Elevator Love part 15
By Tralla

He’s not around. I got that feeling as I woke up. There’s a slight indentation next to me. It’s not of an entire body. He sat there, but he didn’t sleep there. I sit up. I take a fist and rub at my eyes. It feels late, later than I usually sleep. I glance at a clock. It’s past brunch but not quite lunch.

I begin to push back the sheets but pause before the motion is complete. I remember falling asleep over the covers. He’d moved me or gotten me to move without my notice or remembrance.

I swing my legs over. My feet make contact with the rug. I make no motion to move. It’s not laziness. I’m unsure of what to do next. I’m still fired. That is clear. I’ll go with that. I stand up. Boxes. I need boxes to pack up my belongings. I say that over and over in my head as I look around for my clothing. No clothing. It’s not where he placed my shirt and socks the night before.

But there’s something there for me. It’s a post-it note. I pick it up. In his handwriting...there are directions. There’s a towel not too far from where the note was. I grab it and wrap it around my middle. I follow the directions. They take me to a bath. As I look across the bathroom, I can see another post-it. It’s close to the bath itself.

I cleanse myself, dry off, place a towel around my middle and heed the next post-it. I follow it. It takes me back to his bedroom, just by another route.

As I look at the chair where the first post-it note was, I feel as though I’m in a strange game of hide-and-seek.

There are two small piles of clothing on the chair. One is what I wore, clean and folded. I blink back at the second pile. They’re not my clothes. I squint. They’re familiar. Maybe what he wore last night. Can’t remember. Didn’t pay attention.

I stare at the piles. Finally, I reach over and grab my stuff. There isn’t another note.

I dress and head back to my suite.

My suite was just as I left it, with nothing altered. My surveillance equipment is still piled up in a heap in the study.

I waited for an hour there before heading out again. He said he’d send the braid to help me with my things. Maybe the braid came and left already. Fine, I’ll go to him. Boxes. He could have boxes at his garage.

I find the braid sitting on a stool in front of a table. At his side, is a large drum of what I assume is solution. He’s cleaning out a carburetor. He looks back at me as I walk in. I had let the door slam closed behind me.

He inspects me for a second before saying, “I’m guessing you know why you’re here now.”

I stare back at him. He’s speaking a foreign language. I was expecting to hear: “You fucked up royally... I popped by earlier...you’re cramping my style...I’m your personal mover?”

Instead I get: “Come on, spit it out already.”

I look back at him. He doesn’t know that I was fired. He was never told. I think back carefully, scanning my memory, sifting through last night’s events, pre-midnight fandango. After a moment, I say, “Surveillance.”

“Surveillance?” The braid looks confused. “I thought we already had that covered.”

“Covered?”

The braid looks back at me. “I’m guessing he didn’t tell you.”

There’s an edge in my voice as I ask, “Tell me what?”

The braid brings his attention back to his work. “That’s Quatre’s end. He’s one of those strange people who can go a few nights without sleeping. Sort of a part-time insomniac. And when he gets like that…he’s as paranoid as Wufei.” The braid looks up. “What’s the problem, Heero? Damn, you look sick. Didn’t actually think people could turn green.”

The braid gets up. He pulls over a stool. “Here, take a seat. I’ll get you some water.” He hurries off but he glances back at me, twice.

I sit down.

The braid is back in front of me with clean hands and a full glass.

Dumbly, I look at the glass of water in his hand. He pushes it my way. He’s squinting at me. The questioning look is enough to jar me into motion. I take the glass, but I put it on the table. My throat feels tight. Finally, I hear words; they’re stuck in my throat. I struggle to get them out.

“He...watches...his estate?”

“Well, yeah.” The braid snorts. “Anything stupid we’ve done, he probably has recorded somewhere.” He looks my way. “You didn’t do something stupid, did you?” The braid goes quiet for a bit. “Uhh...I think I’ll get you a bucket. I don’t want puke all over my floor.”

He actually got a bucket. He’s holding it out in front of me as though he’s planning on catching anything I may hurl his way.

