Evaded // Evade Fanfiction

Chapter 3 // Workplace Biography

The street corner was much louder than usual. Even after the rain, clear drops dripped from the turgid concrete ceilings. A vibrating sound echoed through the empty corner as the drop merged with the dirty puddle below it. The store's door flung open from the corner as a short figure entered. He folded the black umbrella before tossing it beside the room. He pulled out his water-proof footwear and left them beside the door entrance.

Jard was far from making a luxurious dinner. He covered the mouth of the cup with its packaging seal. He waited for the noodles to cook themselves. He clenched his soaked hat as his other hand stroked his soggy, bright hair. That darn expedition had to rain the whole way through. He tripped and slipped into many sludge puddles whilst making turns to evade those nextbots. The cold wind blowing on his soaked hoodie does not help either. He leaned towards the cooking food, hoping to have some of that heat.

"Jard?"

Jard suddenly snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his name. He looked up and saw the small teenage boy. He bit his bottom lip impatiently.

"What do you want, Bobo?"

"I was wondering... if you could tell me something?"

The exhausted college student leaned back into his chair. He thought he knew what this tiny being wanted to ask.

"You came to ask me about the nextbots, huh?" he answered, raising his tired voice a little, "tell you what, I hate those slimy fuckers. They won't give you a break from collecting artifacts. Especially in the rain, they won't leave you alone until you break your leg,"

Bobo's jaws dropped from Jard's response. This wasn't what he was going to ask, but holy... It sure is an indicator that Jard had a bad day. Jard immediately fixes his opinion a little.

"Except you, of course. You're pretty cool,"

The young humanoid nextbot sighed with relief. He watched as the steam from the cup evaporated into the eroding grey ceiling.

"Thanks, but I was asking something different," Bobo cheerfully replied as he took a step closer towards Jard, "what was work like in the Elysium Corporation?"

Jard paused. Thoughts and memories started to wrap around him and slowly choked him. He mentally thrashed and struggled to break free, but to no avail. It was like a warzone in his mind with conflicting thoughts. He was catching flying pictures that were scrambled like a lottery randomizer. Finally, he aligned each word with what he was going to say.

"Well, I don't like it if I had to be honest," he replied heavily, "the mates there were poison-mouths. The corporation was using me so that they could become richer than all dimensions,"

"If you don't like it there, then why did you even join in the first place?" Bobo asked curiously with childish eyes.

The tired college student limped forward when he heard Bobo's words. He seemed disappointed in his young friend.

"You don't know?! I told you this like two weeks ago!"

Bobo, despite the sudden aggression, kept a smile on his face. He lowered his head as he stared at his hands.

"Sorry, Jard. I forgot,"

"Well, you forget everything I told you, do you? Information goes into one ear and straight out of the other," he muttered loudly, "Fine, but listen to me very carefully so you don't miss a word,"

Jard leaned back into his chair, staring at the broken ceiling. Bobo leaned forward, curious about what are the small details of this man.

"I suppose there were good times when I first went there," Jard sighed, going through the album in his head, "there was a shelf filled with free cup noodles, the interdimensional navigator planning room was well designed, Rose... was the most stunning woman I had ever met,"

Bobo chuckled as he walked to the opposite side of the table before leaning in, forcing his eyes to meet with his own. His hands cupped both of his pale cheeks, using his hands to lift his head to Jard's eye level. He stretched the cheekiest smile he had pulled in the past few months.

"So what? You have a crush on her?"

Jard jolted in embarrassment like a released compressed spring. His eyes were widened like plates. His cheeks flushed red from the child-like nextbot's response. He stared at Bobo, who watched his friend flustering over someone at the old workplace.

"What?! No! Just because-"

"Come on, Jard! Everyone has got a crush sooner or later. It doesn't hurt to admit it,"

"Shut up!"

Bobo snorted with laughter. Jard hoped that he would drink milk before he could choke and drown in it. 

"Do you want to hear about my workplace experience or not?" Jard raised his voice, snapping a bit.

Finally, he died down as the teenage boy leaned back into his chair. His smile died a bit, but it was noticeable that he was enthusiastic.

"Go on,"

Jard took another deep breath. He watched the steam slowly dying out as his noodles started to cool.

"Like I said, I was in grave debt while working there. The work environment ain't good either. I had been pushed over by some of the Elysium guards for eating my lunch too slowly. Nothing more than travelling to different dimensions, almost losing a leg, sending in the coordination of the artifact and then reporting it to an Elysium Researcher. Just your average daily painful circle of being an Interdimensional Navigator,"

Bobo sat up.

"So you dislike everything about it there?"

"No-. The food is awesome there," Jard corrected himself, "other than that, there is the researcher that I was assigned with,"

"Your girlfriend?"

"For crying out loud, she's not my girlfriend!" Jard snapped as Bobo fell from his seat in laughter and tears, "She was the kindest person I had ever met in the Elysium. She wasn't like the other Elysium researchers there. She doesn't tell me off when I equipped the wrong gear or if I failed to locate the coordinates,"

Jard smiled at the mention of Rose as he went on the rest of his experience in the Elysium Corporation. After a while, his smile died down.

"Though, I am concerned. She has been missing right after my disappearance. But that doesn't mean I want to see her again-"

"Jard, you don't mind handing me that wrench near that table over there?"

Jard was interrupted by his fellow workmate. He lifted his head as he nodded. As soon as he reached his hand into the cold metal handle of the tool, he heard a familiar voice at the front of the doorstep.

"Evening, Galf!"

Jard turned around. His eyes widened at what he was seeing. Her dark, soft hair was tied in a bun. She wore a red neck scarf. Her uniform was recognisable, wearing a research lab coat with the familiar squashed squares logo. Galf smiled at her.

"Evening, Rose!"