Bring The Heat

92. No Way In Pt 3

Water dripped into BM's mindscape, seemingly from nowhere. Wren could hear it, and the flooded floor rippled as it was disturbed, but the dripping was always coming from beyond the dark fog that was edge of her vision.

She and BM trudged deeper and deeper through the empty space, a faint blue light following him as he staggered forward, the only light in this place.

Until, eventually, something hazy appeared ahead - it got clearer with each step, until Wren found they were back in the casino.

"You know, I've never actually been to a casino." BM remarked, placing a hand on one of the machines. "But I didn't really need to. I gambled, I got rich, I got lucky. I did it anyway."

"You never told me about your past."

"With you, it felt rude to bring up the topic."

BM hung his head, annoyed at himself for his somewhat rude response.

"I'm sorry. My past is a... sensitive topic."

Shaking her head, Wren persisted.

"I need to help you. I need to know what happened to the man you are now, this destroyed version of yourself. Tell me, please!"

After taking a second to think, BM nodded gently, pulling his soggy hair from his face.

"I'll show you..."

-(20 YEARS EARLIER)-

"I'm so proud of my boy!" Mrs Rose squealed, ruffling her son's hair.

And who could blame her? An inventor for a huge experimental tech company, at only 19 years old?

"Mother, please- their were probably no other candidates! Robotics is a HIGHLY controversial topic. Who'd want to work in a field that makes the very things that are supposed to end careers?"

"Well, why do you?"

"Because we'll be the last to go!"

Mr and Mrs Rose laughed with joy and pride. To have created such a great success... it was every parent's dream.

And then, Malcolm walked in.

"What's going on?"

He could feel the mood drop as he entered the room. His mother's joy suspended, his father's smile weakened.

"Nathaniel got the job. We've got a genius in our midst!" Mr Rose cheered. His big, grey mustache wiggled as he spoke.

"Oh? Where are they?" Malcolm joked. Nathaniel laughed, but quickly stopped when he noticed that his parents were none too pleased with his twin brother.

Ignoring the suppressed silence, Malcolm put a hand on his brother's shoulder. Nathan looked a lot like him - but a little shorter, his skin a little darker, and with a tendency to contacts for his vision instead. His smile gleamed as his eyes and his heart did - the young man could cheer up death row.

"I'm really proud of you, Nathan. Genuinely." Malcolm stated, his grin twisting into a smirk. "You FINALLY got a job! It took you long enough, you little bitch!"

"Well, Malcolm. Such a high profile job would outshine thousands of hours working at that warehouse. To an employer."

Mr Rose's interruption made the room fall silent again.

"Yeah. To an employer, sure..." Malcolm muttered.

He was smart. He didn't have 'intelligence', not in the standard way, but he was smart. Unfortunately the standard way was all his family seemed to know.