Resistance

Untitled Part 16

Patrick had finally managed to break into the police database and was scrolling through file upon file of unsolved stabbings. There were a lot of them and it took him a good hour to find the one he was looking for.

Although he'd been expecting them, the crime-scene photos caught him a bit by surprise.

Cha0tica's apartment had been a messy den, this was to be expected. Dirty dishes and empty pizza boxes and noodle cups everywhere. His body lay sprawled out on the bed, a bloody wound in his stomach. His skin appeared a pasty grey against the deep red.

Police had remarked there didn't appear to be any signs of a struggle. No forced entry, leading them to question if Cha0tica had known his assailant. Patrick felt a sickening churn settle in his stomach, as he scrolled through the photos and adjacent notes. The police had literally nothing to go on. Cha0tica had been thorough in erasing his digital fingerprints, and while police were suspecting his death had something to do with something he'd accessed on his computer they couldn't find anything on the confiscated laptop to support this. Patrick felt his fingers twitch a little. He would give a lot to get his hands on that laptop. He was positive he could dig something up that the police had missed.

He copied the information from the police investigation over to a memory-stick and closed his laptop, getting to his feet.

Would he be bold enough to try and steal the laptop?

Thinking hard he went back out into the living room and dumped down in the couch with a silent sigh.

He looked up as the door to Nigel's room slid open and the young man poked his head out.

"You couldn't sleep either?" he asked, stepping into the living room and closing the door behind him.

"I actually haven't tried..." Patrick confessed.

"Oh." Nigel said, sitting down on the couch beside him. Patrick glanced at him.

"So, you wanna tell me about your first day at Pyramid?" he asked. Nigel frowned.

"There's not much to say, really..." he said. "I'm a lab assistant and all I did today was jotting down notes on different kinds of bacteria."

"Sounds kinda boring..." Patrick said.

"Honestly, it is." Nigel replied. "You can only look at these colourful clusters for so long before you feel your mind begin to slip."

He gave a silent sigh.

"I can't wait to get my own lab there..." he muttered.

"Does your superior suck?" Patrick asked and Nigel jumped.

"Well..." he said hesitantly and Patrick looked at him.

"Does he?" he pressed on.

"It's a she." Nigel corrected him.

"That's beside the point." Patrick said. "So is she treating you poorly? Because if she is I'd say screw this job. You're worth more than that."

"Patrick, this is a huge opportunity for me. Pyramid is like... The Nintendo of medicine! Having a job there is a great honour and should be cherished. I still can't believe they picked me!"

"But still, if your boss sucks..." Patrick.

"It's only temporary, Patrick." Nigel said. "I won't have to deal with her forever."

"Look, I'm just worried." Patrick said. "I just don't want to see this ruin you."

"Patrick." Nigel eyed him astonished. "I didn't know you cared so much!"

"Of course I do!" Patrick exclaimed hotly. "I'm not always good at showing it, but I care, Nigel. I care about you and your well-being. And I care about how this new job is affecting you."

"That's really sweet! I had no idea!" Nigel laughed and wrapped his arms around Patrick's arm.

"Just promise me you won't let this ruin you, okay?" Patrick said, resting his head on top of Nigel's.

"Okay." Nigel muttered. Patrick cast him a sideways glance. Nigel had closed his eyes.

"You wanna watch trash TV until we're too tired to keep our eyes open?" Patrick asked him.

"Okay..." Nigel muttered, burrowing deeper into the couch.

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