Indigo Blues 🪼✔

8 - Done All Wrong

As I worked with Johnsie and Tannus, I got to know a lot more about tools and things. They would never tell me what they were working on but obviously it was something that was top priority because I was in there every day helping them out. Finally after a while, it was finished and Johnsie ran his fingers through his hair.
"Well, there it is..." he said.
I looked at whatever it was that was covered in a tarp and Tannus turned his head too.
"That's a wonderful tarp." I said with a look at Tannus.
He grinned and motioned for Johnsie to remove the tarp. Whatever it was seemed very... not groundbreaking...
"Um, what is it?" I asked.
"It's a flux capacitor, duh." Tannus said with a smile at the machine.
"To..."
"Ugh, you'd think we were in the Stone Age!" Tannus growled, obvious annoyance taking over. "It's a time travel device you daft woman."
"T-time travel?" And suddenly the words 'flux capacitor' registered in my mind and I blinked. "Like Back To The Future flux capacitor-type stuff?"
"Exactly." The two said at the same time.
I gaped at the tiny little machine that I helped build and then looked at them.
"This is what you've been working on his whole time? A time travel machine?"
"Well, it's not the actual machine." Johnsie said. "It fuels the machine that is being built in Section 7 of the labs."
"They just needed this finished up." Tannus said.
"I wasted my time on a time traveling part... Great."
"I'm risking my life for children created by genetically altered jelly beans. I think you can take the compensation as minimal." Tannus said with a frown.
I wanted to tell him that, again, it was his fault but it was getting annoying when he obviously wasn't going to own up to it. Tannus was pretty big now, attracting some unwanted attention as well in the labs, but we needed to do some tests on him.
"Anyway, thanks to you, we got done in time." Johnsie said as he started putting his tools away. "With Tannus... uh, out of commission, it would have taken me twice as long."
"All I did was hand you stuff. Tannus could have done that."
"Those heavy things you carried in the other day was a help and he wouldn't have been able to come and hold things like you did. It was a big help to us, so thanks."
He held out his hand to me and I shook it. I smiled at him and Tannus looked at me. There was something strange in his eyes at that moment and it seemed as if we couldn't take our eyes off of each other for a moment. Tannus then looked away, as if startled, and held out his hand to me.
"Thanks."
I looked at his outstretched hand and shook it. I hadn't touched him other than to check him for fever and his stomach so being so formal was a little abnormal.
"Um... well, if that's all you need then I'm going to be back in my lab. Come by later on today so I can check up on you, alright?" I told him.
"Yeah, yeah, sure..."
I moved my mouth to the side but sighed and just went back to my own lab.

*TANNUS*
Johnsie looked at me as I watched Delilah leave.
"What was all that about?"
"Huh?"
"What was that dramatic stare you guys gave each other? It was like something from a movie or something."
"I don't know... Let's get this to Thomas, yeah? I'll ask if Oliver can come and help you get this onto the cart."
Johnsie nodded. "I'm getting something to drink, you want something?"
"A lemonade or something..." I said, waddling to the phone on the wall.
I made a call down to delivery and the secretary answered. I told her who I was and she transferred me to Oliver's headset.
"What is it, Tannus? We've got shit loads of products coming and going." He said rather loudly.
"You don't have a spare moment?"
"Hell no! We had a back order and so instead of one shipment there are three going out. I'm managing all three groups by myself. I haven't pissed in three hours!"
"Okay, okay... sheesh... Never mind then."
"Oh, Maddy was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight? She's making that stuff you like."
"Sounds good."
"Alright. I'll meet you in the parking lot then. Bye."
I hung up the phone and looked at the flux capacitor.
Johnsie came back and handed me the lemonade.
"Is he coming?"
"No he's got a lot on his hands. Guess we'll have to figure this out..."
"Yeah. Do you think he'll still let us do the presentation on it at the board?"
"Of course not. Let's hurry up with this. I'm getting hungry."

