--==Chapter 42: Hello?--==

I walked cautiously into the dark observation room. The soft green glow of the vortex created shadows that could easily hide a person or monster from a casual glance. I doubted I'd even be able to pick out the aura of Jessica's trauma monster with the background glow coming through the observation window.

As I'd seen from outside, the operating room was divided into sections. I was in a scrub room with a hand-washing sink and various cupboards and cabinets, likely for surgical gowns and other PPE. I looked around for potential hiding spots.

As I started to search, my biggest worry was that Jessica and Crowdent had simply faced through, exiting on the opposite side they entered. Jessica, at least, had ignored the hallway; I had to assume she'd come in here for a reason. Maybe she was after something like Denis's tranquilizer or just a hiding spot. Likewise, I guessed Crowdent was also hiding, but probably only to ambush me when I least suspected.

If they had just run through, they were getting away, but I really didn't want to get jumped by the giant crow-rat. I'd need to take it slow and be careful, trusting that Jessica could regroup with Alice and the rest if she wasn't hiding. They should be able to chase off the trauma monster by working together. Or so was my hope.

The observation room had a few promising hiding places, including a glass and steel cabinet that held clean surgical gowns and masks. I tried to creep toward it, but my clawed feet clicked against the tiles, no doubt giving away my approach. The cabinet had double doors with glass windows. Despite the windows, it was too dark to know whether Jessica or Crowdent hid inside.

I was pretty sure that Crowdent wasn't smart enough to hide in a cabinet, let alone close the door behind it. Still, I'd just gotten several lessons on underestimating my enemies. Nevertheless, I thought it was much more likely it was hiding somewhere, ready to ambush me when I came close. With that in mind, I checked the shadowed spaces above and beside the cabinet before risking the doors.

Finding nothing, I whipped open the closet doors. Nothing jumped out at me, and a brief search didn't turn up any sign anyone had been there. I moved on to check the other smaller cabinets and crevices.

I kept an eye on the surgical area as I snooped around the prep room, watching for movement against the backdrop of the vortex wall. Most of my light was coming from the glowing barrier that made up the far wall of the surgical bay. It was about as bright as a television screen, which is to say, not bright enough to let me see well. There were also a couple of safety lights, ensuring that if the lights were turned off unexpectedly, there would still be enough light to navigate the room.

After a moment, I decided to turn on the lights by the main door. I'd initially planned to keep them off just in case Jessica and the Crowdent were hiding near each other in the shadows. Instead, I'd just have to react quickly and intervene if I inadvertently gave away Jessica's hiding spot. As it was, with my blue glow and clicking nails, I wasn't going to go unnoticed in the dark. While the same might be true for Crowdent, with all the metal surfaces in the room already reflecting the green of the vortex wall, picking out the monster's glow would be a challenge.

Turning the lights on, I kept my eyes keyed for any movement. Nothing happened. I looked around the surgery prep area again now that I had light, but there were only a few places Jessica could be hiding, and I quickly checked them. More spots could hide Crowdent, but that creature wasn't my priority except to avoid a surprise attack.

There were two doors from the prep room. One on the right side of the room went into the surgical bay. There was another door straight ahead that I knew from earlier held some kind of control room with a bunch of buttons and a microphone. That door didn't have a window, so I'd have to open it blindly to see if the room was empty.

Since I could at least see that nothing was sneaking up on me from the surgical bay—via the observation windows—I decided to clear the control booth first. If I were Jessica and decided to hide, I'd probably choose that room. She might be able to bar the doors, or for all I knew, they locked. More importantly, if Crowdent followed or found her, the control room had another exit on the other side, so unlike the bathroom, she wouldn't be locked in a deathtrap.

The door wasn't locked. I tried the handle first, being as quiet as possible, and it turned. Then I eased it open a sliver, checking for a deadbolt. When I felt no resistance, I pulled it open quickly, readying myself to react if a monster jumped out at me.

This room was also empty.

The room had a desk containing buttons and switches like a built-in audio mixer, presumably for surgical lights or equipment. Beneath the desk was really the only place to hide in the room.

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The door leading back into the hallway had a viewing window, but I still poked my head out the door to be sure it was empty.

I was starting to worry that Jessica had simply run through the prep and control room to slow down any pursuers. I couldn't think of any good reason she'd have gone into the surgical bay to hide. Even when we were clearing rooms, we'd been very careful clearing the operating rooms. By which I mean I wasn't allowed to enter. Something about me shedding and contaminating a sterile environment.

The whole place would need to be bleached now that Crowdent and I had come through. I decided it was a problem that would be solved by the next time loop anyway.

Closing the door to the control room, I looked through the window to the surgical bay. Everything was little more than a silhouette with the glowing barrier as backlight. I'd turned these lights on as well, but looking into the light of the vortex wall still made the rest of the room seem shadowed.

I was nervous as I opened the door and entered the room. I had some reservations about getting near the vortex again. Waking up next to it had always been unnerving. I couldn't help but think about the lives and limbs I'd seen lost when the barrier first lowered around Silicon Valley. My mind replayed the memory of Nia tripping and dropping Titus's severed arm, and I shivered.

I stood in the doorway, hesitating. This was precisely the kind of situation where being able to speak goes so underappreciated. I'd love to just call out Jessica's name and listen for a response.

Jessica? Crowdent? Sori? Hello? Unfortunately, either none of them were around, or none of them were psychic. Since deus ex machina in the form of surprise psychic-ness wasn't an option, my only real choice would be to suck up my nervousness and look around.

As I walked into the room, I kept an eye on the surgical bed in the center of the room. It was the most likely hiding spot in the room. It was bulky enough to hide Jessica and act as a barrier if she were discovered. Not a great barrier, since a Crowdent could probably just flutter over, but it would slow down a drone like Mr. Peterson.

I hadn't made it more than a few steps from the door when I heard a metallic ratting behind me and turned just in time to see Crowdent jumping at my face from a ceiling vent.

It hissed as it struck and dug its talons into my muzzle. I panicked and grabbed fistfuls of feathers. Somehow, I managed to get a hold of it well enough to fling it off me and onto the floor. I lost my balance as I did and fell against the operating table.

Crowdent hit the ground and rolled once, spinning to get its feet below it and facing me again. Once more, it leaped straight at my head.

I got an arm up to protect my face, but it didn't stop Crowdent from getting a hold of me again.

It dug in its talons, and the clawed hands that emerged from under its wings. The pinching didn't hurt as much as the maw of Slender Hopper, but then it bit down on my shoulder with its tiny, jagged teeth, which hurt considerably more.

I would have roared in pain if I could. As it was, this was a nearly silent fight, with only my heavy breathing and the occasional hiss or growl from Crowdent.

I pulled the creature off my head, but it grappled my arm by surprise and scurried back to my neck before I could stop it. I grabbed for its tail in sudden inspiration, planning to swing it like a flail into the surgical table.

Unfortunately, I only managed to stumble blindly around the room, completely unable to get a firm grip. Whenever I thought I had a hand on it, it wriggled free.

My fear nearly had me falling through the vortex wall before I realized where I was. I was only feet from the barrier. Crowdent had gotten on my face again, and I only saw it from the corner of my eye.

Gripping the crow-rat by the scruff of its neck, I tore it off of me and chucked it into and through the vortex barrier only feet away.

--==