Ch.32Succubus! (7)

#032

“Let’s see… where is it?”

Dexter, who hadn’t visited the spaceship since retrieving the body correction device, was searching for something inside the ship after a long time.

After rummaging through without finding what he wanted, he was about to flip over the box when his hand caught hold of a fist-sized object wrapped in black cloth.

“Here it is.”

As Dexter unwrapped the cloth, a transparent, dodecahedron with pentagonal faces about the size of a ping-pong ball came into view first. This part was attached to a pencil-thick black metal rod, which was connected to a black circular base.

It looked somewhat like a home planetarium device.

“I’ll use this when I’m with Jesse.”

This device that Dexter placed in his bag was a cutting-edge technology not found on Earth, with effects completely different from a planetarium.

After Dexter left the spaceship and was about to drive his pickup truck out of the Air Force base, he felt his phone vibrate with a text message.

Checking it, he saw it was indeed a message from Himena, though with a different tone than before.

-They told me to back off. They said it’s become too big for a mere agent to handle.

“Huh?”

After reading Himena’s message, Dexter immediately replied.

>What do you mean? How can they exclude the person who helped the most in solving the problem?

-They said my previous investigation is the issue. Conducting it personally without upper management’s permission and investigating with an outsider are the biggest problems.

“Oh, great.”

In truth, there were many issues with the investigation Dexter and Himena had conducted together.

‘Well, with so many eyes watching…’

Even Dexter himself was under surveillance by Pete, a retired OSA agent.

Besides Pete, there were undoubtedly countless eyes monitoring Himena and Dexter from places unknown to him.

While Dexter naturally had no reason to share this information elsewhere, that was just his perspective—the higher-ups at OSA didn’t see it that way.

It was something he should have anticipated, but it was difficult for Dexter to resolve on his own.

>Never disobey orders from above, don’t investigate on your own, and just stay put. Another opportunity will come if you wait.

-Okay, I’ll try to be patient 🙂

Himena sent several messages during Dexter’s two-day break, but none were particularly significant.

-Nothing special today. Seems like the investigation results aren’t out yet.

-Should I change departments? I’m so curious about the results.

-They make me get permission even to go to the bathroom. Isn’t this harassment? They say they can’t stand me sneaking around investigating.

-They told me not to even text you, Mr. Hughes. This is too much.

It seemed Himena was under intense scrutiny.

“Well, if someone caused trouble every day, I’d keep an eye on them too.”

Since Himena would likely stay quiet for a while, Dexter went to work at the prison as usual.

Jesse, whom he hadn’t seen for two days, would be discharged from the infirmary today and return to Medium Security Facility Block 2.

“Good morning!”

Rose, who was back on day shift, and Jesse, whose body correction treatment had finished, greeted Dexter.

“Good morning, Mr. Hughes.”

Jesse was waving her hand vigorously from inside the room.

“My, Blueberg seems really excited to see you.”

“Indeed. Happy to be leaving the infirmary, I guess?”

As Dexter approached, he saw a paper box on Jesse’s table containing her previous belongings and a few paperback books. Jesse was sitting on the bed waiting for him, just as she had been during their last meeting.

‘See you in a bit.’

Jesse nodded when she saw Dexter mouthing these words to her.

As Dexter returned to the reception desk, Rose handed him a folder from her drawer.

“Oh, Chief Correctional Officer Raymond left these documents for you, Mr. Hughes. It says Blueberg is being moved to a different room.”

“She’s changing rooms?”

It seemed there had been a regular cell reassignment while Dexter was on his two-day break.

According to the documents, Jesse would now be sharing a room with a new inmate instead of her previous roommate, Lawson.

‘This might actually be better?’

With a new inmate rather than Lawson, who remembered Jesse as skin and bones, there would be less concern about Jesse having trouble adjusting after her body correction.

Additionally, Jesse’s assigned vocational training had changed from automotive repair to internal cleaning of Medium Security Facility Block 2.

‘Internal cleaning, huh.’

Dexter smiled contentedly.

After briefly checking the documents, Dexter closed the folder and was about to head to the infirmary room to escort Jesse when Rose spoke up.

“It’s almost time for Blueberg to be discharged. Would you like to see Dr. Yelena before you go?”

Though Rose’s suggestion was sudden, Dexter nodded.

