4338.210 · July 29, 2018 AD
Exhaustion and Hard Drives
One encounter. Two perspectives. Neither version flattering. Sarah's running on caffeine and grief when Duncan arrives from Devonport with crucial ferry security footage — underdressed, overthinking, and carrying more than just a hard drive. What follows is an awkward reunion filtered through exhaustion and unspoken history, where a momentary lapse costs more than either realises. She delegates the footage to family. He retreats to Ellen and whatever dignity remains.
One encounter. Two very different versions of the same disaster.
Sarah hasn't slept properly in days. Jane's deteriorating — can't keep food down, can't rest. Last night Sarah stayed until 3 AM in that hospital chair, and now she's fighting unconsciousness at her desk when Duncan Flack's voice drags her back to the surface.
Duncan's driven three hours from Devonport carrying Spirit of Tasmania security footage that Ellen Lowe pulled strings to obtain. He's also still wearing his running gear — a decision that seemed practical at 5 AM and catastrophic by midday. All he has to do is hand over the drive and leave.
What unfolds between them is a masterclass in mutual awkwardness — unresolved history from a night one remembers too well and the other can't remember at all, a glance that lands wrong, and an exit strategy built from transparent lies and manufactured urgency.
Sarah turns exhaustion into efficiency, delegating the footage to her cousin James in tech. Duncan retreats to find Ellen in the courtyard, cataloguing his failures on the way down the stairs. Neither walks away unaffected — though neither would admit it.
