Chapter Text
The fluorescent strip lights hummed interminably in the CK Laboratories SOE's research room.
Their low vibrations provided the perfectly incessant melody to the slow descent to madness if one didn't have the ability to tune it out, while the nauseating harsh glow clashed distastefully with the rather anemic looking yellow wallpaper.
It had been pasted up on the dry wall for far too long and several areas were beginning to peel, making the place look more like a dreary, yet surprisingly orderly, crack den rather than the 'state of the art' facility they were led to believe it was.
Though, at least in a crack den, there was some escape from reality to be had, so Bonnibel really wasn’t sure if this could be considered a bad thing or not.
Comparatively, that might have even been a nice little vacation if it meant she didn't have to suffer through the monotonously preachy spiel she was currently being subjected to today.
"...And then I says to him: 'Sir, if I had even one ounce of the integrity and leadership skills that you possess, why'd I’d be twice as good as any department head in this companies history…Now if only I could find out who tailors your suits, I could do it with half of your impeccable style'" The man slapped the thigh of the leg he had elevated on the plastic box of spare instruments she kept next to her desk, and let out a hearty laugh, despite nothing he said being remotely funny.
"That's great" She replied dryly, not removing her eye from the microscope, even as she lazily jotted down her notes.
Luckily, in this line of work, she'd learned to multitask.
"It is pretty great, as that, my dear Miss. Bates, is exactly how I managed to seal the deal and get to where I am today" He declared proudly with a wink, she mercifully didn't witness "All thanks to my charm, quick wit and keen eye"
You kissed major ass in other words.
"Truly inspirational Mr. King" She decided to say in lieu of her thoughts.
The man's sandy coloured moustache twitched a little at her response.
She knew from the past few weeks the man had been in charge that he preferred to be respectfully called 'Sir'.
Bonnibel’s preference to forget each and every time however, was just a little stronger. Always relishing any opportunity she could to get her petty little digs in.
Unfortunately though, he didn't seem to dwell on it this time, too invested in his own well-rehearsed and oft-repeated narrative as he continued "I'm glad you agree Miss. Bates! You know, I've always considered writing a book. As a notable government figure now, I'm sure I could gain access to the proper channels to get it authorised no problem, what do you think?"
Changing over the glass slide and adjusting the magnification of her microscope, Bonnibel gave a hum that could be interpreted in any way he saw fit. She was too tired to deal with this. "Would you mind passing me the thermo microplate vortex mixer behind you?" She asked innocently.
The man gave a little start at the abrupt request "Oh uh...right, of course. The...mixer..." She watched from the corner of her eye with a small sense of satisfaction, as her fearless leader cast his gaze over her wall of lab equipment cluelessly for the item that was right in front of his face but she had absolutely zero need for, before he predictably clicked his finger and pointed to the sky as though a thought had only just occurred to him "Ack, I JUST remembered! I have a luncheon to attend with the company directors to report our latest contributions, so I'm afraid I must dash"
Bonnibel felt the first genuine smile she'd had all day reach her lips as her plan worked like a charm.
It wasn’t much, but it was something…
"I trust my best little worker bee has provided me all her findings?"
...And just like that, any fleeting sense of gratification she had earned immediately evaporated and got sucked up into the dusty ventilation grate above them.
Gesturing resentfully towards the beige manila folder in the tray at the end of her cramped work space, she felt her colleagues' eyes bore into the back of her skull at the unwanted flattery she received.
She had no idea why though.
This type of compliment only brought with it more work and less recognition from anyone that actually mattered.
Yet still, it always inevitably resulted in her receiving the cold shoulder for the rest of the week because of it.
She'd all but stopped trying lately so they could feel free to surpass her at any time and take the title for themselves for all she gave a damn.
Besides, calling her a 'worker' as opposed the scientist she was, felt more like a backhanded insult than anything, even if the line between these two things seemed to have blurred beyond all recognition quite some time ago.
She wasn't even allowed to put her name on her research she was handing over anymore as 'all intelligence belonged to the state, not one individual person' or some other meaningless drivel.
So she honestly couldn’t understand why they all had to get their panties in a bunch.
She just didn’t get humans sometimes.
"Excellent! And you've dumbed it down so all the less informed laymen at the meeting will understand it I hope?"
"As you requested Mr. King"
"Then I shall be on my way! Good afternoon everyone, I'll see you all tomorrow after my breakfast with the other department heads" Without so much as a thank you, Mr. King gave a haughty wave to his overworked crew and strutted toward the exit.
