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It was going to be a long ride.
A part of you ached to <span class="mu-i">do</span> something. Get up. Fumble with needles and cloth, your pistol- something. <span class="mu-i">Anything</span>. But your eyes droop slightly, and despite your regulated sleep the night before, you realize that this is a chance to do more than just fulfill your basic need for sleep and truly rest. There was time to the destination, and whatever tasks you could think of were better served when you weren't stuck in a subtly vibrating and occasionally jostling transport.
Slowly, you let your shoulders relax, your head drooping back until it's touching against the wall, and allow your eyes to close. Instead of simply allowing yourself to be still for a moment, you find your consciousness fading all too quickly, your body gratefully snatching up the little bit of sleep afforded to it now. The gentle rumbling of the road almost swells to fill your hearing completely, counterbalanced by the noise from within the cabin- the slight shuffling of bodies, or cargo moving in it's fastenings, all underpinned by the muted rattling of the engine beneath the floor.
<span class="mu-i">It was all so small, wasn't it?</span>
<span class="mu-i">You blink, and turn your head slightly. “What was that, sir?”</span>
<span class="mu-i">"Today's gross." He commands again.</span>
<span class="mu-i">Without blinking or hesitating, you answer. “Two hundred eighty thousand nine hundred twenty seven thrones, three hundred twenty seven tonnes material moved across eight shipments, efficiency ninety two percent with a loss of one between transit and delivery. I am ready to transcribe a paper copy at any time.” Your hand moves to wipe a slight drip of fluid from the autoquill strapped to your right arm.</span>
<span class="mu-i">"Very good." Your master said shortly. “You may do so after you finish mopping up.”</span>
<span class="mu-i">"Mopping up?" You raise your head with a furrowed brow, still trying to wipe the ink dripping from your autoquill.</span>
<span class="mu-i">"Yes, the gnats that threaten this venture. After all, that's all your kind is good for, isn't it?"</span>
<span class="mu-i">"Sir...?" Something spilled from your fingers, and you look down, coming face-to-face with your arm stretching out before you. Fingers melded into whirling teeth, spilling freely with oil and blood that ran down your arm, spilling onto the floor as you stumbled back from your master, who turned to display a wicked grin, and an empty pit in his skull where his eyes should be-</span>
You jerk awake with a soft snort, raising your head with bleary eyes and looking around the cabin. The light filtering through the windows had become muted, making it seem oddly like night within the hive. Glancing towards the driver's cabin, you could still see the bright lights of the highway lumens, as if nothing had changed outside. You frown and furrow your brow at the conflicting scenery, before it clicked- the branching tunnels and side passages that came off the main highway had dimmed their lumens. It was night in the hive.
