Sweat trickled down his back as he finished up mopping the last patch of floor left in the laboratory. Apparently, a new test subject was arriving in a few hours and the Head wanted the lab cleaned from top to bottom in preparation. 7124 had repeatedly told him that if the people who used the lab on a regular basis cleaned up after themselves then the room wouldn’t have to take so long to clean, but nobody listens to a janitor. A degree in biology and molecular sciences did him no good when it came to cleaning floors.
Cleaning up his supplies he loaded everything into his cart and left the lab, waving hello to some of the lab rats that walked by him; they were the only ones that paid him any attention. A few years ago when he had started this job he’d hoped that he might have been recognized as the scientist he was, but Greenhouse was incredibly picky about who they hired and the best he could do to work at the prestigious company was get hired as a cleaner. The pay was better than he could have done outside the company, but it didn’t change the fact that he was stuck in that job.
“What are you doing standing in front of the entrance?”
A rude voice brought him out of his thoughts. 7714S hadn’t realized he’d zoned out staring dreamily out the window.
“Pardon me,” 7714S apologized and moved out of the way.
“The gall of you people sometimes. Know your place.” The scientist sniped and slid the door behind him.
7714S waited until he was halfway down the hallway before mimicking his superior.
“Know your place.” He said in a whiny high-pitched voice. “I’m a scientist and I’m more important than anyone else. I’m the best and everyone should worship me. Mlah mlah mlah.”
“Amusing impression. Might I ask who that was?”
7714S jumped out of his skin and whipped around to face the Head of the biology department.
“I..uh..” he stuttered.
“Be sure you know who’s around you next time, other people may not be as amused at your impression of them as I am. Spot on if that was Miloy.” said the Head, a smile lighting up her face.
7714S rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
“Do you chase after janitors often?” he asked, trying to move on from his blunder.
“When I’m not waiting around the corner stalking them, yes. Luckily I ran into you before I had to start hunting for you. How would you feel about changing your route? Nothing major, but I’m sure a change of pace would be nice now and then.” The Head offered.
“I suppose that would be nice. Permanent or temporary?”
“Hopefully permanent but it all depends on the lab’s findings. The only room you’d need to clean would be the main lab room. All your other rooms will be assigned to others. You will have a pay increase as well if that sounds enticing.”
He squinted suspiciously at the Head’s innocent expression.
“This deal is getting awfully sweet. What’s the catch?”
“You got me.” The Head admitted. “There is utmost secrecy involved with this specimen so you wouldn’t be able to use the interweb, go outside, or contact any members outside the scientific team and those already cleared for discretion.”
“So, I’ll practically be living in the lab and then cleaning up after everybody that’s used it.” 7714S summarized.
“Correct. There is an apartment built into the lab so all your necessities will be at your fingertips.Groceries will be delivered once a week and there is an entertainment and recreation room as well.
“So I’ll be isolated for an unknown period of time in an apartment five times better than the one I have, have a pay raise, and don’t have to buy groceries? When was this six years ago?”
The Head seemed a little surprised at 7714S' enthusiasm but decided not to question it.
“The specimen arrives in three hours. Please get all your things in order and be moved in by then. After that specimen arrives you will not be allowed to leave until all tests are run and a conclusion has been drawn regarding its results. Understood?”
The janitor nodded with gusto, eager to get to his minuscule room and pack up the little he had.
“Wait, why did you choose me?” He asked before he took off.
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“You are the only cleaner with a background in the sciences. I believe that you may prove crucial in observing the subject. I will be heading up the main team, although other teams will be aiding us in tests. There will be periods of time that no team will be available and I will call upon you to run a test or observe samples. I trust you are up to the task?” she rose her eyebrows in expectation.
“Yes! Yes! Just leave it all to me! I can do it!” he replied. This was the shot he’d been waiting for! Maybe the past six years cleaning up after people younger than him wouldn’t have been for naught.
Before the Head could fit in another word, 7714S sprinted down the hallway with his cart, discarding it in the cleaner’s closet before running to his room, nearly barrelling down several other cleaners on his way. Despite their exclaims of protest and rude slurs directed at him, nothing could bring him down from the euphoria he was feeling at finally being granted his shot at doing what he’d dreamed of doing since he was a child. After all, Greenhouse had raised him as a scientist but then deemed him unqualified for the field and demoted him to a cleaner. When Greenhouse demotes someone, they typically never get a chance to rise back up.
Grabbing the duffel bag he’d used six years ago to move into his one-bedroom housing situation from under his bed, he quickly shoved the contents of his dresser in them, not bothering to neatly stack them. Screw neatness, he was getting out of there!
