The Time from Before

Mechanical

Harper lounged in her chair, the soft glow of monitors casting shadows across her face. "Where is he?" She murmured, more to herself than anyone else, her voice laced with a mix of frustration and concern.

Mel glanced over, her eyes narrowing with a mix of amusement and annoyance. "He'll show up when he damn well pleases."

Harper huffed, her fingers tapping impatiently on the armrests. "I know, I know. But this is unusual even for him! Ten minutes late? That's unheard of!"

Mel let out a theatrical gasp, her sarcasm thick as honey. "He might actually be doing something important. Imagine that. Meanwhile, you could try being productive."

Rolling her eyes, Harper spun in her chair, a restless energy about her. "Productive? I don't have auth for that, remember? And there's nothing else to do." She paused, a thought striking her. "Cv-8, any idea where he's wandered off to?"

"I do." Came the disembodied voice of Cv-8, calm and collected.

"Oh. Great, then where is he?" She looked up at the array of screens on the wall.

Cv-8's reply was nonchalant, almost indifferent. "Hmm... I'd rather not say."

"Ugh. At least tell me what he's doing." Harper sighed.

"Why the sudden interest?" Cv-8 asked.

"Curiosity." Harper admitted, sitting up straighter. "And... I'm starting to worry. He's not injured, is he?"

"He's unscathed, physically." Cv-8 assured.

...

"For fucks sake Allen." Mel clicked her tongue, a sign of her impatience as she rose from her seat. "Why must you shoulder everything alone?" She whispered under her breath.

She turned to Harper, her expression softening. "Keep the bunker secure. Continue with your routine. I'll go find him; cheer him up."

"Huh? Cheer him up?" Harper echoed, confused.

With a final glance at the console, Mel straightened her attire, adjusted her tentacles into something a little more comfortable, and left the Control Room.

Harper was left in the sudden stillness, left out of the fun. "What's going on?" She mused aloud, standing to peer at the doorway Mel had disappeared through.

"It's probably for the best that you remain in the dark." Cv-8 responded, its tone almost apologetic. "Truthfully, I'm as much in the dark as you are."

"Whaaaat." Harper squinted her eyes at one of the screens; a visualizer used as a reference for where Cv-8 was in the physical world. "Just... let me know when Allen is back up to his usual self, I guess."

"So you do know what's going on. Curious."

...

...

"Soo~" Mel's voice echoed softly, a gentle intrusion into the relative stillness of the underground. Ignoring the ground shaking so often, anyway.

Allen lay there, a solitary figure sprawled against the cold metal floor, his gaze fixed on the ceiling's expanse – a canvas of steel and shadow. But now, Mel framed his view.

"What are you doing all the way down here?" She asked, glancing at the machinery around them.

The silence that followed was heavy, leaving Mel without much to say. She settled beside him with a resigned sigh.

"I'm not surprised, you know." She began, her voice almost a whisper amidst the hum of distant machinery. "I've been keeping up with your actions through reports. You're overworked, to say the least."