“Oh, yes, let’s stop by briefly.”

Entering the examination room, Dexter found Yelena sitting with a smile, a cup of tea poured as if she had been waiting for him.

“Since I won’t be seeing you for a while, I should at least say goodbye, right? Have some tea before it gets cold.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for everything, Doctor.”

“Not at all. You don’t know how much easier things were because of you, Mr. Hughes. Not many officers would wait for us when we briefly step out for lunch.”

“I was just doing my job, that’s all.”

“These days, there aren’t many officers like that…”

Yelena continued talking by herself for about 10 minutes while Dexter simply nodded along.

‘This is getting tiresome.’

He probably wouldn’t voluntarily visit the infirmary for a while.

“…that’s what I’m saying. Oh my, look at the time! You can take Blueberg back to the Medium Security Facility now.”

“Oh, is it time? Thank you for your kind words, Doctor.”

Showing no sign of his irritation, Dexter smiled at Yelena, who extended her hand to him.

“Don’t hurt the inmates, and keep up the good work like you’ve been doing, okay?”

“Haha, yes, I will.”

When Dexter left the examination room, Jesse was waiting for him beside Rose, holding the paper box in her arms.

“Thank you for taking care of and treating Blueberg all this time.”

Rose waved off Dexter’s thanks.

“It’s nothing. You worked hard too, Mr. Hughes. And Blueberg, don’t get hurt next time, okay?”

“Ah, yes… Take care, Nurse.”

After Jesse awkwardly said goodbye to Rose, she left the infirmary under Dexter’s escort.

“Sigh, feels like a year has passed.”

Gone was her hesitant expression, replaced by a bored and indifferent look.

“Let’s be careful next time. No need to get hurt.”

“But I met you because I got hurt, didn’t I?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Dexter grinned and stopped Jesse before they left the infirmary building.

“Hold on a second.”

“What?”

“That thing on your ankle. Time to return it.”

Dexter crouched down and lifted Jesse’s pant leg, revealing the silver body correction device gleaming under the fluorescent light. He naturally deactivated the device and put it in his pocket.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“No, you’re the one who’s had it tough, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re right.”

They walked alone from the infirmary to Medium Security Facility Block 2.

“Starting today, you won’t be doing vocational training. You’ll be cleaning inside Block 2.”

“Ugh, internal cleaning? Why that of all things?”

Jesse frowned deeply, showing her clenched teeth in disgust.

Cleaning was an easy job, but it covered a wide area and accumulated less work credits, so most inmates didn’t particularly like it.

“Who’s supervising the internal cleaning?”

“Diaz? Or some other officer, I guess.”

In response to Jesse’s indifferent comment, Dexter shook his head.

“Me.”

“What?”

“Me, I said.”

Dexter grinned at Jesse.

“After lunch, meet me in the boiler room.”

At Dexter’s quiet words, Jesse moistened her lips with her tongue and carefully nodded as they headed toward Medium Security Facility Block 2.

The underground boiler room, present in every detention facility, was a large space of about 640 square feet (approximately 18 pyeong), enclosed on all sides except for vents and doors. Additionally, from spring to early fall when the weather was mild, the boilers were rarely used, with solar water heaters on the facility’s roof being used instead.

Dexter’s suggestion meant meeting alone in a space where no one would come.

* * *

Dexter arrived at the boiler room before Jesse and was looking around the interior.

Thick pipes, large metal tanks for boiling water, and numerous red levers were attached to the walls, with a thin layer of dust settled around.

Despite being underground and away from Nevada’s hot sun, the room was surprisingly comfortable thanks to the 24-hour ventilation fan attached to the vent, making the name “boiler room” seem ironic.

“Clearly no one comes here.”

Dexter said as he ran his finger through the dust on the floor.

After looking around, Dexter took out the fist-sized machine wrapped in cloth from his pocket.

It was the device he had brought from the spaceship.

He unwrapped it from the cloth, activated a switch on its side, and took out his mobile phone.

“Let’s see if it works.”

Dexter selected the loudest alarm sound on his phone.

-BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP!

“Ugh.”

Leaving his loudly ringing phone on the floor, Dexter left the boiler room. He closed the door and pressed his ear against it.

“…”

Surprisingly, he couldn’t hear anything.

“Good, it works.”

