Long minutes passed as people in the pool shifted around, the games ending with the separated pairs seeking out new partners for the volleyball tossing social event. Andrew kept to himself due to nobody seeking him out as their partner, allowing him some time to lower himself into the water and see if he could float. The ball itself acted as a sort of life preserver for him, aiding him in keeping just his butt off of the pool floor as he waited for someone to approach him. He was considering letting go of the ball to test his independent buoyancy when someone approached him from his right, sitting down and sliding close to him.
Andrew remained silent with his eyes kept ahead until he heard them clear their throat, at which point he looked over to find himself staring face to face with the huge muscular man from before: Antoine. He was wearing a huge grin, his bearded face being parted by slightly yellowed teeth with a glint of gold in his right side molars, and had rolled his sleeves up to reveal his bulging tattooed arms. “Hello, my friend!” He declared in his flamboyantly French accent, waving a dripping wet hand in the air.
Andrew didn’t particularly want to interact with this man and hoped he would get the memo from his impassive glare to take his noisy self elsewhere, but the insistent man grabbed the ball from Andrew and hoisted it up, grinning and waving it over his head. “Come on, it is time for the game! You cannot say no when you have no partner! Come, stand, let us talk and learn to know each other! I tell you it will be fun!”
With a groan Andrew complied, not wanting to make an enemy of anyone else today. He stood and held out his hands as if to catch the ball, which surprisingly came to him in a gentle toss from the huge man. He caught it and looked up, and seeing the actual glint of glee in Antoine’s eyes he sighed and passed the ball back as he spoke. “You’re Antoine, right?”
The huge man caught the ball and sent it back in a heartbeat, sending it back in another playful arc towards his partner. “You are correct, and your name is Andrew. It is a good name, the same as my old friend from home, though we called him André or Andrés because he liked it. He was a rude bastard that lied and cheated, but the name is a good one, one made for strong men. Maybe you will become a strong man too, grow into the name, yes?” He winked at Andrew as he said this, grinning once more and scratching his beard.
The gesture made Andrew a little uncomfortable, though he didn’t let it bother him. “Alright… so when are you from?” He asked as he rubbed at his neck, then hastily added a simpler question. “Or if it’s not too rude, what sort of life did you live before getting here?”
The question made Antoine laugh, and as Andrew tossed the ball he effortlessly caught it and rolled it up his arm as if showing off his rippling biceps. “When? I did not keep track, but there was talk that there was a turn of the century happening soon. As for what I do, I am a highwayman of the seas, my friend. The king and queen take and take from the poor, so we steal from the king and queen. We would take all of their tea and rum, their coins and spice, and we would sell it all, use what we wanted, and live free from their chains. The only life, if you ask me, is a life where you can do with your money as you want.”
“So you were a pirate.” Andrew surmised, watching the face of the swarthy sailor for his reaction.
The word made Antoine nod vigorously, bouncing the ball back with a happy hum. “A funny word for free men, I say, but that is what we are called. How can you hate a man for wanting more from life than the chains around his hands and feet? How can you say he is evil for wanting to taste life as he wants? All I have ever wanted is to take back what was taken from me and to have a son someday like my father had before me. Ah, but such a life does not belong to me, it is defended by the Spaniards and British who want to put us on a rope.” He then made a gesture of something invisible in his hand being lowered around his neck, followed by him making a fake strangling sound.
For some reason Antoine found his jovial attitude almost endearing, despite the poor impression he had of him from the start. He wondered if delving deeper into this man’s actions might enlighten him further and make him more likable. “Nobody is evil for wanting to live, but killing others to get money isn’t exactly good. Same goes for stealing, you can’t just take what you want. Everything you take hurts someone else.” The ball went back to Antoine, whose face was now a slight pout.
“You are not so fun, little Andrew. People are always hurt, and you cannot worry about their heads when you are hunted. Sometimes you must swing your blade before they can use theirs and save your own skin.” His statement was accompanied by him tossing the ball back a little less nicely, the impact hitting Andrew with a thump. “If it does make you sleep at night, the crew of the Madam Violet did not kill mercilessly. After all, many of the crew were once merchants and sailors before, so why kill your old friends?”
His nonchalant reply left Andrew both irritated and fascinated. He made good points, and knowing what he did about the time period he couldn’t exactly hold one man accountable for all of the other vile things pirates of history had done, so perhaps whatever means his crew used weren’t so bad compared to what he imagined. He didn’t want to dwell on it and instead just chucked the ball back hastily. “What did you even do on your crew, some kind of cook or watchman?”