Only when the door clicked shut, did Bonnibel finally look up from her work.
Breathing a sigh of relief along with the rest of her colleagues, she pushed her microscope away and let her head fall in her hands.
Bonnibel felt like she had been transported to a plane beyond being simply tired.
Every muscle in her body felt taught and limp at the same time.
Weak, but somehow still keeping her upright.
It made her feel uncomfortable.
But uncomfortable was normal.
It was nothing.
Not in comparison to the strain on her mind lately at least.
But…She shouldn't be surprised. She really shouldn't.
As even this was the same thing every single day after all.
The same damn thing, for the past seven years.
So, she only had herself to blame for feeling dismayed as she felt her soul being slowly but surely siphoned out of her in such an increasingly agonising manner.
She did the work. Others took the credit.
It was the same with this boss as it had been with the last. And the one before that.
Being force-fed the same bullshit day-in, day-out: that it was to be considered an honour for even having the opportunity to provide a service for the ones in charge of them all.
And unless she learned to think and act a bit more homogeneously in line with their ideals, she would keep having that same glorious opportunity ad nauseum and ad infinitum until the day she died.
So, until the day came when she officially surrendered her soul as forfeit; this was her life.
She could either shut up and accept it, or just not bother waking up tomorrow.
Bonnibel rubbed at the bags that she could feel already forming under her eyes and glanced up at the clock. Realising that she still had seven hours left in her shift, suddenly the second option didn't seem so bad after all.
Scanning her ID badge on the fifth and final terminal Bonnibel cursed out loud when the lanyard got caught on the turnstile. Unhooking it and dumping the laminated card grumpily back into her bag, she stepped into the main foyer of the research department.
The other two scientists that got off at the same time as her, bustled passed, too deep in their own conversation to even bother telling her goodnight. Not that she was expecting one anyway.
Still, she felt that even if they would just direct hatred towards her, it would somehow be better than the general disinterest she usually received.
A girl can dream.
Watching through the glass doors as the two women crossed the car park and disappeared out of sight, Bonnibel stood at the threshold and shrugged the bag strap a little higher on her shoulder.
She didn't even bother to stifle her yawn as she leant on the wall wearily.
Unlike them, she wasn't in a rush.
Her bus didn't come for another ten minutes and it was almost always late, so she may as well take her time in here rather than wait outside in the cold.
She found herself reminiscing the days when she was able to own her own car.
Even with her jobs pay being a little fairer than most, there was no way she could afford fuel prices anymore, so it just wasn't feasible.
She sorely missed the small sense of autonomy it gave her.
When she could come and go on her own terms, instead of having to wait out in abandoned buildings like a squatter.
Or like a child waiting for their parent to come pick them up after school. Standing alone, with no friends or anyone to talk to.
The only thing to keep her company being the pathetic trickling sound of the tacky desktop water feature on the unmanned receptionist desk.
The motor in which sounding much more loud and laboured than normal in the silence, as it was starting to give up the ghost from constant use.
Wait...why IS it so quiet?
Bonnibel glanced over at the security station.
Even that was empty.
Despite her work shift being one of the latest, there was always usually at least someone still hanging around.
It was certainly odd to say the least.
Maybe with the uptick in cameras installed around the perimeter of the building lately, they've finally started making those cuts they've been threatening for a while, Bonnibel figured. It seemed like the most plausible reason, even if she had heard nothing about it.
Whatever the case, the quietness was eerie, and for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, it made her not want to stick around much longer.
Besides...the trickling sound was making her need to pee.
Stepping into the desolate, disused carpark with a shiver, Bonnibel crossed the lot to the bus stop that was conveniently only across the street.
The frigid night breeze did little to wake her up, and only made her crave the warmth of her bed even more and she seriously wished she'd brought a thicker jacket with her.
Glancing disdainfully over her shoulder, as she crossed the street, she said a final good riddance until tomorrow to the windowless concrete monolith she called her work place.
It was only one of many identical buildings in the complex; the others housing different branches doing who knows what, but for some reason, hers just seemed by far the worst and ugliest out of all of them.
Her foot was barely on the curb when three law enforcement cars skidded around the corner sharply and careened down the road behind her, sirens off, but clearly in a huge rush to get somewhere.
