[Location: Mess Hall, Sector 4 Forward Base.]
The coffee in the Federation army tastes like engine coolant mixed with regret.
I sat at a corner table, staring at the black sludge in my cup.
"Hey, hero!"
Miller slammed his tray down next to me. He was alive. In most loops, Miller dies on the drop. Saving him was a nice change of pace.
"You're famous, man," Miller grinned, chewing on a synthetic burger. "Everyone is talking about the 'Blue Demon' who punched a Centurion. They say you're a cyborg super-soldier."
"I'm just a guy who hates mechs," I muttered, pouring three packets of sugar into the coffee. It wouldn't help.
I looked at the clock on the wall. 12:00:00.
"Don't eat the red jelly," I said without looking up.
"Huh? Why?" Miller paused, spoon halfway to his mouth.
"Just trust me."
Three seconds later, a klaxon blared. [NOTICE: BATCH 44-B RATIONS RECALLED DUE TO BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION. DO NOT CONSUME RED JELLY.]
Miller dropped his spoon. He looked at me with wide, terrified eyes.
"Dude. seriously. How do you do that?"
Across the mess hall, sitting alone at the officer's table, Vesper was watching me. She hadn't touched her food. Her Laplace Drones were hovering invisibly near the ceiling, recording everything.
She saw me predict the announcement.
I raised my coffee cup to her in a mock toast.
She narrowed her eyes and typed something furiously into her data pad.
She's building a profile, I thought. She knows I'm living in the future. She just doesn't know how far.