—Randy
[Attention all cleaners, please head to the main lobby]
"Tsk."
Step Step Step
I couldn't help but curse inside my mind.
"Say has this happened before?" The skinny one asked as we were walking towards the main hall.
"Whenever it happens, it's never a good sign."
"Really Old Man?" That annoying team leader… doubting me..
"The Silentium ain't calling this meeting for no reason."
Step Step
"Never a good sign." Little Evelyn continued my words her tone wary as she should.
Step Step Step
—
It took whole hour before the announcement actually started, countless cleaners from different teams had all gathered in the main hall, there were probably around 200 of us here right now, some young some old. It didn't matter.
Bzzzzt
[Well then you're all here, I'll get straight to the point. A couple days ago a containment breach happened in containment facility X70,] spoke a man in a rather high class tone. One of those 'Executives.'
Murmurs murmurs
"Containment breach—?" The skinny brat said, his tone rather fearful
"Tsk."
The murmurs of the cleaners could be heard evrerywhere, but everyone a single worry in common.
"Shit. Doesn't that mean we're gonna be brought there to clean the aftermath?" Spoke someone in the voice of a tired worker.
"Fuck… can I just skip this shit?"
[Now thankfully said breach has already been contained. Unfortunately however, there isn't enough man power to clean the other place due to 'casualties']
I knew it.
Murmurs murmurs
"Shit doesn't that mean we're going to have to some some crazy labor?" Spoke a rather old woman, her tone obviously annoyed
[of course, doing such operations means a large amount of you cleaners will be brought there, while the remaining few shall continue on maintaining this facility.] The voice spoke once more explaining more of this annoying thing.
[Of course we shall give compensation by sending you three months worth of salary after finishing this task.]
!!!
"Bullshit." Spoke a younger voice in a loud manner, obviously not believing such claims—Unfortunately…
[You may all check your bank accounts as 1 month worth of your salary has been transferred, in 3… 2… andddd]
Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding!!!!!
It doesn't take a brain to know what that means.
…
as almost everyone simultaneously opened their phones and…
"HOLY FUCK IT'S REAL???"
"SHIT WE'RE GETTING PAID?? ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE WITHOUT DOING NOTHING?"
Chaos could be heard as the entire main hall was ecstatic, one could quite literally see the human greed pouring through their minds. Tsk—These kids don't know what's good for them.
…
"Somethings fishy." The skinny brat's at least got some common sense
"Let's talk about this at the quarters."
[Those that are chosen shall be notified before the ]
—Later…
"Somethings definitely fishy" Spoke the skinny brat.
"I doubt the higher ups would throw money down the drain like that."
Tsk—I hate how the annoying leader's right.
"M-m-maybe it's just small money for them?"
"Kiddo, those shroudy higher ups won't spend even a single dime if they could."
"Kiddo—? You mean Amanda?" This skinny brat…
"Well, hopefully we'll be assigned to take care of this facility, definitely better then being dragged in this other facility~"
"Little Evelyn's right."
"Well let's just hope, we don't get chosen for this"
"Well surely we won't right~?"
"I swear to god Evelyn if you jinx this…"
—
…
…
Silence
…
…
"EVELYN YOU SON OF A SCHEISSE, YOU JINXED US ALL"
Tsk.
"HEY?!?! IT'S NOT MY FAULT, MAYBE WE WERE DESTINED TO JOIN IN" On the other hand the Kiddo and the skinny brat were silent as these 2 damn kids were playing the blame game…
"SCHEISSE. THIS IS GONNA BE SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS, AND IT'S ALL YOUR—"
"Alright shut the fuck up you fucking youngsters."
"Ah."
"…"
"…"
Again, it was silent. The rambling of these kid's has gone long enough.
"No use crying over spilt milk. Might as well get ourselves ready." I spoke, slightly annoyed
Step Step Step
—Later…
"Cael~ help me a little would ya?" Little Evelyn said as she showed urged Cael to help tape her suit up.
…
"A-a-ah."
"Stop being annoying, here " The annoying leader spoke as he helped the kiddo put on the equipment's, bet my ass it's worn down and unchanged, I thought to myself as I looked at it myself, the sound of those kids putting it on.
Rustle Rustle
—3 Years earlier….
Hissssssssssss
[Testing testing, Randy can you hear me?]
"All clear dear"
[Little Evelyn?]
[All good!!!] Little Evelyn spoke as she raised one of her hands and curled it into a fist, still so energetic as always
[Ralph?]
[All good, let's go.]
Step Step Step
Kshhhhh
As the door behind us closed, the familiar sound of the airlock and sirens went through my ears, little Evelyn suddenly spoke
"Man… I'm bored… All we do is just cleaning and rechecking Hhhhhh—Kshhhhh this 'Remnant' thingy" She said, hands laid behind her back
[Heh, sometimes that boredom is what Hhhhh—Kshhhhh we old folks love the most] Ralph continued with a small chuckle.
