Midnight Oil

A holoscreen shed a pale light on Kori’s eyes, burning the edges. She rubbed tears away and concentrated, but the image still buzzed.

She stood and her legs went stiff, so she walked out of her cubicle to retain feeling.

Most of the lights were off, a neon billboard shading the space pink. Kori lifted a bowl of ramen from her desk, sipping the flavor. It was her only companion on these long nights. She kept a stash beneath her desk, a little secret. She walked to the windows, rain blurring the color of the night.

A roar sounded.

A car shot across the window, trailed by a police vehicle flashing red and blue lights. The rain created a blurred burst of color. An idea struck.

She jogged to her cubicle, setting down the bowl.

The digital painting on her holoscreen was simple.

An image of a tree, shifting in the wind. Rolling hills were its only company. Flowers dotted the grass, bits of color waving like a creature alive. But something was wrong. Something she couldn’t quite get. Her hands manipulated the holoscreen. The green of the leaves shifted to a duller color. She’d usually tended to more color. But instead as the light played with the leaves, shadows obscured more of it. Better. Still. Something was wrong.

She collapsed in her chair and tried to remember.

People said memories were never accurate. Bits and pieces of it never fully reflected reality. How could she separate the feeling of immense loss from the awe of seeing a real tree for the first time? Would changing the flowers? The background?

Her ruminating was interrupted by a voice.

“Kori?” Kori’s eyes shot towards the speaker.

“Edward,” She stood. His face was surprised and confused. She looked at herself. Her suit jacket was wrinkled, and she’d taken off her shoes.

“Its three in the morning. What are you doing?” He took steps towards her from the entry. He sniffed. “Is that ramen?”

“I can explain,” She held up her hands.

“Kori….”

“I was working on a team project.” He walked closer to her desk, looking at the holoscreen. “It’s not what it seems.”

“Kori, how many times do I have to tell you? You can’t do personal work on company time.”

“It’s not company time. I’m just using the holoscreen.”

“Kori,” He ran a hand through his hair. Every time he did it aged him by years.

“I’ll be back first thing in the morning. The project will get done and you won’t hear a peep from me about overtime.”

“It’s already morning.” He looked at her in the eye, his demeanor solemn. “We’re an advertising agency. We make advertisements for pills and designer shoes. We’re not artists chasing dreams.” His gaze turned. “Listen, I know you want to feel closer to your mom and finish the painting. But people don’t care about a tree on a hill anymore. They can experience nature at museums and traveling to the wastelands if they want to see it bad enough to die.”

A silence hung in the air and Edward had a deliberating look Kori knew meant nothing good. Before he could speak she said,

“Why are you here? It’s three in the morning and you’re wearing a freshly pressed suit.” Realization made her voice bitter. “You didn’t come to check on me, did you? You may be my boss now but you’re not my babysitter.”

“Take the day off Kori. I’ve gotta explain to management why our power consumption is high.” He ran his hands through his hair. “And clean up this ramen.”

He disappeared down the hall.

After cleaning up and putting her shoes on, Kori descended the elevator.

Stacy was in, stationed behind the circular desk in the middle of the lobby.

“Good morning love,” Stacy said without looking. Kori still didn’t know how she knew it was her. Maybe a hearing augment? But Stacy was always so old-fashioned. She still read real newspapers. Ones she’d collected and read time and time again.

“Anything interesting?” Kori asked.

“A fireman apparently pulled a cat from a ditch. It was stuck in the mud.” Stacy moved the newspaper to read it better. “Apparently the name was freckles. The firefighter not the cat.

Kori smiled a small smile.

“Yea, that’d be funny.” Stacy gave her a look. She slid her mug of coffee towards Kori.

“Have some coffee and tell me what’s wrong.” Kori grabbed the handle and said,

“Nothing’s wrong.” She lifted it to take a sip but in a moment Stacy’s finger was on it.

“No answer no coffee.” Kori eyed her and gave a glare. Stacy returned with another. Maybe the one she’d used on her boys when they were teenagers and acting up. Her lips lowered in disappointment, her expression softening. Kori rolled her eyes and said,

“Okay okay you win.” Stacy’s finger lifted.

Kori sipped it and looked outside. Rain still pattered on the concrete. Streetlights lit up trash cans along the sidewalk.

“Edward is mad at me again. He thinks I need looking after. Made the excuse of using too much power. My holoscreen doesn’t even use a fraction of what the agency pays for.”

“Working on that painting still? Darling the museum already found an exhibit for the tree. They’re not going to pay the agency again for something they already have. You must know this.” Kori quickly returned,

“Trust me I’m aware.” Kori regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Stacy was being kind. “I’m sorry. You’re right.” She looked at Stacy and found a compassionate gaze. One that said to keep talking. “I’m not mad at Edward. Or that I couldn’t finish the painting in time. I’m upset I can’t find out what’s missing. I study digital painting for years and can’t paint a single tree.”

