Fiction Friday: Old Times 1.0

Previously: 0.1

* * * * *

There was a buzzing in my head. On, off, on, off, on, off... loud and insistent. "What the hell?" I muttered as I awoke from a deep sleep.

I looked around and confirmed it was my room. Lights down, I was naked in bed, alone, but sheets rumpled as if someone else was sleeping there. The buzzing, still there. I leaned up more and turned my head to finally realize the noise was coming from my bedside console (it took a minute because this clone has a damaged left ear drum and can't hear out that side, I'd re-clone except the implants in its cranium were very expensive). A notification in green flashed saying "Incoming Intra-Station Call..." which only increased my confusion.

"An in-station call? Who the hell would call me on the station line?" Service calls from station personnel would go into a queue to be retrieved later which out of station comms would be directed to my personal communication device, my iComm. Who would be making a personal call to my room from within station?

"Are you going to get that already?"

I turned and saw that the bathroom door was opened and a woman wrapped in a towel with wet long red hair was standing there. I put on my best winning smile and said "Morning Sunshine." She rolled her eyes and  went back to the bathroom but I saw the corners of her mouth pull up in a little smile in the mirror I could see through the door. "You know I hate that nickname," she called back. "No you don't," I countered.

Her name was Sun Tomah and she was a capsuleer like me, but a vastly different line of work. She started working in my brother's and my legitimate corporation a couple years back as a public relations director. Korannon was great at business and logistics but terrible at the social side of the business. Sun was perfect at it, and not a bad shake at the management part of things either as a bonus, so almost a year ago we made her a full partner in the business.

"You're the prettiest girl I've picked up in a bar in a long time," I told her as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed.

"We went there together and it was a restaurant, not a bar. And I am the one who picked up the tab, you cheap Deteis, so technically I think I picked you up there," she retorted over her shoulder as she used a second towel to start drying her hair.

"Tomato, Tornado, who cares about the details?" I teased. "Come back to bed, Sun." Sadly, she came back to the room and started to get dressed. "Can't," she replied, "I've got to get back to work before my boss finds out I'm late."

"I'm your boss and I'm OK if you're late," I tried valiantly one more time, but I could tell by her focus on getting ready that my chances for a morning tryst had dropped to zero. Oh well, I thought, she's still here for another week.

"Who is it calling anyways?" she asked as she brushed out her hair.

"I have no idea."

"Aren't you going to fucking answer it? Its annoying!"

The console stopped buzzing. "Looked," I called, "the problem solved itself."

I got up and was heading towards the shower (with a little pat on the bum for Sun as I passed) when the console started buzzing again. I stopped and turned around. "Seriously, what the hell?"

"At least someone is hot and bothered for you," Sun slyly noted.

"Yeah yeah," I muttered as I strode back around to my side of the bed where the console was having its fit. I sat down so my privates remained private and then stabbed the "Accept Call" button.