Antoine shrugged, tossing the volleyball around as he tried to put his thoughts into words. “Eh…I don’t know if I have a name for it. I did what the captain wanted. He would see something in the water and point to it yelling “Antoine, go get that” and I would swim out for it. Barrels, bottles, boxes, anything that did not sink. Then once I had it they would pull me back with a rope, and I would give them the thing the captain wanted. When there was no plunder in the waves I would clean the cannons, haul the ropes, ready the timbers, just moving the big cargo. Oh, I think there was a word for it! Ah… the strongman? Yes, I think that was it! I was the strongest man on the ship, and I could lift the cannons. Those beasts were heavy, but the captain would give me a bottle of the good bourbon for fixing the guns.” A smile crept over the bearded man’s face as he reminisced about his recent past.
As Antoine continued to toss the ball back and forth between his hands, the smaller man came to realize just who he was dealing with. This muscle bound brute wasn’t entirely dumb, but his simple approach to life coupled with the fact he was basically just the brawniest of his crew didn’t add much to his intellect. There wasn’t much else for Andrew to consider besides his strangely carefree attitude. He decided to change the topic and return to the present rather than poke around at the pirate’s past. “That sounds… nice, I guess. That also explains how you’re so great at swimming as well. By the way, why did you drag me into the pool earlier? I’m not mad or anything, I just-”
He was cut off by Antoine tossing him the ball before scratching at his dark curly hair. “Oh, that…I am sorry about that, I was perhaps too excited for the water. You looked afraid, so I thought I would show you that the water is not an enemy. I was not right, but you did not drown. I would offer you a drink as an apology if I had it, but no, I came here with nothing.” He sighed and shook his head, putting his hands on his hips for just a moment before shifting to a new emotional spectrum. “I did not have my bag with me, which means no rum and no dried meats. Dry meats are smoky and salty, but they are still tasty. Then again, there is a place that gives you food here, quite tasty food, with fresh bread and roasted chicken that is hard to get on the ship. I love this food, but I wish they had more of the spices I know. Mmm…I could be happy with a crab curry, like mama made. What food do you like, little Andrew?”
For such an odd man the question was oddly normal, and answering it took a few moments. “You can just call me Andrew, you know. Also, I’m more of a spicy meatball sub guy.” He then passed back to Antoine, though the muscular giant simply caught the ball with one hand and let it fall into the water as he began to turn towards the doctor on the ledge above him.
“I do not know what that is, but it sounds like a good choice. I am actually quite hungry now. Until later!” He abruptly gave a small wave before striding away, pulling himself out of the pool on a ladder as the water cascaded off of him noisily, drawing many eyes upon him as he strode up to the William to request some form of lunch break.
This then left Andrew alone again, though instead of sitting idly with the ball like last time he chose to leave the water entirely due to how clammy his fingers had become. The shallowest end of the pool had a small staircase that led out onto the ledge above, and Andrew was keen on striding up the steps on his own. What he did not account for, however, was that much of his own weight was being carried by the water, and as he rode from the pool he felt the weight of his body pressing down on his wobbly joints once again. His hands went for the rail built in at the edge of the pool to help him, but even so he could only make it up to the second to last step before his legs would not budge. He grit his teeth and let out a soft curse as he strained to leave, forcing all of his muscles in his body to fight as hard as they could.
Unfortunately, his strength had already been sapped by the chilly liquid and the open air, so before long he was forced to sink to his knees with a splash with his hands still gripping the rail tightly. He didn’t want to think about how the others might be looking at him, this skinny and unsteady man struggling to climb out of a pool, so he simply kept his head down and waited for his energy to return to him. This was his limit, despite what his determination and desire to succeed told him. It was painful to admit it but acceptance was the only way to improve, at least that’s what he told himself.
Then suddenly, a warm hand touched his back right below his shoulder. He looked up abruptly, turning quickly to see who it was that touched him. It was the woman with the pink hair and the tattoo on her cheek who had touched him, and on her face was a look of concern. Andrew shifted to face her better, wondering what it was she wanted as she stood there silently. He eventually cleared his throat to speak, a dry feeling in his throat from his momentary despair. “H-hi… am I in your way?”
The girl didn’t answer right away, instead she looked at him again and blinked hard as her lips moved silently. Her voice was barely a whisper under her breath, so quiet that Andrew had to tilt his head and lean towards her to hear it. “Do you need help?”
