Work Text:
01/19/XXXX
It was another cold, uneventful day in the Korblox administration, and Hyperlaser listened to the dull thud of his boots as he trudged down one of the brightly lit hallways. 'Cold and uneventful', that was what every day seemed to be like in this place ever since Hyperlaser was assigned to be a bodyguard of some of the smartest units in the Korblox Labs. A part of him wished he could go back to his other job- despite how taxing it was, at least he got to move from place to place. Here, he was shackled to these empty halls.
"Cough- COUGH- HACK-" Hyperlaser's attention to the tiled floor was taken when he heard distant coughing, stopping his walk and adjusting his antenna to listen. The coughing was coming from nearby, an area he had to visit frequently; the chemistry unit. He turned foot, swapping to a quicker walk toward one of the examining rooms and standing in front of one of the doors. He could hear the sound of someone clearing their vocal cords, multiple spits and coughs interrupting each attempt. He waited for a second, listening before knocking.
Knock knock
......."Just a minute."
A reply, gravelly and quiet, answered through the door. It was Hyperlaser's contractee- Subspace. Outside of repeatedly being switched around between sections of his job Hyperlaser has worked under him for a total of 4 years, and over the years Hyperlaser has always made note of how things are changing. The inphernal was always ghastly pale, a sharp contract to his bright-hot pink horns that never seemed to stop emitting a faint glow. He always looked malnourished and unsteady too, like a sickly patient you'd see in the more focused parts of a hospital. Despite all this he went on like he was powered by a battery; having not only made the Biografts securing majority of the facility, but a few other side projects, like his helmet.
The door in front of him hissed as its seal broke, slowly opening to reveal the scientist. Subspace held onto the frame, his face fixed in a scowl- nothing new. Hyperlaser folded his hands together, looking the other over before asking the routine question.
"Subspace, are you alright?" He could see the other grimace at that question. It was something everyone seemed to want to know ever since he dropped his research to focus on a cure for his Rot- and rightfully so considering it looks like progress wasn't going well. His affliction was turning him into what looked like a walking corpse with pale-dry skin and visible bones, the scent of carrion following him where he walked. This scent had been growing worse ever since he began searching for a cure, which should have been a dead giveaway at his progress.
Subspace hesitated, taking in a few strained breaths through his mask. "Im fine, I'm just..." He paused, looking back into the room before huffing. "Walk me back to my quarters." He ordered, reaching a gloved arm out. 'Fine is a way to put it.' Hyperlaser thought as he put an arm out, wrapping Subspace's left arm over his shoulder and using his arm to cusp the scientists side. Walking him to his room was something that had come along with Subspace's new research- he never seemed to have enough energy to travel on his own anymore, and from his point of view? He had to be overworking himself.. he wouldn't be surprised if it was the case, with how little he saw him throughout his shift.
The walk to Subspace's quarters was long and quiet. For one it was about 3:15 AM, meaning that those who did sleep have long since packed up for the night, and those who didn't had just arrived on night shifts. That mixed with how he had to walk slowly as to not trip the other inphernal meant that the walk felt like it took ages, though he wasn't one to be impatient. As they walked he kept his eyes forward, but his hearing was focused on whatever noise Subspace was making. He was almost wheezing with each breath, occasionally coughing pink specks onto his hands, and (with nothing to clean with) wiping it on his clothes.
A part of Hyperlaser wanted to ask how Subspace's research was going, but with how under-wraps everything was he doubted he's get an answer. Questions weren't a thing that one could come by easily when it came to research being done in the Korblox administration, and higher ups made note to discourage questions being asked, but that didn't stop him from being curious about every case sensitive finding they were working on. Especially one as big as this? Who wouldn't want to have insight on progress with the development of a cure to such an under-researched illness.
But of course, his questions would have to stay unanswered for now. While he was in thought they had reached Subspaces room, the scientist having opened his door while the mercenary was busy lost in his mind. He shuffled inside, only giving him a quick "thanks." Before the door shut in front of him. Hyperlaser lingered in front of the door, still in thought for a moment before walking away.
Once again, the night was as it was up until his shift ended. Cold uneventful... different. As Hyperlaser was clocking out for the day, he stopped to mull over his interaction with Subspace. For the entirety the other hadn't tried to heckle him once, let alone start any sort of conversation with him. Not like he was complaining at all- every conversation with the inphernal were one sided, just him listening to Subspace yammer on about recent breakthroughs with his studies- things he would be interested in if it weren't coming from Subspaces trap. Not like it was anything huge, but that small break in natural routine caught his brain's attention.
As he pushed his glove against the scanner he noticed a glowing pink stain on the rim and grimaced, making a note to wash it when he got home.