Central

No Prompt

"Central"

Central is always a quiet place for some reason, even during times of huge crises. Central never really sleeps, but it's never totally awake, either. Everyone runs on their own internal clock, goes about their duties, and just adjusts if their sleep is interrupted. I don't have to sleep. I never really do, but I know it would freak out all the others if they saw me flitting the halls all twenty-four hours of the day, never stopping to take a rest. I don't even remember the last time I actually had to sleep. It's one thing to be able to close your mind and retreat into your own world, another to actually sink into unconsciousness and become unaware of what's going on around you. I haven't been around here as long as Commander has - that's a given - but everyone knows something of who I am, and stays out of my way. For the longest time, Sector Five was just Commander and Operations, and then Defense was found, and he was made known. After Weapons, Security and Communications were recruited, we were basically under house arrest...not that you can actually call Central a house...and were never meant to be seen, on jobs or around Central. I guess Tops doesn't care anymore, because we were more or less booted out of our safe house in Sarawak and given a Sector station here, seven bunks and all. Defense is never really in his. Weapons jokes that we should rent his bunk out, but Communications was nice enough to point out that everyone else here is afraid of us. The only people who aren't are Sector Six Connections and Sector Nine Finances, but then again Defense works with S6 Connections and Commander was S9 Finances' field instructor - not that he knows what her rank is. As for Sector Seventeen Commander Scottsdale...he'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure. I mean, if he's seen Commander's Shang brand, then he must know that she's something different...that and the fact that her rank and position are classified. I wonder if anything big has happened...maybe I should stop by desk 3379 and ask...but I think I scare the guy who's at post there. He knows what I am.
Talking to yourself again, are we Tobias? You know that's the first sign of insanity.
The boy was pulled out of his thoughts. He automatically stepped back into the shadows, where he could converse with his teammate without scaring the office employees in the building.
And killing your own mother isn't?
That was different, Toby, and you know it.
Tobias rolled his eyes, hearing the half-hearted warning in DJ's mental voice. You know I hate being called that. You hate being called James, I hate being called that, and we're even.
DJ chuckled, the sound velvety and musical. Tobias wondered briefly why he didn't have a real-world position like Christian's.
I hear we might be shipping out, soon. S17 Commander Scottsdale has been taken out of his position in the real world, and S9 Finances has been freed up too. Young Jade will be flying out on the presidential escort, and Chase is being sent to his cruiser mid-side, DJ announced. You been in an F-16 lately? You might want to brush up your skills...
Tobias felt his mouth curve into a wry smile. I might. He pushed himself away from the wall and stepped into the light, ignoring how the two mail boys fooling around on the cart scooted out of his way, nervous gazes locked on his pale face. He started headed back to his sector station to see if any messages had come in by way of Communications. It was standard protocol - after all, thanks to Communications' lovely efforts, anyone in Sector 5 could receive a message at the speed of thought. It was nice. And sometimes not, when he was trying to sleep and everyone wanted to chat in his mind. He shook his head, smiling wryly. He'd whine about that another time.

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