She felt as though if she would have left the building even ten seconds later, they would have undoubtedly mown her down without a second thought.
They probably wouldn’t have stopped either.
At least it would have been quick, she thought soberly, checking her watch, as she caught site of the dilapidated looking bus rounding the same corner.
It was only three minutes late, which felt practically like a miracle. Or perhaps it was just because it was riding in the slipstream of the cop car.
Either way, she didn't question her luck any further and just counted her meager blessings as she hailed it to stop and paid the driver the necessary credits.
Despite the advanced hours of the night, the bus was still packed with commuters on their way home, for which she supposed she had the extended work hours to thank.
Pushing her way past the stinky, sweaty bodies to get a little further in, she tried her best to stand her ground as the bus took off without her waiting to get settled.
Grabbing on to the sticky handrail and narrowly avoiding an elbow to the face, she took a deep breath of the stale smelling air as she took in her new surroundings.
Finding it no great surprise that every seat was taken.
All except one that is.
Conspicuously alone in the centre seat of the bus sat a Beautopian.
It was staring forlornly out of the grubby window, apparently deep in its own thoughts.
Oh fantastic, Bonnibel thought sardonically, glaring at the empty seat next to it. What a damn waste.
Despite what the name would suggest, the thing was anything but beautiful. With it's pallid, slightly scaly looking skin and strange mutated, fin-like ears. It looked like it would be more at home in the swamp than sitting on a public transport vehicle surrounded by regular people in a threadbare brown suit.
Due to their typically docile (or ‘simple’ as most tended to think), human-like nature however, it was one of the few abnormals to be granted any kind of freedom, so it had every right to be walking around on dry land.
Even if it did make people uncomfortable.
This one must have been fairly brave or just plain stupid to actually sit in a seat, rather than give it up for a human. But lucky for it, since everyone looked far too tired to start as fight, they all just avoided it.
Still, it should be careful.
...Not that she cared, of course.
Bonnibel sucked in a breath and closed her eyes.
Even if she didn't have anything personal against this particular species, she still didn't want to be the only one to be seen sitting next to an abnormal.
So despite her aching feet and sore back, Bonnibel grabbed on to the handrail a little tighter and continued bracing herself as the bus driver's lead foot jostled the passengers about violently.
Bonnibel only finally let herself breath normally again as she turned the key in her front door lock.
The satisfying clunk always bookending her day, for better or worse.
Either marking melancholy or relief. No in between.
Right now, as it were, she felt her blood pressure immediately even out as she was greeted with the familiar chirps of her cat Timmy.
She reached down to scratch him behind the ear in the spot she knew he liked.
"Hey boy" She said sleepily, kicking the door closed behind her and dumping her bag on the floor.
Slipping off her shoes next, she didn't waste any more time and stomped her way heavily up the creaky stairs. Feeling quite creaky herself as she crossed the hallway to her room.
Despite living alone, it was a decent sized house. At least compared to the matchbox-sized apartments some people closer to town lived in.
She would probably be living in one of those herself if it were for the fact that her father, who she barely ever spoke to in life, left this to her in his will. Probably as some parting apology for never being there for her or something.
While it was close to work and pretty secluded which offered her a little precious privacy, the downside was that it was also quite old. During the rainy season, she would often find herself having to weave around the several half-filled buckets of water scattered in random spots on the upstairs landing.
Not that seasons seemed like they were much of a thing anymore.
The weather had become so temperamental lately, it was impossible to predict from one hour to the next let alone a yearly cycle. Evidenced right now by Bonnibel shivering as she closed her bedroom window after having opened it that morning for ventilation due to the sweltering heat she had woken up to.
But, hey...this was just another frustration of modern life she had to deal with, so what could she do?
Just add it to the list.
Climatology wasn't exactly her field of research after all and she had far more important things to worry about than knowing whether or not to bring a cardigan with her when she ventured out.
Stripping down, Bonnibel felt utter relief as she unclipped her bra and threw the heinous thing into the dirty laundry hamper by her cupboard.
She was just pulling a pair of pyjama pants over her buttocks when she hear a knock at the door downstairs, making her freeze.
She looked toward her night stand.
The large red numbers on her bedside clock read the time: 9:46pm.
Far too late for any visitors, of which she rarely even had any, considering she was surrounded by nothing but forest for at least half a mile in either direction.
With some trepidation she edged along her wall and glanced out the now closed window onto her short dirt road driveway.
