Wake up, wake up, it’s possibly the first of the month (I haven’t decided a date for any of these events yet)

There’s no way Ava had already showered. I’d just have to catch one at work like I used to. I got dressed and went to my van. I drove to the gym, took my shower, and went to the cafe.

Sara was working today. She smiled the moment she saw me. “Michael! Hey!” She waved me over.

I obliged, and she started working on mine and Rich’s drinks. “Did you enjoy the movie last night? It was a bit vulgar for me, but I think all that guy’s movies are going to be like that.”

“Yeah, it was good. Does Hana come over for all of the movie nights?” I asked. Ava was the connection from Hana to the apartment, but the other girls may have some insight on her.

Sara smiled knowingly (despite not knowing why I’m asking). “Hana? She comes for all the movies, yeah. Sometimes for dinner too. She’s single too~.” She said the ‘too’ in a sing-song-y way.

“I’m not… that’s not why I’m asking, I'm just, like… curious.”

She kept that smug grin. “‘Curious’, huh?”

I sighed. I wasn’t getting anywhere with this. “Never mind.” I said as she handed me the coffees. “Thank you.”

“Of course! Oh, you’re on dinner duty tonight by the way.” Sara mentioned as I left.

What? Fuck. I can’t cook for shit. Hope the girls like take-out pizza.

I arrived at my floor and brought Rich his coffee.

Rich gave me a big grin when he saw me which was odd. Usually he gave the smile to his coffee.

“Hot damn, Michael! You fucking survived Hana, eh? She must have fucking liked you a shit ton!”

I wondered if he meant that literally or not. How much did Rich know? Was he important enough to know about my deal? I’d have to guess not, since he didn’t know anything about the rat incident.

“Hey, Rich.” I handed him his coffee. As he drank it in one go like usual, I asked him, “You know anything about what I had to do yesterday?”

He looked at me with a grin. “They didn’t fucking tell me much, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t learn a thing or fucking two working here.”

The way he talks is so fucking obnoxious so, for the sake of brevity, I’ll summarize.

Rich explained that his dad was a friend of the founder of Vocx, though even he didn’t know the man (not sure how you’re friends with someone you don’t know the name of, but regardless). Rich was able to get a higher-ish position because of his connection, like I’d guessed.

Despite it being nepotism that gained him a good role in the company, he did seem to be more aware of the happenings of the company.

At one point he’d asked, “So, you must have seen some of the fucked up shit?”

“Uh…” I hesitated. Was this a trick question?

“Hey, Michael: you’re my fucking best friend, you can fucking trust me!”

That was kind of sad. I guess with his awful personality, it was hard to make friends? I wouldn’t consider him one, I’ll tell you that much. When did this even change? I thought this guy hated me? Whatever. This is good.

As we talked, I learned he did in fact know about the rat mutation. He explained that the top brass were told to play oblivious to everything. It was meant to ensure a level of plausible deniability in case somehow any controversies slipped out. The only reason he was talking to me now was because I’d spoken to Hana.

Apparently, he was under the impression Hana and I were in a mutual agreeance, and I’d gained the trust of the company. I wasn’t going to correct him, not if it helped get me a leg up in my situation. He clearly didn’t know about the bomb.

He didn’t know Hana well, but he knew she was far more important than anyone let on. He said she’d started working there before he had, but was still considered an ‘intern’. He said they claimed that’s because she’d started at a young age (apparently she was a young scientific prodigy of sorts), but he thought it was a bullshit excuse to keep her inconspicuous.

“Did they give you that fucking truth serum shit yet?” Rich asked, his eyes lighting up.

“Yeah, yesterday I had some. Had me vomiting neon this morning.”

He laughed loudly. Like, too loud. A couple scientists looked around in their cubicles to see what the commotion was about. Rich yelled at them to mind their own business (in a more colorful way), and he directed his focus back to me.

“Ha! Yeah, the first time hits like a mother fucking bitch, huh?” He laughed more before leaning close, whispering. “Don’t tell Hana shit, but I actually had some of the mother fucker made on the down-low for myself.”

