This is But One Fragment Five Hundred Words Long Constituting Part of Something Much Larger, With At Least One New Episode Per Week, And May Be What We Call A Serialized Novella.

Timo doesn’t show up for work today and my chance to tell sympathetic coworkers about my perplexing visit with Nusci is thwarted by a mood of general distraction throughout the lab. I’d been thinking of nothing else across the sixday break and was hoping to have the chance to stir scandalous on the subject of her chaotic reaction to my comments, but the opportunity seems distant as the morning grows later.

Of course, an absence is not unusual. But Nacks is visibly upset and swears up and down that she’d seen Timo on the Hoddall earlier this morning — though she doesn’t elaborate — implying that he was on his way somewhere but never made it here. But where? It is unlike Timo to take a day off without explanation — and after all, it wouldn’t have taken more than a fids-bit of effort to tag a delivery bot with a message.

Both Nacks and Timo live on the cheaper, harbor side of the river and walk between work and home across the Hoddall Pedway, that narrow rail strung of modern alloys and built for foot traffic between populous Southbend and the mass employers clustered in the ports. I assumed they walked the route together and say so, Nacks shrugging evasively at the suggestion. And Ving, typically distrustful of the harbor hands, suggests a cynical account of possible risks for this particular commute which is a list inclusive from a mere innocent distraction by Timo — to dark foul play at the hands of angry Dark Steel sympathizers. Nacks huffs loudly and leaves the lab for a while. We dismiss the most vile of the options over the course of the morning, but when Timo is still missing at lunchtime without report or message, we find ourselves reconsidering the worst.

Our lack of optimism is not for the faint of heart.

Oddly enough it fails to occur to anyone until we are locking up the lab that Timo’s absence could be connected to the incident with the inverted logic circuit exactly one sixday earlier. “You don’t think…” I offer aloud to Ving and Klaas as I’m closing the contacts on the heavy iron doors, and propose my theory. Nacks is already speeding away down the corridor and doesn’t hear.

“You’re suggesting the company is involved?” Klaas laughs. “Conspiracy? Doubtful.”

I shrug. “I’m not stuck on the idea. But it is a curious coincidence, no?”

“A coincidence lacking any sort of evidence.” Klaas says firmly.

“Evidence?” I say. “You weren’t exactly calling for evidence when we were supposing muggings on the Hoddall.” I’m not angry, just perturbed.

“Timo wandering off because he’s hurt — or just plain stupid — are realistic options, Moze.” Ving interjects. “Claiming the company is kidnapping their own employees is… is…”

“Not a good idea.” Klaas says. “I don’t want to lose my job because Timo was distracted by a Chorus girl on the way to work and you start talking like a Steelie.”

“Forget I said it.”