"Your god damn right"
[Haha alright now honey~]
[Ya Flirts, there's a kid in here]
[Hey?!?! I'm not a kid anymoreeee?!?!? Hhhhh—Kshhhhh I'm 23 years old now!]
"Hahahaha."
[Twenty-three is still a kid.]
"Ralph?!?!"
[She's got a point.]
"Don't encourage her."
[See? Randy understands me.]
"That's not what I said."
[Fufu~]
Step Step Step
The suits were uncomfortable as hell. The material rubbed against my arms every time I moved, the respirator made every breath sound louder than it actually was, and the little oxygen tank strapped onto my back wasn't exactly helping.
"Well as usual the equipments old as hell,"
I grabbed the side of the oxygen tank. Too damn small. It wasn't designed for long operations anyway. Twenty minutes of actual cleaning, give or take. That was it.
The rest of the time was spent getting inside, checking seals, disinfecting everything, going through the airlock, and then doing the whole damn process again on the way out.
[Hah, those high ranking bastards Hhhhh—Kshhhhh wouldn't care to replace it unless an accident they can't hide happens]
[Higher ups are mostly corrupt after all Hhhhh—Kshhhh]
"Tsk, whether it be in the military or not everythings the same."
[Alright enough talking, we got a job to do]
[Yes boss…]
"Yes honey…"
[Fufu~ Good, now let's get to work.]
—
The Remnant wasn't particularly impressive to look at. At least from the outside.
A large sealed chamber surrounded by reinforced glass, warning signs, sensors and enough locks to make you wonder whether the thing inside was actually dangerous or whether Silentium just enjoyed wasting money.
Our job was simple.
Clean.
Disinfect.
Recheck.
Leave.
Twenty minutes inside.
No more.
A rather easy job, one with basically 0 risk
Kshhhhh
[Beginning timer.]
Beep.
Twenty minutes.
"Let's get this shit over with."
Little Evelyn gave a thumbs up.
[Roger!] Ralph walked toward the other side of the chamber. My wife stayed beside me She looked at me for a while then
[Hold still.]
"Again?"
[Your seal.]
"It's fine."
[It's crooked.]
"Tsk."
She reached over and adjusted it.
[There.]
Sighhhh
"Happy?"
[Very.]
"Good."
She smiled.
I shook my head.
"Let's go."
—
The first ten minutes were boring. Exactly how they were supposed to be. We cleaned the surfaces. Checked the containment lines. Removed whatever residue had accumulated around the Remnant's enclosure.
Scrub Scrub Scrub
[Are we done yet…] Little Evelyn asked for what was probably the 20th time
"This is the 20th time you asked Evelyn."
[But it's sooo boringggggg…]
"Gotta agree with that"
[If you hate this job so much you should just quit hahahha]
[The pay's not half bad]
[I heard there's gonna be extra pay]
"Then I'm suddenly very passionate about my work." Little Evelyn laughed. My wife shook her head. Ralph was quietly working on the other side. Everything was normal. Too normal.
Hhhhh—Kshhhhh
Wipe Wipe
"Five minutes."
[Four minutes and thirty-two seconds.]
"Why are you like this?"
[Because I'm accurate.]
"Tsk."
Beep.
[Three minutes.]
We continued. Nothing happened. No alarms. No breaches. No screaming. No deaths. Just work. Exactly the kind of work I've done for countless years..
Boring.
Safe.
Predictable.
Beep.
[Twenty minutes. Cleaning period complete.]
"Finally."
[Thank god.] Little Evelyn immediately straightened up.
[Begin secondary inspection.]
We started checking the area.
That was when I heard it.
[HhhhHhKhh—KKhhhKkhh]
"Ralph?" He was standing completely still.
No response.
"Ralph."
He slowly turned his head toward me.
[Yeah?]
Something sounded wrong. His breathing was faster. Uneven.
[HhhhHhKhh—KKhhhKkhh HhhhHhKhh—KKhhhKkhh]
"What happened?"
[Nothing.]
"Don't bullshit me."
[I said I'm fine.]
My wife turned toward him.
[Ralph.]
[I'm fine.]
He took another step, then stopped.
Step.
His hand went to his chest.
[...Randy.]
"What?"
[Something's wrong.]
Little Evelyn froze.
"What?"
[HhhhHhKhh—KKhhhKkhh]
He grabbed the side of his helmet.
[My chest...]
"Get back."
I immediately raised my hand.
"Everyone back."
[Randy, what's happening?]
"I don't know."
Thud.
"Ralph!"
I caught him before he hit the ground.
His body was shaking.
[We're getting out.]
"HANG IN THER RALPH WE'RE GETTING YOU OUT."
[HhhhHhKhh—KKhhhKkhh No.]
Grab
[Don't let me out.]
I froze.
"What?"