Finally after watching me for a minute, he sighs and says, “Calm down. It’s not like he’s spying on us. I was kidding earlier, partly anyway. He has cameras in most of the common areas, but they’re pretty much only on when we have those weird conventioneers around. They’re just there to settle any potential disputes. You know...this person took such liberty...this person did that. It’s simply for liability’s sake.” He puts the bucket down and waves away my unchanged expression. “Anyhow, the only one that’s probably on all the time is the one in his office. But it’s not like he sits around just watching footage all the time. It’s like I said, he only gets paranoid when he’s not sleeping regularly.” The braid shakes his head. “You _have_ to see his surveillance room. One time, Wufei and I--”

I get up from the stool.

“Hey, where are you going?”

I don’t look back. “I need...air.”

“Sure...help yourself.”

As I leave, I hear the braid murmur, “He turned gray, too...”

As I’m walking away from the garage, my mind is running in reverse until it reaches an event from three days earlier.

In my mind’s eye, I see myself standing in the doorway of the blonde’s office. I see his prostrate form. I see him looking my way from the floor. I see myself helping him up. I hear his words to me, an excuse for his sapped state...the words “low blood sugar” and “lack of sleep” stand out. “Lack of sleep” particularly resonates.

Around that time, my luck must have begun to run out—

“Yuy.”

I stop in my tracks and turn around. I look back at the owner of the voice and stiffen.

He never told them that he’d fired me. He’d made his decision to keep them in the dark before coming to my room that night. I’m sure of it. He’s kept me here, but for what purpose? He’d acted as though he was ready to pass me on to an associate of his. But it wasn’t just an act. I felt it. At the moment of that offer, he wanted me out. Was he trying to get me out of here without anyone else’s notice? Did I change his mind...or was this all some kind of elaborate mind game?

These are my disordered thoughts...two days in the making. Two days of haunting his estate, cautiously, on edge, waiting for his lackeys to ask me why I’m still here. Nothing. Not a word. I haven’t seen the blonde. It’s an odd occurrence, given his past interest in my floor.

There’s a knock on my door. I stand there stock still in my bedroom for a moment, in tense hesitation. I move, open the door, and keep a blank expression on my face.

It’s spidey. He looks slightly agitated. There’s a box in his hand.

“My sister is in labor.” He hands me the box. “Tell Duo it’s disobedient.”

I’m back in the braid’s garage. He’s staring at me and the box in my possession. He looks somewhat menacing.

“What are you doing with that? Where did you get that?”

His tone is accusatory. Unfazed, I hold up the box and say, “His sister is in labor and--”

“She’s what???”

I look back at him. From his expression, his parents didn’t finish the talk about the birds and the bees.

“She’s early!” he exclaims.

I’m bored.

“By a month.”

The braid sighs. He parks himself on a stool. “Just give me the box.” I hand it to him. He shakes his head. “I was trying to finish this before she spewed the kid out...but, hey, can’t fight mother nature.”

He opens the box, reaches into it, and takes out what looks like a parrot that’s a cross between a toy and an experiment. He places it on the table. His hand feels for more inside the box. “Nothing. Not even a note.” The braid looks my way. “Did he say anything about this?”

I blink back at him. Then slowly...spidey’s comment makes sense. “He said it was disobedient.”

The braid stares at me for a moment. “Is that all?” He takes in my expression. He scoffs. He seems like he’s on the verge of mumbling to himself. Instead, he starts running his mouth my way.

I’m still staring at him. He lost me.

He sighs. “After a few beers, you’ll get it. I need a break. Want to tag along?”

He made me climb a hill. He told me there was a perfect place to toss back some beer. I’m sitting. There’s an out of place bench on this hill that gives a partial view of the blonde’s estate, primarily the area leading up to the front of the mansion. There are a lot of trees around this place, without them the view would be more expansive.

I hear footfalls over the earth. It’s the braid. He brought two six-packs.

He must be looking where I’m looking because he says, “Don’t worry, Heero. I’ll let you have a can…or two.”

I look at him. He’s not joking.

He’d parked himself on the other side of the bench. The two six-packs are between us, open and ready to be raided.

The braid already has his first can in hand.

He throws some talk my way. “Wufei said you were acting weird.” The braid snorts. “He didn’t use those words, but it basically adds up to that.” The braid opens his can. “What’s with returning your salary? You’re too good for money now?”

I don’t say anything.

“If you’re holding out for more--”

“I don’t need anything.” I just snapped at him. I shut my mouth.

“Whoa...touchy. Fine, I’ll stay out of it.” The braid starts drinking.

