Chapter Forty-Two: Girl Talk
"Sometimes our worst enemy is ourselves. You know, I hate that saying; it implies that things can go wrong because we don't work hard enough or self-sabotage, even though most people live in an environment that drains them to their core. No, our biggest enemy is not ourselves. It is the stifling environment in which we live.
-- snippet of Doctor Katrin Noir's speech.
With my heart beating in my chest, I knock on the door. I get no reaction, but she should be in. None of the security cameras saw her leave, and Lemar was spotted bringing an extra portion of food to the room. So, it would only be logical for my sister to still be in her room.
I knock again. This time, I hear some movement before everything goes quiet once again. I frown. Something feels off, but I am unsure in what way.
I knock again. “Hey, it's me, Evelin. Can I come in?”
Some more shuffling later, and the door opens up. Angela, well… she looks rough. Tear streaks across her face and dishevelled hair. My heart immediately sinks. I slowly walk closer to the woman and pull her into a light hug.
“Bad dreams?” I whisper in her ear.
She nods as her arms come down around me as she holds me with a tight grip. I pat her back gently as I look into the room.
“Where is Tucker?” I ask after I can’t seem to spot the little tyke.
Angela lets go of me slightly, then points at the connecting door. “Lemar is taking care of him,” she says with a broken voice. “Says he is making up for lost time.”
I smile while guiding Angela back into the room. “That's good. Having a lot of reliable adults in his life, hopefully means that not much trauma from the past will remain.”
Angela nods and sits down on the bed and just starts staring into the middle distance.
Okay, so I guess the adrenaline ran out, and now she is crashing. I give myself a small shot of jet stream to accelerate my thoughts so I can come up with a solution.
What do we know about Angela? She loved my brother. Not helpful unless I want to reminisce over old times and I am unsure if that would end positively. She has a son that I assume she loves. Talking and going out to do fun things with him is an option. That reminds me, we promised Rose that we would show her wild animals in Africa. Yeah, might need to wait on that until they are a bit more comfortable. What else is there?
“Lyssa, can you give me a hairbrush?” I say in my digital brain as an idea strikes me.
New Purchase: Hairbrush
Points reduced to... 742
A little rectangle box filled with all kinds of paint splotches appears. I notice Angela jump slightly and then stare at the box with interest. I slowly pick it up and open the box, taking out the hairbrush. It is in the same purple with gold cracks colour scheme as Crow’s drone.
I hold the brush up to her. “Do you mind if I take care of your hair? I always wanted to do that with a sister.” I offered my warmest smile, hoping to jog her memory of a video message from years ago.
Angela slowly nods, looking somewhat unsure. I smile, bouncing a little as I take a seat behind her and slowly start to run the brush through her long red hair.
I run some of my fingers through her hair as I start. “Oh, Wow, your hair is incredibly soft, makes me kind of jealous.”
Angela just sits still, until she answers in a soft voice, “Thank you. I am sure yours must be soft, too.”
“It really isn’t. When my hair got changed from brown to blond they changed some stuff. I don’t know what, and now it just feels a lot sharper.” I say, “But hey, fewer tangles is a plus.”
Angela nods. “I see. Well, it is beautiful, so you should be proud.”
“Thanks,” I say as I keep brushing her hair.
We continue in a somewhat compatible silence until I am done, and Angela takes the brush from me. She starts brushing and almost immediately pulls my head back.
“When was the last time you brushed your hair?” she asks in surprise.
“Uh, I don’t know, a month ago, I guess.”
“That's no good with hair as long as yours. You should brush it daily, if not twice a day.” She admonishes me.
I chuckle. "Yeah, sorry, I’ll try better next time. It is just that the endless horde of plants didn't give me much room to breathe.”
Angela's hands pause with the work of pulling out my hair. “Sorry.” She says, sounding a lot quieter again.
“Why? You did nothing wrong.” I ask, infusing as much kindness as I can into my voice.
“Just… I should have realised that you would be busy with the aliens. It must have been hard.”
“Honestly, not really. Besides the fact that I barely did any of the work, fighting plants is a lot easier than all the rest of it.”
“How so?” Angela asks, sounding genuinely curious.
“There are no emotions involved. The plants are evil, so killing them is easy, compared to everything else we do.” I sigh. “Even though Maniac does most of the killing, it still takes more of a toll.”
“Right, Maniac. I still don’t really get that, is that not just your Samurai name?”
I raise my hand and do a so-so gesture. “Kind of, but it is like... an affliction? No, that doesn't sound right... disorder also feels wrong, maybe an ability that makes me I have multiple personalities. Maniac is just one of them, and we can switch out which one of us controls our body.”
The brush pauses again. "Isn’t that one of those things serial killers have?”
I cough, being caught totally by surprise by that question. “I don’t think so. It sounds wrong, at least. Lyssa?”
