Chapter Three - Part 5

"Especially at that age you Flushers creeped us out."

"You? Are you... creeped out?" Kilo looked amused.

"Not anymore, you kinda learn your way around the mine field." he was smiling big now, I said, "But some of the Grinders never got used to you guys..."

"Have you noticed that most of those, have either, gone to maintenance or are just gone?"

"Yeah and I can imagine where..." I offered that sarcasm as we entered "our" lunch room, the lights on both cameras were on.

As we sat I asked, "What seems to be the difference? I mean some of those who are no longer with us had good metrics."

"Nerves Gank, nerves." He popped a fry into his mouth while still smiling and talking, but now he was doing that mouth thing again.

He continued, "Sure it is true that a lot of those that are gone had good numbers, but the fact that they could not hold their mug around a Flusher meant they were reaching the end of their usefulness." I looked him in the eyes as he went on, "As a Flusher you get to see a whole mess of things that the rest..." he gestured to me, "that you Grinders don't."

"You get to see that their discomfort around us," he motioned his hands toward his chest, "rather than easing up, like with you, instead gets worse. And this usually happens just before their stats start tanking. Nerves kid, nerves. Speaking on nerves... how's yours?"

He punched a button on his com, it beeped and the camera lights went off. Then he asked with a big smile, "Did you miss me? Did you think I might have left you on your own... here?