“You know he’s not mad at you, right?”

“If you saw the look on his face tonight, you’d disagree. What’s worse is he’s disappointed in me. He spent years covering for me still working on this painting, and I have yet to finish.”

“He’s your friend. You can confide in him.”

“We were friends in college. We got hired together. We work together. But things are different now.”

“I know you’re more than capable to handle anything that comes your way, Kori. But no one can do everything alone.”

Stacy paused and looked out towards the streets. “They caught a speedster out there. Be careful.”

Kori nodded and returned the cup of coffee. She was without an umbrella but didn’t mind. The rain did soak her clothes though, and as water poured down her face she felt the oil thick on her skin.

A block down was the officer and his catch. Their vehicles hovered six stories high. The officer stood on a light projection, its orange trail connecting the door of the officer’s cruiser to the speedster’s. The jets of the vehicles burned spots in Kori’s eyes, so she looked back down and began her walk home.

As she walked, she found herself envying the speedster. It must be relieving to be free of the weight. Then a thought occurred to her.

“Would I be crazy?” She said to herself. “Yea. I’d definitely be crazy.”

*

“To where?” The attendant asked Kori. Somehow the busy bustle of the subway had gone quiet.

“The wasteland.” Kori’s voice was resolute.

The attendant shook his head but began typing from behind the glass screen of the booth. A train rumbled by and he muttered,

“Two lunatics in one day.” He slid a pad towards her. “You’ll have to sign this waver. Do you even have proper protection? A projection disk is the legal minimum.”

“My disk is right here,” she waved the flat disk that was about the size of her fist.

“Those rented ones are crap. No distress beacons if something catches you.” She clenched her jaw and slid the signed pad back towards him. A question nagged at her but before she could ask, the attendant said, “Here is your ticket. The morning train leaves in a couple minutes. My condolences to your family.”

She snatched the ticket from his hand and found a spot at a bench. People were eyeing her.

She pulled her baseball hat down over her face and pulled her jacket tight. She was prepared. She wore heavy work boots and had a taser just in case. She’d be fine. Yet a thought still bothered her.

“All ready to go see a tree?” it couldn’t be. Kori didn’t have to move to know who was behind her.

“You didn’t.”

“I did.” Kori stood and spun on her heel. She jammed a finger into Edward’s chest.

“You lunatic. Why are you here?” She snapped, not caring anymore who was looking.

“Why are you here?”

“It doesn’t matter. The office needs you.”

“They can manage.”

“How did you know I’d even be coming?”

“You had that look in your eye the other day. I can’t let an employee go to the wasteland alone. People usually take escorts out with guns you know. And you seem, ill-prepared.”

She pulled the taser from her pocket and waved it in his face. He gently pushed it away.

“You don’t seem too much better yourself.” She took in his outfit. It was the same business suit he wore earlier without the suit jacket. Instead, he wore a heavy-duty farmer’s coat that smelled of closet. “And are those dress shoes? You know they won’t do well in the wasteland.”

“I was in a hurry. But I did bring this.” He opened his coat. A sleek gun was holstered in the side.

She huffed out a sneer and turned, facing the tunnel.

In her surprise she’d not noticed their train had arrived. Unlike most of the trains it appeared older. Faded paint and dirty windows. The doors slid open, got stuck halfway, then jolted the rest of the way.

They entered and sat. Kori didn’t fail to notice the other pedestrians were watching their departure as if a final send off.

“So, are you going to give me the silent treatment this whole time?” Edward said as the train jolted to a start. It rumbled down the tunnel. For a second everything went dark, then lights switched on.

“Thank you for coming. You didn’t have to.” Edward nodded. The rest of the way she closed her eyes and tried to remember. She hoped it was still there.

A screech announced their arrival. The platform was abandoned, the only light coming from the exit.

Kori pulled the disk from her pocket and placed it at the top of her chest. It whirred alive, surrounding her figure in a blue glow. It had white streaks along her limbs, giving her a blocky appearance.

“Put yours on,” Kori said. Edward set his. The same glow surrounded him, only it didn’t have that blocky appearance but moved flawlessly with his form. Kori gave him a look,

“Splurged on a new one? You know those are only better aesthetically right.”

“Yea well, there are perks to being a boss. Plus, I look good,” he said with a playful look. He began towards the exit and couldn’t see the smirk on Kori’s face.

A sleepy street greeted them. Kori looked back towards the city. There was no true indication they’d left the safe zones, only an ever-present weight in the air.

Edward’s gun hummed alive. He eyed their surroundings and said,

“Let’s move quick. The creatures should be nocturnal, but you never know.”

They stuck to sidewalks, keeping away from abandoned vehicles where things might be hiding.

Reminders of the past littered the streets. Suitcases abandoned. Large gashes where the creatures had attacked buildings. The worst were the piles of bones Kori had to convince herself weren’t human.