After hearing her words Andrew nodded in confirmation to her request. She smiled at him after he did so, and by slipping an arm around his back and pulling his own arm as a sort of anchor she helped lift him up to his feet. She guided him out of the pool, stopped to grab his crutches from the floor, and took him over to the bleachers to sit him down and allow him to catch his breath. He panted from the exertion as he fought to vocalize again. “Thank you, miss, that was very kind of you.”
The lady stared at him with a soft expression, almost like a caring parent of sorts, then she went back towards the steps of the pool and reentered the water. Andrew watched as she moved off towards the deep end in order to rejoin a small group of girls, each of them talking to one another in hushed voices and not even bothering to do the silly game William had concocted. All the tired guy could do was sit there, watching everyone else socialize and discuss the nature of their impossible meeting from across space and time. He wasn’t upset though, as he had spoken to two unique people he would never have spoken to in his regular life. That alone was enough to make him pause and contemplate how bizarre his situation really was.
For the next thirty minutes he watched as everyone became acquainted with one another, or in some cases failed to make any sort of impressions. Antoine had somehow convinced the doctor that he was absolutely starving and needed food immediately, so shortly after leaving the water he was escorted to the cafeteria by the Trinas in order to stuff himself. Tora was approached by a few people, but shortly after speaking to him he would either intentionally drop the ball into the water to find a new partner, or would just walk away to allow the same result to happen during their toss. The pink haired woman continued to keep to her small group, whispering to them and looking nervous at every loud sound around her as she twitched and hid. As for the troublemaker from before who had failed in her assault upon the doctor, Andrew could only guess that she was being kept away from the others as she cooled down and probably reconsidered how easy things would be here.\
Then a whistle sound rang out, and William gestured towards the doors with both hands.”Alright everyone, that will do for today’s exercise. Today’s activities are done, but I encourage you all to spend some time in the food court and socialize during your free time. Your assigned Trinas will be your escorts and guides, so please listen to all of their instructions. Your clothes will dry you and the fabric automatically, so please do not worry about changing or drying off.Everyone out of the pool in an orderly fashion, please.”
As instructed, all of the patients shambled out of the pool and out of the doors, filing from the gym down the corridors, stopping and turning to go into their rooms or venturing down the hall towards the aforementioned cafeteria as they wished. Eventually everyone had vacated the large exercise room, save for Doctor William and Andrew. The doctor let out a tired sigh and turned towards the pool, pulling out a remote device and giving it a few presses. The balls and floating devices were swept away by a mechanical arm, emptying the pool before the lid slid back over and returned the room to a court that the doctor stared at with weary eyes. Andrew wondered what was going on behind those analytical eyes, and was tempted to make his presence known.
Then, from the empty air beside the doctor’s head came a shimmering glow: a flat circular disc with a bulbous protrusion of eyes and lenses appeared beside him, hovering silently as it lazily drifted next to him. William then began to speak, not to Andrew but to the little device next to him. “Doctor William Thast, log four-four-eight-two. Patient batch number eighteen introduction activity…successful. No anomalies, no deaths, and the patients are getting along. Number seven-four attempted to attack me, minor subjugation device usage was made necessary, and she is now recovering in her room. I advise individual counseling, if available for once, to help remedy her outwardly hostile attitude. No other incidents to report. My current outlook: optimistic. I can see some promising recruits, especially numbers seven-seven and eight-zero, who like most promising pilots come from times of conflict. Some others are likely to reveal their latent skills, though at the moment the rehabilitation process is only just starting. On a final note, please send me some more Reginald series synthetics, as some patients have expressed their disdain for the Trina series again. End recording.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
With that the silver disc began to fade out of existence, leaving the doctor alone. He sighed and straightened his lab coat, then he raised the remote and aimed it at the bleachers to put them away, only then noticing Andrew staring up at him with tired eyes. The two stared at one another for a moment, neither saying anything that would break the tension, until the doctor realized that the patient probably saw everything. He put the remote to his hip and pursed his lips, then staring at the somewhat clever man he decided to be direct. “You saw all of that, didn’t you.”
Andrew saw no point in lying either and decided to be equally direct. “Yep.”
“You know what I was doing, right?” William asked.
“Some kind of recording to give to your boss, right?” Andrew inquired.
The doctor nodded, switching the remote to his other hand. “Pretty much. You get that the drone was for record keeping and not some kind of secret plot, right?”
“Then why was it invisible?” Andrew shot back.
