In Passing

[Lucy]

ACME Infirmary
San Francisco, California​

The infirmary was quiet when Xander arrived, the low hum of equipment the only sound beneath the bright lights. The place always felt a little too clean, the air carrying a faint antiseptic scent that made every footstep seem louder than it was.

An agent was already waiting near one of the exam counters, a small carrier set between them, its plastic sides slightly clouded from use. The metal latch on the door caught the light each time the overhead fixtures flickered.

Xander crossed the room, the sound steady and rhythmic. The agent stood with their hands folded at the edge of the counter, posture stiff but patient, as if unsure whether to speak first. The carrier sat unmoving between them.

Inside, something shifted faintly, the sound barely audible over the steady hum.
Xander slowed as he drew closer, his attention settling on the small shape within. The hamster inside the carrier was mottled gray and white, with a dark patch across its back like a thumbprint. Its nose twitched as it turned in a small circle, paws rustling against the bedding.

For a moment, the tiny animal paused and looked up through the plastic, its dark eyes bright and alert despite the unfamiliar surroundings.

Xander rested a hand lightly against the edge of the counter, leaning in just enough to get a better look. The little creature shifted again, pressing closer to the front of the carrier, whiskers brushing the door as if understanding where it was.
Behind him, the quiet ticking continued, steady and calm, filling the space while the room held its breath around something so small.
“Smudge, huh?” Xander said, glancing at the chart.

The agent hesitated. “My sister named him.”

Xander nodded once. “That tracks.”

He scratches at the purple visitor's bracelet on his right wrist.

The animal shifted, sniffed, and groomed. Breathing steady. Alert.

He steadied the carrier with one hand. Next, he eased the latch open just enough, waited a moment as the hamster nosed forward, then slipped a hand in and scooped it up in a single practiced motion.
He lowered his cupped hands onto the small weight cup and let the hamster step off. The numbers flickered, settled. He nodded and lifted it back off.

Xander shifted the hamster in his hands, settling it into a steadier hold, checking its eyes and nose, his thumbs barely moving as he turned its head.

A brief lift of the lip, a glance at the teeth, and he nodded. His fingers moved once over its back and sides, light and practiced. He checked the cheek pouches next, careful not to linger. Then a quick look at the feet, and he was done. He returned the hamster to its carrier and latched the door.

“Looks good. Just keep an eye on the cheek pouches,” Xander said, closing the chart.

Appreciate it,” the agent said, taking the handle.

“Any time.” Xander answered, already reaching for his notes.

**********
A few minutes later, Xander crossed the main corridor toward the exit, moving past stainless counters. The fluorescent lights cast a steady glow over the polished floor, each step echoing faintly.

Up ahead, a door swung open, and the atmosphere shifted. Lucy stepped out of the office, disengaging the wedge from the door with her black leather boot.

A notice was taped to the door beside her shoulder—official letterhead, stark and unadorned: UNAUTHORIZED SPECIMENS PROHIBITED. The paper looked newly placed, the corners still flat and crisp.

She pressed the door fully shut, the latch clicking softly into place. Her hand lingered on the handle before she let it fall back to her side. She exhaled slowly, a quiet release of breath as she stepped away from the low-level chatter of the room. She stood there a beat longer than necessary.
Another officer at a desk nearby tipped his hat at her.
"Officer Sanchez," he said, as she walked past him.
She gave the other officer a brief nod.
Xander slowed, his attention catching on her. Her boots scuffed lightly against the tile as she turned, the sound small in the wide corridor.
Xander adjusted his grip on the file he was carrying. Lucy glanced up, and a flash of recognition appeared with a small smile.

“Everything squared away?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, good to see you,” he said. “I've gotta head back. Breaks almost over.”

Lucy nodded, a beat slower than before. It helped to see him here.

“I’m off Thursday, if you’d like to hang out,” she said.

He smiled, already shifting his weight toward the exit.

"Same time, same place?" He asked.

“Yeah,” Lucy said.

He nodded "See you then."

He then turned toward the exit.

End