It appears that Rich is a bit of a junkie for the substance. To be fair, the fuzziness it gives you is very nice. Apparently, he’d begun a side hustle selling the truth serum on the side to his frat bros. I was terrified at what they could be using that for.

I asked him if I could get some. There’s no way I’d be able to get the shit they were putting in me, but at least Ava could check out the truth serum.

“Hm… okay, you son of a bitch, I’ll give you some. Next fucking time you’re paying though, no more hands out after this.” He reached into his desk and pulled out a syringe full of a dark green liquid. Wait… I hadn’t been vomiting the truth serum today. This was green. This didn’t change much, but it made whatever I’d been getting much more concerning.

Also… what the fuck, he just kept that shit in his desk?!

I put the syringe in my pocket, praying I didn’t sit on it and get jabbed at any point.

We made more small talk, mostly about shit I couldn’t give less of a fuck about. Crypto, party ****, basketball, etc. Not to bash anyone into that stuff, it’s just not for me. At some point he got a text from that blonde chick who worked at the cafe, and he told me in graphic detail how he was about to go fuck her in the gym’s shower. This guy lives life on the easiest setting.

The rest of the day went like normal, though at one point I received a text from mystery number. Considering it said ‘get in the elevator. shot time!’, I had to assume it was Hana.

After the gut-wrenching ride, I was proven right. Hana was dressed much more professionally today. Suit and tie, shoulder pads, heels; the entire she-boss look. She even had the horn-rimmed glasses, and her hair was in a tight bun.

She looked hot. I didn't like that that was a thought I had.

She didn’t seem happy.

“Let me be frank with you, Michael: you being roommates with Ava is more than aggravating. I had picked up the possibility, based on context clues, but I had hoped it had been coincidence. It wasn’t, obviously.” She sneered at me before walking to her desk.

I followed, getting back in the chair like I had the day before.

“I suppose it’s nice to be able to keep an eye on you, though I do hate the fact you know where I reside. Whatever. Not like I have anything to be scared of right? I hold the power, yes?” She flashed an evil, toothy smile.

I didn’t respond. She didn’t expect me to, I could tell. She just wanted to fuck with me. She wanted to break my spirit. I wouldn’t let her. I will find a way out of this.

Then came the jab of Fibnegresium, the drowsiness hitting hard, then the fuzziness hitting harder.

“Michael, have you told anyone about what we did to you? Anything about the incident you stumbled into? Anything about the deal we’ve made, or the tests we’re running? I ask specifically about alive people. Also, for the sake of brevity, let’s keep it to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, huh? Last time you were… buffoonish.”

A couple additions, but I’d been right. She clearly had a protocol to follow. I just had to bank on my conscious being able to justify a white lie.

“N….o.”

It sounded strained, but I think I’d been saved by the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ clause. If she hadn’t said that, I surely would have delved into every little thing I’d done.

Hana seemed satisfied by the answer. “Great. The Fibnegresium shouldn’t last as long this time, so no absurdity when you get home today. I’ll give you your jab and you’ll be free to go.” She pulled out the orange syringe, and I had to wonder how I’d forgotten this was the shit I’d vomited rather than the truth serum. Maybe I’m dumb.

She walked around the desk to me, and I was tempted to try and overpower her. No doubt I could; I was no bodybuilder, but I was much bigger than the short Asian woman. I chose not to, both because I’m a huge pussy and because I didn’t know what I’d do afterwards.

She jabbed my neck, and left. No goodbye today. She really did hate my existence. Wasn’t me testing this **** a good thing for her? Odd.

It was the end of the work day. I drove my van to a pizza place and grabbed two large pizzas (one topped with random bullshit, and one with pepperoni that I would actually eat). As I was paying for my pies, I heard a slam of the door behind me.

“EVERYBODY, EMPTY YOUR FUCKING POCKETS!!”

Shit.

-

Guys I totally fucked up lol, I’d been writing thinking the orange shit was the truth serum, but if you reread the chapter it was introduced in it says Michael didn’t see the truth serum, but he did see the **** they’re testing. Totally my bad, it made me redo this chapter. I’m not going back to fix it, I’ll just say that our MC has a terrible memory. lol!