[Don't—] His voice cracked.
["RUN—AHHHHJJHHHKDAS"]
CRUNCH
[Eve—Run] With the last of his consciousness, those were his last words before—
CRASH
Something slammed against the inside of his helmet.
[KYAA?!?!] Little Evelyn spoke, voice shock in fear
[RANDY!] At the same time, my wife screamed through the comms as Ralph's body suddenly jerked.
CRACK
His arm bent at an angle it shouldn't have.
"What the fuck—"
CRACK
BANG
THUD THUD THUD THUD
"Randy!" The shout of my wife seemed to echo endlessly
"GET OUT!"
ALARM
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—
The entire chamber erupted into red lights.
[CONTAINMENT FAILURE.]
[ALL PERSONNEL EVACUATE.]
[REPEAT—]
"MOVE!"
—
Step Step Step Step
Little Evelyn was ahead of us, her breathing rough and Ralph No—Not Ralph. Just whatever was left of him
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD
"KEEP RUNNING!"
"DON'T LOOK BACK!"
[But Ralph—]
"HE'S GONE!"
SWISH
CRACKKKKK
"RUN!"
—
I don't remember how long we ran.
Five seconds. Ten. Maybe a minute but It didn't matter.
The airlock was right ahead. I could see the door. I could see the exit.
"GO!"
Little Evelyn ran through first. My wife followed. I turned around and that's when I saw what was once 'Ralph'.
He was coming toward us.
Blood covered what was once his suit, his body deformed beyond recognition, His movements unnatural. Too fast. Too violent.
THUD
[Randy!]
My wife grabbed my arm.
"GO!"
"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!"
"RANDY!"
BANG
The containment door slammed down between us. My wife was on the other side.
"No!"
Step Step Step
BANG BANG BANG
"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"
BANG BANG BANG
"OPEN IT!"
[Randy!]
"I'm getting you out!"
[Randy.]
"I'm getting you out!"
[Randy, stop.]
"SHUT UP!"
I grabbed the door.
"OPEN IT!"
She was standing on the other side. Her suit was still intact. Her oxygen was still working. She was alive. She could still make it. If they opened the door. If they just—
[Randy.]
"I'm not leaving you."
She looked at me, then that damn smile. That stupid smile. The same one she'd given me every damn day.
[You were always stubborn.]
"Don't You Dare."
[That's why our daughter stopped Hhhhh—Kshhhh talking to you remember?]
[You remember our first mission?]
"Don't fucking do this."
[You couldn't even put the suit on properly.]
"Tsk."
[And you still tried to tell me I was doing it wrong.]
"Because you were."
She laughed.
Hhhhh—Kshhhhh
Her breathing was getting weaker.
"Open the door!"
Nothing.
"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"
I slammed my fist against the glass.
She shook her head.
[Randy.]
"I'm not leaving you."
[You have to.]
"No."
[Randy.]
"No!"
She stepped closer to the glass.
Her gloved hand touched it.
I put mine against hers.
For a moment, there was only glass between us.
Hhhhh—Kshhhhh
[Take care of Evelyn.] She spoke with a smile.
…
Silence
Then her eyes moved toward the hallway, then back to me.
"Don't."
[Randy.]
"Don't."
[You still owe me dinner.]
I laughed.
I couldn't help it.
A broken, pathetic laugh.
"You really pick now to bring that up?"
[You promised.]
"I did."
[Then don't forget.]
The alarm continued screaming.
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—
"I'm coming back."
Shake Shake
[No.]
"I'll find a way."
[Randy.]
"I swear I'll—"
[Go.]
"I'm not leaving you!"
[GO!]
Freeze
[RUN!]
"No!"
"Randy!" Someones cry could be heard as whoever that person was hugged me trying to pull me out of the airlock
"LET ME GO!"
My wife smiled one last time.
[...I love you.]
Kshhhhhhhhhhhhh
As the door finally closed.
…
For a moment everything was quiet then—
"NO!"
BANG BANG BANG
I couldn't hear anything anymore, only the sound of my own breathing.
Hhhhh—Kshhhhh
Then—I couldn't remember what happened next.
—
Step Step Step
…
…
…
Step
Kshhhhhh
Step Step Step
…
Shrug
"Accidents you know what I mean—"
CRACK
Thud
…
…
"BASTARD YOU KILLED—"
CRACK
Thud
CRACK
SWISH
CRACK
CRACKKKK
—The Present
"Old man, why're you just standing there?" Little Evelyn's voice seemed to snap me back to earth, already suiting up for the upcoming mission.
…
"Nothin."
Step Step
Rustle Rustle
I thought to myself as I got myself ready too—Tsk
…
Alright Randy stop dwelling on the past, nothin's gonna change.
Rustle Rustle
As I got into gear, I couldn't help but notice.
Weird…
Hhhhhh—Haaaaa
Did I not rest that well?