When Dexter opened the boiler room door, the alarm sound became audible again.

While noise-canceling technology creates sound waves opposite to noise to cancel it out, the device Dexter installed creates a thin membrane that absorbs sound waves in enclosed spaces.

This device, called a ‘Portable Sound Absorption Membrane,’ is originally designed for small spaces where noise reduction is needed, such as during construction work in interior spaces.

“I came to Earth with all this debt, might as well use some space technology.”

Dexter’s philosophy was that if it was for his own benefit, and as long as alien technology didn’t spread to civilians as the OSA feared, it was fine to use.

After setting up the sound absorption membrane, Dexter left the boiler room and went upstairs, where he found Jesse reluctantly sweeping the floor.

“Blueberg.”

When Dexter called Jesse by her last name, it meant he was treating her as an inmate, not a friend.

“…Officer.”

Jesse, mindful of the other inmates watching, responded curtly.

“What kind of floor cleaning is this?”

Dexter picked up a small piece of paper from the floor and showed it to Jesse.

“Hah, don’t pick unnecessary fights, Officer Hughes.”

As if unable to tolerate such an insult, Jesse threw down her broom and tried to push Dexter’s shoulder, but he caught her wrist.

“A fight? Inmate Blueberg. Are you trying to fight me?”

“Fight? Officer, this is merely a suggestion from an inmate.”

“Take it easy, Blueberg.”

The surrounding inmates began to whisper as the two glared at each other.

“Jesse seemed different, but her personality is still the same.”

“That crazy woman, really. Why is she talking back?”

“I don’t know, hey, let’s go do something else instead of watching.”

The nearby inmates began to scatter, not wanting to get involved in the confrontation.

Dexter observed the inmates carefully, then pointed to a laundry basket in the corner and said to Jesse:

“Take that basket and come down to the basement immediately.”

Jesse crossed her arms and looked at Dexter sideways despite his instruction.

“Come on, why should I listen to you, Officer Hughes?”

“Are you disobeying?”

“This isn’t the military, Officer Hughes.”

Instead of getting angrier, Dexter just stared at Jesse steadily and said:

“Come. With me. Right. Now.”

At Dexter’s words, delivered as if slowly swallowing his anger, Jesse sighed slightly, picked up the laundry basket, and followed him downstairs.

Two inmates secretly watching them commented:

“What’s going on? What’s down there?”

“Just temporary solitary cells and the boiler room, I think. Wow, Jesse’s really pushing it to the end.”

“Is he putting her in solitary? What’s going to happen to Jesse?”

“What do you mean what’s going to happen? She just needs to stay quiet!”

As the inmates said, the basement contained temporary solitary confinement cells, called special segregation units, used for disciplinary purposes. Inmates sent there might stay from as little as a few dozen minutes to as long as several days.

Once they were fully downstairs, Dexter spoke slowly.

“Jesse.”

Jesse, holding the laundry basket, carefully replied.

“Dexter.”

Both looked around once before Dexter continued.

“Jesse, you’re a good actor! Wow, that performance was incredible.”

Jesse chuckled at Dexter’s words.

“You should have told me beforehand! I thought you were really angry! But why did you make me bring the laundry basket?”

“Just follow me with it.”

Dexter entered the boiler room first, with Jesse following behind.

After locking the door, Dexter pointed to the basket.

“Remove the laundry on top.”

Jesse put down the basket and removed the laundry covering it, revealing something soft wrapped in thick red fabric.

“What’s this?”

“A sleeping bag.”

“A sleeping bag? Why would you… oh?”

The boiler room had a concrete floor with no desk or even a chair.

“You’re really prepared, aren’t you…?”

As Jesse raised one corner of her mouth in a smile, Dexter took something out of his pocket.

It was something round like a ring in a square blue wrapper.

“…You really came prepared. You want to do it with me that badly?”

“If I brought a sleeping bag and condoms, isn’t it obvious?”

Dexter laid out the sleeping bag on the floor and even played soft music on his phone.

“You thorough bastard.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

After placing his phone on top of a metal container, Dexter embraced Jesse and slowly brought his face closer. Jesse’s lips came forward to meet his.

“Mmm, won’t the sound… be heard?”

“Shh. I’ve taken care of everything, don’t worry.”

The atmosphere, beginning with the exchange of saliva, started to heat up.