The Long Winter #116
A Fresh Start part two
The morning sun shimmered cheerfully off the ocean behind her. Despite the joyful sparkles beshind her Penny sweat and trembled as she walked the block to her bus stop. Becca had wanted her to arrange a car but Penny refused. It felt like the first argument the half-Asian girl had won since her arrival in Miami Beach and Becca sent her out the door with a cold goodbye and an insincere wish to have a good day. An auspicious start…
The bus was silent and smelled slightly of disinfectant and body odor. The automated driver, an android with plastic teal and orange body panels, greeted her mechanically and she took a seat by herself a few rows back. Everyone riding was busy ignoring everyone else with their eyes on their phones or, like Penny, gazing out the window at the passing scenery. South Beach looked different from this angle, the buildings already baking despite the early hour. Penny felt like she was back home for a short moment, riding a tram through The City with her friends during the heat wave.
That was a crazy week, she thought.
No crazier than any other week since. Plus it turned out for the better.
We broke up!
And things worked out, more or less.
Penny sighed.
I don’t want to think about Ayumi.
She felt Marv nod and wished she could feel his arm around her shoulders. She smiled at the thought of it being a rather platonic, almost brotherly, hug at that point and his laugh in her head erased a little bit of the tension of her departure from Becca’s condo.
They crossed a long bridge and entered downtown Miami. All the buildings were tall and bright, great glass and steel knights in shining armor watching over the south end of the free state of Florida. Despite the inherent danger of living in a big American city she felt safe and relaxed in her seat. The bus continued making stops. People continued to get on and off, their cards or phones beeping and the doors squeaking and eventually they were through downtown and she was standing up as the bus neared her new place of employment. The automated driver wished her well and she stepped out of the air conditioned conveyance and nearly melted in the South Florida heat. She walked up to the guard house and bowed to the big uniformed man with the discerning eyes who stepped out.
“State your business.”
“I’m starting my internship today.”
“Penny Stark, from Port Matthew.”
“That’s right.
“They’re expecting you at the main entrance,” he said, gesturing towards the glassed-in area jutting out from a warehouse.
“Thank you.”
“Here’s your badge. Wave it in front of the pad and once inside Madelyn will tell you where to go.”
“Okay.”
“You’re cleared to go.”
“Thank you.” She paused before she left and looked up at him. “What’s your name?”
“Mickey.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Mickey.”
His serious face slipped and he chuckled. “Same here, Miss Stark. Go on in.”
She bowed at him and dashed for the building. She was not late, but something about the building put haste in her steps. It was white, with patterned steel cladding. A truck was beeping somewhere, backing its way into a parking spot or a loading dock. Men worked somewhere else. Birds chirped. Bugs sang. Otherwise it was quiet. She walked through the doors.
Inside was bright and airy, with plants and trees growing out of the marble floors and everything was clean and shining. Along the back wall of the lobby were glass windows looking out at the labs. People were working out there, some on huge industrial machines, others tinkering on tiny things on tables. There were levels hanging from the ceiling, and levels below ground. Even though she was early, she felt late. Madelyn the receptionist, a youthful woman with her strawberry blonde hair in curls around her shoulders wearing a plain white dress, looked up as she entered and put a businesslike smile on her face.
“Miss Stark, welcome to Union Technologies,” she said. “You’re to head that way to meet Mr. Suzuki in his office, room 105.” She stood and her businesslike smile vanished, concern in her green eyes. “Be careful.”
“Thanks…” Penny smiled back and the receptionist sat back down. Penny walked down the hallway to her left and counted the rooms as she went. Some doors were open, revealing neat and tidy offices with views of the garden-surrounded parking lot or of the lab. Others were closed and, presumably, locked. Mr. Suzuki’s was slightly ajar when she reached it, and she knocked, two tentative taps turning into a final volley of solid raps.
“Come in.”
The voice was rough and impatient. She pushed the door open and stepped in. Mashiro Suzuki sat behind his desk. He was lean and tanned with a floppy mop of black hair and a pair of reading glasses hanging from his a chain around his neck. Before him, messy piles of papers were stacked haphazardly across his desk between three computer monitors. He was thumbing through something on his phone held at arm’s length from his face and did not look up at her.
“I’m Penny Stark—“
“Yes. Sit down.”
She sat down and waited. He continued with whatever had his attention on his phone. She could hear him breathing, long, slow breaths. He was leaning back in his chair, totally at ease, and she felt strange sitting bolt upright in hers, not even touching the back. A flash of motion outside caught her eye and she watched a bird light on the thick leaf of a bush and look around. Bees buzzed past. The bird took off and vanished into the air. Mr. Suzuki continued to use his phone. Penny began to sweat.
“Mr. Suzuki—“
“One moment.”
He did not look up. She shifted in her chair. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She felt it running down her back. She wished she had not worn the jacket, but at least it would cover her shirt if she sweat through it. All of Mr. Suzuki’s attention stayed on his phone. Penny wanted to wait patiently with her hands crossed on her lap but the room was growing warmer and stuffier and Mr. Suzuki still did not look up. She pulled a hand towel from her bag and wiped it across her forehead, glad she had no makeup to smear.
“One minute, I said.” He growled, looking up and glaring at her.
She nodded and shoved the towel back in her bag. The air in the room was stifling, but somehow he was not sweating at all. Her shirt was indeed soaked and she was afraid her jacket would be soon. Her posture failed and she slumped forward.
