Chapter 33: Chapter 31: Personal Hitman and the Woes of Working from Home
Barney and Lumi couldn't help but feel sorry as they watched Matthos talk on the phone with Ramos. She was scolding him for his idea of "music" being the cause of the comatose.
"Why in the world will a baby become stone through a lullaby? Does this look like a fantasy fiction to you?" she demanded. Matthos just let her shout like a harpy as Barney and Lumi listened to him being roasted.
"Do you want to add romance too?" she said in a snarky voice. She was belittling him as if it wasn't hours ago that she thanked him for giving her ideas on how to deal with the problem in City A and B.
"Would it hurt to ask if she heard a voice when the baby became 'ice'?" he was about to lose his patience but was choosing not to because he wanted to have a job after five years. Though technically, he is still working right now, work from home, and not given the five years of freedom he was promised.
"The sister just said she fell asleep and woke up to an ice baby. That's it, that's our clue if it's even a clue."
"Do you think the sister is telling the truth?"
"Yes," she answered immediately. That tells Matthos that it's Ramos's judgment that made her answer that. It's not yet proven, and to base their decision on that can prove to be dangerous.
"Before you decapitate me through the phone, why don't you check if the parents are victims of the pandemic hysteria?" he brought up.
"Yes. the parents are. Even if the parents were affected by the pandemic, they weren't there. It's the sister that was there."
"Just try, will it hurt you to do it?"
"Fine," Ramos answered, "but I'm going to tell you right now, I'm not devoting my time or resources to your suggestions this time. It just doesn't feel feasible at all."
"I definitely approve of that."
Ramos dropped the call, and Matthos finally exhaled, leaning back his head to the chair. Lumi didn't know who Ramos was, but she felt insulted on behalf of her friend. He was doing the best that he can, even when he's not there.
Aside from admiring modern technology that allowed him to fix things from afar, it just saddened her that it burdened him to this extent. If only she can be of assistance to him. Like for example, be his personal hitman.
Barney can read Lumi's drastic mood. Even he wasn't pleased with how Ramos treated Matthos through the phone. She was the one who needed Matthos, and she couldn't even give him a bit of respect. He gets that she's under pressure, but she's the one in need. He wouldn't even get credit for doing this, aside from being named in the case for assisting.
Matthos wasn't assisting. He was the one solving it.
The person on subject wanted to mutter a few choice words, but he became aware of his surroundings and felt the doom and gloom combination between Barney and Lumi. Not only did they absorb the gravity of the situation, but they probably felt a bit frustrated with the distance and limited capability their team had.
At least that was what Matthos thought until
"Matthos, I will commit murder for you," Lumi burst making Barney gasp in surprise and Matthos eyes bulge out. 'Where the hell did that come from?' he thought.
"Lumi, I don't think you need to murder anyone. Hopefully not in the near future or in this lifetime," he said, trying to figure out why Lumi would want to commit murder somehow.
"You're supposed to be on vacation, Matthos," Barney reminded. "You also said you'd devote this time to Lumi and helping her adjust in this era. Ramos is putting too much on your plate. You're a researcher on leave, not work from home."
"That's the thing. I would agree if the case is a simple one and they're being lazy. What's going on now is a different case," Matthos closed his eyes and covered his forehead.
He felt that he'd come down with a fever from all the exhaustion. "We can't ignore that the pandemic is growing, and simple Science can't explain it at all. There are some supernatural forces at play here."
"Matthos, they don't expect you to save the world, do they?" Lumi asked, speechless of the duties that the good samaritan had. With all that he's doing, taking care of her, doing house chores, going outside to do what he said was community service and then reading and what Barney called work from home, it was a wonder how he's still alive.
"Matthos, I just want to warn you, you can't save the world," Barney spoke in a quiet voice that alarmed Lumi. It also made Matthos uneasy, but he had a point. "Don't repeat the past, or you'll have to give up what means to you the most," he warned.
"I know"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone