Another day, another dollar!

I pulled up to the Vocx in my van. It felt weird using the vehicle as a way to get around rather than as a home. I looked up at the large building. I hadn’t been able to consider everything yesterday (if you recall, I woke up after my surgery and immediately had to get to work), but I had gotten a night’s sleep now… not a full night’s, but still. I had time to think. I understood the weight of my situation now.

I also knew that there was a limit. Nothing surveillance-oriented was inside me. That meant something, right? They had a limit to their control over me.

What the hell am I saying? A bomb linked directly to your spine is a lot of fucking control. Shit. I was screwed.

I know I mention the bomb a lot, but I am also incredibly worried about the injection I received. It’s just harder to actively think about if I’m not aware of what it is.

I could play the optimist and say it’s something good. Maybe they’re testing out some sort of cure to a disease. Though… wouldn’t I need to have the disease? So probably not that.

Maybe they’re testing some kind of life-extending medication? I don’t have to have a disease for that to be the case. But… I’d also have to be indentured to this company for my entire life, which, if they’re successful, would be extended who know how long… okay, so hopefully not that.

What if it’s a dick-extending ****? That would be cool. Give me a big dick! Woo!

Okay. Probably not that. But one can hope!

I went to the cafe. Sara wasn’t here today. It was the blonde girl whose name I never remember. I did know she blew Rich.

Rich’s BJ-giver said, “Hey, Michael! Haven’t seen you in a while! Rich’s usual?”

Ah. Now I felt bad. I should know her name. Why don’t they wear name-tags here?

“Yes, please. That’ll be all.”

R-BJ-G started on Rich’s coffee. “I heard you moved in with Sara and the other girls. Are they cool? Me and Sara don’t hang out much outside work, so I’ve never met them.”

“They’re cool, yeah. I didn’t get to know most of them well yet, but they seem nice. Do you know Ava? She’s a nurse? She was nice enough to give me some free healthcare today.”

“Wow, already boning roommates? That’s going to get messy.” She grinned at me.

I shook my head, panicking. “No, no! I had some cuts and she fixed them up is all!” I didn’t need my relationship with Ava turning sour again already.

R-BJ-G laughed. “I’m messing with you, silly. Sara said you didn’t seem the type.”

I hoped she meant ‘type who doesn’t sleep with roommates’ and not ‘type who doesn’t get any’ (even if that’s more-or-less accurate).

“She speaks about you a lot, yaknow.”

“Sara?”

“No, Mother Teresa; yes, I’m talking about Sara!” She rolled her eyes. “You boys….”

Was I missing something? I didn’t know Sara that well at all. She was nice, she was cute, she was… a barista. I didn’t know much else. How does she talk about me a lot?

She handed me the coffee and I left.

I went inside work. I took the elevator and landed at the office. Rich drank his coffee. He made me run papers up and down the building (with access to the elevators, this usual task was much less daunting. I even sometimes took breaks since Rich was used to me taking longer).

It was a normal day. Well, more specifically, it was a day I should have normally had for months. I’d been having abnormal days my entire time here. I had a lunch, and I didn’t have to shower during it at the gym. I even ate lunch with R-BJ-G. I didn’t get her name during it. She was nice. She wanted to know if Rich ever talked about her, and I mentioned that he had said nice things (which is true). After lunch, I went back to Rich and he talked to me (more accurately, he talked at me) during some downtime. Overall? Good work day.

The day came to close to an end. About an hour before I would leave, however, shit had to go sour.

Rich got a notification on his phone. We’d just been in the middle of talking about restaurants we liked in Lovus. His face went a shade paler than usual.

“Fuck, Michael; did you fuck someone’s wife? No one gets called by fucking Hana unless you fucked up big fucking time.”

“Huh?” I didn’t follow. His excessive swearing already made him hard to follow at times, but that’s wasn’t what confused me. Who was Hana? What notification did he get?

Rich looked at me, flabbergasted. “What the hell do you mean don’t fucking know Hana? If you don’t fucking know Hana, then why the fuck would she call for your ass?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Someone’s calling for me? Do I need to, like… go somewhere?”

“Just go in the fucking elevator, Hana’ll handle the rest.” His demeanor had shifted. This entire time he’d been casual, albeit aggressive. He was much colder towards me now, not quite meeting my eye.

It felt weird. He just stared at me as I walked to the elevator.

I stepped into the elevator. I didn’t know what buttons to push. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to choose. The elevator chose for me. I didn’t see what though, because the lights went out. The elevator moved so fast that I couldn’t tell if I was being shot upwards or downwards.

After seconds, it stopped. The doors opened. A familiar voice said, “Hello, Michael. It’s good to see you again.”