บท 5: Broken Protocol
I had to trade shifts to make time for the concert. My boss wasn't pleased, just like he wasn't pleased with my frequent 'doctor's appointments'. He wasn't pleased with a lot of things in the world, and it was starting to bring me down. Maybe it was time to change jobs. I liked bartending, for its anonymity and for the money, too. But there were a lot of interesting things out there for a person not concerned with the future.
Time flowed slowly that day, and I counted minutes until the evening. Customers were few and far between, so I spent most of the time polishing glasses and yawning. The cocktail waitress, Nikki, was bored to death, too. She was in her thirties, attractive, and sported an assortment of artsy tattoos. We shared a lazy workplace friendship that was great for enduring these sorts of days.
'Hey, Nikki, - I asked after a while. - Do you think that I have a tortured look?'
She looked at me with skepticism:
'You a have a what now?'
'A tortured look. A friend of mine said that I'm tall, dark and handsome. And have a tortured look.'
She rolled her eyes.
'Your friend has an active imagination. No offense, sweetie, but you're the most boring-looking person I know.'
'Hey, I'm not that boring'.
'Yes you are, Matthew'.
I sighed.
'Yeah. That's what I thought.'
She shook her head.
'I mean, all you ever do is work. And when you're not working, you're usually doing something boring like reading a book or something.'
Guilty as charged.
'Don't get me wrong, when my boy grows up I want him to be exactly like you!'
The door opened, and a customer walked in.
'Ain't nothing wrong with boring. On the other hand, now is your time to do all the stupid things you'll enjoy regretting later in your life. Like, when I was your age... which wasn't that far back, mind you! I did all kinds of crazy stupid stuff. Like this one time…'
The customer approached the bar, and she cut herself off. I raised my eyes to get a good look at them and almost drop the glass.
'Hi, - said the Protector. - Can I get a drink?'
She was wearing her usual non-descript clothes, somehow managing to look borderline glamorous despite them. But seeing her outside of the test chamber, in the worn-down bar I was working at, was a complete shock. It was wrong on so many levels that I couldn't even begin to describe them. The Protector had never, ever approached me outside of the PA's office before. That part of my life was sealed and isolated. It wasn't supposed to come in contact with anything else. There were protocols against it.
I remembered the test, the mistake I made, and felt a shiver of panic in my chest.
Nikki pointed to the nearest seat.
'Sure thing! Matthew here is you guy.'
The Protector looked at me with that cold, dangerous smile of hers.
'Hi, Matthew. How about a glass of scotch?'
Hearing her say my name almost made me recoil.
Nikki shot a quick glance on the watch, and then looked back at the Protector.
'Hard day?'
'You can't imagine'.
My hands went rigid as wood. Trying not to spill it, I poured scotch in a glass and put it on the bar in front of the Protector.
She looked around with curiosity.
'Is it always so quiet in here?'
Nikki gave me a strange look. At this point, I would usually pick up the conversation to make the customer feel comfortable. But I couldn't speak, not yet. She covered for me.
'This time of day? There's usually a couple of campus kids drinking beer. But they're all studying for the tests now'.
The Protector nodded at me.
'What about you, Matthew? You don't need to study for the tests?'
I shivered. My face twitched.
'Don't go to a university.'
She took a sip of scotch, still smiling.
'Really? How come?'
Nikki gave me a raised eyebrow and walked away, now that a customer interrupted out idle banter.
Leaving me alone with the Protector.
'Jesus, zero six eleven. You should at least try not acting like you've been hit by lightning.'
Somehow, hearing her address me by my number calmed me down a little.
'My name is Karol, by the way.'
And like that, some semblance of the protocol was restored. I could breathe again. Well, almost.
'What are you doing here?'
I wanted to sound normal, but the fear seeped into my voice, making it sound harsh and raspy.
'I'm getting a drink. How about you? You really work in this dump?'
For a moment I believed that it was a coincidence. But it couldn't have been. The Protector knew every detail of my life, every little speck of information there was to know about me. More than likely she knew more about my life than I did myself. She knew exactly where I worked, and she walked in here intentionally.
'I do.'
I reached for the bottle and poured a glass for myself, too. I tried really hard to seem calm.
'Is this about my test?'
She pretended to look perplexed for a second.
'Relax, zero six eleven. Increasing Ability potential is normal for genetically altered of your age. You don't have the Disease'.
Oh. The last stages of the Disease were supposed to enhance a wraith's Ability exponentially. The more insane you were, the greater your capacity for destruction would grow. That's why there was that pulled apart car in Seattle. So the Protector noticed me freaking out yesterday, but she didn't think that I was afraid of her uncovering my secret. She thought I was afraid that I had the symptoms.
I exhaled.
'Listen. Something came up, and it couldn't wait. I'll be out of your hair in a minute, zero six eleven.'
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo.
'Have you seen this man?'
I looked down. The guy in the photo was handsome, with a short haircut and strikingly blue, cheerful eyes. There was a small scar under his lip, which only made him look more attractive. He was around thirty, maybe a little bit younger, lean and muscular. I had no idea who he was.
'No.'
She frowned.
'Are you sure? He would be older now.'
'I've never seen him. Why? Who is he?'
She lingered for a moment, then put the photo away.
'Doesn't matter.'
Without finishing her scotch, the Protector put some money on the counter and raised to leave. Then she stopped and looked at me, this time without a smile.
'Anyone been bothering you?'
I raised my eyebrows.
'Except for you? No, everything's fine.'
She nodded.
'Okay then. See you next time.'
While she was walking to the exit, I had time to look at her. Now, when the threat was gone, I could see that something about her was off. It was hard to tell with the Protector because everything she chose to show about herself was usually a lie. Her poker face was always immaculate, and her demeanor was always relaxed and confident. But I've been her ward for long enough to see that, today, she was different. Today, the Protector seemed... tense. Of course, if it wasn't another trick she was playing on me.
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