It was dark outside, as she'd never bothered to install a security light, but the faint pale glow from the moon was enough to reveal an enforcement officer's car parked right outside. She hadn't heard it approaching.
Even though this solved the mystery of who was at her door, it most certainly didn't make Bonnibel feel any safer.
Throwing on a thick cable knit jumper for an extra layer of protection, she nervously made her way back down the stairs.
It was best not to keep them waiting.
She had nothing to hide.
She knew this.
But that little fact didn't seem to really matter, as she always felt a strange sense of guilt for some unknown reason in these situations and she was always worried it manifested in a glaringly obvious way on her face.
If it did, this could spell major trouble.
She knew people could be taken in for much less.
Opening the door a crack, the shard of light from the hallway split the tall man standing at her door straight down the middle.
"Good evening Ma'am" He said, touching the brim of his hat.
"Good evening officer" She said in return. Knowing better than to question him, Bonnibel didn't ask why he was there and instead waited for him to continue.
"Hope you're doing well. Sorry for disturbing you so late at night, I'm just stopping by to see if you've seen any suspicious activity lately?" The man asked, pulling out a notepad and pen from his front shirt pocket. Despite sounding a little rushed, he was surprisingly polite, which was a rarity considering his profession. He was rather young though, so maybe he just hadn't quite settled into the role yet "Or any suspicious...people?"
"Oh...uh, no, not that I'm aware of. What would be classed as suspicious?" Bonnibel asked before internally cringing at the slight waver in her voice.
"Just anyone you don't recognise, or anyone that looks odd?" The question was suspiciously open ended.
She knew sometimes enforcement officers liked to do this as a test. Ask a question that they knew that you knew the answer to in order to catch you out.
Bonnibel furiously wracked her brain.
"Umm, no, sorry. There...there was a Beautopian on the bus earlier...but I guess that's not that out of the ordinary" The officer nodded, but didn't write anything down, so she figured that wasn't what he was looking for "Is there anything more specific I should be...keeping an eye out for?"
"I'm afraid not ma'am, not even I know. I was just ordered to do my rounds, make sure everyone is fine and to report any activity" This man was bizarrely forth coming with information, or lack thereof, Bonnibel noted "But if there's nothing untoward happening, I'll leave you to it as I've got a lot of other houses to get to"
Despite wanting this interaction to be over, she still felt to compelled to ask "Is there...anything I should be worried about?"
"No ma'am, nothing at all" Scribbling something down on his notepad at long last, he tore the page out and passed it to her. Giving it a cursory glance, she realised it was just his name, rank and phone number. "But if you do notice anything more suspicious than a Beautopian, please don't hesitate to contact me immediately, so we can deal with the danger"
While these felt like wildly contradicting statements, Bonnibel didn't question it as she accepted the paper wordlessly and bid the man goodnight with a small wave.
Closing the door, she triple checked that it was locked before heading into the kitchen.
Standing at the sink, she watched the car pull onto the road through the window with a strange feeling in her gut.
It wasn't that uncommon to have random checks done, just to keep tabs on everyone and remind them they were being 'taken care of'.
But something about this felt...unsettling.
The officer was clearly looking for something specific.
She shifted her gaze to the tree line. Almost expecting to see someone standing right there staring back at her, but it was empty.
At least from what she could see.
The inky darkness of foliage surrounding her house, which usually made her feel cozy, now only made her feel a little claustrophobic.
She really wished she'd installed that flood light.
He said he had other houses to get to…meaning whatever he was doing wasn't random at all. Could someone have-
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Timmy leapt on the counter next to her.
"For crying out loud cat!” She said, clutching her chest, before letting out a short nervous chuckle "Phew…I…I guess you're hungry huh?"
Timmy meowed a 'Yes' as he headbutted her arm.
Giving one last glance outside, she was suddenly feeling a little exposed and not so safe in her own house, so she hastily closed the curtains to shield her from any prying eyes.
Filling up the little guy's bowl to the brim, Bonnibel grabbed a single handful of granola for herself and sat down at the kitchen table and they both ate their dinner in silence.
That night, her usual ever-present feeling of desolation gave way slightly to fear, as every tiny bump or creak in the night of the settling old house caused her to sit bolt upright and listen intently. Despite them being nothing new.
The next day however, she'd forgotten all about it and her hum drum life continued on as normal.
Albeit with a little less sleep than she would typically have liked.