“Do you even know how to shoot?” Kori whispered.

“I practice at the range. Carla from accounting gets on my nerves sometimes so I go there to let off steam.”

“Wow, remember to take me soon. I’ve got a meeting with her in a week, and I know I could use it.”

“It’s a date.” Kori realized how that might look but before she could say anything Edward said, “You remember the way to the park?”

“Yea. My parents and I used to live a few blocks over there.”

“How is your dad? Still?”

“Yea. They’ve given him two months.” Realization settled on Edward’s face.

“I see. That’s why you want to finish so badly, after all these years. Get back a memory you two shared.”

Strangely, Kori didn’t find it uncomfortable talking about something so personal with him. She thought their friendship had well dissolved into a work relationship.

“There,” Kori pointed past a building to a sign which read, ‘Last Real Tree on Earth, Come See!’ A stone pathway led to a solitary tree in the middle of the park. Around it were small mounds fashioned to resemble hills. The grass was gone and unhealthy dirt remained. The frame of what was its projection shield lay at its base like a gravestone. One branch was broken, its limb rotting beside it. What limbs remained were pocked with holes. Kori took it in.

“Have you been back at all?” Edward asked.

Kori hesitated. She realized a part of her didn’t want to remember. For a moment she wished she was back at the office staring at her painting. It’d be easier. But didn’t Stacy say she’d have to confide in someone eventually?

“No. I’ve not. Dad’s forbidden me to come. But I had to see it. I don’t know if I can remember anymore.” She got closer and pressed a hand to it. A sting formed in her eyes as tears threatened to surface. “It’s been so long, and the closer I get the farther mom feels.”

“Kori, I know you can remember. You’re always putting on a brave face for those around you. But instead of trying to act like everything is fine, let yourself feel sad. Your mom loved you. I know she’d want you to grieve properly.”

Kori let the sting linger. It was years ago, but it felt like a lifetime. She remembered the look on her father’s face. It was a happy one. The three of them went to see the last real tree. Kori was inspired. It’s what made her want to become an artist.

She found herself remembering her father’s laugh. A small echo was the sound of her mother’s voice as she rushed them to get ready. They’d been late, and everyone was already crowding the park. She missed the feeling of having a mom. Tears dropped to the ground, watering a dead tree.

“Kori.” Edward’s voice was tense. Her throat dropped to her stomach. “Don’t move.”

A thunderclap.

Kori dropped down. A white mass moved towards Edward.

It tackled him and a guttural scream escaped his lips. A clawed paw slashed at him. The blue of his disk bled into a neon red. A warning.

Kori moved. She lifted the branch and flung it towards the creature. It turned its eyeless face towards her, nostrils flaring.

She gripped the taser in her hand, but in a blur the world fell.

She pressed the taser to its head too slowly. Her arm was caught by jagged teeth. Its jaw contested with her disk as it strained beneath the force.

Then she saw its eyes. An ooze-like film similar in color to the rest of its pale body obscured them. The artist in her couldn’t help but admire their wild fierceness. It’s too bad she was going to die.

The weight collapsed onto her.

“Kori!” Edward pushed the creature, shoving it off.

A deep breath in was followed by a heavy cough.

Her eyes were pinned to the creature. Its body lay still; black holes burned in its side.

“Are you okay?” Edward turned her to face him. His disk was gone.

“You’re hurt.” There was a gash on his arm. “We’ve. We’ve got to go. Before the rest of the pack arrives.”

A low rumble.

An escort of drones appeared above them. Edward had already triggered a distress beacon.

---------------

Kori made her last bowl of ramen for a while. It steamed beneath her, a comforting smell. She had to finish this project in the same way she’d spent countless hours on it.

She opened the holoscreen to her painting. The hills were reduced to mounds. Flowers were removed. The museum had requested a real tree. ‘Make it as it would be in the wild.’ She knew that too was a fake reality. She added buildings surrounding a lonely tree and the sheen of a projection border. Then she added the last piece. Three figures. A young girl and her parents amidst a crowd, visiting the last tree on earth.

A weight lifted off her chest. Visiting hours at the hospital would start in the morning. She’d show her father and share a precious memory. One that was sad, but genuine.

“Kori?” Edward’s voice from afar.

“Over here,” she said with a smile. “I finished it. Come see.”

He walked over.

“That’s amazing.”

“I never said thank you, by the way. When we made it back, everything happened so fast. Is your arm okay?”

“It will be. And don’t worry, it’s not my shooting arm.”

“All that time at the range and you still missed your first shot,” She teased.

“The thing was fast. Plus, I did get it eventually.” He ran his hand through his hair, but this time she found it an attractive gesture. “Let me make it up to you.” He hesitated then said, “Feel like burning the midnight oil with me at the range?” This time Kori didn’t hesitate.

“I’d love to.”

As Kori left, she forgot to turn the holoscreen off. The image of the painting illuminated the empty bowl of ramen.