1 Later, Satyr (1/2)
Bio-containment technician Nelda Thirstman scrubbed the corrosion off a used flux fuse. ”This one is cracked,” she said.
Her supervisor, Angry Brenda, snatched the part out of her hand.She rubbed her fingers up and down the large tempered glass component like she was giving the world's most aggressive hand job.”It's fine,” Brenda snapped as she handed it back to Nelda.
”You can see it's cracked,” Nelda said.”And cracked fuses are meant to go into the discard bin.”
”That part costs over five thousand dollars.It would be way cheaper to replace you, then to replace that part.” Angry Brenda had flyaway hair that puffed up from her temples like an owl's ear tufts.It was the closest thing she had to an endearing feature.
Nelda sighed and put the clearly cracked fuse into the returns tray.
The lights in the basement component processing room flickered.The boys in engineering were cranking up the machine.
Like everyone else in Building 3, Nelda indulged in some speculation about the purpose of the secret experimental machine on the 200 level.But unlike most of her colleagues, Nelda's graduate degree was in ethology. Animal biology and behavior, that is.So the parts that she pulled from the autoclave gave her very little in the way of clues.
Nelda secretly suspected her lack of engineering education was one of the reasons why she had been given a job inside the secure zone.It was easier to keep a secret from a woman who wouldn't know a clue to the nature of the big bad secret machine if she tripped over it in the hallway. Which was something she often did, as that was where they stored some of the redundant components.
”Take that to the plant room.” Angry Brenda shoved the returns tray in Nelda's general direction.Nelda managed to grab it before it slid off the table.
”It would be an honor,” Nelda said.
Angry Brenda glared at her suspiciously, but being irony-impaired she could find no fault with Nelda's reply.
Brenda traipsed through basement passages that would make Giger proud, and then took the hydraulic lift up to the 200 level.Outside the plant room, she had to run the gauntlet of two armed guards stationed at the metal detector.
The detector pinged, causing the two guards to reach for their rifles.
”Ya caught me,” Nelda drawled. ”Imma packing metal.”
The two guards looked angry and startled.Irony-deficiencies ran rampant through the staff of this secret research installation.[I wonder if there is some kind of vitamin supplement for that?]
Nelda sighed.”Machine parts, like it is every day.Some of them”—exaggerated shock-face—”are made of metal.”
The guards didn't speak but did put down their guns.One of them ran the smaller metal-detecting wand over Nelda's body.
[I should get an intimate piercing just to fuck with him.]
The other looked through the returned parts bin. He took out the flux fuse and shook it.
”Is that how you treat your boyfriend?” Nelda asked.