I fell asleep in my seat sometime after four in the morning. When my eyes cracked open, the cameras were still running, the screen a foot away from my head. No one had come by from the looks of it. If they had, an alarm would have jolted me awake. Glancing to my side, I spied Sapphire fast asleep. 

It was still early. I had only gotten two hours of sleep. Since it was the weekend, I had no shifts today. Normally, I would spend that time tinkering with various parts I found in the Scrapyard or exercising. Most labor at the factories required only your arms, so work needed to be done in order to keep the rest of my body in shape. However, today wasn’t a normal day. I needed to solve the situation surrounding Sapphire and I needed to do it quickly. 

There was also the matter of paying Kristin back. It wasn’t something I could just put off for later. I promised, and I intended to keep that promise. My only worries were that I know she wanted this to be only me and her, so Sapphire would be alone. 

I let out a small sigh and rubbed my eyes. Maybe a small trip with Kristin was something I needed. I hadn’t had to deal with such a complicated situation in years. 

“What’s wrong?” 

I started and glanced towards the source of the soft voice. Sapphire was sitting up in bed, her eyes on me. She had not made a sound.

“I was just thinking,” I said. I turned to her “You’re up early. I was going to let you sleep some more.”

“I heard a noise,” she said. “What are we going to be doing today?”

“You have sensitive ears. We’re not doing much today. I have to go out and meet with a friend, but you’re going to have to stay behind for a few hours.”

“Why can’t I go with you?”

“I don’t think she would enjoy having company,” I shrugged. “It won’t be as long as last time though, I’m fairly certain.”

She frowned, not looking convinced. 

“It’s safer in the apartment as well,” I said. “There might be people looking for us, so it’s best if you stay here. You remember how to get out, right?”

“Under the bed.”

“Good. I promise it won’t take long, alright? Feel free to explore the room if you want. Just don’t touch the duffel bag.”

“This bag?” she asked, pointing at the duffel that rested beside the chair. 

“Yes. That one. I’m going to make a call now, alright?”

She gave me a small nod, and I went to the corner of the room, lifting a finger to my ear.

“Call Kristin,” I said. The band around my wrist responded to my command, the familiar dial tone playing in my right ear. The line rang three times before Kristin picked up. “Morning.”

“Fae?” Kristin replied. She had just woken up judging from her voice. “Why are you calling so early?”

“You wanted me to take you out somewhere. It’s the weekend,” I said.

“It’s six in the morning.”

“I usually wake up around this time.”

“And I have night shift,” she said. I could hear her eyes rolling. “Whatever. I’m already up now, so, what are you calling about?”

“Repayment. I promised it. I have some time today, though I don’t know how long that will last. That’s why I’m calling now.”

“What did you do?”

“I beat up some dudes from the Sunbreakers. You know. The usual.”

“And I bet you let them get away,” Kris sighed. “Well, that’s one way to spice up your weekend. What do you think they’re going to do?”

“Knowing them, probably try to find me and get some revenge. Not sure how mad they are, but we’ll see.”

“Shouldn’t be that hard to lose them. They’ll probably give it a day or two and then give up.”

“They might have seen my arm,” I sighed.

“Huh. That’s a problem. So you might have a day or two before they find you.”

“If they don’t get their connections involved, yes,” I said. “Again, that’s why I wanted to let you know. I don’t like leaving debts unpaid and I might not have time later.”

A soft sigh slipped out from the receiver. 

“How did this happen?” Kris asked. “You’ve managed to avoid getting into trouble for like two years and knowing you, that probably could have extended for ten until someone got mad at you for not ending your sentences with the right tone or some bullshit like that.”

“Remember the girl I told you about?” 

“I have impeccable memory.”

“I was taking her with me to the Archive to do some digging, but I let my focus drop for a bit and she strayed a bit too far. A group of them grabbed her and I went to get her back.”

“Was this during the call we had?” Kristin mused.

“It was.”

“Hmm. This was kinda my fault then, so I forgive you for getting into trouble,” she said. “Did you get anything useful? From the Archive?”

I sat down in my chair, thinking. Useful was an ambiguous word. It depended on results. If it proved to be important later on, that would mean it was useful. I always disliked hypothetical questions. I didn’t know how to answer them in a satisfactory way.

“Maybe. Can’t really say right now. Once I follow up on the few leads I got, we’ll see. Thank you, though. At least I got a few leads with the Archive. I’m not certain where I would be able to gather information without it.”

“That’s good. Happy I could help. What are you going to do if you can’t solve this though?”

“Not sure. I’ll see what my options are when that time comes.”

“That sounds like you,” she said. A soft humming followed as she thought to herself. “How about six at the Plaza? Can you do that?”

“Provided nothing comes up, I can.”

“Then it’s settled. Remember, wear something nice, m’kay? I know you don’t have much, but try. I want it to be special for both of us. You don’t go out much nowadays.”

“Never really had a need to,” I replied, “but alright. I’ll see what I have. I can’t promise you anything though.”

“I know, I know. See you see, alright? Bye~.”

The line disconnected with a small jingle and went quiet. I sat back into my chair, my mind running as I planned out my day, estimating times and slotting them into a little list. The biggest wildcard was how long Kristin intended to shop. I enjoyed shopping as much as the next girl. Well, maybe not as much, but I didn’t mind spending a few hours looking around at shops. Kristin on the other hand is a store parasite who would never leave until she has perused every single item to their fullest degree. A simple trip to the market with her could stretch on for hours and all you went there for was a loaf of bread. I know from experience.

“What are you thinking about?” Sapphire asked, the curiosity in her voice cutting through my thoughts. 

“Just a few things. I’m not certain what to do since I don’t meet up with Kris until twelve hours. I could follow some leads, but I don’t think that’s really wise right now.” 

“Okay.”

“Is there anything you might want to do?” I said. Sapphire was basically a child in a woman’s body. Children usually know of many ways to pass the time.

“No. I’m fine with whatever you want to do.”

Well. That didn’t quite help. 

“Is that so?” I tapped my chin. “I guess I could just do my normal routine then. If you want to watch, you can watch. I don’t mind.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Exercise. Tinker. That’s mostly it.”

“Can I do it with you?”

I raised a brow and then shrugged. I didn’t mind. I hadn’t had a workout partner for quite a while and the exercise would be good for Sapphire. She looked quite fit with her toned muscles and lean body. Of course, mods played a partial role in that, but work was needed to maintain that physique. Genetic modifications and conventional boosters only helped you build that physique quicker. 

“Come on then,” I said, getting up from my chair. I went to the fridge and poured out two glasses of water. “We have a long day ahead of us.”