Look, I know you didn’t go back to the room to take a nap like you said.”

“Wait, how – hold on. Did you follow me up there?”

“No, Leo. Silly me, I believed you when you said you were taking a nap. But then Felicity Fairbanks’ broadcast came on in the mess hall, and there you were in the background with your pants rolled up, talking to that lifeguard. What in the world were you doing in a kiddie pool?”

“It’s a long story,” Leo says. He’s now in a full panic, partly because he has upset Oliver and partly because he fears that thousands of other people watching the news broadcast may have seen him show the silver key to Caleb. “Did – did anyone else see me?” he asks.

“I doubt it,” Oliver says. “You were only in the shot for a few seconds, and Boris and Dmitri were pretty focused on Felicity Fairbanks’ bikini. But I could tell it was you.” He rests his chin on the end of the broomstick. “You lied to me, Leo. That hurts.”

“I am so, so sorry, Oliver. Let me explain everything. I was there –”

“Don’t bother,” Oliver says, cutting him off. “You don’t owe me any explanation. It’s not like we’re married. You don’t have to tell me everything. We’re just roommates. Wait, is that what this is about? Were you out shopping for a new roommate? Are you replacing me with that bimbo lifeguard?”

Leo’s panic has subsided for the most part, and he has to chuckle when he hears Oliver jump to such a dramatic conclusion.

“No, no, no,” he says, grabbing Oliver’s shoulders firmly. “You will always be my roommate. I promise. And I feel awful for lying to you. But if you let me explain, I think you’ll understand why I did what I did.”

They pick up their brooms and continue sweeping as Leo tells Oliver the full story. He starts with the key and even pulls it out to let Oliver hold and examine it. Then he describes the previous night in the arcade, the stairwell, his conversation with Caleb, and finally, the Surge.

“So if I hadn’t been so drunk last night,” Oliver says, “would you have taken me with you to the arcade?”

Leo laughs. “Probably. But that’s old news. Right now I need to figure out what I’m going to do.”

“I don’t see what there is to figure out.”

“The Surge,” Leo says. “Do I join them or not?”

“Of course you join!” Oliver says. “I didn’t even think that was up for debate.”

“But I’m not sure if I really see the point. Heathcliff went on and on about how we’re slaves and how we need to fight for our freedom, and it all just seemed a little too extreme for me.”

“Clearly he’s extreme,” Oliver says. “I mean, he shot a Yellow Jacket. But to some degree, I think he’s got a point. The system in this place needs to change. Remember what we were saying at lunch yesterday? They’re willing to throw Dentures in jail for life without a trial. And yeah, maybe calling ourselves slaves is over the top. But think about what they did. They brought us in here and told us we were gonna get paid. Then they locked the doors, took away our salaries, and made us work seven days a week. That doesn’t get you angry?”

“Of course it does!” Leo shouts, his voice echoing through the cavernous theater. “Sure, it would be nice if NextGen treated us more like they treat the Residents, but how much can we really complain? We have food and clothes and a place to sleep. It’s a fine life.”

“Except it’s missing one mega-important thing,” Oliver says, his face completely reversed from its previously gloomy state. “And that’s the other reason I think we need to join the Surge."

“What exactly do you think is missing?” Leo asks.

“Excitement. Adventure. A purpose! Whatever you want to call it. Our lives are such a boring routine, and this is our chance to change that.”

“Our chance?”

“What, you thought I was going to let you join a rebellion on your own? We’re in this together, buddy.”

“Oh, Oliver. That’s a really nice gesture, but I’m not sure Caleb would appreciate me inviting my friends to join. I’ll probably get in trouble just for telling you this stuff.”

“Do I need to remind you about how you just lied to me – your best friend in the entire world? I think the least you can do is let me tag along. A plus-one can’t hurt. Lord knows we won’t be bringing the mafia brothers with us. No way they could keep their mouths shut about this.”

“Why are you suddenly so devoted to this cause?” Leo asks. “You found out about it five minutes ago, and now you’re talking like you’re ready to lead a mutiny. Where have you been hiding this side of you?”

“Are you kidding me? You’re acting like you haven’t spent the last seven years with me. Think about all those crazy conspiracy theories of mine that you tease me about – they’re my attempt at injecting a little bit of intrigue to our existence. If the Surge is planning a mutiny, you can count me in. NextGen promised me that my sunglass business was going to make me a rich man, yet here I am picking bubble gum off of movie theater seats. It’s wrong, and I’m not going to stand for it any longer.”

“Oliver, you need to slow down,” says Leo. “I’m still not sure it’s a good idea to get involved with this group. I’ve seen the prison here – it’s not a place I’d like to spend the rest of my life. And I’m sorry, but I’m not going to risk everything just because you’re disappointed about your silly sunglasses.”

“Oops, you said ‘silly’ when you meant to say ‘brilliant.’”

“Oliver, come on. You know what I mean.”

“No, Leo, all I know is that this is our chance to do something with our lives, and I’m not going to let us miss out on it. Think about it this way – if Adelyn was here right now, what do you think she would tell you to do?”

“I’m not going to play this game with you,” Leo says.

“Too bad,” Oliver says. “We’ve already started. Look, you tell me all the time how much she cared about helping other people. And right now, you have an opportunity to give all of us Dentures a better life. I never met Adelyn, but I’m pretty sure I know what she’d want you to do. She’d want you to fight.”