I look at the six-pack at my side. I take three cans out and open each one.

The braid looks my way as I guzzle the first can. He’s still watching as I put it down and reach for the second. By the time I reach for the third can, he goes back to drinking his beer. He’s quiet, for once.

15 minutes pass by.

I look from the 5 empty cans at my feet to the trees. The need to urinate has gone from nagging to urgent, but my attention is successfully diverted when the braid breaks the silence.

“Well, I know you’re not hanging around me for the hell of it. What do you want to know?”

I’m looking at the empty cans at my feet. “Why is he...supporting...”

“Why is Quatre supporting us? What do you mean by support? Financially? Or in a cheerleader sort of way?”

I look back at him. “Both.”

The braid scratches his nose. “That’s just the way he is. He’s sort of like walking shrewd niceness.”

“I don’t...”

The braid is not making any sense.

I’m frowning. “Meaning?”

“Quatre wanted to explore medical tech, but his father…forget it. It’s like he’s living in the dark ages. He’d rather donate money to research than have his son muck around with it. As accommodating as Quatre is, he doesn’t put up with that kind of domineering attitude.” The braid shakes his head. “But, despite the rogue streak, he’s too respectful to oppose his father directly…so we’re all doing this on the sly…for the most part. Occasionally, there’s a new inductee, eh, Heero?”

Inductee? I’m not even supposed to be here.

“Anyhow, it’s a great deal. We help Quatre with his interests and he funds ours.” The braid snorts in my direction. “You didn’t think he’s just letting me dick around with my robo pets, did you? Like I’ve already said, he’s a businessman first.”

“You said ‘ours’.”

“Wow, Heero, I think you’re going to give my parrot a run for its money. You like crackers? ‘Cause I’ll get you some.”

I frown at him. He isn’t going to stop mocking me until I make myself clear. “Who is involved with his medical technology interest?”

He scratches his ass. “Pretty much everyone you know here and some other people you won’t know, period.”

“Why?”

The braid makes a face. “Why? Because they don’t work here. Not everyone can just drop everything to be Quatre’s on call employee. It was different for me. I was straight out of college with no job, no family, and no ties. There wasn’t anything stopping me from taking Quatre’s offer. But the others...they probably have a contract somewhere and have to keep their mouths shut about this project.” He looks at me. “It’s not like we’re doing anything top secret; it’s simply a matter of idea theft. It’s a pain in the ass. It’s not unlike what happens at Caltech. Your advisor, your ‘mentor’, gets all the credit for your work.” The braid shakes his head. “What kind of fucked up reasoning is that? Fine, I’ll get a horde of hamsters, feed them, and pick up after them. Let’s just say one of them is suddenly able to paint. Am I responsible? Maybe, if I fed him some suped up veggies and zapped him with a radioactive beam…”

He’s ranting. He’s speaking from personal experience, or at least he was before the hamster talk.

“Yeah…support was provided but that doesn’t mean the hamster doesn’t deserve…”

I was wrong. He’s the hamster.

Suddenly, he’s back on track and looking my way.

“Don’t feel like the odd man out. I haven’t met the others, at least not all of them. I--”

Something suddenly has the braid’s attention. I follow his gaze. I see a long black car pass through the estate’s main gates. It’s not long enough to be a limo. It makes its way up to the mansion and stops in front of the entrance.

There’s a sudden noise from the braid. It sounds like a cross between a scoff and a hiss. “Crap, the big man is making an appearance.” The braid shakes his head. “You know what? I should have seen this coming, given how often he’s been calling this past week.”

“He?”

“Quatre’s father. You’re going to have to make yourself scarce. Go on a day trip or something. If he sees you, there will be too much explaining to do.” The braid snorts. “And you don’t want to be here for the DC.”

“DC?” I feel like an echo.

“Damage control. Also known as Dorothy Catalonia.”

“Wh…”

“Why is she coming? Are you kidding? She’s what keeps the big man off Quatre’s back. The old coot is determined to retire and have Quatre take his place on high. Passing the buck means getting Quatre to start his own mini empire.”

The braid’s staring at me. “Damn, you’ve been turning all kinds of colors. Big deal. Eventually we’re all going to settle down, even you, Heero. Just make sure your kids aren’t as uptight.”

Part 16