All the Time to Lose (Wormverse)

Ch 32: Fine is a Relative Term

Things have been hectic lately. Well, hectic may be an understatement. Between the attack on Triumph's family, the entire incident with Dragon's mechs, and the attack on the mayoral debate, things have been utterly insane. I kinda want to tell people that Thomas Calvert was Coil, but I'm not sure what kind of damage that would do. After all, the PRT relies on trust in its people. If I tell them, then I will dismantle that trust.

Then there's the whole, 'PRT Director Thomas Calvert is dead', thing. I'm really not sure how I feel about that. In the past, death always made my stomach turn. Now? ...Strangely enough, as I've gotten more emotional in everyday life, the more extreme situations bother me less than they used to.

I've been talking with Dr. Yamada about it since I noticed it. She's not sure why that might be happening either. I haven't been out in the field since I joined the Wards for anything except patrol shifts. After all, I'm underweight, I have no formal education, and I have a lot of 'issues' that need to be sorted out. I am in no position to be helping the Wards in the field. At least, not yet.

Not to mention precogs have their own systems to set out with the PRT. Like what I need to know, what questions they should ask, how much they can ask, how I categorize problems on a scale, how accurate my information tends to be, etc. Proper precogs (instead of those who see flashes of things right before they happen to or around the user) are a commodity and thus are asked to make themselves available to assist any Protectorate branch.

Dinah Alcott is home and recovering from the addiction Coil gave her. She's agreed that, once she's recovered, she will be available to the PRT for consultations, but they need to pay her/her family so they can pay for her migraine medicine. A good choice, but that is also a somewhat biased thought. I may or may not have visited Dinah the night before the PRT met with the Alcotts and told her the best option to ensure she doesn't get overworked or taken advantage of. I didn't make her say it. I just told her what could happen based on offers presented. It was still their decision.

Overall, not too much to complain about though. Well, except for the fact that the other day I got way overstimulated looking at the possibilities for the attack on the mayoral debate and got one of my biggest migraines ever.

Right now? I'm asleep. I know this because I'm not seeing ten possible conversations, I'm only seeing one. What I'm seeing is Miss Militia, Assault, Battery, Triumph, Weld, Flechette, Clockblocker, Chariot, and Kid Win. Team Arc isn't there. I think they were left to watch the headquarters in case there was another attack.

I know what happened to Vista, but Dr. Antwi - the physician - gave me some new pills today when my migraine got really bad. I've been unconscious since taking them. Thus, I see things as they come, not beforehand. Which means I am forced to watch in real time as the Protectorate and the Wards ask the Undersiders about Vista's disappearance.

Did I mention I hate sleeping pills? They knock me out and then I can't wake up even when I need to. These seem to be doing an especially good job of doing just that this time around. I should tell Dr. Antwi about how I can't seem to wake up with sleeping pills in my system. In theory, they're a good solution to intense, Thinker power induced migraines...but not in practice. In practice, I didn't see this attack on Vista coming and then had to watch it happen knowing I could have warned someone if I had been awake.

I watch as Skitter offers herself as a hostage in exchange for some trust in her team, joining Miss Militia, Weld, Clockblocker, Flechette, and Kid Win in the PRT van. In the meantime, the Undersiders and Parian ride Bitch's dogs and Parian's dachshund doll while Assault rides Miss Militia's bike.

"Only one shot remaining. Two reasons that might be the case. Saving it for yourself, or it was used and you haven't reloaded." Miss Militia states, checking Skitter's gun.