The Z Contingency

Chapter 3

Minus 80 degrees C. The freezer temperature checks out okay. Update the maintenance log. Fire extinguishers aren’t due for checking for another month. Let’s see.... SEM calibration’s not due until next week. I guess I’m done early for the morning.

Great! Maybe I’ll head over to that arcade. I really want to try out that new video game. Zombie Hunter II. I can hardly wait to blow away some zombies.

Didn’t one of the lab techs mention something about a freezer lock being a bit temperamental? I could go check that out.

But she wasn’t clear about it, and didn’t say which one it was, and I don’t want to spend my free hour searching for it. It’ll keep until next week.

Maybe I could go and ask her to have lunch with me after I get back from the arcade.

But what if she says ‘no’?

She’s friendly and she smiles at me. Plus she even hangs out with that Ecks guy in the cafeteria, and I’m much better than he is.

Remember that time back in tenth grade?

When I tried to ask that cute little red-headed girl out on a date?

She was friendly, and she used to smile at me too.... Until I asked her to go to the dance. I had even gotten all dressed up too. Wore a tie and everything. But she just laughed in my face, and ran off to tell all her friends what a dork I was for thinking I could ask her out.

As though I wasn’t good enough.

And then all her friends laughed at me too. They all whispered and laughed - as if I didn’t know.