William answered immediately, a slight bit of frustration seeping in his voice. “Because after doing this for over sixty patients, I discovered that the drone was always a problem. If the drone is visible, they ask about the drone. If I show up without the drone later, they ask where it is. I have had to explain to both a Zulu warrior and a conquistador at the same time that the drone is not some kind of alien device or magic treasure. It’s better for everyone if it stays invisible.”
Andrew thought about it and realized that he would probably do the same in his shoes. He also realized that there was a lot in that report that he was wondering about, but he knew that he might only get one more question. One question was on his mind, and he hoped it would be one with a simple answer. “Who do you give the recordings to?”
The doctors groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath through his nostrils as he prepared his answer. “My boss. I can’t say his name or what division he’s with, but just know he’s way up the food chain of military command and can have my credentials erased if I screw with him. Just know that everything I told you about sending you back or putting you into civilian life is all sanctioned by him, and if it weren’t for him you would all be dead right now. Just be thankful he exists and is keeping this project running.”
There was a note of finality in Thast’s voice that made Andrew move to stand up right away, putting his crutches under his arms and slowly shuffling towards the door. He left as the bleachers slid back into the wall from whence they came and as the doctor strode after him on his long legs, the two going down the hall in silence as the Trina assigned to Andrew joined their conga line. After a few bends and turns that Andrew instinctively followed he was back to his room, and upon his request the nurse android remained outside so he could rest in peace. He didn’t want to socialize any more today, nor was he hungry after his exercise. All he wanted to do now was sit in his bed and think for a while until his head stopped running wild with assumptions.
That was until his mind instinctively reached for his ‘phone’ as he usually did in his own time, only to have it magnetically leap into his hand with the futuristic lock screen staring at him in the face. He had yet to adjust to the self-propelled device’s ability to be summoned, thus he yelped in surprise before letting out a tired groan at how silly he was for skipping that detail. Adjusting his grip upon the screen, he propped himself up and began to attempt to navigate the features that were available to him.
His first instinct was to access a media page that would give him the news, but the moment he pressed it a message appeared to tell him that an administrative order prevented him from viewing current events. This annoyed Andrew, but after a moment he was able to rationalize it. Why would they trust anyone ripped out of the past with the new modern events? For all they knew these people could be future traitors who agreed with the alien-hating faction, and allowing them access to the news was as good as giving the enemy access. He shrugged it off and went searching for a different source of info.
Camera, vitals monitor, menus, a Trina summoning button, a page exclusively for selecting the scent of soap dispensed by the in-room shower: none of these were especially interesting to Andrew, but some could be useful later. He kept scrolling and scrolling until he found one that looked like a book. Was it an app for accessing books? Pressing on it, his expectations were shattered when he was graced with a library of books all tagged as releases from his era. He smiled and began to flip through the collections, though he noticed very quickly that the collection felt small, almost painfully small. A scowl crossed his face when he checked the number, seeing that there were less than two thousand books from a span of one hundred years.
Something was wrong, because the more he looked the more he realized that many of the greatest books and historical records were gone. Perhaps it was simply a limited collection, he thought to himself mere moments before seeing a differently colored tab than the rest. Clicking on it he found an archive titled Compiled History Version +21: A Time Traveler’s History, 21st Century Edition. Curious, Andrew opened the file and began to skim over the table of content as his eyes widened. This book, no, this immense tome of knowledge was a history book starting from the year 2000 and ending a few years shy of the present at 3810. His heart raced as he began to hit the high notes for the next few hours.
The more he read, the greater a sense of satisfaction and joy filled his heart as he saw how Humanity had progressed. The Mars landing, the Mars colony, light drives, portals, cloning, advanced bioengineering and even the first successful jump through time were all described in vivid detail. His chest swelled with pride as he looked into heroes of the twenty-fourth century planting the first flag of the United Cooperative Nations Pact on the surface of Venus from within their mechanical habitation suits. A twang of regret touched his heart knowing he didn’t live to see these leaps for himself, and that they would have happened long after his death even if he had lived to be a hundred year old man.
As he read on and dove between the pages, he began to see the darker side of history. The terraformer bombings, the warpgate scandal, the New Miami massacre, wars and skirmishes as mankind fought over everything their eyes were set upon. Every leap forward was one that met with a bloody trap that cut and scarred their history. It was dark and grisly, and each conflict kept rising and growing in scale until something happened in 3122. An event simply called the War of Madness, and the Brightest Night.