There actually have been very few serial killers with your condition. In most of those cases, people are sceptical about whether it is actually true. People defend themselves with insane statements regularly to avoid punishment. Defence lawyers may use it to plead for insanity. Overall, Lyssa deems it unlikely that those people actually have Dissociative Identity Disorder, since the existence of a system is more likely to prevent such a case from developing.
My Ai informs us using the radio on the nightstand.
I nod, then wince as the brush is still stuck in my hair. “Well, there you have it, not a serial killer, just crazy.”
“Sorry,” Angela says again.
“Don’t worry about it. I can hardly blame you for not knowing things.” I say with a laugh, “I mean, I didn't even finish high school, so the amount of stuff that I don’t know is also a lot bigger than I would like it to be.”
Angela lets out a deep sigh before I hear a sob. I spin around, wincing only slightly at the pull on my hair and hug her. “Hey, it's okay, no harm.”
“I just, I don’t know. I don’t know the last time I could relax, and people didn't mind if I did something wrong.”
I gently pet her back. “It’s okay. We can slowly get used to each other. I won't send you away or hurt you... intentionally.”
“Thank you. I just don’t know what to do now. I feel lost” she says as she pushes her face tighter against me.
“Is it weird to suggest a therapist?” I ask while stroking her back.
She pauses for a second. “Aren’t those expensive, and only for the rich?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, maybe, but can I tell you a secret?” I lean closer to whisper in her ear. “I am rich.”
Angle slowly let go of me “I uhm… I...”
“A simple thank you is enough.” I say with a smile
“That somehow doesn't feel like it's enough.” she says, giving me a shy look.
“Well, you can start by finishing my hair. It still has a bunch of tangles, and we can work the rest out from there.” I say, pointing at my head.
Angela nods, “Yeah, and Evelin, thank you for finding us.”
“No problem. What else are sisters for?” I smile. “You’re a bit too tall for me to steal your clothes.”
We continue the rest of the hair brushing in relative silence, giving me time to think. I create a new digital chat room with only me in it.
“Lyssa?” I ask with my digital avatar. “I think it is time we hire an actual therapist.”
You think Lyssa is not enough.
“Maybe. There are many people in PsyCo now, and most need some kind of therapy and having an actual flesh and blood human might be better. Do you mind making a list of trustworthy individuals we could easily hire?”
Lyssa will compile a list, any specifications?
“Not sure, really. Maybe find two: at least. A man and a woman. I can imagine people being more comfortable with one or the other. Preferably someone that is available sooner rather than later.” I think a bit more “Oh right, and someone that wouldn't mind moving to this area, they don’t necessarily have to live in the headquarters, but close by at least.
Lyssa has found a possible female employee. For the male employee, Lyssa has several, but they all have longer contracts. So Lyssa will send them all some probing questions to see if any of them are interested.
I kind of forgot how fast these AI could be. “Who is the woman?”
Katherin Noir, she is currently in Denmark but doesn't hold a job, being recently fired from Noise Corp for advocating mental healthcare for all its employees.
“That at least sounds like the type of person we like to have around, and do you think she would be willing to move here?”
Most likely. Her only family is an older brother who is currently working in France, so she isn't bound to her current location. Given proper incentive. Lyssa would estimate she is likely to move.
I smile slightly. Working with competent people can be so nice. “Neat, well, if you think she is good, send her an offer.”
Already did, and she has already sent a reply. She would like to have a meeting face-to-face, should Lyssa schedule one?
“Yeah, that would be great, and can you get me a standard contract for the PsyCo employees as well? It would be nice if I knew what I should be offering.”
Certainly.
A document pops open on my screen, and I do a quick read-through. Free healthcare, including Samurai-grade healing items for both the employee and family. Free lodging and food is provided in the cafeteria. Some allotment of points to be used on whatever the employee wishes. Some rules of secrecy that look rather basic.
Overall, a good contract that would make any normal person jump at the opportunity to be hired. Good, I don’t really like the idea that we might extort our workforce.
Got a reply. The meeting will be in a few hours in a cafe in Aalborg.
“You really work fast.” I say with a smile. “Wait, does that mean I have to go soon?”
Lyssa would recommend leaving within an hour if you want to be on time.
“Fuck.” I mutter.
“Something wrong?” Angela asks.
“Not really, just the therapist Lyssa found wants to have a meeting in a few hours, so I need to go soon. Sorry, I wish I could stay longer.”
“It’s alright, you're getting one for me, after all.” Angela says in a shy voice.
“Not just you. For me, as well as every employee who wants to go, are more than welcome to. Don’t worry, you're not a burden.”
Angela nods, “I guess I have to rush this, then.”
“Wait, what? Auw, auw, pause, I give up, surrender.”