We Shadows

Chapter 17: overtime

I messaged Tyson at lunchtime, hoping he was free to discuss more about American politics. Although he had suggested his parents, I didn't feel comfortable talking to them. After the vote, hopefully, things would settle. But right now, since my pick was the captain of the base and Dashiell had vowed to return his position, I didn't want to give him any indication of weakness.

"Hey Dylan!" Tyson waved and hurried to catch me in the hallway. "I just got out; you still want to do lunch?"

"Definitely," I agreed. "Come on."

He walked beside me down the hallway.

"The congress meeting sounded busy," he remarked. "Keller is my new assistant." He laughed. "I was trying to get my master's three weeks ago and now I have my own office and an assistant. This is not how I thought this year was going to go."

"Master's?" I questioned.

"Ah, it's a degree from an university. It basically meant that I had enough education to become a social worker. Only, I hadn't finished the program before my parents scooped me up."

"It's more education than any of us have," I pointed out. "I didn't take classes or anything to be where I am in environment. There aren't classes like that."

Tyson sighed. "I know. But it's a lot of pressure. Mental health is important and presently it rests on me."

I placed a hand on Tyson's shoulder. He couldn't be much older than I was, but I felt like the past two weeks had aged him. Maybe it was cryo that had aged him. He managed a half smile.

"You're not alone," I said. "I know I haven't been the pinnacle of sanity, but I want to help. And I know others feel the same. Vertov wanted you to have an assistant so you didn't burn out."

"And I'm grateful," he replied. "Just still tired."

We made it back to my berth and I punched in my code, letting us in. Levi wasn't here, but he rarely was for lunch these days. I set the printer for pasta and then pulled the broccoli and cheese out.

"Do you need anything?" I asked. "I'm sorry I keep bothering you about politics; I'm sure this can wait."

"No, no, I want to help," Tyson promised. "What you're doing is important too."

"But do you need anything?" I repeated.

He sighed and leaned against the counter. "I wish I had other people from Earth here," he remarked. "I wish I had my books from home, or my textbooks from school. Mostly I'm homesick."

"Levi has a collection of books," I remarked. "He moved it down to archives, but they're from Earth. I'm sure you could ask to borrow some. What the difference between books and textbooks? Don't regular books have text?"

"Textbooks are um, like manuals for classes," Tyson explained. "They're a little more technical."

"I could talk to Levi, see what he has," I offered. "He had some law documents for your mother."

"I would really appreciate it," Tyson smiled. "Thanks. Or, rather, merci."

"Either is fine," I told him.

"So, what questions do you have today?" he inquired.

The noodles were done, so I chopped the broccoli and put it all in a pot with the cheese and a little milk. Levi was better at creating a meal, but this would be edible enough.

"I talked to congress about adding a lieutenant position; they were amenable," I said. "But now I have to figure out what that means. On the Canary, that position was Cameron and she was mostly Anita's assistant. But to be second in command, they should be more than that, you know?"