Andrew had to reread the chapter twice to thoroughly grasp it, but once he did he put the phone down and took a long breath. As he had read it, the people of Earth and Mars were blamed for a terrible economic collapse that resulted in an entire colony starving to death. The other colonies, furious at their great mother planets, began a series of attacks that slaughtered trillions on both sides. Cities were flattened, countries turned to wastelands, entire cultures reduced to ashes, and the great progress of humanity came to a screeching halt as an experimental weapon removed starships from the equation. The great equalizer. The bomb to end all bombs.
Tears welled up in the corners of the man’s eyes as he tried to envision that. Hundreds of years of progress and racing to the stars, only to come crashing back down. He sniffled and wiped away his tears, feeling exhaustion creeping into his mind. He had to read just one more chapter, see how things had come back together, discover what sort of hope had brought about this future.
To his dismay, it was not quite as easy as a unifying event. A century of isolation across the solar system caused by the fear that another bomb would erase their spaceships, all because the wreckage of their mighty fleets was blocking all communication. The corpses of their brethren were preventing hope from rekindling, and every surviving planetary or lunar nation was silently praying that the others weren’t arming themselves to finish the war. It was an era of dread borne from a billion miles of death.
Then the next chapter began, and Andrew’s eyes widened. The reunification fleet. He giggled out loud without realizing it because of how absurd it was, but the colony of Ganymede had set out without substantial arms in order to deliver their missives by hand to their brethren. An armistice one hundred years late, but one that was accepted unanimously. Mankind, scared and beaten as it was, crawled out from the wreckage in order to reconcile for the sins of their parents. From there peace began to grow in the irradiated soil, slowly growing until all of the worlds were able to send out their own starships to clear the paths, to collect relics, and to bury the dead left to wither in the void.
Exhaustion and true bittersweet emotions caused Andrew to sink down into the covers, his hands rubbing at his tired eyes while his mind absorbed all that he had read. He was a sucker for those underdog stories, where against all odds humanity is able to drag itself back up by the bootstraps. He sighed and set the phone back on the nightstand, reading the time on it to only be a little after noon. He vaguely considered going to the cafeteria to see some of the other patients, but just the small act of wading through the pool and hobbling around the halls had left him too worn down to entertain that idea.
Resigning within the linens, his mind began to drift off into a world of starships and great battles, a far cry from these echoing hallways filled with robotic nannies. He’d be free from there some day, once his body truly acted as though he were the one in charge of it and he could carry himself on his own two feet. For now though, he could only rest and sleep away the afternoon hours.
_____
The cafeteria. A large space with many tables and benches to be seated at for eating, with a view of a small courtyard of sorts with a single tree in the center surrounded by hedges. The aroma of simmering stew filled the air with its delicate hints of spices, beef, and hearty vegetable broth. Patients who had come here from the first day of rehab were gathered around at different tables eating their food, some engaging in small conversations or even sharing names.
On the far side of the gathered people, sitting on the floor close to the window overlooking the courtyard, was the soft spoken samurai with his meal in hand. He had opted for a place where he could at least look upon some form of greenery as he partook of the foreign cuisine, the spoon they had given him in his grasp in a manner he was uncomfortable eating with. Regardless, he was attempting to enjoy these small comforts on his own as much as he could.
His peace did not last as long as he would like due to a shadow looming over him from behind. Without even turning around he had determined who it was based entirely off of the deep breathing and heavy footsteps. “Antoine.” Came from his lips in between bites, a simple acknowledgement that the pirate was there.
Taking this greeting as an invitation, Antoine laughed and moved to sit beside the samurai, his face twisted into the same maniacal grin of a man without fear. “You know my name! That is good, it makes greetings faster! One moment,” He paused, dropping his full weight down onto the floor whilst trying to prevent any spillage from his meal, “there, we both sit together now. Now, can I know your name?” His voice carried an air of a demand rather than a request, as did his grin and body language that carried a hint of hostility.
Tora took another bite of his food and chewed it until he swallowed, his eyes never leaving the scenery outside. “Kitamori Tora.” His words were cold and harsh towards the Frenchman, as if he had carved them from stone and tossed them at the pirate.
Antoine, ever the blind optimist, laughed and slammed his hand on Tora’s back with a resounding smack. Some patients from the tables looked over to see what had happened, only to find the samurai staring straight ahead with Antaoine’s hand making an indent into his patient gown with a splayed out hand. “Tora! Tora, Tora! I like this name! It sounds like the word the Spaniards used for their big horn cows… ah, bull! That was the word, bull! It is a funny word, and it sounds like your name! Ha ha!”
