PRIVATE: 'I don't know what you could possibly expect under this condition'
You should leave, Kleio. Go and recharge yourself... how could you possibly expect to work under this condition?
Reluctantly, Kleio left at a fellow program’s request to rest. Yet, instead of going straight to her apartment, she found herself making her way towards the End of Line club for a ‘nightcap’, so to speak. Three Calm Waves and 250 microcycles later, the memory program was in a slight drunken stupor as her processes slowed with each unsteady step taken up to her flat. She tripped a number of times along the way but managed to reach her door with relatively no trouble to speak of.
The door slid open and a second later was closed shut behind her as she stepped into the darkened room and it took a while before her blurred vision finally adjusted. The living quarters were bare at best with only the necessities of comfortable living. The only worthwhile feature was the floor length window that let in the soft lights of the city.
She stood in the middle of the room with her shoulders sagging forward and her head tilting to the side. She could feel her functions ceasing with each passing microcycle. Stumbling every couple of steps, Kleio made it to the glass panel to take in the view of the glowing city. The sleek surface was cool and hard against her forehead when she leaned in with her eyes closed.
Why did she do this to herself? The question buzzed around her head like a little bit as it annoyingly asked ‘Why?’ over and over again. Dark eyes opened to a vision of mixed colors that shone brightly against dark blue hues. They swirled and danced until an imaged appeared trapped within the glaring lines and dark depths of color. A spark in her processes and her eyes blink before widening. The image takes form as details follow; revealing the cause of her desire to drink away the memories that keep her from peaceful rest.
It was because of him.
Kleio? Are you alright? You really should rest... relax! Please... for me?
His voice was so gently against her ear she could swear he was right next to her. She spun on the heel of her shoe to confront the program but miscalculated as her knees buckled from under her. Falling into a slump with her back against the glass, Kleio remained unmoving as her functions slowed to a crawl.
He wasn't there. No one was. It didn't matter...
Her vision started to darken and she slowly entered a deep sleep cycle. Maybe. Maybe she would dream of him again.