It only took him thirty minutes to pack up his toiletries, clothes, books, and other essentials, and then he was out the door. He was at a bit of a loss when he left his room since he’d left in such a hurry that he hadn’t bothered asking the Head any questions regarding details. Luckily, the Head was a forward thinker and had sent a Trooper grunt to guide him to his new accommodations. Considering it was the lab room he’d just spent three hours cleaning he knew the direct location but he didn’t know where the room he’d be staying was.
The Trooper led him into the lab room where 7714S tried his best to give a polite smile to the asshole scientist who’d told him to ‘know his place’ when he saw them, but they paid no attention to him. The guide showed him an odd set of paneling on the wall with a shelf built into it. With a swipe of a card over a black box to the right, the panel swung open, revealing the largest apartment 7714S had ever seen.
“You have the freedom to come and go as you please until the specimen comes with this key card.” The guide motioned to the card in their hand as they set it down on the coffee table. “After that time, that card will only open the panel to your apartment and nothing more. Please do not exit this room until a quarter into the new day as the scientists will be situating the specimen and conducting an orientation of sorts. Cleaning supplies are in that closet,” the guide pointed to a closet near the door. “Be sure to clean as best and quickly as you can as the new shift of scientists will be arriving an hour after the first batch leaves. Do not touch anything in progress otherwise, you will be reprimanded and your position here reevaluated. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask me directly using the phone line in the kitchen. It is the only phone in the area and only has two numbers preset; mine and the Head Patroller. If it’s an emergency, contact him, but ONLY if it’s an emergency. Anything else, contact me. Have a nice day.”
The guide left 7714S to revel in the vast amount of information he was just dealt. He felt a little overwhelmed, but he remembered the important things; only come out after quarter into the new day and that he only had an hour to clean. He would ask the Head what they wanted him to do regarding the specimen when they saw her next. For now, he was just going to explore the amenities his new life held for him until he had to go out. After dumping his stuff out on his bed he found his way into the kitchen and made himself a quick butter and jam sandwich and went to his entertainment room.
Books lined the entirety of the right wall and there was even a ladder to reach the topmost shelves as they went up higher than his arm’s breadth. On the left wall was a large television with a plush couch directly in front of it. A treadmill lay right behind the couch also facing the television and a rack of weights adorned the center wall. Those would most likely end up collecting dust as he wasn’t known for exercising on purpose, although he could see the benefit of watching movies while running.
Time flew by as he watched several movies and even tried out the showers. By the time quarter into the day came around, he was fully dressed with cleaning supplies hanging from both arms and the key card poised over the black box. The box beeped and granted him entrance into the lab room where he quickly set his stuff down on an available table and got to cleaning. He was surprised to see how quickly the room had turned disastrous considering it had only been a few hours since he’d cleaned the lab, but he was still riding a joy wave that it didn’t bother him as much as it normally did. He had been so focused on cleaning that he got done in record time, with fifteen minutes to spare before the next team came in and destroyed his handiwork. 7714S was more than caught off guard when he finally saw the specimen everyone had been so seclusive about.
In the center of the room was a tube that appeared to be a stasis tube, but it was covered in large black crystals so that it was difficult to tell whether there was someone inside or not. Circling the tube, 7714S found a small gap between the crystals that allowed him to peer inside the window panel. He couldn’t hide his gasp when he saw a little girl, no older than twelve, lying dormant in the tube, crystals covering the majority of her body as well, leaving only part of her face and bright green hair revealed.
“She’s a beauty isn’t she?”
7714S’s heart leaped out of his chest and he turned to the familiar voice of the Head standing behind him.
“Do you not make any sounds when you walk? My gods! You’re going to kill me one of these days!” he said while gripping his frantic heart.
“I figured you would have heard the door opening but I suppose not.” The Head defended, turning her attention back to the girl in the tube. “Found her in the ruins of Headquarter 3. Don’t know how it survived the explosion or fallout but we have a hypothesis it has something to do with the surrounding crystals. Rumor has it that the Old World Force destroyed Headquarter 3 because the specimen was in our hands, so we must find out why the Old World Force doesn’t want us to have it at all costs otherwise we may be the next casualties.”
7714S turned back to the tube and wondered what exactly the scientists would find that cost the lives of the thousands that died in Headquarter 3, shivering at the thought of something like that happening at that base because someone let it slip the specimen was in their hands. He silently rooted for the scientists to finish their research as quickly as they could so 7714S could rest easy without fearing a nuclear explosion. For now, he would do all he could to support the scientists in their endeavor for the answers and hope that he could help aid them in the future.