Chương 182: Chapter 180 - The Enemy of My Enemy

Tut turned around to see Wentworth making his way out of Elios' office. He half expected Elios to be on edge following their impromptu meeting, maybe a full on eye twitch situation, but much to his surprise both men seemed… happy? Was that happiness he was picking up on or was it just his imagination? The lab was quiet in the way a well run science floor always was. Soft clicking of keyboards, the faint hum of powered equipment, the clean scent of disinfectant lingering in the air.

A few researchers at nearby stations lifted their heads, watching the two men with the same puzzled curiosity Tut felt. Did hell freeze over or something? Tut asked himself. Normally these two cannot be within three feet of each other without wanting to rip the other's face off. What the hell happened in there? There was no yelling, no posturing, not even the typical sarcasm. What is going on? He wondered.

"I'll get started on the teleport right away, Franklin," Elios smiled, patting Wentworth on the back.

"Once it is up and running we can meet again to discuss next steps." Tut blinked. Elios patting someone on the back was already strange, but patting Wentworth? That was practically a sign of the apocalypse.

"Okay, we will meet up in a few days to see where we are at then. Is that enough time or do you need more?" Wentworth asked.

"No, I think I should have it completed by then. Well, at least I hope so anyway," Elios said with a pleasant smirk. Wentworth extended his hand to Elios.

"I'm glad we could come to a… eh… mutually beneficial… lets say… understanding." Tut noticed one of the junior techs pause mid note taking, eyes flicking between the two men as if waiting for the punchline. Even the usual background murmur seemed to soften, like the room itself was confused. Elios took his outstretched hand and shook it firmly, nodding in agreement.

"It's nice to be on the same side for a change." He snickered.

"I must admit that it's gonna take a little time to adjust."

"Yeah," Wentworth said, smiling.

"Not gonna lie, it does feel a little weird. Like the nagging sensation you get when you can't remember locking the door, or when you feel like there is something you were supposed to do but… forgot what it was."

"Hopefully that will pass," Elios said, releasing Wentworth's hand.

"Have a great day, gentleman," Wentworth said as he walked away. His footsteps were soft against the smooth lab floor, fading into the steady rhythm of the workspace. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Tut, being thrown off balance by the whole exchange, looked at Elios with his mouth agape then looked toward Wentworth and back to Elios.

"You trying to catch flies?" Elios snickered, looking at Tut.

"Haven't you seen two colleagues work together before?"

"No… I mean yes, just not you two," Tut replied flustered.

"I didn't think you trusted, let alone liked him," Tut stated plainly.

"It looks like you guys are best friends or something now."

"Ah, Tut, my boy…" Elios said, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. Tut caught the faint scent of Elios' usual lab soap, clean and sharp.

"Don't let this little charade fool you, we absolutely despise each other and I don't think either of us trusts the other as far as we can throw them, but sometimes you have to put aside petty differences… you know for the greater good? You know, the enemy of my enemy and all that."

"Greater good?" Tut asked, his eyebrows narrowing.

"Yes, the greater good. We have a common goal… to not piss Mordak off and end up like Hardscrabble. We came to the conclusion that if we played nice for the time being and worked together, we could both achieve our goals… you know and remain breathing."

"I see," Tut said, settling back into his seat. The chair moved quietly beneath him, the motion smooth and familiar. Elios headed toward the door of his office, his steps brisk and purposeful. Tut, still thrown off kilter by the exchange, looked down at the pile of messages for Elios. The stack was perfectly aligned, each slip placed with deliberate care. He lifted the top few, scanning them quickly, then paused when he found the one he had set aside earlier.

"Sir, before you head back into your office…" he stood, the legs of his chair gliding softly across the polished floor. He sorted through the slips again to confirm he had the right one.

"You got what I can only describe as an odd message earlier." Elios turned around to face Tut.

"From who?" Elios asked, perplexed.

"Well, it appears it was from Falotopia Federal Penitentiary. It was…" he shot Elios a confused glance.

"Your brother." Tut held out the message slip. It was crisp, clean, written neatly on the standard lab message pad. Nothing about it looked unusual except the sender. Elios' expression tightened almost imperceptibly under the bright overhead lights. Elios sighed heavily.

"Half brother," he muttered.

"What did that waste of space want? I haven't spoken to him in years. To be honest I would prefer to keep it that way indefinitely."

"He wouldn't say exactly why. He only said that he needed to speak to you urgently," Tut said, handing him the slip with the rest of the messages stacked neatly beneath it.

"Everything is urgent with him," Elios muttered.

"He put the D in drama. Is that it?"

"Yup. The rest are your run of the mill everyday items, nothing pressing." Tut nodded.

"Oh yeah. That piece you were waiting for arrived. It's sitting on Workstation 2C." Elios' eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Tut. That is great news." He turned and headed into his office, the door closing softly behind him. Once at his desk, Elios looked down at the stack of messages in his hand, shaking his head as he looked at the one from the prison.