Despite the jovial nature of the man next to him, Tora remained cold as he turned his gaze upon Antoine with a rising expression of animosity. “Tora,” He began, his voice becoming darker as he brushed the pirate’s arm off, “Kitamori Tora. I am not a toro, nor am I a bull.” This statement was made with iron-clad conviction, a clear message to the invasive man that he should back off.
Rather than do that, the pirate instead smiled and gulped down his stew, not stopping even to chew the chunks of beef or diced potatoes. He dropped the bowl off to the side after, residual broth dribbling down through his beard and from between his yellowed teeth. “You are a funny man, I like that! Come, we should be friends, not enemies. You are strong, I can tell with one look at you. Fighting is in your blood, is it not?”
Tora turned his attention away from the pirate, letting out a short huff as he went back to his meal. He didn’t want to speak to Antoine for a number of reasons, and having the muscular, sweaty man leaning in close with his foul breath only added to the reasons he disliked him. His appetite was being ruined, and only a genuine reaction would get this buffoon to leave. “I am a samurai, the bushido is a part of who I am. Now, if you please, I wish to eat alone.”
Antoine blinked at him, not understanding what the words spoken to him meant. The translator in his head had made him hear the word ‘bushido’ and could understand what it meant as words, but the concept of a warrior’s path eluded him. “Oh, don’t be that way! We can be good friends, see this new world as brothers. It will be a great journey if you just…eh…” His words trailed off as Tora politely set his bowl aside, pushed himself up onto his feet, and collected his bowl again.
“I have told you that I wish to be alone. Please respect my wishes.” With that, Tora made his way out of the cafeteria and back to his waiting Trina that would escort him to his room to continue his meal.
Antoine, after being left behind so abruptly, looked on with a lost expression for a moment before breaking out into laughter. He looked out of the window up at the clear blue sky overhead, a grin on his face as he spoke to himself openly. “What a strange man! He must be like little Andrew, a shy man with little ideas in his head. Well,” He sighed, pushing himself to his feet in order to make his way back towards the food line, “I suppose they will be better tomorrow. We can all be great friends. Or enemies. Or rivals! I have never had a rival before! Ha hah, this can be fun! I am loving the future!” He hollered, making those closest to him shy away in surprise and pain from his booming voice.
Back in his room, Tora finished his food quietly and gave the bowl to Trina to be returned to the cafeteria. From his side table he retrieved a journal made from paper from his homeland, and turning to a blank page he began to detail all that he had encountered today. He completed his entry swiftly, set the journal back upon his side table, then using the remote given to him he summoned Trina from the hall.
In a blur the synthetic nurse was within the room, her eyes locked on Tora as he sat on the floor with his legs crossed. “Greetings Mister Kitamori, how may I assist you?” She chimed with a placid smile.
The noble samurai stared at her for a moment, his mind racing from all of the cultural differences that had occurred at that moment, only for him to ignore those fleeting ideas in order to speak. “Miss Trina, I have requests I would like to ask of you. The first: may I have incense so I might pray?”
The semi-mechanical helper smiled wider, and after a moment gave him his answer. “Yes, incense can be provided in a number of scents. However, there is a limit of ten sticks you may request at a time due to the concern of smoke inhalation and fire hazards. Is there more?”
Tora paused and took a deep breath, his eyes glancing to the floor as he second guessed whether he should make his second request. “Yes. I would like to make a second request. Is it within your… permissions to allow me to visit another patient. The man named Andrew, I wished to offer him my personal apologies.”
Trina’s smile faded slightly as she shook her head slightly. “I am sorry, but at this time Andrew is resting. Additionally, patients are advised to socialize outside of their rooms in order to promote interaction with others. Would you like me to deliver a message to Andrew for you?” Her head tilted to the side, yet her hair didn’t seem to obey gravity and remained static on her head.
Tora squinted at her as he saw this, but rather than question it he simply waved her offer away. “There is no need,” He started, pushing himself up and moving for the sink on the wall, “I will speak to him in person at a later time. Thank you, Miss Trina, the incense will be all that I require.”
With a subtle bow the android departed, leaving Tora standing there alone with the mirror. He found himself looking back at his own impassive expression as he turned the sink on, steam rising up and clouding his reflection. Quickly, he bent over and splashed his own face with the hot water, took a towel to dry himself, and looking back at the mirror he found himself more saddened than before. His sorrow turned to anger as he stared at the face in the mirror, seeing the way his features contorted in the same manner his father’s used to. From calm to sorrow, from sorrow to anger, and finally from anger to disgust, he couldn’t bear to look at himself and turned away to find something, anything else to look at.