"What." I said with no emotion.
"I said that we're going to have to let you go." Thomas said as he looked over the flux capacitor.
"I'm not deaf, you overgrown imbecile, but what grounds do you have for that?!" I snapped, slamming my hands on the table. "After everything that I've put into this company!"
"We're not firing you, Tannus, we're telling you that you have to leave the company while you're in your condition." He said, blatantly glaring at my protruding belly.
I put my arms around it and gave him a look.
"You guys authorized this! Delilah did it!" I said, feeling childish but needing clarity.
"That's true but it was to be tested on a woman, not a man. We will be putting this in the warning section of the product when it hits the market but that's not the point."
"Yes, it is! You can't lay me off like that!"
"Don't think of me as a lay off; more like a... a really long suspension."
"But what have I done to deserve it! Tell me that!"
"You're a disturbance to the peace of this company." Thomas said with a sigh. "Your recent encounter has made you the talk of the labs and many are distracted by it."
I clenched my fists and laughed wryly.
"So you're saying that the experiment that you authorized and can see working is too much for you that you have to hid the truth? I'm a freak to all of you..."
"Not a freak-"
"No. Say it, Thomas. Say what you've been wanting to say to me ever since you saw it. Say what's on your mind." He said, glaring at him. "You used me. You waited until I finished the project and then you can me... This is great..."
"Um, Mr. Matthews, you're not allowed to do that." Johnsie spoke up suddenly. "The contract we signed says 'employees cannot be fired and/or suspended for actions resulted in the use or practice of the experiment we or others have been authorized to do by the board of directors and the CDC'."
Thomas kneaded the bridge of his nose and looked at me.
"I know that, Mr. Trademathews. I'm also saying that he is not being fired. He just needs to not be here."
I threw my hands in the air. I was technically being fired. But that was alright, I had always set aside money just in case this happened and I had an alternate life plan...
"Dr. Bracken, whenever this all blows over, you can come back to work here. You will be paid for your absence."
Things looked up. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Well then... I'm sensing a 'but' here." I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
"But the terms are this: you are not to step foot in the building until the child is born and when it is born, it will be given to us."
"Run that again? My ears aren't so good."
"You can't step-"
"The last part."
"The child is ours."
I lost it then and Johnsie had a time for me not climbing over the desk after I punched that son of a bitch in the face.
"You've lost your god damned mind! I QUIT!!!" I yelled, walking out.
Johnsie ran behind me and I turned me around.
"Tannus, you can't! They'll take the credit for the flux capacitor."
"They can't. I designed it and pattoned it. They can't do any alterations without my consent. It's all legal. Let me go."
"But what about Delilah?"
"Who cares?"
I walked out of the building, hoping I made the right decision.

After I cooled off a little and left the park I had come to rest at, I went to my apartment and found a note on my door. I opened it up and saw the big red words EVICTION NOTICE plastered across it. I growled and marched to the apartment office.
"Excuse me, what the hell is this?" I snarled at the girls sitting in the office.
One came out, looking at my stomach, and then at me.
"What can we do for you?"
"I want to know what the hell this is all about?" I said, flicking the eviction notice to her. "Never miss a payment and I'm barely in it to be disruptive."
"You've become a disturbance to the peace." Another girl said.
I was getting tired of hearing that excuse.
"A woman gets pregnant and she gets a baby shower. I, a scientist no doubt, get pregnant and now I'm a freak? I'm the freak who lives next door..." I said in a creepy voice.
"We're sorry, Dr. Bracken, but our head manager said you need to leave in a week's time."
"You go against the laws of nature..."
I whirled on the girl who had said it and she jumped out of her skin practically.
"So do seahorses and no one smites them out, do they? What-the-frack-ever... I hope someone evicts you when you get pregnant. I know at least two of you are sluts." I snapped as I left the office.
This was beginning to be a horrible day.