“If I’d known anyone was coming, I would’ve established quarantine,” he said.
Ben cleared his throat with the subtlety of a garbage disposal. “If I’d known any winnin’ lotto numbers, I woulda retired years ago. What’s your point?”
Flushing, Jason caught the janitor’s arm. Ben let himself be guided to one side, but once they got out of earshot, he grumbled at the younger man.
“Leggo of my arm. The suit don’t block everythin’.”
Jason snatched his hand back. “I—er. Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘oh.’ And here I thought you was one of the smarter recruits.”
“Should I … uh …” Jason wiped his hand on his shirt.
“If you caught anythin’, it wouldn’t matter if you stuck it in boilin’ water until the skin came off. Just don’t grope me again.”
“The Board processed my report?” Jason asked.
“Yuppers. Figured it was worth a look.”
Jason squinted in doubt. “And they sent you?”
Ben pushed his sagging cheeks up and leaned in. “You wanted someone prettier? Want me to go steal some lipstick from the girls’ dorm and get gussied?”
Jason coughed and backed up a step. “Sorry, I just … I waited a while to call in. You know how HQ gets if you file too many false alarms. Wasn’t sure if I actually sensed anything or was just being paranoid.”
Ben rolled his bowed shoulders, which crackled like bubble wrap. “What’re we dealin’ with?”
“The vents keep rumbling,” Jason nodded at a nearby grille, “and I’ve noticed above-average grime buildup. Definitely Corruption of some sort. Could be coming in from the air ducts. Maybe a muttermite infestation.”
Ben sniffed. “Naw. You trainees are gettin’ sloppy. Muttermites ain’t never made this kinda stink.”
Jason’s nose wrinkled. “I haven’t smelled anything.”
“That’s ’cause you ain’t an old hound dog like me. You couldn’t sniff out Corruption if bile got pumped straight up your blowholes.”
The water in the spray bottle sloshed again.
“Hmm.” Ben nodded. “Good idea.”
Jason eyed the water as it spun. “Is that … Carl?”
“You betcha.” Ben patted the bottle. “And no. You ain’t gonna hold him, pet him, snuggle, or take a sip.”
“I wasn’t going to—”
“Hush it. Lemme concentrate.”
He shut his eyes to fix on his prey. He blanked out the hushed chatter of the students, the hum of air conditioning, and the clack of fingernails over keyboards. He pushed past every distraction until …
The subtle foulness in the air congealed into an olfactory hook that set in his nose and jerked him toward the source of Corruption. Along with this came the sound of leather being dragged over rusty metal, and a messy snuffling, like a dog gobbling up fresh goose droppings.
Ben cocked his head at the bathrooms. “We got ourselves a blot-hound nested in the pipes.”
Jason paled. “But there haven’t been any suicides. They leave pretty distinctive trails, too. I’m sure I would’ve noticed. And if it has a nest, that’s even worse. They always fight hardest against threats to claimed territory and—”
Ben sighed. “Are you tryin’ to be helpful or just make yourself look smart?”
Jason stuck his chest out. “I’ve been studying. Almost ready to test for active field duty.”
“Studyin’. Heh.” Ben smirked. “Lemme fill you in on a company secret, kid. With the Cleaners, you don’t learn through information. You learn through action. Gotten any of that lately?”
“I’m … not sure you mean it that way.”
He clapped the trainee on the shoulder. “Don’t think about it too hard. After all, I’m just a geezer here to get the job done.”
“What should we do?”
“We? Nuh-uh. I got this. You plant your butt back behind that desk and keep clear.”
“Sir, I’ve been ready for this for a year now.”
“If you think that, then you sure as shootin’ ain’t ready yet.”
Jason’s face fell.
Ben scratched his arm, which itched where the kid had grabbed it. “You really wanna be useful?”
“Please. Anything.”
“Then go get me a sign that says the bathrooms are closed. That’ll give me time to check things out and see if there’s somewhere to fit you in. Anyone in either of them now?”
“Don’t think so,” Jason said. “I’ll get a sign up, but—”
A growl wavered out from the women’s bathroom, loud enough to perk up several students who glanced about in confusion. Ben’s neck hairs prickled, and Jason’s eyes widened.
The librarian wiped at a trickle of sweat that escaped a trimmed sideburn. “Uh … are you sure you don’t need any help?”
Ben snorted. “Kiddin’? I’ve been moppin’ up Scum since before you started shavin’.”
A grimace. “Right. Guess I’ll … get that sign and then alert the scrub-team.”