Waterboy had never missed a single day of work until now. At first he called out because his grandmother was in the hospital. Then the next day because he wasn't feeling well, and must've caught something while at the hospital with her. It was on the third day of his absence with no reason given that everyone else started speculating, then in the fourth it became genuine worry. Waterboy didn't answer any phone calls and stopped reading his texts.
Robert knew he was lying about being sick. At first, only Robert could tell, But Robert trusts Visi to help him figure out where heād been. So they (very easily) found out which hospital she was in when he entertained Invisigalās curiosity in his hacking abilities, andā¦ she was declared deceased on the same day Herman claimed to be the one sick.
Robert wanted to give the kid space, since he knew Herman probably needed time with his family. He and Visi are the only ones who knew that Herman was otherwise alone, with Most of the Z Team believed he finally gave up.
The Z Team agrees to show up at Waterboy's house (they break in, more like) to check in behind Robertās back but the kid isn't there and neither are any parents or roommates, and they're worried he could've been abducted by a villain they'd been dealing with lately.
The interior is antique and musty. Itās humid, smells like cat piss and insecticide, with some new species of mold or mildew growing in whatever corners Herman must've neglected to keep dry. Aside from having over 30 cats, the thing that bothers them most is the fact that Waterboyās room is the only place completely destroyed. Holes punched into the walls, his closet door ripped off the hingeā¦ like someone needed to lose control long before his scale finally tipped.
So naturally, Visi is the one to tell Robert āhey, we kinda did the thing you told usā and specifically meā to never do again, but now it's serious. The kid isn't here.ā but Robert encourages it now. This wasn't a work matter anymore, they haven't seen the kid in days, and it was actually sweet of them to be this worked up when even Robert was convinced they only tolerated him at best. He remembers when he was younger and had no idea how to navigate being alone in life, even if he was the one to deny help from those who loved him (Chase)ā¦ who better to find and console some sense into him than his team?
Robert heads out to join his team in locating and rescuing Waterboy a little lateā¦ but all he had to do after getting dressed was open his door to find him. Looking exhausted, oddly dry (not completely, but dryer than usual) and smelling a little like alcohol.
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