“If you can’t wait patiently, get out.”
“Sorry. I’m sorry.”
She sat back upright, wondering how he even saw her with his eyes on his phone like that. She asked Marv for his advice but he did not answer. The office was hotter and hotter, the air oppressive and unmoving. She felt like she was trying to breathe soup. And still, Mr. Suzuki continued to sit there, unconcerned with her deteriorating state. Time slowed down and each second stretched into eternity. The air was thicker and thicker and breathing became a struggle.
Her vision began to swim and Mr. Suzuki and his desk became fuzzy and indistinct. She clutched her knees, begging her muscles to keep her upright, to wait patiently for him to be ready for her, but shadows were creeping in at the edges and the sweat stung her eyes. She did not realize when she had started to swoon, but the next thing she knew she was on the floor, a rush of blessedly cool air washing over her. Mr. Suzuki stood over her with a cruel smile on his face.
“This is a new record. You made it 78 minutes and 13 seconds, nearly 55 minutes longer than the previous record.”
She gasped for air, trying to push herself back upright.
“Madelyn’s bringing water.”
“What was that?” she could not help but wonder aloud.
“You must work out. Do you work out? Jesus, look at you.”
She heaved herself back into her chair and rested her elbows on her knees and wiped her face again with her towel. A bottle of water appeared before her and she accepted it with a grateful “thank you.” She looked up to see the receptionist Madelyn looking down at her in wonder.
“78 minutes,” Mr. Suzuki repeated. “And patience for days. If I hadn’t turned on the heat she’d still be waiting.”
“Just what you wanted then,” Madelyn said.
“I didn’t ask your opinion. Take her to the locker room. Have her clothes cleaned.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Suzuki looked down at Penny. She stared back.
“Don’t look at me. Get off your ass and follow her.”
“Yes sir.”
Penny put the cap back on the bottle, grabbed her bag, and followed Madelyn out of the room. When they were well away Madelyn looked at her in wonder.
“I thought you were dead,” she whispered.
Penny stared back in alarm.
“When it passed the hour mark, I thought for sure you were dead. No one’s made it past even 30 minutes since I’ve been here.”
“What was that?”
She stopped and turned into a different room. Coats and hangers and uniforms in open lockers lined the two walls, and at the end was a bathroom, complete with a shower. Madelyn only answered once the door was closed behind them.
“Mr. Suzuki is a difficult man to work for. He prizes diligence above anything else and you really impressed him. It was a good first meeting for you. Don’t question anything he tells you. Don’t ask him favors. If he has nothing for you to do, you will wait until he does.”
“Okay. But what was that? Why did it get so hot in his office? It looked like he didn’t feel it at all.”
“That was his “pressure cooker.” It’s a box of localized climate kept in place by compressed air.” She glanced at Penny’s legs. “Do you work out?”
“Yes.”
“You’re probably the first intern we’ve had who does.”
Penny nodded.
“I’ll take your clothes. They’ll be here and clean when you finish your shift.”
Penny nodded and disrobed as Madelyn waited. Then she grabbed a towel and walked into the shower, still feeling quite warm and not at all fresh. Madelyn left with all her clothes and Penny washed and rinsed and dried herself off. The lab provided her a white undershirt and panties and socks and shorts to wear under her white jumpsuit. It had two pockets and no logos, with a plastic zipper up the front. It was light and breathable and, as she slipped into the lab’s white sneakers, she felt refreshed and ready for her first day. She walked back to Mr. Suzuki’s office and he stood when she entered.
“Come this way.”
He shoved his way past her and she stumbled after him. He rounded the corner at the end of the hallway and jumped up the metal stairs two at a time to a mezzanine overlooking the lab’s main floor. She had no time to gaze in wonder at anything as he rushed past it all, his eyes fixed forward. She half-ran behind him, down more stairs, around another corner, over a catwalk, down more stairs, up more stairs, around three more corners, ducked under a huge piece of industrial equipment, and Penny was no longer sure they were even in the same building. He entered a room and stopped. There were a dozen metal androids laid out on tables in this room. Their cover shells were pulled off and all their electrical components were lying beside them, waiting for reassembly.
“Polish them.”
He turned and left. Penny looked around.
Polish them? With what?
There are cupboards in the back.
Marv! There you are! What happened to you?
No idea. Anyway, get moving. You heard what Madelyn said.
Penny snapped into motion and searched through the cupboards. Nothing. She peaked out the door. Someone was walking past, big and muscular and wearing the same white jumpsuit. She ran out towards him.
“Hey!”
“What the fuck?”
He turned around and glared at Penny.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“Penny Stark, I’m Mr. Suzuki’s new intern. I’m—“
“I don’t give a shit. Get lost.”
“Wait! I need metal polish and something to polish metal with.”
“What do I look like, the fuckin’ janitor? You try asking one of the others first?”
“No, I—“
“Fucking goofy girl, here…”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hallway to a closet.
“Use your fucking eyes for a change. Shit…”
He stomped away. She looked at the closet. It was marked “MAINTENANCE” and she opened the door. Sure enough, there were all sorts of things in there, including cleaning agents and various polishes. She took them down to the room and sighed, setting to work on the one nearest the door…
Follow The Long Winter into #117 A Fresh Start part three here.